By Zephyria 
Pain is accompanied by sorrow. Things that had been suppressed so well suddenly felt unfair, making them surge up and burst out of one’s mouth.
“Fuck, there was no need to drive the point home like that….”
Since the lights in the room were off, it was a relief that he had covered his face with his hand before speaking. While his head felt dizzy, his heart beat as if it were about to vomit.
“Song-i Song-i, it’s not like you’ve only lost to me in an argument once or twice, so why are you so frustrated today that you’re even swearing?”
Yi-ho curled the corners of his mouth inside his palm. Being called by a bizarre nickname instead of his name made the sorrow that had driven him to drag the man here crumble pointlessly.
“…Fine, I’m really feeling better now, so go. I’ve recovered enough that it would be more uncomfortable to have a ‘friend’ who has to go to work acting as my nurse.”
Min-gyu let out a small, breathy laugh. He then placed a new cool patch next to the pillow. Soon, he pushed off the floor and stood up. The light coming from outside the door cast Min-gyu’s long shadow over Yi-ho.
Min-gyu leaned down toward Yi-ho.
“Put this on if your fever goes up, and if you’re hungry, heat up the porridge in the fridge. Eat, take your medicine, and call me if it hurts too much.”
…Ah.
Min-gyu gave Yi-ho’s shoulder a firm press and left the bedroom.
Cha Min-gyu was cruelly kind, even up until the moment Yi-ho fell ill from the aftermath of cutting away a long-standing unrequited love.
How many times had he been rejected without a single confession because of that kindness?
The torture of hope had been too much, and he had completely collapsed. Now was truly the time to end this tedious period.
That was why it hurt.
∗ ∗ ∗
On Friday, once the lingering effects of the body ache had completely vanished, Yi-ho worked only until 3 PM before heading into the office. This was because a team leader meeting had been scheduled. Seeing that the meeting was intentionally set right before the Friday clock-out time, Department Head Gye’s intentions were obvious.
“Now, fill your glasses! Hurry, how long has it been since we’ve done this because of that damn air conditioner? There are many people to celebrate today.”
Even after graduating from college, “team projects” had always continued.
Chief among them was his development team, where he served as the permanent team leader, and occasionally, situations arose where temporary teams had to be formed for a project. Now was exactly such a time.
Unlike team dinners where they ordered soju and beer at a pork belly restaurant, dinners for those at the rank of team leader and above took place in a private room of a tuna restaurant.
The Department Head made a round of the table, filling the glasses of the team leaders seated around the long table. In the meantime, the team leaders exchanged glances and subtly shifted their seats.
“Department Head, please sit here in the center. You are today’s protagonist.”
“Huh? Oh, come on, why are you being like this at a gathering meant for a casual meal.”
Thus, the Department Head’s seat became the one with his back to the entrance. Excited by the treatment, the Department Head shouted loudly to fill the glasses.
From this moment, a temporary team project among ten team leaders began. The goal was to defend against the Department Head’s drunken antics and make him pass out first.
“How about Department Head gives a shout-out to the DL Division and we toast?”
The marketing team leader, Cha Min-gyu, who was sitting opposite Department Head Gye, spoke softly.
“Shall we?”
Along with a question filled with excitement, a thunderous toast followed, and glasses clashed. As sake flowed down the team leaders’ throats, the first round began.
Stage 1. Probability of the Department Head remembering tomorrow: over 90%, drinking speed: medium, conversation difficulty: highest.
Therefore, the experts who were seasoned in dealing with people were placed at the Department Head’s table for this stage.
Hong Tae-yeon, the CS team leader.
Gu Ga-ram and Lee So-jung, the domestic and overseas sales team leaders.
Cha Min-gyu, the marketing team leader.
All four were linguistic magicians who ensured there was never a gap in the audio. Among them, Min-gyu took the hardcore position directly in front of Department Head Gye, as a penalty for being the youngest.
Min-gyu filled the Department Head’s empty glass with a smile that looked as if not a single needle could pierce it.
The high-alert table had already emptied their glasses three times. On the other hand, Yi-ho’s table had only drunk the first glass—some had even dumped it—and kept their glasses filled with bottled water in preparation for any potential group toasts.
“Team Leader Cha.”
“Yes, Department Head.”
“I heard you blew it in Thailand. The Managing Director has been talking about you for over a week.”
“He must have viewed my learning process favorably. It is all thanks to the instructions and opportunities you gave me, Department Head.”
How on earth did words like that come out so instantly? Even excluding the emotion of unrequited love, his eloquence was simply fascinating.
Since he had been eating porridge until just the day before, the people at the same table began small talk while Yi-ho picked at the corn cheese.
“Team Leader Song, I heard you took sick leave recently. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, it was just a body ache, so I suffered for a day and I’m all better now.”
“That’s a relief. I heard summer flu is going around, so I was worried it might be that. I think five people around me have already caught it.”
“That’s right. I heard the virus spreads easily because people can’t open windows because of the air conditioning.”
“To be honest, Team Leader Song, overworking played a part too, right? At our age, we really can’t hold up once we get sick. You have to take care of your body while working.”
Overwork, business trips, air-conditioning sickness. Various causes might have been complex, but the biggest cause was likely the shock of cutting away a large part of his heart.
He saw Min-gyu’s face at the opposite table. It was the first time since the day he was sick. Even so, that day was Monday and today was Friday, so they had simply not seen each other for a few days while commuting and working from home. If they were friends, it was nothing strange.
Over the past three days, Yi-ho had very slowly finished preparing himself for resignation. In order to protect the relationship that the two had built over 15 years, and the one Min-gyu was so devoted to.
While he was suppressing his emotions alone in his room, he had been a little afraid of meeting Min-gyu again. But now that he had him by his side, it wasn’t much different from usual.
It seemed the memories of being friends for 15 years had become pure experience. He felt he could actually do this better than he thought.
“That’s the problem with Team Leader Cha, that’s the problem.”
As if his thoughts had been discovered, Min-gyu’s conversation drifted over. Department Head Gye’s face was already reddish in patches. Min-gyu still wore a smile.
“He lacks human touch. He might have climbed up successfully by just being good at work up to the team leader level, but from here on, it’s a battle of people. Producing some results? That’s nothing. A person has to show various human sides for the superiors to feel like fondling them and give them another glance. Huh?”
The person sitting at the same table as Yi-ho looked horrified upon hearing this and spoke only with their lips.
Insane inferiority complex.
It was an expression possible only because they were in a corner seat away from the Department Head, and the others just stared at the tuna in front of them with wide eyes. It seemed everyone shared the same impression that they had heard something absurd.
Lest they be called over if they looked that way, the person next to him signaled Yi-ho not to look. The loud voice crossed the tables, oblivious to the atmosphere.
“Whether you have something or not, you must act like you don’t. Even if you know, you must act like you don’t. I’m saying you have to be good at this.”
Don’t be better than me under my command. The person next to him summarized it in one sentence on behalf of Yi-ho, whose linguistic skills were lacking.
Department Head Gye was looking at Min-gyu with complex emotions because a Managing Director, who was younger than him, had his eye on Min-gyu.
“To be good at that, you have to get married. Team Leader Cha, is there a woman you’re seeing?”
Yi-ho’s gaze was nailed to that spot. Min-gyu accepted the alcohol that Department Head Gye poured repeatedly. Since it was sake, the alcohol content wouldn’t be low, but he swallowed it without hesitation. It was also a position where he couldn’t refuse.
“Haha…, there isn’t.”
“I’m not saying you’re lying about having someone, I’m just asking.”
“There really isn’t. I’ve been so busy adjusting to the team leader role that I haven’t even dared to touch dating for several years.”
That was something Yi-ho knew best. Working at the same company and living in the house opposite, it was impossible not to know.
“Then what did you do on your days off?”
Going to the apartment gym, watching movies on OTT, or taking care of Min-jung, whom his parents had entrusted to him. For about 70% of that time, Yi-ho had been by his side.
Min-gyu gave a similar answer, though in a more elegant tone than what Yi-ho had muttered in his head.
“Oh, Team Leader Cha. Instead of just staying home on your days off, why don’t you try joining a club or something? I went before and it was fun.”
“Ah, a small group. Department Head, is there any company club you’re interested in? It seems like various ones are being added in the second half of the year, though of course, you’re good at everything, Department Head….”
While Min-gyu was being bombarded with nonsense, the other two team leaders added appropriate reactions and ensured the Department Head’s glass never ran dry. Occasionally, they would be hit by a bomb that Min-gyu had redirected.
“Team Leader Song, let’s just eat plenty of this expensive tuna while our tongues are still intact.”
As if the others at Yi-ho’s table agreed, the pace of eating gradually quickened. At a company card dinner, eating was the only way to profit. However, Yi-ho’s gaze returned to Min-gyu every now and then.
“Uhahaha, it seems Team Leader Cha is handling his liquor well today!”
When the smell of alcohol began to grow stronger than the smell of the fried side dishes, the first round of the team project concluded.
Stage 2. Drinking speed and nuisance level increase by 40%, probability of remembering tomorrow: 50%, conversation difficulty: medium.
From here, the speed increases, and the heavy drinkers are deployed. It’s even better if they are high-energy people, as they can induce contextless toasts during the conversation.
However, since one could truly pass out now, about five people took turns occupying the seats. Song Yi-ho was assigned a seat because his alcohol tolerance wasn’t bad. Of course, since no one particularly expected him to raise the mood, he was able to sit in a slightly detached position, like a filler.
Was it because he had barely drunk any alcohol recently due to various events? The alcohol that entered his system after a long time felt exceptionally bitter. As he was pressing the stinging area near his solar plexus with his hand, another team leader tapped his knee under the table.
“Go outside for a bit. It seems the alcohol is hitting you fast. I heard you were sick until recently.”
“Ah….”
Yi-ho nodded slightly in gratitude.
“But when you go, take this guy with you.”
In the direction pointed, there was a person who had already become unconscious. Given a small role, Yi-ho led the sprawled person outside. After washing his hands with cold water in the shopping center restroom and coming out, he saw the man, whom he had left standing in the hallway for a moment, already stumbling outside.
“I was wondering why this guy was out here, it turns out Team Leader Song was taking care of him.”
“Yes. While I was in the restroom for a moment….”
Fortunately, he hadn’t gone out alone; Team Leader Shin, who had been sitting at the same table, was standing guard in front of him.
Thick smoke drifted from the mouths of the two men. An unfamiliar smell of cigarettes approached his face. Yi-ho asked the intoxicated man, who was tilting his waist with a filter in his mouth.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Ugh-uh, now… I’m finally sobering up….”
For someone saying they were sobering up, his pronunciation was still slurred. The intoxicated man, unable to balance himself, eventually rested a hand on Yi-ho’s shoulder. Yi-ho gave his shoulder without much thought.
Yi-ho was not accustomed to cigarettes. Not only his parents, who ran a rice cake shop, but almost none of his friends, including Cha Min-gyu, were smokers. It was only after joining the company that he realized there were so many smokers in the world. Team Leader Shin looked at Yi-ho while inhaling the end of the cigarette.
“How much did you drink, Team Leader Song?”
“I didn’t drink much, but since it’s been a while, it’s not sitting well.”
“Mm-hmm. I’m dying too. I didn’t think about the dinner and went hard yesterday as well.”
“Did you have some occasion yesterday?”
“Ah, people from my club. I got excited while drinking and just kept going. I think it came up briefly at Department Head Gye’s table too, but clubs are really great. It’s a good way to meet various people.”
“…Is that so?”
“Team Leader Song, don’t just go home-company-home-company; try going to something like that. I think you’d be popular. It gets harder to meet people as you get older, you know?”
He had no words to refute the fact that he circled between home and company like a loop line. Normally, with Yi-ho’s personality, he wouldn’t have felt the need to deviate from that orbit. But now, since he was trying to break an inertia far older than the company, perhaps such an effort was necessary.
“What kind of club do you do?”
“You’re actually interested? I’m in a board game club. It’s easy to fit in even if you go alone….”
Board games, hiking, reading, gourmet tours… various examples were given, but nothing particularly resonated. Team Leader Shin, pleased with Yi-ho’s interest, moved closer, offering to show him a small-group app. The ingrained smell of cigarettes drew closer as well.
“What are you doing?”
A low voice interrupted the conversation. Walking down the path and stopping, he had a jelly-type hangover cure in his mouth. Contrary to his build, he was sucking on a stick pouch. Even the man who had been intoxicated with his head hanging low saw this sight.
“Uh-oh! Team Leader Cha, you’re eating the good stuff all by yourself. I was just pretending to be drunk…!”
Crazy!
Startled, Yi-ho reflexively covered the man’s mouth. Team Leader Shin must have had the same thought, as almost simultaneously, another hand covered the back of Yi-ho’s hand. Fortunately, the door to the tuna restaurant, where the air conditioner was blasting, was closed. Leaving the man whose mouth was blocked by two hands, Yi-ho and Team Leader Shin laughed hollowly, like players who had pulled off a precarious coordinated play.
As with all team projects, trolls sometimes appear. For example, almost sending away the person who had been blocking the Department Head with his whole body until now….
Then, someone grabbed Yi-ho’s wrist. It was a hand with protruding bones over a thick watch bracelet. Min-gyu pulled Yi-ho’s hand out from between the other person’s mouth and palm and let it go.