Chapter 19
. Siwan, No!
Siwan kept talking.
“Of course, Chief Joo Hana is cute. But that’s probably the same fond feeling you’d have for a daughter or a niece. So please, think it over again.”
A strange smile spread across Do Myung-jin’s face.
“Yeah, you’re right. She is cute.”
“Exactly. But the feeling you have isn’t the kind of feeling a man has for a woman.”
Watching Siwan speak with such seriousness, he let out a small chuckle.
‘Oh-ho, look at this kid.’
Do Myung-jin spoke in an exaggeratedly stern tone.
“Of course it isn’t. Your mother’s the only woman for me. Just what do you think of your old man?”
“What? Then why were you looking at Chief Joo Hana with such sticky eyes?”
Sticky eyes?
Siwan was casually saying things that could get them into serious trouble if overheard. Myung-jin, deciding this wouldn’t do, lightly kicked Siwan’s shin with the toe of his shoe.
“Are you crazy? I just happened to be at the coffee shop, and she was in front of me ordering. So I paid for her, that’s all.”
“Hmm, strange. You never acted like that with the other staff when you paid for them. You just walked away.”
“Our Siwan becomes director and suddenly talks back a lot.”
“No, that’s not what I—”
“Say one more word and I’ll have you transferred to the factory, got it?”
“……”
When Siwan clamped his mouth shut, Myung-jin clicked his tongue and turned away.
As he watched his father walk off in big strides, Siwan was thrown into confusion.
‘Why did I do that?’
No one knew better than he did that his father wasn’t that kind of man.
No—more importantly, confronting him like that right in the company lobby was something the usual Siwan would never even think of doing.
Letting out a long sigh, Siwan muttered to himself,
“This is all because of the kimchi fried rice.”
Somehow, Siwan had begun to equate Hana with the kimchi fried rice she made.
It sounded strange, but whenever he saw Hana, he thought of kimchi fried rice, and whenever he saw kimchi fried rice, he thought of Hana.
Right now, it was the only food Siwan could eat. Was he just being possessive because he didn’t want his father to take it away?
There was something even stranger, though.
When he opened the lunchbox Hana had packed for him—
The moment he saw the mound of kimchi fried rice sitting neatly inside, his heart had pounded wildly, and an almost painful rush of saliva had flooded his mouth.
Whenever he saw Hana, that same emotion and sensation came rushing back vividly.
Which made Siwan wonder:
‘Is it just kimchi fried rice? What if I can eat other dishes she makes too? How can I find out?’
In that instant, an idea flashed through his mind.
‘Right, the lunchbox. I’ll steal it!’
“If I just take one bite and put it back before anyone notices, it’ll be fine, right?”
While he was muttering this to himself, Seo Wan-gu approached quietly.
“Director, the elevator’s here.”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
On the ride up to the 10th floor, Siwan ran through hundreds of simulations in his head of how he might steal the lunchbox.
Unfortunately, not a single attempt succeeded.
The Food Planning Team staff weren’t the problem—he could take it during a team meeting if needed.
The real problem was Seo Wan-gu, standing right next to him.
Maybe it was because he was a former special forces soldier, but the man was everywhere and impossible to evade. Getting the lunchbox without him noticing was impossible.
The only reason Hana could sneak a lunchbox into the director’s office was that she came before Wan-gu arrived for work.
Then another brilliant thought hit Siwan.
‘I just need to steal it before Secretary Seo gets to work!’
President’s Office
Do Myung-jin used a small fork to cut off a corner of chocolate cake and pop it into his mouth.
With his angular, authoritative face, he chewed slowly, savoring the flavor.
He took a sip of Americano and nodded with satisfaction.
“I thought it’d be way too sweet since it’s chocolate cake, but it’s just right with coffee.”
Whimsy.
Normally, he didn’t like chocolate at all. But seeing Hana buy it had made him curious enough to try it.
This was the woman who might be able to cure his son’s eating disorder. He couldn’t help but wonder what a cake she picked would taste like.
One bite, and it was rich and layered.
Two bites, and it was refined and elegant.
By the third bite, his fork was moving of its own accord.
For someone who didn’t even like chocolate cake to eat so absentmindedly—
As expected of the great Joo Hana.
He felt he might end up buying it often from now on.
Smacking his lips, Myung-jin muttered,
“If I could just have half a slice more, it’d be perfect. It’s too small.”
In truth, the chocolate cake he was eating was a mass-produced product.
The coffee shop just bought it wholesale and sold it. There was nothing inherently special about it.
It was all in his head.
It was all because of Joo Hana.
As he was gathering the crumbs with his fork, his phone rang.
Seeing “Kwon Joo” on the caller ID, he quickly answered.
Then, putting on a dignified tone, he said,
“Yes, this is Do Myung-jin.”
[Boss, it’s me.]
“And who might ‘me’ be?”
[Oh, come on. Did you eat crow stew or something? It’s me, Kwon Joo!]
Myung-jin burst out laughing and leaned back in his chair.
“Hey, Kwon Joo! You’re alive? A few more days and I might’ve forgotten your voice.”
[Boss, you’re exaggerating. We just had grilled pork skin together last week.]
“Right, right. Speaking of which, want to have some again today?”
[Sounds good. No, wait—actually, I’m disappointed in you, boss.]
Myung-jin tilted his head slightly.
“Disappointed? Why all of a sudden? We can eat something else if you don’t want pork skin.”
[No! It’s because you didn’t tell me Siwan’s seeing someone. I’m genuinely hurt.]
From Kwon Joo’s tone, he could feel the unspoken ‘I’m really wounded by this.’ But to Myung-jin, the news was just baffling.
“My Siwan is seeing someone? Who?”
[Whoa, why are you asking me that?]
“Because you brought it up, that’s why! Who is she? Where’d you hear it?”
His intense reaction made Kwon Joo shrink a little.
[Uh… from Su-hwa…]
“You heard it from Su-hwa? And why am I the only one who doesn’t know, when even Su-hwa does? That brat Siwan!”
As Myung-jin’s voice rose, Kwon Joo hurried to calm him down—if this went wrong, his daughter would be the one in an awkward position.
[Boss, to be precise, Su-hwa didn’t say, ‘He has a girlfriend.’ She said something like, ‘It seems like he has a girlfriend, so can you find out who?’ That’s all.]
“Never mind that! Just figure out why Su-hwa thinks that and send me the details.”
[But… Siwan’s an adult. Isn’t it normal for him to date? Why overreact?]
“There’s a reason. I’ll explain later. Just ask Su-hwa directly and get back to me.”
[You could just ask Siwan yourself…]
Myung-jin let out a long sigh.
“And you think he’d just say, ‘Yes, Father, I’m dating such-and-such a woman’? If he’s hiding it, he has a reason. That’s why we need evidence before confronting him.”
After hanging up, Myung-jin sat there with a serious expression, deep in thought.
“He has a girlfriend? I thought he was interested in Chief Joo. Don’t tell me he’s a player in disguise? That brat, after even taking her lunchboxes!”
Yes—unlike Siwan expected, Myung-jin knew Hana had been making lunchboxes for him.
Of course, Seo Wan-gu had reported it.
For him, why Hana had given Siwan kimchi fried rice didn’t matter. The important thing was that Siwan could eat it.
Myung-jin wanted Hana to cook for Siwan every day.
In fact, he thought it would be best if they ended up together.
Even if Siwan did all the other housework, Hana should at least be the one making his meals.
Whether it was just kimchi fried rice or other dishes too, he didn’t know yet.
Either way, as far as Myung-jin knew, Hana was the only person who could make food Siwan could eat.
Crossing his arms, he made a troubled face.
“If she’s been making him lunchboxes, she’s not completely uninterested… but still…”
They say when a woman holds a grudge, frost can fall in mid-summer.
If she’s been making him lunch, only to find out he’s seeing someone else? No woman wouldn’t feel betrayed.
And then asking her, ‘Can you keep making my son’s meals?’—even a psychopath wouldn’t do that.
“…Haa. Should I have a talk with that brat Siwan?”
