In the end, the department head called Joo Sung in.
The meeting was simple.
He was being forced to take a week off.
Of course, that entire week would be deducted from his paid time off.
Who do you think you are, telling me whether I can use my PTO or not?
He barely swallowed the words that had risen to his throat.
Even if he fought with the department head right then and there, nothing would change.
Joo Sung carefully sent a message.
[If I still don't change my mind after taking a week off, may I resign?]
A reply came a short while later.
[This is a matter that affects your entire life, so think about it seriously.]
Joo Sung let out a hollow laugh.
Yeah. If I have to keep looking at your faces, I feel like I'm really going to lose my mind.
Just in case, he took a screenshot of the conversation and sent it to his personal email as well.
Then, after dealing with his backlog of work, he couldn't leave the office until nearly midnight.
The next morning.
As soon as he opened his eyes, Joo Sung called Ban Jeon.
"Hey, Jeon Banjeon."
"What is it this early in the morning?"
"Time to go play the second half."
"Heh-heh-heh. You crazy bastard. What's going on?"
"The company gave me five days off. I'll take it easy today, and I think I can start helping you again tomorrow."
"Hey! You don't have to go that far because of me."
"Are we just friends?"
Joo Sung answered with a smile.
"Friends are supposed to help each other when things get tough. It's fine, you idiot."
"Yeah, but still..."
Ban Jeon's voice trembled for a moment.
"Thank you. Seriously."
I'm sorry, my friend.
Joo Sung said it only to himself.
He couldn't just announce at work that he was resigning immediately.
But he still wanted to support Ban Jeon as much as he could.
"So where should I go tomorrow?"
"Come to the office by eight tomorrow morning. I'll let the employees know ahead of time."
"Okay. See you tomorrow."
"Thanks so much. I really lucked out with a friend like you..."
Click.
Joo Sung ended the call with a smile.
Then he immediately changed clothes and left the house.
He headed for Hangang.
Hangang during the middle of a weekday felt different from the weekend.
There weren't many people, and even the river breeze was peaceful.
Normally, this was when he would be getting dragged into team meetings or taking abuse from customers on the company's behalf.
But today, he didn't have to do anything at all.
That fact alone put Joo Sung in a good mood.
He spread out a mat in a shady spot, sat down, and opened a book.
But strangely, he felt as if someone had been watching him the entire time.
When he casually lifted his head, he saw a woman in a hat pulled low over her face looking in his direction.
What's going on?
The woman slowly approached him.
Then—
"Joo Sung oppa."
"Whoa!"
Startled, Joo Sung toppled backward.
The woman clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.
"Bwahahaha!"
Joo Sung stared at her with an incredulous expression.
Only then did he recognize her.
"Ms. Gung-hwa?"
"What is that? Why are you being so cold? Why 'Ms. Gung-hwa'?"
It was Mugunghwa.
"Sorry. I guess I have a fear of stars."
"A fear of stars? Where in the world is there such a thing?"
Laughing, Gung-hwa sat down beside him.
"Are you on vacation today?"
"Yeah. The company forced me to take time off."
"Oh."
Gung-hwa gazed out at Hangang.
"I've lived around here since I was little, so I used to come here a lot."
Then she hesitated for a moment.
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"Want to have a beer?"
Joo Sung looked at Gung-hwa's face.
It was obvious that something was bothering her.
"Sure."
When Joo Sung returned from the convenience store, he set the beer and snacks down on the mat.
"I could've gone."
"What if someone took a picture of you and it ended up in a news article?"
Gung-hwa gave a small laugh.
"But nobody's going to recognize me, right?"
"I guess not. But was your skin always that dark?"
"Bwahaha! Oppa, you really don't know anything."
Gung-hwa touched her face.
"It's special makeup. I changed my skin tone and I'm wearing a wig, too."
Joo Sung looked at Gung-hwa with fresh eyes.
The tacky perm wig.
The dusky skin.
The plain clothes.
Even so, her beauty couldn't be hidden.
"You're still pretty, though."
"Of course I am."
Gung-hwa lifted her chin as if it were obvious.
"That isn't my fault."
"Sometimes, you really are so annoying."
"That's what you were thinking just now, wasn't it?"
"Did you learn to read minds, too?"
The two of them laughed and clinked their beer cans together.
A little while later, Gung-hwa's expression gradually darkened.
"Aren't you curious, oppa?"
"About what?"
"Why I get along so badly with the other members."
Joo Sung thought for a moment.
"I am curious."
"Then?"
"You're the one having the hardest time right now."
Joo Sung took a sip of beer.
"Tell me if you want to. If you don't, you don't have to."
Gung-hwa quietly looked at Joo Sung.
"I guess it's because you're someone Ban Jeon oppa took an interest in."
"Why are you bringing Ban Jeon into this all of a sudden?"
"At first, I didn't want you joining our team either."
Gung-hwa spoke honestly.
"I didn't want to show anyone else the ugly side of our group."
"I see."
"But Ban Jeon oppa told me something."
Gung-hwa smiled faintly.
"He said not to worry because you're the friend he trusts most."
Joo Sung said nothing.
"So I watched you for a while."
Gung-hwa lowered her head.
"You seem like a good person, oppa."
"I think you're a good person, too."
Gung-hwa gave a small laugh.
"Everyone at the company hates me except Ban Jeon oppa, though."
"That's what Ban Jeon told me."
Joo Sung spoke quietly.
"He said you're a kind, thoughtful younger sister."
"He said that about me?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'll believe you."
Gung-hwa set down her beer can.
"I'll promise you something, too."
"What is it?"
"Since you're going to help us, I'll try trusting you, too."
At that moment, Gung-hwa leaned slightly toward him.
Joo Sung hurriedly grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Whoa, are you okay?"
"I'm dizzy."
At that instant, his heart began pounding like crazy.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Why is my heart doing this?
That was when it happened.
"Mom!"
A young child's booming voice rang out.
"That uncle and aunt over there are kissing!"
"What?"
Joo Sung and Gung-hwa froze at the same time.
The child's mother hurriedly dragged him away.
"You little brat! Where did you learn to tease grown-ups like that?"
"Hee-hee-hee! They said they were kissing!"
"Come on!"
"Waaah!"
Laughter erupted all around them in an instant.
Joo Sung eventually couldn't hold back his laughter either.
"That kid saved me."
"Saved you from what?"
"Nothing."
Gung-hwa laughed, too.
The two of them continued talking for a long while.
When it was time to part, Gung-hwa spoke quietly.
"Oppa."
"Yeah."
"Thank you for today."
"For what?"
"For just staying beside me without asking anything."
Joo Sung smiled.
"It was nothing. Don't worry about it."
Gung-hwa looked at Joo Sung for a moment, then lowered her head.
"I think it's a good thing you joined our team, oppa."
Leaving those words behind, Gung-hwa walked away first.
Joo Sung watched her retreating figure, then gave a small smile.
She's better than I expected.
That evening.
Joo Sung got drinks with his coworkers who had started at the company with him.
When they heard that he had decided to resign, they were actually happier than if it had been their own decision.
"Hyung! Don't ask them to transfer you to another team. Just leave."
"I'm scared you'll turn into those people if you rot here any longer."
"You'll do great wherever you go."
Normally, he would have laughed those comments off.
But today was different.
One of his coworkers had even come up from the provinces just for him.
Joo Sung raised his glass.
"Yeah. Let's stop talking about work and just drink tonight."
"Sounds good!"
The glasses clinked.
Clink.
That night.
Joo Sung laughed to his heart's content for the first time in a long while.
And the next morning.
"Ugh..."
His head hurt like it was splitting open.
It was the price he paid for drinking until dawn.
After showering, brushing his teeth several times, and even chewing mint candy, Joo Sung barely made it to the Friends office.
Ban Jeon laughed the moment he saw Joo Sung's face.
"You bastard. You really put away the drinks last night."
"Can you tell?"
"Maybe not everyone else, but I can."
"Is this what love feels like?"
"Get lost."
Joo Sung laughed.
Just then, Ban Jeon's phone rang.
"Hyung!"
The voice on the other end was frantic.
"We've got a huge problem!"
Ban Jeon's expression hardened.
"What is it?"
"The kids got into another fight."
"What?"
"They were grabbing each other by the hair and causing a total scene. We barely managed to pull them apart."
After taking a moment to catch his breath, the caller continued.
"I don't think they'll be able to make it through the rest of today's schedule."
Click.
The call ended.
Ban Jeon didn't say a word for a while.
Then he looked at Joo Sung.
"Joo Sung."
"Yeah."
"I'm seriously going crazy."
Only then did Joo Sung realize it.
Friends' situation was far more serious than he had imagined.
And from now on, he was going to have to step right into the middle of it.