Episode 12
“I’m sorry. But drawing on the tables is…”
“What, my kids can’t even play this much? This is ridiculous. Fine. I can’t talk to a part-timer like you. Get me the manager.”
“I am the manager.”
“You’re the manager? How pathetic. I had high hopes since this place is famous. How can you treat kids like this? How much is this table? How much is this table that you dare treat my precious children like this?”
By this point, every customer in the restaurant was watching the scene. Someone seemed to be discreetly taking photos with their phone. Su-han, noticing this, subtly tried to restrain Su-young.
“Sister, that’s enough. Just tell them they can’t do it.”
Su-han spoke up, perhaps feeling embarrassed.
“What? No, the kids didn’t do anything wrong, they just drew with a washable marker. Am I in the wrong here? No!”
“Lower your voice. Why are you being so embarrassing?”
“Embarrassing? You think I’m embarrassing? You think your nephews are embarrassing?”
“Ugh. Come with me. Let’s talk outside. Sorry about this. Min-seon, watch the kids for a bit, okay?”
“Yes, of course. Unnie, don’t worry about the kids, go ahead.”
Su-han bowed his head slightly to the staff and dragged Su-young out.
Is this still not enough? Su-young’s Favorability Score dropped to 54, but the mission success notification didn’t appear.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll clean this, and we’ll pay for any damages if necessary.”
Min-seon wiped the table. The staff member let out a deep sigh and left. Now, only Min-seon and the two children remained at the table.
Perhaps sensing the situation, Young-sik and Young-woo sat quietly, just watching warily.
Kids really are just kids, aren’t they? If they were properly scolded and disciplined, they’d probably improve quickly. She felt a pang of pity for them.
“What are you looking at, lady?”
At Young-sik’s challenging words, Min-seon’s fleeting feeling of pity evaporated.
Then again, the staff here who have to clean this up are more pitiable.
“Hey kids, was drawing fun?”
Young-sik and Young-woo didn’t answer, instead looking at Min-seon with wary eyes.
“But it’s annoying that the restaurant says we can’t do it here, right?”
“Yeah! So annoying! Why won’t they let us? It’s just a table!”
Young-woo parroted Su-young’s exact words.
“But there’s nothing we can do. That restaurant man looked really scary, didn’t he? Ah, then we should only draw on things that belong to people who won’t get mad. Right?”
“People who won’t get mad?”
“Yeah, there was definitely one person here just now.”
Min-seon looked towards Su-young’s seat. Her bag was sitting alone on the chair.
“YAAAAAAH! What is this!”
Su-young shrieked.
With a trembling hand, Su-young picked up her bag. Cruel black lines were scrawled mercilessly across the white lambskin leather.
“Are you kids crazy? You can’t even find this bag anymore!”
She grabbed Young-sik and Young-woo by their wrists and smacked their backs repeatedly. It was a completely different reaction from when the kids were drawing on the table moments before.
“But Mom, you said it was okay to draw earlier…!”
“That was for other places, not on Mom’s bag!”
Su-young tried rubbing the bag gently, but the ink only smudged, showing no signs of coming off. She held her forehead.
“You two, get up now! Come with me! You’re going to get it when we get home. Drawing all over the place like this.”
Without even saying goodbye to Min-seon or Su-han, Su-young grabbed the two children by the scruffs of their necks and dragged them out. Behind her, the text was clear.
[Current Kim Su-young’s Favorability Score: 11 Points]
[‘Ruin Kim Su-young’s Mood’ Successful!
The mission reward will be distributed shortly!
Reward: A Splendid Dinner]
11 points? Seeing the score plummet even lower than she expected, she felt a laugh bubble up.
If you know your own bag is precious, you should know other people’s things are precious too.
Min-seon hummed a tune inwardly.
But wait. What is this reward? A splendid dinner? Compared to the last reward, which was clear and tangible, this one is quite vague.
Su-han shook his head as he looked in the direction Su-young had left.
“Our noona is a bit simple and straightforward. But you know? That type is endlessly generous to their people. She’ll definitely treat you well.”
“Yes. I really think so too. It seems like she really takes care of only her people.”
And the ‘her people’ that Su-young needed to take care of was undoubtedly only herself. It was obvious that at the slightest threat, she’d abandon family and everything else to save her own skin.
Min-seon raised the corners of her lips.
“So don’t think too badly of what happened today.”
“Of course not. How could I think badly of Team Manager’s sister?”
“I feel a bit relieved hearing you say that, Min-seon. Actually, I was a bit surprised earlier. I didn’t know you felt that way.”
“Felt what way?”
Min-seon pretended not to know.
“About taking care of my parents. To be honest, I felt too sorry to bring it up again.”
That’s right. You couldn’t be honest even after we got married. You just said we could move in once the tenants moved out, and asked to live together for just one year until then.
After the promised year passed, it happened again. Just one more year. This time for real. It was only after four years had passed that Su-han finally revealed his true feelings, suggesting they just continue living as they were.
“Then again, you said your relationship with your own parents isn’t great. It might be nice for you to live with us and receive lots of love from my parents, right? And if we have a baby, we can ask Mom to look after it too.”
Su-han smiled brightly, in a way unbefitting his age.
“You’re right. I’d also like to go on dates with my in-laws, be filial, and live like that. Being a daughter-like daughter-in-law, that’s my dream.”
Min-seon also smiled, her eyes curving.
Su-han seemed lost in thought for a moment. Then, hesitantly, he opened his mouth.
“Min-seon-ah.”
For some reason, he looked solemn.
“Have you been to Namsan Tower? There’s a restaurant there I really like. I want to go with you. Should we go next week?”
Ah. Namsan Tower.
Of course she’d been there. It was where Kim Su-han had previously proposed.
She had a feeling the next mission would be accomplished smoothly.
“I haven’t been. I’d love to. I really want to go with you, Team Manager.”
Min-seon declined Su-han’s offer to take her home and headed to the company instead. She had someone to meet today.
Despite it being the weekend, lights were on in various parts of the massive Han-Se Financial headquarters building. But Min-seon headed not to her office, but to the cafe on the first floor.
“Min-seon-ah!”
It was Yun-ji, a colleague who joined the company the same year and worked in the Infrastructure Team.
“Long time no see. We’re in the same building, right? Why is it so hard to see your face?”
Min-seon and Yun-ji exchanged pleasant greetings. It seemed Yun-ji was just as busy, working on a weekend like today.
“By the way, why the coffee? Did you have something to tell me?”
Yun-ji’s eyes held a hint of expectation.
“No, I’m the only one from my team who came in today. I didn’t have anyone to have coffee with.”
“Ah, really?”
Yun-ji seemed slightly disappointed, but Min-seon pretended not to notice.
“How’s work?”
“Don’t even ask. I’m so busy. Why does the work never end? You?”
“Similar, I guess.”
“But you…”
Yun-ji lowered her voice slightly.
“…your Team Manager is supposed to be really great, right?”
“People say my Team Manager is great?”
“Yeah, really gentle and good at his job. That’s why he got promoted as the youngest, isn’t it? Or not?”
It was about Su-han.
For the past few days, Min-seon had been looking into Su-han’s internal reputation.
This mission was about lowering his Honor Score. The easiest way to raise and lower honor was undoubtedly through office gossip.
Su-han’s current Honor Score was 81 points.
Meaning, his reputation was exceptionally good. Yun-ji was just confirming it once again.
Su-han was as cunning as a fox, a man who would never reveal his bad side. So, the Su-han others saw was capable, from a good family, and a good person on top of that.
Add to that the fact that he was impeccably polite to his subordinates, and it was no wonder there was no bad word about him.
Yes. That’s how he looked to my eyes too. Because everyone unanimously said Su-han was a good person.
Because even if he said something slightly upsetting, he would turn around and try to embrace me, or rather, pretend to embrace me, with ease and gentleness.
“No, you’re right. He’s an excellent person.”
