episode_0013

“Yoohee, did you go to the amusement park by any chance…?”

No, that’s not it. It’s too direct.

“Yoohee, where did you go today…?”

Not this either. It’s too restrictive of my daughter’s life, although it’s safe.

“My beloved Princess Yoohee~ Where did you go today~”

Is this person insane?

“Sigh….”

Yoohee was wearing a black hoodie, but she’s not the only one. However, it’s unlikely for someone to wear such thick clothes in summer. If it’s Yoohee, I don’t understand why she followed us to the amusement park.

“Could it be that she came to see me and Suhyun…?”

If that’s the case, I can understand about 30%, not a hundred percent. Maybe I need to make sure I’m not meeting strange people. Of course, Suhyun is someone who needs care rather than being strange.

“Hmm….”

I still don’t understand why she followed. If I ask her directly, she might feel betrayed, thinking I don’t trust her.

Above all, I didn’t want to believe that Yoohee would do something like that.

As if to dismiss these thoughts, I received a message from Yoohee.

“Do you have time this weekend?”

“♥”

“This message has been deleted.”

A heart…? Oh, it’s gone.

I don’t know why she sent and then deleted the heart, but anyway, there’s plenty of time for my daughter on the weekend.

“Yes, I do.”

“Got it.”

Is she asking me where I want to go out with her? As a father, I welcome it.

“….”

There was no reply after that. Still, I’m satisfied.

These days, conversing with Yoohee like this has become a small source of joy.

“Yeah. She wouldn’t follow me.”

Stretching my legs, I fell into a deep sleep after a long time.

—

“Boss, you haven’t been smoking lately.”

“Oh, I quit.”

“They say quitting is harder than anything.”

“It hasn’t even been a month since I smoked.”

“True. You used to cough every time you smoked.”

Initially, I started smoking because of the frustrating relationship with Suhyun. Now that it’s resolved, I have no reason to smoke.

“By the way, Suhyun is really introverted. Refusing to attend even one company dinner.”

“Well… that could be true.”

I tried talking to her a few times in the office, but she doesn’t pay attention to me except when working. She also skipped the last company dinner. It’s my fault for allowing such a gap, so it can’t be helped.

“Did you watch my broadcast yesterday?”

“Yes… well…”

We’ve become closer personally. I thought we were getting along well, but it’s limited to the office, occasionally having a coffee after work.

Seeing that she’s still doing well on her show, my rejection doesn’t seem to have hurt her much. When I saw her dancing the latest trend yesterday, I was impressed.

“You seem happier, Boss.”

“I’ve been texting my daughter more often.”

“That’s a great improvement!”

Communication with Yoohee has increased since then. Even though it’s through texts, it feels good to have those conversations.

I hope someday we can talk face to face with smiles.

…That day will come, right?

“Oh, right. Boss, did you hear? The new team leader is back.”

“Really? She’s back?”

Yeojin Shin, the new team leader in sales. Three years younger than me, still unmarried. She got demoted during the evaluation due to her difficult personality. Seems like she’s back up now.

“Yes, that’s what they say. Seems like she’s still throwing tantrums.”

“Looks like Cerberus is back at it again.”

“Indeed. Tough times ahead.”

Cerberus. Her nickname meaning tearing people apart as if to kill them. If caught by the new team leader, she almost makes people want to quit. She could be considered a prime example of a tyrannical boss.

“How did you come back, there are rumors about the head of the department and a scandal.”

“Oh….”

Indeed, reality is more dramatic than dramas. It’s not for nothing that novels and comics like that come out.

“It doesn’t seem that way to me. I must have done something right.”

“Are you being considerate because we were colleagues?”

“Whether it’s consideration or arrogance, that person must have been good at their job.”

Come to think of it, we were colleagues when we started. It was quite something back then. Especially with me.

“Anyway, I hope they don’t come to our department.”

“That’s true…”

Why is there never a time when a bad feeling turns out to be wrong? After the conversation with Director Choi, upon returning, there was a new team leader who exuded an overall modest vibe, tying her hair into a high ponytail, wearing a long skirt down to her knees, tightly clad in 100-denier stockings, and sporting round glasses.

“Director Kim.”

“Oh, yes. Team Leader…”

She called me with a sharp voice that contrasted with her appearance. Despite being of lower rank than me, she seemed to use formal language probably because we were colleagues.

“What’s up with that tone? We’re not strangers, you know?”

“Well, that’s true…”

That look in her eyes is asking how I’m going to respond.

I can’t just stand here like this, so I clear my throat to take the lead.

“Ahem. So, why have you come to our department?”

“You know our sales department is busy, right? We need to supplement our staff.”

“Already…?”

I don’t like the attitude of trying to boss us around from the get-go. I thought things might have changed a bit, but people don’t change easily after all.

Giving Suhyun a subtle signal, she nodded as if understanding.

Suhyun, who is skilled enough to be able to boss me around from day one, has been assigned elsewhere since we parted ways.

It wasn’t forced, but due to Suhyun’s insistence on wanting to go elsewhere, I had no choice but to assign her. I hope she’s doing okay…

“Who is this…”

“She’s Kang Suhyun. She’s good at her job, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“No, we need a man for this.”

“A man…?”

Director Choi, who was sitting next to me, had suddenly taken his seat and was furiously typing on his keyboard. Seems like he really doesn’t want to get involved with the new team leader.

Well, since he’s done a lot for me, maybe I should step up this time.

“Is it okay if I go?”

“Well, maybe… Actually, we were hoping for Director…”

“Me?”

“It’s nothing!”

“Okay… Should I go now?”

“No need to rush. Come in the afternoon.”

“Okay, got it.”

As the new team leader turned around swiftly, her tied-up hair brushed against my face. Either she didn’t notice or she pretended not to, and she continued walking.

I hope we don’t end up fighting…

As the new team leader disappeared from view, the tense atmosphere relaxed slightly.

“Phew… I thought I was suffocating.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“You, especially. Good luck from now on.”

It’s been a year since I was demoted, so Jihui also has some composure. Although she wasn’t directly affected, she says she feels frozen every time our eyes meet.

“If only that person resembled half of Jihui.”

“Me?”

“Pretty, stylish, good at work, diligent. Other than being good at work, there’s nothing resembling Jihui.”

“Hehe… You’re flattering me too much, Director.”

“But it’s true. Oh, could you please invite me to the sales department chat room?”

“Yes~”

Oh well, I chatted too much. Let’s get to work.

~~~

“Thank you for your hard work this semester. Be careful not to catch a summer cold. See you next semester.”

With the professor’s words, one by one, people began to rise from their seats.

Finally, the end of the semester. Somehow managed to fulfill all the credits, and now only fun remains for the vacation. Judging by Dad’s text status, it seems things have been sorted out between us.

I was really surprised when coffee spilled on my shoes, but fortunately, it seems Dad didn’t notice.

“Yoohee, are you free this week?”

“I’m not free this week.”

“Ugh, there’s a meeting.”

“You know I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”

“Do you have a crush on someone?”

“…No.”

“Oh, looks like you do~ Who is it? A senior from the Korean Literature Department?”

“It’s not like that…”

I can’t speak. There’s no way I could ever say it.

That the person I have feelings for is our dad, I could never utter those words.