7화 사람들이 하는 말

점심시간, 옆자리 선배가 밥을 먹다 말고 슬쩍 말을 꺼냈다.

"저 대리님, 이번에 지사장 승진 1순위래."

"아, 그래요?"

"근데 성격이 워낙 벽 치는 스타일이라, 사적으로 친한 사람이 아무도 없어." 선배가 젓가락을 들었다가 다시 놓았다. "실력은 진짜 좋아. 근데 뭐랄까, 회사가 인생 전부인 사람 같달까."

은호가 물었다. "왜 그렇게 벽을 쳐요?"

선배는 어깨만 으쓱했다. "낸들 알아. 근데 옛날에 무슨 일 있었단 소문은 있어."

은호는 그 말을 곱씹으며 자리로 돌아왔다. 태경은 여전히 모니터에 시선을 고정한 채 일하고 있었다. 한여름인데도 긴팔 셔츠, 목 끝까지 채운 단추.

*뭘 감추고 있는 걸까.*

궁금증이 스멀스멀 피어올랐지만, 애써 눌러 삼켰다. 아직은 캐물을 자격이 없다고 생각했다.

English

At lunch, the colleague beside him paused mid-meal and brought something up.

"That manager — apparently he's first in line for the branch director promotion."

"Really?"

"But he's the type who keeps a wall up. Nobody here is close to him personally." He picked up his chopsticks, then set them down again. "He's genuinely good at the work. It's just — how do I put it — like the company is his whole life."

Eunho asked, "Why does he keep a wall up like that?"

His colleague only shrugged. "How would I know. There's a rumor something happened a long time ago, though."

Eunho turned the words over as he walked back to his desk. Taekyung was still working, eyes fixed on his monitor. Long sleeves in midsummer, buttons fastened all the way to the collar.

*What is he hiding?*

The curiosity crept up on him, but he pushed it down. He didn't feel he had earned the right to ask yet.