A friend's voice echoes through the phone. 'Hey, I heard it's really, really hard to get a job these days.' I just gave a soft smile at those words.

———

I was very lucky. I was able to get a job right away, even before I could truly feel the pain of job hunting. And at a major corporation, no less.

I was intimidated by my first experience in professional life, but I was also moved to tears by my talented colleagues and the company's welfare benefits.

And, the biggest benefit of all.

A person who is easy to talk to, easy to make laugh, and easy to get close to. That would be my team leader, and you could call him a company benefit.

——-

But after working in the same team for a few months, I realized.

The team leader, who seems to like everyone, actually almost never talks about himself.

⸻

"What about you, Team Leader?"

It happened while we were having a quick dinner together, just the two of us, because we had some time left over.

"What about me?"

"Why do you always just listen?"

The team leader just stares at me for a moment. If it were any other time, it's a question he would have brushed off with a joke long ago.

"Are you curious?"

"Yes."

"There are some things you shouldn't be curious about."

And those words, a bit more bitter than the taste of the alcohol, drift past his smile.