Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: #bridge Intern Maeng Soyul
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Finally, I got to hear her name.
Even after saying her own name, she quickly turned her gaze back to the computer. I shook my head at the sight.
I was already worried whether she'd follow along well with what I taught her.
Her bob haircut framed a small face, her white skin glowed, and her cat-like eyes were topped with thin, dark black eyebrows.
She didn't seem to be wearing much makeup, but her lips had a pink tint.
I had no idea if it was some kind of makeup I didn't know about, but one thing was clear: it wasn't heavy.
Her skin just looked incredibly plump and moisturized.
"Smack."
Smacking my lips, I pulled out a chair and sat down.
She was pretty, but she seemed like she'd be tough as a junior colleague.
Ding-a-ling.
As soon as I sat down, the door opened and Won Yuchan walked in.
He used to sit right next to me, but now he had his spot across the partition.
"Hello, hyungnim."
"Hai~."
We exchanged our usual greetings, but he flinched when he saw Maeng Soyul's face.
"Hello."
Won Yuchan bowed with his hefty frame, and Maeng Soyul bowed her head back politely.
A new hire might be expected to be nervous, but she seemed more intensely curious about the company.
Showing interest in the desk and computer right away didn't seem like a normal reaction.
"Hyungnim, I picked up a sandwich on the way. Want one?"
"Nah, I'm good. You bring nothing but sandwiches, burgers, and bread every morning."
He rotated through three specific brands without fail every single day. After mooching off him for nearly a month, honestly, I was sick of it.
Fast food made me nauseous now, so I shook my head.
"Doesn't that ever get old?"
I asked Won Yuchan as he set down his oversized bag, perfectly matched to his burly build, across from me.
"Nope, I love this stuff too much. Haha."
"I see. Yuchan, I'll send over those organized files in a bit."
"Sure."
As the smell of sandwich began to waft through the office, Kim Woohyun and U Dayoung came in holding hands.
Their love was as steady as ever. Seeing them made a corner of my heart feel warm for some reason.
"You two should just get married already."
A married woman would feel even warmer and more appealing than a single female friend.
"What're you saying? We're waiting till everything settles."
U Dayoung quietly flipped me off from the middle, but I pretended not to notice.
"Ah, Soyul-ssi, you're here. Hello. Remember my face? This way."
Maeng Soyul, who was still standing, followed Kim Woohyun's gesture.
"Siu, Yuchan, you guys too."
We gathered around the meeting table as usual. Having spare chairs meant we didn't need to prep one for Maeng Soyul, which was convenient.
Scrape.
After we all sat down one by one, Kim Woohyun beamed and introduced her.
"Did we say hi earlier? This is intern Maeng Soyul, who'll be working under Siu from now on."
Clap clap clap.
Unlike our half-hearted claps, U Dayoung was smiling genuinely as she applauded.
"Why don't you give us a quick self-introduction?"
I wondered if Maeng Soyul could pull off a self-intro, so I watched her.
Bow.
She neatly clasped her hands at her navel and bowed formally.
I didn't expect her to bow so properly outside a studio setting.
"Hello, I'm Maeng Soyul. Please take good care of me."
As expected, it was a short greeting that fit her perfectly.
Clap clap clap.
"Welcome~."
We clapped again along with U Dayoung's bright voice.
"As I explained during your interview, I'm the CEO. This is sound team member U Dayoung-ssi. Over there are Editing Team 1 Leader Nam Siu-ssi and Editing Team 2 Leader Won Yuchan-ssi."
The nothing-special greetings wrapped up, and I brought her back to her seat.
"Soyul-ssi."
"Yes."
I sat her down and scratched my forehead as I asked.
"Do you know how to use any editing programs?"
"No."
She was so straightforward it made me shrink back a bit.
"Aha... Adobe..."
She looked clueless.
"We use Premiere Pro and After Effects here..."
If she didn't know Adobe, there was no way she knew Adobe's programs.
"Then can you use Photoshop?"
"No."
"Then you obviously don't know how to grab peaks...?"
"Yes."
"Or grab cuts...?"
"Yes."
I flashed her a wide grin, baring my teeth, then grabbed my cigarettes and lighter and stood up.
"Wanna smoke?"
"...No."
"Got it. Just wait a sec, I'll smoke and be right back."
"Yes."
I was about to head out with just one cig in my mouth but grabbed the pack instead.
Won Yuchan saw my face and followed me down to the first floor.
Flick.
I lit up, and he lit his as he asked.
"What'd she say?"
"..."
I squeezed my eyes shut tight and looked up at the sky.
"Sip... Fuuu~."
Today's cig tasted bitter.
"She knows zilch."
"Total rookie?"
"Fresh off the boat."
"Wow, good luck, hyungnim."
I blew smoke at the annoyingly smug Won Yuchan, but he dodged with surprisingly quick reflexes for his size.
"You punk..."
"Haha, hyungnim, just think of her as a freshman you're teaching."
"I'm not some professor... If I go full manual on her, I'll die before my time, man."
I'd have to teach her just the essentials, after all.
"No deadlines with much buffer?"
"2-3 days is the longest. You know that."
The longest turnaround for editing was a measly 2-3 days.
Most jobs had to be edited and delivered same day or next day.
Anything longer was usually outdoor broadcasts, which Neulsom Studio didn't have many of yet anyway, and they required expert hands.
"...Fuu."
I exhaled the last puff and flicked the butt with my finger.
"Ehey."
Won Yuchan scooped up the butt that bounced off the wall and dropped it in the bucket.
"Can't be doing old-man stuff here~."
"Then you teach her."
"Hahaha!"
I pretended to kick at his booming laugh, and he sidestepped.
Damn pig was quick on his feet, making him even more annoying.
"Let's head up."
I pressed my throbbing temples and went upstairs.
Back in the office, she was sitting there fiddling with the computer.
"Fuu."
I took a short deep breath and approached her.
It was her first day, and she knew nothing, so I brainwashed myself into thinking how frustrated she must feel inside as I spoke up.
"Alright, I'll teach you from the very beginning. This is the mouse."
Click.
"This is a click."
She stared at me blankly, her eyes questioning if I was serious, and I suddenly felt embarrassed, like I'd been humiliated.
"Anyway. I downloaded all the programs before you got here."
I listed off only the ones we used in the field, skipping the useless crap.
As I explained, I could see her nodding.
"Got all that memorized?"
"Yes."
"Alright then..."
I plugged in the USB and opened a file.
"Let's edit this one. See how the audio track is empty?"
"Yes."
"You need to cut and paste here. Wanna try it once like I just showed you?"
She tried with her small hands, but it wasn't going smoothly.
"Undo like this... Try again. Let me know when you're done editing."
"Yup."
They were originals from videos whose deadlines I'd already finished, so it was fine if she botched them.
Rip.
I tore a page from the notebook propped up nearby and started jotting down common shortcuts.
Lately I'd been handwriting a lot, so my penmanship had improved quite a bit.
"Hm, satisfactory."
I wrote it out like I was studying in the library after ages, then asked her.
"How's the editing coming?"
"...About halfway."
"Hm, let's check."
I dragged my chair over next to her and took a look.
"You did great. Keep practicing on this today. I wrote down the common shortcuts here. Think you can memorize them?"
"Yes."
I set her up so she could practice on the video.
"Ask if you don't know something. I'll teach you."
I figured it'd take at least a week of holding her hand through each step.
For now, I needed to knock out my own work first, so I moved my hands quickly.
Tap tap tap.
I could feel Maeng Soyul glancing over at the rapid keystrokes.
"Don't watch me, you need to practice~."
"Yes."
Her flat, unchanging tone made her a boring one.
Lunchtime.
U Dayoung stood up first.
"Woohyun and I are grabbing lunch."
"Have fun~."
They left, and then Won Yuchan stood.
"Hyungnim, lunch time. Let's wreck that bossam joint up front."
"Yeah, let's devour it. Soyul-ssi, let's go."
At my words, Maeng Soyul stood up.
I glanced at her monitor; she'd been practicing what I taught her all morning till it stuck.
My eyes drifted down to the desk, and I saw she'd copied my notes into her own notebook.
No words, but she was putting in the effort.
"There was a bossam place nearby?"
I asked as we locked the office door and headed out. Won Yuchan answered confidently.
"Of course."
"...How do you know all these spots?"
The places Won Yuchan took us to were almost always delicious.
"Followed the lunch crowds to the busy spots, and there it was."
"...Wow."
Thanks to him, I didn't have to worry about what to eat today. Convenient.
There were plenty of small companies around, so restaurants got packed at lunch.
Lunch specials came out neat and tidy. Usually team leader types knew these spots, so it was impressive he did.
Poke.
Poke.
While eating, Maeng Soyul, sitting next to me, picked off the fatty parts of the bossam.
Won Yuchan across from us, who thought she was picky, watched with an uncomfortable look.
I'd learn later he'd muttered to himself, "The fat's what makes it tasty."
A few days passed.
All that time, I was busy teaching her the basics from the seat next to her.
The upside was her expression was so impassive that even if she hated it, I wouldn't know—and that was a good thing.
"Hng~, hi~."
In the morning, U Dahee showed up waving, wearing a gray blazer over what seemed like a semi-sheer blouse—a white, fluttering top that faintly revealed the inside.
"Isn't that skirt too short?"
At U Dayoung's scolding, she looked down at her gray skirt and curled her lips up.
"This is adult fashion~. Woohyun-ah~. Leet's gooo~."
She linked arms with Kim Woohyun, who was getting ready, and tried to drag him off.
"Siu, hi~."
She greeted me, but her eyes weren't carrying that different vibe from before.
I was really feeling the effects of Influence at 0.
"Hold on, noona. I'll be back."
Kim Woohyun, suited up sharply for the first time in a while, grabbed his things.
The promo video they'd just finished had gotten a good reaction, so he had a dinner meeting with stakeholders.
"Don't bring back any work."
At my joking remark, Kim Woohyun just laughed and headed out.
More time passed, and after U Dayoung finished her work, she got up, called Kim Woohyun, and clocked out.
"Hyungnim, I'm heading out too."
"Yeah."
I had no immediate deadlines for a while, so I'd been helping Won Yuchan.
I wrapped that up and stood, but Maeng Soyul next to me was deep in practice.
I'd given her a few videos, and she wasn't getting bored—turns out she had more grit than I thought.
"Let's call it a day, Soyul-ssi."
I said it with just the right amount of distance.
"...A bit longer."
"Sure. Turn off all the lights when you go, and just close the door."
"Yes."
From watching her these past few days, she always stayed late practicing before leaving.
I didn't know exactly what time, though.
Back home, I scratched my forehead with a pen while brainstorming the next scenario.
"Influence... sip, such a shame."
Regret was regret, but I planned to try a new story this time.
"Totally switching up the worldbuilding might be fun..."
I wanted to try an apocalypse with zombies or a nuclear war survival tale, but I doubted I could handle it.
I lacked the confidence to handwrite a short novel into the Scenario Book.
Plus, Discomfort would skyrocket, so I'd need points for sure.
"Maybe sisters donburi again...? Have them compete on whose sister's pussy is better—that could be fun."
But I'd have to brace for the dick-ripping consequences.
I scratched my balls and doodled the synopses popping into my head.
A few more days passed.
Cooldown was over, and Immersion had dropped so low it was nearing 0%.
Maeng Soyul was still practicing all day with the new things I'd taught her.
"Can I see that?"
I casually asked after spotting her scribbling something, and she glanced at me.
"No."
"...Got it then."
I didn't really need to see anyway, so I let it go.
Before long, quitting time rolled around again.
Everyone clocked out one by one, and as expected, Maeng Soyul stayed behind practicing. I watched quietly.
I wanted to see what time she'd leave.
[PM 07:00]
[PM 08:00]
[PM 08:45]
The sun had set, and as 9 p.m. approached, I couldn't help but be impressed watching her still practice.
Grit or whatever—this was straight-up insane.
"..."
I glanced at her, but she was so focused on practice she didn't notice my gaze.
Suddenly, I wondered why she pushed herself this hard. A small curiosity sparked.
Rustle.
I pulled out the Scenario Book from my bag, opened it, and started jotting lightly.
Just enough for about an hour.
To casually probe the ultra-quiet her, I wrote a scenario.
Scratch scratch.
Once I finished writing, I closed the notebook.
"Soyul-ssi, you about done practicing?"
"...Not yet."
"How late do you usually go?"
"Till nine."
Glancing at the time, it was nearly 9.
"Then, wanna talk with me for a bit?"