Midweek Unease
Wednesday.
The exact middle of the week — Monday and Tuesday already behind it, Thursday and Friday still waiting ahead. The kind of day when time starts to drag just a little.
Glancing at the wall clock, which seemed to be crawling especially slowly today, Kang Hyeong-seok turned a gentle smile on the person seated across from him.
"So then — is there anything else you might need?"
This was a client visit.
New contracts mattered, of course, but maintaining the accounts a company already had was every bit as important. This one had first been developed by Noh Soo-chul, his old boss — and even now, the account manager's face still carried the residue of fury.
"No, it's fine."
"We sincerely apologize. We committed a grave discourtesy."
"No, no! You really don't need to say that."
It happened more often than anyone would like — salespeople dangling outrageous conditions just to claw in a contract. The deal signed here before had been exactly that kind, and the manager had fumed that the terms had been switched on him after the fact.
"Don't tell me it was that man... Good grief." The manager muttered under his breath, his expression sour.
"We're sorry."
Beside Kang Hyeong-seok, Shin Jeong-ah offered her own careful apology. Only then did the manager rein in his temper, taking a rough swallow of the coffee set before him.
"Still, I'm grateful someone with some common sense finally came out here."
Kang Hyeong-seok smiled bitterly, doing his best to hold on to his apologetic expression.
"Not at all. We're the ones who can't thank you enough for hearing us out like this."
"Aigoo, damn it."
The manager ran his tongue over a canine, then gave Shin Jeong-ah a curt nod as well.
"Sorry about earlier. I got far too worked up."
"We're the ones who should be apologizing."
Whatever her words, Shin Jeong-ah looked thoroughly drained. She had inherited Noh Soo-chul's accounts and run them with no handover whatsoever; her experience had kept major trouble at bay — until this mess dropped out of a clear sky. With the company's credibility on the line, the two managers had been dispatched here in a hurry.
"Whew, honestly! Then this quarter we'll deliver as we discussed today. As for adjusting the unit prices down the line, I'll take it up the chain myself, and we'll work it out step by step."
"Yes, understood."
Kang Hyeong-seok answered with careful courtesy, and the manager drew a cigarette from his pocket and began turning it over in his fingers. The important conversation had just wrapped up, so Kang Hyeong-seok rose along with Shin Jeong-ah and suggested the smoking room.
Click-click-click! The manager's lighter, its fluid spent, wouldn't catch a flame. Shin Jeong-ah quickly leaned in and lit his cigarette with her own lighter, and he answered with a look of apology.
"Aigoo, sorry about this. I imagine I gave you quite a scare earlier."
"Not at all! It's fine."
Now that everything seemed settled, Shin Jeong-ah replied with a touch more ease, and the manager gave a wry smile.
"That's corporate life for you. The moment things quiet down, something like this crawls out of the woodwork and drives a person out of their mind."
"I think it's like that everywhere."
"Is it? And here I thought it was only me."
Shin Jeong-ah lit her own cigarette, then held her lighter out to the manager.
"You're out of fuel, right? Here, use mine."
"Oh— no, no, I couldn't."
"I have a spare."
She said it with a polished smile that had clearly taken practice, and the manager accepted the lighter looking more apologetic than ever.
"Thank you. I'll put it to good use."
"It's really nothing."
The manager fiddled with the well-filled lighter for a moment before tucking it into his pocket. Then his gaze swung to Kang Hyeong-seok.
"You're the one who came out before, aren't you?"
"Sorry?"
"I mean — didn't you tag along with my old contact once, way back?"
Kang Hyeong-seok stared at him in surprise for a beat, then nodded and admitted that he had. Back then he had simply ridden along with Noh Soo-chul like a chauffeur and been left to wait in the car; he had naturally assumed the man wouldn't remember his face.
"That's right. You carry yourself differently now — I nearly didn't recognize you."
"Ah, ha ha."
"Even then I remember thinking you had a trustworthy face. If I'd known, I'd have drawn the contract up with you, Manager Kang."
I'm not just saying that now, you know?
With that tone still hanging in the air, the manager screwed up his brow as he lit his cigarette.
"Whew! You spoke beautifully today, and you came with the resolution all laid out neat and clean. So why on earth were you sitting alone in the car back then?"
"It had to be that way, at the time."
"Ah."
The manager scrunched his face as if he'd pieced it together, then murmured, half to himself:
"There really are people like that. Ones who won't let anyone stand beside them for fear their tricks will be stolen."
Then he studied Kang Hyeong-seok at length and gave a small, deliberate nod.
"Things will go smoothly for you from here on. You look like a man they will."
"Thank you for the kind words."
"Well then! Head on back for today. We'll meet again when it's time to redraw the contract."
The manager clearly had his own pressing business waiting. With him so firmly radiating a please-head-out-now air, Kang Hyeong-seok and Shin Jeong-ah took their leave right there in the smoking room, promising a next time.
With a clunk of the car doors, the two of them heaved a heavy sigh in perfect unison, as though they'd rehearsed it.
"Ah, we got through it."
"It worked out well, didn't it?"
"Thank you. If it hadn't been for you, Manager Kang, this would've been a full-blown catastrophe."
Shin Jeong-ah's face said she'd broken out in a cold sweat; she dabbed at her forehead, then let her features crumple into a scowl.
"Seriously, is that man out of his mind? I've lived this long and I've never once dealt with anything like that."
"The predecessor, you mean?"
He loathed even voicing the name — and no sooner had the question left his mouth than she exploded.
"Exactly! Is something wrong with his head? How does a person even think to draft a double contract? Who pulled strings to parachute that bastard in here, anyway?"
Kang Hyeong-seok grimaced without meaning to, then shook his head.
"They said the parachute was me."
"Huh? You?"
"I joined on a professor's recommendation, so people used to whisper behind my back that I'd been parachuted in."
"Wow. That man barely qualifies as human."
"Well, he's someone I won't have to see again regardless. You've had a long day too, Manager Shin."
"A long day, my foot. You're the one who cleaned up the whole mess."
"Please, don't say that."
"Me? I only got through it thanks to you... Aigoo."
With irritation written all over her face, Shin Jeong-ah undid the button nearest her collar.
That was when it happened.
A soft buzz — a text message had arrived for Kang Hyeong-seok.
"Who is it? The Department Head?"
"Yes. He's asking how things went."
"Give him a call and let's get moving. Or should I ring him?"
Shin Jeong-ah asked as she clicked her seatbelt into place, and Kang Hyeong-seok answered while starting the engine.
"I'll take care of it."
Seatbelt fastened and parking brake released, Kang Hyeong-seok dialed Kwak Young-ho.
"Hey! Manager Kang! You there?"
With the engine running, Kwak Young-ho's voice came pouring through the car speakers over Bluetooth.
They pulled away from the curb in a hurry, and Kang Hyeong-seok raised his voice toward the phone.
"Yes, it's all settled. Thankfully he understood the situation. We'll have to come out once more later to renew the contract, though."
"Haah. Thank goodness."
"There's no need to worry about it. This quarter will proceed on reasonable terms, and we should only need to renew the agreement by next quarter's deliveries."
"Honestly. Ah! Manager Shin's sitting next to you, isn't she?"
"Yes. Right here."
"Good work, both of you. Our team aces in one place really can sort out even nonsense like this."
"Oh really? Then how about looking after us a little? Manager Kang worked himself to the bone this time."
"Just get back here in one piece! I'll fix you the tastiest cup of instant coffee you've ever had."
"Uh..."
With the ease creeping back into Kwak Young-ho's voice, it was clear how badly he'd been torturing himself over this. Kang Hyeong-seok's mouth curled upward without a sound — and just as Shin Jeong-ah was eyeing the phone mounted on the dashboard with a this old man? look—
"I'm kidding! Kidding!"
"Not funny, Department Head."
"Aw, come on, Manager Shin. Ah — and this next part isn't me playing favorites, mind."
"Yes?"
Shin Jeong-ah lifted one eyebrow, and Kang Hyeong-seok's eyes drifted to the phone as well.
"Shinjin Construction's been looking for the two of you? You know that executive director from before?"
"What? Huh? Me too?"
"That's what I said. It surprised me too. Manager Shin, have you got some history with an executive over there?"
"No, nothing special."
"Really...? Anyway, they've asked to borrow the two of you for a few days. Word is they want you to survey some site and draw up a list of the equipment they'll need."
"Um..."
It was the sort of lead that could translate into a very serious accomplishment.
But neither Shin Jeong-ah nor Kang Hyeong-seok looked remotely pleased — because both of them had a fair idea of what the truth behind the request was.
"Sounds like the list of needed goods is a long one, and if the estimate looks decent, they're ready to say yes on the spot? Why don't you two go take a look. A long business trip isn't the worst thing, eh?"
"Ah — yes."
"It's good news, so why do you sound like that? And why has Manager Kang gone quiet?"
Shin Jeong-ah turned her gaze on Kang Hyeong-seok and pointed at the phone. Only then did he answer.
"No, I was just... taken aback."
"Really? Then shall I surprise you a little more?"
"What?"
"You're off the clock — head straight home!"
Surprised they certainly were.
"D-Department Head, we still have work to process!"
They had left in such a rush that no small pile of paperwork was waiting for them. If they whooped at the offer and knocked off right there, tomorrow they would be drowning in the backlog, begging for their lives.
"I already took care of every last bit of it, Manager Kang."
"Oh..."
"Two managers running around out in the field — did you think I'd just sit at my desk sucking my thumb? I've cleaned everything up, so clock out with an easy mind. You've earned a day like this."
Guilt washed over him, and Kang Hyeong-seok smiled bitterly and nodded deeply.
"Understood. Thank you."
"So tomorrow, both of you come into the office, do a quick handover of anything outstanding, then head straight over to Shinjin Construction. That work for you?"
Kang Hyeong-seok nodded, the motion heavy.
"Yes, understood."
"You really worked hard today. Thank you — truly!"
"Then buy us dinner sometime."
At the remark Shin Jeong-ah tossed out as a joke, Kwak Young-ho nearly leapt out of his chair.
"Oh, come on! The predecessor caused that mess — why should I be the one buying dinner!"
"It's our department's mess too, Department Head!"
"Aigoo! Fine — then just have a good trip. Bring back some pretty results and I'll bring out the corporate card, I promise."
"Oh? So expensive food is on the table?"
"Won't that depend on the size of the deal?"
Smiling, Shin Jeong-ah told him she understood. With a "see you tomorrow" as her parting words she hung up, then glanced back through the rear window at the client building shrinking into the distance.
"Starting tomorrow, it'll be a madhouse again."
This time, she intended to move together with Kang Hyeong-seok. She had fully put the dokkaebi incident behind her, and she meant to repay him for the way he'd carried her through this latest piece of company business.
But when Kang Hyeong-seok said nothing at all, her puzzled gaze drifted toward him.
"Manager Kang?"
"Just thinking."
She had been about to ask what about — but instead she turned her eyes back to the road without another word. His eyes were far too heavy, too weighed down, for her to dare.
A fanatical cult — the Baekbaek cult. And Shin Jeong-ah, weeping tears of blood, in the revelation he had seen. The premonition that this time she must not come along sent sweat seeping from the hands gripping the steering wheel.