Let Him Run
Park Yu-hyeon let the words trail off.
"Hm, Kwon Siljang..."
"Interesting, isn't he?"
"Yes, well. For now, it's clear he has a temperament that’s hard to pin down."
Representative Baek crossed her legs and said, "How far do you think he can go?"
"To.Any?"
"Both."
Baek Ji-won's lips twitched, almost imperceptibly.
"Queen of Joseon, To.Any. The projects Kwon Siljang is handling right now."
"That's a difficult question."
"Then let me rephrase it."
Baek Ji-won leaned forward slowly.
"If I back Kwon Siljang, how far do you think he can go?"
Park Yu-hyeon scratched his cheek, looking troubled.
"Aren't you loosening the reins a little too quickly?"
"If it's a thoroughbred, it's better to let it run early."
"Are you sure Kwon Siljang is a thoroughbred?"
"At least so far."
Baek Ji-won spoke with quiet certainty.
"He scatters seeds everywhere and brings back results, doesn't he? Then he's a thoroughbred. Those are the ones you let loose and raise properly."
After a moment of careful thought, Park Yu-hyeon replied, "What if we assign Kwon Siljang the entire To.Any schedule management as well?"
Baek Ji-won smiled faintly.
"Not bad. Proceed."
***
It was a good day.
The things I'd worked toward over the past few weeks had finally paid off.
On days like this, you had to eat something good.
So I took the To.Any girls to a samgyeopsal place that had a reputation for being excellent.
"It's been so long since I had meat..."
"Korean samgyeopsal is so deliciousss!"
"We're not getting yelled at by the trainer tomorrow, are we?"
"If we get yelled at, we still have to eat, unnie. We have to eat even if we die!"
As soon as we walked into the restaurant, the girls' eyes changed.
Just from those blazing looks alone, they could have been a pack of starving beasts.
But it wasn't only their eyes that changed.
The customers who had already been eating also changed how they looked at them.
"Wow, what the hell."
"What, are they celebrities?"
"Why are they so pretty?"
"They're definitely a girl group..."
"Should I ask what group they are and get autographs?"
Hearing the whispers at my ear, I found myself puffing up a little with pride.
My girls really are pretty.
Especially today!
Trying not to get too carried away, I led them to the private room I’d reserved.
I got the To.Any girls settled in a row, then sat across from them with Lee Ye-ji and Director Choi Jeong-eun.
I handed the menu to the To.Any girls seated on the opposite side and said, "Order whatever you want."
Nova stuck out her tongue and said, "Seriously, Siljang-nim?"
"I don't lie about food."
"Hehe. Then first, fifteen servings mixed between samgyeopsal and pork neck!"
"?"
"Girls, what side dishes do you want!"
At Nova's words, the To.Any girls shouted in excitement.
"Doenjang jjigae for me!"
"Naengmyeon!"
"Umm... I'll have bibim naengmyeon. Oh, and rice too."
"Let's get a plate of yukhoe too!"
"I want pajeon too... should we get it?"
...What was this?
Seven people, and fifteen servings of meat alone.
And they were ordering this many side dishes too?
'No, can they even fit all that in their stomachs?'
I didn't mind if they left food behind, but I was worried they'd overeat.
It turned out that was a pointless concern.
"At our last company dinner, four of us ate twelve servings of meat."
"..."
"And we stuffed ourselves with side dishes too... It felt like I was watching some kind of freak show."
At Lee Ye-ji's words, I shut my mouth.
Let's see...
Did I bring the company card or what?
In the meantime, the meat we ordered arrived, and the real feast began.
"Hey! Seol Chae-i! That's not even cooked yet!"
"Meat doesn't have to be fully cooked."
"What are you talking about? That's beef! Give it here!"
"Ga-eul unnie... can I have just one bite of your bibim naengmyeon?"
The mountain of meat and side dishes disappeared at a frightening pace.
As I grilled more meat, I said, "Eat slowly. You'll get indigestion."
"It's okay..."
"Nova. Finish what's in your mouth before you talk."
"Hehe...!"
Honestly.
Just because you smile cutely like that doesn't mean everything is forgiven, you know?
How is it that an idol girl group eats like this?
With my right hand I kept flipping the meat, and with my left I dropped a few well-cooked pieces onto Director Choi Jeong-eun and Lee Ye-ji's plates.
"Director Choi, Ye-ji, you two eat up too."
Director Choi nibbled on a piece of meat and said, "I know this feeling. You're starving, but nothing will go into your mouth... Siljang-nim, you know what I mean?"
Lee Ye-ji, sitting beside her, bit into a huge ssam and said, "Oh! I know exactly what you mean, Director! You want to eat, but you're too tired and your mouth just won't open, right?"
"Exactly... That's exactly how I feel right now."
"You need soju for times like this... hehehe."
"...Should we have a drink, Ye-ji?"
By then I'd become a full-time meat-grilling machine, and I answered, "You know you can't, right, Ye-ji?"
"O-of course! I have to take the girls back!"
"Director Choi, you can have a drink if you want."
"Alcohol you have to pour for yourself doesn't taste good. I'll just eat meat~"
Director Choi finally stopped nibbling and got serious about her chopsticks.
That only made sweat bead across my forehead.
No, these women...
Did something take up residence in their stomachs?
No matter how much meat I grilled, it never ended.
I had worked part-time at a barbecue restaurant before I became a road manager, but compared to this eating marathon, that was nothing.
Then, when I was still grilling without even managing a single bite for myself, a thick ssam appeared.
"Siljang-nim, eat while you're at it."
Startled by Rei's surprise gift, from the girl who had been eating more earnestly than anyone, I asked, "That's for me?"
"Yes! You kept grilling meat and nothing else..."
I felt a little dazed.
I had thought Rei felt uncomfortable around me.
So was this the end of our awkward relationship too?
I opened my mouth and swallowed the ssam in one bite.
"How is it, Siljang-nim?"
"...It's good."
At my praise, Rei broke into a soft grin.
Just as I was laughing along at her childlike smile, another ssam appeared.
"Siljang-nim. Eat mine too."
"?"
It was Ga-eul holding out her ssam.
...But I still hadn't even swallowed the first one.
Still, with Ga-eul's bright eyes fixed on me, I couldn't possibly refuse.
So I swallowed the half-chewed meat and took her ssam too.
Then, for some reason, competition broke out.
"Hey!"
"I want to make one too!"
Nova and Seol Chae-i started wrapping ssam as well, and Lee Ye-ji, sitting beside them, offered me one packed with grilled garlic, mushrooms, and kimchi.
"Siljang-nim, open wide, aahh~"
Lee Ye-ji, have you lost your mind?
How was I supposed to fit a ssam that big into my mouth in one bite?
"That's so unfair! The ssam I made isn't even really a ssam at this point!"
"...That's not the issue, it's the size."
"A ssam for our hardworking Siljang-nim can't be small!"
"..."
In the end, I shoved Lee Ye-ji's ssam into my mouth too.
Holding back the feeling that my jaw might split open, I chewed the meat down stubbornly, and the To.Any girls looked delighted.
"Siljang-nim's expression is insane!"
"I have to take a picture of this..."
"Siljang-nim! Look over here! For the photo!"
Thinking it might become a permanent stain on my dignity, I quickly turned my head away.
The To.Any girls laughed until they were in tears and kept trying to catch me in the act.
From the way they behaved, you could say they were practically devils, and yet why was I grinning like an idiot?
Looking at it that way, I was hopeless too.
Once I got married and had a daughter someday, there was no question I'd become a complete daughter fool.
Between all that eating, drinking, and talking, the mountains of meat and side dishes disappeared in no time.
In the end, Director Choi Jeong-eun, already tipsy from pouring her own soju, shouted, "Let's go for second round! On a day like this, you need a second round!"
I put Director Choi into a taxi first, then sent the To.Any girls home with Lee Ye-ji, all of them reeking of grilled meat.
The moment they were gone, the taut nerves I'd been holding without realizing it snapped cleanly, and my body melted with relief.
"...Ah, I'm dead."
I was confident I could collapse and sleep the moment I got home.
Luckily, tomorrow was the weekend.
If I rested properly after working this hard, I'd bounce back.
And once my condition improved, I'd have to run again.
The rough patch was over now; all that was left was to charge across the open plain.
'Until we seize first place on the chart.'
Thinking about that future, some of the fatigue washing over me eased away.
Before I knew it, a laugh escaped me.
"Not bad."
Lately, life had been fun.
I wished tomorrow would come soon.
***
I rested well over the weekend.
Maybe that was why Monday morning felt so refreshing.
When I opened the window, bright sunlight poured in.
"Nice weather."
It was truly summer now.
The overly clear sky lifted my spirits on its own.
In a good mood, with a good feeling in my chest, I headed to Baekhak headquarters for work.
Lately, I'd been missing Monday morning meetings because of To.Any.
Now that the urgent fire had been put out, it was time to show up again.
I smoked one relaxed cigarette, then opened the conference room door with a light heart.
The low, heavy atmosphere of the meeting room washed over me like a wave.
"..."
Hm...
What was this?
Had Team 5's meeting room always felt like this?
When I turned my head, I saw Seok-du hyung frowning.
"...Kwon Siljang's here?"
"Yes, I've arrived, Team Leader."
"Huuuh! Then everyone's here except for Jeon Hyeong-u, right?"
Ma Seok-du let out a heavy sigh and muttered, "All right, let's start the meeting. First, nothing major is going on."
What?
That face of yours says otherwise.
Because Seok-du hyung was obviously in a foul mood, the morning meeting ended in a grim atmosphere.
The Team 5 road managers left the conference room with bewildered expressions, muttering among themselves.
"Why is the boss so down today?"
"Seems like something happened."
"Did he get chewed out by the head of department again?"
I let their whispers go in one ear and out the other, then spoke up.
"All right, Team 5 Leader, tell me what happened."
"...What?"
"The reason our Team 5 Leader was sighing his head off on such a refreshing Monday morning."
Seok-du hyung dragged out the end of his words and muttered, "When did I ever sigh..."
"Don't dodge it. Say it already."
"Hm... It's nothing much."
"Then tell me that nothing-much thing."
"It's really nothing much... Well. The thing is, at the team leader meeting..."
Seok-du hyung explained the whole situation.
As I listened closely, my brows slowly drew together.
'Management Team 1, Team Leader Kim Seong-hun?'
A familiar name.
For the last few days, Kim Seong-hun had been one of the people glaring at me.
Thanks to the huge success of Queen of Joseon, there had been a few people like that, but Kim Seong-hun was different.
'Seems like Kim Seong-hun had been glaring at me even before Queen of Joseon blew up.'
Probably from the time I started going back and forth between the head office and the representative's office.
Whenever our eyes met, he'd pick a fight with a click of his tongue.
But from what Seok-du hyung was saying, it didn't seem like he had only been picking on me.
"...So Kim Seong-hun tried to poach Seo Tae-jun?"
Seok-du hyung shook his head.
"If he'd just tried to poach him, I wouldn't have been this angry."
"?"
"That bastard worked behind the scenes."
My lips twisted.
Kim Seong-hun played office politics?
"What kind of politics does he think he can play in a department with a budget this tiny?"
"I thought the same thing when I heard it."
"How exactly did he do it?"
"He went straight to the head of department and cut a deal for Seo Tae-jun."
"!"
Look at this guy.
Seo Tae-jun was ours, and he was openly cutting a deal for him?
Seok-du hyung kept going.
"Kim Seong-hun... I can't stand the bastard, but he is good at what he does."
"He used Team 1's results to try and pry Seo Tae-jun away, and he worked Park Yu-hyeon from the side."
"I was already pretty damn stunned hearing that, but then this bastard said this at last week's meeting."
Seok-du hyung spoke with a voice packed full of rage.
"If Team 5's results are bad, then rather than handing Seo Tae-jun to them, give him to our Team 1."
"!"
"Man... hearing that in a meeting with zero filter, I nearly lost my mind."
The character for "river" practically appeared between my brows.
"And you just let that happen?"
"Do I look like that kind of guy? Thanks to you, Kwon Siljang, Queen of Joseon was a massive hit, so I shot back that we weren't exactly underperforming!"
"..."
"And then, with nothing to say, his lips puckered up like a duck's. A man in his thirties, acting like a child! I was so damn dumbfounded, I tell you, dumbfounded!"
Seok-du hyung blew out his lips, trying to cool down his anger.
Watching him, I thought,
'Yeah, that's absurd.'
That was why it irritated me.
Management Team 1's Kim Seong-hun.
Why on earth was he so desperate to get under my skin?
We were all salarymen in the end.
Why couldn't people just give each other a little room and do their own jobs in peace?
My head couldn't make sense of Kim Seong-hun, but my heart said something else.
That company life wasn't something that could work that way.
Especially in management, where performance bonuses and incentives mattered so much.
At that moment, my feelings tilted a little.
'Should I just get rid of him?'
But how?
Unlike Kim Seong-hun, I didn't enjoy office politics.
I had no desire to.
But if I decided to do it, I wasn't the type who couldn't.
As the scale in my heart kept tipping away and then back again, Seok-du hyung began venting once more.
And then.
"Agh! I'm still not over it. But that bastard really is vicious..."
Lightning cracked through my head with a thunderous boom.
"He even snatched Choi Su-hyeon, who came in as a free agent."
Choi Su-hyeon?
The Choi Su-hyeon I knew?
'The one who sleeps around with married women through affairs... that Choi Su-hyeon?'
My eyes widened like a frog's.
'Look at this.'
If this played out well...
I might be able to handle two bombs at once.
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