Episode 19
“Um… hello. I’m sorry. I arrived late.”
Ha-yoon thought she’d be the first to arrive, but Bong-soo was already sitting in the room waiting for her.
She quickly took off her shoes and went in, bowing politely. He waved his hand, saying it was fine.
“I know how long it takes to get here from our office. If you left right after work, this is when you’d arrive. It’s okay.
Please, sit comfortably across from me.”
Ha-yoon sat down nervously across from him.
“I’ll wait outside, sir,” said Chief Choi and left after confirming Ha-yoon arrived.
The room fell silent. Ha-yoon was sure there was a reason she was called here, but Bong-soo just stared at her
without saying anything. She sat up straight, swallowing nervously.
“I must be too old to understand what young people like.”
“Pardon?”
“So I ordered a full-course meal with a bit of everything. I hope it suits your taste. Chief Choi said this place is popular
with young people.”
That was the first thing Bong-soo said.
The table was full of food—as if he had ordered the entire menu.
He handed her the spoon, telling her to eat, and Ha-yoon gratefully picked up her spoon.
“Oh no, sir, you didn’t need to worry about that.”
“Oh?”
“I eat well, no matter what it is. I actually love this kind of food and don’t get to eat it often.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“And since you ordered this thinking of me, I’ll eat everything politely and gratefully. I believe that’s the right thing to do.”
She smiled brightly and forced herself to eat even the dishes she wouldn’t normally eat.
But surprisingly, it was all really delicious—maybe the best food she’d ever tasted. Every bite melted in her mouth.
“I guess it suits your taste.”
She was so absorbed in the taste, she forgot Bong-soo was in front of her.
She had just picked up grilled abalone when she realized it and quickly lowered her hand. Embarrassed, she lowered
her head, but Bong-soo just chuckled.
“If you like it, that’s great. I carefully picked this place hoping you’d enjoy it.”
“Thank you. It’s really good. Thanks to you, I’m having a lovely meal.”
“Glad to hear that.”
“But… Chairman.”
“Yes? Go ahead.”
Ha-yoon cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry, but did I do something wrong? Or did I offend you in some way? I’ve been thinking all day but can’t figure
out what I did wrong. If you tell me, I’ll make sure to fix it.”
“Not at all. You did nothing wrong.”
“Then… why did you call me here? I don’t think you’d ask me out for no reason. I feel like there must be a specific
reason you asked for me.”
Their eyes met.
Bong-soo smiled at her directness.
“Haha. This is why you can’t lie to young people.”
“Huh…? I didn’t mean…”
“There’s only one reason. You know Tae-jun is my grandson, right?”
Ha-yoon nodded quietly.
She didn’t mean to know—it just happened. Around age 20, she accidentally overheard a phone call between her
brother Kyung-hoon and someone else.
“Right. I wanted to meet you because of my grandson. I think Tae-jun will need your help.”
“Director Tae-jun?”
“I heard you two are close.”
“Oh… he’s close friends with my older brother. So yes, we’ve known each other for a long time.”
“That’s why I’m asking you. There’s no one else I could ask this favor.”
Hearing the word “favor” made Ha-yoon nervous.
A favor from the chairman… It didn’t sound easy.
“I want my grandson to get married soon. But for some reason, he doesn’t seem interested in marriage.”
“Oh…”
She had a bad feeling, and she was right.
What Bong-soo said made her heart sink.
Ha-yoon had once dreamed of marrying him.
But the woman Bong-soo wanted beside Tae-jun was clearly not her.
“I want you to help him get married.”
“You mean… help Director Tae-jun get married?”
“Yes. From what I can see, Tae-jun listens to you more than he listens to me.”
“No, I don’t think he really—”
“Oh, but he does. He might argue at first, but then he ends up doing what you ask. Like when he broke company rules
to add a member to his team.”
Ha-yoon looked up, surprised.
She hadn’t known Tae-jun was the one who brought Yoon-ho into the team.
“I was shocked. I didn’t know my grandson could do that. It made me realize he was capable of such thoughts.”
What exactly did he say?
Ha-yoon’s mouth felt dry and her throat tight. She didn’t know how it was related to her.
“But that was because he was busy—”
As she tried to explain, Bong-soo chuckled.
“Is that what he told you?”
She closed her mouth.
She now realized she never heard the reason from Tae-jun himself.
Then, Bong-soo slid a photo in front of her. It was of a woman.
“This woman is a perfect match for my grandson. You’re an adult, so you get what I’m saying. He needs someone
strong beside him.”
There was something sharp in his words.
It felt like he was telling her: “You have nothing. Don’t get in the way. Let go of your feelings.”
Yes—he knew how she felt about Tae-jun.
“I don’t want Tae-jun to struggle after I die. This woman can support him. If you care about him, you’ll help him. Am
I wrong?”
“Ah…”
“Tell me what you think, Ha-yoon.”
His dark eyes looked straight at her.
