"Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul."- Dorothy Day
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Payday has finally arrived for the employees of the Kang Company. Employees came striding into work, with wide and excited smiles on their faces, as they talked among themselves. Excited chatter could be heard throughout every floor in the building.
Some employees had already began planning their next day off, talking about places they want to visit and foods they want to eat. The atmosphere in the floors were very lively in a very positive vibe. Even the weather seems to be agreeing with the ambiance in the office where there is sounds of birds chirping outside.
However, inside a small office on the second floor, the atmosphere was thick. Its air could be cut with a knife.
Two women sat on opposite sides of a table where two sheets of paper were laid down. If anyone looked closer at the papers, they would be able to identify them as an attendance sheet report and an employee"s individual appraisal report.
The feeling of tension and anxiety that emitted from the two women could make one uncomfortable. And the tension was palpable.
Delilah sat on one chair with her arms crossed across her chest, her head tilted with a "I"m-waiting" kind of look on her face. She was leaning back against her chair, as she waited for the other woman to speak.
The other woman, named Myra, sat across her. She was one of the employees at the Kang Company, working in the Logistics department. Her posture was stiff as she sat straight in her seat. She frowned back at Delilah, with an unsatisfied look on her face. She looked confident on the outside but her clenched fists told a different story.
Few minutes later, Myra finally lost the staring contest between the two of them and said coldly, "I would like to know why my pay was cut this month. Yes, I admit that there are times that I was late to the office. But cutting a quarter of my salary is too much."
Delilah c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. Too much? Really?
She let out a breath and asked slowly, "Can you tell me what you mean by too much? How much is too much?"
Myra leaned forward on her seat and pointed at one of the papers on the table. "I mean, I understand if my attendance was the cause of my cut. But cutting off my salary just because I did not attend any of the meetings? I did inform beforehand that I would not be coming."
Delilah crossed one leg over the other and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Ahhh... so you did. And did you inform it to me? Because I am quite sure I did not receive that notice. I did specifically sent a memo, telling every employee to personally email me of their absence. And again, I"m pretty sure I did not receive any emails from you."
Myra"s face blanched with discomfort and guilt. "Um... No, not really... I only informed Miss Peggy..." she stammered out.
"Miss Peggy? Is her name, "Delilah"? Does she works in the HR department?" Delilah cut in, putting her chin on the palm of her hand and her elbow on her raised knee.
Myra bit her lower lip nervously, her cheeks flushed red with embarra.s.sment. "No... but..."
Delilah waved one hand in the air, cutting her off. "Alright. Let me explain this to you. So, you say that you"re not satisfied with the cut in your salary. You admit to being late and also to not attending the meetings. You said that you informed Miss Peggy, which implies that you actually did receive my memo in the emails where I specifically stated that every employee should inform me whether or not they are attending the meeting. In bold. And I do that for every meeting.
And here we are being lenient. We do not mind you not attending the meetings. Because, yes, maybe you have to pick up your children after their school activities. Or maybe because you have an interview across town. Yes, we actually do not mind that. What are we to stop you from trying to find another job?"
Delilah then leaned forward in her seat, a frown on her face. "But what we do not tolerate are inconsiderate and inefficient people in OUR family. Is it really that hard to reply back to my email and say that you cannot attend the meeting because of this and that? And this is not the first time!"
She then crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back again. "We have nine departments in this company. Your department is one of them. In one department, there are at least 10 or 15 people in it. And you expect me to concentrate on each individual? Chasing after them whether they are going to attend the meeting or not? I do not have time for that, Miss Myra."
"So, I suggest you better think of what you say first, before coming to me to complain. I am not trying to dissuade you but please understand that I do not play favouritism and bias here. In fact, I do not tolerate favouritism and bias here. Yes, we might have a drink outside working hours. But I like to keep my work and personal life separate. Though, I thank you for at least, voicing out your opinions and complaints," Delilah said with a "customer/employee-smile".
Myra winced at the smile given by Delilah and nodded. She quickly said her thanks and left the room.
After Myra, there were other employees who wanted to meet with Delilah to discuss about their payment and other matters. It was really a busy day for Delilah and her colleagues. She only had time to take a lunch break and a coffee break. Other than that, she was cooped up inside the room, talking with the employees.
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It had taken her nearly the whole day to meet up with the employees and that had taken a toll on Delilah"s mental state.
She was finally inside her cubicle after meeting with the last employee. Some of the employees were fine and just would like her opinion on what to improve and whatnot. But there are also some who were like Myra, who were dissatisfied with their paycheck.
It was exhausting, having to meet them one by one that she felt a headache coming in. She rubbed both sides of her temples with her fingers, trying to soothe her mind.
Instead of doing any strenuous work, Delilah decided to read some reports while checking her emails. The working hours will be over in few minutes, anyway.
Few minutes later, she was all packed up and ready to go. She waved goodbye to her colleagues and went down to her car.
After that eventful day at work, she thought that it would be better if she went to grab some food, before heading home. And before she realised it, she was already parked in front of a Korean Dessert Shop.
She grabbed her handbag and got out of the car, locking it behind her. Sweet and warm fragrances with a hint of vanilla, chocolate and tea hit her nose as she stepped inside the shop. She smiled, looking around the shop. "This is just what I need, she thought to herself.
She went to the counter and placed her order.
After placing her order, she went to find a seat.
She then looked around her. The shop is quite cute when it comes to appearance. It has soft pastel pink walls with white and blue dots in some areas, resembling sprinkles. There are also pictures of the Bingsu in most of the picture frames, as well as a cute map of South Korea. The chairs and tables are all made of wood, with little cushion on the seats and white table mat on the table.
Few minutes later, her "Bingsu" finally arrived. "Bingsu" is a Korean shaved ice dessert served with toppings such as red beans and mangoes. It is then covered with sweetened condensed milk and flavoured powder.
For Delilah, she had ordered the "Ttalgi-bingsu", which is the strawberry shaved iced dessert. The dessert looked beautiful as it was topped with several small strawberries and mochi on the side, vanilla ice-cream on top and strawberry syrup dripped all over it. The whole bowl of dessert formed a picturesque look that she could not resist taking a photo of it. Delilah then upload the picture to her social media.
She took a spoon and carefully dig in, not wanting the ice to fall onto the table. The soft shaved ice slowly dripped onto her spoon as she scooped some ice-cream into it. The combined taste of the sweet milk ice and ice-cream melted in her mouth, sparking chills into her taste buds. The ice felt so refreshing and soft like pure snowfall. She then mixed the milky ice together with the syrup again before digging in once more.
She sighed in blissful contentment. "Food for the body is not enough," she mused to herself. "There should inDEEd have some food for the soul too."