episode_0091

“So, Da Bin, what do you think…?”

“Why are you calling me ‘군’? Just call me Da Bin.”

“Is that okay?”

Kim Tae Hyun turned to Da Bin and asked, and Da Bin nodded quietly.

“Haha, then you can call me ‘형’ too. Oh… with a 12-year age gap, am I closer to being an uncle? Anyway, just call me comfortably.”

“Um… then just ‘형’.”

Although he seemed to be quite reserved earlier, Da Bin’s unexpectedly good social skills, as he responded to Kim Tae Hyun’s friendly approach, were both amusing and adorable.

Even if he tries to act mature, there are still aspects where he is immature.

“Alright. What’s your hobby, Da Bin?”

“Me? I like watching movies…”

“Really? I watch a lot of movies too. What’s the most interesting movie you’ve watched recently?”

“It’s called ‘Ten Months of Future’… you might not know it…”

“Oh, that one is interesting. Haha.”

Looking at Da Bin’s expression through the rearview mirror, he seemed slightly surprised. It was as if he was thinking, ‘You know this movie?’

“Is it a famous movie?”

I asked Kim Tae Hyun.

“It’s an independent film from last year, but it recently came out on OTT platforms, so I watched it and found it enjoyable.”

“Has it already been released? It’s not on Netflix.”

“Oh, I watched it on Watcha! Where did you watch it?”

“I watched it on DayView.”

Indeed, there is nothing better for bonding than sharing common interests. Seeing Da Bin gradually let his guard down and engage in such lively discussions was heartwarming.

Thanks to that, my initial worries about Da Bin being guarded were now irrelevant.

“Oh, really? Isn’t the content too difficult for your age?”

“It was a bit challenging at first, but as I watched more…”

As they got engrossed in discussing movies, the car soon arrived at Da Bin’s school.

“Alright, we’ve arrived.”

“Da Bin, you must like your school~ It hasn’t been long since it was established, right?”

“Yes. Our grade is the 5th graduating class.”

“I see. I envy you. I wish I had gone to a school like this.”

“Hehe, I can’t wait to graduate.”

“Alright, let’s finish our conversation tomorrow morning or talk separately later. You should go to school now.”

“Yes.”

Seeing Da Bin expressing his disappointment so clearly, it was both touching and adorable, but as a parent, it was necessary to show a firm attitude at times like this.

“Let’s have a chat with me later. I’ve been wanting a friend to share these kinds of conversations with, so I’m really glad. Oh, I’ll give you my phone number. Can you give me your phone?”

As Da Bin handed over his phone, Kim Tae Hyun quickly entered his number and handed it back.

“Have a good day at school.”

“You too, 형.”

As Da Bin was about to get off the car,

“Hey, aren’t you going to say goodbye to your mom?”

Hastily, Da Bin also bowed to me.

“Oh! Have a good day, Mom. Hehe.”

“I almost felt sad. Anyway, have a good day at school. I’ll be off now.”

“Yes.”

After seeing Da Bin off, I turned back and met eyes with Kim Tae Hyun.

“Hehe, Mom?”

Oh no! While I did think it might look strange to outsiders that I, a man, was being called ‘Mom,’ now that the situation had actually occurred, I felt a bit awkward.

“Uh, well…”

“Haha, it looks good on you. Actually, it might be more awkward for you to refer to yourself as Dad in your current appearance, considering the external perspective, right?”

“Well, thanks for understanding… Anyway, Tae Hyun, I decided to just go with ‘Mom’ from now on for consistency. It might not be uncomfortable for you, since you didn’t see me as a man for long…”

“Looking a bit awkward in the eyes of Manager Kwon or other managers who are close to him, right?”

Just the thought of being seen by Manager Song or Manager Seo sends shivers down my spine. They’re not the type to take things lightly.

“So, if you want to continue carpooling in the future… you know?”

“Yes!”

Kim Taehyun replied energetically, pretending to zip his mouth shut.

“Tsk, spilling everything to a newbie like a leaky faucet.”

“Hehe.”

After taking a deep breath, Manager Kwon shrugged his shoulders and started the car again, heading towards the office.

Upon arriving at the office with Kim Taehyun, Manager Kwon greeted us with a nod.

“Oh, you came together?”

“Oh, Taehyun lives in front of our daughter’s high school. Since I send our daughter to school every morning anyway, I decided to carpool with Taehyun since he doesn’t have a car.”

“Ah, Kim Taehyun hitched a ride. Lucky you, man.”

“Yeah, it’s convenient and nice for me, but I’m worried that the manager might be inconvenienced.”

“It’s fine. I used to carpool with others before moving to this neighborhood, so it’s nothing.”

“Oh, I had a scare once related to Bluetooth, and I’ll never carpool again. Especially with female employees.”

Manager Kwon made a disgusted face and shook his head.

“Oh! That incident? Haha! It was really funny back then.”

As I burst into laughter, Kim Taehyun, who didn’t know the situation, blinked his eyes alternately between me and Manager Kwon.

Seeing this, Manager Kwon took a deep breath and began to tell the story.

“Do you remember the Bluetooth debate that was circulating on the internet?”

“Yes. Isn’t it about whether you should accept it when your girlfriend hands you a side dish of perilla leaves that she made for your friend, or not?”

“Yeah, something similar. What about the Bluetooth debate?”

“Um… I think I’ve heard of it, but I can’t remember it well. Wasn’t it also a couple-related issue?”

“Yeah. It’s about a man carpooling with a female colleague, and the colleague’s phone is connected to the Bluetooth in the car, which the girlfriend finds out. The debate is whether it’s normal for the girlfriend to get mad about it or not… I actually experienced that. Carpooling.”

“Oh… that’s tough.”

Just thinking about it made Kim Taehyun shake his head, hitting his forehead with a ‘thud.’

“It must have been really hard for you.”

“I told you. I never carpool again after that. That incident led to a fight between me and my wife. If a woman’s hair comes out of the car… oh, I can’t handle it.”

Manager Kwon, a newlywed in his forties already experiencing marital boredom, made a pitiful statement, leaving me feeling sorry for him.

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Let’s get back to work now.”

I sat down, put my bag away, and started working.

In the morning, I reviewed reports from two subordinates related to new product development, and in the afternoon, I went down to the lab to taste their research results and provide feedback. The day passed quickly with practical tasks.

Despite everything, moving around seemed to loosen my muscles, and by the time it was time to leave work, the pain was still there, but I was able to move more smoothly.

“Manager, are you feeling better?”

In the car on the way home, Kim Taehyun asked with a concerned look.

“I’m fine. It seems like loosening up the muscles helps with recovery. I had a lot of movement today. Oh, and thanks for helping me out today.”

In the morning, thanks to the conversation about my muscle pain with Davin, Kim Taehyun quickly took over my work. Thanks to him, I didn’t have to suffer too much from muscle pain today, although he looked a bit tired. If it weren’t for Kim Taehyun today, I would have had a hard time with muscle pain.

“It’s nothing. I’m actually grateful that you kindly guide me from A to Z.”

I’m not the type to think that scolding someone will train them, and I’ve seen too many cases where that approach backfires, so I never do that.

“Still, I’m worried that I’m learning too slowly. I feel a bit dull.”

“Everyone is like that at first. But if you’ve survived in a team without a team leader for 3 months, you’re doing well. I feel sorry for you, so I’m teaching you more carefully, but Director Kwon taught you the basics well, so don’t worry.”

“You two worked together for a long time, didn’t you?”

“Right? I had other subordinates under me besides Director Kwon, but he’s the only one I’ve worked with for so long. You could say he’s my counterpart.”

“But your styles are so different. Director Kwon is more intuitive and organized, while you, Manager Jung, are more direct. Director Kwon has his strengths, but I feel like Manager Jung’s style suits me better.”

“Oh? Can I tell Director Kwon about this?”

“Oh, Manager. Please…”

“Haha, just kidding. Well, everyone has their own style based on their personality. Instead of being too rigid, try to listen and learn from everyone. There’s something to learn from everyone. It may sound cliché, but after working in the company for a long time, I’ve realized that.”

It may be a difficult concept for a fresh rookie to understand, but I hope they will remember it and recall it someday.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

I don’t know if they understood, but just seeing their bright expression made me want to teach them something more. Suddenly, I thought that maybe I would fit better with Kim Taehyun in terms of style than with Director Kwon.