Time Mansour - Chapter 72
Only Noblemtl
Episode 72 In a Shaking World
“My situation is truly pathetic.”
Director Chun has a bitter smile on his face.
It’s not just me who pities him.
He himself seemed to feel pity for himself.
“It’s salty.”
I feel a little sad, so I raise my glass for no reason.
Now, Director Chun had no one to blame.
Because it was just a restructuring and layoffs according to the acquired company’s policy.
It was just bad luck. The promotion was delayed and the tower I had worked so hard to build collapsed.
But then again, it would be too unfair to just say I was unlucky.
I felt bad, but I thought that if I showed it, Director Chun would be even more miserable.
widely.
I ended up lightly clinking glasses in the air.
“Things in the world really don’t work out the way I thought they would.”
He puts down his glass and stares into space with a dejected expression.
Director Chun has that kind of expression too.
He wasn’t the type of person to reveal his feelings easily.
‘Things are going from bad to worse, so that guy can’t do anything.’
It’s been over six years since I first met Director Chun.
If it’s long, it’s a long time.
Director Chun and I have always had a typical business relationship.
So I didn’t know much about him.
‘Well. We’re not the type to reveal our true feelings to each other.’
The fact that after graduating from a good university, he continued to work only in foreign companies.
I only knew that much in passing.
Even then, he didn’t say it with his own mouth. He heard it from someone else.
Anyway, Director Chun was an elite if ever there was one.
Like any other employee at White Soft.
He was the kind of person who could work more leisurely.
Unlike me.
so.
What was the reason for living so fiercely?
“Why on earth did you work so hard?”
I’m asking a question I’ve always wondered about, even if it’s late.
Director Chun laughs in vain at my unexpected question.
After a moment of silence, I looked quietly at the glass of soju.
“I couldn’t get into the college I wanted when I was young. I had to lower my standards to get a scholarship.”
He opens his mouth as if he’s sighing. Every time he opens his mouth, the smell of alcohol lingers.
And while doing so, I am reminiscing about old memories. I don’t know if it is because of the alcohol or because I am immersed in emotions.
“After graduating from college, I wanted to become a lawyer. But I only dreamed of passing the bar exam. My family didn’t have the financial resources to support me.”
That’s how Director Chun began to tell his stories, one by one.
“So let’s not pass poverty on to our children. Let’s create an environment where they can do whatever they want.”
I think I held on just with that thought.
widely.
After finishing speaking, he poured the soju into his mouth again.
I disinfect the wounds in my heart with soju.
“Mr. Manager, did you have any kids?”
“My daughter. She is in the US with my wife. I was planning to move to the headquarters later on… but this is what happened.”
Then, Director Chun lets out a deep sigh.
He forces a smile on his heartbroken face.
I wish I could say just one word to cheer you up.
I don’t know what to say to comfort you.
Because I’m not really used to it.
so.
“When I was young, living in a shantytown, whenever it rained, the roof would leak. So we would put a red rubber bucket on the floor to keep the rain out.”
Comforting aside, let me just tell you my story.
I guess I had a little too much to drink.
Useless talk comes out for no reason.
“I really liked the sound of water falling back then.”
And then she smiles softly.
Poverty didn’t really matter.
The smile on my mother’s lips.
I wanted to pass that smile on to my child.
But it was an answer without context.
I wonder if Director Chun understood what I said.
“…Maybe I was wrong.”
He looks at me with a serious face.
“There is no right answer. We just have different opinions.”
I shook my head from side to side in response to Director Cheon’s question.
It’s even stranger that people from different backgrounds think the same way.
Everyone will have their own answer in a corner of their heart.
I wonder if it really matters whether it’s right or wrong.
After all, it’s your own answer sheet.
“Well. Okay. I guess there’s no time to go anywhere. No. I’d rather take this opportunity to take a break for a few months and refresh myself.”
“No. Mr. Chun… You should be careful about that. If you keep doing that, you might end up like me. If you get used to that lifestyle, it won’t be a refresh, it’ll be a retirement.”
With that smile, I joke with Director Chun for the first time in my life.
Director Chun laughed out loud at my unfunny joke.
After that, the atmosphere became much lighter.
Glasses were passed back and forth across the table until I felt dizzy.
After drinking soju one after another.
“Please go in now.”
It seemed like it was getting late, so I was about to get up from my seat.
Sway.
As he gets up, Director Chun stumbles.
Whether your judgment is impaired due to intoxication.
It seems like we’ve forgotten that the Earth rotates.
Unable to adapt to the shaky world, Cheon Sang-mu continues to stumble.
I was drunk and tried to support Director Chun for no reason.
Sway.
I too was unable to control my body and fell to the floor out of sync.
Because humans live on a constantly moving Earth.
Sometimes you might lose your balance and fall down.
I hesitated and hesitated several times before catching a taxi.
I got up again and again.
**
Summer has come.
It’s been a while since I’ve splurge.
Set the air conditioner temperature to 17 degrees.
I covered myself with the blanket on the bed.
Time melts away in my sister’s room.
I watched a movie while rolling around in bed.
Villain, lead role, supporting role.
A world where roles are set, unlike reality.
I find myself falling into that simple world without even realizing it.
“Ah! We can’t let our identity be revealed here.”
I empathized with the main character and found myself screaming along with him.
With my face buried in the tiny cell phone screen.
like that.
He keeps giggling without even realizing how much time has passed.
I found myself tossing and turning while watching the movie.
The blanket keeps falling down.
I pulled the blanket up, keeping my gaze fixed on my phone.
Is it because I turned the air conditioner on so loud?
As the weather gets colder.
The floral pattern on my sister’s blanket became blurred.
How long have I been rolling around in this bed?
Only traces of where the flowers had bloomed remained.
Holding the phone with one hand like that.
I put my other hand into the ramen bag.
Not even a crumb was caught in the bag. Only the soup was left on the tips of my fingers.
“What? You already ate everything?”
I don’t even remember how long it was like this.
I put my phone down for a moment and looked around.
Ramen packets rolling around on the floor with their bellies exposed.
There are crumbs in the bed
Only then do I realize how much time has passed.
“This isn’t a good way to live.”
Bend over and gather the ramen bags into one place.
So I came out into the living room with both hands full of trash.
I piled them roughly into a pay-as-you-go bag and went back into the room.
In that short time, a message arrived on my phone.
-You really need to think about it again. Just join us for a moment. We’re going to die right now. We don’t have any people. We don’t have any people.
It’s a chorus that Jaeshirong always sings. However, it sounds a bit more mournful because of the situation.
-I also recently met with a branch manager and talked to him. Is the situation at headquarters similar?
-Yeah. It’s similar. The old system was completely destroyed.
-Oh, man. Okay. You’re going to have a hard time for a while. Hang in there.
I sent a brief message of condolence and immediately closed my phone.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was a problem that arose when two companies with completely different management styles merged.
This was expected when the acquisition story came out.
Under the pretext of a merger, White Soft is now trying to make changes.
A step forward to grow.
But severe pain will follow.
Will this be growing pains or just plain pain?
That’s probably it.
Only time will tell.
**
The weather is really hot.
Summer has revealed its true form.
It’s the season when you regret it as soon as you step out the door.
He moves his feet quickly, letting sweat drip down to the floor.
I had an appointment today. I’m heading to Junwoo’s piano academy.
Because summer vacation is coming soon.
Junwoo’s mother said she had something to say, so I stopped by the piano academy for a bit.
A bit of a difficult situation arose.
“Teacher, please charge us the actual tuition. That way, we can feel better.”
“Really. Really. No. I don’t have a license… So it’s illegal to take money and teach kids.”
I scratched my head. Well, I didn’t look into it, but I thought maybe it was.
And I also thought that it would be good if Junwoo learned coding in earnest during this opportunity.
Not a street vendor like me.
“How about sending him to a proper academy?”
“Junwoo said that you are a famous person.”
“yes?”
“That’s why Junwoo said he really wants to learn from you.”
The child is not listening. Junwoo’s mother shakes her head with an embarrassed expression.
Teaching ability and one’s own skills are not proportional.
I guess I’m too young to realize that.
I’ll meet Junwoo once and try to persuade him, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to teach him.
“Let me tell you about that. When is Junwoo coming today?”
“I’m meeting the kids today. I think I’ll be a little late. Is that okay?”
“It’s okay. Just wait. Whatever.”
He answered like that and sat down at the piano. He glanced at the keys.
I put my hand on the piano, thinking that I would wait and try to play it.
suddenly.
Other. Other. Other. Other. Other.
I heard a piano being played. No. It was a piano academy, so I could still hear the piano sound.
“Huh? This is a difficult song… but you play it well.”
I heard proper playing, not noise.
It seems like I’m playing it well, so I find myself listening without even realizing it.
“How did you know? Do you know how to play the piano, too?”
“Not to the extent that I would say I know. I’m in an amateur band too.”
I was typing on the keyboard there. I put my hands in the air and pretended to type on the keys.
Then Junwoo’s mother looks at me with a surprised expression.
“You are very talented, teacher.”
Junwoo’s mother smiles brightly.
I’m a little embarrassed. To be honest, I can’t even call it talent. If I touch the keys now, my skills will be revealed. So, without realizing it, I put my hands back down on the piano.
“More than that, that guy just now. He’s not an elementary school student, right… How old is he?”
“I’m a middle school student. Third year.”
“Is there an entrance exam class here?”
It’s just an ordinary neighborhood piano academy.
I asked again because I thought it wasn’t something he had learned just as a hobby at that age.
“No. I have some circumstances.”
“Isn’t that your intended purpose?”
Because what you are good at and what you want to do are different.
That could be it. Thinking so, he looked at Junwoo’s mother.
“I want to go, but I don’t think I can go.”
“Huh? We haven’t even started accepting applications yet?”
In the trailer, it was a place where only monsters gathered. But I didn’t think that kid was that far behind. Even so, it was just my standards.
Junwoo’s mother hesitates at my words.
“He was a kid who didn’t receive tuition. He was talented, so I looked after him whenever I had time… but it seemed like it would be too much for him to go to a private academy.”
“It’s… a money issue?”
“Yes. Well. That’s right.”
Still, if you pass, it would be good to go no matter what.
It wasn’t my job, but I felt sorry for no reason.
“What about scholarships? Isn’t that applicable?”
“I looked into it too. It turns out that I’m not a basic livelihood security recipient. The scholarships I can receive are irregular. I don’t know if they’ll be available that year.”
Looks like I was vaguely excluded from the system.
After hearing that, I crossed my arms and thought about it for a while.
okay.
It’s nothing.
Just high school tuition.
“Then I’ll apply for a scholarship. It would be a waste to let your talent go to waste. Just tell him to take the test once.”
Let’s try to act cool. I put strength into my shoulders with that thought.
That’s what it was.
“Huh? Over ten million won a year? Are you going to high school?”
I was so surprised that I asked back loudly.