Chapter 26.
Did Director Do Si-wan Steal a Lunchbox?
Si-wan took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
“It was done by mutual consent. It’s not like I just snatched it away… it wasn’t anything like that at all.”
[Consent?]
At Secretary Seo Wan-gu’s pointed question, Si-wan realized his mistake.
“Mutual consent” — if someone wanted to twist it, it could sound very strange indeed.
He simply couldn’t understand what was going on.
Was it not just that he became an idiot when talking to Ha-na, but even when talking about her?
The more he tried to explain, the more tangled it seemed to get.
“Um, Secretary Seo, I know it might sound strange, but—”
Seo Wan-gu suddenly cut him off in a briskly “businesslike” tone.
[I can confirm this with Deputy Manager Joo Ha-na, correct? If you refuse, I will report this immediately to the CEO and file a complaint with the Ethics Office…]
“P-please confirm it! I’m telling you, it’s really nothing weird.”
[I will now call Deputy Manager Joo to verify. Until I get back to you, do not contact her in any way — text, call, or otherwise.]
“What? But… our meeting is at 12…”
The time was now 11:51.
He needed to leave in four minutes!
Even at his urgent tone, Seo Wan-gu warned firmly,
[Remember. Not until I contact you!]
Then the line went dead.
How could a secretary act like this?!
Not that arguing about it would help.
All he could do was wait for Seo Wan-gu’s “verification process” to be over.
The team group chat was buzzing.
It meant lunchtime was approaching.
[Oh Ah-young]: Chicken-and-noodle soup today. Who’s in?
Following her lead, the team members each chimed in.
[No Mi-seon]: As expected, you’ve got great taste. Perfect weather for chicken-and-noodle soup! I’m on the non-spicy team.
[Kim Yang-mi]: Ugh, I did my makeup so well today. I don’t want to sweat it off!
[Jang Won-young]: Then Manager Kim, sit with me. I’m not feeling spicy food either.
Chicken-and-noodle soup was exactly what it sounded like — a big pot with a whole chicken boiled in it.
It wasn’t one chicken per person — two servings came with one chicken, meaning you couldn’t order it alone.
Oh Ah-young was the type to go crazy for spice, tossing in Cheongyang chili peppers and hot seasoning without hesitation.
For those who couldn’t handle spicy food, hot and spicy was torture.
So while everyone agreed on the menu, nobody wanted to eat it with Oh Ah-young.
Reading the mood, she rolled her chair over toward Ha-na.
“Ha-na, Ha-na, Deputy Manager Joo.”
“No. I can’t go with you today.”
“Right, of course you packed a lunch.”
Ha-na gave her a brief look but didn’t bother explaining.
As she turned her focus back to the monitor, Oh Ah-young spoke softly.
“I’m craving spicy food.”
“Then go eat it.”
“But no one will eat with me. Help me out.”
Ha-na scratched her head with the back end of her pen and said casually,
“The team leader will pay for both portions.”
“Oooh!”
Oh Ah-young snapped her fingers like she’d had a revelation and rolled her chair back to her seat.
[Oh Ah-young]: Whoever eats with me, I’m buying!
Immediately, the sound of typing filled the air.
[No Mi-seon]: I’ll try spicy food today.
[Kim Yang-mi]: I can redo my makeup.
[Jang Won-young]: Team leader, you’re buying drinks too, right?
Seeing the conversation scroll by, Ha-na smiled faintly.
They really were a fun bunch.
Good people, too.
Not that she had any plans to quit, but even if she did, she’d want to keep in touch with them.
Well… except Gu Dong-geun.
Suddenly, a message popped up in the company messenger from an unfamiliar contact.
[Seo. wanQ]: Excuse me, Deputy Manager Joo. Could we speak briefly?
“Who’s this? Seo? Wan-Q?”
She had no idea who it was.
Since she didn’t know, she didn’t reply right away — and then another message came.
[Seo. wanQ]: I’m Secretary Seo Wan-gu.
Ha-na was startled.
Why would he be contacting her?
Since she had no idea what this was about, she replied cautiously.
[Hello. What’s this about?]
She stared at the screen nervously until a reply came.
[I’d like to ask over the phone. Could you step away to somewhere private? I’ll get your number from HR and call you.]
Seo Wan-gu was part of the secretary’s office.
Officially a manager, but the CEO’s favorite — effectively the highest-ranking member there.
Ha-na didn’t care much for company politics, but she knew that much.
‘Is this about the time the CEO bought me coffee?’
A few days ago, she’d run into CEO Do Myung-jin at the company café. Like he did for other employees, he’d paid for her coffee and cake.
‘Was I not supposed to accept that…?’
[You can call me in one minute.]
She sent the message, then rose from her seat with a worried expression and hurried to the break room.
It was where she always ate her lunch, so she knew no one would be there at this hour.
Soon, a call came from an unknown number.
She cleared her throat and answered cautiously.
“Hello?”
A polite voice came through.
[Sorry for the sudden contact, Deputy Manager Joo.]
“Yes…”
[Lunch is almost here, so I’ll be direct. Did Director Do Si-wan forcibly take your lunchbox?]
‘Huh? Forcibly take?’
She suddenly pictured a monkey she’d seen online recently, snatching a tourist’s lunchbox.
The thought of Si-wan doing the same made her almost laugh — but she quickly sobered and answered seriously.
“No. That didn’t happen.”
[Then did you give it to him voluntarily?]
What on earth was this about?
She worried that answering poorly might cause trouble for Si-wan.
“Yes, I gave it to him because I wanted to.”
[I see.]
If you wanted to be exact, Si-wan had asked for it first.
Well — he’d asked only for the seaweed soup in exchange for showing her his unusual ability.
But she’d thought giving just the soup was weird, so she’d given him the entire lunchbox.
So it wasn’t exactly forced, but not entirely voluntary either.
Still, judging from Seo Wan-gu’s tone, saying she’d wanted to give it seemed best.
But why was he suddenly asking this?
‘Wait… could it be?’
A chill ran down her spine.
Had Si-wan gotten food poisoning from it?
She frowned deeply, mentally going over the side dishes she’d packed.
‘The braised beef wouldn’t have spoiled… not the rice, of course. Stir-fried kimchi? No way.’
No matter how she thought about it, nothing in there could have gone bad.
She asked cautiously,
“Secretary Seo, did something happen with the lunchbox I gave the director? Did he get food poisoning or something…?”
[No, nothing like that. There’s nothing wrong with the lunchbox itself.]
She still didn’t know why he’d contacted her, but at least it wasn’t food poisoning — that was a relief.
“May I ask why you’re asking this?”
[Well… I heard the director was supposed to have lunch with you today. Is that correct?]
She hated it when people answered questions with more questions, but she took a breath and replied calmly.
“Yes, that’s right. After I gave him the lunchbox, he offered to treat me to lunch.”
[During that offer, did you feel pressured in any way?]
Now she was starting to get annoyed.
His questions felt like he was trying to paint Si-wan as some kind of creep.
She didn’t have any special relationship with Si-wan, but to her, he was a good person.
He was polite about food, knowledgeable about cooking,
and could even identify ingredients and preparation just by smell — a rare skill.
Not everyone’s criteria for “good person” were the same, but for her, it counted.
‘That should be enough.’
With a serious look, she said,
“Secretary Seo, I don’t know why you’re asking these things, but I’m a little offended. Do I need to have the secretary’s office audit me for giving someone a lunchbox? Or do I have to report to the company before accepting lunch from the director?”
