Good News, Delivered
Bad things always strike in succession. And once in a great while, so do good ones. Today was one of those days for Kang Hyeong-seok.
Ping!
It was a message from Kwak Young-ho. Kang Hyeong-seok blinked, glanced once toward the Department Head's office, then tapped out a reply on his keyboard.
A short, involuntary Ah slipped out of Kang Hyeong-seok, and he turned to look at Namgoong Min-ah in the seat beside him.
Her head was thrust forward nearly into the monitor as she compared two documents side by side, sorting through them. At one point her fingers must have started to ache, because she paused to knead them—and at the sight, Kang Hyeong-seok smiled, remembering a promise he'd once made her.
I'd better get that keyboard ordered.
There had been a time when Namgoong Min-ah had been desperately envious of his brand-new keyboard. He'd promised back then to buy her one of her own if she ever made full-time—and now, at last, he could keep that word.
"Min-ah?"
She was too absorbed to stir so much as a finger.
"Min-ah."
Only after he'd called twice did she startle so violently her chair rattled.
"Gah! Wh-what is it, Assistant Manager?"
"The Department Head is calling for you. Let's go together."
"Pardon? The Department Head?"
"Yes. There's nothing to prepare—just come as you are."
It was hardly common for an intern to be summoned by Kwak Young-ho. And so the face Namgoong Min-ah wore as she rose from her chair was pure dread, as though she feared she'd committed some unknown offense.
Should I give her a hint?
Kang Hyeong-seok dropped the idea at once. This was something Kwak Young-ho ought to tell her himself. And, if he was honest, it would be fun to watch her squirm—so without a word, he stood with her in front of the Department Head's office.
Knock, knock. He rapped on the door and stepped inside with Namgoong Min-ah in tow. Kwak Young-ho sat behind his desk, and there in front of him was Shin Jeong-ah. Every member of the department had gathered—everyone, that is, except Lee Jin-pyeong, still lying in his hospital bed.
"Min-ah, stand over here. Assistant Manager Kang, you're in back."
At Shin Jeong-ah's icy tone, Namgoong Min-ah shuffled timidly to her side.
The atmosphere was impossible to mistake for anything lighthearted—and yet, without a single word exchanged beforehand, all of them had become of one mind, playing the prank together.
"Haaah!"
Kwak Young-ho heaved the sigh with a face like thunder, and Namgoong Min-ah went stiff as a board.
"Min-ah. Why did you do it?"
"S-sorry, what?"
"I asked why you did it. Did Assistant Manager Kang not tell you?"
Just then, Shin Jeong-ah made a show of rubbing her lips with her index finger—the signal to keep quiet. Kang Hyeong-seok clenched his molars and swallowed down a laugh, and Namgoong Min-ah, who had turned to glance back at him, only grew more flustered. She seemed convinced he was truly furious.
"Assistant Manager Kang! He's your mentor—what did you do to him! Huh!"
Kwak Young-ho roared, slamming a palm against the desk with a bang for good measure. Namgoong Min-ah's face was draining whiter by the second, and it was far too entertaining—so Kang Hyeong-seok bowed his head deep. If he didn't, his expression was going to give everything away.
"I'm sorry, Department Head."
"You there! Stand right there with your hands up!"
"Yes, sir!"
When Kang Hyeong-seok actually raised both arms overhead, Shin Jeong-ah turned to the wall and hid her grin behind a fine performance of suppressed rage, while Namgoong Min-ah floundered, utterly at a loss.
"I-I'm so sorry, Department Head!"
"Min-ah, do you know why I'm doing this? Huh!"
"H-honestly, I don't!"
Her voice quavered on the edge of tears, and Kwak Young-ho finally burst out laughing. Shin Jeong-ah followed, and even Kang Hyeong-seok's shoulders began to shake. In the middle of it all, Namgoong Min-ah looked around at them with brimming eyes—bewilderment written plain on a face that still hadn't grasped what was happening.
"PWAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHA!"
Having had his big laugh, Kwak Young-ho wiped his eyes and turned to Namgoong Min-ah, the very picture of pride.
"Min-ah, it's a prank. Just a prank."
"...Huh?"
"Sorry about that. But hey—this is actually a tradition in our department."
That was a lie. Nothing of the sort had happened when Kang Hyeong-seok was promoted.
"Huh...? A tradition?"
"Yep! Congratulations, Employee Namgoong."
Namgoong Min-ah's eyes flew wide—then narrowed to slits.
"Y-you're pulling another trick on me, aren't you? I don't know what's going on, but I'm not falling for it!"
"No, no. It's the truth. You've been converted to full-time, Min-ah."
"...Huh?"
At her dazed response, Kwak Young-ho split into a grin so wide it showed his gums.
"HR will be in touch before long. You'll be getting new business cards, too. Congratulations on making full-time, Employee Namgoong."
Namgoong Min-ah's mouth fell open, slack. Then, with a dazed "Huh? Huh?", she looked from Shin Jeong-ah to Kang Hyeong-seok and crumpled into a face on the verge of tears.
"Ah! What is this! You're all so mean!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
She looked for all the world like a little sister throwing a tantrum, and Shin Jeong-ah doubled over, clutching her belly.
"Section Chiiiiief—!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Wow. I had no idea she'd fall for it this hard."
"You too, Assistant Manager Kang! So mean!"
"I'm sorry, Min-ah. And congratulations on making full-time."
"Aaagh—!"
Tantrum or not, a smile had broken through on Namgoong Min-ah's face. It was finally starting to sink in, little by little—that her internship was over and she was a regular employee now. That the company had recognized her months of effort and results, and accepted her as one of its own.
"Go on, thank Assistant Manager Kang."
"Huh?"
Namgoong Min-ah looked up at Kwak Young-ho in surprise, and he pointed, still smiling, at Kang Hyeong-seok by the door.
"He went through a lot for you behind the scenes. Really."
"Ah..."
Seeing the look of pure gratitude in her eyes, Kang Hyeong-seok waved it off with a smile.
"It's nothing. It's all because you did so well, Min-ah."
"A-Assistant Manager Kang..."
"Aigoo! Sh-Section Chief, she's crying. She's actually crying."
"Hey, hey, hey. Wh-why are you crying?"
More flustered than the crier herself, Shin Jeong-ah yanked tissues from Kwak Young-ho's tissue box and pressed them into her hands.
"WAAAAAAAH!"
Kang Hyeong-seok laughed soundlessly as he watched Namgoong Min-ah wail face-first into the tissues. Everyone seemed to be feeling the same—Kwak Young-ho's mouth kept twitching upward, and Shin Jeong-ah stroked her back, murmuring soothingly.
"I'm sorry. We took the joke too far. Really, Min-ah, I'm sorry."
"No, sniff—it's fine. WAAAAH."
Moments like these made it clear that Namgoong Min-ah still had a young, unguarded side to her.
Kang Hyeong-seok waited until the sobs had run their course before speaking up.
"Why don't you go get some air on the rooftop? Splash some water on your face while you're at it."
"Assistant Manager Kaaang."
"And no more crying. Be sure to call your parents."
"Oh!"
Namgoong Min-ah whipped toward Kwak Young-ho with a you're-right look, and he flapped a hand at her as if to say go on, hurry. She bowed so deeply that the crown of her head all but showed, then, phone clutched in her hand, slipped out of the office.
"Whew. I didn't think it would go quite that far."
"Did we overdo it?"
"Eh, well. Who could've known?"
"By the way, Department Head—is it really a tradition?"
"It is as of today, I suppose."
"Huh?"
Kang Hyeong-seok had been quietly watching the heartwarming exchange between Kwak Young-ho and Shin Jeong-ah when—
"Oh, right. And Assistant Manager Kang—you'll be having dinner with the executives before long."
"Dinner, sir?"
Kwak Young-ho nodded grandly, wearing the same proud expression he'd had when announcing Min-ah's conversion.
"Yep. It's settled. That warehouse contract you landed was one hell of a piece of work, after all."
"Ah..."
"Don't let it weigh on you. And sometime soon, be sure to pay your respects to Executive Director Shin Chang-yong and thank him."
Kang Hyeong-seok turned to Shin Jeong-ah in surprise. She and Shin Chang-yong were family. Did you say something to him?
When he asked with his eyes, Shin Jeong-ah gave a little shrug that said she had no idea what he meant. But the smile curving her lips suggested she had lent a hand in one way or another.
"Ah... thank you."
"Assistant Manager Kang! This is the part where you smile."
Kwak Young-ho's laughing chiding tugged the corners of Kang Hyeong-seok's mouth upward in spite of himself.
"You're right. Thank you, Department Head. Section Chief."
"That's all your own doing, Assistant Manager Kang."
Shin Jeong-ah said it first, and Kwak Young-ho applauded alongside her, wearing the very same face.
"Great work, Assistant Manager Kang!"
It being office hours, they kept the clapping soft. Even so, there was something in the sound that stirred his chest in a way he couldn't quite name.
"Aigoo, if only Assistant Manager Lee were here today—it would've been just perfect."
At the heavy regret in Kwak Young-ho's voice, the corners of Shin Jeong-ah's mouth sank into something bittersweet. An aftertaste like day-old coffee coated her tongue. Lee Jin-pyeong, who had suffered the most of anyone in the whole affair, had yet to open his eyes.
"Aigoo, sorry. That was careless of me."
It was after Kwak Young-ho, having soured the mood, sheepishly averted his gaze that Kang Hyeong-seok—head bowed, lips pressed into a hard line—finally spoke.
"I'd like to go see Assistant Manager Lee."
"You, Assistant Manager Kang?"
"Yes. It's good news. I think someone should deliver it to him."
In an instant, something changed in Shin Jeong-ah's eyes. These were the words of a man who walked the shaman's path. Could there be something more behind them? A faint glimmer of hope flickered there as she wondered.
"Well, uh."
Kwak Young-ho mulled over his words, his face folding into fresh creases, then nodded slowly.
"Right. He's one of ours—teammates look after each other. Someone should tell him."
"Understood."
"Go whenever it's convenient. We'll just log it as a field assignment."
"I'll go after work."
Kwak Young-ho nodded his assent. And when Namgoong Min-ah returned—having told her parents and her friends alike, her whole face glowing—the office settled into a pleasantly buzzing sort of commotion.
Vrooooom.
Kang Hyeong-seok drove alone toward the hospital where Lee Jin-pyeong lay.
Are you sure you'll be all right going by yourself?
Shin Jeong-ah had asked him exactly that, and he had turned her down.
"It's a hospital. I'd rather go alone."
Having said as much, Kang Hyeong-seok craned his neck toward the hospital building and eased off the accelerator. He parked, slung his backpack with the sacred shaman bells over one shoulder, and stepped inside.
At the door of Jin-pyeong's room, he carefully surveyed the interior first. There was always the chance he might run into Lee Jin-pyeong's parents.
They're not here.
Confirming the room stood empty, he steadied his breathing and opened the door. The hospital room's peculiar atmosphere—half-dark, faintly airless—was the first thing to greet him.
Swish.
Drawing the curtain aside, Kang Hyeong-seok came to stand before Lee Jin-pyeong and looked down at him with a bitter face.
And at that very moment—
Yip, yip!
From where it sat perched on Lee Jin-pyeong's chest, the Spitz's spirit wagged its tail in welcome. The area was screened off by curtains on all sides, so Kang Hyeong-seok reached out without reserve and stroked the dog's head.
You were frightened badly, weren't you? It's all right now. Nothing dangerous anymore.
He never voiced the thought aloud, but it seemed to get through anyway—the Spitz's spirit wagged its tail harder.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The steady drone of the heart-rate monitor filled his ears. Kang Hyeong-seok shifted his gaze to Lee Jin-pyeong.
IV needles clustered thick along his arm. A bandage was wound around his head, and bruises still stained his face. His eyes were closed, his right hand slipped out from beneath the blanket—and the cloth around that hand was rumpled, likely because Lee Jin-pyeong's mother had been there, kneading her son's fingers in her own.
"Assistant Manager Lee, there's good news from the office."
Looking down at the man who could not answer, Kang Hyeong-seok went on.
"Namgoong Min-ah made full-time. Everyone was offering their congratulations—but we all wished you could have been there."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The heart monitor chirped away, as if answering in Jin-pyeong's stead.
After a stretch of silence, lips pressed together, Kang Hyeong-seok spoke again, each word chosen with care.
"You have to come back to work, sir. Everyone is waiting for you."
Beep. Beep.
Kang Hyeong-seok re-slung his backpack to his front and drew out the sacred shaman bells. It was a hospital, so he couldn't bring himself to ring them—yet even silent, the Mudang Bang-ul set about cleansing the energy around Lee Jin-pyeong, clearing it bright and clean.
With a soft clink, he laid them on Lee Jin-pyeong's chest and rested his hand on the handle.
"I'll say a prayer and go, Assistant Manager Lee."
Kang Hyeong-seok was no doctor. He had no power to make the sick well again. But he could recite a blessing; he could offer up a prayer through sacred scripture. He could carry the hearts of everyone longing for this man's recovery—up, all the way, to heaven.