By Zephyria I observed her, her eyes darting around rapidly in a seemingly comfortable posture. Did she know I had already given her ample opportunities?
I had no intention of idly watching a meaningless person for twenty minutes. Recovering from the schedule delays caused by them was my responsibility, so every second was precious. I had a duty to quickly extract the data from them and proceed with the project.
I averted my gaze and reviewed the newly acquired data. Thanks to the cooperation of another team, I received indicators of similar value. This significantly reduced the need for Michelle’s cooperation, but I still had to gain the upper hand in the battle of nerves.
Tap, tap. Rainwater streamed down the window as if knocking. When did the rain, which started as thin streams, become so heavy?
I roughly put down the data and closed my eyes. My eyeballs, dry and stiff, felt sore, so I slowly rubbed them. It wasn’t good at all. I should have received these indicators sooner. This was going to be a real headache. From whom should I get the vendor hotline?
Did Michelle, the person in charge, even have it?
Distrust in her welled up. If I had received the data on the day I requested cooperation, things wouldn’t have become so complicated. A sigh escaped my lips. I lowered my hand and checked the timer. About two minutes were left.
She, clearly anxious, bit her lip and fidgeted with her fingers. Still, I generously added a typo to the very first page of the document, and she couldn’t even find that.
I tapped the desk in time with the sound of the rain.
I heard a faint, rough breathing. At that moment, a huge noise permeated the silent space. The timer beeped. The allotted time was up.
“Give me the documents back.”
“……Not yet…….”
“You’re supposed to be finding a part that I’ve already determined to be problematic, so why do you need more time? The twenty minutes I suggested was for you to neatly organize your explanation. Not to start looking from now.”
This wasn’t a place set up to evaluate her abilities. It was a power struggle for future company life. Michelle’s complexion turned pale. She probably couldn’t stand the fact that an Asian she thought was beneath her was cutting her down.
“The organization, that is, um…….”
“There was clearly something wrong back then, but now you’re saying you were mistaken? That can’t be. It’s the second time already.”
If she was mistaken twice, I wondered if she had exchanged her eyes for a pollack’s. Why not donate them somewhere? That would be more useful. I barely held back the venomous words that formed on the tip of my tongue. Even if that was my true feeling, it was a word I couldn’t say out loud.
“Stop hesitating and tell me, Ms. Blink.”
Her breathing was uneven and trembling, as if she was about to cry. I felt like I was standing in the middle of being a jerk who makes women cry and a boss who sternly scolds subordinates who are going down the wrong path.
“……Sorry…….”
“Were you aware that the total of negative opinions in the survey was 34%? I just checked. I clearly remember holding a meeting. Ms. Blink was the presenter at that time.”
“Yes?”
“It’s exactly 8.9% different from the indicators I was reported. Do you know what that means? To put it simply, it means we have to scrap this entire project.”
“…….”
“I have a question. How much loss do you think the company will bear as a result of this? Were you aware of the scale of the resources invested?”
Did she not know how much a single person’s incompetence could lead to?
This was probably the first time she had been in charge of such a large project, and she probably had never experienced a situation where things went wrong due to her personal feelings.
As the company was a complex organism, the losses occurred in a chain reaction. How many dollars would she be responsible for as a result of this incident?
“I, I didn’t know…….”
“If you’re going to play with numbers, you should have known properly.”
I suddenly wanted to ask Ian if he really didn’t know about this. Ian, who is more outstanding than me, didn’t know this? That couldn’t be. After all, the person who has to take responsibility if things go wrong is the Team leader.
He was a perfectionist.
In Seoul and Seattle, he wanted everything to be under his control. It didn’t make sense that such a person was standing by and watching the project completely fall apart. Then how can I explain this situation?
Michelle finally burst into tears. I felt like I could find the answer if I thought a little more…… The interrupted thought lost its power and could no longer continue.
“I, I…… sob, th, sniff…… I didn’t mean to…….”
It had been a long time since I deviated from my original purpose. There was nothing more to be gained by holding onto her any longer. Rather, I had to immediately establish a hotline with the partner company and change the direction to minimize losses.
I ordered her in an emotionless, businesslike tone.
“Stop crying. Stop making excuses for the meaningless data and go out and contact the vendor representative right now. Right now.”
Michelle, who had been hesitant, hurriedly went outside. One more rumor would spread. I would become a trashy Asian who made a woman cry for reasons that were not revealed, and it would spread by word of mouth. Moreover, I had no intention of spreading her fault.
My head throbbed. I felt like blood was rushing to the blood vessels in my head, perhaps because my nerves were overly focused. I closed my eyes and leaned back. What could I do? Some of the resources had already been invested in the project.
“How far should I cover for them?”
I muttered to myself and organized my thoughts.
Regardless of whether I had bad feelings for her, we were on the same team. Since it hadn’t been approved, it was actually a favorable situation for me. Also, the fact that it was in the very early stages helped. It was still an amount of loss that could be ended within the team.
With this level of warning, both of them would be quiet for the time being.
I crossed my arms and tapped my arm with my fingers. The proposal could be rewritten. Rather, it seemed like I could collect the data I had and approach it in a more convenient way. Let’s say the resources already invested were transferred to market research……
It might flow in a better direction.
“……He knew, that bastard.”
As the blocked thoughts flowed, they settled on a clearly visible conclusion.
Apart from relief, a hollow laugh burst out. He said he would help me. Ian must have known. About the benefits that would come from bringing the loss within the expected range. That’s why he was watching. Thinking that I could finish it within my capabilities.
“Ha, he’s really crazy.”
Yes, there was no way he wouldn’t have known. When he worked at the Korean branch, he was so meticulous that he even found data I didn’t know about, so he was likely to already have the data for this project as well.
I pressed my eyes hard with my palms and then released them. I had to get my act together. Since working with Ian, things had never gone as planned. He helped me, but it was always in an unexpected direction.
I couldn’t get swept away. I had to keep my balance somehow. To be swayed so mercilessly by a younger guy than me……
My mouth tasted bitter.
∗ ∗ ∗
Michelle wasn’t as messed up as I thought she would be. Fortunately, she had the direct contact information of the right vendor representative, and she managed to solve the problem with that.
Of course, there were twists and turns. The fact that the representative had changed in the meantime or that they happened to be working from home instead of in New York presented layers of difficulties that made my head ache.
The worst thing in this situation was that all the work she had been in charge of in this project was reassigned to me. It was obvious that Ian had the biggest influence on this decision, even though he didn’t say it.
So, I was the one writing the email to the representative now.
Dear Mr. Sirius,
I hope you are having a warm Winter. I have attached the data reflecting the opinions we shared yesterday below. The presentation is scheduled for Friday the 20th, so I would appreciate it if you could review it by Wednesday the 18th to see if there are any revisions.
Also, I would like to hear a brief briefing on the progress of the newly added production.
Please feel free to let me know if you need help or encounter any difficulties along the way. Video conferences are always open.
Thank you.
P.S. Please be sure to bring delicious gochujang when you come this time. I especially recommend buying it from the store I mentioned last time. 🙂
Winter Dream.
A smile crept onto the corner of my lips.
I had already exchanged emails with him several times and even learned that he was Korean. The vague sense of joy led to sharing small daily life, and it continued to this point.
I pressed the send button and stretched out. He would probably reply soon. As always.