How to Avoid the Monday Blues Chapter 11

“Hello. I am Applicant Gong…, a responsible candidate. I have cultivated the ability to draw reasonable conclusions through thorough preparation and persistent analysis in all matters.”

A one-minute self-introduction was mandatory regardless of the company or position. Because of that, it was to the point where he could recite it fluently if anyone gave him even a light prod. Sewon’s voice wavered briefly as he almost accidentally said his own name.

“Keep going.”

The man, who had completely erased any smile from his face, looked serious.

“…During my time as a student, I participated in various competitions and projects, gaining experience working with people from diverse fields. Through this, I was able to develop teamwork.”

“….”

Sewon finished the next sentence and met the man’s eyes. The man gave a slight nod, as if telling him to continue.

“Through these capabilities of mine, I want to become an engineer who analyzes issues and proposes solutions.”

“….”

“…How was it?”

Sewon swallowed and asked for the man’s opinion. He wondered what it would have been like if this were an actual interview, but he couldn’t read a pass or fail result from the man’s expressionless face.

“The position you applied for is in design or research?”

“Yes. I’m planning to apply in something related to my major.”

“I don’t think you necessarily need to put emphasis on the first sentence.”

“Ah….”

The man gave Sewon quite specific and helpful advice: to choose which to emphasize more between teamwork and analytical skills, and maintain consistency in the self-introduction around that; and that since the impression given in the first self-introduction was important, it would be good to pay attention to his vocal delivery and eye contact.

“Then, I’ll take out the solutions part…. Thank you.”

“It seems like you prepared hard.”

The man’s expression visibly softened again. Perhaps because the tension eased at that sight, a groaning sound escaped Sewon’s mouth.

“My qualifications aren’t particularly outstanding. I’m not sure if it’ll go well.”

Preparing for employment was a process of constant comparison with others, so every time, he only saw what was lacking and regrettable.

“I was going to not say this because I thought I’d really look like a boomer, but.”

“…?”

“When I hired people, more than anything else, I looked at whether they were someone who could adapt well to my team and whether they wanted to do this work. Things like whether they were diligent and could get along well with team members.”

Sewon nodded at the man’s words. He had heard this many times at job fairs and special lectures, but from the perspective of Sewon, a job seeker, it hadn’t really resonated much.

But now, he felt like he could vaguely understand those words. That was how much sincerity he felt from the man. Having become honest, Sewon confided his worries.

“Actually, I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to get a job…. The more I look into it, the more everything seems difficult…, and I’m not sure if I’ll do well at a company.”

Sewon said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. It was something he had never said to anyone, for fear of being told he was borrowing trouble when he hadn’t even gotten a job yet.

“Everyone learns work somehow. It’s good if you do well, but even being average is perfectly fine.”

“…What if I screw up.”

At Sewon’s question, the corners of the man’s mouth rose slightly.

“Even so, if work is hard and office life is difficult.”

“Yeees….”

“Say it with the same expression you have now. Teacher, please help me.”

The man, who had downed the red tea in the small cup in one go, said. Sewon, who had been still as if lost in thought for a moment, looked up at the man. And slowly repeated the words the man had taught him.

“Teacher, please help me.”

In that instant, the man seemed to have lost all words.

“…Yeah. How could I get angry looking at this face.”

The man lowered his gaze and muttered in a small voice, as if talking to himself.

Did I really look that pitiful…?

He probably wouldn’t have occasion to call a superior “Teacher,” but at least he felt he knew what kind of expression to make when asking for help.

The two people, who got off at a station near Çamlıca Hill after riding the metro, began climbing the uphill road in earnest.

Çamlıca Hill was also a place favored by tourists and citizens alike, as one could overlook the city of Istanbul at a glance.

At the tennis court midway up the hill, tennis lessons were in full swing, and large dogs and cats lay at the edge of the court, avoiding the sunlight.

In Istanbul, one could meet cats and dogs wherever one went, so walking the streets was never boring at all. Sewon panted heavily at the slope, which was steeper than expected. The man, who had been walking without any sign of difficulty, asked Sewon in an indifferent tone.

“You don’t go to places like this much with your girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend….”

Sewon answered while wiping the sweat from his forehead. A faint smile seemed to pass across the man’s face, glimpsed briefly.

“You seem like you’d be popular.”

Popular, he says. At a remark he was hearing for the first time, Sewon shook his head.

“Me? My friend is popular. Because he’s handsome…. I’m just ordinary.”

“…But you’re cute.”

At the man’s words heard right beside him, Sewon unconsciously swallowed. No matter how much they walked, the road to the summit looked far away, but at the end of his gaze, a well-maintained path came into view.

Don’t be conscious of it, don’t be conscious of it.

Each time he repeated that, the man’s presence grew larger. Just then, when he felt that the physical distance between himself and the man walking side by side was gradually narrowing, their swaying fingertips brushed against each other.

It was a brief touch that he would have passed by without noticing if he hadn’t been conscious of it, but to Sewon it felt dizzyingly sharp, like lightning. The man, who had stopped in place, spoke to Sewon.

“No one here has eyes.”

Into Sewon’s line of sight, as he could not bring himself to raise his head, came the man’s neck. The Adam’s apple protruding in the middle of the straight neck… looked newly masculine and sexy.

If he had been someone who liked women, it would not have been a point he found attractive. The moment he became conscious of that, he felt a hot, pulling sensation low in his abdomen.

Liking Han Jaehee had been an experience that opened up for Sewon the possibility that “I might be able to like men.”

His feelings toward Han Jaehee were not something that could be defined by the simple proposition of “I like men.” To him, Han Jaehee was like a close friend, and also like the family he had wanted to have. Even if he was greedy for the position of his lover, it was not enough to make him give up the position of the most special “friend like family.”

But this man was….

Sewon swallowed dryly and gathered his courage to face the man. The refined features, the long straight fingers, and the Adam’s apple completing the picture-like profile. Every element composing the man was confirming to Sewon that he was someone who could see men as sexual objects.

After looking down at the city of Istanbul from Çamlıca Hill, Sewon and the man headed to Çamlıca Mosque. Çamlıca Mosque, said to boast the largest scale in Turkey, was comfortable and clean, perhaps because it had not been long since its completion.

Above all, the tourists that filled Istanbul were almost nowhere to be seen here, so they could enjoy the quiet after a long time.

Several minarets stood as if piercing the sky. The scale of the mosque was so large that it did not take in at a single glance. The stained glass decorating the interior windows and the white marble used generously sparkled brilliantly under the bright light.

Coming down after seeing the splendid mosque, Sewon and the man talked about whether taxes should be spent building landmarks like this to contribute to future tourism, or whether they should be spent solving realistic problems like education and welfare. It was a conversation without a conclusion or agreement, but it was meaningful enough.

The next destination for the two, walking while conversing, was the zipline experience center in the middle of Çamlıca Park.

Upon registering, two staff members attached themselves to Sewon and dressed him in a one-piece suit that could hook onto the zipline. The man’s lips twitched slightly as he watched. In front of and behind Sewon stood only little kids whose height reached about the man’s waist.

Sewon learned another fact about the man.

“So you really wanted to ride this?”

He had no talent at all for holding back laughter. Or perhaps he had no intention of holding it back.

“…I didn’t know it would look this safe.”

“I’ll wait on the other side.”

“Yeees—”