Chapter 381
The next morning, Do-Jun arrived at the office before the clock even struck eight. The place was empty, and no one else had shown up yet. The office still bore the aftermath of the previous night’s chaos. Civil defense uniforms were strewn about, and desks were cluttered with all sorts of mess. It was a total disaster.
The night before, an emergency evacuation drill had been issued. Every employee of Seoul City Hall had been mobilized to guide citizens to shelters. The drill didn’t end until after four in the morning, and by the time they returned to the office, no one had the energy to clean up.
Do-Jun cracked a window to let in some air and began tidying up.
***
Even though they’d worked until dawn, the reporting time for Fissure Management civil servants hadn’t changed from the usual 9 AM. By around 8:30, staff started trickling in, and as expected, they looked awful. None more so than Cheol-Soo, whose dark circles hung so low under his eyes that it seemed like he might collapse at any moment.
“Chief, would you like a cup of coffee?” Do-Jun asked.
“Yeah, put two packs in there for me, thanks...”
Do-Jun added two packets just as requested and handed over the steaming cup.
Taking a long sip of the bitter brew, Cheol-Soo blinked and suddenly realized the office was noticeably cleaner. He was certain he had left his uniform in a crumpled heap on the floor the night before, too exhausted to care. But now it was neatly folded over his chair.
“Do-Jun, you cleaned up, didn’t you?” he asked.
“I got here early, and it was just too messy, so I tidied things up a bit.”
“You stayed the latest last night, too, waiting for everyone else to head out before leaving. Aren’t you overdoing it a little? You’re still in your twenties, sure, but push your body too hard, and you’ll pay for it later.”