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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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I finished off the gukbap and the assorted soondae, using Lee Mina’s rambling as background noise.
Even though it was an act of blatant disregard, Lee Mina stubbornly kept talking, and I buried my face in the bowl and kept moving my spoon.
I’d eaten so much that my stomach felt uncomfortably bloated, leaving me with a feeling of slight unpleasant fullness.
After paying the bill, I headed to a cafe.
Of course, Lee Mina accompanied me.
To be precise, Lee Mina had suggested the cafe.
She was persistently tagging along, saying that it was a shame to part ways so quickly since we had met ‘by chance’ like this.
Since I also needed some time to let my swollen stomach settle so I agreed.
I also calculated that if I had refused, she would have made up another reason and bothered me.
“You’ve had a lot of work lately, right? I’m a little sorry about that.”
Iced Americano, a combination that was both safe and well-suited for her.
I took a sip of the iced Americano and shook my head.
“That’s how company work is.”
“It’s because there was no one else I could trust to handle the work. You know, everyone else is bad at their jobs.”
“You’re really straightforward.”
“I’m only saying this because it’s you, In-ho-ssi. Before we were a team, it was just me and you, In-ho-ssi.”
I guess that’s the setting.
“That’s right.”
“I had a hard time handling all the work by myself, but it became much easier when you joined as a junior.”
Lee Mina gulped down the Americano she had been sipping.
It seemed like she was thirsty.
“After all that hard work, people came in as a team.”
“It’s good. There are more people now.”
“The problem is your soft personality, In-ho-ssi. You saw how everyone else works, right?”
Her words became sharp again, as if she was getting heated.
Damn it, the atmosphere was good but why was her mood like a boiling pot?
Her face is like a poker face master, though.
“They pass their work on to you at the drop of a hat, and they just brush it off with a ‘thank you’.”
“Haha…”
I tried to laugh it off since I didn’t know the details, but she was persistent.
“You’re the same, In-ho-ssi. How can you say okay to that? That’s being too generous. There are so many sly bitches… ahem. There are so many sly people.”
Wow… did she just say “bitches?”
“Compared to that… Mina-nim too.”
When I narrowed my eyes, as if to say, why did you make me do the work, she got angry instead.
“Are you putting me on the same level as those people right now? Even if it’s you, In-ho-ssi, I can’t tolerate this.”
What’s the difference?
“It seems like you want to say, ‘What’s the difference?’ There’s a big difference. I gave you your work fairly, while those people were passing off their own work. It’s clearly different.”
It seems like it’s the same thing, but I kept quiet.
Since the topic of work came up, I thought it was a good time to bring something up.
“Speaking of work, there’s something I need to tell you. I’m having a lot of difficulty with work lately…”
“I know. So, I think I should reduce your workload for the time being. It’s not like I can keep working with just you and me forever.”
I was going to say that I didn’t know anything about work at all, but she blocked me in advance.
“…By the way, I didn’t know that you had this kind of personality, Mina-nim. You’re usually more quiet, I guess.”
When I carefully changed the topic, she went into thought for a moment with her usual expressionless face.
“Well, maybe it’s because I’m more comfortable around you, In-ho-ssi.”
Her gaze, which was directly on me, was a little burdensome.
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After talking for a few more hours, I came home.
Lee Mina seemed to want to talk with me a little more but I was able to fend her off by pretending that I wasn’t feeling well.
She had a somewhat regretful expression… I wonder if she might do something crazy.
“Should I go to the company tomorrow?”
It was Saturday but since I had forgotten everything related to work when I possessed the body, I needed to learn it again.
I couldn’t show up to work on Monday and be clueless.
I should at least go and take a look.
“Well, if I still can’t do it then I’ll just take vacation and look for another job.”
For now making a living is more important.
“Sigh, things will work out somehow.”
While I was killing time on the bed in comfortable clothes, I felt a presence outside the door.
I thought it was the neighbor, but the unique presence was not disappearing.
“What the hell? Who’s out there at this hour?”
It was already 11 PM.
It wasn’t a suitable time for someone to be loitering in front of my house.
I scratched my neck and stood in front of the front door.
I looked through the peephole in the front door but because it was dark, I couldn’t see anything.
‘What is it? I can’t see anything.’
I kept putting my eye on it, but it was just black darkness.
Then, I heard a sound from outside the door.
“Um… excuse me, who are you?”
As soon as I heard the man’s voice, I realized what the darkness that had been blocking my view was.
“Ah, I’m the girlfriend of the person who lives here. I couldn’t reach him, so… I was wondering if he was home.”
Lee Mina was standing outside the peephole.
The neighbor just nodded and entered his house while Lee Mina remained standing there for a long time.
‘So, we were facing each other?’
Goosebumps rose on my skin, and the strength drained from my legs.
I slid down to the floor in front of the door and after sitting there for what felt like several minutes.
I heard a faint muttering from the other side.
“He’s definitely inside. Why can’t I sense his presence.”
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“Girlfriend”, do not flatter yourself