Reinstatement and Library Rendezvous
I stamped the congressman's seal on the documents and submitted my personnel files to the National Assembly Secretariat. Then I boarded the train from Seoul Station back to Busan. As we passed Gwacheon, my pocket started vibrating.
"Ara?"
"Maru honey, why didn't you come today?"
"Oh. I was up in Seoul, but I'm heading back down now."
"Why'd you go to Seoul?"
"Had to submit my reinstatement paperwork."
"Reinstatement? So you have to work at the National Assembly again?"
"Yeah."
"For real? Then what about me?"
"Why, what's up?"
"You asking 'cause you don't know? I finally got a boyfriend, and now he's gonna be in Seoul—what am I supposed to do?"
"It's no big deal. We haven't even started yet, so we can just call it off."
"You really gonna tease me like that?"
"Don't worry. I arranged to work in Busan."
"For real? No lies?"
"Yeah. I talked it over with the congressman."
"What time do you get to Busan?"
"Around 2:30 at Busan Station."
"Then come straight to the library when you arrive. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am! Understood, Your Excellency!"
She seemed to remember every word I'd said last night in my drunken haze. I could picture her fretting over the idea of me working in Seoul, and a pleased smile tugged at my lips. When I got to Busan Station, I took a taxi to the district party office and told the office manager I'd be starting at the regional committee office from Monday. He'd already gotten the call from Seoul and had my spot ready. I called Seoul and asked my brother to ship my old computer via courier, then told the office manager I had a personal commitment on Monday so I'd start Tuesday. After that, I headed to the regional committee office.
"Maru honey!"
She jumped up from her seat the moment she saw me and ran over. We'd seen each other just last night—what was there to be so thrilled about? Her face was beaming.
"Back to being an aide, huh?"
"Not an aide—a congressional secretary."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"Aides are grade 3 or 4. I'm grade 5."
"Grade 5? So you're higher than our library director?"
"Probably not. The director's likely grade 4. City art gallery directors are grade 4."
"Whoa, still—Maru honey's a big shot. Grade 5's section chief level."
"Doesn't matter. We're just at-will employees—flies on the wall."
"Anyway. Guess I gotta call you Secretary Honey from now on."
"Where'd you even come up with that?"
"Sounds way better to me."
"Fine, whatever. But why's your tongue suddenly all tied up?"
"Why you talking all formal to your boyfriend?"
"You're gonna drive me nuts. Ara and I have a ten-year age gap."
"Eh, that's not that much."
"Anyway, get back to work quick. People are staring."
"Got it. To celebrate my honey's reinstatement, lunch is on me today."
She bounced back to her seat, and I pulled out the books I'd skimmed yesterday from the shelves, sat at a reading room table, and started organizing the materials methodically. I had to finish sorting them over the next two days with max focus. These docs could be a huge help for my future work. When quitting time rolled around, she came over and said let's go. I shelved the books and left the reading room with her. As we headed out of the library building to the parking lot, she hooked her arm through mine.
"What if someone sees?"
"So what if they do? It's my boyfriend's arm—my right."
"This is your workplace."
"My shift's over, and I've already clocked out."
"Aigoo, you win. Where to?"
"Hang on. My friends are coming."
"Friends?"
"Yeah. Gotta brag to them that my honey's not a bum anymore now that he's reinstated."
"Plenty to brag about."
"Thanks for last night."
"Aigoo, no biggie. You get home safe?"
"You dropped me right at the door—how could I not? Heard from Ara you're back as a secretary? Congrats!"
"Thanks."
Her friends came swarming out, and we split into cars and headed to Centum City. The vibe in front of Centum City was always dazzling no matter when you saw it. To suit the young crowd's tastes, they wanted pasta, so we hit a cafe on the first floor of Hwawon Condos. We scarfed down delicious pasta, then headed to the terrace in a group to properly take in the night view, ordering beer for the drinkers and coffee for the rest. We chatted away for a while overlooking the night sea and Gwangandaegyo Bridge, until it got late and we called it. Ara was over the moon about my reinstatement, toasting nonstop—was it really that big a deal for her? Deep down, her over-the-top attention was starting to feel like a burden. While she was distracted chatting with her friends, I slipped away to the bathroom, paid the bill at the counter, and came back. For a low-grade civil servant like her, today's bill would've been a real hit to the wallet.
It was past 11 by the time we all got up, piled into the cars we'd come in, and left Haeundae. After dropping off her friends and heading to her place, her face had gone stiff.
"What's up? Something piss you off?"
"I said I was treating for your reinstatement."
"Who's paying matters? We can do my reinstatement party just the two of us."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I prefer a quiet vibe over all this racket."
"Okay. Then I'm not going home tonight."
"What're you talking about?"
"I'm staying with my honey tonight."
"You know what that means?"
"Think I don't? I'm not a minor."
"What about your parents worrying?"
"I'll call 'em."
"They must adore you. Cut the nonsense and go home tonight."
"No way. I won't hold you responsible. Won't even ask you to marry me."
"Nah. Not tonight. You don't really know me yet."
"Knowing or not—what's the problem? If we click, that's it. You don't like me, honey?"
"No, I like you, Ara. But not tonight."
"……."
After some half-hearted convincing, I finally got her inside her house.
'Honey's an idiot! Hmph!'
'Aigoo, is our princess upset?'
'Pfft~ I finally mustered the courage to say it, and you shoot me down.'
'Princess, that's not it. You're too pretty—didn't wanna waste it, wanted to save it.'
'Really? You love me too, honey?'
'Yeah. I love you, Ara.'
'Ara loves you, honey.'
I'd ended up saying the L-word. If I hadn't, she would've been heartbroken.
"Hey bro, whatcha up to today?"
"Hey. You good? Heading to the library now."
"Library? Why?"
"Man, what else is an unemployed guy gonna do? Might as well study while I'm down."
"Haha. Guess I'll hit the library too."
"Jeong-ah, why the library?"
"'Cause I wanna see your face, bro. Which one?"
"City Library."
"Then I'm coming."
"Gotta study, so can't hang even if you do."
"Gotcha. Study hard."
Ara greeted me with a bright smile when I got to the reading room. I gave her a sly grin, grabbed a pile of books from the shelves like always, spread them on the table, and kept sorting and photocopying what I needed. I didn't have much time left to work on this stuff carefree at the library, so I had to speed up.
"Bro! Here you are?"
A loud voice made me look up—Jeong-ah was standing there in an outfit way too flashy for a library. And that volume! Everyone reading around me shot her dirty looks, while the guys' eyes darted to her clothes, sneaking peeks. Ignoring them, she slapped both hands on my table, stuck her butt out, and stared me down. Her tiny skirt was probably teasing glimpses of her palm-sized panties, drawing all the stares.
"Shh! Let's go outside."
"Why? Watching you study's fun."
"You're bothering everyone else reading. Come on."
I hustled her out of the reading room. Ara was glaring sourly from her table, but to defuse things, I grabbed Jeong-ah's hand and dragged her out.
"Man, yelling like that in a library? And what's with the outfit?"
"Sorry. Been ages since I was here. Outfit? I like it—why?"
"Think the studiers love your look? Super focused now."
"Studying's stressful anyway. If they got worked up looking at me, they can just hit the bathroom and jerk one out."
"Aigoo, I give up arguing with you. Even if they did, they'd study better after? Nah, they're probably dying waiting for you to come back."
"Men are all the same. If you're horny, just ask for it. Instead they badmouth behind your back."
"You know they trash-talk 'cause of how you dress?"
"Duh. They still stare, right? Why get horny? Korean guys act all pure but drool inside."
"So what's the real deal?"
"Told ya—missed you, bro. No night shift, tons of time. Lotsa motels downstairs—let's hit one."
"Watch your mouth—who might hear?"
"So what? Guy and girl wanna motel—who cares?"
"Jeong-ah, please."
"What?"
"Can't motel with you anymore."
"Why?"
"Got a girlfriend now."
"When? Girlfriend or not, no reason not to motel."
"Few days ago. Feels wrong—with her and you."
"How old?"
"Twenty-two."
"Fine then. She's probably chill like me. Dating's dating, sex is sex. Congrats anyway."
"That's your take. She's more conservative than you."
"You doing politics forever, bro?"
"Gotta. Oh, I got reinstated."
"No shit?"
"Yeah."
"Your boss congressman was a mess, right? Why go back?"
"No spots in other offices right away, and even if, no guarantee better than here."
"So Seoul?"
"Nah, Busan posting."
"Good. But Busan's bad for you, right? Better to be close."
"Yeah, but more comfortable here."
"Cool. Can I swing by your office?"
"Sure. But dress decent, please."
"Pfft, fine. Anything I can help with?"
"You wanna?"
"Duh, if you need it."
"Good with phones?"
"Who isn't these days?"
"No—Twitter, Kakao, that stuff?"
"Yeah, got tons of Kakao friends."
"Perfect. Make more friends on Twitter, Kakao, Facebook. Meet up with 'em. I'll cover drinks."
"Why meetups?"
"Politics is all online now. To make the congressman big, need young folks' support on SNS. That's where you come in."
"I know zilch about politics."
"Don't need to. Just make him look cool to youth."
"Never met the guy."
"I'll give you materials."
"Fine. I'll give it a shot for you."
"Thanks."
"Kiss?"
"Lunch on me today."
"Pfft, prefer motel—eating yours."
"Jeong-ah, hold up."
My phone rang—Ara calling while I was talking to Jeong-ah.