ITDW 42

— See you tonight.

As soon as he hung up the phone, he was met with his mentor’s scowling face.

“Mr. Kim Leejae, who were you talking to?”

“…Well, with someone I know….”

“Ha… Mr. Kim Leejae, let me see you for a moment.”

Assistant Manager Oh took Jaeri to the stairwell and scolded him for a long time, asking if he thought the company was his playground. Assistant Manager Oh’s voice rang out loudly as he repeated the same words in various versions, saying he could tell just by seeing him act like this on the first day.

Jaeri just stood there blankly. He wasn’t interested in what he was saying, so he couldn’t hear it well either. He just thought, ah… this is a really, really severe punishment.

To be in the middle of people who were jumping up and down trying to crush someone over nothing. This was a really severe punishment.

Hyung must be really mad…. What should I do? Jaeri organized his thoughts on how angry the master of his heart must be, and how he could earn his forgiveness.

It was lunchtime. One of the team members said, pretending to be generous.

“Intern Kim Leejae, since it’s your first day with our team, let’s all eat together. Mr. Kim Leejae, is there anything you want to eat?”

Just as Jaeri was about to say that there wasn’t really anything, another voice cut in.

“Originally, deciding the lunch menu is the youngest’s job, so try to decide.”

Jaeri was utterly dumbfounded. He was on the verge of turning bright red with anger. The ‘youngest’? They’re not family, so what do you mean, the youngest. What kind of relationship did they have with him to pretend to be chummy without any barriers. The sinister intention of calling him the youngest to work him to the bone twisted his insides. Jaeri had a kind of mysophobia about such things.

As Jaeri remained silent, several voices urged him on. Jaeri scoffed inwardly at the silly talk, like how deciding the menu is originally the hardest thing, or look at the youngest agonizing over it so intensely. If something like that is so hard, why don’t they just not eat and live?

He confirmed once again that adults were just as stupid and just as childish as he was.

“I would like to have oyster and rice soup. Isn’t there a good place downstairs from the company? It’s winter, and I thought it might be inconvenient for you if the travel distance is too long.”

Jaeri made a rough excuse. He had already picked up some of the company’s way of speaking. The team members, finding that acceptable enough, nodded their heads.

In the afternoon, Jaeri was a bit exhausted. The team members had him do all sorts of things. They would ask him to print something even though they could just click the print button on their own computers, ask him to wash their cups, order him to buy office supplies from the stationery store, and ask him to empty their personal trash cans.

It was menial work. It was the first time he had done such things, and since he wasn’t used to it, it took a long time. It wasn’t that he felt bad. His body was tired.

When he was told to do something with an Excel program and said he couldn’t, he was met with a contemptuous glare and heard them nag, asking what on earth he had been doing with his life. Assistant Manager Oh even said outright, “Ah, really, how did I get stuck with someone like that. Being incompetent at work in a company is a nuisance.”

Jaeri’s heart ached a little. It wasn’t because his words were harsh. His words were uncomfortable, but none of them had the power to hurt Jaeri. After all, Jaeri has no positive expectations of people.

He was just sad that his hyung had given him such a harsh punishment. His thoughts, words, actions… Jaeri always had his nerves on edge and observed him. Only he could have power over Jaeri.

The phone rang again. Jaeri picked it up. He had already received over twenty calls so far.

“Hello. This is Advertising and Marketing Team 1.”

— Yes. Is this Intern Kim Leejae?

It was a welcome voice. At the playful question, Jaeri held back a surge of emotion and spoke.

“Yes, that’s right. Mr. Vice President.”

At the words Mr. Vice President, the team members’ eyes widened, and Assistant Manager Oh went and stood in front of Jaeri, glaring. As if to say, speak properly.

— Right. So Jaeri wants to tease his team members.

“That is not the case.”

Assistant Manager Oh quickly scribbled something and placed it in front of Jaeri.

Ask him who he’s looking for

“Is there someone you are looking for?”

Jaeri asked carelessly. The team members let out a sigh. You have to speak in a more polite tone!

— There is, you.

“…Yes.”

— This is fun, too. Today is Jaeri’s first day of social life, and hyung couldn’t pay enough attention to you. Was it very hard?

At Jungyoon’s noticeably gentle tone, Jaeri couldn’t say anything for a long time and eventually choked up.

“…Hyung….”

Jungyoon couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out laughing.

— You’re so smart, if you call me that, I can’t leave you there.

“…That’s not, it.”

I hate the people so much.

Meanwhile, time in the Advertising and Marketing Team 1 office stopped completely.

Everyone was rigid. They weren’t like this when they first approached Jaeri’s desk, but now they looked like stiff, expressionless wooden totem poles.

Hyung? Was the name of the third son of Hanyoung Jaeri? Kim Jaeri. Kim Leejae. Hyung. Mr. Vice President. Behind the strangely stiffened expressions, from forcibly contracting their facial muscles that had expanded in surprise, was that kind of bewilderment.

— Come up to the Vice President’s office.

“…How do I get there?”

— Ask your team leader to bring you.

“…Okay.”

Jaeri hung up the phone. A little hesitantly, he went straight to Team Leader Seo.

“Team Leader… if you’re not busy right now, I have something to tell you….”

“…Yes, Mr. Kim… Leejae. Go ahead.”

“The Vice President is, calling for me… but I don’t know where… to go….”

He couldn’t bring himself to ask to be taken there.

“It’s probably a bit difficult to find it on your own. You probably don’t know the company building well either. I’ll escort you. Let’s go together.”

He really tried to hold it in, but as soon as he left the office with Team Leader Seo, tears welled up. He was leaving the bleak space and going to his hyung. Like going to breathe. He missed him so much.

Team Leader Seo, who had no idea what was going on, was on pins and needles trying to soothe the third son of the owner’s family. Jaeri, completely unaware of his efforts, kept wiping his tears. After many twists and turns, Team Leader Seo brought Jaeri to the front of the Vice President’s office.

Jungyoon had left the door open in advance, and Jaeri, as he did at home, watched him from the doorway, and when their eyes met, he went in and closed the door. Having entered the Vice President’s office, Jaeri went and stood in front of him.

The hyung who had laughed on the phone was nowhere to be seen; his mouth was set in a firm line and his eyes were stern.

“I was planning to make you suffer for a month. You’re being such a baby.”

In fact, the plan was to make him suffer for just today and have him report to the Vice President’s office. There was no reason to keep Jaeri there, letting him be handled by others, and lowering the morale of that team.

He fixed his gaze on Jaeri’s reddened eyes for a while.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Kim Jaeri, face the wall and stand.”

Still, the one to end the punishment should be the one giving it, not the one receiving it.

Jaeri approached one wall and stood still. The smell of wallpaper emanated from close to the wall. He felt like he could distinguish his scent mixed in with the scent of that special paper.

His legs were very numb from standing still for two hours straight. He felt a little dizzy from constantly looking at the beige wall, its monotonous appearance. His head was moving, but his field of vision wasn’t moving at all, so he swayed a few times.

Still, Jaeri couldn’t say anything and stood quietly.

Sometimes, he felt his gaze on the nape of his neck. At those times, he couldn’t hear the sound of him clicking, typing, or turning a page. Hyung’s eyes were delicate and precise, so he felt like the moment his gaze touched him, the fact that the fine hairs on the nape of his neck were standing on end would have been caught.