Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 168. Consideration
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What happens if you shove a book into someone's mouth?
A normal person's mouth isn't big enough to eat a book.
Unless they have a really big mouth, that is.
"Good job!"
The Branch Chief quickly let go, then delivered an uppercut to the director's chin.
"Guh!"
The director chewed with his mouth clamped shut.
"Heh, uh, heh...?"
Soon, a puzzled expression floated across the director's face.
"Th-this... what...!"
He started shaking his head at the empty air.
"No. No way...!"
"...What is it?"
"Overload."
The Branch Chief shrugged at my words.
"Jaeheon."
"Yes."
"The Manual is like the Management Bureau's library."
"Gack, guh..."
The Branch Chief glanced at the director, who was clutching his throat and letting out a bizarre scream.
"In other words, we're polluting that thing's brain with the Management Bureau's history and information right now."
"Polluting it?"
"Dangerous information. Stuff that destroys your mind if you know it."
"Guh!"
The director opened his mouth and shoved his hand down his own throat.
"Information that's far too vast and dangerous for any one person to know."
"Keh!"
The director writhed,
"Hack!"
and vomited up the Manual.
-Splash!
The Manual unfurled.
[Manual for Office Workers]
1. This time, I really can't forgive you.
2. I'm serious.
3. This is no joke.
She must be really pissed.
I picked up the Manual, covered in sticky goo, closed it, and looked at the director,
"...Huh?"
but the director had vanished in the meantime.
What the hell? He was definitely right here a second ago.
"...Phew."
The Branch Chief, standing next to me, let out a sigh of relief.
"What? Where'd he go?"
"Back where he belongs?"
"Huh?"
"Ah."
The Branch Chief clapped her hands and nodded.
"I'll explain later."
"Later?"
"Look at me first."
The Branch Chief spun around to show me her body.
Her entire body was covered in bite marks, her clothes half-torn, blood flowing from her skin.
The Branch Chief met my eyes with a sulky expression.
"Do I really have to let people like that bite me every time?"
"...Sorry."
"Yeah."
As if she'd never been mad, the Branch Chief smiled at me.
"Shall we talk tomorrow?"
Then she plopped down onto the floor.
"Alright then. I'll rest until the Containment Team gets here?"
"..."
I looked at the Branch Chief like that.
Has she always been fighting battles like this?
"I respect you."
"Huh?"
The Branch Chief's eyes went wide.
"Suddenly?"
"Just... wondering if you've been doing this kind of fighting all this time."
For a long time, too.
"Ah..."
The Branch Chief gave an awkward smile.
"Yeah, I've been doing this for a long time."
And then, as if on cue, a serious tone emerged from her mouth.
"I've taken on too much already, and I have even more to take on, and I'll keep carrying this weight."
"..."
"Of course, since I'm human, it gets incredibly heavy and tough sometimes."
Her gaze drifted off into the distance.
"But it's my job, so I do it."
"Branch Chief."
"And honestly, I felt relieved."
"Huh?"
As if nothing had happened, the innocent-looking Branch Chief smiled at me.
"Kim Jaeheon lightened my load."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
The Branch Chief nodded with a smile.
"Of course, Kim Jaeheon can't take all my burdens..."
Hm, she tapped her chin with her index finger.
"But it's always something to be grateful for, having someone who understands my load."
"..."
The Branch Chief looked at my face and sighed, "Aigoo."
"Go take care of Yoo Daon."
At her words, I looked at Yoo Daon.
Yoo Daon stared at us with a dazed expression.
"Taking good care of your colleagues is part of your role too, Kim Jaeheon."
"...Thank you."
I bowed my head slightly, and the Branch Chief waved her hand.
"Come on, go. Hurry. I'm fine."
"...Yes."
I turned from the Branch Chief and walked toward Yoo Daon, who had been watching me.
"Daon."
"...Jaeheon."
Yoo Daon gave a small smile.
A relieved smile lit up her face.
"You really got me discharged?"
"Of course."
"I said as long as I had you, it'd be fine."
"Discharge makes it even better."
"You're right about that."
Yoo Daon laughed out loud,
"...Thank you."
and looked at me with a serious expression.
"I just did what I had to."
"Is helping me and saving me part of what you have to do?"
"Well... yeah."
At my words, Yoo Daon bowed her head deeply and muttered something so tiny and soft I could barely hear it.
"You're always like that, Jaeheon."
"Huh?"
"No, just... thank you."
As if nothing had happened, Yoo Daon smiled softly at me.
"Someday, I want to help you out too, Jaeheon."
"You're already a big help."
"Not like this..."
Yoo Daon shook her head.
"Not just at the start—I want to stick around until the end."
She mumbled with a serious expression,
"Now we can really rest, right?"
"We should..."
"Yeah. We promised to eat together, each on our own."
Yoo Daon nodded and looked at me.
"Ah."
"...You didn't forget, right?"
"Aigoo, no. Of course not."
I'd completely forgotten.
Park Ye-eun had stirred up this whole disaster, and I had to fix it.
"I'm first."
And at Jang Chaeyeon's words, who had sidled up next to me, Yoo Daon turned her gaze.
"Th-that's right..."
"We did rock-paper-scissors."
When did we do that?
Jang Chaeyeon looked at me.
"Tomorrow. Dinner. Okay?"
"...Yeah, sure. Fine."
"A date in the hospital? Things are looking up, huh?"
And Song Arin's thorny remark.
"The loser of rock-paper-scissors stays quiet."
"..."
At Jang Chaeyeon's words, Song Arin shut her mouth and put on a pouty face.
And so, the Gangbuk Hospital incident came to an end.
*
The next day, the Branch Chief, bandaged up in various places on her body, looked at me.
"You're the real deal, Kim Jaeheon."
"Huh?"
"I figured you'd get caught for sure?"
She looked at me with a pleased smile.
"This really dealt a devastating blow to the hospital. With the director out of his mind, Gangseo and Gangbuk Hospitals are completely smashed."
"..."
The Branch Chief smiled at me.
"But we took down a big one with this."
"Thanks to you, Branch Chief."
"My employee's the one suffering. And, to be a bit calculating..."
The Branch Chief gave a wry smile in response.
"HR is already way too important in our Gangseo branch."
"..."
"So we do our best to help."
The Branch Chief smiled.
"Of course, it's more because it's the right thing to do!"
The Branch Chief clenched her fist and grinned.
"The director..."
"He's probably lost his mind."
The Branch Chief smirked.
"After seeing the Management Bureau's library, he can't stay sane."
Just what is the Manual, anyway?
"By the way."
The Branch Chief stared straight at me.
"You cleaned the Manual properly, right?"
"Huh?"
Why bring up the Manual here?
"No, did you clean it well and make up?"
"Uh..."
What did I do yesterday?
After it all ended, my whole body ached, so I just dumped the Manual and everything on the dining table and crashed.
"No."
"..."
Terror reappeared on the Branch Chief's face.
"I'll tell you today's task."
"Huh?"
"Dry the Manual. Right now."
"Right... now?"
Then the Branch Chief stood up and started pushing me.
"Wait, Branch Chief...!"
"Dry it now! Go!"
Naturally, I couldn't overpower the Branch Chief.
Bang! The door closed,
leaving just me and the still-sticky Manual.
*
It took exactly my entire workday to clean the Manual.
"...Aigoo."
"Done?"
And at some point, Jang Chaeyeon had been helping me wipe down the Manual from beside me.
"Thanks, Chaeyeon."
"No problem."
She smiled softly.
"I wanted to do it."
Actually, Yoo Daon and Song Arin had also offered to help dry the Manual to the end.
But Jang Chaeyeon said something to them, and soon they grumbled and left the office.
Team Leader said he was going to medical for scalp care and heading home, and Park Ye-eun was probably getting some training from Ailin or something.
What did Jang Chaeyeon say to them—
Ah.
"...Come to think of it."
"Yeah."
Jang Chaeyeon nodded before I could finish.
"Today's the day we eat dinner together."
"..."
"So I waited."
"Ah."
"But."
Jang Chaeyeon nodded and looked at me.
"It's not that I waited to eat dinner with you."
"Huh?"
"I just wanted to help you, so I stayed by your side."
I always feel it, but Jang Chaeyeon's words like that leave a little room, you know?
"So if you're tired today, we can push it back."
She never says she absolutely won't do it.
"No, it's fine."
I'd have to cook anyway if I went home.
Better to just buy food. And Jang Chaeyeon would join.
"Okay."
Then, suddenly, Jang Chaeyeon turned around and rummaged for something.
"What're you doing?"
"Bento."
What she pulled out was a bento box,
"...and whiskey?"
Whiskey.
"Weren't we buying food?"
"You've got muscle pain."
"Huh?"
"From yesterday."
"...Got it?"
After Song Arin moved my legs yesterday, I'd actually been suffering from insane leg muscle pain.
Maybe because I was forcing myself to run faster than usual.
"I could tell from how you walk."
Jang Chaeyeon nodded and handed me the bento box.
"So I brought this. In case walking's tough."
"...Thank you."
Jang Chaeyeon smiled faintly.
"Let's eat together."
"Where?"
"Here."
Jang Chaeyeon pointed to the office.
The office, now shrouded in darkness, reflected the city skyline.
I opened the lid of the bento Jang Chaeyeon brought.
"...You brought this as a bento?"
It was packed with all sorts of Western dishes.
Perfect with whiskey, though.
"Yeah. Wanted to give it to you."
Jang Chaeyeon smiled, her face slightly flushed,
"...Thank you."
In the end, I could only nod without meeting her eyes.
For a long time, we ate in silence together.
Sometimes sharing drinks, sometimes eating.
"...Hot."
Then Jang Chaeyeon muttered and sat with her back to the window.
"...Phew."
"Cough...!"
Suddenly, Jang Chaeyeon took off her tie and undid her buttons.
Then she looked at me.
"Tasty?"
She stared at me expressionlessly.
To be honest.
I had nowhere to put my eyes.