Chapter 38
A friendly voice came from the car’s navigation system.
[Your destination is 50 meters ahead.]
The GPS wasn’t set to “Snack Heaven” but to a public parking lot.
Just then, Hana pointed to a one-story building on the right.
“That’s Snack Heaven. I need to prep something in advance—can you drop me off first?”
“Sure.”
What would she need to prepare to eat lunch?
Siwan was curious but didn’t want to seem nosy, so he quietly pulled over to the side of the road.
After getting out of the car, Hana pointed again.
“Right there. You can loop around to the back for the parking lot.”
“Got it. Go on ahead. I’ll be right in.”
Siwan dropped her off and headed toward the public parking lot behind the building.
A well-known food blogger had once written the following about Snack Heaven:
“The only downside of this place is there’s no parking. Waaahhh!
But who cares?
There’s a public parking lot just 1 minute away!!!!!
And if you spend over 1,000 won, they give you a 1-hour parking voucher!
Don’t do that!
Don’t win over customers with silly vouchers!
Even if they didn’t give one—I’d come every day. Hahaha.
It’s seriously that good.”
By the time Siwan finished parking, he was frowning deeply.
It wasn’t that there were no spaces or that parking was difficult.
“Snack Heaven… I know I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”
The place seemed familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.
Before getting out of the car, he placed his hands on the steering wheel and said a short prayer.
“Oh Lord, please help me enjoy this precious lunch hour without messing it up, without making Hana uncomfortable—please let it be pleasant and happy!”
To Siwan, Hana was like the food she made.
Just seeing the lunchbox she prepared made him happy. Just seeing her made him feel the same.
Today would be the fourth time he had lunch with her.
If his companion for these field assignments hadn’t been Hana, he would’ve rushed to return to the office before lunch even started.
Even with her, his eating disorder symptoms remained—he had to force himself to chew and swallow.
But unlike other meals, which felt like hell, meals with Hana were a joy.
Siwan glanced at his reflection in the car window.
A navy suit, white dress shirt, thin gray tie.
Nothing special in color or design—but on him, it looked remarkable. With a little exaggeration, you could slap a photo of him in an ad for men’s suits right away.
In the past, he would’ve smugly said something like “not bad” in self-satisfaction.
But ever since meeting Hana, he always felt like something was missing. He wanted to look better, more handsome, more attractive.
“Should’ve gone with the gray suit today.”
He smoothed his hair and headed toward the building Hana had pointed out.
Meanwhile…
Goo Dong-geun straightened his back like a meerkat and glanced at the office clock.
‘What’s taking so long? Are they even doing fieldwork?’
He was clearly irritated.
He had finally joined a TF team with Hana, yet barely got to spend any time with her.
He had high hopes for two things on this team:
First—overtime.
Working late in an empty office with just him and Hana. They’d get dinner, coffee, maybe even a drink. Plenty of chances to show off his charm!
Second—fieldwork.
A chance to escape the crowded office and enjoy a legal date. If she got tired, he could carry her bag, give her a shoulder massage.
Just imagining it made him giddy.
But neither had happened yet.
For four straight days, Hana had gone home on the dot after work, saying she’d work from home instead.
To be exact: “There’s no point sticking around with you, so I’ll just take the data and finish the report at home.”
She took the materials Dong-geun gathered during the day, then produced a full report by the next morning.
The next day, she asked for new data, which he collected, and again—she worked at home.
It felt like they were working in shifts. Forget overtime, they were barely even in the same room.
And now she was doing fieldwork—with Do Siwan, without even including him.
For four days in a row!
Dong-geun was fuming.
They were a team—couldn’t three people go together?
This had to be intentional. She was purposely excluding him and going out with Siwan.
‘She couldn’t go with me even once out of four times? Damn it, that Do Siwan bastard.’
In Dong-geun’s mind, Siwan was to blame for ruining both his overtime and fieldwork fantasies.
Not that Hana would ever like Dong-geun anyway.
Everyone knew that—except Dong-geun himself.
He let out a long sigh and took out his phone to send a message.
Psycho
Noona! Weren’t you gonna break up Do Team Leader and Hana sunbae? Any progress?
Of course, “Noona” was Chae Su-hwa.
She responded shortly:
Psycho
Last time I barged in and got wrecked, remember? I’m working on a better plan now.
But I should probably hurry. Do Team Leader and Hana have been doing fieldwork together four days in a row. Are they even working?
If not?
Who knows? A date?
A few minutes later, she messaged again.
Psycho
Date, my ass, you psycho. You clearly don’t know Siwan oppa at all. I’m already in a bad mood, and now you’ve made it worse. Don’t message me unless it’s important.
Dong-geun felt wronged.
Why was this nutjob taking it out on him?
Psycho
Hey, that’s kinda harsh, don’t you think?
He quoted a famous movie line to express his frustration.
Psycho
You think I’m joking? Want to see me actually lose it?
Dong-geun almost replied, “You already seem crazy enough,” but held back.
Psycho
Sorry.
Siwan hurried around the building, not wanting to keep Hana waiting.
As he rounded the corner, an unpleasant scene came into view. Hana was surrounded by four burly men.
All of them looked mean.
One man, with a buzzcut and a leather jacket, was grinning as he said something to her.
The other three laughed along with him.
Hana looked flustered, her face turning red.
She tried to slip past them, but the buzzcut man stepped forward and blocked her way.
That’s when Siwan lost it.
He shouted louder than he ever had in his life.
“Hey! You there!”
All five heads turned—Hana’s and the four men’s.
Siwan strode forward and pulled Hana behind him.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
As he got a closer look, Siwan flinched.
‘Holy crap, what’s up with their faces?’
It wasn’t about being handsome or not—they just looked scary. If a tiger escaped from the zoo and ran into these guys, it would probably slink back in embarrassment.
Their eyes were intense.
Faces scarred.
Bodies even more hulking and muscular than they had looked from a distance.
Siwan had formal training in martial arts. And yet, he didn’t feel like he could take down even one of them.
‘Should I run with her? Or call the police?’
He was thinking fast when Hana tugged at the hem of his jacket from behind.
“Team Leader…”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry.”
A man wants to appear strong in front of his girl.
All he could think about was how to get Hana out safely.
That’s when the buzzcut man smirked and tilted his head.
“Hey, kid. Who the hell are you?”
Kid?
Siwan was dumbfounded.
He’d always been on the taller side and never once called “kid.”
When he stayed silent, the man growled again.
“I asked who the hell you are, punk!”
And then, against all his will and intention, the words came out of Siwan’s mouth:
“I’m… her boyfriend.”
“What?”
“I said, I’m her boyfriend. The one behind me.”
