CHAPTER 23

As the employee left, Siyeon looked around the small office that was now filled with silence. She noticed the letters “Young-jin” prominently displayed in various places and found herself feeling somewhat sentimental as she gazed at the name. 

Lost in thought, Siyeon was staring at the word “Young-jin” when suddenly the door opened with a creak. 

“Yang Noona!” 

Startled, Siyeon quickly turned around as the door creaked open. A young man wearing the factory’s uniform jacket was holding onto the doorknob and scanning Siyeon up and down. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, then relaxed them. 

“Are you a part-timer?” 

“Yes.” 

Siyeon replied politely. His actions seemed very natural, suggesting that he was probably one of Young-jin’s employees. 

“Wasn’t Deputy Yang just here?” 

“She was, but she left. She said she’d come back with the part-timers.” 

The man nodded and stepped inside. He prepared a cup of instant coffee in a paper cup, sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, and began to blow on it before taking a sip. Siyeon stood awkwardly beside the desk. 

“Have you ever worked in packaging before?” 

The man asked casually as he set the coffee cup down on the glass table. His appearance was like that of an interviewer at a third-round job interview for a large corporation. 

“No, today is my first day.” 

“It might be tough at first, but it gets better as you go. And the cafeteria here serves delicious food, and the portions are generous. It’s a shared cafeteria for companies in the industrial complex, and it’s better than most regular Korean restaurants.” 

“Yes.” 

Siyeon replied briefly and then felt a bit awkward, so she turned on her phone and started browsing various news articles on the internet. She was worried about being late and excited about the possibility of seeing her Hannam-dong father so she hurried on her way and ended up arriving too early. Apart from her, no other part-timers had arrived yet. 

“No phones allowed during work.” 

“…Okay.” 

Even though she hadn’t even started working yet, the male employee was overly strict. Still, since he was an employee, Siyeon obediently put her phone back into her bag. 

With her hands clasped in front of her and standing there idly, the man took his phone out of his jacket and nonchalantly turned on the screen, as if to show off. Siyeon blinked. 

“…You just told me no phones…” 

“We haven’t started working yet.” 

Siyeon was at a loss for words at his nonchalant response. As she remained silent, the man glanced at her briefly. 

“How old are you?” 

“…I’m 20 years old.” 

“You’re the same age as Eunhye. Oh, the boss’s daughter’s name is Eunhye. Choi Eunhye.” 

The man explained with a slightly arrogant tone. Judging by how casually he mentioned the boss’s daughter’s name, it seemed that what Deputy Yang had mentioned about the employees being close to the boss was true. 

Just as Siyeon was nodding her head, the office door swung wide open. 

“Oh? Mansoo, you’re here already? You’re a top-notch part-timer, as expected!” 

“Yang noona!”

“…?” 

Top part-timer? Siyeon blinked as she watched the two people acting like they knew each other. 

The man called Mansoo was named Park Yoon-soo, a university student on leave. He was one of the part-time workers who had been specially rehired because he did his job well. 

“Yoon-soo went to a prestigious university. He used to tutor the boss’s daughter in math.” 

He had quite an unusual background. After tutoring Eun-hye in math for a few months, he decided that he was better suited for physical labor, and he liked the family atmosphere at Yeongjin, so he chose to work there as a long-term part-timer. 

“But hey, aren’t you gonna take off that jacket? It’s Manager Lee’s jacket!” 

Deputy Yang scolded him, and Yoonsoo reluctantly took off the jacket and handed it to her. 

The jacket had the company logo on it, and the owner’s name was embroidered in golden thread near the chest area. He had been wearing it so naturally that Siyeon hadn’t realized it wasn’t his own clothes. It just looked like he had just slipped on another employee’s jacket when he came into the office. He was a fun guy. 

Anyway, all five part-timers, including Park Yoon-soo, had gathered in one place. Deputy Yang introduced them to the factory employees, and they kindly explained how to work to the three beginners.

The job was to fold disposable packaging boxes that came on the automatic tray and carefully transfer them into large boxes. Siyeon put on a hairnet, transparent mask, and gloves, and sat in the designated spot. 

“Yoon-soo, are you going to go back to school this time?” 

A middle-aged woman who seemed to know him well asked with a hearty laugh. She was the team leader. Strangely enough, even while talking, her hands moved quickly and constantly. The speed at which she worked was so fast that even if you watched closely, you couldn’t keep up with the movement of her hands. 

“Yes, my mother insisted since I went back to school, she wanted me to graduate as well.” 

“Oh, so you didn’t want to attend that good school?”

 “Well, it’s quite far from here.” 

“Don’t make excuses. If I were told to go to that school, I’d even walk if I had to!” 

Her colleagues laughed along with her as she spoke. 

Siyeon remained focused on her packaging work, only vaguely listening to their conversation. For her, who had just started, the idea of conversing and becoming skilled at work seemed like a distant goal. 

“How old is the pretty student over there?” 

“….” 

“Hey, pretty student, look up. You seem shy.” 

At that moment, someone tapped Siyeon’s table from the side. Finally lifting her head, Siyeon noticed the gazes directed at her and widened her eyes a bit 

“What’s your name, student?” 

“…I’m Siyeon. Kim Siyeon.” 

“Siyeon? That’s a pretty name. You seem younger than our daughter. How old are you?” 

“I’m 20 years old.” 

“A student?” 

“Yes, I’m starting college this year.” 

As Siyeon replied, she carefully folded the corners of the boxes. Although others were fast and accurate in folding, her speed was noticeably slower due to her lack of experience. 

“Young ladies don’t usually like working here; you’re quite unusual.” 

The older lady commented, seeming like she wanted to compliment Siyeon. Siyeon met her gaze and nodded slightly, a smile forming on her lips. 

“What do you think of our Yoon-soo, student? He may seem a bit rough on the outside, but he’s pretty good. He also attends a good school.” 

“Team leader, you said it’s absolutely not allowed to date!” 

“I- did I say that?” 

“You said it twice!” 

The team leader replied, and this caused laughter among the people nearby. They were a cheerful bunch. Later, when the lady showed a picture of her daughter, Siyeon understood Yoonsoo’s frustration and the woman’s sincerity. Her daughter was genuinely beautiful and she wouldn’t want to introduce her to just anyone. 

The atmosphere in the workspace was warm and friendly. Siyeon had heard that many places where people worked all day were silent and did not talk, but Young-jin was different. The employees who had known each other for a long time chatted happily, and to Siyeon, it seemed like this actually improved work efficiency. 

“Let’s go eat!” 

Lunchtime had arrived. As soon as the team leader finished speaking, the automatic tray machine stopped moving and everyone put down their work. 

Siyeon finally relaxed after being tense for so long. Her rigid posture while working had made her shoulders and back stiff, and her hands were also numb. 

“It’s hard because it’s your first time, right? It’ll be nothing once you get used to it.” 

“Yes.” 

The team leader patted Siyeon’s shoulder and walked ahead. Siyeon followed the other part-time workers and employees. 

Although she had quickly secured a packaging job due to her fast movements, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that there weren’t any peers her age to chat with. Except for Deputy Yang, most of them were parents. 

They arrived at the restaurant and gathered around the tables. Siyeon put food on her plate and went to sit where the team leader gestured. 

The restaurant, shared with other factories in the industrial complex, was indeed an excellent place. The side dishes, including meat and fish, were plentiful and delicious. Perhaps because she had worked hard, even the rice tasted incredibly good. Siyeon took a big spoonful of rice into her mouth and savored it.

 “Where do you live?” 

“Gangdong-gu.”

Siyeon replied after swallowing the food in her mouth. She was receiving a lot of attention from the factory workers among the new hires. 

“You came all the way from Gangdong-gu to here?” 

“Yes.” 

The team leader widened his eyes in surprise. 

“So you took the subway and walked here from the station?” 

“Yes, but it wasn’t too far.” 

Siyeon answered with a smile. 

She was surprised by their reaction. It would have been hard to understand why someone would come all the way here for a part-time job. Although they paid a little more per hour than minimum wage, when you factored in transportation costs, it wasn’t really worth it. From an economic standpoint, it would have been better to work for a lower hourly wage in her own neighborhood. 

“What did your parents say? Even though it’s winter, it snows easily.” 

“I live alone.” 

“Don’t you have any siblings?” 

“No, I’m an only child because I’m adopted.” 

“Ah…” 

Siyeon’s response didn’t just surprise the team leader. The people around who had been listening to their conversation exchanged startled glances. The team leader spoke with a worried tone. 

“You can’t just say that you’re living alone when someone asks. The world is so dangerous.” 

The emotion that appeared on her face was a mix of concern and regret. Siyeon had answered without thinking, momentarily forgetting that she was only 20 years old, having just graduated from high school. 

Siyeon considered giving further explanation that her parents were still alive but she chose to stop. If she did, she would have to explain why she was living alone in the first place. 

“Okay, I will.” 

“So you support yourself by working? Does your part-time job cover your tuition and living expenses?” 

“That’s why I plan to do other work during weekdays.” 

“You’re very diligent and hardworking. You’ll do well.” 

Instead of answering, Siyeon smiled and picked up her chopsticks to eat the side dishes. People would be surprised to learn that she earned her own living expenses through part-time jobs, even though she had a substantial amount of money in her bank account. But unless it was a truly desperate situation, Siyeon had no intention of using that money.

“Oh, by the way, Sukhee. Has the boss arrived yet? I saw Mr. Park briefly earlier, but did he go to some business partner or something?” 

Deputy Yang, who had been with the company for eight years, asked Sukhee in a friendly tone. From the context of the conversation, it seemed like Mr. Park was probably the driver of her Hannam-dong father. 

“He left home with Eunhye. Mr. Park said they were going to the car dealership and would have lunch there before coming back.” 

“Seems like the boss is going to buy a car for Eunhye. Does she have a driver’s license?” 

“He said they’re getting the car in advance and will wait for the delivery.” 

“I wonder what good deeds Eunhye did in her past life to be born as the out-of-wedlock daughter of our boss and his wife.” 

Suddenly, Siyeon’s appetite plummeted. She chewed the remaining food in her mouth slowly and then took a sip of water from her cup.