A Holiday with a Colleague (1)
"Good work today, Yeri."
"Thank you. I'll be heading out then."
I left immediately after wrapping up my support work for the PR team at H Mulsa, where I had been dispatched for the day.
It was already getting late, and Assistant Manager Gu Ha—no, Han Yunseo—had told me I could go straight home, a directive I was more than happy to follow.
"Huh?"
As I stepped into the lobby of the H Mulsa building, a familiar face caught my eye.
"Oh! Yeri!"
"Yeon?"
The person waving at me was none other than Hwangbo Yeon.
We had grown close during the training program, to the point where we were now on a first-name basis.
Though, to be fair, she had treated me like a lifelong friend from the very first moment we met.
I liked Yeon because she was down-to-earth and completely genuine, which was highly unusual for someone from H Group.
People usually stereotype chaebol heirs as rude, spoiled brats. While those types are actually quite rare in the real world, the mega-rich in this novel's universe—especially within H Group—were almost exclusively self-centered narcissists who thought the world revolved around them. Yeon, however, was a refreshing exception.
"What brings you here?" I asked. "I didn't expect to see you all the way over at H Mulsa."
Yeon was currently doing her rotation at H Financial. While Yeouido, where H Financial was located, wasn't incredibly far from Daechi, where H Mulsa stood, it was still a decent trek. I couldn't help but wonder why she had made the trip.
"I heard what happened," Yeon said, her eyes wide. "You almost got into huge trouble!"
"The rumors spread already?"
I immediately knew what she was talking about.
It had to be about that pervert, Kang.
"Are you really okay?" Yeon asked, her face pinched with worry.
I gave her a reassuring smile to show I was perfectly fine.
"I'm totally fine. Thanks for worrying about me, though."
"Oh, thank goodness. Anyway, Yeri, do you have any plans this weekend?"
"This weekend? Why?"
"Let's go on a date!"
Her choice of words was bound to raise some eyebrows if anyone overheard. She obviously just meant hanging out over the weekend, though.
Since I didn't have anything planned anyway, I nodded in agreement.
"Sure, let's do it. But you didn't have to come all this way just to ask. You could've just called or texted."
"Things like this are best said in person! Plus, I wanted to make sure you were actually okay with my own eyes."
"Yeah, that sounds like you."
And just like that, I had plans for the weekend with Yeon.
Once I got back to my apartment, I finally shed my disguise.
"Whew! I'm exhausted."
"Aeri, it is time for your broadcast."
"Ah, right, the stream. I almost forgot."
Living a double life was seriously no joke. There was a reason people did streaming as a full-time job.
I had originally planned to take a hiatus from streaming while doing my spy work, but the platform had thrown such a massive fit that I had no choice but to compromise. I shifted my schedule to the evenings and resumed broadcasting.
"Hey there, my lovely Pack Mules."
"I turned it on early so I could finish early and get some early rest."
"I have no idea what you mean by *that*, but today is a gaming stream. It's a game I can wrap up pretty quickly."
I pulled up a new game I had purchased yesterday.
In a world dominated by hyper-immersive virtual reality, this game proudly championed a more analog(?) style.
It was a game that delivered a sense of impact and feedback that virtual reality simply couldn't replicate.
It was D-Max VII, the latest installment in the legendary franchise.
Yes, the newest title in the very series that had redefined the rhythm game paradigm.
"Listen here, you Pack Mules! I might look like this, but back in the day, they called me the Shinlim-dong Hendrickson!"
The Pack Mules clearly had no intention of believing a single word I said.
Fine. It was time to show them the skills of a legend who once spent forty-eight hours straight glued to an arcade cabinet until the owner literally kicked me out.
"Analysis complete. Aeri is a flawless, absolute, and utterly hopeless tone-deaf individual with zero sense of rhythm."
"..."
Total songs played so far: ten.
And all ten songs had ended in a spectacular game over due to an accumulation of 'Bad' ratings.
"And that concludes our live gameplay review! Honestly, the hit detection in this installment is incredibly shoddy. The developers definitely need to patch this."
I desperately tried to spin my colossal failure into a constructive critique.
It really wasn't my fault, but not a single soul believed me. The hit registration was genuinely broken, but since I couldn't prove it, I was left stewing in my own frustration.
"Aeri, please stop with the self-rationalization."
"Alright, that's it for today's stream, Pack Mules! Tomorrow is a rest day, so I'll see you all the day after."
Leaving the clamoring Pack Mules behind, I coolly(?) shut down the broadcast.
"Phew... I'm definitely sending a support ticket to the developers. They need to fix this."
"Were you actually serious? That wasn't just a coping mechanism?"
"Of course I'm serious! The hit detection was genuinely garbage. I refuse to accept that my hands are the problem."
"No comment. Your sheer shamelessness is truly mind-boggling."
Time flew by, and the weekend arrived in the blink of an eye.
"Hera, this outfit looks alright for going out, right?"
"Not bad. But Aeri, are you aware of the time? You are going to be late."
"Already?! I need to hurry!"
I had been so preoccupied with picking out an outfit that I hadn't realized how close it was to our meeting time. Checking the clock, I quickly grabbed my bag and bolted out the door.
"Whew! Made it by the skin of my teeth!"
I barely managed to squeeze onto the subway heading to Jamsil, our designated meeting spot. If I had missed this train, I would have been late without a doubt. I let out a sigh of relief, imagining how awkward it would have been to explain myself to Yeon.
"If Aeri had simply left a bit earlier, you wouldn't have had to run like a madwoman."
"Quiet, you. All's well that ends well."
Hera's banter wasn't bad, but she definitely had a knack for rubbing me the wrong way sometimes.
Regardless, I arrived at Jamsil and made my way to our meeting spot. Yeon was already there, waving energetically at me as soon as she spotted me.
"Yeri~!"
"Yeon! Have you been waiting long?"
"Nope, I just got here! Come on, let's go!"
Yeon grabbed my hand and started pulling me along. I was a bit flustered by the sudden physical contact, but seeing her beaming face, I decided to just go with the flow.
"So, where are we going?"
"Hehe, I've already planned out our entire route!"
Yeon was definitely a 'J' on the personality test. I already knew from our training days that she was surprisingly diligent despite her gyaru-like appearance, but she seemed to have a remarkably meticulous and thoughtful side to her as well.
"Yeri, do you like horror movies?"
"H-horror movies?"
At the mention of horror, I instinctively flinched. I absolutely detested anything scary.
I had barely survived that horror game stream before passing out cold. A horror movie in a theater sounded like a nightmare, but I couldn't bring myself to ruin the plans Yeon had worked so hard to prepare.
"I-I love them! I'm absolutely crazy about horror movies."
"Really? Me too! I knew we were compatible!"
Yeon beamed with delight and led me toward a movie theater.
It was a physical movie theater, a rare sight in this day and age. In this world, almost all movies were produced for and streamed directly on OTT platforms.
"It's an older movie, but they're doing a special re-release in theaters. It's available on streaming too, but I figured watching it on the big screen would be way better!"
"That's true."
I could definitely agree with her on that. I was also of the opinion that movies were meant to be experienced on a massive screen to truly appreciate them.
"So, what's the movie?"
"Exhuma."
"E-Exhuma?"
I knew that movie. To think it existed in this world too!
Most people said it wasn't particularly scary, but I had actually watched it in a theater once before. Well, sort of.
I managed to get through the beginning, but the next thing I knew, the credits were rolling. I had no idea what actually happened in the movie. If it was scary enough to make me lose consciousness, then by my standards, it was an incredibly terrifying film.
"S-sounds fun."
"Right? The reviews are amazing!"
In the end, I dragged my feet into the theater and took my seat.
'Hera, support me so I don't pass out.'
"Understood. I will administer mild electrical shocks to keep you conscious if your vitals indicate you are about to faint."
'G-great.'
The lights dimmed, the trailers ended, and the movie began.
It started with people digging up a grave and pulling out a coffin. And then... it truly began. I watched the movie in a complete daze, my mind reeling. Every time I was on the verge of fainting, Hera zapped me with an electric pulse, forcing my consciousness back to reality.
The climax involved dealing with a giant Japanese demon, and though there were a few twists at the end, the movie finally came to a close.
"That was so good! No wonder it got such rave reviews."
"Y-yeah, totally."
"Let's head to our next stop. You must be getting hungry, right?"
"Yeah, I'm starving."
Perhaps because of the sheer energy it took to survive the horror movie, my stomach was growling. With that, we headed off to our next destination: a restaurant Yeon had reserved in advance.