Desire to gossip

After Su-Jin got in the back, she was followed inside by Yeon-Ah and Jung Seok. They were a bit jam-packed, but the ride was going to be short anyway, so they couldn't complain much. Seo-Jun took the front seat next to the driver and they left.

The place Seo-Jun had found served pigskin and bacon, and it also allowed the clients to cook the food themselves. In that respect it was quite similar to any other barbeque place, just a tad bit more fancy than the usual neighborhood ones.

When they finally arrived, some of the Planning Department members had already occupied a long table.

It was the first time Su-Jin saw everybody together in one place, apart from the office. Every day she always saw them scattered in the office. They were usually either sitting at their desks working, or standing in small groups discussing different work matters. Even in the kitchen one could never catch more than two or three of them at a time.

Thus, ever since she got the job at Kangji Tourism, Su-Jin had barely exchanged two words with members from Team 2. Now that she had the opportunity she was determined not to let it slip.

There was a nice feeling in being able to sit together with everyone like that. Saying hi to colleagues, chatting merrily outside the office, all these made the feeling of belonging all the stronger. As her eyes wandered around the large group of people, she secretly hoped this wouldn't be the only outing like this she would take part in.

Despite bringing the two teams together, however, the members ultimately had to split into groups. But they were still sharing the same table. This sitting arrangement they had come up with allowed everyone to both stay with the people they usually worked with, while also being able to chat with the colleagues from the other team.

Director Kang took one half of the table, while Director Kwon of Team 2 took the opposite end. The subordinates simply crowded around their two bosses like they were satellites chasing a star. In this way, everything was quite neat and simple, and also fair to everyone.

Director Kwon was a middle-aged man. But despite not being too old, he already had grey specks of hair scattered here and there. The thin, whitish strands looked like silver threads woven inside his mane of black hair. Director Kwon's face was lined, but radiated confidence and enthusiasm, much to Su-Jin's surprise. Unlike what she had expected from a Director of his age, he looked as though he was really enjoying himself.

Su-Jin remembered seeing this man once in the hallway. At that time he looked animated talking to one of his team members. His expression was that of pure excitement. Even his eyes were bent into crescents. Seeing him so absorbed in the conversation had made her smile.

For some strange reason, Su-Jin had always imagined middle-aged men, who were working in large companies, always looked sour and grumpy. Now that she had such an unexpected example of the opposite in front of her, she was really happy. Apparently not everyone was like that. On the contrary, in her recent experience, it appeared that young and accomplished men looked rather sour faced.

This latter thought made Su-Jin glance sideways to her right. Sure enough, she saw Kang Ji-Won looking as serious and grim as ever. She scoffed and turned her eyes away from him.

As soon as her line of sight shifted, Su-Jin noticed the Deputy Director sitting right across from her.

At that moment Su-Jin couldn't really understand what gods or spirits were at work, but she suddenly felt very curious about something. Her heart was itching to ask a question. So, without being able to contain herself, she leaned forward slightly, posing the question in a whisper so Ji-Won wouldn't be able to hear.

"Deputy Director Kim, has he always been like this?" Su-Jin nudged her head towards Ji-Won.

"Oh, him? He used to be even worse." Seo-Jun scoffed.

Sensing that there was a sign of gossip, Seo-Jun's youthful heart thumped. He immediately leaned towards Su-Jin, lowering his voice. His tone also took on a slightly conspiring note.

"The first time I met him was more than ten years ago. Back then, he had such a cold aura around him that no one would dare come close to him. He always glowered at people as though they'd done some personal harm to him. In short, he looked like a serial killer on a spree, causing everyone to go to great lengths in order to avoid him."

Seo-Jun paused with a sigh. His head shook slightly, his tone turning more regretful.

"It always pained me to see him like that. I tried everything in order to make him more approachable, but as you can see, things haven't changed much during these many years. If anything, he's only gotten better at hiding his violent tendencies."

Su-Jin had been listening intently. Upon hearing Seo-Jun's last words, her eyes widened slightly. She glanced at Ji-Won from the corner of her eyes, unknowingly showing a rather complicated expression. It was a mixture between disbelief and astonishment.

'Could there really be someone like this, that not even his best friend is able to help him?' She wondered in silence.

Upon seeing Su-Jin's expression, Seo-Jun let out a chuckle.

The sound was cheerful and slightly intoxicating. It made Su-Jin suddenly forget about what she was thinking. Instead, she focused on the rest of Seo-Jun's words.

"Woow." she exclaimed in wonder. "So, you mean to say that you and Director Kang have been best friends for ten years?"

"Yes." Seo-Jun nodded. Then, as if he was able to see Su-Jin's mind through her eyes, he added with a smile. "I know what you must be thinking. I bet you're wondering how I managed to stick around a grumpy-looking guy like him for so long."

"Quite so." Su-Jin admitted earnestly.

She nodded her head, glancing nervously in Ji-Won's direction, only to see the man frown for who knew what reason.

"Aah!" Su-Jin gasped all of a sudden.