episode_0108

– Here is the latest news. It’s a disease that is currently a hot topic. Gender dysphoria, commonly known as TS syndrome…

-Hahaha, come on Sangmin. Do you really think that’s true? / No, our Hodong…

-Anti-tititi~ fragile~ Anti-tititi~

-I’ll run a pawnshop. I’ll even take gold teeth.

“Huam~”

In a small room that looks to be about 8 pyeong in size, a man in his twenties lay on the bed, reaching out the remote control towards the TV on the opposite side, flipping through channels.

“Ugh, there’s nothing to watch.”

The man, Kim Taehyun, felt that today was boring.

No, more precisely, it was the time after work.

The current time was 8 o’clock. He finished work at 6, took about 30 minutes longer to leave the office than usual, had dinner, and lay down on the bed. It was all good until then.

“Something… feels empty.”

What could be the problem?

As usual, he got up, went to work with Jung Doyeon, worked in the food development lab that felt like a laboratory, made and tasted food, wrote reports in the afternoon, and left work alone…

“Ah. Is it because I’m going home alone?”

Even though it’s just 30 minutes. The time it takes from Kim Taehyun’s office to his home in Jung Doyeon’s car is only about this much.

Feeling empty just because that time is gone? This is clearly a strange feeling.

What could it be, really.

He was pondering about it alone when…

-Woong. Woong.

His phone rang loudly.

Who could it be? The only place he expected a call after work…

And then he remembered that Doyeon had said she would call when she finished her dinner.

Kim Taehyun quickly picked up his phone that was lying on the corner of the bed and pressed the call button.

“Hello! Kim Taehyun speaking!”

-What’s up, soldier?

The voice coming through the receiver was not the voice he was expecting.

“Uh, who…?”

-It’s me, you punk. You sound so disappointed, waiting for a call. Ah, this is a bit sad.

A male voice? And with a dialect?

Among his acquaintances who boasted of having a wide range of human relationships, the number of men who used dialect and informal language was narrowed down to about three.

Kim Taehyun quickly took the phone away from his ear and checked the caller’s name on the screen.

“Oh~ It’s Daehoon hyung! Long time no see.”

Kang Daehoon. They didn’t contact each other often, but they exchanged greetings during holidays at least… No, come to think of it, they occasionally met for drinks.

Anyway, they weren’t extremely close, but they weren’t distant either. As their bodies drifted apart, their hearts seemed to drift apart as well.

When Kim Taehyun first started working at a restaurant, he was his boss. He was known for being tough on his subordinates, but after scolding them harshly, he would open up the atmosphere by hosting dinner parties.

All in all, a good hyung, as Kim Taehyun remembered.

“How have you been?”

-I’ve been good, punk. Same as always. You know it too. Nowadays, everything in the restaurant industry is in a recession. Star chefs are filming ads to cover the losses, we have nothing but what we’ve learned, so we just have to endure it.

Unlike Kim Taehyun, who switched to a food company, Daehoon continued to work at the restaurant, saying that what he learned was cutting. However, the only difference from before is that now he has his own restaurant and has become an owner chef. At the age of 30, this was considered quite fast. He’s also skilled.

“Oh~ Are you exaggerating? I’ve been seeing quite a few reviews of your restaurant on Instagram lately. Well.”

“Ah! If you don’t promote like that, you’ll really have to suck on your fingers. But still, I can’t thank the customers enough for their support. Ha, these days, I even think that Chef Kang’s words were absolutely right, without a single mistake.

Chef Kang, the owner chef of the restaurant where Kang Daehoon and Kim Taehyun worked and who is still famous as a star chef and active on TV.

Recalling those days, Kim Taehyun shivered and vigorously shook his head from side to side.

He was tough, even harsher than Kang Daehoon. Not a bad person in human terms, but working under him… no, it wasn’t a style Kim Taehyun wanted.

Really, compared to him, the current manager Kwon Seongyeol is an angel, and Assistant Manager Jeong Doyeon is a god.

“Oh, but what’s going on? At this hour? Isn’t it time to work?”

Kim Taehyun, who had visited his restaurant before, knew very well that it was only 8 o’clock, not the time for him to be working hard.

-Oh, that’s…

A moment of silence. It felt strange how he suddenly stopped talking, considering his urgent personality. It was only about three seconds.

What? Is he asking for a loan or something? Fine, then I’ll just cut him off…

“Hyung, I’m getting married. That’s why I’ve been calling you.”

Ah, that’s a relief. Each connection in life is precious, and it would have been a shame to cut it off like that.

Kim Taehyun quickly organized his thoughts and forced himself to raise his spirits.

“Wow~ Congratulations!”

-Hehe, you’re still the same. You. Did you have bad thoughts while I was silent? Like asking for insurance or a loan guarantee.

He’s still quick-witted, this guy.

Thinking that way, Kim Taehyun sighed deeply.

“Are you joking on purpose?”

-Pfft! That’s right, you punk. Well, there are some awkward things.

“What? What is it?”

-You’re getting married, and you didn’t even ask who your sister-in-law is?

“Oh, right. But how would I know if you tell me? Do I know her?”

Thinking about it now, even if Kim Taehyun and he have mutual acquaintances…

“Huh? Wait a minute. R-really?”

-Yeah… so I feel a bit awkward.

A woman who used to be the restaurant manager flashed through Kim Taehyun’s mind. She used to fight with Kang Daehoon every day, cursing him and saying all sorts of things.

In the end, she cursed him with a farewell when she left the restaurant, vowing never to see him again. Is he really marrying her?

-It seems like you know each other through your sister-in-law. She contacted me to meet up for a meal.

“Wow~ Really. Wow~”

“Don’t be too surprised, kid. I feel awkward too.”

Kim Taehyun couldn’t continue his words due to his overwhelming surprise.

“Anyway, I’m fine with whatever time you choose. I usually leave work at 6 o’clock these days, so any time after that is fine for me.”

It’s a fact that self-employed people are busier, so it makes sense for the less busy person to accommodate.

-Okay. Thanks.

After Kim Taehyun and Kang Daehoon set a meeting time, they finished the main topic and started talking about their recent lives.

After chatting for about 5 minutes, Kang Daehoon suddenly asked.

-By the way, is that rumor true?

“What do you mean?”

-I haven’t listened to it intentionally. I have a friend who deals with your company as a client. Oh, it’s Cheongsu.

“Oh, that guy. It’s been a while since I last saw him. Is he doing well?”

-Yeah, he’s doing well. Anyway, that’s not important. Anyway, Cheongsu said he saw you at some director’s wedding from your company.

“Oh…”

He could sense what Daehoon was trying to bring up.

“Really? You, at Miyeon’s wedding…”

“It’s not like that. It was really just a coincidence.”

“Oh, come on, don’t be ridiculous. You, a newbie, going to the son of another department’s director’s wedding?”

“No, really? Our manager… Oh, he did get promoted to assistant manager recently. Anyway, I just went along to score some points because our department head was going. I didn’t even know it was Miyeon’s wedding, and if I did, I wouldn’t have gone.”

“Hmm… really? What a coincidence. Such a cruel fate…”

“Hyung.”

Kim Taehyun called out to Kang Daehoon in a low voice.

“Oh, sorry. Anyway, it’s really a strange coincidence.”

“Well… that’s true.”

And silence.

Just as Kim Taehyun was about to break the awkward atmosphere, Kang Daehoon’s voice reached his ears first.

“Oh, by the way, who is that woman?”

“What?”

“No, my friend said there was a really beautiful woman with you, is that true? Have you been meeting women lately?”

“What? No, she is…!”

“Hey, my friend said she was as beautiful as a celebrity and a total troublemaker. Are you filming a revenge drama or something?”

“Oh, really. Hyung! Listen to me! She is the assistant manager I mentioned! Our department’s assistant manager.”

“Oh, she wants to score points with him? You two aren’t even close yet?”

“We’re not even close yet?”

“Then why do you want to score points with him?”

“It’s just a purely company-minded mindset of wanting to impress the boss as a subordinate…”

“Oh, come on. Whatever, forget it. You’ll figure it out on your own.”

Fortunately, Kang Daehoon stopped teasing him, but Kim Taehyun still felt uneasy for some reason.

“But how old is that person? A manager? Assistant manager, right? So, they must be quite old, right? My friend said she looked about the same age as you?”

“Oh, that’s…”

Kim Taehyun couldn’t bring himself to say that he was 39 years old and had regressed due to TS syndrome. Even though it was a well-known fact among the company people.

Talking about someone’s illness could be seen as revealing their flaw.

“Just leave it be for now.”

“How long is ‘for now’?”

“As far as I know, 39 years old…”

“What?! You’re turning forty tomorrow! Taehyun, get a hold of yourself. No matter how pretty she is, if she’s almost forty, you’re practically the same age!”

“Oh, it’s not like that! And what does age have to do with anything?”

In that moment, Kim Taehyun’s excuse that came out unintentionally might have been his true feelings.

Yes, Kim Taehyun finally realized his ‘heart’.

Why he felt so empty tonight.

Kang Daehoon also seemed to sense the atmosphere for a moment and quietly…

“Wow, this guy is serious! Hey! Let’s talk in detail next time we meet! Got it! ‘For sure’!”

“Really, it’s true!”

Beep beep beep.

“Ah, I hung up!”

In a fit of anger, Kim Taehyun threw his phone onto the bed. Then he got up and paced around the room for a moment.

“Argh!”

His face flushed, he sat back down on the bed, covering his burning face with both hands.

“This is crazy, crazy! Kim Taehoon, what on earth are you thinking…”

But he couldn’t do anything about the emotions he had already realized. Just the thought of Do Yeon’s face floating in his mind.

Thump thump.

“Ah!”

Unable to control the boiling emotions, he could only cover his face with a pillow and let out a scream that was almost a scream.

“Woo, woo! Woo, woo!”

The ringing phone.

Of course. Kang Dae-hoon was not the type to miss out on such an interesting (based on Kang Dae-hoon’s standards) incident.

Kim Tae-hyun quickly picked up the phone, pressed the call button, and answered.

“Hello?”

Instead of the laughter he expected to hear from Kang Dae-hoon, he heard a slightly hurried, but not quite masculine, breathing sound.

Curious about what was going on, he quickly checked the screen and saw Jung Do-yeon.

What’s going on? Is the dinner over? Is that why she called?

As he waited for Jung Do-yeon to speak, she finally did.

-Is this the manager? This is the △△ Building in OO-dong~ The building with StarX on the first floor. The black SantaX with the license plate number OXXO in the underground parking lot, you know~? Please come quickly~

Huh? What is this about?

Kim Tae-hyun calmed his startled heart and finally spoke.

“Should I come right now?”

-Yes. As quickly as possible, hurry up! Please come quickly~

-Beep beep beep.

And the call ended.

“Just a moment.”

Just a moment, just a moment, just a moment, just a moment!

Is she drunk right now? The legendary alcohol ghost?

Kim Tae-hyun’s ears were ringing. Jung Do-yeon was known as the legendary alcohol ghost in the company, according to his mentor, Kwon Sung-yeol.

No, that’s beside the point.

“No, Director. Where are you right now?!”

If she’s lying on the street, it would be a disaster. With her beauty, anyone could take advantage of her and who knows what trouble she could get into.

Various scenarios raced through his mind.

Without further delay, Kim Tae-hyun quickly put on his coat and rushed out of the house.