Chapter : 11
As soon as the car she had hastily climbed into smoothly pulled away, Se-ah let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew… Thank you for giving me a ride. But how did you see me?”
“I saw someone standing there in a panic. When I looked closer, it was you, Han Se-ah. What was going on that made you get into the car so quickly?”
“It was a bit of a difficult situation. If it hadn’t been for you, Director, I probably would have been…”
The thought of having no choice but to get into Kyung-min’s car made her vision swim.
“He’s the leader of my study group, but he suddenly showed up.”
Se-ah rattled off the explanation without even being asked by Je-eon.
Ironically, despite always being so nervous in front of him, she had finally relaxed.
“Without contacting you first?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. That must have been awkward.”
That was all Je-eon’s response.
Suddenly, the advice he’d given her came back to mind.
<Trouble?>
<I’m just saying there’s nothing wrong with being cautious. It’s a dangerous world out there.>
Had he somehow foreseen a situation like this?
Most of the adults Se-ah had encountered tended to say things like, “Didn’t I tell you this would happen?” or “If you’d just listened to me, you’d have struck gold even in your sleep!” They always wanted others to follow their advice.
But Je-eon was different.
The fact that he didn’t seek credit for his advice, and that he didn’t pry relentlessly into things, felt almost like consideration.
“Isn’t he going to come looking for you again?”
“I don’t think… he will.”
What expression would he make if he found out that she’d lied and claimed Je-eon was her boyfriend?
She couldn’t bring herself to tell him. Anyone would probably be offended.
“Is that really helping you that much?”
He looked ahead as he turned the steering wheel. They were heading toward Se-ah’s home.
“You mean the study group?”
“I was wondering if an academy wouldn’t be better.”
“That might be true, but… it would make my expenses too high.”
Even at a large corporation, an intern’s salary wasn’t particularly high. Fifty thousand won came out of her income just for living expenses.
She needed to save money in preparation for the day she’d have to stand on her own, but even that was difficult enough. Paying for an academy was a luxury she couldn’t afford.
“You’re just starting out in society, so I suppose it could be a burden.”
“Yes. For now, anyway.”
“But don’t become complacent just because of that. You never know what might happen in life.”
His eyes turned toward her, shimmering in the lights.
Am I strange for finding even that advice so special?
Grrr…
“……!”
Hearing the unexpected rumbling from her stomach, Se-ah hurriedly clutched her abdomen.
A low chuckle came from beside her.
“Looks like our company is starving Han Se-ah.”
Fascinated by his smiling face, Se-ah found herself staring blankly at him. It was an expression she’d never seen before, and perhaps even a laugh she’d never heard from him.
For a moment, she had the illusion that the distance between them had suddenly grown much smaller.
“Did you really have to make it that obvious? You’re making things awkward for the person listening.”
“Oh, no… I didn’t mean to…”
Embarrassed, Se-ah lowered her head before cautiously raising it again.
“When… would be a good time for you to have a meal?”
Se-ah had once told him that she would definitely repay him someday for everything he’d done for her.
She had agreed to work around Je-eon’s schedule, but since the subject had come up, she wanted to set a date right away.
“Hmm…”
Je-eon’s gaze shifted toward the clock inside the car.
“Let’s grab something light before you go home.”
“R-right now? Sure!”
It would have been nice to choose a day and have a leisurely meal together, but she didn’t want to miss this opportunity, so she answered immediately.
“What would you like to eat?”
“Ah, um… A, a street food tent?”
She blurted out the first thing that came to mind because she couldn’t think of a menu, but regretted it the instant the words left her mouth.
A street food tent? Seriously?
Wasn’t that a little too humble a place to call a repayment for his kindness?
“Although I guess there might be too many people… How about the Korean restaurant we went to last time?”
“Let’s go to the street food tent. Do you know a good one?”
“Yes. Have you ever been there?”
“I have. When I was young.”
The corners of Je-eon’s eyes softened.
“When I was about your age, perhaps?”
“Ah…”
A few months ago, she’d drunkenly called him mister, but looking at him like this now, she didn’t really feel the age difference between them.
Contrary to her concerns, there were empty seats here and there.
They settled at a table a little away from the entrance.
It felt strange being there with her company superior in a place she often came to with Do-won.
And yet, it wasn’t unpleasant either, so without Je-eon noticing, she twisted her legs together nervously.
“Are there any foods you don’t particularly like?”
“Not really. How about you, Han Se-ah?”
“Me neither. Then may I recommend some dishes?”
“Sure.”
“Excuse me!”
Se-ah timidly raised her hand and rattled off the dishes she usually ordered.
Soon, their food arrived: banquet noodles, stir-fried octopus, mung-bean pancakes, whelk soup, and meoktae, a dried pollock prized for its crispy texture.
The portions weren’t particularly large, so there was no problem with the two of them sharing everything.
“These dishes somehow make me feel like I ought to have a drink with them. Boss, please give us a bottle of soju.”
“You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to! I only ordered them because they’re the most delicious things I’ve tried.”
“I just feel like having a glass or two. Han Se-ah, you’d prefer a soft drink, right?”
The remark, which seemed to take into account her drinking habits, made Se-ah’s earlobes burn.
Just then, the owner of the street food tent came over carrying a soft drink and a bottle of soju.
“Just one soju glass, please.”
After returning the extra glass, Je-eon popped open the bottle cap effortlessly.
As the meal seemed to be turning into a drinking session, Se-ah began to feel slightly worried.
What if he tells me to fill his glass like Team Leader Park Hyun-soo did?
Her fingers twitched nervously beneath the table.
“Um… Should I pour you a drink?”
“Pour what?”
“The alcohol.”
At that moment, Je-eon’s chin tilted slightly to one side. The eyes staring at Se-ah now held a sharpness that hadn’t been there moments ago.
“Why would you say that?”
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t ask you to pour me a drink.”
“Ah…”
“Why are you trying to do something I didn’t even ask you to do? It makes it look as though I’ve sat a female employee down and ordered her to serve me drinks.”
“Ah…”
That wasn’t what she’d meant at all. It seemed she’d inadvertently offended him.
“I’m sorry. I just…”
She almost blurted out what had happened at the welcome party, but Se-ah quickly pressed her lips together.
“Someone must have made you do that before?”
Since her position as a full-time employee was still uncertain, Se-ah decided there was nothing to gain by mentioning someone from the company and gave a vague answer instead.
“When I was working part-time before.”
“Hmm. Before.”
Je-eon deliberately poured himself a glass of soju, his large hand wrapped around the bottle.
Se-ah stared blankly as the clear liquid streamed into the glass.
“I don’t know when we’ll have another meal facing each other like this, but you don’t need to do that for me. If possible, don’t do it for other people either.”
“……”
“It doesn’t look good.”
Gulp.
His tone was so cold, yet the implication that he was looking out for her made the heavy atmosphere disappear without a trace.
“If something like that happens at the company, you can tell me anytime.”
“Tell you directly, Director?”
“Wouldn’t that be faster?”
She probably wouldn’t have the courage to speak up even if something like that happened again, but simply knowing she could made her feel reassured.
“You must be hungry. Eat.”
Je-eon slightly lifted the corners of his lips.
Ever since he’d taught her how to hold chopsticks properly, Se-ah had practiced constantly. With trembling fingers, she began moving them now.
She was a little nervous because she was doing it in front of the very person who had taught her, but she picked up the food and put it in her mouth just as she’d practiced.
I wonder if he’ll like the food.
Curious whether the food suited Je-eon’s taste, she quietly stole glances at him.
The noodles were the kind that could easily splash broth when slurped, yet he continued eating in a refined manner without making a sound.
Her gaze followed the line of his jaw as he lifted the soju glass to his lips. Then her eyes lingered on his Adam’s apple as it bobbed while he swallowed.
When their eyes suddenly met, she quickly buried her face downward.
“Your chopstick skills have improved a lot.”
“Ah… It’s all thanks to you, Director.”
Knowing that Je-eon had been watching her so closely made her too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.
Until the meal was over, she was so distracted that she could barely tell whether the food was going into her mouth or her nose.
