Reasonable Loss - 40

The company. The company was a 15-minute walk away.

* * *

By the time Eunsoo arrived at the company, his hair was damp with sweat. Carrying the box had been difficult. He had even had to rest by placing the box on bus stops and flowerbeds, but he was still exhausted.

And from the moment I entered the company, my body began to cool rapidly. As my sweat dried, I started to shiver. Eunsoo clattered his chin and crossed the company lobby.

“Uh, Team Leader Yoo?”

The security guard, whom I was familiar with, greeted Eunsoo with a surprised face. Eunsoo awkwardly smiled and answered,

“What did I leave behind?”

to a question that hadn’t been asked. Then, worried he might start a conversation, he quickly pressed the elevator button repeatedly. The elevator from the higher floors began to descend.

First, I would drop off my stuff on the 14th floor, wash my face quickly, then stay by the portable heater. At dawn, I would take the subway home and then return to work.

Eunsoo planned while watching the approaching elevator. Soon, with a ding, the door opened. Eunsoo entered without checking inside. But a box hit the wall with a thud. It seemed the wall had come closer. Had the elevator shrunk somehow?

Eunsoo tilted his head and raised his gaze. And,

“Uh…”

“…Uh.”

He unexpectedly encountered someone.

“Mr. Manager, no, Executive Director?”

“Eunsoo?”

It was Seongheon. The Executive Director of Seongjin and Dokwon’s cousin. It was quite a special relationship just by that, but Eunsoo had a deeper connection with him for other reasons.

The first time they met was when Eunsoo came for an interview at the company. Unlike the elderly and strict interviewers, Seongheon was a pleasant and smiling man.

His appearance had relieved Eunsoo’s tension, but he left a clear impression in Eunsoo’s mind with very sharp and harsh questions.

Then, after joining the company, they met again by chance. At that time, Seongheon was an Executive Director, and he had meals in the company cafeteria despite his position. It was surprising, and Seongheon first greeted Eunsoo. He remembered the interview well. He congratulated Eunsoo on joining the company.

He was a good person. They met occasionally after that.

There hadn’t been any particular emotions exchanged, though. It would be better to describe him as a mentor or supervisor. Besides, I was an Omega and he was a Beta. Of course, there was no rule that Omega and Beta shouldn’t meet, but anyway, the relationship with Seongheon wasn’t that.

They had meals together, drank coffee, and discussed work, the company, human relationships, and social life, learning many things.

He always gave good answers, and thanks to those answers, Eunsoo became a team leader at a young age.

Seongheon was a good boss and a great friend.

But after becoming involved with Dokwon, they had lost contact. Although they hadn’t met often before, they used to see each other once or twice a month.

Ah, yes. Around the time I just started seeing Dokwon, Seongheon had gone on a long business trip overseas for nearly two years. I vaguely heard that he had returned. To run into him like this.

Without realizing it, Eunsoo took a step back. It was quite embarrassing to meet like this after a long time.

Then, his heel got caught in the elevator gap, and his body swayed. The box he was holding jolted, and the contents were thrown backward. Among them, a lightweight wireless mouse and USB fell to the floor with a clatter.

Seongheon grabbed Eunsoo’s arm to steady him. Then, he personally bent down to pick up the items that had fallen to the floor.

“Did you resign?”