Business Trip
"Hello there?"
"Oh, I think she’s here."
"Hm...?"
It was a little past 10:00 AM on a weekday. A stranger approached us and greeted us.
"Ah, is that the Manager?"
"Yeah. Did you finish the setup?"
"Yes. I spoke to the people over there and got it all done."
"Good. If anything goes wrong, it’s on you."
"I know, obviously..."
"I’m just kidding, you know. Let’s go say hello."
She looked older than our Assistant Manager, who was in his early thirties. Maybe mid-thirties? She had a gentle face with narrow eyes that put people at ease. Her build was similar to Chaeyu’s height, with an average bust size for a Korean woman. She had her hair tied back, and while she wasn't wearing a suit like Mom, her bright-colored blouse and skirt gave her a neat, professional look. So, this is the woman who gave birth to children with that slender body.
"Hello, Manager!"
"Oh my, Assistant Manager! It’s been a while!"
"Yes, haha... This is the new employee who joined while you were on leave."
"Hello. My name is Junsu Ahn. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
"It’s a pleasure to meet you too! I’m Yumin Jang."
Unlike her bright and energetic appearance, her voice was incredibly soft and gentle. It felt like listening to a customer service representative—a strange sensation that made my brain feel ticklish.
"Wow... it really has been a while. Assistant Manager, do you happen to have the handover documents?"
"Ah, yes. I’ll send them to you via email."
"Right... I forgot my account credentials."
"Ah, I wrote those down on a sticky note for you."
"Oh~ thank you!"
If someone is on long-term leave, the account isn't deleted but remains in a dormant state. To restore it, you have to talk to the security team to get a new password and get the unlock approved separately. I learned that from the Assistant Manager just now.
"Assistant Manager, why is it like this?"
"Assistant Manager? I think the numbers are wrong."
"Assistant Manager, where are the files from the year before last?"
"Assistant Manager~"
Maybe because I sat right next to him, I felt like I heard that all day. The voice that was so soft and gentle turned sharp and decisive the moment she started working.
After being called away several times, the Assistant Manager briefly called me over.
"Junsu, want to go grab a coffee?"
"Yes."
As soon as he got his coffee, the Assistant Manager let out a sigh.
"Haa... so annoying. This is tough."
"Haha... must be hard."
"She’s naturally very meticulous. She talks the most in meetings, too. So, once she teaches you something, she makes sure you do it right. This will all be over in a day or two, though."
"That’s a relief, at least."
Seeing how the Assistant Manager talked about her, she didn't seem like someone who was just annoying. Then again, she’d been gone for a year; it wouldn't end in just a moment. I’m worried about when I have to do the handover later.
"And... she’s scary when she’s angry..."
"Really?"
She didn't look like it. If she opened those narrow eyes, would she activate some kind of evil eye?
"Assistant Manager~ Let’s eat together later~"
"Shall we?"
"Junsu, you too~"
"Ah... yes."
I couldn't just back out, so I said I’d join. If I were the only one to bail, the Assistant Manager would definitely chew me out.
"Manager, shall we go upstairs to eat?"
"No~ let’s eat outside~ My treat~"
"Oh, that’s great."
For the first time in a while, we went to a restaurant outside instead of the company cafeteria. The menu prices were a bit high, but the Manager didn't care and coolly swiped her card.
"So, they’re already over a year old?"
"Yes~ Would you like to see photos of the kids?"
"Oh, there are two of them?"
"Ah, yes~ The second one was born recently~ The first is a daughter, the second is a son~"
"They’re cute."
In the photo the Manager showed me, two beautiful babies were hugging each other. It was adorable how the older one was hugging the younger one as if she found her so precious.
"Assistant Manager, are you not thinking of getting married yet~?"
"Yes? Ah... yes. I’m planning to do it once I’m a bit more stable."
"I see~ I hope you do it soon~"
The Assistant Manager has a girlfriend of 700 days. I’ve brought up marriage to him before, and he said the same thing then. When I saw the photo, and I know I shouldn't say this, but she was a woman whose appearance didn't seem to match the Assistant Manager.
"Hello?"
While we were eating, the Manager got a call. She repeated "Yes" several times and then hung up.
"That’s right, we’re going on a business trip this week, right~?"
"Ah, yes. Junsu is going in my place."
"Ah, is that so? I’ll be counting on you~"
The Manager looked at me, her narrow eyes meeting mine. For some reason, it felt like her smile was saying, "You know what happens if you mess up, right?"
"......"
A lazy afternoon. Maybe it was because the Manager was here, but my workload dropped. To be precise, because the Assistant Manager was busy handing over work to the Manager, no work was coming down to me.
"Manager, just a moment~ Junsu, you have the revised version of the meeting materials, right? Could you send them to the Manager? I have a call coming in."
"Yes, I understand."
The first email I’d ever sent to the Manager. I already knew that just sending the file without a word was amateur hour.
[Yes!]
Maybe because she’s a woman, the message was quite bright. It was the first time I’d received a heart emoji while working.
"Yes? The meeting location has been changed? Just a moment... Yes. Yes... Yes, I understand."
"Hm...?"
I caught a snippet of the location change. Just hearing it made me feel like it was an ominous word. I turned around, wondering if it was about me, and my eyes met the Assistant Manager’s.
"Junsu. We’re screwed."
"Why...?"
"It seems... they had a business trip scheduled there, too. They only just realized it? It’s an urgent matter, so it looks like we have to go all the way to Busan?"
"Busan...? ...Really, Busan?"
"Yeah."
"......"
I asked again, clutching at the last straw, but it was definitely a trip to Busan. It looked like I’d be taking a train instead of a car.
"What’s going on~?"
The news spread immediately to the Manager, who sat right next to the Assistant Manager.
"Ah, Manager, that is... the meeting location has been changed to Busan..."
"......Did you decide that on your own, Assistant Manager?"
"Yes? That is... yes..."
"Shouldn't you have submitted an approval request for such an important matter before deciding? Why did you act unilaterally without checking? Just because you’re the person in charge doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, right?"
"...I apologize."
"......"
Just as the Assistant Manager had said, the angry Manager was incredibly scary. The soft, gentle atmosphere turned savage in an instant. No evil eye appeared, but...
"Well~ since it can't be helped this time~ just submit the approval to the Department Head for now~ and get it signed off~ I’ll try to coordinate things~"
"Yes. I understand."
The chilly atmosphere was immediately thawed by the Manager’s signature voice. So this is why she’s a Manager. To silence this young, arrogant Assistant Manager in one go.
"Junsu. Shall we use the meeting room for a moment~?"
"Yes. One moment."
Back to work time. Since the business trip was this week, we decided to borrow a meeting room and organize things in advance. If it were the Assistant Manager, he would have prepared while on the way there, but the Manager was truly thorough. Besides, since I was going on a business trip right after returning, a normal company wouldn't be like this.
"Junsu, is this your first time?"
"Yes. It’s my first time actually working on-site."
"I see. I’m counting on you~ I’ll handle the presentation, so you just need to organize things well~"
"Yes. I understand."
"Hmm... I checked, and this case is well-organized, right?"
"Yes. Assistant Kang and I wrote it and revised it."
"Assistant Kang gave me materials with a lot of typos... Fortunately, the materials you gave me are correct~"
"I think he must have sent the file before the revisions."
The meeting, which didn't take long, lasted about 30 minutes. We spent the remaining time drinking the coffee we’d bought earlier and chatting.
"Right. Once the meeting location is properly set, let’s book the accommodation together~"
"Yes. I understand."
The soft, gentle voice returned. But after seeing her true colors earlier, I couldn't just be at ease.
"Shall we drink our coffee and head out~?"
"Yes."
Maybe it was because I’d taken the red pill too early, but even drinking coffee felt a bit scary. I felt like I’d been properly disciplined.
"Hey. How could you do that on your own?"
"Yes... I’m sorry..."
I could hear him getting chewed out by the Department Head outside. The tone wasn't raised, but it wasn't a joke, either. I thought to myself that I needed to stay sharp.
"Manager... the meeting location has been decided..."
The Assistant Manager entered the meeting room, looking like he’d been completely drained. I just hoped that stress wouldn't come my way.
"Is that so~? Please send me the address~ I’ll book the accommodation~"
"Yes. I understand. I’m sorry."
"It’s okay~ People make mistakes~"
After the Assistant Manager left, the Manager asked me.
"Junsu, you said this was your first business trip, right?"
"Yes. It’s my first long-distance business trip."
"Then could you find a place that looks nice? I’ll handle the booking."
"Yes. I understand."
[Apologies. Due to being fully booked...]
[No rooms available]
[300,000 won]
[......]
Were there really this many people in Busan? It wasn't even Christmas Eve, yet all the business hotels near the meeting location were fully booked, or the ones that had space were way too expensive. Even if I gritted my teeth and went for it, 600,000 won was just too much of a waste of money.
"Couldn't you find anything~?"
"It’s not easy. Everything is either fully booked or too expensive..."
"How much is it~?"
"300,000 won."
"Ah... that is a bit too expensive for one night~"
"Oh. I found one."
"Really~? Book it right away~"
I scrolled down and down until I finally found one place. The price was reasonable, and the location was only 20 minutes away by taxi.
"Manager, just a moment... there’s only one room left, so I think we need to look for somewhere else."
"Ah~ that’s a shame. We’ll have to look for somewhere else~"
"Yes."
Of all things, the only place available had only one room. Seeing the "limited availability" tag, I knew it would be gone soon. Everywhere else was still fully booked.
"Hmm~ everywhere else is completely booked~"
"Yes... I’m looking as hard as I can..."
"Junsu. Is that room you found earlier still available~?"
"Yes. It’s still available."
"Then book that room for now~ We can keep looking for a cancellation for the remaining time~"
"Yes."
I succeeded in booking the one-room place for now. To prevent any untoward incidents, I had to secure another place, even if it meant sleeping in a different building.
However, by the day of the business trip, we ultimately couldn't find another room.