episode_0046

“Hanna Yeon, see you at lunchtime.”

“Yeah… .”

We parted ways in the guild lobby. Hannayeon’s familiar was on the second floor.

I turned around, looking at Hanna Yeon nodding her head. But my body turned halfway again and faced Hanna Yeon. That was because Hanna Yeon grabbed my wrist.

“Work hard.”

There was still some greeting left.

“Okay, it’s your first day at work too, so don’t be nervous. If you have any trouble, come to me for advice!”

As a senior in the guild, he gave her courage and shook Hanna Yeon’s wrist.

“I’ll go.”

“Okay, see you later.”

We said goodbye again and parted ways.

At the same time, Shin Ha-kyun, who was entering the guild after stamping his ID, asked quietly.

“Mr. Iharu, isn’t that person… the friend who came last time?”

“That’s right. Friend. A really close friend.”

He emphasized the word friend and smirked. It wasn’t that he was upset because he was labeled as someone who didn’t have any friends last time, but because he was proud of Hanna Yeon who had risen to a position worthy of being called a chef at such a young age.

“Oh, as expected, only flowers bloom in the flower garden! Your friend is also a total beauty.”

Isn’t it natural for only flowers to bloom in a flower garden?

Although the words sounded a little strange, I guess it was a compliment.

“Ah, I’m sorry I missed your birthday party last time. I didn’t prepare anything special… .”

However, since I didn’t feel it was worth responding to, I just let it go and rummaged through my bag.

A small chocolate bar that he always carries in the front of his bag. He handed the chocolate bar, which was about the size of a knuckle of his index finger, to Shin Ha-kyun.

Well, originally, guild members didn’t exchange gifts with each other.

As you give and receive gifts, the burden inevitably increases as your turn passes. Then, the scale of the gift begins to grow bigger and bigger, and eventually, it becomes unmanageable.

… Am I the only one who knows this?

“An unexpected gift! I, Shin Ha-kyun, was touched! I will eat it gratefully!”

Shin Ha-kyun put the chocolate in his mouth with pure joy.

If you open his head, a blue penguin wearing strange goggles will pop out. He’s just someone who likes to play too much. He must have been persistent in asking me to have dinner with him yesterday because he wanted to have dinner with me.

“Good morning, Mr. Haru.”

“Hello. You came quickly.”

“I don’t have anything else to do.”

As I sat down after settling my feelings for Shin Ha-kyun, Im Seul-gi, who had arrived earlier and was eating salad, pulled her chair towards me.

“But Haru, don’t you plan on having a boyfriend? If you’re someone like Haru, there’s probably a line in front of your house.”

Im Seul-gi drew a long straight line in the air. And as I followed that line, my head quickly shook itself firmly.

“No. No thoughts, no men in line.”

“Really? But shouldn’t you find a good man now?”

Im Seul-gi is a really good colleague, but her interest in love stories is just too much.

I almost said, “You should worry about your own love life before worrying about others…” but I swallowed it and got up from my seat.

“Um… When the time comes, something will work out! I have to go see the branch manager, so I’ll leave for a moment.”

“Ah, I guess it’s because of the judging. I hope you come back smiling.”

When the title of branch manager came up, Im Seul-gi, who was known to be persistent when it came to dating, backed off and stopped pestering him.

“Yes, thank you. I’ll be back!”

Meeting the branch manager face-to-face was nerve-wracking enough, but compared to talking about love with Im Seul-gi, it was a breeze.

What kind of man would be good as a marriage partner? There is a good man among your acquaintances. Should you meet him? In the end, you even grumble about whether there are any good men nearby.

The contradiction of having a good person among your acquaintances, but actually looking for a good person yourself. If you fall for Im Seul-gi, you will have to endure a difficult time amidst such contradictions.

People who haven’t experienced it wouldn’t know. I’m really glad I made an appointment with the branch manager.

* * *

Smart─.

“This is Haru. Can I come in?”

“Yes… Come in.”

Today, there was no shame in shouting outside the door. Perhaps it was because the branch manager’s voice was more relaxed than usual.

“Excuse me… .”

The pile of documents that had been piled up on the desk were also neatly organized. It seemed that he had regained his composure after the grading evaluation was over.

“Welcome. What would you like for tea? Coffee? Green tea?”

The branch manager moved from his desk to the reception table.

“I’ll do this… .”

The colorful tea bags placed next to the coffee pot catch my eye. I chose the hot chocolate in a long bag. Mixed coffee would be a great choice, but there is no need to go back when there is a hot chocolate that is a perfect match.

“Where did you meet Chef Hanna Yeon? To be honest, I was a little surprised. I heard Chef Hanna Yeon lived in France for nearly 10 years.”

As I poured hot chocolate powder into a paper cup, the branch manager poured in the water that was bubbling away in the coffee pot.

“I met her when we were in school… and somehow we’ve kept in touch ever since. She’s a nice girl, despite her looks… .”

“It’s not what it looks like. Right?”

I was mumbling absentmindedly, intoxicated by the steaming hot chocolate, when a voice full of laughter suddenly woke me up.

“Oh, no! It’s as you can see! Even though he looks innocent, he doesn’t say bad things!”

It’s a problem that affects your friend’s work life. Since the familiar is under contract with the guild, the branch manager can also exert influence.

“She’s also kind, good at cooking, and has a warm side… .”

I hastily added excuses and complimented her without knowing what they were. I wanted to somehow lighten my impression of Hannah Yeon.

A child who looks scary, but has a warm heart. A child who even has a kind appearance. To do that, you need to have almost hypnotic speaking skills.

“Huh… Is that so.”

The branch manager sipped the coffee he had poured into his special cup, his expression clearly showing his displeasure.

Ah… this person didn’t have any friends.

For some reason, a small sense of superiority welled up in me. Did the girls I used to hang out with in school always feel this way?

But I shouldn’t do the same thing. As someone who has been in the same situation, let’s stop the deception here. I think I’ve almost shown all of Hanna Yeon’s strengths.

“… … .”

I endure the uncomfortable silence by holding the paper cup to my lips.

Whether you’re meeting an awkward friend or having a business conversation about work, in such cases, a drink like coffee is usually recommended. Why do you think that is?

It’s to safely get through a situation where you have to be silent like right now. When you have nothing to say, you drink a drink and think. If you’re lucky, the other person will speak first, and if it takes some time, you can pretend to be silent in the middle. In the worst case, it’s okay to spill the drink to buy time.

“Then let’s stop talking about Chef Hanna Yeon and move on to talking about Haru Lee.”

Fortunately, I was lucky this time. The branch manager put down his teacup and handed me a photo printed on A4 paper.

“Up… …!”

I barely managed to swallow the hot chocolate that was flowing down my throat. It made my throat sting, but it was a hundred times better than spitting it in the branch manager’s face.

The printed photo showed me with both arms raised. The problem was that the location was in the middle of the judging room, and I was not the hero who came to see the judging.

“The judges must be more fair and objective than anyone else. I thought Mr. Lee Haru would know this well.”

“I’m sorry… .”

Even if I had ten mouths, I had nothing to say. I forgot my duty as an examiner and took the initiative, and because of my actions, the results of the examination changed.

It was a bigger problem than I thought. I was in a position where I had to worry about being kicked out of the guild, let alone getting promoted.

“But if you are a guild employee, you must prioritize human lives above all else.”

But unlike me, who was only getting darker and darker, a bright smile appeared on the branch manager’s lips.

“So, since the deductions and bonus points are intertwined, we decided to start grading from the base score.”

“If you say grading… .”

When I tilted my head in confusion, the branch manager drew a circle in the air with the pen he was holding.

“You’re talking about Mr. Iharu’s promotion evaluation. Let’s see… First of all, you weren’t late, right? You didn’t cause any trouble externally either… .”

A promotion evaluation that came out of nowhere. And it was a real-time evaluation conducted in front of the candidate.

The branch manager, perhaps having set his own standards, began to list the evaluation items one by one, relying solely on memory.

“The peer evaluation was also excellent. They say that the atmosphere is lively when Iharu is there?”

You only said good things about my promotion… .

It’s fortunate that all my colleagues are good people. No, the order is reversed. They were able to join the guild because they were good people. In order to become a guild employee, you have to pass a strict personality test. In any case, the fact that they are all good people remains unchanged.

“There are no particular claims from the heroes… and I am quite satisfied with the rating evaluation results.”

But somehow I didn’t feel excited. I should have been jumping around, but the doubts in the corner of my heart were holding me back.

“If there are no unpleasant incidents during the department assignment period, I hope to hear good news soon. Congratulations in advance.”

The branch manager got up from the sofa and held out his hand.

“, thank you… .”

I somehow managed to get up and hold hands, but my mind was completely elsewhere.

Something feels off. Is it okay to just brush off the talk about promotion like this?

Are you saying that you will be promoted if the branch manager just verbally says, “Please be promoted,” without any preparation or showing any materials?

It’s too urgent, too sudden.

I don’t know the details, but I couldn’t shake off this feeling of uneasiness.

This is definitely….

Someone interfered with my promotion.