Chapter 13
. Our Dear Mr. Do
Early morning.
Hana neatly arranged evenly cut pieces of spam onto a heated frying pan. Then, she carefully poured a beaten egg mixture over them, making sure it filled every gap.
Sizzle…
Just then, Joo Pyunghwa entered the kitchen with a beaming smile. His tone was so sweet it was almost nauseating as he asked,
“Hana, are you making lunch?”
Hana turned to him with a full-on grimace.
“What’s with that tone?”
“You’re packing lunch for our Mr. Do, right?”
Mr. Do?!
He seemed to be referring to Do Siwan, the Director of Product Development at DK Foods.
Hana stared at her father with narrowed eyes, as if she had just heard something she shouldn’t have.
“Dad, are you sick? Why are you suddenly calling him Mr. Do?”
She originally wanted to say, “Dad, are you insane?” but decided to soften it—it just seemed too harsh.
Because Hana was a good daughter.
Whether he recognized her restraint or not, Joo Pyunghwa began hovering around her with a blissful smile.
“Hana, I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days. Very seriously, in fact.”
“Don’t. You don’t need to think about anything.”
“But I already have.”
“Then please, just keep it to yourself.”
Though Hana clearly expressed she didn’t want to hear it, Joo Pyunghwa wasn’t listening at all.
He crossed his arms and smiled contentedly.
“I’ve decided to give my approval.”
“Approve of what?”
Hana stared at her father’s lips, dreading what would come next.
Joo Pyunghwa closed his eyes and smiled pleasantly.
“Mr. Do, of course. I really like him. Handsome, polite, and already a division director at his age!”
A capable son-in-law. And a wonderful daughter who snatched that son-in-law with her packed lunches.
The two of them, living sweetly and happily.
What a heartwarming, proud image!
“Dad, get a grip! Did Mom hit you on the head or something?!”
Even with his daughter’s harsh words, Joo Pyunghwa only chuckled.
He wandered closer to Hana and peeked into the frying pan.
“Oh ho, does our Mr. Do like spam?”
“I’m the one who’s going to eat this.”
“Well, since you’re cooking anyway, why don’t you grill a few extra pieces? I’m sure Mr. Do likes spam. I’ve never met a man who didn’t like spam.”
“……”
Hana took a deep breath and began placing the cooked spam into the lunchbox.
She closed the lid and packed it into her bag, zipping it shut with a loud zzt.
Then, she put on the thick hoodie draped over her chair.
With her head peeking out of the hood, she took another deep breath, then exhaled heavily.
Finally regaining her composure, she looked at her father and said calmly,
“Dad, the director and I are not involved in any way.”
“Sure, sure.”
“I’m serious.”
“Mhm, I believe you.”
“I really mean it!”
“Alright, alright.”
Frustrated by her father’s response, Hana shook her head.
“Ugh. I’m leaving.”
“Oh? You’re not packing lunch for Mr. Do?”
“Ughhh! Enough already!”
Instead of answering, Hana stomped her feet, grabbed her lunch bag, and left the kitchen.
“Hana, why don’t you start wearing some pretty clothes instead of that stuff? Want me to buy you an outfit? What kind of style does Mr. Do—”
Hana spun around, glaring.
“If you say ‘Mr. Do’ one more time, I’m not coming home again.”
* * *
5:30 AM.
Sindorim Station, Line 2.
The quiet subway platform echoed with a loud alarm.
Beep beep beep beep.
Soon, a faint light appeared at the end of the dark tunnel. With a loud rumble, the subway train came into view.
Hana always took the first train.
The reason was simple—there were fewer people at this hour.
Just twenty minutes later, the platform would be so packed you wouldn’t even be able to move.
Most of the upcoming stations were just as crowded, and the trains would become like sardine cans. Sometimes, you couldn’t even get off at your stop.
Hana stared blankly at the approaching train.
One of her odd habits was standing at the far left end of the platform and watching the subway engineer appear from the right as the train approached.
Of course, she stood behind the yellow line—for safety.
As the train entered the station, it slowed drastically.
By the time it reached her spot, it had almost completely stopped.
Often, she would make eye contact with the engineer. And when she did, she would smile and slightly bow her head in greeting.
She had been doing this every weekday since high school—more than ten years now—so most engineers recognized her by now.
Some would give her a snappy salute, while others would wave and smile warmly.
Of course, there were those who pretended not to see.
Why did she do this? To overcome her shy personality.
It took a lot of courage to greet a stranger!
At first, she was misunderstood a lot. Her behavior was weird enough to raise eyebrows, and many people pitied her.
One elderly woman even held her hand with sad eyes and said:
—“Oh, poor child… you must be so stressed from school to end up like this.”
At one point, subway engineers even spread rumors about a “ghost of Sindorim Station.”
But over time, more engineers began returning her greetings. Thanks to this bizarre habit, Hana was no longer shy.
…Not exactly bold, either.
The train was quieter than usual today.
Sitting in her seat, Hana looked at her reflection in the opposite window.
People always told her she looked young, and that it must be nice—but she didn’t like it.
A round face, small and delicate features.
She didn’t think she looked like an attractive adult woman. At least she wasn’t wearing glasses today, so her face looked a bit less round.
Bzzz.
Her phone vibrated.
DK Koo Dong-geun
Sunbae-nim, good morning!
It was Koo Dong-geun.
Hana didn’t particularly enjoy texting.
There were many reasons, but the biggest was: it was just annoying.
She enjoyed thinking and reflecting during her commute—but this new guy kept interrupting her every morning.
“Ugh.”
Still, she felt a little guilty ignoring him completely, so she replied briefly.
DK Koo Dong-geun
Yo
So short, it probably would’ve been better not to respond at all.
Most people would think, “Oh, I guess she doesn’t want to chat,” and leave it.
But Dong-geun, oblivious as ever, sent another message.
DK Koo Dong-geun
Did you have breakfast?
“What is he, my mom?”
She had replied once, so she’d done her part. As usual, she decided to ignore him for the rest of the ride.
More passengers began boarding at each stop, and now there were hardly any seats left.
Fortunately, the seat next to her was still empty.
Sitting that close to a stranger was uncomfortable for anyone.
‘Today’s my lucky day.’
Just as she was thinking that, her eyes met those of a sharply dressed young woman across from her. She was also sitting near the door, and the seat beside her was empty too.
They didn’t speak, but their thoughts were the same:
“Please let my seat be the last one to get filled.”
The woman gave Hana a once-over and smirked smugly. The vibe was clear:
“Tsk, tsk. Out partying all night? What a careless girl.”
She was clearly thinking, I’m a working professional, unlike you.
Hana fidgeted with the drawstrings of her hoodie.
“Excuse me, I’m commuting to work too. Ridiculous.”
It wasn’t like she didn’t want to wear suits.
Wearing a matching suit and heels, click-clacking down the street—that was her dream.
She dressed like that for a few months after joining the company. But Hana always spilled something on herself.
Getting her clothes snagged on desk corners and tearing them became a daily event.
When laundry and repair costs started eating up her paycheck, Team Leader Oh Ah-young filed a request herself. From then on, a special exception was made: no one was allowed to comment on Hana’s wardrobe.
“It’s weird. When I cook, I don’t spill a drop, but…”
She muttered while checking her clothes.
“Ah!”
There was a long pen mark near her arm.
Just then, the train stopped again and the doors opened.
No one seemed to get on, but just before the doors closed, a tall man in a gray suit stepped in. He wore wired earphones and was focused on his phone.
Hana stared blankly at him.
Pale skin, slim face, sharp nose. And piercing eyes.
“Gasp! The Director?!”
Her heart plummeted.
