Interlude

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep—went the alarm clock. Myeongjeon reached out and turned it off, then looked at the time. 6:30 a.m. Time to get up, as always.

Before getting out of bed, he did his McKenzie exercises. Keeping his lower body in place, he lifted only his upper body straight up to look at the sky. Then he inhaled and exhaled deeply, restoring the natural curve of his spine.

Next came the cat pose. With his hips raised toward the sky, he pressed his upper body as close to the floor as possible. After holding the position for a few seconds, he felt the tension release from his lower back.

He wasn't old enough to need to loosen up first thing in the morning to prevent a slipped disk… but it was a habit he'd practiced since his days as ‘Seo Myeongjeon,’ and since it was good for his health, he saw no reason to change it.

After loosening his back, he went outside and found Ms. Lee Hyein waiting for him. The usual breakfast: one fried egg and various side dishes.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Yeah, okay.”

For a while, the only sound filling the kitchen was the clatter of chopsticks. Myeongjeon continued eating absentmindedly until he raised his head at the sound of Ms. Lee Hyein’s voice.

“You remember you're coming to the company today, right?”

“Ah, yes.”...