01 - Good Impressions

When I first applied for this position, I hardly ever thought I would be thrown in such a chaotic building.

Then again, life is full of surprises. 

This is it.

I eye myself in the dusty mirror in my cramped excuse of a bathroom. Ironically, my entire outfit is more expensive than all of my apartment's furniture combined. There's a reason for that, but I'll let you anticipate it until the time comes. 

The man, Yongguk, who interviewed me for the job said that the employee attire was pretty casual. In fact, he said that if I tried to dress professionally, I'd probably get laughed at. I remind myself this as the thought of changing again crosses my mind again.

My phone chimes again as I shrug on my jacket. Messages from my parents and sister littered my inbox, consuming pages upon pages of storage space. By now, you'd think they'd catch the hint.

I'm not going back.

I take the bus to my new work place. It's walking distance from my apartment, but the heels I'm wearing were not made for walking, and the city bus is more generous on my feet. And eyes.

Because, let's face it. That boy, Jaehyo, who seems to be a regular bus rider is all kinds of handsome. 

"You look nice today," he tells me, giving up his seat up for me in as I walk on.

I smiled and swipe my card. "Thanks, Jaehyo. First day at my new job. Need to make a good first impression."

"I'm sure you'll do just fine," he assures with a smile. "The world loves a well-dressed woman." Some elderly woman beside me smiles cheekily at him, appreciating the sight as much as I am.

Though our conversations are always short, meaningless in a way, they always bring a smile on my face. Today, I need it most.

Contrary to my expectations, the place is practically deserted when I arrive.  A few employees are at the front desk. Yongguk's also there, waiting with a cup of coffee in his hands.  

"Right on time," he says with a kind smile. As I near him, I see that it's not really coffee in his hands but alcohol. I can smell it on his breath when he calls over a girl from the front desk, and even if he notices I notice, he doesn't seem to care.   

"Yes, Yongguk." The girl comes right over, a bulky headset resting around her neck. She gives me a polite bow, and I return it. 

Yongguk claps a hand on her shoulder and turns to look at me. "Since Bomi's our best receptionist here, I'll pass you over to her. She'll show you everything you need to know and more. Maybe even let you in on a little employee gossip. She's the one that starts it, after all."

Bomi slaps his hand away from her, and he chuckles childishly, revealing a gummy smile. "Kidding, Bomi. Relax."

She rolls her eyes, her slight smile more forgiving on him. "Whatever, Yongguk. Get out of here."

Yongguk knocks her temple with his knuckle then heads back down the hallway, lifting his hand up to us a friendly wave. Bomi shakes her head once he's out of sight. "Ignore him. He's lying about the gossip thing. Anyway, I'm Bomi, and you are?"

"Dahee," I answer, laughing. "Ahn Dahee."

"Well, Dahee," she says, "contrary to popular belief, receptionists actually have quite a lot to do here."

Bomi shows me all of the controls and protocols I need to know, and I have to admit, they're all pretty easy. 

"It's only your first five minutes and you're a whole lot better than those s Kyung recruited from the club. They've been working for almost a year and still don't even know how to transfer a call."

I can't help but laugh, even if I don't know who she's talking about. The so-called "s" she's talking about are sitting right next to us, but they don't seem to have the guts to say anything about it. 

"We're actually early," Bomi continues, checking her watch once we were done with answering morning checkups. "No one really comes in until around 10 and it's half till."

"We do, however, have some stuff to do before the others arrive," she adds.

She signals for me to follow her, and we walk down the hall opposite of the one that Yongguk's office is at. "There are some documents we need to prepare for Zico and Kyung's meeting today. It's kind of a big deal, and even though it starts at 3, it would be good to get it out of the way."   

"I thought we were receptionists," I say, struggling to keep up with her long strides. "Not that I'm complaining, but isn't this a secretary's job?"

She makes a sharp turn left and we walk down a long hallway and to the stock cabinet at the very end. "Yes, but Kyung's secretary is a complete , and Zico technically doesn't have one since he doesn't do anything. Even though it's not really our responsibility, it's kind of something we do for the sake of the company."

I nod and follow her into the closet. She abruptly turns on her heels and faces me. "Zico or Kyung? Choose one."

Why is she asking me this? I don't know either. "Uh, whichever one is the nicest, I guess? What is this for?"

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