Do Not Feed Recklessly - Chapter 5. Part 3

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Unlike Jia, who had to go to work every morning, Ethan was still enjoying his leisurely days, claiming that his language school hadn’t started yet.

As Jia, still groggy and tired, got ready for work, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy as she glanced at Ethan, still buried under the blanket.

“Must be nice,” she muttered to herself.

At least it was Thursday. If she could just get through today and tomorrow, the weekend would finally arrive.

Trying to muster some energy, Jia forced herself out the door, though every step felt like a struggle. The thought of the team dinner later that night made her even more reluctant to go to work.

But there was no escaping it. With a heavy heart, she dragged herself to her shoes. Sensing movement, Ethan, still half asleep, looked out at her dazedly.

“You heading to work?”

“Yeah, I’m going to be late tonight.”

“Late?”

“Yeah, there’s a company dinner. We’re drinking tonight.”

Ethan’s eyes were still half closed as if he hadn’t quite woken up yet. Jia glanced at the time and, without lingering, headed out the door.

Thud – the sound of the door closing behind her – Jia sprinted to the station, hoping not to miss the subway. It was a commute she had grown accustomed to by now.

“Good morning. Hello.”

But the company still didn’t feel familiar to her. The male-dominated atmosphere of her team made it hard for Jia to feel like she truly fit in. Even something as simple as lunch highlighted this—her coworkers would slurp down piping hot bowls of soup in under five minutes, leaving her feeling out of place as she struggled to keep up.

“Wow, looks like you’re still eating, Yu.”

“Well, women tend to eat a bit slower, don’t they? Haha.”

The casual comment made her smile awkwardly, but she couldn’t help feeling out of sync with the team.

“Well, yeah… but hey, don’t feel pressured, take your time eating, okay?”

Even though they told her she could take her time, there was no way Jia could actually do that. So every time, after a few spoonfuls, she’d pretend to be finished and get up with everyone else. It didn’t stop there. After leaving the restaurant, the team would gather outside and light up cigarettes, which was another ordeal for her as she stood awkwardly in the middle of the cloud of smoke, not knowing what to do.

Jia wasn’t a smoker, but since all her teammates were, she had no choice but to stand with them.

‘Ugh, the smell of cigarettes…’

After lunch, when she returned to the office, the smell of cigarettes and stale coffee filled the air.

‘Just get through today and tomorrow…’

With a deep sigh, Jia forced herself to focus on the monitor, though her mind struggled to stay engaged. Thankfully, time passed quickly.

Before she knew it, the end of the workday was approaching. Usually, she’d be excited to pack up and leave, but the thought of the team dinner lingered in her mind, prompting a quiet sigh to escape her lips.

“We can start wrapping up and head out.”

At the team leader’s words, the rest of the team, including Jia, began to rise from their seats one by one. While Jia felt like she was being dragged to the slaughterhouse, the others seemed genuinely excited.

‘What’s so great about team dinners anyway…?’

Confused, Jia gathered her things and followed the team leader out the door. As she walked, one of the assistants, who seemed closer to her age, approached her with a friendly smile and struck up a conversation.

“Jia, where do you live?”

“Oh, I live near Konkuk University. What about you?”

“Wow, no way! I live in Jungnang. We’re practically neighbors. Do you live alone?” 

“Oh, yeah. I live on my own…” 

The conversation felt awkward, especially since they’d never really talked about personal things before. Jia forced a polite, work-related smile as she struggled to keep the conversation going. 

“Our team is all men, so it’s probably a bit boring for you, isn’t it?” 

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” 

“They’re all good people, so you’ll get used to it in no time.” 

Jia silently hoped that would be true, responding only with a short laugh instead of words. 

Just as they arrived at the dinner venue, Jia’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She glanced at the screen to see a message from Ethan.

[Ethan: When will you be home?] 

[Yu Jia: We just started drinking. Why?] 

[Ethan: No reason. I was thinking of picking you up.] 

[Yu Jia: Oh, haha, not yet. I’ll message you when I’m about to leave.]

After hurriedly sending her reply, Jia put her phone away and, as expected, found herself playing the role of polite listener, pouring drinks for the team leader and enduring the dull conversation.

She had to suppress several yawns throughout the evening and it was a real challenge to stay alert. The whole dinner felt like a tiresome routine.

“Well, Yu, you’re pretty lucky. You’re the only woman on the team, so everyone treats you well, right? You’ve got it easy at work too, haha, isn’t that so?”

Jia was confused, not sure when she’d ever felt particularly ‘lucky’ or favored, but she couldn’t argue. So she forced a lifeless smile, lifting the corners of her mouth just enough.

“By the way, when do you plan on getting married? You’ll marry a Korean guy, right?”

“Sorry?”

“I mean, come on. Why else would a perfectly fine young woman living comfortably in Australia come back to Korea, if not for that?”

The use of ‘young lady’ made Jia’s smile stiffen. For a moment, a crack appeared in her expression, but she quickly recovered and forced the smile back into place.

“Haha, well, I haven’t thought about marriage yet…”

“Come on, Manager, you can’t just ask things like that so openly.” one of the team members chimed in, trying to break the awkwardness. 

“Huh? Why not? Is it wrong to ask?” 

Choi, the section chief, whose face was red from drinking too much, giggled and pretended to whisper in the manager’s ear, though his words were loud enough for Jia to hear clearly.

“Come on, that’s typical. Korean women go to Australia, have fun, and then sneak back to Korea when it’s time to get married. You should know that you should play along and not make a fuss.

“Oh, is that how it is?”