Beyond The Control

Chapter 33

Song Ji-hyeok’s desk was set up to the right of mine. It felt a bit awkward having a desk where there was nothing before, and seeing Song Ji-hyeok seated there gave me a strange feeling. When Song Ji-hyeok’s existence was first reported in the media, I never imagined something like this would happen.

“Ji-hyeok.”

Pretending not to, I glanced at him and found myself speaking up without realizing it. I could feel the corners of my mouth rising slightly. He looked at me, pausing from fiddling with his device.

“I look forward to working with you.”

But Song Ji-hyeok was no pushover.

“Your expression is fucking weird.”

“Weird? I’m smiling because I’m happy.”

“You look like an evil psychopath.”

“That’s harsh.”

I drooped my eyebrows, pretending to be hurt, but Song Ji-hyeok didn’t even blink. After fiddling with his device for a few more minutes, he pulled his chair back and said,

“I’m going to the training room for a bit.”

He left before I could respond. Watching his back quickly disappear, I inwardly smiled.

‘As expected. He does have a cute side.’

Even if we’re a pair, there’s obviously no need to report everything we do. We have different jobs, and we just need to request or provide guiding when necessary.

But after the introductions earlier, the team leader told Song Ji-hyeok something like, “Even if it’s temporary, since you’re a pair, I hope you’ll share your schedules and get along well,” and it seems he didn’t let that slide but remembered it.

Thanks to that, I kept smiling as I picked up the computer mouse again. As things felt good from the first day, I had a feeling we might get along better than expected going forward.

***

“Cheers to all!”

“Cheers!”

We all shouted in unison, bringing our glasses together in the air. I too, not to be outdone, cheerfully clinked my glass and downed the clear, sloshing soju in one gulp.

“Phew.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim at the tingling sensation passing through my throat. The surroundings were already noisy. As expected of a team full of fun-loving and affectionate people.

I wasn’t particularly worried because we always rent out a large room or an entire restaurant for team dinners. There was no risk of disturbing other customers, and we didn’t have to feel uncomfortable with people recognizing and whispering about our somewhat famous team leader or Gitae. Now that Song Ji-hyeok had joined, we’d need an even more private space for team dinners.

Today’s star was undoubtedly Song Ji-hyeok. Led by the team leader, as soon as the first round of drinks was emptied, everyone’s eyes turned to Song Ji-hyeok sitting next to me. They seemed to be gauging the timing to offer him a drink and strike up a conversation. The bravest and quickest to act was Kim Young-joo.

Rising from the adjacent table, Kim Young-joo approached Song Ji-hyeok with a beaming face. In her hand was a half-empty soju bottle. A teammate at the same table shook his head helplessly, as if unable to stop her from snatching the bottle.

Regardless, Kim Young-joo, with a face full of smiles, tried to make eye contact with Song Ji-hyeok and spoke.

“I’m Kim Young-joo. We met once before, do you remember?”

“Yes.”

“I sincerely welcome you to Team 3. Have a welcome drink.”

Now I saw that Kim Young-joo hadn’t just brought the soju bottle. She filled the glass she’d been hiding in her left hand, clinked glasses with Song Ji-hyeok, and showed the courage to down it in one shot right there. As a bonus, she made eye contact again, showing her kindness as a senior.

“No one knows the team’s workings better than me, so feel free to ask if you have any questions.”

On the grill, well-marbled beef was cooking deliciously. It was thanks to the team leader’s generous gesture for our long-awaited team dinner. As I watched the staff cutting the meat into bite-sized pieces, I picked up two pieces at once and placed them on Song Ji-hyeok’s plate.

Seeing this, Gitae didn’t miss the chance to tease.

“Wow, are you already only taking care of Ji-hyeok?”

“I should take care of my Esper, shouldn’t I?”

“How are the single people supposed to live with this sadness?”

“That’s right. Let’s toast to the lonely singles.”

Glasses gathered from here and there as the lively atmosphere continued. Thanks to everyone being good at having fun and many being eloquent, there was no end to the laughter at the dinner table.

I was the same. While diligently filling my stomach with meat, I actively reacted whenever someone spoke up. Enjoying this sense of belonging together like this made me think that even if I didn’t have luck with my rank, I was fortunate to have good team luck.

As some time passed, people started leaving one by one. It was thanks to the free-spirited atmosphere where anyone could leave whenever they wanted.

But at a glance, more than half of the people were still there, and everyone seemed relaxed, probably due to eating and drinking merrily.

Kim Young-joo was the same. Having moved to sit across from me at some point, she spoke to Song Ji-hyeok with a visibly tipsy face.

“No matter how I look at you, you’re really handsome. How can a person be this good-looking?”

It was more of a self-admiration than starting a conversation. The team leader sitting next to her sipped his beer and said,

“Didn’t you say I was the most handsome before?”

“Of course, you’re handsome too, Team Leader. But your handsomeness is subjective, while our Ji-hyeok’s is objective.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There’s a slight, very slight difference.”

Seeing her speak her mind so freely, she must be quite drunk. Whether or not she was aware of her state, she raised her soju glass with a wobbly smile. Seeing this, I quickly tried to stop Kim Young-joo.

“Stop drinking now.”

“Whyyy. I’m still fine.”

“I’ll acknowledge it if you can do a handstand and clap with your feet.”

I said it knowing she couldn’t do it. Kim Young-joo, being a Guide, had almost zero athletic ability and was so uncoordinated she could barely do a cartwheel, let alone a handstand.

After dinner, we moved to a second location. About half the people left at this point, noticeably reducing the number.

One unexpected thing was that Song Ji-hyeok was still with us. I thought he’d be uncomfortable in these situations, but surprisingly, he ate well and kept accepting drinks as they were offered.

“Is your stomach okay? You seem to be drinking a lot.”

“I’m fine.”

“Didn’t you get really drunk before?”

It hasn’t been a month since I carried him home unconscious from drinking too much. But today, as he said, he still looked sober.

“I guess it’s because I’m not mixing drinks.”

Oh, that could be it. I nodded unconsciously but then paused. But doesn’t it all mix in your stomach anyway?

Just as I was about to speak, we arrived at our destination. The second location was also a bar we frequently visited for team dinners.

Here too, we rented a large room. And here, there was a special highlight – Gitae’s one-man show.

It started with beer glasses. After lining up five glasses in a row, he first poured soju evenly into each glass. His hand movements were already extraordinary, and everyone watched him mesmerized.

Next was the beer. He shook the beer bottle vigorously as if trying to knock it out, then, true to his abundant strength, punctured the bottle cap with a chopstick held in his bare hand. He filled the glasses equally with the beer forcefully spraying out, and finished by adding the remaining foam, creating perfect bomb shots. The glasses were then distributed one by one to the appreciative audience who had watched the show.

“Want one?”

“No, thanks.”

When I offered him a glass, Song Ji-hyeok politely declined. Remembering that he had mentioned earlier that soju and beer mixes didn’t agree with him, I didn’t insist and passed the glass to the person next to me.

As soon as I toasted and drank my share, I thought: Indeed, the original can’t be beaten. Even though it was mixed in the same glass, it was a mystery how the beer’s carbonation could still be alive. And the taste was something else.

The cheerful atmosphere continued at the second location. Encouraged by the praise, Gitae kept making bomb shots in various ways, and after drinking about three glasses in a row, I could feel the intoxication hitting me hard.

Feeling like I might pass out if I drank more, I tried to restrain myself for a moment when Baek Sun-jong next to me said, looking at me,

“Hyung, isn’t your phone ringing?”

At those words, I fumbled to take out my phone from my back pocket, and indeed, there was an incoming call. After checking the caller, I immediately got up and went outside. Fortunately, the call didn’t end until I left the bar.