Chapter 7 — A Junior Who Eats Well Is Bound to Look Cute, Right?

“That thing… you just get used to it once you’ve been around long enough. It’s nothing special.”

“Woooow. That’s such a classic answer.”

“Did I sound a little old-fashioned?”

“A little? Quite a lot, actually. But you sounded like a really cool old-fashioned guy.”

Thinking that I had somehow reached the point where a junior employee could call me an old-timer made me realize how quickly time had passed.

I had fortunately landed a job at a major firm while I was still in university. Then I got married without so much as a break. Ten years of marriage had given me a lovely daughter. And now I was in my current position.

As someone might put it, I had been walking down a smooth road.

The result of all that was—

‘I became an old-timer before I even had time to realize it… Interesting…’

“It’s nice to hear you think of me that way. Since I’ve already become an old-timer, let me give you one more piece of advice…”

I paused for a moment, and Kim Anna’s eyes sparkled.

“What is it?”

“Compared to me, Ms. Anna, you’re more open-minded, and in a way, you have less of that stain called ‘tradition’ on you. So I think you could become an even better accountant than I am. What do you think? Am I still officially an old-timer?”

“Oh my! You sounded exactly like my homeroom teacher back in high school! But you’re still cool!”

I should become a good mentor to this fresh-faced newcomer.

Just as Managing Director Choi Pil-yong had been to me a long time ago.

“Homeroom teacher…? My homeroom teacher back in school was pretty terrible…”

“Oh, no! Mine was a really good person. A true adult. And in that sense, Mr. Lee, you’re a true adult too! You have such a strong mature vibe!”

“Haha. An adult?”

“Yes. Totally cool and mature!”

I suppose I had already become her mentor.

It felt pretty good.

“If you get promoted now, you’ll be the perfect role model for me! Congratulations in advance, Director!”

“Come on. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Promotions aren’t that simple.”

“Come on, I know the managing director has the authority to make personnel decisions. It’s in the company regulations! If the managing director likes you, isn’t it basically a done deal?”

In truth, it practically was.

I agreed with her on that much, but I couldn’t go around counting my chickens before they hatched.

I had my dignity to maintain.

“Personnel authority and promotion are two different things. I’ve gained a somewhat favorable position, but nothing is confirmed yet. I don’t know what the executive director will think.”

“Hmm… That’s true. The executive director is the ultimate old-timer among old-timers…”

Right.

We had our very own living cultural heritage: the executive director.

And Kim Anna continued her theory about the executive director being an old-timer.

“And… the executive director… He’s someone who’s incredibly attached to that whole ‘tradition’ thing… Ah…”

Perhaps it was thanks to that very attitude that we had managed to maintain our relationship with such a major client for this long.

Although what would happen from now on depended on how the designated-audit system settled into place.

“That’s right, Ms. Anna. If you asked me whether the executive director’s style is closer to mine or Choi Moon-young’s… it would probably be closer to Mr. Choi Moon-young’s. Now that I’ve actually said it out loud, I’m even less reassured.”

“Ah, that can never be right. If someone like Mr. Choi is the formula for success, does that mean everyone who failed to get promoted is like you, Mr. Lee? If anything, most people who failed to make partner probably acted like Mr. Choi. It’s simple if you look at it as a proposition.”

Kim Anna said it with a smile.

A logical way of speaking that seemed characteristic of someone from a science background.

I found it difficult.

My head hurt.

I decided to boldly give up on understanding it.

“Hmm… I appreciate the sentiment, at least. Though I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Even if I put aside the personal affection I have for you, Mr. Lee, I clearly think you’re more suited to becoming a partner.”

Life really was full of surprises.

To hear something like that from a fresh-faced newcomer young enough to be practically twelve years my junior…

It was a little absurd, but her boldness was cute, so I decided to listen for a while as a change of pace.

“Why?”

“Because you have integrity. Not everyone would react the way you did today. Most people become nothing more than yes-men in front of their partners, don’t they? But you’ve experienced saying no. That means you think things over at least once and give them another consideration. If you were some crazy person who just rammed straight into everything, I wouldn’t even want to look at you. But you’re someone who knows when to apply the brakes in a critical moment. Wouldn’t that obviously be an advantage to them?”

They say interpretation can be more important than the dream itself.

Hearing this young newcomer’s interpretation made me feel better again.

“I’m right, aren’t I? It’s nice seeing you smile. I haven’t seen you smile like that in a while.”

Apparently, a smile had spread across my face without me realizing it.

“Yeah. Thank you. You’ve given me some courage.”

“You’re thanking me? Then buy me dinner after we finish our fieldwork today. And soju, too.”

The thought of having dinner alone with a woman who wasn’t my wife, leaving my child and wife behind, made me a little uncomfortable.

Before I knew it, the fierce wind had stopped, and I could feel sunlight warming my back.

“Taxi!”

The timing was perfect.

Kim Anna hailed a taxi, and I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to show her my hesitation.

“Hello?”

Lee Jin-ho’s wife, Park Na-young, answered the phone with delight.

—Are you working hard?

“No. Do you think I can concentrate on work when I’m thinking about you?”

Park Na-young had been sitting in the director’s office, going through some documents, when she received the call.

She didn’t look like a woman who had been married for ten years.

The joy on her face at receiving a call after such a long time seemed to bring back the vibrancy of her younger days.

Her face came alive.

—Why don’t we have dinner somewhere nice tonight?

“Somewhere nice? Where? Did something good happen?”

—I don’t know. A young woman asked me out on a date, and it made me think of you.

“Wow, you’re still quite popular, aren’t you? Should I be honored?”

—Of course you should. So, what do you say? Are you free tonight?

“Hmm… I’m busy, but I’ll make some time.”

Her expression looked even more lively than it had that morning.

One good thing about being an accountant was that you got fed well.

Whether it was a colossal company like Daewoo Electronics or the quaint little company we were visiting today,

they always made sure to take good care of the food.

“Peter Pan Industries is privately held, isn’t it?”

I had described Peter Pan Industries as quaint, but within the industry, it actually wielded considerable influence.

It was only quaint compared to a mammoth-sized company like Daewoo Electronics. Calling it genuinely small and cute would have been unfair.

Its main business was producing animation and manufacturing and selling children’s toys. It owned several popular characters, making it one of the most profitable companies in the industry.

In short, it could be called the No. 1 company in the domestic industry.

‘You can imagine how expensive children’s toys must be… What a profitable little business…’

If I had been an ordinary single-income family man, things might have been a little difficult.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm… This company has been around for a long time, and it’s quite well known. Why hasn’t it gone public?”

She was still as innocent as a fresh-faced rookie.

I had to answer her naive question.

“Just as you studied. The management and major shareholders would lose some control, so… rather than saying they couldn’t go public, it would be more accurate to say they chose not to. At least in this case.”

“I know that part because we studied it. So would it be fair to say they prioritize certain profits right in front of them rather than growing the company as large as possible?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see it that way. There could also be circumstances beyond their control. That’s something you can look into from here on out, Ms. Anna. Consider it homework, though not exactly homework.”

After exchanging a few brief words, we got out of the taxi.

“Thank you, sir. And please make it 100,000 won.”

“Oh, is that really okay?”

“Yes. You came such a long way. Use it to cover the tolls on your way back.”

“Oh my, thank you even more. You seem like a businessman. I’ll pray that everything goes well for you today.”

We stood in front of the main entrance of Peter Pan Industries, located in an industrial district of Incheon.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I could almost smell the sea in the air.

“Hello. Are you the people from Freud Accounting?”

A man with a slightly irritable-looking face and thick black-rimmed glasses greeted us.

“Yes. Hello. You’re Mr. Kim Won-hee, head of the accounting department, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. Thank you for coming all this way. Why don’t you have lunch first, then we’ll get started? Since you’ve come all this way to help us, I’ve reserved a really excellent restaurant.”

Once again, we were being well fed.

And in return for being treated to good food, we had to provide them with a careful yet compact solution.

Something that would keep them from running into serious trouble later.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks to you, I get to eat something good too. Isn’t that good for both sides? And please take good care of us, all right? You know what I mean.”

The head of accounting gave us a friendly smile that didn’t match his somewhat stern appearance.

Even a child could guess what he meant.

“Yes. We’ll do our best to work things out together.”

Although the accounting industry was one in which we had to sell our services to make a living, there was a way to turn clients into lifelong clients.

And it certainly wasn’t by blindly covering up every flaw and pretending nothing was wrong.

‘What kind of world do we live in these days?’

Our job was to prevent problems like the one that had happened this morning before they happened.

Accepting hospitality, saying yes to everything, and then keeping our mouths shut was no different from drinking from a poisoned chalice.

A certain amount of criticism and advice was necessary.

“Wow, is this a local restaurant recommended by a local? I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Really? I don’t know if it’ll suit a young lady’s tastes…”

“Don’t worry. I love trying new things. Food is no exception.”

“Uh… pufferfish… P-pufferfish… The fish that gets all round and develops spikes when it gets angry… The one with deadly poison… Right?”

“Yes. That’s right. Why? Are you scared?”

“Ah… Mr. Lee, honestly, I never even considered trying it… I’m not scared or anything…”

If she wasn’t scared, then why was her face so pale that it practically screamed I’m terrified?

“Hmm… Ms. Anna, your face seems a little pale. You said you liked trying new things… I guess you’re a bit of a scaredy-cat.”

She looked a little cute like that.

“You said your name was Anna, right? This place is a genuinely famous restaurant. And I bet tens of thousands of people have eaten pufferfish here, right? Nobody’s died yet. Haha.”

“Well… the dead can’t exactly talk…”

“Sorry about this. I should’ve asked you beforehand… But we can’t exactly change restaurants now.”

“No! Don’t worry about me. I’m really fine! I’m not scared!”

There was no need to pore over the menu.

The client had already reserved the restaurant’s signature dishes.

All we had to do was wait in anticipation and whet our appetites.

“Come to think of it, do you have children?”

Mr. Kim Won-hee asked as he wiped his hands with a wet towel.

“Yes. I have one daughter. She’s still very small. And she’s pretty.”

“Ah, I see. Then I’ll give you a few sample dolls. We’re planning to release them soon with a concept similar to Habi dolls. If you take them home, your daughter will love them.”

“But what should I do? My daughter likes robots and dinosaurs. She takes after me.”

“Robots and dinosaurs…? Haha. That’s unusual. There are girls like that from time to time. My son loved dolls when he was little, too. Good grief… Back then, our industry was really living its golden age…”

Mr. Kim reminisced about the past.

About when he had first joined the company.

Back then, miniature cars, robots, and so on had been part of a golden age for the toy industry that would never return.

“Well, I suppose those days aren’t coming back…”

The head of accounting smacked his lips and took a sip of water.

Rattle—

The tatami door slid open, and at last, the pufferfish dishes arrived.

“Oh my, they told me we had some important guests today, so I put in a little extra effort. Enjoy your meal.”

As regulars of the restaurant, we received a personal greeting from the owner herself.

Then came a table so heavily laden with side dishes and the main course that it looked as though the legs might bend under the weight.

“All right, go ahead and try it. This stuff is incredible.”

There were various side dishes, with thinly sliced jjolbok pufferfish sashimi arranged in the center.

I had eaten it several times before, but today I decided to pretend it was my first time.

Of course, it was all for the sake of maintaining a beautiful relationship with the client.

“This is a little different from ordinary pufferfish sashimi, isn’t it? It doesn’t look like it was simply sliced…”

“Haha. This is jjolbok. The standard Korean name is jolbok, and it’s actually a very small species of pufferfish. Here, take a look at the bokguk.”

He brushed aside the water parsley floating on top of the clear pufferfish soup and used his spoon to scoop up the ingredients at the bottom.

“See? These little guys are jolbok. Each one is sliced up individually to make this sashimi. Cute, right?”

A baby pufferfish, small enough to fit entirely in one bite, its head cleanly chopped off and resting on a spoon.

“Oh my God…”

Kim Anna squeezed her eyes shut at the sight.

“Cute, right? You won’t die if you eat it properly, so go ahead and enjoy it.”

“Well, if it’s safe, try some. We’re working, so no alcohol.”

“Cute? It’s scary…”

“Haha. A scaredy-cat eating jjolbok. That’s funny.”

“What was that…? That kind of pun sounds just like something Director Ma would say… Whew…”

I didn’t pressure her.

I simply kept bringing delicious pieces of jjolbok to my mouth.

Watching me, Kim Anna finally gathered her courage.

“A junior who eats well is bound to look cute, right?”

“Of course.”

She picked up a piece of jjolbok, coated it generously in wasabi, and then dipped it into a huge amount of chogochujang.

Then, as though performing some kind of ritual, she squeezed both eyes shut.

Chew, chew—

“Aren’t you eating that a little too well?”

Once she got a taste, she couldn’t stop.

Everything is difficult the first time.

After that, it gets easy.

“Ah. It’s delicious. Well, surely I won’t die, right? If something happens, I can take an ambulance ride while I’m at it.”

I hadn’t even ridden in an ambulance myself.

And I sincerely hoped Kim Anna would never have a reason to ride in one.