3. A Company Like Family

"Coffee's here."

Choi Ye-ri.

She, at 27 years old, is a newly hired employee who has just completed her second year with the company.

Rumor has it that she graduated from college and spent about two years preparing for civil service exams, but it seems things didn't work out as planned.

She joined our company after giving up on studying, starting as a contract employee and now on the brink of becoming a regular employee.

With her innate personality and determination as a newcomer to the workforce, Choi Ye-ri is eager to put in effort no matter the task.

However, due to her lack of experience in social life, she occasionally makes mistakes, so we try to cover for her as best as we can.

"Team Leader Kim, you prefer grapefruit black tea, right?"

"Oh, Ye-ri, I was wondering where you went. You went to the café? Well, thank you. I'll enjoy it. How did you remember that I like this?"

Choi Ye-ri has placed customized drinks on each employee's desk.

"Assistant Manager Han, do you prefer iced Americano?"

She smiled at me and handed me a coffee as our eyes met.

"Ye-ri, why did you go around bringing everyone's coffee? It's okay not to do this in the future. Anyway, thanks, I'll enjoy it."

"Oh, no. It's fine, really."

For some reason, her smile seems forced.

And the reason behind that forced smile was easy to figure out without even asking.

"Oh my, Ye-ri. I just mentioned it, but you actually brought the coffee. Wow! I'm going to enjoy coffee made by a young lady. But you added an extra shot to this, right? I like it strong."

"Yes, I added an extra shot, as you mentioned."

Huh! It was Assistant Manager Lim who received the drink from Choi Ye-ri.

Was this guy a personal errand boy?

Did he pay for the order?

Who knows.

He could choose the menu as he pleased, but he's the kind of person who insists on dutch paying even from the young employees with fresh blue faces.

Listening to his talkative complaints, he probably suggested to Choi Ye-ri to go and buy coffee for him in passing.

As a new employee, Choi Ye-ri couldn't pretend not to hear that.

Instead of just getting Lim's drink, she probably ended up getting drinks for all the team members, even though it was embarrassing.

"Manager, there's a new coffee machine in the break room. I tried it, and it's not bad."

What a vulgar guy.

Compared to him, I must be a saint. I managed to hold back the harsh words that came to my throat and just said a few words, twisting and turning them.

"Hey, Assistant Han. Is it the same whether someone hands it to you or if you take it out of a capsule?"

"Maybe I don't understand the taste of coffee, but I don't really notice much of a difference."

"Are your taste buds the same as mine? By the way, it seems like there's a thorn in your words. You're being nice to me because I praised your work, right? That's why you shouldn't be too kind to the young ones."

"..."

Wow, so shameless.

If I were the boss, I'd kick people like him out right away.

I was tempted to say more, but I just closed my mouth.

I didn't want to create a tense atmosphere in the office for no reason.

As Choi Ye-ri returned to her seat, she slightly lowered her head toward me.

Perhaps a gesture of gratitude for her kindness.

**

Einstein once said that time and space are not absolute.

That statement is certainly true.

Of course, I have no real understanding of the profundity of the theory of relativity that this great physicist formulated.

Nevertheless, at this moment, I can distinctly feel that time is not flowing at a uniform pace.

It's 3 PM.

Perhaps all office workers can empathize.

Around this time, strangely, time starts to slow down.

Kim Young-ha and I joke that the period between 3 PM and 5 PM in the office is like a room for time and spirit.

Even the air feels sluggish.

The sound of keyboards clacking and spreading through the office is like a lullaby from a mother.

Assistant Manager Lim seems to naturally excrete caffeine from his body.

Even after drinking coffee with an extra shot, he's now nodding off with his arms crossed.

Ring, ring.

A phone call disrupted the lethargic atmosphere in the office.

"Hello. This is Joongshik Oh from Chungshin Motors. Oh, Director Park. I hope you've been well."

When Oh Manager first answered the call, he was smiling brightly. But as the conversation dragged on, his expression gradually darkened.

"Oh, I see. We're doing our best to deliver 100% quality... Oh, that can't be true. Yes, yes, Director Park. Thank you as always."

After hanging up the phone, Manager Oh let out a deep sigh, stood up, and approached Assistant Manager Lim.

"Um, Assistant Manager."

"..."

"Assistant Manager, I have something to report."

"Oh! Oh! Oh, Manager Oh. Why? What's the matter?"

"Well..."

Listening to Manager Oh's words, Assistant Manager Lim's expression started to darken in a gradient manner.

"Hey, Manager Oh, why are you like this? Who's responsible for this delivery issue? Is it Team Leader Kim?"

"No, I'm currently selecting the supplier for the headlight sensors..."

Kim Young-ha's gaze turned toward Choi Ye-ri.

"Then who is it? Who messed up this badly?"

Assistant Manager Lim's scolding caused Choi Ye-ri to raise her hand and quickly stand up.

This is frustrating. It's really frustrating.

It's this guy's company that's causing the problem, and he's scolding like it's all our fault.

At this point, the receptionist has resigned from the company because of Assistant Manager Lim's demands.

One of the vacant seats in our team was vacated due to a conflict with Assistant Manager Lim.

Hong, who was my senior by several years.

He was divorced, and at a company dinner, he couldn't bear Assistant Manager Lim's scornful words about his marital status and ended up grabbing him by the collar.

The day after, Hong Manager submitted his resignation and bravely declared that he would report our company and Assistant Manager Lim to the labor board. But somehow, the incident was contained within the staff for a few days and eventually died down.

The company and Assistant Manager Lim remained unchanged.

There were even rumors that Hong Manager, who had been sued for assault, had faced difficulties.

"It's not that work is difficult; it's that people are difficult."

This phrase, regardless of its origin, might encapsulate the essence of earning a living.

But no matter how true that is, Assistant Manager Lim is truly something else.

He looked like he was about to explode.

"Why, Ye-ri? Haven't you learned anything from your seniors?"

Like a teacher discovering a student's misbehavior, Assistant Manager Lim's face reddened as he scolded.

For Ye-ri, it must have felt like receiving an excessively severe punishment compared to the mistake she made.

While I pity her, I didn't

add any more words.

It's not that she's being blamed too harshly considering what she did.

Assistant Manager Lim's responsibility should be filtering out the defects before they're sent out. To complain about defects after shipment, whether it's one or a thousand, isn't business built on trust? Trust is supposed to begin with small things and gradually grow, right?

Assistant Manager Lim, who had already said that to me, looked at Kim Young-ha's face and then shook an imaginary phone with one hand and raised a cup with the other.

Ye-ri and I left to pick up the goods from the factory and headed for Gwangmyeong.

Sitting in the passenger seat, she stared out the window, silent.

"Ye-ri, it's quite a distance. If you're tired, you can close your eyes."

"... No, it's okay. Assistant Manager, I apologize for the trouble."

Even though she used to be so spirited, her voice was trembling.

I didn't bother saying anything more to console her.

She's already received more criticism than her mistake warranted.

It's a pity, but in this kind of situation, saying a few words of comfort might just remind Ye-ri of what happened earlier.

I got immersed in driving and forgot that Ye-ri was in the car, lost in thought again.

Yes. The person who leaves this damn company even one day earlier is the winner.

Actually, I too secretly check the recruitment schedules of companies, although I keep it a secret from my colleagues.

Switching careers as an experienced hire is not easy, and I'm not even sure if the experience at Joongshik Motors will be acknowledged anywhere else.

But if there's a place with slightly better conditions, I'll leave without a second thought.

"Ye-ri, let's get everything ready when we arrive at the factory. We'll exchange the defects there and head to Chungshin Motors."

"Um... Assistant Manager, I have something to tell you."