Chapter 90
90. Without Haste
2023.07.29.
Time passed, and it was Wednesday dawn.
As usual, Tae-joon woke up early and immediately went for a workout.
He was definitely in better shape than the first day he visited the fitness club. After going through the machines focusing on strength training, Tae-joon finally put on boxing gloves. The sandbag, which used to fly away with a light tap, returned at a rapid speed. Tae-joon punched the sandbag a few more times. He felt his fists had become a little harder.
The Philippines business trip was all wrapped up successfully. The death of the K Electronics factory worker was compensated appropriately to the bereaved family, and the visit to Nukum's factory was also fruitful. He secured information about a Nukum researcher who had disappeared during product development, as well as evidence of contact between this researcher and an Iaks executive. Now, all that was left was to present this in a neat report to Jaepil.
The visit to the Philippine Embassy was also fortunate. Having colluded with the Philippine counselor to settle Han So-eun's father, Han Hong-gyu's assets, and visiting the Philippine Embassy, Tae-joon once again asked them to send So-eun the mail. He requested that they only provide information on how to receive her father's assets without mentioning the Relics. So that she would receive news of her father's death via mail and receive the assets, thus settling everything.
Anyway, even though it was long overdue, he anticipated that So-eun would be greatly shocked upon hearing of her father's death. So, he arranged for the mail to arrive during the upcoming weekend. He planned to be by her side to comfort her and encourage her to get over it quickly.
While everything was going smoothly, he was concerned that So-eun had said she was sick over the weekend. She seemed to have recovered by the time they parted, but it felt like she was deliberately trying to cheer up so as not to worry him. He was also bothered by the fact that her face had been flushed the entire time.
‘Should we go on a trip this weekend?’
If they took a good rest for two nights and three days at a nearby resort, wouldn't her fatigue and mood be relieved? And they could check the mail from the embassy together when they returned.
He had to take preemptive measures because he didn't know what kind of schedule his grandfather would create to pester him. Tae-joon thought he should ask So-eun about her intentions when he got to work.
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Wednesday morning commute.
Riding the bus to work, So-eun pressed the scenery outside the window into her eyes.
The bus So-eun was on traveled along the direction of a stream for a while. Small birds flocked and flew above the walking paths created on both sides of the narrow stream, searching for their morning meal. The trees lined up next to it were being injected with a yellow liquid like pickled radish that Tae-joon had brought on the weekend.
Leaves that had fallen earlier than the season floated like paper boats in the gently flowing stream.
The heart, like a paper boat carelessly floated on a stream, sometimes drifts too far. Without an engine, without a boatman.
A heart that has drifted far away keeps loving more and more things in this world where it would be safe to love only you. It makes you cherish even your grandfather. So, when grandfather's heart is torn, mine is torn too, and when grandfather says he's having a hard time because of me, I can't help but feel restless, wondering if there's anything I should do.
That's why you shouldn't have started in the first place. Just because you folded a paper boat, why would you just float it on the water? You should have just kept it.
Now, all she could do for the person she loved and wanted to give everything to was to leave him as he was. Instead of giving him a history of scars. It was to disappear forever and not become any trace of him. Like the indifferent stream that so easily erases the traces of a paper boat.
She had promised to smile happily, but as the time drew closer, she kept having many thoughts. Even if she thought about it, it was more useless than the scraps of paper she had made and thrown away when she made the paper boat.
So-eun got off the bus, determined not to be foolish.
No one knows that So-eun is going to resign. Chairman Kim Jae-pil has agreed to take care of everything when she leaves. A resignation where the head of the company personally handles the procedures. Even executives wouldn't receive such treatment.
Leaving wasn't the problem, but the remaining tasks were a concern. After-sales service was almost a same-day processing system, so even if she left, it would only be a manpower issue, but the work she did in the team would embarrass someone. Park Bo-bae, who sat next to her, was most likely to take over her work.
"Bobae, would you like to try the parts request work now?"
"Yes?"
Bobae, who was still struggling with her work, looked at So-eun with a flustered look. Every day, So-eun collected the team members' requests for parts, put the request forms into the factory according to the format. Also, creating and organizing a monthly list was So-eun's job.
"Let's do it now. I'll watch you, so give it a try."
Although they were comfortable with each other like friends, Bobae couldn't refuse So-eun's instructions because she was still a senior colleague. It was also suspicious because she was a senior colleague who had never given instructions or requests in the year they had worked together.
Also, thanks to So-eun, who put so much effort into teaching and explained with passion, even taking notes in between, Bobae was able to forcibly learn the work. Even in the midst of her embarrassment, Bobae was deeply impressed and thought that she also wanted to become a great senior colleague like So-eun and become someone who could hand over this work in a great way.
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After regular work hours, the TF Team decided to clean up the 7th floor office before the disbandment ceremony. But somehow, So-eun was the only one who came up to the 7th floor. Bobae had left to check on the eel restaurant because they couldn't get in touch with the restaurant where they were supposed to have the disbandment ceremony. Eun-pyo followed Bobae.
So-eun, who arrived alone on the 7th floor, greeted Mun-gyeong politely when she saw her before entering the office.
"Enjoy the eel. It's my husband's birthday, so I'll leave first."
"Ah, yes. Have a good time, Manager. And Manager."
So-eun rummaged through her bag and took something out, giving it to Mun-gyeong. It was a box wrapped in pretty green wrapping paper.
"What is this?"
"It's a baby gift. I bought it while passing by, and I heard it's good to give baby gifts in advance."
"Oh. Oh my, I don't know if I should accept this."
"You have to accept it. It's my heart."
"Okay. Thank you."
"It's me who should be thanking you."
Polite greetings continued.
"Back then, when I took a day off, you sent me a gift certificate for porridge. And thank you so much for taking care of me."
"What. I want to do that for our pretty Ms. Han."
"No. There aren't many adults like that."
Actually, I don't expect anything from adults.
It was always adults who hurt her.
"Manager was the kindest and warmest adult I've ever met... is the kindest and warmest adult."
So-eun, who paused at the past tense of the ending, quickly corrected herself.
"I hope you have a healthy delivery."
"What, you're saying goodbye like someone who's leaving. Our Director is here, we'll keep seeing each other often, right? Isn't that right?"
"Yes. We should."
"……."
"Anyway, thank you."
While Mun-gyeong and So-eun were exchanging greetings again, Tae-joon came out of the head of department's office.
"Then my husband is waiting for me downstairs, so I'll go first. Have a good time, Director."
After Mun-gyeong checked the time and hurriedly left, only Tae-joon and So-eun were left in the 7th floor hallway.
"Where are the other team members?"
"They couldn't get in touch with the eel restaurant. So I told them to go check it out."
"So you're going to clean up alone?"
"There's not much to clean up. And you're going to help, Director."
"Huh. Why would I."
After retorting curtly, he entered the office before So-eun and started cleaning up before So-eun. As So-eun said, there wasn't much to clean up, so the work could be finished in a few minutes.
After all the seats were neatly organized and even the office nameplates were removed, So-eun realized that it was the end. She personally thought it was fortunate that she was able to finish the task Tae-joon had given her before leaving.
After finishing the work, she urged him to go to the restaurant quickly, but Tae-joon told her to sit down for a moment and offered her the chair in front of him.
Sitting in the chair as Tae-joon said, So-eun recalled the day she first sat face to face with Tae-joon in this office. The man who put a strange name 'Future Service Team' on the office and left her until 9 pm without ordering anything. And then he came back to the company late at night and quietly sat and watched over her, who had fallen asleep in the office.
When I think about it, everything he gave me was love. From beginning to end.
Even back then when he was tormenting me, he kept feeding me delicious things and personally took me home, so diligently, he only gave me love without haste.
How could you do that? Weren't you even angry at me?
I desperately wanted to ask, but now I can't forever.
So-eun swallowed her tears and let out a rambling voice.
"Now, goodbye to this place too."
"You can come and visit. I'll leave this room empty, so come and rest anytime."
"There's no justification."
"I can create a justification."
A fearless man. A man who will do everything she wants.
I know your love. I know you'll have a hard time when I leave. I know you'll say you don't need grandfather or anyone else, and you'll try to throw everything away and come to me.
But you can't do that. You're someone who has to protect everyone. It's more scary for your huge world to collapse than for my small world to collapse.
Unlike herself, who had nothing and nothing to lose, he was a man who had a lot to lose. Nevertheless, a man who acts without regret. A man who doesn't care about himself being ruined.
So-eun captured his beautiful face in her mind as if pressing the shutter of her heart. So that she can recall it by groping through her memories someday when this moment is far away.
Just as a waterway was forming in her heart enough to float a paper boat, he suddenly threw a pebble.
"Do you want to go on a trip this weekend?"
"Yes? No!"
So-eun, who had been blankly staring at his face, answered urgently. She absolutely couldn't leave the house this weekend.
"You don't have to be that surprised……."
He muttered with a desolate expression as if he was disappointed by her serious face.
