On Monday morning, three days after Jaekyung signed the contract, multiple news outlets reported the news of the deal. As soon as the news went live, every phone line at ProEdge was ringing off the hook. Journalists called to confirm the story, while other parties rushed in with new offers. It wasn’t just the phones—fax machines and the company email inbox were flooded too.
While nearly every employee was tied up on the phone, Jiheon was quietly clearing his desk.
“Mr. Jung, you’re really leaving?”
Nam Seungmyung had already asked the same question several times. Then he swiped a pack of staples from Jiheon’s drawer, cradled it like a hostage, and demanded that Jiheon stay.
“Look, I don’t want to go, either,” Jiheon said, meaning every word.
In fact, it was the first time he’d spoken from the heart—completely honest—joining the agency.
“Don’t lie. This is basically a promotion. How can you not want it? And you’ll be working with Jaekyung every single day. Why would you hate that?”
Jiheon couldn’t bring himself to say that this was precisely the reason he hated it.
“You can keep those staples, Mr. Nam—consider it a goodbye gift.”
Seungmyung quickly shoved the staples back in the drawer.
“Don’t need them. Keep your staples. I just want you to stay!”
Seungmyung insisted. It made leaving even harder. He’d been Jiheon’s first real friend at the company. Although Seungmyung had joined the company about six months earlier than Jiheon, they were the same age and had graduated from college in the same year. They had always addressed each other formally. It was usually Seungmyung who did the talking, and Jiheon who listened. But there was something cathartic about hearing Seungmyung swear. Jiheon had come to appreciate those chats. He was also the only other person in the company who smoked the same brand of cigarettes—a small thing, but oddly comforting.
“We should still hang out. I mean, we’re still on the same floor,” Jiheon said.
The Promotion Team and the Management Team were both part of the Strategy Support Office. When Jiheon mentioned that they would probably bump into each other in the smoking room or the lounge, Seungmyung just grumbled.
“You’ll be out of the office most of the time with the Management Team. I doubt you’ll even come in.”
“Probably not,” Jiheon admitted.
That’s why I don’t like this. He wanted to come in every day, if he could. In fact, he would have begged if it had made a difference. He hadn’t been this eager to come into the office since he first joined the agency.
But to anyone who didn’t know the full story, it would look like he was flaunting his success. So he kept quiet and focused on packing.
“I’ll be going now. Thank you for everything,” Jiheon said, bowing to the people of the Marketing Department once his desk was cleared. Then he left the office.
He carried a box of his things to the Planning Department’s office, still feeling like the change hadn’t quite sunk in. Just last Monday, Seungmyung had said, “Looks like our agency’s bidding for Jaekyung, too. Apparently, Mr. Ko is setting up a meeting.” Jiheon had scoffed at the idea. Exactly a week later, he was being transferred to the Management Team because he’d been assigned to Jaekyung.
“Oh! Mr. Jung. Bit of a hassle, moving desks, huh?”
Lee Yujeong, the team lead, greeted him as soon as he stepped into the Management Team’s office. She’d always been a bit distant, perhaps because they had been on different teams, but now that they were on the same one, she sounded noticeably warmer.
“Let’s see now if I can find you a seat,” Yujeong said, looking around.
Since most of the Management Team worked off-site, the office had more desks than it had room for. Even those who rarely came in still needed a desk, so they’d crammed one into every corner.
“How about this one? The desks in front and behind are both empty, so you can use them to spread out your things on them for now.”
She pointed out one of the better-located desks tucked away in a corner and offered it to Jiheon.
“Sure. I’d love that. Let me unpack right away.”
“Take your time. You’ll be busy for a while. I mean, you’ve even got a meeting with the president of the athlete supporters association this afternoon.”
“Yes. I’ve also got to meet with the folks from Korea Aquatics.”
“It’ll be late by the time you’re done. Just head home after Korea Aquatics—no need to come back here.”
“I’ve got too much to do for that,” Jiheon said with a laugh that was half a sigh. Yujeong smiled and told him not to worry.
“The entire Management Team got your back until Gwon gets his own dedicated team. So don’t try to handle everything on your own. It’s just not possible.”
“Thank you,” Jiheon said with a bow. His relief was so obvious, it made her laugh out loud.
“This must be your first time working in management. And of course, it just had to be someone as difficult as him. You are in for a tough time.”
Difficult as in famous? Or difficult to handle?
Probably both. Jiheon gave a wry smile and nodded. His phone rang. It was the mother of the difficult athlete.