Episode 8. First Time Outside the Job Site
The next morning, at 7:58 a.m.
As usual, Hyunwoo Kang put on his work clothes and grabbed his hard hat.
But today was a little different from usual.
He kept checking his phone from the moment he clocked in.
It wasn't because he'd gotten a new message.
There weren't even any notifications.
Still, he turned the screen on, then off again.
A few minutes later, he turned it on again.
"Hyung."
Jaehoon Kim spoke from beside him.
"What."
"You're looking at your phone a lot today."
"Just because."
"Waiting for someone to contact you?"
"No."
"Jia Seo?"
Hyunwoo turned his head at once.
"Why do you keep saying her name so naturally?"
Jaehoon grinned.
"You saved her number, didn't you?"
Hyunwoo's expression stiffened.
"You know that too?"
"I was the one who gave her your number."
"Oh."
Right.
Jia had asked Jaehoon for his number yesterday.
Hyunwoo stared at Jaehoon.
"But why did you just give her my number?"
"Why?"
"Shouldn't you have asked me first?"
"Didn't you want her to have it?"
Hyunwoo clamped his mouth shut.
The corners of Jaehoon's mouth lifted.
"Didn't you?"
"I didn't say that."
"Then we're good."
"Still, someone's number..."
"I'll ask next time."
Jaehoon lowered his head.
"Sorry."
His words were an apology, but his expression didn't look sorry at all.
Hyunwoo sighed.
"Forget it."
"But, hyung."
"What."
"What are you doing after work today?"
Hyunwoo's movements stopped for a moment.
"Why."
"Just curious."
"Going home."
"Right away?"
"Probably."
Jaehoon stared at him.
"Probably?"
"What."
"You usually just say you're going home."
Hyunwoo pulled his hard hat down firmly.
"You not feel like working today?"
"I do."
"Then let's go."
Hyunwoo started walking first.
Jaehoon chuckled quietly behind him.
Hyunwoo pretended not to hear.
But one sentence kept coming back to him.
The message Jia had sent yesterday.
[Then I'll see you after work tomorrow.]
That meant today.
After work.
The two of them.
Outside the shipyard.
Without realizing it, Hyunwoo checked his phone one more time.
9:43 a.m.
Hyunwoo was checking the piping position.
"Pull it in a little."
Taesik Park spoke.
Hyunwoo put his strength into it.
"Is that good?"
"Hold on."
Taesik checked the flange position.
"That's it."
Hyunwoo let out a breath.
"I'll put the bolts in."
They were in the middle of continuing the work when familiar footsteps came from the passage.
Hyunwoo lifted his head almost reflexively again.
It was Jia Seo.
A white hard hat.
A clipboard.
A radio.
She looked the same as always.
But today, for some reason, she looked a little different.
Until yesterday, she had just been someone he met at the job site.
Today, she was someone he was meeting after work too.
Jia spotted Hyunwoo as well.
Their eyes met.
Normally, one of them would have said at least something.
But as they'd discussed yesterday, they had decided to be a little careful at the job site.
Jia only gave him a brief nod.
Hyunwoo greeted her the same way.
Then they returned to their respective work.
And somehow, that brief greeting felt even stranger.
Hyunwoo snorted softly while reaching for a tool.
Taesik asked, "Why are you grinning?"
"I wasn't."
"You definitely were."
"Just watch the work."
Taesik glanced toward the passage.
Jia had already moved to the other side.
Taesik said, "You two deciding to be careful at the job site?"
Hyunwoo stopped.
"Who?"
"You and Safety."
"It's obvious."
Hyunwoo sighed.
"We haven't done anything."
"That's why it's even more obvious."
"What are you talking about?"
"Usually, you say a few words whenever you meet. Today, you only made eye contact and called it good."
Hyunwoo couldn't say anything.
Taesik laughed.
"You two made a promise, huh?"
"Lead, you're seriously way too perceptive."
"Work at a job site long enough, and you see everything."
Hyunwoo picked up a bolt.
Taesik added quietly, "Still, good job."
"What did I do?"
"Here, just focus on work."
This time, he wasn't joking.
Hyunwoo nodded too.
"Yes, sir."
"Outside, do whatever you want."
Hyunwoo looked at Taesik.
Taesik gave a small grin.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Hyunwoo started working again.
But strangely enough.
The words "Outside, do whatever you want" sounded a little nice.
12:16 p.m.
Jia was eating lunch in the cafeteria.
Across from her, Sohee Han set down her chopsticks.
"Jia."
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you talk at Block 84 today?"
Jia hesitated.
"About what?"
"Mr. Hyunwoo Kang."
"We decided to be a little careful at the job site."
Sohee's eyes widened.
"You two even talked about that?"
"Because of the rumors."
"Oh."
Jia took a sip of water.
Sohee said, "But outside?"
Jia's hand stopped.
"What about it?"
"You said you'd be careful at the job site."
"Yeah."
"Then what about outside the job site?"
Jia avoided her gaze.
Sohee caught on immediately.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"You're meeting Mr. Hyunwoo Kang after work today?"
Jia set down her chopsticks.
"You're seriously scary."
Sohee's expression changed.
"You really are meeting him?"
"For coffee."
"Where?"
"We haven't decided yet."
"Just the two of you?"
"Yeah."
Sohee slowly began to smile.
Jia said at once, "It's not a date."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
"Then what is it?"
"Just coffee."
"What do you usually call it when a man and a woman meet up after work to have coffee?"
"Friends drink coffee together too."
"Are you two friends?"
Jia fell silent.
Friends.
Even that felt a little ambiguous.
They weren't coworkers, since they didn't even work for the same company.
Someone from the job site.
Someone she knew.
Someone she'd grown a little closer to lately.
She wasn't sure what to call him exactly.
Sohee laughed.
"See?"
"See what?"
"It's ambiguous, isn't it?"
Jia started eating again.
"We're just getting closer."
"Oh."
Sohee's eyes sparkled.
"Getting closer."
"Why."
"I like that."
"What's so great about it?"
"Nothing."
Jia sighed.
Sohee said with a slightly serious expression, "Still, it'll be fun."
"What will?"
"Seeing him outside the job site."
Jia thought about it for a moment.
Truthfully, she was curious too.
Hyunwoo Kang without his hard hat.
Hyunwoo Kang out of his work clothes.
Hyunwoo Kang without a tool in his hand.
What kind of person was he outside the shipyard?
Jia smiled without realizing it.
Sohee immediately said, "You smiled."
"I did not."
"You say that a lot these days."
Jia took a sip of water.
At that moment, her phone rang.
A message.
Hyunwoo Kang.
The corners of Jia's mouth lifted slightly the moment she saw the screen.
[What time are you getting off today?]
Jia immediately typed a reply.
[Around five thirty.]
A moment later, his reply came.
[Same, more or less.]
[Where should we meet?]
Jia thought for a moment.
There were several cafés near the shipyard.
But somewhere too close would probably be full of workers.
On the other hand, going too far seemed awkward.
[Do you know the café a little ways from the gate?]
[The one next to the convenience store?]
[Yes, that one.]
[Got it.]
And then, a moment later.
[I’ll get there first.]
Jia stared at the screen.
It was nothing special.
But her heart gave a small flutter.
Sohee said, "Your expression."
Jia immediately turned her phone facedown.
"What."
"Who is it?"
"You don't need to know."
"Hyunwoo Kang."
"I knew it."
Jia sighed.
"You're seriously a mind reader."
Sohee laughed.
5:34 p.m.
Hyunwoo stepped outside the gate.
He was walking a little faster than usual.
He put his hard hat and work gloves in his bag.
He was still wearing his work clothes.
He had considered stopping by home after work.
He wanted to change, at least.
But if he did that, he'd be too late.
So in the end, he went in his work clothes.
Hyunwoo looked down at his sleeve.
There was a little dust on it.
His pants also had a small stain from working with the grinder.
This is kind of bad.
He normally never paid attention to his work clothes, but today they bothered him for some reason.
His phone rang.
[I just got out.]
It was Jia.
Hyunwoo replied.
[I’m almost at the café.]
[Give me five minutes.]
Hyunwoo arrived in front of the café.
His reflection appeared in the window.
Navy work clothes.
Shipyard-logo safety shoes.
His hair was a little flattened from wearing a hard hat for so long.
Hyunwoo ran a hand through his hair.
Then he wondered what he was even doing and gave a small, self-conscious laugh.
"It's not like this is a blind date."
Muttering that to himself, he went inside the café.
He sat in a corner booth.
He looked over the menu.
A moment later.
The café door opened.
Jingle.
Hyunwoo naturally looked up.
And stopped for a moment.
It was Jia Seo.
But she looked completely different from how she did at the job site.
She wasn't wearing a hard hat.
Her hair fell naturally past her shoulders.
Instead of a work jacket, she wore a thin black T-shirt with a light shirt thrown over it.
Jeans below.
She just looked like an ordinary woman.
Without realizing it, Hyunwoo stared for several seconds.
Jia spotted him and walked over.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"No."
Hyunwoo stood up.
"I just got here too."
Jia sat across from him.
Then she smiled at him.
"What?"
Hyunwoo asked.
"Nothing."
"Why are you smiling?"
"You really did come in your work clothes."
Hyunwoo looked down at his clothes.
"It felt awkward to go home first."
"You look fine."
"It's kind of dirty, isn't it?"
"You work at a shipyard. It'd be stranger if your work clothes were clean."
Hyunwoo laughed.
"You look like a completely different person, Ms. Seo."
Jia raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because you don't have your hard hat on."
"Does that make me look that different?"
"A lot."
Jia touched her hair.
"Do I look weird?"
"No."
Hyunwoo answered immediately.
Too quickly.
They both paused for a moment.
Hyunwoo added more slowly, "It suits you."
Jia gave a small smile.
"Thank you."
Hyunwoo picked up the menu.
"What do you want to drink?"
"A latte."
"Figures."
"You remembered?"
"I can remember something that simple."
Jia smiled.
They ordered and sat back down.
But once they were sitting across from each other, it felt a little awkward.
At the job site, they always had so much to say.
Safety lanyards.
Coffee.
Work.
Gloves.
Rumors.
Even trivial topics kept the conversation going.
But outside the shipyard.
Inside a café.
With just the two of them facing each other, it had somehow gone quiet.
Hyunwoo spoke first.
"This is strange."
Jia smiled.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"We talked just fine at the job site."
"I know."
"Now it's suddenly quiet."
Jia lightly tapped her fingertips against the table.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"I think I do."
"Like what?"
"It feels weird now that I'm actually about to ask."
Jia laughed.
"Just ask."
Hyunwoo thought for a moment.
"How old are you?"
Jia's eyes widened.
"You're only asking now?"
"I realized I didn't even know your age."
"You're right."
Jia said, "Twenty-seven."
Hyunwoo nodded.
"Two years younger than me."
"You're twenty-nine, Mr. Kang?"
This time, Hyunwoo was surprised.
"How did you know?"
"I asked around."
"Who?"
Jia smiled.
"Secret."
"Jaehoon Kim?"
"No."
"Sohee Han?"
"How would I know her name?"
Hyunwoo paused.
"I saw it on her name tag."
Jia narrowed her eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"That sounds suspicious."
"What does?"
Jia laughed.
Just then, their coffee arrived.
Hyunwoo stood up to get it.
He set the latte in front of Jia.
"Here."
"Thank you."
Hyunwoo drank his sweet iced coffee.
Jia watched him and said, "You really do like sweet things."
"Yes."
"I wouldn't have guessed."
"I don't know why everyone sees me that way."
"Your first impression was a little..."
Jia paused.
"Scary."
Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow.
"Me?"
"A little."
"I thought you were scarier."
"Why me?"
Hyunwoo mimicked her tone.
"Worker, clip in your safety lanyard."
Jia burst out laughing.
"Did I really say it like that?"
"Exactly like that."
"That's because you wouldn't listen."
"You really stayed on me from day one."
"You really broke the rules from day one."
They laughed at the same time.
The awkwardness from a moment ago slowly faded.
Hyunwoo asked, "Why did you become a safety manager?"
Jia fiddled with her straw.
"That's a pretty serious question all of a sudden."
"I was curious."
Jia thought for a moment.
"It wasn't something I wanted to do from the beginning."
"Then?"
"I ended up looking for a job."
Jia smiled.
"Pretty realistic, right?"
"Isn't that how it is for most people?"
"What about you, Mr. Kang?"
Hyunwoo nodded.
"Working at a shipyard wasn't my dream either."
"Then why did you join?"
"To make money."
Jia laughed.
"You're incredibly honest."
"It's the truth."
Hyunwoo took a sip of coffee.
"At first, I was only going to stay for a few months."
"But?"
"I kept at it."
"Is it a good fit for you?"
Hyunwoo thought for a moment.
"It's hard, but..."
Then he said, "It's nice being able to see what I've made right in front of me."
Jia listened quietly.
Hyunwoo continued, "When I go in in the morning, there's nothing there. Then the piping gets installed piece by piece, and later everything comes together."
He drew a small shape with his hands.
"Because I made it."
Jia smiled.
"You like it."
"Like what?"
"The work."
Hyunwoo didn't answer for a moment.
Thinking about it, she might have been right.
Every day, he complained that it was hard.
That it was dirty.
That it was hot.
He cursed, too.
And yet he kept doing it.
Jia said, "I have something similar."
"What?"
"When a day ends without anything happening."
Hyunwoo looked at her.
"That's what I like most."
Jia took a sip of her latte.
"No one got hurt today."
"There was no accident today."
Jia smiled faintly.
"I really like that."
Hyunwoo was silent for a moment.
He thought he understood a little better why Jia was so strict at the job site.
She wasn't just telling people to follow the rules.
She wanted them not to get hurt.
That came first.
Hyunwoo said, "I'll listen better from now on."
Jia's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Your safety lanyard too?"
"I'll wear it."
"Safety glasses?"
"I'll wear them."
"Your chin strap?"
Hyunwoo laughed.
"I'll wear it."
Jia nodded.
"Good."
"But."
"What?"
"If I do well, buy me coffee."
Jia laughed.
"Was that your goal?"
"Motivation."
"That's ridiculous."
They laughed again.
Time passed little by little.
More than half their coffee was gone.
Jia asked, "Mr. Kang."
"Yes?"
"Are you not dating anyone?"
Hyunwoo froze.
"Where did that come from?"
Jia laughed, seeming to realize she might have been too direct.
"I don't know. Just because."
"Why are you curious?"
"It just came up while we were talking."
Hyunwoo looked at Jia.
"Not right now."
"Not right now?"
"Yes."
"When was your last relationship?"
"It's been a while."
"How long?"
Hyunwoo thought for a moment.
"More than a year, I guess."
"Oh."
This time, Hyunwoo asked, "What about you, Ms. Seo?"
Jia fiddled with her straw.
"About the same."
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be here with you."
Hyunwoo laughed.
"If you had a boyfriend, you couldn't have coffee with me?"
Jia answered immediately.
"I couldn't."
Hyunwoo's hand stopped for the briefest moment.
Jia continued matter-of-factly, "He might get the wrong idea."
Hyunwoo nodded.
"Right."
But one corner of his heart felt a little lighter.
She didn't have a boyfriend.
He didn't bother wondering why that made him happy.
Jia looked at him.
"What?"
"What is it?"
"Your expression just got brighter."
"The coffee's sweet."
"You've been drinking that the whole time."
"It gets sweeter toward the end."
Jia laughed.
"You're weird."
"You're one to talk."
The two of them continued talking.
Their favorite foods.
What they did on their days off.
What time they clocked in.
Small things they'd never asked about at the job site.
As it turned out, Jia couldn't handle spicy food very well.
Hyunwoo watched movies more often than she'd expected.
Jia liked sleeping in on her days off.
When Hyunwoo was home, he spent a lot of time lying around doing nothing.
They were trivial things.
But they were fun.
Time passed far too quickly.
Jia checked her phone.
"Huh?"
Hyunwoo asked, "What is it?"
"It's already past seven."
Hyunwoo checked the time too.
She was right.
When they'd first met, neither of them had known what to say.
Somehow, an entire hour had flown by.
"Do you have to go?"
Hyunwoo asked.
Jia hesitated.
"I could stay a little longer."
The corners of Hyunwoo's mouth lifted.
"Then let's stay a little longer."
Jia smiled too.
"Okay."
Just then, the café door opened.
Jingle.
Three men in work clothes walked in.
Hyunwoo glanced over without thinking.
Then his expression hardened.
A familiar face.
They were workers from another team at the same shipyard.
One of them recognized Hyunwoo.
"Huh?"
The man's gaze turned toward Hyunwoo.
Then he looked at Jia sitting across from him.
His eyes changed in an instant.
"Mr. Hyunwoo Kang?"
Jia asked in a small voice, "What is it?"
Hyunwoo didn't answer.
The man approached with a grin.
"Hyunwoo."
"Yes."
"What are you doing?"
Hyunwoo answered, "Having coffee."
The man's gaze shifted back to Jia.
"Oh."
It was only one short word.
But it carried far too much meaning.
Hyunwoo understood immediately.
By tomorrow, people would be talking again.
The man said, "All right. Enjoy your coffee."
Then he moved to another table with his coworkers.
Jia asked quietly, "You know him?"
"Yes."
"Same team?"
"Different team."
Jia's expression stiffened slightly.
They were both thinking the same thing.
More rumors.
Hyunwoo spoke first.
"Don't worry about it."
Jia looked at him.
"Will it really be okay?"
"What?"
"If people start saying weird things again."
Hyunwoo thought for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"It's not like we did anything wrong."
"Still."
"Is drinking coffee a crime?"
Jia smiled faintly.
"No."
"Then we're fine."
Hyunwoo said, "If you keep worrying about what other people think, you can't do anything."
Jia looked at him for a moment.
The uneasiness she'd felt earlier strangely settled down.
"Mr. Kang."
"Yes?"
"You really don't seem to care as much as I thought."
Hyunwoo laughed.
"I care a lot when I'm working."
"About what?"
"Whether Ms. Seo is watching."
Jia burst out laughing.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"If I don't clip in my safety lanyard, you'll get on my case again."
"Of course I will."
They laughed again.
Across the café, the workers who had just come in sat at their table.
But now neither Hyunwoo nor Jia looked in their direction.
They started talking again.
That day.
For the first time, the two of them got to know each other outside the shipyard.
Not as Hyunwoo Kang, the pipe fitter.
Not as Jia Seo, the safety manager.
Just as Hyunwoo Kang, a twenty-nine-year-old man.
And Jia Seo, a twenty-seven-year-old woman.
And just before they went home, as they said goodbye in front of the café, Jia said, "I had fun today."
Hyunwoo answered, "Me too."
"Let's get coffee again sometime."
Hyunwoo paused for a moment.
Next time.
There was that word again.
Hyunwoo smiled.
"Coffee?"
Jia nodded.
"Coffee would be good."
"Then?"
Jia thought for a moment before saying, "We could have a meal next time too."
Hyunwoo's expression changed just slightly.
"A meal."
"Why?"
"That sounds good."
Jia smiled.
"Then next time."
"Yes."
Hyunwoo said, "I'll pay next time."
"Why?"
"I bought the coffee today."
"So it's your turn again?"
"I guess it is."
Jia laughed.
"Then we'd better eat somewhere expensive."
"Whatever you want."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"No taking that back."
"I won't."
They parted with smiles.
Hyunwoo was walking toward the parking lot when he checked his phone.
There was a new message.
Jia Seo.
[Message me when you get home.]
Hyunwoo stared at the screen, then smiled.
He replied right away.
[You too, Ms. Seo.]
A few seconds later, her reply came.
[Also.]
Hyunwoo waited.
[I wanted to see you in regular clothes instead of your work clothes today, so that's a little disappointing lol.]
Hyunwoo stopped walking.
He read the message again.
Once.
Twice.
Then he laughed to himself.
[Next time, I'll dress properly.]
Jia's reply came right away.
[I’ll look forward to it.]
Hyunwoo stared at the message for a long time.
Next time.
Between the two of them, those words were becoming more natural by the day.
The next coffee.
The next meal.
The next time they met.
And maybe.
The next relationship neither of them had been able to say out loud yet.