Shadows of the past

In the same building where the cafe where I had breakfast yesterday was located, there was also a grocery store, which, given the proximity to home, was very convenient. I bought a minimum set of products that would allow me to not go anywhere for at least a couple of days and concentrate as much as possible on studying materials for work. On the street I was already greeted by a downpour, and judging by the sky covered with dark clouds, it did not intend to end anytime soon. I ran to the pedestrian crossing, where the traffic light, of course, showed a red signal. For some reason, holding my bag over my head, as if it could save me from this stream of water, I thought that even such a weather surprise could not ruin my mood today. At some point it became even darker overhead, but the rain stopped or… Did someone stop it? I looked back and saw Ji Yu Ong standing nearby and holding a large black umbrella over us. - You’re saving me again. - Yes, with your move my life has become much more exciting, that’s without a doubt. -Are you deliberately increasing the list of my debts to you? - Dolgov? Do you think that I am doing this for some benefit? - No, it’s just… Yesterday you said… - It will be difficult for you in a profession without a sense of humor, — Yu Ong laughed and handed me an envelope. — Please bring it home so that it doesn’t get wet, there are important documents there. - Hey, I have a sense of humor! — For some reason, his words hurt me, however, without further questions, I took the envelope and mechanically shoved it under my jacket, pressing it to me, while Ji Yu Ong literally snatched the bag of groceries from my other hand. — I can do it myself… - If we continue to argue now, the red light will light up again. Let’s go, — I hurried after Yu Ong, who quickly began to cross the roadway. — And don’t forget about the envelope, Baek Na Ri. -Are you always like this? - Which? — I didn’t see his face, but I heard from his voice that he was smiling. - Such… — I myself didn’t know how to formulate what I thought about him, and now I mentally scolded myself for this question. — Sharp. Straightforward. Too much. - Is this the impression I give? Interesting. Continue. - Unpredictable. Just when it begins to seem to me that you are normal, you immediately convince me of the opposite, — we stopped at the door of the house, and during our entire conversation, for the first time, our eyes met when Yu Ong turned to me. - There is little that is normal in my life, so don’t expect what is not there — don’t waste time, — it was clear from his intonation that the conversation was over. — Your package. - Thank you. And for not letting me get wet either. - Envelope, — Ji Yu Ong extended his hand and looked at me expectantly. - It didn’t get wet too, — I gave the envelope, noticing that it was filled out in Chinese. -Are you not going home? - No, a large batch of books arrived, the documents were sent separately by mail. We need to put everything in the registry so that the books can be put on sale this weekend — after everything I just said, such a detailed answer was unexpected, and I felt extremely awkward. - Well… In that case, I won’t detain you. Thanks again. Ji Yu Ong, without answering anything, went to the entrance of the store, and I, not paying attention to the rain, continued to stand and look after him, hoping that he would not turn around and see me. With a habitual movement, he opened the door lock and went inside. I had a strange feeling that superseded all impressions of the day — like a feeling of some kind of connection with a complete stranger. It seemed that the explanation for this was literally on the surface, but it was impossible to grasp it. Come on, some kind of nonsense… I shook my head, driving away unnecessary thoughts, and strands of wet hair hit my cheeks unpleasantly. Oh… I need to go home and check if the letter arrived from Young Hee. I managed to change clothes, dry my hair, have dinner, but there was still no letter, and its absence forced me to walk around the apartment from corner to corner, glancing at my watch every five minutes. Young Hee said that she needs to finish everything at work, and materials for me are definitely not the most urgent thing on her list, so there is no reason to worry. I hope. I really, really hope so. You just need to be distracted by something, switch your attention, occupy the evening and then time will fly by. I looked out the window — it was already dark and the rain seemed to have stopped. Throwing a jacket over my shoulders, I went out into the street to take a walk and at the same time find some delicious coffee somewhere nearby. I meandered through the streets for a while, and soon came across a small coffee kiosk that filled the cold autumn air with the aroma of coffee. - Good evening! What should I cook to make this rainy evening a little tastier for you? — The barista, seeing me, leaned over the counter, attracting attention to himself. He was a middle-aged man, wearing a professional chef’s apron and a backwards baseball cap. He looked tired, but despite this, he behaved very friendly, leaving no chance to leave without placing an order. - Hello! Please, big Americano. - Do you have one? - Two, — I blurted out the answer without thinking, surprising myself. What the hell, Baek Na Ri?.. - Oooh, great choice, — the barista winked playfully and took out a package of coffee from the cabinet that was not on display. - It is unlikely… - Believe me, I will make the best coffee for you, and whoever you decide to warm in such chilly weather will definitely appreciate it, — I watched in fascination at the ease and skill with which the man handled the tools for making coffee, until he put in front of me are two colored glasses. — We have several new seasonal flavors, and I’ll tell you a secret — they are delicious, so I will be glad if you visit us again someday. - It seems you just got a regular client, — I inhaled the aroma of coffee and closed my eyes with pleasure. — If regular Americano smells like that, I can’t even imagine how good your other drinks are. - I promise to surprise you with an unexpected combination of flavors. Good evening! - Thank you, too! Drinking two large glasses of strong coffee at this late hour was a bad idea, and I wandered towards the house, trying not to think ahead of time about where Ji Yu Ong was now. When I got there, I saw lights in the store. Well… Maybe he’ll be happy with a dose of caffeine if he works so late today. I walked up to the door, which was locked from the inside, and timidly knocked. Yu Ong was sitting at the table and after the knock he only looked up, as if checking to see if he had imagined it. Seeing me, he immediately jumped up and opened the door. - Baek Na Ri? Something happened? - No, I… I saw that you were still here and decided to come in, — Yu Ong looked at me worriedly. - Are you sure nothing happened? - Exactly. I thought that maybe I could help you with books? - You were hired today. - Why do you think so? - When we met, you shone so much that the sun would be jealous. It wasn’t hard to guess. - I’m not here because of work. As you said… Voluntary spiritual impulse? - Even if I ask, you won’t leave, right? — I shook my head negatively, and Yu Ong stepped aside, allowing me to enter. - I don’t know what kind of coffee you like, so I took Americano. - Very helpful, thank you, — Yu Ong took a sip and hummed contentedly. — Mmm, I recognize the master’s hand. Just so you know, you had a chance to visit the best coffee shop in Seoul. Or maybe all of Korea. - So are you sure that I was exactly in the coffee shop you are thinking about? - Absolutely. Lee Jong Woo is a genius in his field, and I recognize the coffee he makes from a thousand, and I, in turn, unexpectedly learned a little more about Ji Yu Ong himself. - So what about the books? — I looked around at the numerous boxes, some of which were already open. - I agree to take a break and have coffee with you, but I can handle the books myself. - Just yesterday you told me that I don’t know how to accept help. So what do I hear today? - Baek Na Ri, — Yu Ong came closer to me and lowered his voice. — Friday. Evening. Do you really want to sit here and fill out plates with book articles? - Very. - There’s still a few more hours of work here. - What a coincidence — I just have a few free hours, — Yu Ong grinned, put a glass of coffee on the table, and began to open another box. - I tried to dissuade you, so don’t complain later. Ji Yu Ong explained to me what to do, and to my surprise, we quickly worked together. To optimize the process, we decided to first check the actual availability of books with the invoice, after which I dictated the articles, which Yu Ong entered into the store’s database, also making a paper copy in case of a possible failure in the system. There were a lot of books, and registering them really took a lot of time, but with our joint efforts we were able to do it much faster than expected. Despite the monotony of the actions, I was interested, and I even thought that perhaps working here would not be such a bad option as Ji Yu Ong presented it yesterday. - Thank you very much. To be honest, I expected that after the first box you would understand what you got yourself into and run away. Even those who work here hate receiving goods, but you heroically endured until the very end. - As practice shows, each of us sometimes needs help with boxes. I’m glad if I could be of some help to you. - Something? Baek Na Ri, don’t underestimate your achievements. Without you, by this time I would not have done half of it. - Oh, now it’s definitely time for me to go home, before I say anything unnecessary and spoil the impression of myself, — I reached for my jacket, which was hanging on the back of the chair, but Ji Yu Ong beat me to it. He carefully straightened it, walked around behind me and helped me get dressed. - Wait just a minute, I’ll turn off the computer and walk you out. - You probably forgot that I have to go to the next door. - And you probably forgot that we are on one way, — turning off the equipment and lights in the store, Yu Ong went to the exit and opened the door, letting me go forward. — Besides, it’s already late. - The area here is so calm that it’s not scary even at this late hour. - Quiet, but there is no such area in which a crime has never occurred. - Do you follow crime news? - Something like that. - We’ve arrived, — we went up to our landing, and compared to our first meeting here, now I didn’t want to leave at all. - Yes. - Is it convenient when work and apartment are in the same house? — the likelihood that the key would get stuck in the lock again was small, so in search of a reason to stay, I began to come up with stupid questions. - It’s funny that despite all the obviousness of this question, no one has ever asked me it in so many years. - What kind of people are they without imagination? — I shook my head with feigned disappointment. - You had the opportunity to check how convenient it is, but… - But Koinex separated us. - Exactly. But seriously, I’m glad you passed the interview. - If it weren’t for our conversation yesterday, I doubt that I would have decided to write to them. - Just don’t shift responsibility for your actions onto me. And, one way or another, congratulations. I hope that working there will meet your expectations. - Thank you. We have to go, it’s really late. The day was busy and, apparently, not only for me. - Get a good night’s sleep, your strength will be useful. Good night! - Good night! — Yu Ong waited until I opened the door, and, making sure that I didn’t have any difficulties with this, went into my apartment. Maybe Kim So Joon was right, and Yoo Ong is not such an indifferent and arrogant sociopath. Or maybe I’m just trying to think better about him, because, no matter how strange it may sound, so far in Seoul I have not had anyone closer than him. At home, I immediately checked my mail and saw several letters from Young Hee, each of which had a huge number of attachments. I hope that I will have time to figure everything out over the weekend. The fact that there were people there who were ready to help me was reassuring, but in any case, I had to be well prepared for the first day of work in order to show my best side. I opened the emails to check that all the files and links were working, thanked Young Hee in the reply email, and then decided to go to bed so I could get up early in the morning. On weekends, I did not leave the house and completely concentrated on studying work materials — I read everything that was in the letters, looked for additional articles on the Internet, tried out the functionality of the programs, took notes, trying to fit a ton of new information into my head. It wasn’t easy, but I managed. The main thing is that I can apply all this theory in practice. Monday morning turned out to be anxious — I was afraid of forgetting something, afraid of being late, not to mention the fact that I didn’t remember anything at all from what I had learned over the weekend. I couldn’t even think about breakfast because I was feeling nauseous from being so nervous, and I decided to go to the office early. Rising in the elevator to the desired floor, I looked at my reflection in the mirror — even cosmetics could not save my appearance. Well, what kind of leading editor am I, huh? And why did you agree… When the elevator doors opened, I immediately saw Cha Yeon Hee at her workplace. She looked away from the monitor, looked at me, then at the clock, and back at me. - You’re early. Good morning! - Good morning… - Everything is fine? You’re kind of pale. - You said on Friday that awareness will come in the process of work. It seems to me that I only realized today how scared I am. - Scared me! I thought something had happened, — Young Hee made a few mouse clicks, took her phone and diary and headed to the elevator. — Let’s go. We went down to the floor below and found ourselves in the office lounge area, which I had not yet seen. - During the day there are usually a lot of people here — some come for a break, others leave. Photographers love to sit here while processing their footage. But in the morning, when the working day just begins, there is usually no one here, and this is my place of power to get ready to work in an informal environment, — putting her things on the sofa, which was almost the entire wall, Yong Hee headed towards the kitchen block. — Now let’s have a cup of hot coffee and the anxiety will go away. - Mr. Nam Hyun Shik said to come to him today to draw up a work plan. - He warned that he had some kind of meeting in the first half of the day, so he would be in the late afternoon. But he sent me all the information, so now we’ll recharge our batteries and discuss everything. Here you go, — Cha Yeon Hee handed me a cup of coffee, and she took her own and went to the window. — I keep thinking when I’ll get tired of admiring this view… - Yes, the view from here is incredible, the city is at your fingertips. We finished our coffee in silence, standing by the window. Each of us was thinking about something different at that moment, but Yeon Hee was right — being here I really managed to calm down and collect my thoughts. Our impromptu pause ended and we began discussing work issues. I clarified everything that I didn’t understand myself, after which Young Hee gave me a work plan for the whole week, explaining each point in detail. - At first, at the end of the working day, you will go to Mr. Nam Hyun Shik to show the results of your work. If necessary, he will make adjustments and give the necessary advice so that you have a clear understanding of which direction to move next. Remember that now your work is not at speed. Yes, we have tight deadlines, but the next issue of the magazine is being handled by other employees, so you will have time to calmly get into the work, but the next issue will be entirely on you, — Yong Hee paused and looked at me, noticing that I was again I’m starting to get nervous. — Na Ri, no one will leave you alone. The release of the magazine is the result of the work of a very large number of people and believe me, each of them is interested in ensuring that everything goes smoothly at all stages. You can always ask for help on any issue. - I remember this. - That is great. And now I suggest you go to your workplaces and get to work. If anything happens, call immediately. - Thank you, Young Hee. I can’t imagine how I would have coped here without you. - I’m sure that without any problems there would be someone who would be just as happy to help you. But still, no one will do all the work for us, so let’s go. I walked into my office, now in the official position of leading editor. Having settled down at the table, I sat for a couple more minutes without noticing how a smile appeared on my face. The fear has receded, all that remains is a strong desire to complete all the tasks received at the highest level — not for the sake of praise, although it is certainly pleasant, but for my own satisfaction with my result. The day flew by unnoticed. If it weren’t for the editors’ kind invitation to lunch again, I probably would have spent the whole day in my office. Towards evening, Young Hee called me and said that Nam Hyun Shik wanted to see me. Having saved all the files, I dropped them into the work cloud and went to the manager. - Come in, he’s waiting, — Cha Yeon Hee was probably very busy, so without taking her eyes off the computer she vaguely pointed towards the door. - Mr. Nam Hyun Shik, good afternoon! — I went in, carefully closed the door behind me and bowed. - Na Ri, hello! — Nam Hyung Sik was sitting in his chair, and even from a distance it was difficult not to notice that he was in very high spirits. — Come in, sit down, tell me how your day went. - Everything is great, thanks. Cha Yeon Hee really helped me adapt to a new place. I sent everything I managed to do during the day to the cloud. - Okay, I’ll look at it a little later and tomorrow I’ll give you feedback on all the completed material. I didn’t call you for this — how do you generally like being in our company? Have you met your colleagues? - Yes, there is an amazing atmosphere here. Everyone was very open, friendly and received me well. Thank you. - Glad to hear that. Professional skills can be developed, but when the team is uncomfortable, it is more difficult. But I had no doubt that everyone would like you, — I embarrassedly looked down and nodded in gratitude. — In that case, congratulations on finishing your first day of work. Go home and rest, and tomorrow we will move on to discussing work issues. - Thank you, Mr. Nam Hyun Shik! - I should thank fate for bringing you to our company. Have a nice evening, Baek Na Ri. - Goodbye, — I stood up and, bowing, headed towards the exit. After saying goodbye to Young Hee, who was still engrossed in work despite the end of the working day, I returned to my office to get my things and then went home. Near the entrance to the bookstore, I saw Kim So Joon talking with an unfamiliar man. - Ms. Baek Na Ri! Ms. Baek Na Ri! — Noticing me, Seo Joon immediately ran up. — It’s so good that you came. - Something happened? — the man came up after So Joon. - Detective Ahn Soo Ho, this is Ms. Baek Na Ri, Mr. Ji Yu Ong’s neighbor. - Good afternoon. Detective Ahn Su Ho, — the man showed his badge, making it clear that the conversation was going to be official. - Hello, detective. To what do I owe this attention? - When was the last time you saw Ji Yu Ong? - Did something happen to him? - Please answer the question asked, — what a rude guy. - Friday night. - Under what circumstances? - A batch of new books arrived at the store, I helped him add them to the register. - What happened then? - Then we went home. - And than? - We each went to our own homes. I have no idea what Mr. Ji Yu Ong was doing. I checked my email, took a shower, and went to bed. Or do you want to hear more details, Detective Ahn? -Keep your sarcasm to yourself, Ms. Baek Na Ri. Did you see Ji Yu Ong over the weekend? - No, today was my first day at work, and I was at home all weekend getting ready. - He didn’t say anything to you on Friday? Maybe he was planning to leave somewhere? - There is nothing. Can you finally explain what happened? - Mr. Ji Yu Ong has disappeared… — Seo Jun looked very worried. - What do you mean disappeared? - He gave me a day off on Friday and asked me to work for three days. It happened that he did not come to the store on some days, but he always stayed in touch, but this time the phone was turned off and he was not at home. - How can you be so sure that he is not at home? Maybe he felt bad, maybe… — in a second the most terrible assumptions flashed through my head, but the detective jingled a bunch of keys, interrupting my flow of thoughts. - I came in. No one. - If he asked Kim So Joon to work for three days, then he planned that he would not be there. Maybe he will arrive later today and it’s too early to panic? And the phone could simply be dead. - Unfortunately, there is reason to panic. - What is the reason? - You don’t need to know about it. Thank you for answering the questions. I don’t dare detain you any longer. I said goodbye and went home, because there was no desire to continue this conversation, because no one here would definitely answer my questions, and now there were plenty of them. Why is the detective so interested in Ji Yu Ong’s absence? If he has the keys to the apartment, then they know each other, but then why didn’t Yu Ong tell him where he was going? After dinner, I started searching for information on the articles that were scheduled for editing tomorrow in order to better understand the material, and before going to bed I turned on some kind of comedy in the background, which I was going to fall asleep to. For more than two hours I tossed and turned in bed to no avail, each time looking sadly at the changing numbers on the clock, but there was no sleep. I remembered those nights when my father left home without saying where or for how long, and I also waited and could not sleep. Over all the years, I never managed to get used to it, and every time I worried until the moment he returned home. But why am I now worried about a complete stranger… Having counted how much sleep I had left, I groaned doomedly, and at that second steps were heard on the stairs. Trying to move as quickly as possible and at the same time as quietly as possible, I ran to the door. Through the door peephole, I saw Ji Yu Ong entering his apartment, and for some reason this made me happy. I returned to bed and fell asleep barely covered with the blanket.