章 11: Strong friendship

"Two." Seo-Jun was quick to bargain. He raised two fingers in the air. "Let's make it two mistakes. She is an intern after all. Humans are prone to make mistakes, so it's not fair to be so harsh right from the bat."

Ji-Won sighed deeply and closed his eyes. There really was no winning with Seo-Jun today. No matter what the man said, Ji-Won couldn't find it within him to refute.

It was clear that they had been close to each other for too long. Seo-Jun knew perfectly well how to handle their arguments like a pro.

A second later, Ji-Won finally relented. He opened his eyes to glare at his friend.

"Fine. Two mistakes and she is out." He said through gritted teeth.

"Perfect. I will let her know tomorrow morning."

Seo-Jun was clearly satisfied with his accomplishment. His prideful expression was bigger than a cheshire cat's grin.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I am really the Director or you are." Ji-Won grumbled bitterly.

"You can always make me the Director. I…"

"Shut up."

"Yes, Director Kang." Seo-Jun replied hastily. Noticing the warning tinge in his friend's voice, he added. "I will leave you to your business then. Call me if you need anything."

Shooting Ji-Won another satisfied grin, Seo-Jun got up and left the office in a hurry.

Since it had been their first day, Su-Jin and Yeon-Ah decided to skip lunch, and just stay in the office. No one else in their team was showing any sign of wanting to eat, and it felt too strange to go to the cafeteria downstairs just the two of them.

Therefore, they stayed inside to read the files they were given earlier. They only took a few short breaks to get something to drink from the kitchen, before going back to their tasks. At least the fridge was stacked with water and energizing beverages.

The rest of the day went by swiftly, and before anyone realized, the clock struck six in the evening. That's when the Deputy Director came and told them they could leave for the day.

Su-Jin stared at him in disbelief. She had always heard salarymen complaining about working overtime.

"Don't look at me like that. You'll have enough time to work extra hours once we begin working on our projects." Seo-Jun said, then added in an undertone. "Trust me when I say, the Director is a very strict person when it comes to his job. Unless you do a perfect job, you are not allowed to leave your desk."

The two women looked at him with horrified expressions. They could almost envision the demon Director glueing them to their chairs, forcing them to work hours on end.

Their expressions were too amusing, changing like the colors of a kaleidoscope. Despite trying to maintain a straight face, Seo-Jun ultimately couldn't prevent himself from bursting out laughing.

"I'm joking, I'm joking. He's really not that bad. Just... be sure to give the work you are given your all and you will be fine." He said, looking particularly at Su-Jin.

Being singled out like that caused Su-Jin to raise her eyebrows in confusion. She was about to ask something, when the unexpected appearance of Director Kang made her forget all about it.

"Let's go." Ji-Won addressed Seo-Jun, completely ignoring Su-Jin and the others.

"Oh, you're leaving early?" Seo-Jun inquired, his eyes widening in surprise. "You never leave this early."

"Yes, well, I had a very rough morning and I feel tired." Ji-Won replied, finally gracing Su-Jin with a pointed look.

S-Jin flinched, and immediately wished he had continued to ignore her. His black eyes were boring into hers, making her feel exposed and vulnerable. For a second, she had to repress the urge to take a step backwards. Then, her own temper rose, as she returned his glare.

'You think you can intimidate me, Director Kang? Humph! Better think again!' She thought to herself.

The animosity Ji-Won's stare had produced did not pass unnoticed by the other two people. Both Seo-Jun and Yeon-Ah glanced nervously between Ji-Won and Su-Jin. They could feel the tension rising in the air as the two continued to glare at each other.

"Have a good evening, Director Kang, Deputy Director Kim." Yeon-Ah said hesitantly, making a small bow.

"Yes, thank you. Good evening to you too, Miss Lee." Seo-Jun said hastily, thanking her with his eyes for the intervention. "Let's go Ji-Won."

He grabbed his jacket and, a second later, he was pushing Ji-Won away from the heated 'warzone'.

'This may be more difficult than I have imagined. If things continue this way, it will be a miracle if they do not kill each other before the end of the month.' Seo-Jun thought despairingly.

While the poor Deputy Director was very troubled about the future of the team, the two culprits were acting quite disinterestedly. They didn't even bother to mask their mutual feeling of displeasure at the sight of each other.

"Because of you two, I might become bald prematurely." Seo-Jun complained out of the blue.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ji-Won looked askance at him. He was currently suspecting his friend of being on the verge of craziness, rather than baldness.

"Nothing, nothing." the person suspected of being crazy replied morosely. "Let's just go and have dinner. Also, you have to buy me drinks. I feel like having beer tonight."

Ji-Won felt that his friend was acting weirder and weirder.

"Why do I have to buy you drinks? Besides, didn't you drive to work?"

"I did. But I will leave my car at the company and take yours home."

"So, now I have somehow become your cabby as well?"

"Mn." Seo-Jun odded, then added flatteringly. "But a very handsome cabby."

At this point, Ji-Won gave up on trying to understand how this person's mind was working. He simply raised his feet, and headed towards the underground parking lot.

Meanwhile, seeing Ji-Won's cold attitude, Seo-Jun began pondering about the philosophical meaning of friendship.

'Ah, I guess it's true what the ancients used to say that some friends are only good for food and drink.'

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