episode_0055

Tachibana got out of the car and entered the school together, and as soon as he parted ways with Narin, Mirae grabbed his wrist.

“Come out for a moment.”

“If you start now, you’ll be late.”

Tachibana had roughly anticipated what would come out of Mirai’s mouth, so he was able to face Mirai without losing even a little bit of composure.

I’m sure he’d warn her not to approach Haru, since he himself couldn’t approach her in the end.

“10 minutes is enough.”

“What… If Mirae Yang says so.”

Mirai, who had seen the time, confirmed it, and Tachibana also nodded without bothering to refuse.

“I wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with the future sheep.”

The two faced each other again behind the teacher. Their blood was boiling as if a fight was about to break out at any moment, but Tachibana muttered, putting an end to it with a bitter smile.

“What on earth do you want to do? Why did you suddenly barge in… .”

“On the contrary, I would like to ask.”

A voice that was filled with a faint tremble, a mixture of anger and sorrow. Tachibana cut off that pitiful voice and took a step closer to Mirae.

“Why are you bothering me? Mirae Yang just doesn’t have the courage to fight. If you don’t want to fight, then leave. Honestly, it makes me a little uncomfortable when you timidly bother me from the side.”

Tachibana expressed his feelings openly.

To the future and to the day.

Even though I knew full well that there was a high chance of being rejected, I confidently poured out my overflowing feelings that I had no choice but to express.

On the other hand, what does the future hold?

“Thanks to Miraeyang, I got kicked out. I’ve been putting up with it for 10 years.”

Because I was afraid of being rejected by my mother.

“So I’m going to start over with my friends. I guess I was too hasty.”

For fear that even the advantageous position they had comfortably occupied would be threatened.

“Future Sheep, if even this gets in the way… .”

Hiding behind her younger self, who remains as her daughter, she is unable to accomplish anything herself and only gets in the way of others.

I feel frustrated too. And there is no solution.

“I will break it the same way. The daily life with Sister Haru that Mirae Yang enjoyed comfortably. To some, it is a goal they have dedicated their lives to. I have lived only for the present. I absolutely… must not fail.”

That’s why Tachibana stimulated the future.

To bring out the future that is still hidden.

In order to hold the hand of the young Mirae and bring Haru, who is stuck in the past with her, back to the present.

“Of course, challenges are always welcome. Think hard about it.”

That was the only way for Tachibana to get the person he loved.

If the future doesn’t come forward, Haru will never be able to escape the past with the future.

* * *

“Uh… my seat right there… .”

What, I got cut because I almost was late?

It’s definitely not too late. Thanks to Tachibana, I was able to arrive at the guild five minutes early.

But who is this woman sitting in my seat?

“Hello, senior! I’m Kim Min-ji, who’s new here!”

The disgusting woman who took my seat suddenly got up from her seat and introduced herself as Kim Min-ji.

The voice was quite loud, so the attention of the people going to work was drawn to it, and I hurriedly covered my face with my bag and hid inside the reception area.

If anyone saw me, they would know that I was longing for it… .

“Ah yes… Ms. Kim Minji… .”

Still, the feeling of being called a senior wasn’t always a bad thing.

Of course, there were people with less experience than me, but I was the youngest so I couldn’t act as a senior.

But what about Kim Min-ji, the fresh-faced rookie who just joined the company? At first glance, she looks about the same age, and her posture is very upright, like a new soldier who has just been assigned to a unit.

Junior, it’s rare to find a junior who is truly a junior.

“Can you please step aside? I have some work to do.”

I imitated the cool and cold tone of speech of a member of society, imitating the chairman. As expected, a senior should show an experienced yet mechanical side.

“Work? No one’s here yet… .”

“Ahem… Anyway, this is my seat, so please leave now.”

As Im Seul-gi, who had just returned to her seat after pouring a capsule coffee, was about to start smoking, I stepped forward and cut her off.

“I’m so excited that my junior is here, Haru-ssi.”

However, Im Seul-gi giggled as if she was enjoying herself by undermining my authority.

Yeah, I’m not your senior. We’re all receptionists.

“Over there… .”

I went back to polite mode and called Kim Min-ji.

But Kim Min-ji just looked at me without saying anything.

She stood there blankly, as if her soul had left her, and then she forcefully let out her suppressed voice.

“This, this day… .”

Huh? Did I tell you my name?

Of course, even if that’s not the case, there are plenty of ways to find out the name.

When you entered the guild, you may have seen a nameplate that said ‘Iharu Receptionist’ in front. You may have heard it first from Im Seul-gi, who arrived at work first.

However, somehow it didn’t seem like it was as light a situation as I thought.

Let’s just wait and see, Kim Min-ji… Kim Min-ji… .

The name Kim Min-ji is something you’ll hear a lot. Among the heroes I’ve met, Kim Min-ji will definitely be there.

But there is only one Kim Min-ji who knows me and who I know.

I loved dogs so much, really and completely.

A gyaru among gyarus that I’ve been friends with for about 30 minutes, who reminds me of a rich Middle Eastern person just by looking at the accessories she’s wearing.

He was the highest ranking person among the barrier masters who created ‘Iharu John’.

I have never been in the same class with Kim Min-ji since the first year. However, I remember that before we could become close, there was a subtle distance between us because she would stick around with the kids in my class and gossip behind our backs.

“Um… .”

Of course, that’s all old news.

Since there was no direct bullying, I don’t think I paid much attention to it at the time.

Kim Min-ji was just extroverted so she had a lot of friends, and I was introverted so I didn’t have any friends. That’s the extent of the feeling that can be summarized.

It was probably partly my fault for not even trying to make any other friends while relying on Hanna Yeon.

‘They say that the one who forgives first is strong.’

When I was very young, maybe when I was in elementary school, we had a soccer match with another class, and we ended up blaming each other and ended up getting into a fist fight.

At that time, my mother said this to me while rubbing my puffy eyes.

Of course, I don’t agree with everything my mother says. If I forgive her first, some people will see me as a fool.

But it’s also true that even if I say I don’t forgive now, nothing will change. At most, it will only make me feel better for a little while.

So tomorrow comes, and next month, there will definitely be a situation where you feel bad about what happened today.

In that case, it would be better to just forgive and forget. There’s no need to waste my emotions and leave regrets.

“Long time no see.”

I smiled brightly at Kim Min-ji. On the other hand, Kim Min-ji looked completely depressed and gave off an air of wanting to run away at any moment.

If you look at novels or comics, the bullies don’t reflect at all on the things they do torment others.

Because the guilt was so evident in Kim Min-ji’s expression, I felt sorry for her instead.

“Ah… That… Ugh… .”

Kim Min-ji had really changed a lot. There was not a single piece of the accessories she used to wear, and all of her thick makeup had been taken off, revealing her bare face, plain but cute.

Perhaps that was the reason. Kim Min-ji, who had taken off her mask of makeup, looked noticeably weaker.

Kim Min-ji suddenly starts to cry and mumble. The back of her hand that is rubbing her eyes trembles pitifully.

“What… I forgot everything. If I hadn’t met you now, I would have probably forgotten it for the rest of my life?”

These were the words I spat out as consolation. In a way, it was natural. I was not in a position to comfort Kim Min-ji.

Still, I wanted to say a few warm words.

If you were able to get a job at a guild, you must have worked really hard. To be honest, Kim Min-ji’s school life wasn’t all that great, so I couldn’t even imagine how much effort she had put into finding a stable job.

“Mr. Iharu… If a new employee runs away, will Mr. Iharu take responsibility?”

“Yes, yes?!”

The branch manager came to see me at this very moment. He is someone who usually never leaves his office, but it seems like he is becoming less rare these days.

“Stop, stop! If you stop now, I’ll forgive you!”

“Sob… Sob… .”

Suddenly, I found myself trying to appease Kim Min-ji.

He carefully patted her shoulder and gave her a tissue that Im Seul-gi, who was watching with interested eyes, offered.

To clear up the branch manager’s misunderstanding, I consoled Kim Min-ji, who was crying sadly.

“I have something to take care of for a moment with Mr. Iharu. Is it okay if I take him with me? This is also urgent, so I can’t give in.”

The branch manager must have thought it was something unrelated to work, so he gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me away.

There was no way a mere receptionist could refuse the branch manager’s request. Kim Min-ji just nodded vigorously, pressing her palms to her eyes.

“Don’t be too upset. I’m going to give you a real hard time, Iharu.”

The branch manager left with those warm words of comfort, and as I walked away, I heard a loud shout behind me.

“Senior, I’m really sorry about that time!”

Okay, the apology is enough, so please stop yelling in the lobby… .

* * *

“Mr. Iharu, you shouldn’t be harassing a junior who just came in.”

“That’s… There was something like that in the past… .”

“Are you saying you were bullied in the past?”

“Oh, that’s not it!”

As I was talking to the branch manager, I suddenly felt a sick feeling in my stomach.

“What… I know you’re against it.”

Yeah, this guy does this on purpose. I even wonder if he enjoys seeing me in trouble.

Of course, I know full well that there is no malice there. Especially since I have heard countless instances of gossip that is full of malice, I can clearly tell the difference.

But the difference in rank is so great that I can’t just ignore it and say it’s a joke, which is extremely tiring.

“But don’t try to resolve the grudge from the past now. Then I’ll be the one to harass Iharu.”

The branch manager threatens by wiggling his ten fingers.

Revenge breeds more revenge. That’s what they’re trying to say.

Of course, I have no intention of taking revenge. More than anything, I think it would be more annoying than I imagined if I was harassed by the branch manager.

“Well, it’s charming that Haru heals the wounds she received as a student by saying things like, “Thank you for growing up well,” and “It’s okay for her to hug you and relieve her of all the hardships,” but unfortunately, there’s no time to talk about it right now.”

While I was chewing and swallowing the rude thoughts in my mind, the branch manager, who was slumped over on the sofa with a listless expression, started fiddling with his cell phone.

“You’ll know the place of request when you go there. It’ll probably be easier to get a favor if you go there a little faster.”

“Request… .”

You want to give me this request without even saying a word?

There were many things I wanted to ask, but the branch manager sat with a more determined attitude today.

He maintains the attitude of a boss who takes advantage of his subordinates, as if he is not willing to accept any questions or counter-questions.

“I have parked my car at the main gate. Could you please help me?”

“Oh, yes! I will work hard and come back!”

Actually, it didn’t matter what the branch manager’s attitude was. I had no choice anyway.

If you tell me to do it, I’ll do it. What can I do?