When all the work was finished and KangYoon bade farewell to everyone, the sky was already dark. It was summer, and the sunset was late. It was only until now could everyone leave work on their cars with exhausted bodies.
KangYoon left his office after everyone left. He thought that a team leader should be a role model so he was putting this into practice.
“Huh? Ahjussi?”
KangYoon was going past one of the convenience stores near the company when he heard a voice calling him. When he turned around, it was Jung MinAh, who showed her thin, bare legs while wearing hotpants.
“You Jung MinAh?”
“What the heck is ‘You Jung MinAh’? If it’s Jung MinAh, then it’s Jung MinAh and if it’s MinAh, then it’s MinAh. You Jung MinAh? Ayy.”
MinAh was quite daring even while waving. However, KangYoon knew very well that this was her own style. He went up to her and sat down next to her.[3]
“Training should have ended ages ago?”
“I did private training, pri~ vate~ trai~ ning~. What, you think I was smoking again?”
“I didn’t say anything. You got cold feet?”
“No?”
Jung MinAh’s unique trait of speech – one that complains a lot – was similar to a sharp girl in puberty. KangYoon found this kind of Jung MinAh cute. It was as if he was seeing a little sister that didn’t listen. He was always near HeeYoon, who was quiet and feeble, so when he saw the active and strong Jung MinAh, it was a new experience.
“Ok, I got it. So, did you practice a lot?”
“A lot… Well… So so?”
“Hey, that’s boring. You should do a lot since you’re in your prime.”
“Oh, I did a lot. It’s awkward for me to say that I did a lot with my own mouth, right? Anyway, I need to get back into the singers class… I can’t give up like this as you said, right? A woman must have face.”[4]
At the word face, KangYoon couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pfft, yeah, must have face alright. Work hard. Since you will definitely succeed that way.”
KangYoon tapped her shoulders and stood up, but she grabbed his arm.
“Ahjussi.”
“Why? Anything else you want to say?”
“Can I… really do it?”
She had strength one moment and none the next. KangYoon grabbed both of her shoulders, and spoke strongly to her, who seemed like she had a bipolar disorder.
“Of course. If it doesn’t turn out well here, then go to another place. Since it means that this place doesn’t have eyes for people.”
“……”
“I guarantee it. You will definitely become a great singer. Definitely.”
KangYoon put strength into his hands. He wanted to give her a strong confidence boost. In the ‘future’, KangYoon ‘knew’ she became a great singer, so he could say it confidently. Words with evidence have strength.
“… Ahjussi.”
“Yes?”
“It hurts.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Finally, KangYoon let go of her shoulders. At KangYoon, who was coughing since he was embarrassed by his actions, Jung MinAh spoke:
“Thanks, then and now… for believing in me…”
“I spoke what I felt. It’s an unbiased evaluation.”
“Hahaha. It feels good when you say that, you know? If I become big, then I will make you the #1 fan.”
“Yeah, yeah. Please become big. Okay?”
KangYoon tapped her back and ran to get on the bus that could be seen far away. Jung MinAh stood up to say something, but KangYoon had already ran fairly far.
‘Tch. I wanted to speak a bit more… Anyway… He’s cool, that ahjussi.’
Until that wide back disappeared, Jung MinAh couldn’t take her eyes off the direction that KangYoon disappeared to.
***