Chapter 21
21. I Can Do Anything 2021.07.10.
Eun-bi was very satisfied. Complaining about Lee Jung-oh to Assistant Manager Jo Si-nae made things easier. Someone who could torment Lee Jung-oh in her place. She had acquired a field commander. Even today, Si-nae gave Jeong-o a very excellent order without even being asked. She asked him to entertain the client. The AE who went on a business trip said that even if he hurried back as much as possible, it would be past 7 o'clock, and all the production team members were busy with a lot of work. Everyone would leave the company in droves after 8 o'clock. So Lee Jung-oh would have to deal with the client alone for more than an hour. Her butt was wiggling because she wanted to see Lee Jung-oh sweat. Eun-bi couldn't stay still in one place and leisurely wandered around the office. Then she ran into Ji-heon's secretary, Yoon Ae-ra. Eun-bi greeted her kindly.
“Ae-ra, are you leaving work?”
“Yes, Manager.”
“Did the Director leave too?”
“The Director said he was going to meet the client with the production team. Didn't you go with him?”
The neatly crafted smile quickly disappeared. Eun-bi ran to the team and immediately stood Assistant Manager Jo Si-nae up.
“Assistant Manager Jo Si-nae.”
“Yes, Manager.”
Si-nae stood up with a puzzled look on her face at Eun-bi's angry expression.
“You sent Assistant Manager Lee Jung-oh alone to prepare for the company dinner?”
“Ah... yes. All the other team members are busy.”
“Still, how can you send him alone? How can a copywriter deal with a client alone!”
“Thank you. Should I buy an umbrella for the Director too?”
“No. It's okay.”
Because I'm going to use it with you. Ji-heon hid his true feelings and answered. Jeong-o, who didn't ask twice and went into the convenience store alone, appeared a moment later with two umbrellas.
“Here. Use this, Director.”
Ji-heon looked down at the umbrella with a displeased look. He didn't like that Jeong-o bought two umbrellas, and the umbrella was yellow, like something a child would use.
“Can't I get a refund? I have so many umbrellas at home.”
Jeong-o made a slightly bitter expression. A chaebol, being petty over an umbrella.
“Then use it today and give it to me later. I don't have an umbrella at my house.”
Jeong-o told him as if notifying him and moved first. There was no time to argue. He had to quickly find a place and contact the client to take them to the company dinner. He decided to go back in the order he had received seat confirmations before leaving the company. The bar recommended by Gi-hoon was pretty good.
“We can just go here without looking around anymore.”
“Yes. If someone complains that I chose the wrong place, I'll say the Director chose it.”
Ji-heon chuckled at Jeong-o's joke. As soon as they sat down at the bar, Jeong-o's cell phone rang. The client's contact information appeared on the screen.
“Yes, Assistant Manager. Where are you now?”
Jeong-o carefully answered the phone. After thoroughly grasping the client's current location, Jeong-o quickly hung up and stood up. Ji-heon also stood up. Jeong-o stared at Ji-heon and said.
“How about the Director join us later?”
“Why?”
“Think about it. We're just a working-level assistant manager and manager, wouldn't it be burdensome if the Director himself came out to entertain them? Would they be able to drink comfortably?”
“Still, it would be better than dealing with them alone.”
“Haha. It's okay.”
Jeong-o laughed lightly. Hmph. What do you think of me? I'm a strong middle-aged woman of this land. I'm not afraid of anything. Come, client! The company dinner cells in my whole body were revving up, starting the engine. \ Due to Jeong-o's stubbornness, Ji-heon had to leave the company dinner. Ji-heon thought about going back to the company, but he took a seat at the cafe right next to the company dinner venue. He couldn't let go of his worries, so he decided to sit in the cafe for just 30 minutes and then immediately deploy. Time passed slowly, and 30 minutes felt like a day. Before he knew it, the rain had stopped. Ji-heon, who had made up his mind, stood up. As he headed to the company dinner venue, the Tawon Liquor account executive ran from the other side, panting and greeting him.
“Hah, hah, hah. Did the Director come too?”
“I heard the copywriter is handling two clients alone.”
“Yes. The other production team members will be arriving soon.”
Ji-heon and the AE moved with worried hearts. When they opened the door to the bar, they faintly heard Jeong-o's laughter. Jeong-o was sitting across from two clients in a large seat, having a very fun time.
“Do you know why you shouldn't slam the car door?”
“Correct! Because there are four car doors!”
Jeong-o enthusiastically shouted at the client's trivial question. The client even clapped and laughed.
“Assistant Manager Lee, what time is the last train here?”
“Ah, Assistant Manager Choi said he lives in Bundang. I'll check the last train time.”
“Then the next question. What area does the wind blow cutely?”
“Correct, Bundang! The wind blows in Bundang~”
Jeong-o was managing the time surprisingly well by asking the client light questions and responding to trivial questions with agility. As Ji-heon and the AE approached the seat, Jeong-o introduced Ji-heon to the client with a bright face.
“Our AE is here. And this is our headquarters' Director Jeong Ji-heon.”
“Hello. I'm Jeong Ji-heon.”
“Oh. Nice to meet you. Director……”
The female manager blushed and greeted Ji-heon's greeting.
“The production team members will all be here soon. I hope the team members will be helpful to you two.”
“Assistant Manager Lee Jung-oh has already been very helpful by sharing the direction of the work and giving us a lot of idea tips. Director.”
Jeong-o's face turned red. Her round forehead was sparkling. She was smiling brightly on the outside, but she seemed to have broken quite a sweat. Thinking about how difficult it must have been for her to deal with employees of a liquor company, Ji-heon regretted not coming sooner. A little later, the production team members also joined. They showed up 30 minutes earlier than promised. Eun-bi's face was red and blue, as if she didn't like something. As the number of people increased, Jeong-o was able to slip away to the side. A little later, Jeong-o, who had moved her seat, stroked her chest with her hand and stood up from her chair. Ji-heon, who had been watching Jeong-o, quietly got up and followed her. Jeong-o, who went outside, headed straight to the convenience store. She picked up a hangover drink to pay for it, but suddenly a hand appeared from behind. It was Ji-heon.
“I'll buy it.”
“Ah, then this one.”
Jeong-o picked up the most expensive drink. Ji-heon paid for both.
“Thank you.”
Jeong-o bowed to Ji-heon and gulped down the drink.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Of course.”
She looked quite fine on the outside, so Ji-heon relaxed and asked Jeong-o.
“How's the client's reaction? Which idea did they like the most?”
He started with work talk because he wanted to keep her around for a long time. But she couldn't answer right away. Her cheeks repeatedly puffed up and deflated. As if she was going to throw up everything she had drunk. It was a cute expression, but it was precarious.
“Did you drink a lot?”
“They said they needed opinions on the taste of the alcohol, so I tried drinking whatever they gave me.”
Jeong-o answered with a look of enlightenment.
“You drank everything they gave you? Regardless of soju or beer?”
“The Director seemed like he would be here in 30 minutes, and the AE will be here soon too, so I just had to hold on for 30 minutes.”
“You have no flexibility.”
Ji-heon was furious at Jeong-o's answer. It seemed like she had overdone it too much. She should have been more careful.
“Shouldn't you know for yourself when to say, 'I can't do this,' or 'This is my limit'?”
“The client says they like all the ideas. But it didn't seem like they were particularly drawn to anything.”
When he scolded her, Jeong-o gave an answer to the previous question out of the blue.
“Maybe the concept will change a little. Director.”
Her voice, which was coming out too clearly as if she didn't want to show him her drunk appearance, straightened Ji-heon's wrinkled brow.
“Minds change. They can't help but change. Because you have to keep making choices depending on what situation you face.”
“……”
“There were lovers who loved each other.”
Then the story suddenly jumped to a trivial story like the beginning of a romance novel. She immediately changed her words because it was ambiguous to use definitive expressions.
“……They thought they loved each other, but maybe not. As soon as the man found out about the woman's pregnancy, he left. So the woman raised the child alone.”
What was she trying to say with this story? Was she just drunk? Ji-heon quietly sighed and crossed his arms. Fine. Let's hear it, he thought.
“But this man appeared in front of the woman several years later.”
He didn't want to get caught up in such a trivial story, but her voice and eyes were so serious as she told it that he couldn't help but remain silent.
“Why did he show up now? To take the child away? The child who had become the woman's whole world?”
Her question, punctuated with a question mark, even made him thoughtful. Ji-heon opened his mouth to say something, but she answered first.
“Then she has to stop him, right?”
“……”
“The woman will do anything to protect her child. Don't you think?”
“……”
“She can do anything. There are no limits.”
A clear, glassy film covered her pupils thickly. The determination in her eyes seemed so intense that it felt like the glass would melt. His heart throbbed hotly, as if burned. He hadn't even had many drinks, but his head was pounding as if someone was stabbing him with needles. Even so, he couldn't resist wanting this woman. What was it about her that made him yearn so much? She was a woman hard to define in just a few words. She just threw out her words and turned away abruptly. Ji-heon felt unfairly swept away all alone. He wanted to make her turn back. What could he do to make her turn back? What could he do to hold her? If he could just make her turn around, Ji-heon felt like he could do anything, anything at all.
“Jeong-o.”
Ji-heon imagined her father and called her name in a soft, friendly voice. A pause. The reaction was quick. She stopped walking and slowly turned her head. The tears that had been a clear, glassy film had already melted and fallen to the floor. He had only called her "Jeong-o," but she seemed to have forgotten to breathe. Her lips, parted weakly, were trembling. Ji-heon was also surprised. Had she found a hallucination of her father brought on by the alcohol? Or was she really mistaking him for her dad, or wanting to? Her eyes were filled with a desperate desire to believe, even while doubting something. The joy of having moved her, the excitement of having seen an expression on her face he had never seen before, combined to pound against his sternum so hard it hurt. Just a little more. Driven by the desire to see more into her heart, he impulsively asked her.
“Can you see me?”
“……”
“Do you recognize me?”
At his question, she let out a shallow breath like a sigh. The distance narrowed with each step. She approached him closely on her own and parted her lips with difficulty.
“……Oppa……”
The word that flowed out, choked with tears, was not clear. To him, who didn't know the truth, it sounded like "Dad." He should have been pleased that she had reacted, but it felt like a stone was sinking in a corner of his heart. To her, Dad was a tearful presence. He belatedly realized that he had touched something he shouldn't have. He reached out to quickly fix it, but. Her two hands, rising slowly, touched his cheeks first. Ji-heon's eyes widened. Just like a week ago in the break room, when she had stood in front of him and let thick tears fall, with eyes swirling as if she would be sucked in, distorting her face.
“……Have you come back?”
She asked. Her voice was muffled by tears. Had her memory returned? Did she recognize him now? Even though he would never know her heartbreaking circumstances. Ji-heon was once again being helplessly dragged along.
