TGMND 83

Summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Poseidon gradually became more famous without Yeo-woon realizing it. The proportion of rankers in the guild steadily increased, and new members joined as well. This occasionally led to attention-seeking and petty fights, but that was far removed from Yeo-woon’s concerns.

Seon-young: So you suddenly became a Manager?

In the meantime, one of Yeo-woon’s coworkers had left the company and a new employee was hired. The boss of the company had a strange philosophy that there should be a clear hierarchy between the newcomer and the old employee, no matter what. Because of this, Yeo-woon and another person were promoted from staff to Manager. It was just a title change with no real difference in responsibilities. Yeo-woon wondered how the company was still in business when it was run so haphazardly.

Seon-young: Hahaha, congrats! You should treat us to celebrate your promotion.

Yeo-woon: Come over today.

Seon-young: That’s a bit sudden… I have plans too, you know.

Yeo-woon: What do you do after work?

Seon-young: Watch dramas.

Yeo-woon: Watch at my place.

Seon-young: Hmm…

Life had become quite boring lately, just going back and forth between work and home. Friends who used to drop by his apartment frequently now only met up once a month at most.

Seon-young: But it’s funny lol, my college friend also became a Manager because the boss asked “Who wants to be a Manager?” and he raised his hand.

Seon-young: Don’t change the subject. Are you coming over?

Seon-young: Your place is too far now. If I miss the last train, I’ll stuck there… Will you pay for my taxi?

Yeo-woon: No? I can let you sleep in the shoe rack. Are you coming?

Seon-young: I’m seeing my girlfriend tomorrow evening.

Yeo-woon: So are you coming today?

Seon-young: I’ll probably wake up after lunch, and I don’t have a change of clothes…

Yeo-woon: Half the clothes in my closet are yours guys’…

Yeo-woon: I’m wearing them well.

Seon-young: You crazy bastard.

Yeo-woon: Are you coming?

Seon-young: I’m coming.

Yeo-woon: Hahahahaha

He knew it. Yeo-woon could tell he’d come since he didn’t outright refuse. Yeo-woon barely got any work done in the afternoon, too busy thinking about what to order for dinner.

***

Yeo-woon took advantage of when the instructor wasn’t looking to move to an empty lane and strike up a conversation with Yoon Ji-gu. At first, Ji-gu had found it extremely awkward to talk at the pool, but now he seemed used to it, quietly waiting for Yeo-woon to speak when he noticed him sneaking over.

Yeo-woon was a minor celebrity in the 7 PM swimming class. He was the only one that Yoon Ji-gu, whom people suspected of being a robot, would talk to in the pool.

“Next week, only the good swimmers from our class are moving to the intermediate class.”

“What about you?”

“…”

“I thought so.”

“What?”

Yoon Ji-gu suddenly seemed to pick a fight. It was unusual for someone who rarely joked around. Or was he being serious? Yeo-woon eyed Yoon Ji-gu warily. He stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Yeo-woon.

“I’m serious.”

“Huh?”

“You really don’t know? I think I know why your swimming isn’t improving.”

It sounded confrontational, but Yeo-woon was a bit intrigued. Yeo-woon hesitated before asking.

“…Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re here bothering me instead of practicing. You can’t even do freestyle properly.”

“Really…?”

But it didn’t really bother him much. It’s not like he was going to become a competitive swimmer. If he couldn’t swim well, he could just ride a boat. Yoon Ji-gu snickered at Yeo-woon’s nonchalant response as if finding it absurd.

“Be honest. You just come to the pool to hang out, right?”

“You’re getting crankky lately.”

Yeo-woon scooped up some water with his palm and splashed it at Yoon Ji-gu, who easily dodged it with a slight turn of his body. The smug grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth was somewhat irritating.

As usual, Yeo-woon finished showering first and waited outside. Within 5 minutes, Yoon Ji-gu rushed out. He glanced at Yeo-woon exchanging messages with Seon-young and asked:

“Catching up on messages?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Hurry up.”

If replying to a message received 30 minutes ago could be considered catching up, that is. After giving the first-arriving Seon-young the house password and instructing him to vacuum, Yeo-woon noticed an unfamiliar profile on his messenger.

Kang Je-hyeok: Manager, is it okay if we talk on the phone for a moment? ㅜㅜ

t was the new employee who had joined Yeo-woon’s team. Suddenly asking for a call felt ominous. What could be wrong? Yeo-woon found his number and called him first. Yoon Ji-gu stood by, watching Yeo-woon intently with wide eyes.

-Manager, I’m so sorry!

“…?”

As soon as the call connected, Je-hyeok blurted out an apology. The voice was so loud that Yoon Ji-gu surely heard it too. Yeo-woon noticed Ji-gu’s suddenly stiff expression and lowered the call volume.

“What happened? Why are you apologizing?”

-I accidentally stepped on a pink pen earlier and broke it completely. But just now, the assistant manager said it was your favorite pen… I’m really sorry, I know you treasured it. From now on, I’ll only look at the ground when I walk.

Good grief. Don’t ask if it’s okay to call for such a trivial matter… Yeo-woon had thought there might be an emergency requiring a return to the office. After calming down the flustered new employee, Yeo-woon ended the call.

“Ji-gu… huh?”

Turning to suggest they head home, Yeo-woon found Yoon Ji-gu staring oddly from about 2 meters away.

“What are you doing over there? Let’s go home.”

“…”

“I said let’s go home?”

“…Don’t come closer.”

As he took a step forward, Yoon Ji-gu took two steps back.

“What’s wrong with him….”

What’s gotten into him now? Yeo-woon was no longer fazed by Ji-gu’s wariness. This wasn’t the first time Ji-gu had acted like this. If left alone, he would eventually calm down and return to normal. It was a regular occurrence.

“Hyung, just now….”

As they walked in the pleasantly cool breeze, Yoon Ji-gu, who had been lost in thought beside Yeo-woon, muttered in a small voice.

“The person you were talking to called you ‘master’, right?”

“Huh? That’s right.”

It was an awkward promotion, not really deserving of the title. Yeo-woon nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. Ji-gu’s expression grew even stranger.

“Was that the person who came to your house before?”

To the house?

“What are you talking about? He’s a coworker.”

“…A coworker?”

“A new employee.”

“W-what?”

Yeo-woon was startled by Ji-gu’s sudden outburst. Wasn’t it obvious? Who else in the world would call him “manager” if not someone from work? Yeo-woon watched with interest as Yoon Ji-gu’s expression changed by the second.

“Then what about the people you invited home before! Where are those two? And now with someone from work…”

Why does he look so anxious? Yeo-woon wished he’d calm down.

“I’m actually meeting one of them today. He’s coming over.”

“Why, why?”

“We’re just going to drink and hang out. But why are you suddenly asking? Want to meet him?”

“What? No, no?”

“He likes meeting new people too. If you’re okay with it, should I ask him to hang out together?”
As Yeo-woon took out his phone as if about to make a call, Yoon Ji-gu shook his head violently and stumbled backward.

“Are you crazy! What do you mean hang out, I don’t want to!”

“…”

“I said I don’t want to.”

If he doesn’t want to, that’s fine. There’s no need to be so dramatic. The distance between Yeo-woon and Yoon Ji-gu widened further. He was standing almost at the edge of the sidewalk, looking at Yeo-woon as if he were an insect. Yoon Ji-gu sometimes acted like this on his own. Whether he was being clear in expressing himself or just very shy, he was quite peculiar when you really looked at him.

“Come here. It’s dangerous to be so close to the road.”

“…”

“Huh?”

When Yeo-woon grabbed Ji-gu’s sleeve and tugged him, Ji-gu came along without much resistance. He pressed his lips tightly together, unable to hide his confusion. Yeo-woon really wanted to know what he was thinking.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at his place, with Yeo-woon talking one-sidedly about his daily life to the unusually quiet Yoon Ji-gu. As soon as they got off the elevator, the sound of a vacuum cleaner could be heard. Seon-young seemed to be following instructions well. What a good guy…

“…Are you doing this on purpose?”

“What?”

“Are you protesting me?”

“Me?”

Before Yeo-woon could ask what he meant, his phone rang. The name “Ha Seon-young” appeared on the screen. That rascal, how did he know they were right outside? As soon as he answered, Seon-young shouted:

-Where are you!

“At the front door.”

The door swung open wide. Seon-young was about to complain to Yeo-woon but closed his mouth upon seeing him with Yoon Ji-gu. An awkward atmosphere settled between the two. Seon-young looked on uncertainly, not knowing what was happening, while Yoon Ji-gu, unusually, stared straight at Ha Seon-young without averting his gaze.

“If you’re here, why are you just standing there? Come in quickly.”

Seon-young backed down first, hiding his face behind the door. It seemed like Yoon Ji-gu was about to say something, but that could wait.

“…Hyung.”

Yoon Ji-gu called out to Yeo-woon from behind.

“Stop it.”

“…?”

“It’s really obvious when you deliberately make those kinds of calls in front of me.”

Yeo-woon turned around with a puzzled expression, unable to comprehend Ji-gu’s words.

It was a chilling sensation he hadn’t felt in a while. An expression much colder than the usual troubled look Yoon Ji-gu typically showed.

“This doesn’t work for me.”

The low voice echoed in his mind. Suddenly, Yoon Ji-gu seemed unfamiliar.

“There’s a limit to how far you can go with this act. It’s so obvious it’s almost laughable.”

…Why was he so angry?

“So either find another method or give up while I’m still asking nicely.”

Why was he making that expression at him, of all people?

“This is fucking annoying, so sort it out yourself.”

The door slammed shut behind him. It had been a while since Yeo-woon had seen Ji-gu’s back as he went inside first. Watching Ji-gu’s broad back disappear behind the gray door left an unsettling feeling in Yeo-woon’s chest. Yeo-woon stood there for a while, staring at the door of apartment 901.