#102
Unlike Gyo-ha who was peacefully moving beverage boxes without anyone bothering him, Hwi-kyung was surrounded by people and couldn’t move.
“You’re twenty-seven? Se-young, come over here. Finally, Se-young is no longer the youngest in our team.”
“Maybe because you’re young, your skin is nice and you’re cute. You could be an entertainer instead of an employee.”
“Manager, please. These days, you can get reported for saying things like that.”
“What? What did I say wrong? Hwi-kyung, you’re okay with it, right?”
“Yes, it’s fine…”
Hwi-kyung, who applied to BK Entertainment following Gyo-ha, passed the document screening without much difficulty. Gyo-ha didn’t need to pull any strings. The PR team at BK Entertainment had long been looking for talented individuals who could speak multiple languages, and Hwi-kyung was the perfect fit for that profile.
The certificates Hwi-kyung had diligently obtained shone during the interview. When asked by the interviewer how he became fluent in various languages, he answered as usual, “I studied in the military.” It was a predictable but effective response.
The more old-fashioned the interviewer, the more they liked Hwi-kyung. He had no experience but many skills, and seemed like someone who would endure rather than complain when given difficult tasks. Hwi-kyung was the type who found it easier to get hired when there were more older interviewers.
As a result, Hwi-kyung was now sacrificing his precious weekend to attend BK Entertainment’s new employee orientation. At International, individualism was strong and such events were rare, but it seemed that Entertainment, despite being part of the same company group, operated differently than International.
To think that not only employees but even entertainers would participate… As a new employee, Hwi-kyung couldn’t skip the orientation, but he was quite surprised that many employees were participating voluntarily.
“Since we’re all here, everyone’s going to have a few more drinks before dawn, right? I’ll set aside some boxes of soju.”
“Sounds good to me. Which room are we meeting in?”
“Let’s reserve one room in the men’s quarters and drink there. Everyone from the PR team must attend.”
“I was planning to quit drinking because I’m taking herbal medicine.”
“What? You know you can’t skip drinking sessions without a real medical certificate, right? We’re in the entertainment business after all—you can’t just opt out of drinking and socializing.”
But looking around, it seemed not everyone was participating willingly. There were signs of “voluntary” coercion everywhere. The atmosphere suggested that anyone who skipped these gatherings would definitely be gossiped about.
Normally, a window would have popped up at this point indicating a “black company.” Hwi-kyung felt a mix of relief and disappointment when the [Conditions Insufficient] notification didn’t appear. This familiar black company energy…
It seemed true that drinking gatherings were actively encouraged in the entertainment industry. Except for a few, most people seemed excited about drinking. Actually, saying “I don’t want to drink” here would surely get you labeled as a strange person.
What could he do even if he disliked it? Whether in the military or at work, if superiors tell you to do something, you do it… Hwi-kyung looked at Yoon Se-young, who was energetically encouraging everyone to participate in the company dinner.
Her face seemed familiar, and then he realized he’d seen her in a previous iteration. When Gyo-ha was an Executive Director at BK Entertainment, she was an employee who had been particularly clingy with him. With looks that could rival entertainers, she had been someone who made Hwi-kyung wary.
“Hwi-kyung, you’re coming too, no excuses.”
“Yes, I will.”
“It’s so obvious you just got discharged from the military. Your way of speaking is too stiff. Relax. Technically, I’m your colleague even though I joined a few months earlier.”
“Yes…”
“Are you good at drinking?”
“I manage alright.”
“That’s great. Lately, there have been a lot of people trying to get out of these gatherings by saying they can’t drink, and it’s been boring.”
The outgoing and sociable Se-young quickly attached herself to Hwi-kyung’s side, chattering away. Some employees behind them cautioned, “There goes Se-young again” or “Isn’t she being too friendly?” But Se-young paid no attention and stuck to Hwi-kyung.
Even without a long conversation, it was clear she was someone who didn’t understand personal space. Hwi-kyung was uncomfortable with people like this. Usually, those who treat others so informally tend to spread all kinds of rumors, so there was nothing good about getting close to them.
“I’ll briefly introduce you to the team members before the event starts.”
“It’s fine. I’ve already greeted most people before coming.”
“But that was before the formal introductions. I like you, Hwi-kyung. With you here, I can finally escape being the youngest.”
Se-young was now naturally using a semi-formal tone. Despite thinking he was quite accustomed to the forceful Gyo-ha, Hwi-kyung found it difficult to shake off Se-young, who was even more pushy.
Being dragged around by Se-young to greet people from various departments, time flew by. Usually, if someone bothered Hwi-kyung this much, the [Conditions Insufficient] notification would definitely appear, but now everything was quiet.
Perhaps because that window wasn’t showing, being led around by Se-young was tiring but not that bad. Unlike International, he knew nothing about Entertainment, so Se-young’s explanations and introductions to other departments were actually helpful.
“We haven’t even seen everything yet, but look at the time. Listen well to the training and see you tonight.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Oh, and this is something I’m only telling you first…”
Hwi-kyung wondered how many times Se-young had used that same line. The “I’m only telling you” approach was a staple of workplace life. It was the preamble used when telling something as if it were a secret, while actually telling everyone.
Though he didn’t particularly want to know a secret that everyone knew, he couldn’t just say “I’m not interested” here. If he didn’t want to be seen as lacking social skills, it was better to listen.
“You know that the new team leader who’s joining us is the chairman’s son, right?”
“Yes…”
Not only did he know, he had followed him to join the company.
“Well, I heard that the team leader’s girlfriend is in our company.”
“What?”
“It’s not confirmed yet, but judging by the team leader’s reaction, it’s almost certain. Who do you think it is?”
In his mind, Hwi-kyung answered, “That’s me…”
Fortunately or unfortunately, Se-young couldn’t read Hwi-kyung’s thoughts. Maintaining his default employee expression #2, Hwi-kyung escaped to the auditorium under the pretext of attending the training.
The fact that such rumors were already circulating meant that Gyo-ha was definitely mishandling things again. Hwi-kyung considered texting Gyo-ha to tell him not to be obvious at work, but thought it might be making too much of a fuss, so he just sighed.
…Surely nothing serious will happen? Even if I get caught in a scandal now, I won’t be forced to go back.
At this point, Hwi-kyung was thinking too casually. Because the system window had disappeared, his discipline had loosened, and he’d forgotten that company life without forced returns could be just as terrible.
* * *
“Drink! Drink! How long are you going to make me do the shoulder dance! Look at my shoulder! It’s dislocated!”
The two-day drinking session that took place under the pretext of orientation was truly chaotic. Among the new employees, some were already trying to lead the atmosphere by betting their lives on drinking games. Due to the nature of entertainment companies attracting many outgoing people, it was complete madness.
For Hwi-kyung, who didn’t like standing out, these company dinners were stressful just by existing. While he could certainly handle alcohol after drinking excessively during his twelfth iteration as a salesperson, Hwi-kyung simply didn’t enjoy drinking gatherings.
“Hey? Hwi-kyung, is your glass empty? Fill it up, fill it up!”
The manager, with a flushed face, caught Hwi-kyung who was trying to sneak away. “There’s no training tomorrow, so drink until you die tonight!” The manager poured soju into Hwi-kyung’s beer glass. Not just any soju, but the red-cap soju.
These days, they say they don’t force company dinners anymore… This culture is supposed to be gone… Hwi-kyung slightly regretted following Gyo-ha into BK Entertainment. Gyo-ha was probably unaware that such gatherings even existed and had gone to bed early.
While the chairman’s son, the new team leader, didn’t have to join these drinking sessions, new employees couldn’t skip them. Finally, Hwi-kyung downed the soju in his beer glass in one go to get rid of the manager who was shouting “bottoms up” in a bizarre tone.
His head spun from the sudden alcohol overload. No matter how accustomed to drinking he was, that was during his twelfth iteration. The current Hwi-kyung didn’t have many occasions to drink this much.
When Hwi-kyung emptied his glass at once, cheers erupted from everywhere. The manager, sticking close to Hwi-kyung, nudged his back suggesting he join the drinking games.
“Whoa, you’re going to kill someone like that.”
“It’s all in good fun. It’s fun, right, Hwi-kyung?”
“Yes…”
“You clearly don’t look well, Hwi-kyung. Go get some fresh air before you collapse or throw up.”
If Yoon Se-young hadn’t intervened, Jung Hwi-kyung would have really suffered from getting caught up in the drinking games. Hwi-kyung thanked Se-young with just a look, made an excuse about feeling unwell, and headed outside the accommodations.
The cold wind finally cleared his mind a bit. His phone, set to silent, had seven missed calls. Except for one advertising call, all were from Gyo-ha.
[Cont]
[Drnkng]
[Drinking]
[that’s why]
[couldn’t answer]
The phone screen looked blurry, causing typos in his messages. However, Hwi-kyung didn’t think he was drunk. After all, he hadn’t thrown up and was standing straight on two legs.
So Jung Hwi-kyung… in his own mind, was completely sober.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
