Chapter 26: Hug Me

Even if it was due to the Team Leader being away, a harmonious atmosphere lingered in the department for the first time in a while.

I understand. It’s a universal, unchanging rule that subordinates dislike their superiors… but even considering that, our Team Leader is a person with exceptionally poor popularity.

“We can leave on time today… right, Senior?”

“Probably? The preparations for the next event are all finished.”

Of course, one of the reasons for that warm atmosphere was the joy and relief of being freed from overtime.

“It doesn’t seem like any additional work will come in… Ah, but that doesn’t mean we can leave on time tomorrow either…”

“I hate overtime… Senior seems fine even after working overtime. I feel like I’m going to die the next day if I work overtime even once…”

“You’ll be okay once you get used to it, Se-young… or maybe not.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that she’d be okay once she got used to it. No matter how much experience you gain, the pressure of overtime doesn’t change.

The feeling of someone pulling on my optic nerves from behind starts to be felt even in my heart after a while. That tingling, stiff sensation… it always bothers me.

“By the way… um, Senior. Do you happen to be free this evening?”

“Pardon?”

I’d experienced it countless times, and at the same time, I was fed up with the terrible feeling no matter how many times I went through it, when a sudden suggestion came.

“Um…”

I never thought the day would come when I’d hear this from someone else instead of saying it myself.

No, wait, now that I think about it, I did hear it once before, from That person last time.

“Why? Ah, are you saying I should treat you to dinner with the value of this watch…”

“No, no! It’s not that! I’m not such a petty person!”

…If she’s trying to settle a multi-million won watch with a single dinner, wouldn’t I be the petty one?

“Just… just…”

Her attitude was suspicious in many ways. Was it something she was reluctant to say? Or was it a secret?

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.”

“Oh? Oh… really?”

“Yeah. It’s not something weird, is it?”

Since I received a valuable gift, it’s only right to reciprocate to some extent. Especially if it’s a smart New Employee who does her job well.

“Should I give you a free pass or something? It’s only for one day, though.”

“Free… pass…”

Se-young, who was muttering the words I’d blurted out without thinking, suddenly covered her face. Even if she covered her face, she couldn’t hide her bright red ears.

…Did I say something wrong?

“Do you… do you have to keep that promise?”

“Huh? Well, yeah…”

I don’t know what it is, but I think I said something wrong.

As a side note, that free pass was not used that evening.

Perhaps due to the Team Leader’s absence, people’s mistakes noticeably increased compared to usual.

Mistakes soon became workload, and a large workload soon brought overtime.

“Ugh…”

I hate overtime…

――

After spending weekdays without the Team Leader who always tormented us, the long-awaited weekend finally arrived.

Even if it’s the weekend, it’s not like I have anything special to do. Still, it’s good that I don’t have to go to work.

“♪~”

When I was young, Dad always hummed from midday on weekends, watching TV with a cold beer.

A sleeveless undershirt and shorts. Back then, I thought, “Can a person really become so slovenly?” but before I knew it, I was doing the same thing.

“Pepsi~ Zero~.”

Of course, I’m so weak to alcohol that I pass out as soon as I drink even a little, so I had a carbonated drink in my hand instead of a can of beer.

Honestly, cola is better than beer, isn’t it?

[Senior]

“?”

While I was enjoying a peaceful weekend, my phone vibrated, notifying me that a message had arrived.

BreadFactoryGoatJunior

Senior

That

Free pass I mentioned before

It hasn’t disappeared, has it..?

“….?”

Free pass… Ah, that’s right. I definitely said that.

SHB

Why?

BreadFactoryGoatJunior

Ah

That

If you have time

Can I use it today?

“Um…”

I didn’t think she’d still remember the words I’d blurted out without thinking, as if it were a real thing. I especially didn’t expect her to bring it up again now.

But well, it’s not a bad thing, is it? It’s not like it’s of no help to me, and if it’s someone who even gave me an expensive gift, it could happen.

SHB

When should we go?

BreadFactoryGoatJunior

!

Then

At 2 o’clock

Let’s meet at 2 o’clock sharp in front of that

Subway station!

“….Which subway station is she talking about?”

Well, I think I know roughly which station she means. There’s no other subway station near the company besides that one.

She wouldn’t be talking about a station closer to her house than the company, a station I don’t know well, would she? I should wash up and go out.

“….Where are we going?”

I didn’t know then.

“Lotte World.”

“..Pardon?”

What kind of hardship I would go through.

――

Amusement park.

A place that some people call a resort and others call a theme park.

The place that students like the most when deciding on a destination for field trips in elementary and middle school, and a place where the dreams and hopes of all children once gathered.

And… a place where there are surprisingly a lot of people who go to see pandas.

Ah, that’s another amusement park.

“Wow…. There are so many people…”

At one time, I thought of amusement parks as places that were only popular in the old days, before smartphones.

But when I looked it up, they’re still doing well. Some are doing well because the pandas are cute, and others are doing well because they have a lot of extreme rides.

And this place I’ve come to now… it’s just doing well because there’s a lot of everything.

There’s an amusement park, a shopping mall, a movie theater, a department store, an aquarium… Anyway, there’s a lot. So there are a lot of people flocking to it.

Plus, it has good accessibility, so it’s actually hard for people not to gather.

“….Ugh..”

In other words, it’s a place that’s hard for me, an outwardly bright but introverted person, to easily set foot in.

“Hee…”

On the other hand, the junior who brought me here is so happy that her lips are practically hooked on her ears.

She was definitely a fluffy chick-like newbie at work who stuttered a lot and had a hard time dealing with superiors, but looking at her like this, she’s like an excited puppy… no, a large dog.

“Let’s go in quickly!”

“Wait a minute, I’m not ready yet…”

No, don’t push me into that den of social butterflies.

I’ll be exorcised. I’m going to be exorcised. I’ll crumble into dust…

!@#$(^!@#(^$!@

I’m quite sensitive to noise.

The reason why I like old arcades but can’t easily go in is because of all the violent and ear-splitting sounds coming from the arcade game machines. Especially that thing, the punching machine.

Sounds from people are no exception. I can endure one person screaming at the top of their lungs, but dozens or hundreds of people chattering all at once… it makes my stomach rumble.

So, while being half-dragged around by Se-young, I was in a half-dazed state, almost like a zombie. Even when Se-young stopped somewhere, when I saw the line full in front of it. And…

“Senior, Senior? Are you okay?”

“…Pardon?”

“Hurry, grab the safety bar. It’s dangerous if you don’t.”

…Even until the moment I sat in the ride seat.

“Um… Se-young?”

“Yes?”

“What… what is this ride?”

…It’s not a very important story, but I’m not the type to enjoy thrills.

Back when I went to an amusement park for a field trip, I was sitting on a nearby bench eating cotton candy while the kids in the same group were enjoying a wooden roller coaster with a 77-degree incline, and I even heard Jin-woo say, “You should get a refund for your ticket” because I didn’t ride any rides the whole time.

That’s how weak I am to thrills and fear. Honestly, there’s no point in having your heart beat fast. It only shortens your lifespan.

“Something fun?”

“No, I mean, what’s the name…”

The good thing is that this ride isn’t that 77-degree wooden roller coaster. In the first place, it’s not in this amusement park, so I can’t ride it anyway.

“Gyro Drop.”

And the unfortunate thing is that it might be a scarier ride than that roller coaster.

――

Since I was young, I often went to amusement parks with Dad.

A paradise with many things to see, many delicious things to eat, and only fun things to do all day long, was truly the best place for me.

Among them, what I liked the most were the amusement park rides. Especially extreme rides like roller coasters.

I was so enthusiastic about roller coasters and other scary rides that Dad would say, “Why do you only ride scary things?” When people screamed in fear, I cheered.

“Heh… It’s fun. How about you, Senior? Is Senior also having fu…”

That’s why I didn’t realize it.

“Se, Senior!?”

“Ddyu-ddya…Ddyu-woo-ddyai…Ddyu-ddya-ddya…Woo-ddyai…”

There are people in the world who hate such rides very much.

“Senior, snap out of it, Senior!!”

“Ugh….Ugh…”

I realized for the first time that a person’s eyes can really roll back.

“Do…don’t like…this kind of thing…”

“I, I’m sorry!! I didn’t know Senior didn’t like these kinds of rides…!!”

For a while, Senior, who was only making unintelligible moans as if the film had been cut, plopped down on the ground as soon as the safety bar went up.

“Don’t…ride this kind of thing…”

And then, barely turning his gaze in the direction I was standing, he said in a trembling voice, sobbing.

“….”

…I inadvertently saw that figure…

…I know I shouldn’t say this in this situation, I know that no human being can do that, but…

“Cough….sniff… ”

…I thought it was cute.