Chapter 20: Lee Mina-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: Lee Mina-2
When we returned to the office, we handed out the coffee.
The staff looked dazed by the sudden gesture. It made sense; someone who had just finished wrecking the office atmosphere had walked back in with coffee, so they were likely experiencing a bout of cognitive dissonance.
"Have some coffee and get back to work."
Mina, returning to her usual blunt expression, tossed out the remark and went back to her seat.
It was truly fascinating... I couldn't tell if that was just her natural face or if she was just that good at maintaining a poker face.
Perhaps it was because she had softened up a bit, but the atmosphere in the office felt better than it had this morning.
I sat down, finished my coffee, and began digging through the shared folders. If I didn't want to struggle while learning the ropes over the weekend, I had to start studying hard now.
[Lee Mina: Mr. In-ho.]
As I sat there with my neck craned forward like a turtle staring at the monitor, Lee Mina sent me a message.
[Lee Mina: What kind of movies do you like?]
The question was accompanied by a screenshot of the latest releases from a cinema's website.
How is it that I don't recognize a single movie or actor?
Moments like this made the reality of dimension transferring sink in. It was similar, yet subtly different.
I searched for the movies on the list she sent and skimmed through their synopses, but nothing particularly caught my fancy. Still, it would be rude to reply with a flat "None of them," so I settled on a melodrama.
Actually, I’ve always believed that the cinema is best for blockbusters where screen size and sound quality matter most. However, I figured those high-octane genres could be hit-or-miss for some people, so a melodrama felt like a safe choice.
[Lee Mina: Got it. Then I’ll book this for around 4:00 PM.]
She seemed to be in quite a hurry, already moving to book it.
[Kang In-ho: It’s only Monday. If we’re seeing a movie at 4:00, we’d have to leave the office by 3:00.]
[Lee Mina: Don’t worry. I’ll teach you everything you need to know before then.]
Wait, why are you the one deciding that?
[Lee Mina: What if it sells out? Even if we have to cancel later, we should book it now.]
I gave in to her logic and went back to work.
Well, I suppose it’s natural to be excited about a date with someone you like. It felt like the fresh, innocent energy of someone in their early twenties, which was actually quite cute.
Alright, time to focus again.
30 minutes later.
[Lee Mina: How about this place? I heard it’s a great steakhouse.]
[Kang In-ho: I’m fine with anything as long as it’s meat.]
[Lee Mina: Hmm, but it looks like they’re fully booked and the wait is long. One moment.]
10 minutes later.
[Lee Mina: Found another one. It’s an Italian restaurant.]
[Kang In-ho: Sure, looks delicious.]
[Lee Mina: Are you okay with Western food, In-ho?]
[Kang In-ho: Western, Korean—I like it all.]
[Lee Mina: Oh, do you prefer Korean? One moment.]
[Kang In-ho: No, wait...]
30 minutes later.
[Lee Mina: This is a Korean place.]
[Kang In-ho: Yeah. Looks good.]
[Lee Mina: Right?]
[Kang In-ho: Looks delicious.]
[Lee Mina: Here’s the menu.]
[Kang In-ho: Oh... I actually really like noodle dishes.]
I was about to type, “They have noodles here too, so it’s perfect for me.”
[Lee Mina: Oh? Is that so? Then I’ll look for a pasta place.]
The alchemists were wrong. The Ouroboros isn't a snake biting its own tail; it’s a name for Lee Mina repeating the same conversation over and over.
This is a truth even recorded in the Kojiki.
It took exactly three hours from her first message for us to finally settle on a restaurant.
*
The days were getting longer, so it was still bright outside, but the clock hands had finally reached the finish line: quitting time.
The people who had been focused on their work began packing their bags in sync with the ticking of the second hand.
"I'll be heading out now."
Kim Yu-na, sitting in the next seat over, stood up and said her goodbyes. She deliberately kept her voice low, seemingly trying to avoid being heard by Mina.
She moved toward the exit, slowly and stealthily.
"Ms. Yu-na. I can expect the quarterly settlement data by tomorrow morning, right?"
A clear voice rang out from across the room.
As Kim Yu-na turned around, the look of distress on her face was as thick as her foundation.
"Ah, well... it's almost done. About 90%."
Her eyes darted back and forth.
"I see. So I can have it tomorrow morning?" Mina asked again.
"If I organize it for an hour or two after I get in tomorrow, I can give it to you."
"What time are you coming in tomorrow?"
The company had flexible hours, allowing employees to arrive anytime between 8:00 and 11:00 AM.
"Around 11:00... I live quite far away..."
"If you come in at 11:00 and work for an hour or two, that’s the afternoon. That wouldn't be 'morning,' would it?"
Mina sought Yu-na’s agreement as if she were merely asking about a self-evident truth.
"I-I suppose so."
"Have it ready by the morning."
Mina emphasized the word "morning" as if she wouldn't accept any excuses. Kim Yu-na, after trying to offer various reasons, eventually just gave in and left the office.
If it were me, I would have just finished it before leaving. I wouldn't be able to rest properly at home anyway with work on my mind. I don't know what she's thinking.
With Kim Yu-na’s exit, several others who were about to leave put their bags back down and started working again. Surprisingly, those who actually had finished their work shared their progress with her and left.
Of course, the ones who had tried to half-ass their tasks were forced to stay behind.
By the time 9:00 PM rolled around, everyone who was going to leave had left. Only Mina and I remained in the office.
I had managed to review everything my "past self" had done.
Damn... this guy worked like a dog.
"Mr. In-ho. Are you mostly finished?"
"I haven't really done anything, though."
When I replied with a serious face, she let out a little chuckle.
For some reason, seeing her expressionless face break into a smile made me happy.
"What do you mean you haven't done anything?"
Mina, who looked like she was already prepared to leave, leaned her chin on the headrest of my chair. I turned my head back to look at her.
"I've only been looking at what's already been done, so I haven't actually produced anything."
I gave a slight smile to her as she stared at me with wide, clear eyes.
"That's not true. Studying hard is a type of work, too."
She countered my words immediately.
Ah, this is getting a bit embarrassing.
"Do you know your face is turning red, Mr. In-ho?"
She laughed and pulled her head away, looking quite pleased about something.
"Hurry up and get ready to go. We haven't even had dinner yet."
*
Yun Hye-young was not in a good mood after leaving work later than usual. Thanks to the unexpected overtime, she was late for her date with her boyfriend.
"So, why did she act like that?" her boyfriend asked while they were having coffee after dinner.
"Who knows? Maybe it's that time of the month," she muttered. "Why the sudden power trip?"
"You said there was a male employee at your office, right?"
"Yeah. The pushover?"
"He’s acting weird all of a sudden, too. Before, if I asked him for a favor, he’d just do it."
Hye-young narrowed her eyes in annoyance.
"But today, when I asked him for something, he just cut me off and said he had his own work to do."
"Well... I guess that could happen?"
Her boyfriend didn't seem to sympathize much, which only made her angrier.
"Ugh, whatever. Honestly, that pushover did almost all the work, so I had it pretty easy. What am I supposed to do now?"
"Is the workload going to stay this heavy?"
"If she keeps giving out work like this, I’m going to have a word with the Director."
"How? By saying she gives you too much work?"
"Not exactly. I talk to the Director often, so we’re pretty close. I’ll just casually mention that things feel a bit... unfair."
"Uh... I feel like that might not end well."
"Ugh, whose side are you on anyway?"
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."