24화 이름

연말 회식이 잡혔다.

부서 전체가 모인 자리였고, 하윤도 초대됐다. 자리가 정해지지 않은 뷔페식이라 다들 돌아다니며 이야기를 나눴다.

은호는 몇 번인가 태경 쪽을 봤다. 하윤과 나란히 서 있는 모습이 자주 눈에 들어왔다. 태경이 뭔가를 말하고 하윤이 짧게 웃었다. 그런 장면이 몇 번.

정우가 옆으로 왔다. "혼자 뭐 해요?"

"아, 그냥요."

"저기 두 분 원래 친하대요. 입사 동기라고." 정우가 별생각 없이 말했다. "본사 갔다가 이번에 오셨다면서요."

"…네."

"근데 은호 씨 표정이 왜 그래요?"

"제 표정이요?"

"뭔가, 재미없어 보여서."

은호는 웃으며 얼버무렸다. 그런데 정우가 자리를 뜨고 나서, 은호는 자기 얼굴을 한 번 만져봤다.

*내가 무슨 표정이었지.*

그날 밤 집에 돌아와서, 은호는 한참 천장을 봤다.

기분이 나빴다. 그런데 왜 나쁜지를 설명할 수가 없었다. 태경이 누구랑 웃든 그건 자기 일이 아니었다. 알고 있었다. 아는데도 그랬다.

English

The year-end gathering was scheduled.

The whole department attended, and Ms. Ha was invited as well. It was a buffet with no assigned seating, so everyone moved around and talked.

Eunho glanced toward Taekyung several times. He kept noticing him standing next to Ms. Ha. Taekyung would say something and she would laugh briefly. That happened more than once.

Jungwoo came over. "What are you doing over here alone?"

"Nothing, really."

"Those two are old friends, apparently. Same entry year." Jungwoo said it without much thought. "She was at headquarters and came back this quarter."

"…Right."

"So why do you look like that?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Like you're not having a good time."

Eunho smiled and brushed it off. But after Jungwoo walked away, he touched his own face once.

*What kind of expression was I making?*

That night, back home, he stared at the ceiling for a long while.

He felt bad. And he couldn't explain why. Whoever Taekyung laughed with was not his business. He knew that. He knew it, and it didn't help.