The Interview
It didn't take long to figure out why the Head of Division had come down here.
He wants to talk about the Special Team.
The Head glanced briefly at Kim Ju-im and asked, "A new employee, I take it?"
"That's right, sir."
Only then did Kim Ju-im seem to catch on to the atmosphere, bowing deeply at the waist.
"It's an honor to meet you!"
"Good. Are you handling the work well enough?"
"Ah, I'm doing my very best, sir."
"Not your best — the best there is. That's the value Hansan Securities stands for. Warehouse duty or not, you never forget that."
"Yes, sir... I understand."
"Your responsibilities will matter a great deal going forward. If Executive Director Kang gets busy, someone will have to take charge of this warehouse."
"......"
Kim Ju-im wore a thoroughly baffled expression.
The Head settled onto the sofa, and Kim Ju-im hurried off to fetch coffee from the machine. Once the cup was in front of him, the Head spoke.
"I have something to discuss with Executive Director Kang in private. Could you give us a moment?"
"Oh... of course, sir."
Only after Kim Ju-im had slipped out did the Head let out a long, heavy breath.
"Whew~ I must be getting old. I tire more easily these days. An executive is an executive, sure, but we're not all the same. Some sit in the back playing god, while others have to crawl around everywhere like stray dogs sniffing for scraps."
The Head launched into a litany of complaints.
This was a man who was always brimming with energy, more self-assured than anyone. But beneath it all lay ambition.
As Head of Division, he hungered to climb even higher.
"So... have you given it any thought?" he asked, as casually as he could manage.
Thought about it? He'd thought about it plenty.
The pros and cons of joining the Special Team weighed out clearly. Being able to move capital without putting up a single won of his own money was an enormous advantage. And a fifty percent cut of the profits was an offer nearly impossible to refuse.
He could keep his personal trading going on the side, which made splitting his capital simple. Half his own money, half the company's, for instance. With that kind of spare liquidity, he could buy an apartment or land whenever he pleased.
Once his mind was made up, Siyun spoke.
"If I do end up leading the Special Team, I'd be serving in an advisory capacity?"
"You could say that. You want to keep trading on your own account too, don't you? In that case, you can't be attached to the Trading Team."
In other words, he'd be a commander.
He would issue the orders, and the team members would execute the trades under his direction. The company benefited, and so did he — a structure of mutual gain. There was no proposal more satisfying than this.
"The Special Team... I think I'm in."
"That's what I thought! I knew you'd see it my way."
"You've offered a generous reward, and this is my chance to repay everything you've done for me. I can't see any reason to say no."
"Hahaha! There it is. You do have a silver tongue. I was worried you might turn me down, honestly. I can finally breathe again."
The Head clutched his chest in exaggerated relief.
But one thing still bothered Siyun.
How the Special Team would actually operate.
"There's one thing I'd like to ask."
"A favor? What is it? Name anything — I'll grant whatever's within reason."
"I'd rather not work alongside the team members. I want to keep working here, in the warehouse."
"......?"
The Head tilted his head, puzzled.
Siyun still struggled with people. No matter how old or young the team members were, however senior or junior — he simply wanted to work alone.
"My role is advisory. If I'm sitting in the same room as the traders, it could get awkward. Anyone might tip off the press, and then we'd have a scandal on our hands."
"Hmm..."
The Head scratched his chin, deliberating. Then he gave his answer.
"Fine. Now that I think about it, you're right. An advisor has no business sitting in the Trading Team."
"Then... I can continue working in the warehouse?"
When Siyun asked, the Head answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Of course!"
That evening.
After clocking out, Siyun settled into one of the terrace chairs and gazed out at the Han River stretching before him. City lights smeared the water in ribbons of gold.
Simply watching the scene put his mind at ease.
So this is why people go on and on about a Han River view.
He didn't even need to go outside to feel the season turn. The shifting color of the leaves, the changing layers of people's clothing — all of it became something to savor.
Tap-tap! Tap-tap! Tap-tap!
Jeombak-i, who had been trotting circuits around the terrace, was suddenly looking up at Siyun.
"What? Why?"
Wal!
"You want to watch it too?"
Wal!
He lifted the little robot onto the table, and it beamed with satisfaction. At moments like this, it was hard to believe Jeombak-i wasn't a living creature.
"You're not actually a real puppy, are you?"
Wal?
"Never mind. Just talking to myself."
He hadn't been able to place the sour feeling weighing on him. Thinking it over, he realized it had started at yesterday's housewarming.
He'd invited both of them to help Bang Yo-han's love life along — and had only managed to ruin the mood instead. He deliberated for a while, then sent Bang Yo-han a text.
No reply came, even after a long while.
He's sulking, for sure this time.
He'd thought working in the warehouse had given him at least a scrap of social polish, but apparently he hadn't changed at all.
Can I really change? No — can anyone ever truly accept me?
As he mulled over the thought, one person came to mind. His neighbor, Min So-hee.
He texted her.
And just like that, plans were made.
Siyun went to the walk-in closet and threw on some clothes.
Five minutes by taxi brought him to the pajeon restaurant. He'd ordered seafood pajeon and soju, and was waiting when Assistant Manager Min appeared at the entrance.
"Siyun!"
She came over in comfortable training clothes.
"Sorry for dragging you out so late."
"Oh please, late? I was out taking a walk nearby anyway."
"By yourself?"
"Of course. Moving to Yeouido was the best decision. A walk along the trail melts away the whole day's stress."
Siyun filled her glass with soju. She downed it in one shot and shivered.
"Hah~ that soju hits different tonight. Careful, this stuff's dangerous."
"Your place is right nearby — drink as much as you like. It's on me tonight."
"Oho! Then I'm ordering every side dish on the menu."
"Be my guest."
Before long the table was crowded with food — silk worm pupa soup, rolled omelet, and even whelk noodles.
"You're going to eat all this?"
"I can't eat what isn't there, can I? Hehe. It's a pajeon place, but the sides are surprisingly good."
Assistant Manager Min dug in with gusto.
As the soju glasses went back and forth, she asked, "Is something going on? You seem like you've got something on your mind."
Even with the question hanging there, the words wouldn't come easily. Siyun poured himself drink after drink, then finally spoke.
"When I joined Hansan Securities, nobody reached out to me. But you were different, Assistant Manager Min. Why was that?"
"I told you back then, didn't I? It broke my heart to see you working so hard with nobody acknowledging it."
"I don't buy it. There was another reason."
At Siyun's words, Min So-hee flinched.
It had been the same at Hansan Securities and everywhere else. Every new acquaintance misunderstood him and hurried to keep their distance.
And yet Min So-hee had always treated him with the same warmth.
"Did you pity me?"
"......!"
This time her shock was even greater. She scrambled to stuff her mouth with side dishes, eyes fixed anywhere but on him. Apparently that was the right answer.
After a long silence spent eating in silence, she finally raised her head.
"If you're asking whether it was pity... yes. It was, at first. But that's just how it started — I never treated you with pity after that. Other people didn't see it, but I did."
"......?"
Siyun tilted his head, and she went on.
"You were always the first one in the office. And what you did was clean the team leader's desk, the deputy general manager's desk, the manager's desk. I even saw you once, struggling for ages to scrape a piece of gum off the floor."
"......"
"You took care of all the little things too — refilling the water cooler, restocking the coffee pods."
"Isn't that just expected? I was the rookie."
"Maybe. But I wouldn't have done it. Doing favors for people who hate you isn't easy — you know that better than anyone. Watching you, I learned a lot."
Siyun's head dipped slightly.
Somehow, this was how he felt right now — like someone out there actually understood him. Then he lifted his gaze to look at her.
"Thank you... for all of it."
She let out a short laugh at that.
"If you're that grateful, how about brightening up your expression a little?"
"This IS my best face."
That sent her into a long fit of laughter. Then she raised her soju glass.
"Feeling a little less curious now?"
Siyun answered with a silent nod. And together, they raised their glasses.
About a week later.
When Siyun arrived at work, Kim Ju-im and Choi Tae-wook were pacing in front of the warehouse entrance.
"Executive Director, sir!"
He walked closer, puzzled, and heard construction noise roaring from inside the warehouse.
"What's going on?"
"They started construction last night. It looks like they're renovating the warehouse office, sir."
Just then the doors swung open and the General Affairs Team Leader emerged.
"Well, well~ Executive Director Kang! Good morning to you!"
"Construction again?"
"Why so startled? It's hardly the first time."
Even as he spoke, the Team Leader seized Siyun's arm and hauled him off into a corner. Then he dropped his voice low.
"Something's going on these days, isn't there?"
"Excuse me?"
"I heard they're hiring new staff. You heard anything?"
Siyun tilted his head. Why is the General Affairs Team Leader asking ME this? Even if Siyun knew, the man himself would surely have heard first.
The Team Leader pressed on.
"I heard there's an employee interview scheduled for today, on the Head's orders?"
Only then did the pieces click. He'd mentioned forming a Special Team — so they were recruiting new staff for it.
"I really couldn't say. Nobody's told me anything."
"Come on, don't be like that. Share a little, hmm? Between us?"
"How would I know what the higher-ups are doing? Ask the Head yourself."
"Ha, that's exactly why I'm asking YOU — because I can't just go asking HIM."
Even if I knew, I couldn't tell you.
"When does the construction finish?"
"Any minute now. Just wait a little. Hmm... though why on earth are they installing a soundproof booth in the office?"
The General Affairs Team Leader wore a mystified expression.
An hour later, the construction was done. When Siyun stepped into the office, Choi Tae-wook's jaw dropped at the sight of his desk.
"E-Executive Director! Why is there a glass wall around your desk?"
Just as Choi Tae-wook said, Siyun's workstation was now enclosed in a pane of glass — the soundproof booth the Team Leader had mentioned.
This was the commander's office for the Special Team, equipped with soundproofing to keep every word from leaking outside.
It had been the Head's idea — a space built especially for Siyun, who had no desire to sit in the Trading Team.
"Got a bit of style to it, doesn't it?"
When Siyun asked, both employees nodded along eagerly.
That afternoon.
Siyun had just come back from lunch when his phone buzzed. It was the Head.
"Yes, sir."
"Lunch hour's over, isn't it? You can come up now, right?"
"Right now?"
"I need you here. There's an interview starting soon."
"An... interview?"
Don't tell me — he wants me to sit in on the Special Team interviews?
Siyun headed straight for the conference room beside the Head's office.
Since the hiring was being conducted in secret, the floor was perfectly quiet. Normally a crowd would mill about and staff would be managing the traffic, but there wasn't a hint of any such commotion.
Knock knock knock.
He rapped on the door and opened it. Several unfamiliar faces sat alongside the Head at the interviewers' table.
The Head looked up at Siyun.
"Don't just stand there — come in. These are the team members you'll be leading. You should be the one doing the picking."