“From what I’ve seen, Deputy Manager Moon—the one who trained us on our first day—looks set to move to the main office before making manager. He’s incredibly well-connected and knowledgeable about his work. Honestly, he’s more respected than our team leader.”
“I see.”
“It’s great to have a capable senior in the team. That’s why I’m sticking close to Deputy Manager Moon to learn as much as I can. HR management has so many avenues for growth. But he’s so busy and sharp that it’s hard to have a proper conversation with him.”
Seungho recalled seeing Moon Chaehyuk occasionally—whether when he visited the first-floor office, met Choi Yukyung in the lounge, or stopped by the in-house bank.
As Jintae mentioned, Deputy Manager Moon always seemed busy.
Conversations with him were short, and he often disappeared quickly.
Still, he didn’t strike Seungho as particularly sharp or edgy.
“Oh, there he is, Deputy Manager Moon. Is it okay if I go ahead, Seungho?”
“Of course, go ahead.”
Jintae hurried off, catching up with Moon Chaehyuk, who turned to greet him.
The significant height difference between the two made them look like an uncle and nephew.
To match Moon’s brisk strides, Jintae practically had to jog.
“Ugh, it’s freezing.”
Pulling his jumper tightly around himself, Seungho quickened his pace.
A new day was beginning once more.
* * *
“Seungho, let’s head to the library.”
Choi Yukyung, who had been assigned as Seungho’s mentor, said as she tidied her desk.
Seungho got up first and walked over to the whiteboard on the wall.
Picking up a marker, he wrote down his destination and return time next to his name, then did the same in the blank space next to hers.
“We’re heading to the library!”
He announced loudly, receiving cheerful goodbyes in return.
Still a clueless new hire, Seungho carried his notebook like it was his lifeline.
It was practically a spare brain.
It was strange.
He would feel like he understood everything during explanations, but as soon as he turned away, it was as if someone had erased his memory with black ink.
Every time he timidly went to Choi Yukyung to ask the same question again, he felt a deep sense of shame.
If her answers were particularly simple and obvious, it was even worse.
He felt like a bumbling fool at work, as if he regressed to being a helpless child the moment he clocked in.
So, he began writing down everything he heard, no matter how trivial.
His notebook included not only work-related notes but anything he thought might be useful.
He hoped that by the time his notebook was filled, he would have grown into a proper office worker.
As they climbed to the third floor, where the library was located, Choi Yukyung suddenly grabbed the hem of Seungho’s sweater.
“Where’d you get this knit? The color is gorgeous.”
“Probably on the tag at the back?”
Seungho immediately grabbed the back collar of the sweater and stretched it.
Curious as well, Choi Yukyung didn’t hesitate to check the tag on his clothes.
“Oh, it’s from BA. No wonder it looks so good.”
“My sisters bought it for me. I don’t really know much about brands, but it’s warm and comfortable.”
“This brand is on the pricier side. Wait, sisters? Do you have many?”
“Just two. I’m the youngest.”
The first day of work in a suit and tie turned out to be the last.
While Seungho initially worried about the dress code, he soon realized it wasn’t a strict suit-and-tie environment like in dramas.
The company encouraged comfortable yet dignified attire for daily work, with suits reserved for important meetings or certain business trips.
Still unfamiliar with striking the right balance, Seungho stuck to a combination of slacks or chinos, paired with sweaters and shirts. He completed the look with a thick jacket, jumper, or coat.
“Ah, your sisters must take good care of you. Are you close with them?”
“They tease me sometimes and are kind other times. Pretty normal, I’d say. After buying me some clothes, they make me run errands like crazy.”
Previously, Seungho had believed in the ultimate comfort of casual wear.
His wardrobe had long been filled with T-shirts and jeans he’d worn since his youth.
Becoming a working professional, however, meant upgrading his wardrobe—a change his sisters took it upon themselves to facilitate.
Their sibling relationship was ordinary.
On good days, he was their “precious baby brother,” but when they were in a bad mood, he’d become “that little brat, Seungho.”
While he avoided the physical roughhousing some of his friends endured from older brothers, he often found himself stressed by his sisters’ sharp tongues.
“Being the youngest is always like that, you know. Anyway, let’s see… The library hours are 45 minutes during lunch and 30 minutes in the evening. Some people stop by right before heading to the cafeteria, so it’s good to open the doors about five minutes early.”
Choi Yukyung swiped her employee ID over the security sensor and opened the library door, turning on the lights as she began explaining.
Seungho followed her inside, taking in the surroundings.
The company library, part of the employee welfare system, was surprisingly spacious.
Neatly aligned bookshelves filled with books categorized by genre spanned the room.
The collection ranged from professional texts that could aid in work to light novels, poetry, essays, and even popular comic books—an impressive selection sure to attract book lovers.
As Seungho wandered through the library, his eyes lingered longest on a recently famous comic book series.
After snapping back to reality, he emerged from the shelves to see Choi Yukyung motioning him over to the librarian’s desk.
She gestured for him to pull up a chair as she began explaining the library management program, providing him with an ID and password.
“Seungho, have you been to libraries often?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Managing this library isn’t much different from regular ones. You’ll mainly handle book loans and returns. Occasionally, you’ll need to check whether a requested book is available and inform the employees. You can do that using the other computer as well.”
Having previously worked part-time at a municipal library near his home, Seungho found her explanation easy to grasp.
As she’d said, there wasn’t much complexity to it.
Seeing his understanding, Choi Yukyung gave up her seat, letting him try the system himself.
“New books arrive quarterly from the head office, but employees can also request purchases. Sometimes, decisions are made during team meetings. We’re expecting new books soon, so I’ll teach you how to register them then.”
Testing the system, Seungho entered his name and scanned a book on the desk.
The barcode reader beeped cheerfully. Scanning it again processed the return.
“It’s best to organize returned books in the evening when there are fewer visitors.”
“I’ve done shelving before, so I know how to organize by call numbers.”
“Exactly. Looks like you’ll settle in easily. Library work can be tedious, but it has its perks. When it’s quiet, you can relax and do what you want.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Especially when you’re a new hire. Hiding out here is a blessing—no need to worry about others watching you.”
Choi Yukyung smiled as she stacked books neatly.
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