Saturday's Master

Volume 1 - Chapter 1

I changed subway once. It was ten o'clock when we arrived at the station where the hotel is located. There was still an hour left until the appointed time.

So I got out of the exit on the other side of the station and walked down the street lined with neon signs. I walked slowly under the signboards of shops and cafes. It was a Saturday night, so many places were still open. In front of the underground entrance that looked like a club, college students stood in a long line, blocking the road.

A yellow light leaked from the past bar. On the glass door, there was a large red letter that read, "Please close the door during heating!" The large table by the window was oval, and the lamp hanging low was shaped like a lampshade. Under the dim light, people in comfortable attire were seated close enough to shoulder to shoulder. They were turning over meat with tongs or clinking glasses. I looked at the mouth moving silently through the glass from a distance, then turned my steps. The cold wind made my frozen fingertips tingle. The breath he exhaled was white in the air.

We entered the entrance of the hotel. The ceiling of the lobby was high with chandeliers. The elevators were silent, and the softly carpeted corridors were silent. I double-checked my room number and took a step back. I brought my clenched knuckles to the surface of the cold, hard wood.

The face that appeared through the crack in the door was a smiling face.

"Nice to see you here again."

The moment I saw him, his limbs began to tremble relentlessly, as if they had been released from hypnosis. I wanted to turn my back and run away even now, but he still smiled and stretched out his arm and grabbed my wrist. A demonic force pulled me into the room.

***

The flower pot on the desk was dying. In the fall, it was half the height of the monitor, but it gradually decreased in height, and now the stem slanted to the side. The plump leaves shriveled, and redness appeared on each pointed end, as if frostbitten. Was it hard because it was winter or was it very dry? When I reached out and pressed the soil, it was damp. White roots grew on the gravel.

From the desk next to me, I heard a half-call from earlier. Yeah, that's right, it's Sunday. Yes, I go during Lunar New Year, but this time I just... Okay, okay, call me later. Yeah, I won't drink too much. you also... See you tomorrow.

There was a short kiss on the phone. It must have been a very private call. It had been dark outside the window for a long time, and it was past work time. I heard the sound of putting my phone down and the sound of my bag zipping. I could see the Sunbae pushing the chair back in the edge of my field of vision.

I turned around before my hand landed on my shoulder. Dropping his outstretched hand, my Sunbae said with a gap between his eyes.

"Lee Seo Dan."

"Sir"

The eyes that glanced past me were wandering around the monitor behind my back. I gently touched the rim of the pot while waiting with my mouth shut.

I thought I took good care of it. Should I have given more water or less? It would have been easier if plants could even speak. At least I wish I could wag my tail or shake my head.

In the meantime, the Sunbae who had fixed the bag looked at my chair and opened his mouth, as if he had finally made up his mind.

"A year-end party, how about coming?"

"... No."

"You know that department transfer is also the manager's influence. Even if it's the last one, just be patient and look good. I'll tell you one more time... ."