Office Worker Who Hears Memories - Chapter 4
Are These People Members of My Team?
“You say you are doing pretty well? Even if I didn’t know anything about you, I know that you’d be doing well smooching off.”
Kim Tae-ha put a cigarette in his mouth and handed me one.
“What smooching off? You know how much I earned honestly, but where have you been? Do you know how much I searched for you?”
“Sorry… Something happened, so as soon as high school was done I had to rush.”
Kim Tae-ha smoked with a bitter expression and exhaled…
Once I entered college, my contact with him was cut off, and we were meeting again after 10 years.
“Where were you?”
“US.”
“Study abroad or runaway?”
“Study abroad is easy on the ears.”
“Then, if you came back, hyung should have contacted me right away!”
“Hyung? Haha, it has been so long since I heard that word. You are the team leader of the Special Sales Team?”
“How did you know?”
Kim Tae-ha hung his employee ID that he was holding around his neck and spoke with a smile.
“My noona told me. You remember my noona, right?”
“Ah… Ji-young noona?”
When I was in school and looked at Ji-young noona for the first time, she looked like a celebrity on TV. She was over 170cm tall and had a lean body. She had bright and huge eyes, a nose which looked like it was created by a doctor from Gangnam… She looked like an artwork.
“You remember her name too?”
“Of course.”
“Right. Coincidentally, she is here.”
“Ji-young noona?!” As I shouted, Kim Tae-ha was taken aback and I closed my mouth realizing how I must have come off.
“Shh! The others don’t know that she is my sibling. This is an absolute secret. Understand?”
As I nodded, Kim Tae-ha put his hand on my shoulder and spoke, “Your hyung is the team leader of the Processed Food team, if there is anything you don’t know, feel free to ask. If you find something pretty, I might teach you a thing or two.”
“Something pretty?”
“Since we are on topic, will you act cute?”
“It has been 10 years since we met and talked. But you don’t think that we are on the same level just because we are both team leaders, right?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You came here because of your father and I came to this place with my abilities.”
“I am not here because of him. And you said that those rumors about you were exaggerated?”
“You are here after studying in the US, but I am the most knowledgeable one in here.”
Without any hesitation, we were exchanging friendly talks.
The same as when we were students.
His status as a gold spoon was just an interesting teasing point for me and Kim Tae-ha always took it as a joke.
We smoked lightly and talked about our time as students. As time passed, Kim Tae-ha looked at his watch and looked at me in shock, “Yah! 10 minutes left! Let’s head down quickly!”
“What is with this Royal Family member? Can’t I just trust the next chairman-elect and spend time here?”
“Don’t you know that you are Noblesse Oblige?”
“Says Mr. I-work-hard, who doesn’t even call his older sister, noona…”
“I-work-hard or It-is-Easier-that-way, later, let’s go now.”
Kim Tae-ha got up and pulled on my arm. We immediately took the elevator and entered the MD division on the 17th floor.
“Your team seat is over there. There.”
“Okay. Let’s have a glass of soju on Friday.”
“Why not today?”
“I have to know my team members.”
“Right. Got it.”
Kim Tae-ha turned away, but then he stopped and turned around as if he just thought of something.
“Jihoon-ah.”
“Huh?”
“Maybe director Kim Ji-young will call. Remember what I said?”
“Yes!”
“Okay, don’t forget.”
Kim Tae-ha smacked my ass and went towards his seat. Seeing him from behind, I smiled.
It was then…
“Won Jihoon, team leader?”
Lates 40s- No, the skinny guy who seems to be in his 50s approached me.
“Yes, but you?”
“Hello! Special Sales team manager, Ma Seong-gun.”
The middle-aged man bowed at a 90-degree angle.
The area around us seemed to be empty.
He wore a black belt as if his pants frequently fell down, He also had a red tie which didn’t go well with the white shirt that he was wearing. Why were his glasses so huge?
I was surprised by the undeserved formal greeting and quickly grabbed his shoulders and raised him.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“No, please. Shall I bring in the team members?”
The people in the company looked at me…
Kim Tae-ha, who was looking at us from a distance, was confused but giggled at us.
“Not everyone is like this, right?”
“Huh?”
“Let’s forget this, let’s have a cup of tea. The break room on the 25th floor seemed nice.”
“Please head up first. I will immediately bring in the others.”
“No, no, just call them.”
Even before my words were over, Ma Seong-gun walked away fast. Then, went into the partition and gathered the employees who were seated by their tables.
** *
“What will you have? I heard that the coffee here is expensive… I will buy it.”
At my words, a tall man who was pulled by manager Ma Seong-gun stared at me. He opened his mouth by showing me the employee ID at his neck.
“If you are a BO Food employee, bakery and drinks are free.”
Kim Tae-ha, that fool… he pranked me again.
“Ah… is that so?”
“What would you like to eat?”
“Anything would do.”
“Anything is the hardest to accommodate.”
What was with the man? Besides, the look in his eyes seemed unusual.
It was like a killer searching for his next target, he glanced at me by narrowing his eyes.
“Iced Americano. Chilled.”
“Ice Americano is normally cool.”
“Haha, yes.”
He even ordered the drinks for other employees and opened his mouth.
“Mr. Daesung. I am Won Jihoon.”
“I am Kim Daesung.”
“Do you remember me?”
I couldn’t remember him at all.
This man, Kim Daesung, wasn’t giving the impression that anyone would forget.
“I am not sure. You seem familiar but I can’t get my mind around it…”
“Before I joined BO Commerce, I was at One Small’s AMD interview.”
That was the time when Eunji got picked, he must have applied two months ago.
There were quite a few applicants, so it was natural that I couldn’t remember him. Also, we were intent on trying to hire a female employee but I couldn’t say that to him. It must have been a rough interview. I felt bad for him.
“I see.”
“Do you know how hard I tried to join One Small at that time? How much I… ugh.”
I felt embarrassed. That was when manager Ma Seong-gun jumped up from his seat and put Kim Daesung, who was 30cm taller, in a headlock.
“Yah! Kim Daesung! Why are you talking about this right now?”
“Manager, this is definite assault!”
“Really? Then report me! I’ll do a few more! Huh? How about this?”
“I will really do it!”
Were these people really my team members? At the mood from the unusual group of people, I felt lost.
After the ordered drinks came out, a young female employee in the back moved the drinks onto a tray.
“Chief! Let’s go this way.”
Ma Seong-gun bowed a little and pointed to a corner in the break room.
A room that seemed to be prepared separately. One of the team members was already there blocking the front door; as if they were saving the room.
“Ah… yes.”
I was led in by my team members and stepped into a room with blue walls. It was a simple room with a whiteboard hung in the center. A simple meeting room.
Ma Seong-gun held the marker with both his hands and bowed as if a trot singer was saying hello.
“I will greet you formally again. I am Ma Seong-gun, the manager of the Special Sales team. I was in logistics management at BO Foods, right now I have been appointed in commerce. I am 43 this year and have two daughters who are in middle school. With the birth of the kids, I am being blessed with money. Hahaha!”
“You have to earn a lot.”
“Yes, I need to! That is why it is an honor to meet Team leader like this. Hahaha! Now… This friend right here is our team’s ace, assistant manager Kim Kyung-il.”
A handsome man wearing a navy shirt and white pants with comma hair just like celebrities bowed.
“Hello. I am Kim Kyung-il. I worked for a phone group in the US and moved to Korea in the direction of Director Choi Gu-yeol. Please think of me as a younger brother.”
“Sure. I am Won Jihoon. Let’s get along well in the future.”
When the greeting with the assistant manager was done, a man with a bad case of acne and a tired face got up.
“Lee Woojin. I worked for AMD in the chain market until a month ago. I heard a lot about Mr. Won.”
“What kind? I hope they were good ones…”
“Of course. Everyone compliments team leader… hahaha.”
“Thank you, let’s get along well.”
“Yes, yes.”
“But, Mr. Woojin.”
“Yes? Yes?”
“Do you normally say words twice?”
“Ah… ah… Did I do that?”
I smiled brightly while holding Lee Woojin’s hand.
And one more done.
“Kim Daesung. I greeted you near the café before. Do you remember me now?”
“Well, you do seem familiar, but I can’t get my mind around…”
“Team Leader!”
Kim Daesung had a huge figure of over 190cm. Unlike his strong impression, he was pretty laid back. And he seemed like a fun one to tease. I ended up laughing while clapping my hands when I saw Kim Daesung pout like a child.
“Hahaha, it’s a joke.”
Finally, the female employee in the corner got up from her seat and bowed.
“Ha Yeondu. I have been working here for a little over two months, and I’ll work hard in the future.”
“Sure. Won Jihoon, I hope we all get along, and please help me a lot.”
She was a pretty lady that stood around 160cm. She had short hair and a small clear soft-looking face.
“Yeondu is a new intern.”
I encouraged the team members to talk about their family, interests, and company stories as much as I could. After around 30 minutes of talking, we halted our conversations as my phone rang.
-Where are you?
It was Kim Tae-ha. We just exchanged our numbers in the morning.
“On the roof, why?”
-Come down immediately. The director is calling for you.
“Which director?”
-Director Kim Ji-young.”
“Okay.”
-Keep in mind what I said earlier! Don’t do anything!
“Fine.”
I told the team members to return and headed to director Kim Ji-young’s office which was on the 12th floor.
** *
Knock knock.
A woman in her late 30s opened the door and reached out her hand, “Oh. Jihoon-ah! It has been a while.”
“Yes, director.”
Director Kim Ji-young.
She was ten years older than me. She should be 39 by now but she didn’t seem to change much from the past. I feel like I was back in my younger days.
She looked like a cold person but her voice was soft and she is a gentle person.
Just like before. Ji-young noona was the same as the noona who would give me all sorts of snacks at Tae-ha’s home.
“When it is just us two, you can call me noona.”
That was when Kim Tae-ha’s words come to mind.
That expression and telling me to not call her noona.
“Still, we are in the company building. I will do it the next time I come home.”
“Ehhh, why are you being so stern?”
“No.”
“Do you like coffee? Sit.”
Director Kim Ji-young walked to the sofa and sat with her legs crossed. Through her short skirt, her smooth porcelain-like legs were revealed.
“Water for me.”
“Why?”
“I have been drinking coffee since morning.”
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