BEHIND THE SCENES

chapter 106: i like you

<OST: Sleepless Night - Crush ft. Punch>

"Of all places... a tripe restaurant?"

"Why?" Hyejin laughed as she snipped the pieces of gopchang into small bite-sized pieces. "Tripe is delicious, is it not?"

"It sure is... but I don't know-" Namjoon chuckled as he reached his chopstick out and grabbed a piece. "I'd think tripe would be last on the menu for someone who said she didn't have an appetite."

"Tripe is suitable for all types of occasions-" Hyejin giggled as she finally put down her tongs and scissors and dug in. "Damn! This is amazing!"

"Well, I agree-" Namjoon laughed. "Come to think of it, I think one of the first times we spoke to each other, didn't you ask me to go eat tripe with you?"

"Did I?" Hyejin burst into laughter. "Daebak... See? I said tripe is suitable for any occasion."

"Back then... you told me you believed in working hard, playing hard and eating well..." Namjoon recalled. "I remember being very impressed by what you said. But it seems like... you've lost a little bit of that drive, since you were gonna skip lunch..."

"Well, I guess you're right, bujang-" Hyejin confided in him, setting her chopsticks down for a brief moment. "To be honest with you, I was lying when I said I didn't have an appetite - I just wanted to work even harder than everyone else."

"And that's good-" Namjoon pointed out. "But don't forget the playing and eating in your motto."

"You're right-" Hyejin sighed. "I guess back then, as a newbie, it was easy for me to proclaim that I was striving for a good work-life balance. I thought things would get easier once my job started becoming more stable... but I was wrong. The more I achieved, the more I needed to work hard to live up to expectations."

"Whose expectations?"

"I don't know-" Hyejin pursed her lips. "Just people. Yours, mine, Chungha and Hoseok sunbae-nim's, colleagues', parents', family's, viewers, the list goes on."

Namjoon nodded in silence, briefly setting down his chopsticks as well as he engaged in deep thought. "I totally get that. Expectations are always high, no matter where you go and what you do."

"Mmhmm."

"I think it's a good thing that you're using expectations as a means of getting better-" Namjoon advised. "But if it gets to the point whereby it stresses you, I no longer thing it's that good of a thing. In fact, it may be more detrimental than helpful for you. It's unhealthy for your mental health."

Hyejin nodded silently.

"You know how I deal with expectations?" Namjoon carried on. "I'm the CEO of this start-up news company, I definitely know what expectations are. But do you me ever skipping a single meal?"

Hyejin thought for a while. "Actually... now that you mention it, I don't think so."

"When I go home everyday, I take time out of my busy schedule to exercise and rest too. That's the definition of a good work-life balance, don't you think?"

Hyejin nodded in agreement. "But how do you do that? Don't you always have a lot of work stuff to do?"

"I do, that's a fact-" Namjoon shrugged. "But sometimes, taking time out of your schedule to do things that make you happy is just as important as that case file waiting for you on that table. Eating well, sleeping well, resting well - these are also all part of conditioning your mental state to function optimally and efficiently. If you deprive yourself of all these for too long, you're not gonna be happy. And the work you produce from those extended hours of working... isn't going to be of outstanding quality either. Does that make sense?"