Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Section Chief No's Recruitment
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"Deputy Park!"
"Deputy!"
"It's me, Park Sang-won. The one who pledged undying loyalty under Section Chief No! How could a man of honor speak with a forked tongue?"
His body was barely holding up, but that mouth of his was working just fine. Park Sang-won was always the type to get emotional like this at every company dinner.
Never in my life did I think I'd be glad to see that side of him. Thanks to it, the tense atmosphere lightened up considerably.
Perfect timing—we'd had a few drinks, and the mood was fired up.
In situations like this, the first one to jump on Deputy Park's drunken ramblings was usually...
"Argh! Screw it! I wanna go with Section Chief No toooo!"
The one who shot up from her seat, hoisting her glass high, was none other than Yang Ji-ah, Park's intake-mate.
Her fluffy curly hair was striking, and with those big round glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, she slurred out her cry.
"Let's all just quit and bail togetherrr!"
*'Good job, keep it going.'*
I fiddled with the phone in my pocket, which was diligently recording everything.
*'It's all drunk talk anyway, so it won't hold much water. But at least it'll get them to hear me out once.'*
Grabbing a passing No Se-hee and begging, "Just hear me out," wouldn't even get a glance. But once we'd broken the ice like this, at least I'd have a shot at explaining my business.
"Hyunmu, repent!"
"Right on, right on!"
"Let's all jump ship together!"
As the vibe heated up, everyone started spouting their own drunken nonsense.
No Se-hee pressed a hand to her forehead like it was a hassle, but she wore a helpless smile that said she was pleased.
"You guys, really..."
"Seems like everyone's in agreement, so no need to hesitate anymore."
I flashed a grin and spoke up.
"We can iron out the contract details later. For now, how about we do some recordings? One by one, please share your aspirations to join [The Song]. I'd appreciate it."
Mission complete.
*We'll talk details once you're sober, Section Chief No.*
"Ugh..."
No Se-hee barely calmed her churning stomach and got out of her seat. Her gut kept roiling like she was about to hurl.
*'What the hell? Where am I? Oh, drank too much last night, huh. Makes sense. Finally ditched that godforsaken Hyunmu—worth raising a glass to. But something feels off after that...'*
"You're awake?"
At the unfamiliar voice, No Se-hee bolted upright.
A woman she'd never seen before was standing right in front of her. Actually, not quite never seen—her face flickered at the edge of her drinking memories.
The weird one who'd stepped up to scout her.
But why was she here?
"Why are you here?"
Song Woo-yeon gave a faint smile at the question.
"You passed out dead drunk last night, so I brought you back to my place for now. You feeling okay?"
"......Yes?"
What was that supposed to mean? As No Se-hee blinked in confusion, Song Woo-yeon muttered under her breath.
"It's true—you black out after a sip or two, but act totally fine so no one realizes you're wasted. I thought you were a heavyweight since you always stuck it out to the end."
"What are you—"
"Here."
Song Woo-yeon pulled out her phone without further ado and showed the screen.
"This is..."
There on the screen was No Se-hee herself. In an unfamiliar place, wearing an unfamiliar expression.
*Not the spot where we had the galmaegisal. What? Did I hit a second round? Nah, looking that smashed... third? Fourth?* No Se-hee hit play with a complicated swirl of emotions.
Amid the rowdy pub clamor, the voices came through crystal clear.
*-Section Chief No! You're really coming to [The Song], right?!*
*-Why keep blabbering? I'm going, goinggg!*
No Se-hee slumped forward, then jerked back up with a shout.
*-Fuck that company—I'm finally quittingggg!*
*-Aigoo, Section Chief No, calm down...*
Click.
No Se-hee couldn't take it and hit pause.
What... what the hell was this?
"Why'd you stop? After that, the others take turns chanting about jumping ship too."
"......"
"Oh, right—we hit [Happiness Snacks] for the third round. It's one of our company's brands, so I hooked you up with a 20% employee discount."
"......"
"I made some gukbap for your hangover. That cool?"
Thud.
Staring at the bowl set before her, No Se-hee just wanted to dive face-first into it and die.
She couldn't bring herself to, so she slammed her forehead on the table instead.
"...What the hell did you do?"
Song Woo-yeon just beamed at the near-death rasp.
"Eat up quick, wash up, and get ready to head out."
"Yes?"
"What's with the 'yes'?"
Song Woo-yeon pressed on like it was the most obvious thing.
"You've gotta go check out the office. Say hi to Jo Yi-ruk who's working there. It's your first day, so just observe how things run, grab lunch, and head home."
"......"
"The rest of the team will trickle in over the next month or so. Hang in there solo for a bit. Got it?"
Feeling utterly conned, No Se-hee pulled a miserable face. Her head was pounding like crazy, and her stomach was howling for something—anything—to fill it.
*'Eat first, think later.'*
When the body's wrecked, instinct takes the wheel.
No Se-hee shoved the headaches aside for now and zeroed in on the gukbap in front of her.
*Slurp.*
The moment that first spoonful hit her tongue,
"......!"
"Tasty, right?"
Song Woo-yeon grinned like she'd known it all along.
Yeah. It really was. Even after tasting, planning, and launching countless dishes while at Hyunmu.
Despite her taste standards having soared beyond the heavens, this gukbap was plenty delicious.
Hard to believe it came from some no-name small company.
She'd planned to just smooth over that drunken verbal agreement and bail.
But the instant that gukbap touched her lips, her mind suddenly cleared like a storm had passed.
"We've got a brand called [Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212]—this is their signature dish."
"......"
"It's a brand-new venture, but I'm confident in its edge. I plan to grow [The Song] bigger than Hyunmu."
Pipe dream.
But weirdly...
If anyone else had said it, she'd have scoffed and laughed it off. Yet somehow, this felt plausible.
"I need you for that, Section Chief No."
The proffered palm was smaller than expected. But it looked bigger than any hand she'd ever shaken.
"How about it? Wanna work together?"