Teaching the Boss a Lesson
My mind felt cold. I was angry for a complex web of reasons: the petty way he’d exclude me from company dinners, the way he’d constantly pester Yeongseon-nuna despite knowing she hated it, and the fact that he still hadn't learned his lesson after making a complete fool of himself at our last drinking session. I felt a sudden, burning urge to be as biting as possible.
"Boss, I don't think I'm the one who lacks social awareness here. To be honest, doesn't Yeongseon-nuna hate you?"
I poked at his ego, and his face turned beet red. He immediately started cursing, desperately trying to make excuses.
"Hey, you little shit. What do you know? Yeongseon, she just talks like that, but she actually likes me! Remember the other day? I bought her a Starbucks coffee, and she smiled and made eye contact to thank me!"
Well, would she have cursed at him for buying her coffee? His grasp on reality was truly hopeless. I absolutely did not want to see him continue to delude himself into thinking Yeongseon-nuna liked him. I decided it was time to snap him back to reality. I said it with a bright, beaming smile.
"Actually, I'm dating Yeongseon-nuna right now. It makes me uncomfortable when you act like this."
"W-what?"
The boss's face shifted through a spectrum of colors. He went from purple with rage to deathly pale. He looked like a pig's head offered up on a ritual table. Seeing him so flustered was a sight to behold.
"She says it makes her uncomfortable that you keep contacting her to go out for drinks."
"What? Hey, no. Dammit, since when have you two been dating?"
He stared at me, eyes wide, asking me over and over as if he wanted to deny reality. When was it, anyway?
"Back when you passed out from drinking. We started dating while I was taking you home."
"Huh, no. Uh... uh..."
He seemed so devastated that he’d lost the ability to speak like a human. Serves him right!
"Well, I'll be heading back down now."
I left the boss behind and headed downstairs. 'Damn, should I have just taken the salary advance before doing that?' I felt a brief moment of regret, but seeing him stuttering like that made me feel as refreshed as if I’d downed a hundred bottles of soda. If he didn't pay my wages, I could just report him to the Labor Office, and for living expenses, I could pick up a part-time job at a Coupang logistics center on the weekends. I had a healthy body; I’d find a way to survive!
As soon as I got down to the PC bang, Yeongseon-nuna scurried over to me.
"Kangmin, what did you talk to the boss about?"
"I asked for an advance on my pay, but he started saying weird things. He told me not to pester you. He thinks you like him."
"What?"
Yeongseon-nuna’s brow furrowed in utter disgust. It seemed she hated being associated with that tattooed muscle-head just as much as I did. I soothed her.
"Don't worry about it. I told him we were dating, so he shouldn't bother you anymore."
"W-wait, what? You told him we were dating?"
Yeongseon-nuna’s eyes went round. She looked like an owl staring into a bright light in the middle of the day. She was cute.
"Well, I mean, we aren't actually dating. I just said that to get the boss off your back."
I scratched my head, making excuses. But Yeongseon-nuna seemed happy even with that; she broke into a wide grin and clung to my side.
"Aigoo~ My Kangmin, you told him we were dating~?"
She was as playful as when we first met. She hugged my waist, giggling, then suddenly shifted her expression to something more suggestive.
"Kangmin, do you want to come to my place after work? I'll do everything for you with my mouth. You didn't get a rimjob last time, did you? You like getting rimmed, don't you, Kangmin?"
She seemed embarrassed by the word 'rimjob,' so she tried to phrase it differently. It was a highly attractive offer, but I had planned to watch a movie with Charlotte this evening.
"And... I want you to plunge it deep into my ass... I want to be fucked by your cock-♥ Take out what's inside my ass one more time-♥"
She grabbed my hand and placed it on her hip. It felt great, but I had plans. What should I do?
"Oh, Nuna. Look, the boss is coming down."
Over on the stairs, the boss was glaring at us, his face bright red. It would be quite a show if he heard our conversation about rimjobs and anal sex. I leaned in close to her on purpose and asked,
"Nuna, aren't you going to the company dinner?"
"Do you want to go? If you want to, we can go together."
"Well... the boss didn't tell me there was a dinner."
"What?"
Yeongseon-nuna looked at the boss. She frowned at his petty behavior and shook her head. The boss’s expression twisted even further. Seeing us stuck together like glue must have really turned his stomach. He was probably dying to know what we were talking about. As expected, the boss stomped over to the counter.
"Hey, why aren't you two working?"
"We've finished cleaning, all the food orders have been served, and there are no dishes left."
As I said, the PC bang was spotless. Since he couldn't find anything to nitpick, he started acting unreasonable.
"Hey, if you two are dating, you should have told me. That way I wouldn't have scheduled your shifts to overlap."
Scheduling shifts was something Hojun-hyung and Yeongseon-nuna had a tight grip on. Everyone wanted to work with Yeongseon-nuna, so that was only natural. It was Yeongseon-nuna who chose who she worked with.
"Isn't scheduling the shifts my and Hojun-oppa's authority? I want to work with Kangmin."
Yeongseon-nuna held my hand as she spoke. I could see the veins popping out on the boss's forehead. He opened his mouth and started spewing nonsense.
"You're just slacking off instead of working! Do you think I pay you to date?"
Slacking off, my ass. Honestly, when the two of us worked, the place was dust-free and the food was the best it had ever been. He was just being difficult because he couldn't stand seeing us together. When we looked at him with pity, he seemed to get even more agitated, veins bulging in his neck as he shouted.
"Hey, just quit! Get out, get out! Or apologize right now and say you're sorry!"
Did he think I wouldn't quit if he told me to? I ripped off my apron. The boss flinched, clearly not expecting me to go through with it.
"Damn, this is so pathetic I can't even stand it. Hey, aren't you embarrassed to be pestering someone twelve years younger than you at your age?"
"What? You little shit, did you say it all?"
Yeongseon-nuna seemed to like that I was standing up to the boss with such backbone. She had a look on her face that said, 'That's how a man should be.' As the boss shouted, people in the PC bang started whispering and standing up. They were all looking our way. The boss seemed emboldened by the attention. Or maybe he was just being pushed off a cliff. Suddenly, he clenched his fist and swung.
"You little brat, how dare you be so insolent when an adult is talking to you."
Thwack! The boss’s fist slammed into my forearm. If I hadn't blocked it, it would have hit my head. I’d seen it coming and raised my arm, but even with his flabby muscles, the weight was significant. My body reeled. And then, Yeongseon-nuna’s eyes went completely wild.
"You bastard, how dare you lay a hand on him—"
She stepped in, aiming a body blow at the boss. Her momentum was as ferocious as a tiger. 'If that lands, it's mutual assault!' I desperately threw my body in the way to block Yeongseon-nuna’s path. I was fine with being the one assaulted, but I refused to be booked for mutual assault. I blocked the trajectory of her fist, gritting my teeth and bracing for the impact.
Paaaaa-thwack!
'Oh, you crazy—'
An impact incomparable to the boss's punch tore through my body. It was essentially a kidney blow from Yeongseon-nuna, so what did I expect? I couldn't stand properly and rolled on the floor, and Yeongseon-nuna rushed over in a panic.
"Kangmin, are you okay? No, I mean, why did you jump in front— I'm going to kill that boss bastard—!"
No, it wasn't the boss's fault, it was yours, Nuna... Someone... please stop Yeongseon-nuna...! I can't, I can't breathe—!
"Boss, why are you doing this!"
Fortunately, among the people watching the fight were our morning shift part-timers. They had been waiting for the company dinner while playing Battlegrounds. They pulled us apart—two on the boss, one on Yeongseon-nuna. Thankfully, Yeongseon-nuna focused on taking care of me instead of beating the boss to a pulp.
"Kangmin, get up!"
I rolled on the floor like a scene from Clementine, barely managing to squeeze out the words. Argh, this really hurts!!!
"Nu, na... please... call the police..."
***
"Ah, I see. You said you were quitting, and the boss suddenly hit you."
"Yes. That's correct."
The police officer who came to our shop was kind. They had loaded the PC bang boss into another car to take his statement. I wondered if he was going to tell them he got mad and swung his fist because he got cursed at by the boyfriend of the twelve-year-younger part-timer he’d been pestering. What an idiot.
"Well, there's CCTV, and there are many witnesses, so it seems quite possible to press charges for assault. You might get contacted later about a settlement or something. You should be fine to head home for today."
"Yes. Thank you."
When I came out of the investigation room, Yeongseon-nuna was waiting for me, looking hesitant.
"Kangmin, are you okay?"
"Thankfully... I'm not bleeding."
Nuna told me a terrifying story about an athlete who peed blood because they were hit in the kidney area incorrectly. It was truly... terrifying. I’d checked in the bathroom earlier and I was fine, thank goodness.
"I'm sorry. It seems like you quit your job because of me."
"It's fine. I didn't like the boss anyway, and I was planning on quitting eventually."
Still, I was a bit worried about living expenses. I wasn't sure if the boss would pay me without a fight.
"If you're really short on money, let me know. I have plenty."
"Well. If it gets really tough, I'll let you know."
At least it was nice to have someone to lean on.
"Anyway, I'm going to spend the evening recuperating with Charlotte. Let's see each other on the weekend instead."
"...Okay. I'll be looking forward to the weekend."
Yeongseon-nuna’s face turned red in an instant. We rode the police car together back home. Since the police were giving her a ride, she was heading home too. I was going to spend a relaxing evening with Charlotte tonight.
