Even as he got off the bus and headed towards the main office, Jaegyeom continued to receive love advice from Lim Hyomoon. Lim Hyomoon, not even knowing who the other party was, went on about how 'that person' was really not okay, how he should no longer meet 'that person', how he should just ignore any messages from 'that person', laying out all sorts of nagging advice.
Unfortunately, it was all futile advice.
"I can't do that. Even if I don't want to, I have to see him for the next two or three months... Anyway, I get what you're saying, so stop worrying about it. And we're almost at the main office. You go your own way."
Upon reaching the lobby of the main office, Jaegyeom sharply bid farewell. However, Lim Hyomoon followed Jaegyeom, nagging endlessly with questions like "What? Why do you have to keep seeing her? Did she get something on you? Or did you borrow money? Huh? It's money, isn't it? How much? Tell me. If it's less than 300,000 won, 'll cover it for you." It seemed he would follow him all the way to the Team 1's office. Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, Jaegyeom harshly told him to "Get lost!" before Lim Hyomoon reluctantly turned away and went on his way.
Jaegyeom was merely curious about how he should perceive the kiss that Yoon Taehee had given him. He had brought it up comfortably thinking it was okay since the other knew nothing anyway, but the conversation became increasingly hard to follow which only made his heart more troubled. It was like trying to get rid of a bump only to end up with an additional one.
Thus, when Jaegyeom finally stood in front of the office, he hesitated for a long time.
All he had to do was open the door and go in, but for some reason, he couldn't muster the courage. The thought of facing Yoon Taehee filled him with a strange tension. Suddenly, his heart pounded and he felt utterly overwhelmed. This awkward feeling was a first in his life. Jaegyeom himself didn't understand why he felt this way, which only added to his frustration.
With great effort, he swiped his card key hanging around his neck and entered the office. The first place Jaegyeom's gaze went was to the Chief's office. The door to the Chief's office was wide open, just like the day before.
The office looked the same as usual.
At least, that's how it seemed to Jaegyeom. He didn't notice that the moment he entered, the team members exchanged glances or that a few seconds of odd silence followed. His attention was entirely focused on the Chief's office from the moment he stepped into the office. The team members were of no concern to him.
"Hey, the youngest is here?"
"Oh, you're a bit late today."
Before the atmosphere could become awkward, the team members quickly greeted him.
"Yes... Hello..."
Jaegyeom exchanged greetings with the team members as he walked through. The office layout required him to pass in front of the Chiefs office to get to his own seat. He feigned indifference and stole a sideways glance.
"..."
Peering into the Chief's office with wide eyes, he found it empty.
Whether it was relief or emptiness he felt, the energy drained from him in an instant. Jaegyeom's legs gave out, and he flopped down into his chair.
"Our youngest..."
At that moment, Go Junhyung, who was sitting next to Jaegyeom, glanced around and cautiously opened his mouth.
"The Chief just stepped out for a moment, but even if he comes back, you don't need to be intimidated, okay? I mean, life is full of ups and downs, and getting scolded is part of it. So, keep your head up and shoulders back..."
When Jaegyeom looked at Go Junhyung with a puzzled face, not knowing what he was talking about, Kang Yibin, sitting across from them, suddenly popped her head over the partition and glared fiercely at Go Junhyung.
Startled, Go Junhyung coughed awkwardly and closed his mouth.
"Ah. No, sorry. That was just, just nonsense."
Go Junhyung awkwardly smiled and then hurriedly looked back at his monitor. Kang Yibin also returned to her original posture as if nothing had happened.
What..? Jaegyeom scratched his forehead and glanced at his team members. The Team 1's office, usually buzzing with various conversations, was unusually quiet today. The team members were busy typing away at their keyboards with serious expressions, focusing on their monitors.
I don't know what it is, but everyone must be busy with work, Jaegyeom thought.
[Kim Sihyun: Ah.. Manager Go...] 16:38
[Kang Yibin: Do you want to die, Junhyung? Stop butting it] 16:38
And Go Junhyung was being thoroughly scolded via messenger.
***
Last night, excluding the Chief and the youngest member, the members of Team 1 created a group chat room.
The team members heatedly debated about the incident of the youngest leaving the office without permission, speculating about what had happened between the two. Although various opinions were exchanged, the dominant consensus was that "the chief had scolded the youngest, and the youngest, being at an age full of defiance, got angry and stormed out."
Of course, the team members knew Yoon Taehee as someone who never scolded or spoke harshly to team members. However, with both parties remaining silent, this was the most plausible speculation.
Consequently, the team members agreed to not ask the youngest anything and to treat him as usual. It was his first experience in adult social life, and it would be difficult to adjust to the atmosphere right away.
Although the atmosphere was a bit stiffer compared to usual, the team members were treating Jaegyeom relatively calmly as promised. Sometimes, excessive care could be harmful, and showing concern was not always the right approach. Occasionally, the virtue of pretending not to know was necessary. However, Go Junhyung had poured cold water on it.
[Kang Yibin: Junhyung, have more sense] 16:40
[Go Junhyung: I just thought the youngest seemed to be bothered]
16:40
[Kang Yibin: Right now, you're the one who's most bothered] 16:40
[Kim Sihyun: lolololololol] 16:40
[Kang Yibin: Just do well yourself_-] 16:40
[Go Junhyung: Sorry:] 16:41
At that moment, someone burst through the automatic door, running breathlessly. Jaegyeom was startled, wondering if it was Yoon Taehee. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was Pyo Jiho who entered the office, appearing to be in a hurry. Pyo Jiho, panting heavily, looked around at the team members.
"Everyone, the Exorcism Department has called an emergency assembly!"
Caught off guard by the sudden announcement, the team members stood up with their eyes wide open.
"All staff on standby, please gather in the seminar room immediately."
"Huh? Senior Pyo, what's happening?"
Pyo jiho wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath.
"A bulletin has been posted by the Byeoksadan."
***
While heading to the seminar room, Kang Yibin briefly explained to Jaegyeom about the Byeoksadan. It seemed she assumed Jaegyeom wouldn't know about it since he missed the monthly report.
Jaegyeom had already heard about it from Lim Hyomoon but listened quietly to Kang Yibin's explanation. It was absolutely not because Jaegyeom felt overpowered by Kang Yibin and couldn't say,
"I already know." He just took it as a review.
By the time they finished the explanation, they had arrived at the seminar room. Jaegyeom followed the team members closely. As soon as he entered the seminar room, someone's eyes met his. Hair mixed with natural gray hair like green onion roots. Calm and sharp eyes. The person, who had been crossing her arms, stared intently at Jaegyeom. In response, Jaegyeom met the gaze without avoidance, staring back. Then, the person narrowed her eyes in disapproval.
At that moment, Kang Yibin, who was bowing in greeting, quickly reached out to press down on the back of Jaegyeom's head, having belatedly noticed the youngest standing blankly.
"Ah, this friend here. He's a newbie in our team."
After a brief introduction by Kang Yibin, he urgently whispered to Jaegyeom.
"What are you doing, Jaegyeom! Greet him! It's the head of our department, Seok Juryeon!"
Yielding to Kang Yibin's insistence, Jaegyeom bowed his head. Seok Juryeon, with an expressionless face, scrutinized Jaegyeom carefully and only after a long while said, "Alright," acknowledging the greeting. Then, she turned away and started talking to an exorcist next to her. Jaegyeom stole glances at Seok Juryeon quietly from the corner of his eye.
This was the first time Jaegyeom had faced Seok Juryeon since becoming an exorcist.
She was a person with the spirit of a tiger. That was Jaegyeom's first impression of Seok Juryeon.
The seminar room was about half the size of the office, somewhat cramped.
In the center of the seminar room, there was a large rectangular table. The exorcists from the Exorcism Department who had arrived earlier were buzzing around it, almost like a fence encircling the table.
Only the staff on internal duty had gathered, and the exorcists in the seminar room amounted to barely thirty people. It was quite a modest number compared to the monthly report held yesterday.
The only faces Jaegyeom recognized in this place were his team members, exactly four of them.
Some of the exorcists, whom Jaegyeom was meeting for the first time, noticed that he was the newbie they had heard rumors about and sent curious glances his way, but that was it. The atmosphere in the seminar room was too serious. It was not the time for chit-chat
or starting private conversations.
Go Junhyung and Pyo Jiho went ahead into the inner part of the seminar room and found a spot. They gestured for him to come over. Then, Kang Yibin grabbed Jaegyeom's hand firmly, saying,
"Follow me, Jaegyeom."
"Hello."
Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind. The "Hello," was said in such a laid-back manner, with the "o" sound stretched out, that it sounded overly casual and not fitting with the seminar room's atmosphere.
The moment Jaegyeom heard the voice, he intuitively knew. Even without seeing the face, he knew that the number of familiar faces had increased by one. Jaegyeom's heart throbbed like a live fish.
As the exorcists in the seminar room, including Team 1 members, turned to greet the newcomer, polite greetings were exchanged in turn.
"Chief Yoon has arrived?"
Seok Juryeon's assistant, Han Juyoung, also lightly greeted.
"Oh, Senior Han is here too."
Jaegeom, who had been frozen in place, belatedly snapped out of it. As soon as he slowly turned around, his eyes met with Yoon Taehee, who was wearing a tight charcoal gray shirt.
Jaegyeom involuntarily averted his gaze to the floor. For some reason, it was hard to look into his eyes. Yoon Taehee, who showed up barefaced today, had his bangs down, and there was a small scab on his lip. It was a mark from Jaegyeom's slap yesterday.
Since there were many eyes around, Jaegyeom decided to at least pretend to greet him. It was when Jaegyeom awkwardly attempted a bow. Yoon Taehee's eyes slipped away.
Yoon Taehee's gaze landed on Jaegyeom's hand, which was quietly held in Kang Yibin's grasp. He then withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened and looked at Jaegyeom nonchalantly.
"Hello."
After briefly saying hello with just the shape of his mouth, Yoon Taehee walked past Jaegyeom.
"..."
Jaegyeom had been dwelling on yesterday's kiss from the moment he woke up this morning. However, unlike him, Yoon Taehee appeared as if nothing had happened, perfectly calm. If it weren't for the scab on his lip, one might think, "Ah, was yesterday just a bizarre dream I had?" That's how nonchalant Yoon Taehee was. Was Jaegyeom the only one who had been pondering over it and feeling anxious?
Thinking this, Jaegyeom felt slightly irked for some reason. After glaring fiercely at Yoon Taehee's back, he followed Kang Yibin as he was led.
Yoon Taehee was already standing by Seok Juryeon's side.
"There was a notice from the Byeoksadan."
Seok Juryeon looked at Yoon Taehee standing beside her intently.
"Why does your face look like that now?"
"I got hurt."
"How did that happen?"
"Well..."
Yoon Taehee, with an indifferent face, trailed off his words and then quietly added,
"I got hit for kissing someone without their permission."
While playing with the scab on his lip, he muttered. Meanwhile, being dragged by Kang Yibin, Jaegyeom's feet tangled and stumbled.
He nearly fell forward, almost headbutting Kang Yibin's back.
"..."
"..."
"..."
A tense silence fell over the seminar room.
Seok Juryeon looked at Yoon Taehee as if she was looking at a madman. The other exorcists who were not that intimate with Yoon Taehee showed signs of discomfort, and even the team members whom he was close to looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. Yoon Taehee often told them jokes, but he had never told a joke like that.
He put his hand in his pants pocket.
"I thought it was a funny story. No one is laughing."
Is he screwing with me now??
Before he knew it, Jaegyeom's neck was stained red.