Chapter 25: Lee Ye-na (2)

Ye-rin stepped out of the café ahead of Ho-jin, letting out a sigh.

I agreed to Senior Ho-jin's proposal, but...

She was at a loss for how to convince Ye-na to come work for the company.

If it had been easy, Ye-rin wouldn't have been racking her brains over Ye-na's situation in the first place.

If there was one glimmer of hope, it was that Ye-na was a fan of Girls Memorial.

Thinking back to how Ye-na had shown interest when she occasionally mentioned Enson GT at home, Ye-rin felt a spark of optimism...

Lost in thought, Ye-rin found herself at the company headquarters. As she pressed the elevator button, she steeled herself.

This time, for sure...

*

A typical weekday evening commute.

Arriving at her apartment earlier than usual, Ye-rin hesitated in front of the door, unable to enter.

Normally, she wouldn't think twice about going straight in and cracking open a beer, but...

The impending confrontation with Ye-na and the need to persuade her made it difficult to take that first step.

How should I approach Ye-na to convince her... Authoritatively? Or as gently as possible?

As she mulled over various approaches, a sudden thought struck her.

Wait, why am I agonizing alone in front of the apartment? What am I doing?

Sighing at her own indecisiveness, which she'd unexpectedly discovered, Ye-rin opened the door and entered.

"Ye-na, I'm home."

A voice called out from behind the closed door of the room adjacent to the entryway.

"Welcome back, sis! Good work today!"

Hearing that voice, Ye-rin took off her shoes and stepped inside, taking in the familiar sight of their shared apartment.

It was a newly built two-room officetel she'd rented after transferring to Enson GT so she could live with her sister Ye-na.

The living room was surprisingly tidy, thanks to Ye-na who took care of the housework in lieu of being a NEET.

I guess it's only fair, considering she doesn't contribute to the living expenses...

Clunk.

Lost in thought, Ye-rin turned at the sound of a door opening to see Ye-na emerging from her room, scratching her stomach.

She wore a simple outfit: a white T-shirt and black dolphin pants, with wavy brown hair reaching down to her waist.

"Sis, aren't you going to change out of your work clothes?"

"I was just lost in thought for a moment."

"Oh?"

Ye-na went to the fridge and took out some water to drink.

Seeing her hair tied back with a headband, it looked like she'd been in the middle of working on her manuscripts.

Ye-rin watched Ye-na for a moment before speaking up.

"Ye-na?"

"Yeah?"

"Come sit down for a sec."

"Why? I need to get back to my manuscript soon."

"I have something I want to talk to you about."

Ye-na glanced at Ye-rin's expression.

Instead of the usual tired look after work, Ye-rin wore an unreadable, blank expression.

From past experience, Ye-na knew this meant her sister was either worried about something or irritated.

Knowing this, she sat down without protest.

"What's up?"

Ye-rin hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Ye-na, do you still have no plans to get a job?"

"...I told you before. If I find somewhere I'm interested in, I'll—"

"You said the same thing last time, but you didn't apply anywhere."

"......"

Ye-rin easily countered Ye-na's excuse, which was identical to last time.

Ye-na was about to make another excuse but sensed the chill in her sister's voice and closed her mouth.

With both sisters falling silent, a heavy atmosphere settled over the officetel.

Ye-rin looked at Ye-na, who couldn't meet her eyes, and sighed before speaking.

"Haah... Ye-na."

"Yeah...?"

"I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious. Do you dislike the idea of working at a company in general? Or is it that you really can't find a place that suits you?"

"It might sound like an excuse, but I really haven't found a place that feels right..."

After speaking, Ye-na glanced at her sister.

She expected Ye-rin to get angry, but surprisingly, her sister's expression didn't change much.

"If that's really the case, then... if I recommended a place that suits you, would you consider working there?"

"If it's really a workplace that suits me, I don't see why not..."

At Ye-na's words, Ye-rin immediately followed up with another question.

"Ye-na, you've been playing Girls Memorial lately, right?"

"Huh? Why the sudden—?"

"I know everything. Just tell me."

"W-well, yeah... How did you know?"

"How could I not know?"

Ye-rin pulled up Bixiv on her smartphone and showed it to Ye-na.

"Lately, all you've been drawing is Girls Memorial fan art. Wouldn't it be weirder if I didn't know?"

"I guess you're right."

Ye-na laughed dejectedly at her sister's deduction.

"You're right, I am into Girls Memorial. But what does that have to do with our conversation?"

In response to Ye-na's question, Ye-rin spilled everything—all that had happened and what she needed to say.

From her transfer to Enson GT as Art Director to the scouting offer.

Ye-na was skeptical at first but realized her sister was being sincere from her expression.

"...Wait, wait. So the gist of what you're saying is that you're currently the Art Director for Girls Memorial, and Enson GT wants to hire me. Is that right?"

"Exactly."

"...No wonder the illustrations felt familiar. Why didn't you tell me about this until now?"

Ye-rin tilted her head at Ye-na's question.

"Huh? I thought you already knew?"

"No, you only told me you transferred to Enson GT! You never mentioned anything about being the Art Director for Girls Memorial!"

"R-really?"

Ye-na was dumbfounded by Ye-rin's response.

"...Sometimes you can be such an airhead, sis."

Ye-rin quickly changed the subject under Ye-na's incredulous gaze.

"Come to think of it, Ye-na, didn't you do some part-time 3D modeling work before?"

"Huh? Yeah, I did a few freelance character 3D modeling jobs. Two for broadcasting companies and one for a game company, I think?"

"How did those jobs turn out?"

"...How was it? I don't remember exactly, but at least I didn't get chewed out for doing a bad job. As you know, you don't even get paid if there are complaints."

"That's true."

"But why are you asking about the 3D modeling gigs?"

"The team at Girls Memorial wants to hire you for the 3D modeling department."

Ye-na questioned Ye-rin's statement with a voice full of doubt.

"3D modeling? I thought if I got a job at your company, I'd be in the art department?"

"Yeah, but they said that's the area where they need people most urgently right now."

"Well, if that's the case, I guess there's no helping it..."

Seeing Ye-na's obvious disappointment, Ye-rin asked with a smile.

"Are you disappointed it's not the art team?"

"Honestly, a little? I'm most confident in my art skills, so the idea of starting in a different department is a bit scary..."

"Don't worry. I'll be there to help you until you get used to it."

"...Thanks."

As the conversation seemed to wrap up, Ye-rin stretched and stood up.

"I'm going to make some coffee. Want some?"

"Yeah. But make mine an Americano, no sugar."

"Americano? Sure."

As Ye-rin was brewing coffee at the machine, Ye-na spoke up.

"Um, sis?"

"Yeah?"

"I have one more question."

"What is it?"

"Is it easy to use vacation days at your company?"

Ye-rin thought for a moment before nodding and replying.

"I think so? They usually don't make a fuss unless it's an exceptional situation, like right before a game launch. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing... I was just wondering if I'd have to give up my doujin activities if I got a job."

Ye-rin brought over two cups of coffee, handing one to Ye-na.

"I don't think you'd need to give it up entirely. You can always use vacation days for Comiket and such."

"I guess you're right..."

"So don't worry too much about that. Let's go to the company together tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, already?"

"Yeah, the Director said he just wants to have a chat and do a small test. So don't stress too much, okay?"

"Alright."

***

The next morning

While preparing for work in the office, I received a call from Ye-rin.

"Hello?"

[Senior, it's Ye-rin.]

"Oh, Ye-rin. What's up?"

[You know that proposal you mentioned yesterday?]

"Ah... you mean about Ye-na, right?"

[Yes, that's right. I had a good talk with Ye-na yesterday, and we're on our way to the company together now.]

She did it.

"Well done. I'll contact HR to arrange a temporary access pass. When you arrive, come straight up to the meeting room. Got it?"

[Understood.]

After hanging up with Ye-rin, I silently cheered before immediately calling Yu-mi on the company messenger.

Soon after, there was a knock at the door, and Yu-mi entered the office.

"You called for me, Director?"

"We've got an urgent interview set up. Could you prepare the meeting room? It's an informal session, so no need for anything elaborate. Okay?"

"Yes, I understand!"

As Yu-mi left to set up the meeting room, I also stepped out of my office.

First stop, the HR department, I guess.