Ch. 26 - Let’s grab a bite sometime? (1)

After scrolling through posts about myself for a while, I finally turned off my phone. I couldn't stand to look at them anymore—they made me nauseous.I turned on the TV, cracked open a beer, and settled in to watch some entertainment programs. I caught up on Netflix shows I hadn't seen in a while and watched some YouTube videos. Before I knew it, time had flown by.

"This is happiness."

Just lying there and doing nothing but relaxing. This is what fuels my life.

To think I couldn't do this for days because of work. Today, I'm going to enjoy myself thoroughly.

And tomorrow, I'll clock out on time and spend the evening doing exactly what I'm doing now.

Against my wishes, I found myself at a work dinner party right after work the next day. The reason for the gathering wasn’t anything special.

"Team leader, when are we going out for a dinner party?"

Lee So-Young asked me out of the blue, about an hour before I planned to leave work.

"Dinner party? All of a sudden?"

"It's not all of a sudden. After stopping the Monster Association's terrorist attack and capturing all the members, isn’t it strange that we don’t have a party to celebrate? We’re done with the job."

In short, the team wanted to get together for drinks to celebrate the successful completion of the job.

"All the other teams had drinks and got together, but we didn’t have anything like that."

"So-Young, do you think that’s what they really wanted to do? Don’t you think the team members wanted to go home badly instead of going to places like that?"

In my experience, most employees try to avoid work dinner parties, finding any excuse to get out of them.

I’m not the kind of boss who insists on such things.

"You guys would rather go straight home from work than drink with your boss you're uncomfortable with, right?"

"Team leader. Be honest with me." Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ N0vᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"About what?"

"It’s you who just want to go home, team leader."

"......"

How dare she? So-Young knew me too well after watching me for a year.

"Did you know? Ever since I joined this team, in the entire year, we haven’t had a single dinner out."

"Just think of it as having a good boss."

"But isn’t this a little much?!"

According to So-Young, the other teams had already had their celebrations. She wanted our team to have one, too.

I guess the other teams managed to find time during that busy period. Right, I was the only one truly busy. Other teams must have had some time to spare.

"What do you think, Oh-Jin and Yu-Sung?" I asked, turning to Park Oh-Jin and Shin Yu-Sung. I didn’t want to force anyone into dinner if they didn’t want to go.

"I don’t mind. I don’t hate them," Park Oh-Jin replied, sneakily siding with So-Young.

"Of course, not many people in the workplace like to go out for drinks, but our team is a little different, no? We’ve all struggled together, so it’s not bad to do this on special occasions."

"If I remember correctly, the last time we had a team dinner was about two years ago?" Shin Yu-Sung chimed in. "It’s weird that we don’t get together and drink to celebrate, especially since we’ve just successfully completed a big task."

"Right?! Mr. Yu-Sung thinks so too, right?"

Lee So-Young’s eyes lit up as she actively agreed with Yu-Sung’s words.

Oh my God, just when I thought usually the bosses are the assholes, it turns out my team are the assholes instead. Stop bullying your boss at work!

That’s how we ended up at the dinner table. But it’s not like I didn’t understand So-Young’s feelings.

We are a team of five, and due to the nature of our work, we need to get along well. Since the only time we see each other is in the office, she wanted to get to know everyone better.

We decided to go to Kim Min-Seok’s restaurant. Since we were planning to eat meat, it made sense to go to a place owned by someone I knew.

"I’ll pay, so you can order whatever you want."

"Oh, is that okay?!"

"Yeah. Beef, pork, whatever you want."

It’s a work dinner party, so as the team leader, I decided to pay. I didn’t know how much these guys could eat, but I could afford it.

I live alone and don't have any hobbies, so I have nothing to spend money on. Naturally, the money keeps accumulating in my bank account.

Our team makes a good salary too, so I can afford to treat them once in a while.

"I won't refuse, then."

"How about a specialty cut of beef?"

"Tenderloin! I like tenderloin!"

My teammates started scanning the menu as soon as they heard I'd be paying.

Haha, you cute little piranhas.

"Noonim, have you decided what you want to order?"

Kim Min-Seok asked, just as we finished deciding. It seems he’s more comfortable dealing with me now.

"I'll have ten servings of the specialty beef first."

"Yes! Okay!"

Kim Min-Seok’s face lit up as I enthusiastically ordered the most expensive item.

"Oh, by the way, noonim. Would you mind signing an autograph for me later?"

"An autograph? All of a sudden?"

I couldn't imagine what use my autograph would be to him.

"I'm going to hang it on the wall of the shop."

"...Ah."

So he wanted to display it like those restaurants that collect celebrity autographs.

"You know, your popularity is insane these days, so I thought it would be nice to have your autograph."

The popularity is driving me crazy right now, and I'm still wearing my hat and sunglasses because I don't want people to recognize me.

Isn't that a celebrity disease, you ask? I wish it was. Even after all this, people still come up to me and say hello because of my blonde hair.

"Also, it would be great publicity if you took a picture and posted it on social media, if you don't mind..."

"Sigh, fine. Okay, you can take a picture."

"Thank you so much!"

I wonder why he looks so upright but is full of ideas to promote his shop. Didn't he post a video on social media about how he helped stop the Monster Association's terrorist attack in Hongdae? It seemed like he used that for publicity too.

Now I see Kim Min-Seok as a businessman, not a former S-rank hero.

"As a thank you, I'll give you four servings of Korean beef sashimi."

"Wow! Beef sashimi! Thank you so much, Mr. Min-Seok!"

"So-Young, you should thank me too. You're eating because of me."

"I love you, too!"

So-Young giggled happily at the thought of more delicious food.

After a while, the meat was served, and Kim Min-Seok grilled it himself. Shin Yu-Sung took a picture of it, and it looked like he was sending it to someone.

"I'm sending it to my girlfriend," Shin Yu-Sung explained, noticing my gaze. "I told her I was drinking with people from work, and she asked me to take a picture to prove it."

"...You have to report something like that?"

"That's what dating is all about, Team Leader," he said. "It's about putting up with the little things that bother you."

"I don't want to get into a relationship if I have to do that."

"Then what was it like for you when you were in a relationship?"

"......"

I was silent as Shin Yu-Sung asked curiously.

A relationship. A relationship?.......Haha, what's that?

"...Huh? You've never been in one?"

Shin Yu-Sung's eyes widened, genuinely surprised by my lack of response.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious. I thought someone like you would have been in a few."

"Don't apologize."

I felt even more miserable.

"I didn't have time for a relationship in the first place. I joined the department as soon as I came of age to prepare for the civil service. Even after I became a civil servant, my relationship was with work."

"Then why do you usually spend all day in the office building card pyramids... Oop?!"

"So-Young, this meat is ready. Eat it quickly."

I stuffed Lee So-Young's mouth, which was about to say something unnecessary, with beef.

Meanwhile, Shin Yu-Sung asked again, "Didn't you at least get a confession when you were a student?"

"I did. I rejected them all, though."

When I had just entered this world, I received many confessions from men and even women.

But I had to reject them all.

I was a male, so I didn't want to receive confessions from guys, and now that I'm a girl, receiving confessions from girls feels... weird, so I just reject them all.

I didn't really have time for a relationship anyway because I had to go to school during the day and earn money by hunting monsters at night.

I was a blond-haired orphan who had to earn my own money. I lived each day as if my life depended on it. I didn't even have time to make normal friends, let alone have a relationship.

"Hmm, a team leader in a relationship."

After swallowing the meat, Lee So-Young stroked her chin and looked at me.

"I'd like to see."

"See what?"

"I want to see the team leader being cute and flirtatious... Oop?!"

"So-Young, this is delicious too. Eat as much as you want."

Haha, So-Young always picks the worst things to say.

"Stop talking about relationships. I don't plan to be in one for now."

I picked up my chopsticks and said, "Stop talking nonsense and let's eat."

I'm not making excuses; I really don't want to be in a relationship. I don't want to give my heart to someone.

As we ate and drank, chatting amongst ourselves, my phone rang with a message.

"Hmm?"

The sender was surprising. It was from Alice.

[Hey, Ms. Producer, Are you free this weekend? ><]

I wonder what she's up to, even though I told her she didn’t have to call me Producer.

[Yeah, I'm free this weekend; what's going on?]

[Lol, like we said before, I wanted to meet and hang out with Ms. Producer!]

Wow.

"Oh my God."

There's someone who actually keeps their word on 'let's go get a bite to eat sometime.'