Chapter 187
“Ouch, it’s over.”
“That ended earlier than I expected.”
Not long after the exam finished, the end of the month arrived.
The arrival of the end of the month means, conversely, that we have more work to do.
Thump!
As I hit enter, the report is finalized.
“Ugh…”
The month-end payroll work is finally done.
Not exactly done, though.
Stretching, I glance out the window.
The sun is slowly setting.
And then,
“Ha…”
“So tired…”
“Ugh…”
Song Ah Rin, Jang Chae Yeon, and Yu Da On were slumped in their chairs like overcooked vegetables.
“My head hurts.”
“It’s nice that the paperwork got faster, but… it feels tougher…”
“That’s because you didn’t do it properly until now.”
Even a gentle person like me has to address this.
“You both need to help out better from now on. Got it?”
“Uh-huh…”
“Yes…”
I look at the two of them responding with exhausted voices when I hear a voice from behind.
“This month’s payroll was especially hard.”
“With promotions and personnel transfers, after all.”
I respond while checking on the mumbling Song Ah Rin.
Still, it seems a bit better than just a few days ago.
After the training ended, there were quite a few personnel changes.
I heard there were cases of being transferred from the accounting team to the management team, and vice versa, from the isolation team to the marketing team.
“Anyway, we’ve made it through this quarter.”
I let out a sigh of relief, switch off the monitor, and check the time.
It’s 6:15 PM.
Fifteen minutes isn’t exactly considered overtime.
I put in an inquiry about the exam with the Branch Chief.
The problem is that she’s on a business trip to the Australian branch, along with the isolation team.
Now that she’s off somewhere far away, if something happens, who’s going to handle the situation?
…Surely it won’t be us.
I shake my head and pull out my smartphone from my pocket.
There was a message from the Branch Chief that I had missed — what was it?
Soon, the message from her pops up on the screen.
<Mr. Kim Jae Heon~
<As I mentioned last time, the Chief is quite worried.>
<However, incidents always seem to find heroes~^^>
<The Chief knows that you tend to attract incidents, Mr. Kim Jae Heon.>
<If something happens, just contact the Chief through the business card. <But always take care of your health~!~! <Good fortune comes to those who smile~ At the bottom, there’s an emoji with falling autumn leaves. Thinking about the Branch Chief, who looks like she’s in her twenties sending such texts, feels really strange. She doesn’t seem old when she speaks, but why does she feel older through texts? As I put my smartphone back in my pocket and started packing my bag, “Oh, Jae Heon.” “Yes, Team Leader.” The Team Leader waved at me, calling me over. “Do you know anything about art?” “Art?” Why suddenly art? “I mean, like, the arts.” “Arts…” I don’t know much about art. But I know of a containment object obsessed with art. Suddenly, a memory pops up, making my stomach churn. “Not really, no.” “Oh, really? Well, a certain artist is supposedly holding a temporary exhibition, and it’s surprisingly popular.” “Really?” “Yeah, right. An unknown artist, I think. Anyway.” “…” Something about this doesn’t feel good. “Team Leader.” “Yeah.” “Don’t you feel anything weird thinking about that artist? Like wanting to run away or not wanting to go?” “…Hmm.” The Team Leader shakes his head, eyes closed in concentration. “No, I don’t feel that at all.” “Really?” Perhaps it’s because recently every art-related incident has been horrific, so I find myself worrying first. “Hey, don’t worry too much.” Reading my expression, the Team Leader chuckled and waved his hand. “Musicals are showing left and right even at this moment.” “…” “And how many art museums are there to worry about? If you think everything in the world is tied to containment objects, that’s paranoia.” “That… is true.” The Team Leader is definitely not wrong, but the fact that I, Kim Jae Heon, am the one listening to this makes me uneasy. This might sound miserable, but I tend to get involved with incidents a lot. “Anyway, I don’t feel anything bad like last time, so you don’t need to worry.” “Really?” “Really. And even when you weren’t around, we still did a lot of family-style art activities.” He nodded confidently as he spoke. “I saw some pictures of the artwork — it was really pretty. I think I understand why people call it art now.” “Do you have pictures?” “In this day and age, isn’t it weirder not to have pictures?” That’s true. I search online for pictures based on the Team Leader’s words. Images of a sunflower painting and a beautiful landscape painting. Though I don’t know much about art, I can tell these are well-done paintings. “How about that? They’re nice, right?” “They are… indeed.” I couldn’t help but nod at the Team Leader’s words. They did look nicely painted. “Anyway, I have a day off tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?” “Yeah, why? Now that the month-end work is done, I have no reason to stick around.” “That’s true.” But that’s so sudden? Noticing the meaning in my stare, the Team Leader shrugged. “My kid at home said he missed me too much, so I got tickets that the whole family can enjoy.” “…You’re not going to end up giving me a leftover ticket, are you?” Normally tickets that come to me tend to cause problems. I glance at Song Ah Rin, “…What.” She too seemed to recall the incident with the Red Lady, avoiding my gaze and mumbling something. “There aren’t any. I don’t even have tickets for my family, so where would I get tickets for you guys?” “Thank you.” Right, the Team Leader isn’t giving me tickets anyway. I nod, looking at the Team Leader, who gazes at me with a puzzled expression. “Anyway, have a good trip.” “Yeah, just make sure to hang around the office and fool around.” Thus, a day with no month-end work and the Team Leader gone arrived. * “…” “…” “…” “…Want to grab a coffee?” “Sure…” “Yeah.” “Go on…” The next day’s work after wrapping up a huge project didn’t feel bad at all. There was nothing particularly to do, and everyone seemed to share the vibe that a significant task had just been completed. “A-Rin.” “Yeah.” At my words, Song Ah Rin looked at me. “Shall we go get coffee?” “I can go.” “I’ll go too!” “I’ll go with A-Rin.” At my decisive words, the two of them sat back down. As I turned to leave with Song Ah Rin, “A-Rin!” Yu Da On called out to Song Ah Rin, “Good luck!” She smiled and raised her fist. Seeing this, Song Ah Rin’s expression crumpled, and she stomped out. “Wait a minute, A-Rin!” I followed her out. We walked through the corridor for about a minute, both of us wearing irritated expressions, when Song Ah Rin turned back to look at me. “Da On is just worrying about A-Rin.” “…I don’t think so.” Song Ah Rin muttered with a sigh and looked at me. “You’re too soft on black-haired people.” “I don’t think so…” “No, you are too soft on black-haired people.” “Me?” “More precisely, you’re too harsh on me.” “When did I ever.” “If you say harsh, then it’s harsh.” Song Ah Rin stared at me with narrowed eyes. “Be nice to white-haired people and black-haired people, and be a bit nice to me too.” Have I finally gone nuts? That thought flickered in my mind for a moment when Song Ah Rin looked at me, nudged me, and chuckled. “I’m okay.” “You look better than before.” “…” Her smile in response to my comment reflected relief. “I’m always trying.” “…” “Thinking about it, the black-haired one might be right. Even if I don’t want to admit it.” “What?” “Never mind.” She muttered something, moved behind me, and shoved me. “What are you doing? Hurry up!” “Wait a minute, A-Rin—” “Come on, let’s go!” Turning back, I examined Song Ah Rin’s face. [Name: Song Ah Rin] [Age: 21] [Special Skill: Hypnosis] [Talent: Control] [Background: Please don’t disturb her right now. That is her wish.] [Weakness: Let’s keep an eye on her.] My eyes weren’t especially helpful this time. Still, her expression as she pushed against my back looked better than last week. * The next day. “…” “It’s past ten in the morning, and the Team Leader hasn’t shown up…” Yu Da On muttered, glancing at the Team Leader’s empty seat. Just as she said, the Team Leader didn’t come. I call the Team Leader. The phone rings, but it goes unanswered. “…Wait a minute.” In situations like this, I should try calling the Branch Chief. I dial the Branch Chief’s number. Still no answer. “…” “Should we go looking?” Jang Chae Yeon asked, and I shook my head. “Let’s wait a bit longer.” The Team Leader has no history of being late. It’s still morning, and I’ve only been here for an hour. It wouldn’t hurt to wait a little longer. * The Team Leader didn’t show up until after lunch. I searched on my smartphone for the location of the exhibition. After confirming the address of the National Art Museum, I glanced at others. “…I think I’m going to head to the National Art Museum for a bit.” “Let’s go together.” Without hesitation, Jang Chae Yeon stood next to me. “I’ll go too!” “Me too.” Yu Da On and Song Ah Rin also lined up next to me. “…” Honestly, I couldn’t be more grateful to the three of them who always came along. “Let’s go.” Team Leader, please don’t cause any trouble. * “…Wow.” Jang Chae Yeon gasped. I thought the same. “There’s… just way too many people…?” Yu Da On muttered. I couldn’t help but agree. There were just so many people loitering in front of the entrance. It felt like the entrance of the Red Lady. Countless people were handing over tickets and going inside. “Shall we go in?” “But we don’t have tickets?” As Jang Chae Yeon pointed out. Without tickets, there’s no way to get in. Then, “…Shall we wait a bit?” Even after closing time, people continued to loiter in front of the entrance. The Team Leader didn’t come out. In fact, nobody came out of the art museum. Until sunset, not a single person was seen exiting the museum.