Chapter 187: End of the Short-Term Project
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 187: End of the Short-Term Project
“Team Leader! No, Director! Congratulations on your promotion!”
“Thank you. I look forward to working with you, Team Leader Seon.”
The two leads shook hands. Everyone around them broke into a round of celebratory applause.
A crisp “Cut!” echoed through the air. It was the final scene of In My Office, a drama that had traced a romantic curve as volatile as a stock market graph.
It was a happy ending for everyone. This character and that character got promoted, some got married, and My Asset Management rose to become number one in the industry.
The quality of the production wasn't bad—though how much the editing would back that up was a different story.
Having finished the final scene today, the entire crew of In My Office headed to a K-BBQ restaurant.
With such a large crowd trying to sit at once, even just finding seats was no easy feat.
Once the chaos finally settled, the Head Director raised his glass.
“Alright, alright. Does everyone have a drink? Grab your glasses, quick!”
The tables became a flurry of activity. As the youngest person there, I was busy filling shot glasses with expert precision when a familiar hand entered my field of vision.
Gu Ja-han was sitting right next to me.
I was about to tactfully stand up, saying I’d go around and fill everyone’s glasses, when I heard the Director’s toast from afar.
“I’ll start the toast! To our stocks!”
“Let’s hit the upper limit!”
As soon as the short toast—a prayer for the stocks to hit their daily price ceiling—ended, the clinking of glasses rang out from all directions.
This felt strangely similar to the toast at Hanpyeong Industry. Except there, it was: ‘Let our company go bankrupt!’ For the record, I was the one who came up with that one.
Realizing it was too late to move seats, I gave up on everything and toasted with the people at my table.
“Iwol, you worked hard for your first project.”
“Not at all. I was able to adjust quickly because everyone took such good care of me!”
The senior members of Team Leader Ji’s team filled my glass to the brim. It seemed they loved me a bit too much. The glass was practically overflowing.
‘Still, Gu Ja-han is the lead. It might look bad if they take care of me first.’
Feeling the pressure of the situation, I decided to just go for it and downed the soju in one go. The scent of alcohol stung my nose.
“I agree.”
I was about to carefully set my glass down when Gu Ja-han spoke.
Then, he tilted the neck of a bottle toward me.
“Iwol, you did a good job.”
Encouragement?
From Gu Ja-han? To me?
This man wasn't the type to care about what others thought. I’d noticed he hadn't been causing any trouble lately, whereas before he acted like he’d die if he didn't pick a fight with me. I guess even he realized he’d crossed the line.
“Do you not want a drink from me?”
“Of course not. I’ll gladly accept!”
Gu Ja-han filled my glass. About three-quarters full. It was a perfect pour, offered without any ill will.
“May I offer you one as well?”
“Sure.”
Gu Ja-han emptied his remaining soju and held out his glass. I reciprocated by filling it to the exact same level.
As the alcohol began to flow, the atmosphere quickly grew boisterous. I was the only one stuck in a strange vibe, skillfully grilling meat like a part-time worker.
The awkward silence was broken by Ha Seo-myeong, who came over from another table to say hello.
“So all my team members were here! You all worked so, so hard!”
“Seo-myeong, where have you been? I was almost hurt because you were the only one missing from our team.”
“I was sitting with my family! I mean, family comes before work, right?”
“Ah, why didn't that table take their son-in-law Ji with them!”
“Don't even get me started. That man is having an affair with his work; we’re on the verge of divorce.”
Jokes that could only be made off-the-record flew back and forth. Gu Ja-han—the (former) son-in-law Ji and future adulterer—silently focused on eating his meat.
“Our youngest, Iwol, you worked hard too! What am I going to do now that I won't see you as often? Do I have to wait until Spark’s comeback?”
“Oh, then we’d better make a comeback quickly.”
“Promote on music shows for at least eight weeks. You have to ride the drama buff.”
Ha Seo-myeong spoke with a serious face. As expected of an industry senior, she knew exactly how to seize an opportunity.
“Gu Ja-han, would you like a drink too?”
Ha Seo-myeong asked her partner—the one she’d had so much trouble with, but had managed to finish the project with properly.
“Sure.”
Everyone applauded the reconciliation shot—if not a friendship shot—of the main couple.
That man, Gu Ja-han, has finally grown up. Feeling strangely satisfied, I knocked back another shot of soju.
*
The wrap party was long. Really, really long. Ever since becoming an idol, I’d gotten used to the life of the group Spark, where we’d leave early because of the underage members. It took some time to adjust to a party that charged straight toward dawn.
“You’re holding out well, Iwol.”
“I’m pacing myself. Are you alright, Assistant Director?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
The Assistant Director was struggling to pick up a noodle with a single chopstick. It looked like I’d have to send another person home soon.
Mentally, I wanted to go home too.
No one was forcing me to drink. The problem was that ever since Department Head Nam told me to pull a U-turn and come back after I’d tried to leave a party halfway through, my feet felt like they were glued to the floor whenever I thought about leaving early.
The snacks were delicious, but since I was in the middle of building muscle, I couldn't just eat whatever I wanted. So, the only thing left to do was accept drinks at a reasonable pace and make sure I was seen.
When I thought about how I was able to get Seong-bin on My.Singer's.Genre through Nyuri, how Polo put me on the radio because he liked me, and how Ha Seo-myeong took extra care of me at Teacher Eun’s request...
My conclusion was that I should keep showing my face, as I never knew what opportunities might come my way.
So far, so good. I wasn't about to get knocked out by my alcohol tolerance, and the crowd had thinned out quite a bit.
The problem was...
“Iwol, you’re a strong drinker.”
“Am I? I haven't been to many drinking sessions, so I wouldn't know, haha.”
“Are you going to the third round?”
“If my seniors are going, I should go too!”
...This guy, Gu Ja-han, had been hovering around me for a while now.
I had no idea why he was doing this. It was making me uncomfortable.
‘He looks like he’s had a lot to drink.’
His face was beet red, and he kept striking up conversations on the sly. I couldn't tell what his intention was, which only made it more annoying.
‘If I ask if he’s going to the third round, he’ll probably throw a fit about why I’m calling him "senior." If I don't ask, he’ll probably curse me out for ignoring him when he’s talking to me...’
It was a total catch-22. Just as I was thinking about faking a drunken collapse, Gu Ja-han went quiet.
After hesitating for a long time, Gu Ja-han finally spoke.
“Follow me.”
With that, Gu Ja-han walked out of the restaurant.
I thought the man had been reformed, but was he calling me out to put me down again? Or to threaten me never to set foot in the industry again?
Either way, it didn't matter. After dealing with Department Head Nam and Yu Han-su, I knew no fear.
I gave Ha Seo-myeong a heads-up, saying, “Senior Ja-han called for me, so I’ll be right back,” and stepped outside.
Gu Ja-han, who was smoking, saw me come out and asked.
“Do you smoke?”
“No.”
“You look like a heavy smoker, though.”
I’d heard that a lot. Actually, I heard more often that I looked like I’d smoke cigars rather than cigarettes, but I didn't know what the difference was supposed to be, so I let it go.
Upon hearing that I was a non-smoker, Gu Ja-han crushed his long cigarette out on the ground.
Just then, a van pulled into the alley.
The passenger window rolled down, and someone poked their head out.
“Ja-han, did you wait long?”
“Not really. Just open the door.”
It must have been Gu Ja-han’s manager.
I guess he was planning to throw me in the car and dump me somewhere.
I should have signed up for those jiu-jitsu classes sooner. Or followed Choi Je-ho to action school...
“Iwol.”
Unlike me, who was hesitantly bracing myself, Gu Ja-han leaned into the car first.
After rummaging around inside, he pulled something out and handed it to me.
“Take it.”
It was a sturdy shopping bag.
‘Is this one of those... "fill this with cash if you don't want to be forced onto a deep-sea fishing boat" kind of things?’
But there was already something inside.
Warily, I opened it to find a set of clothes—a top and a bottom—wrapped in plastic.
“Why are you giving me this...?”
“You ruined your pants.”
A certain day suddenly came to mind. The day Gu Ja-han had sent me on a ridiculous errand, and I’d ended up soaking the hem of my pants with leftover drinks.
I looked into the heavy shopping bag and asked.
“There’s a shirt too?”
“The clerk said they looked good together. Just wear it.”
So, was he apologizing right now? For making me run those errands that day?
“I was going to give it to you when you were leaving, but you’re just a kid who’s too good at drinking.”
So that was why he’d been interrogating me about whether I was going to the third round.
I’d thought he wasn't the type to stick around at a wrap party, and I’d wondered why he was staying so long.
The material felt expensive, but I didn't say it out loud. I was the one receiving an apology; I didn't feel like being overly humble.
“Yes, I’ll make good use of them.”
“Right.”
Gu Ja-han answered while looking off into the distance. He seemed embarrassed.
Gu Ja-han had a brief conversation with his manager, saying he’d go back in to say his goodbyes.
In the meantime, out of habit, I picked up the cigarette butt Gu Ja-han had crushed out.
“What are you doing? That’s dirty.”
“It’s fine. It’s a habit.”
Of course, it would have been ideal if you, the one who threw it, had picked it up. But I didn't want to be the kind of person who just walked past something that could potentially start a fire.
Gu Ja-han, who had been about to ditch the butt and run, turned bright red as if he’d been burned.
“Give it.”
“Pardon?”
“Give it to me! I’ll take it and throw it away!”
Gu Ja-han snatched the butt from my hand. Then, huffing and puffing, he went back into the restaurant. I don't know how he managed to say his goodbyes, but he was back out with his coat in thirty seconds.
Without another word, Gu Ja-han got into the car and drove off.
I stared blankly down at the shopping bag in my hand.
I’d received an apology from someone who didn't have a promotion on the line, wasn't being publicly called out, and wasn't afraid of any repercussions. He’d done it because he’d had a change of heart, of his own volition.
‘So they do exist—people who know how to reflect on their actions.’
I was surprised. It was a strange feeling.
But I didn't dislike it.
If the story had ended there, it would have been beautiful and happy. Unfortunately, my ill-fated relationship with Gu Ja-han didn't end in front of that K-BBQ place.
It was because Jeong Seong-bin, who was an expert on clothing brands, turned as pale as someone with severe indigestion the moment he saw the price of the clothes I’d brought back.
“Is this an expensive brand? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s very expensive. It’s a brand that entered Korea about two years ago, and the price of a single pair of socks here is...”
Hearing Seong-bin’s mumbling, I immediately called Gu Ja-han.
And then, without even taking a breath, I blurted out, “Yes, hello, is this Gu Ja-han? The pants I wore that day were just ordinary pants, but it seems I’ve received a pair of gold-plated ones. I’m not the type of person to seek a great fortune from a small incident, so I will return them to you.”
I’d assumed he’d bought something at a level that wouldn't be a burden for a celebrity. And since I was the one being apologized to, I didn't think I needed to bow and scrape, saying, ‘Oh, such nice clothes...’
But this was too much. The price of the clothes exceeded my common sense. If I didn't correct this now, it would surely lead to trouble later.
— I knew you’d do that, so I already took all the tags off. Just wear it.
“If you give me your account number, I’ll...”
— If you bought those pants with your own money, would you even be able to wear them out?
I wouldn't. Unless I put them on Choi Je-ho for his commute to work once in a while.
— Go to sleep.
The call ended.
Leaving behind a thick scent of alcohol and a set of expensive new clothes, In My Office came to an end.