Chapter 276
Chapter 276
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Short Break
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The Branch Manager personally made some apple juice for me, and I sipped it while lost in thought.
The moment Song Arin contacted the Management Bureau, it was like they'd been waiting—people from headquarters showed up right away.
Then the calls started: one from the Branch Manager, two from the Team Leader, one from Park Ye-eun, and forty-three from Eileen.
Forty-three from Eileen?
And the second I checked,
"Kim Jaeheon!!"
Eileen was rushing toward me from afar, flashlight in hand.
Behind her, people in Management Bureau uniforms were running in perfect sync.
This was the Gangdong Branch—how did Eileen even get here?
Before I could even wonder, she spotted my arm and screamed, and soon I was carted off to the hospital.
And now here I was, lying in bed.
I'd half-expected it, but it was a compound fracture.
A regular hospital would've had me laid up for ages, but whatever procedure the Bureau did, it looked like I'd recover faster than I thought.
"I nearly passed out myself."
"You must see injuries like this all the time, Branch Manager."
"I'm scared of getting torn apart by the Headquarters Chief."
"No way, is the Headquarters Chief really that terrifying?"
"If you get chewed out by a psycho boss for about a hundred years, even you'll develop a fear you never had."
"You don't just get used to it?"
"If you live long enough, Kim Jaeheon, I'll personally instill that fear in you."
Guess she really did get torn apart.
I bowed my head slightly to apologize to the Branch Manager, but she waved it off.
"It's fine. This is what bosses are for."
Then she smashed another apple.
-CRACK!
A massive sound echoed, and she poured the fresh juice into a glass and handed it to me.
"Drink up."
"I already had one earlier..."
"Drink up."
"Thank you."
It hit me.
I had no choice.
I sipped the Branch Manager's apple juice and looked around.
It was quiet now that she was here, but just a bit ago, it had been total chaos.
Now there were just three of us, including the Branch Manager and me.
Jang Chaeyeon, as always, was tending to me with food she'd packed for the day, while Song Arin kept showing up with weird stuff, claiming she'd drop by occasionally.
Lately, she'd brought a stress-relief doll you squeeze.
When I explained I couldn't use one arm, she made an "oh no" face and took it back.
Yoo Daon...
...
"Why the long face? Is the bone stabbing your muscle or something?"
"Don't say scary stuff like that."
-CRUNCH!
I averted my eyes from the Branch Manager, now crushing a pineapple one-handed, and thought of Yoo Daon.
Yoo Daon, whose face had gone pale white when she saw my injury, and hadn't visited since.
I wondered if she was mad, but her expression had been too grave for that.
-Ding!
My messenger app chimed, and I picked up my smartphone—Yoo Daon had messaged.
[Work Colleague Yoo Daon (2:45 PM) - Jaeheon, the weather's really nice today.]
[Me (2:50 PM) - Yeah. You mentioned it this morning, but has it changed at all since then?]
[Work Colleague Yoo Daon (2:50 PM) - No, nothing's changed!]
[Work Colleague Yoo Daon (2:51 PM) - What are you up to, Jaeheon?]
Messages coming in one per minute.
Why not just come visit?
But when I hinted at that, she'd dodge the question.
"...Branch Manager."
"Yes?"
The Branch Manager, now juicing the pineapple, looked up at me.
"What do you do if a work colleague suddenly stops visiting?"
"Isn't it weird for a work colleague to visit in the first place?"
"...A close work colleague?"
"Oh, like one so close they're basically a friend?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm..."
The Branch Manager furrowed her brow, deep in thought at my question.
"Is it a woman?"
"Uh... yeah."
"You know I'm pro-office romance, right?"
"It's not like that."
"That's what they all say, then a few years later, wedding invite arrives."
She said it playfully, then turned serious and spoke.
"For starters, you might've done something wrong, Kim Jaeheon."
"...Could be."
Maybe I'd messed up with Yoo Daon somehow. Problem was, I had no clue what.
"No calls at all?"
"Not... exactly. Texts are the same... no, actually way more frequent, but no hospital visits?"
"Hmm."
The Branch Manager tilted her head at that.
"Too good a timing for push-pull games. No reason not to visit, so probably not that. But the texts increased, so not sulking either."
She grumbled a bit more, then looked at me.
"Or maybe she's the one feeling guilty toward you?"
"Huh?"
"She feels bad because you got hurt because of her, too guilty to visit, but can't ignore it because her conscience won't let her."
That made sense? I muttered, and she rested her chin on her hand.
"That's what I think. I'm pretty tuned into women's hearts, after all."
"You don't have any dating experience, Branch Manager."
"But I am a woman?"
Fair point.
"So what should I do in that case?"
"Call her."
She gave me a "what kind of question is that?" look.
"And after the call?"
"Tell her to come right now."
"...Branch Manager, you sure about this?"
"Hey, can't trust your elder's advice?"
I made a skeptical face, and she tsked at me.
"Come on, call her right now."
"Why right now?"
"Listen to the Branch Manager, and you'll get lucky even in your sleep. Hurry!"
She smacked my shoulder, and unable to resist, I picked up my smartphone.
[Connecting call to Management Bureau Yoo Daon...]
"Oh, it's Yoo Daon?"
"Yeah."
"Ah-ha."
The Branch Manager nodded, and I hit call.
After a few rings, Yoo Daon picked up immediately.
"J-Jaeheon? What's up?"
"Daon, I have something to say..."
"Did I... make you mad somehow...?"
"No, it's not that."
"Is it because I texted too much and annoyed you... or maybe..."
"Daon. Just a sec—"
"Or maybe..."
The Branch Manager smacked my shoulder again and gave me a look.
"...Daon, you're not coming to visit, are you?"
"Uh...?"
"Come on over. Quick—"
Before I could finish, the Branch Manager snatched my phone and hung up.
"Branch Manager."
"She'll be here any second."
The Branch Manager replied confidently and stood up.
"One last pineapple juice."
"I'll go into sugar shock."
"If three glasses of fruit juice put you in sugar shock, you're already a corpse, Kim Jaeheon."
She smiled and held the glass to my lips, so I downed the fresh pineapple juice in one go.
"I'll head out then!"
She grinned and started walking.
"If you two get all lovey-dovey, call me."
"What lovey-dovey?"
She laughed, then glanced somewhere.
*Take her with me?* she mouthed.
I shook my head, and she shrugged before heading out the door.
As she left, she poked her head back in, pressed her fingers to her cheeks, and laughed out loud before going.
...
My mouth was sweet.
I rummaged for water, and a pale hand emerged from behind the curtain, handing me a bottle.
"Thanks."
No reply.
Not long after, Yoo Daon arrived to visit.
Faster than I expected.
"Jaeheon..."
Not sure where she got them, but she set down three fruit baskets and two boxes of ginseng.
"You bought all this?"
Even as Bureau employees, wasn't this too extravagant?
"I-Is it not enough?"
She misunderstood and panicked, backing away.
"W-Wait. The ginseng shop's kinda far...!"
"Daon... please, just sit down."
Finally, she sat.
She kept glancing at me, eyes darting everywhere, confirming the Branch Manager was right.
What do you say in a situation like this?
"It's fine."
First, calm her down.
I raised both hands in a soothing gesture, like calming an animal, and she peeked at me before dropping her gaze to the floor.
Let's think.
What could Yoo Daon feel guilty about with me?
Easy to guess from everything she'd said and done so far.
"I asked you to stay with me, Daon."
"Huh?"
She looked at me, and I continued.
"Song Arin was the one who didn't listen. I told her to stay with you, and she came along anyway..."
Of course, that's why I survived. Otherwise, it'd be my torso crushed, not my arm.
I watched Yoo Daon's expression.
Eyes darting, then back to the floor.
"I'm sorry..."
"It's fine."
Best to ease her guilt.
"I don't think you did anything wrong, Daon."
She bowed her head even lower at my words.
...Not it?
"Uh, anyway, don't worry too much... I always have your back, Daon."
...
Still no eye contact.
What the hell is the problem?
I stared at her in confusion, and she looked up, met my eyes, then dropped them again.
"I..."
"Yes, Daon."
She hesitated before speaking.
"What am I to you, Jaeheon?"
"You, Daon?"
What was Yoo Daon to me.
Someone I'm grateful to.
Grateful she always throws herself in for us, grateful she never shows how hard it is, always smiling.
"...You're someone I'm grateful to."
Of course, always thankful to Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin too, but if it was pure gratitude, Yoo Daon always came first.
"You saved my life, Daon."
...
Yoo Daon gave a wry smile.
"But I didn't help you, Jaeheon."
"Huh?"
"I just happened to see it."
She looked up at me.
Bitterness filled her face.
"You... I saw that person—"
"Yeah, what nonsense is that."
It wasn't my voice.
The curtain beside me slid open with a rattle.
Dull gold hair gleamed in the sunlight.
Eileen stared straight at Yoo Daon.