Chapter 09
Want to Get Something to Eat?
The first thing that caught my eye was the floor-to-ceiling window offering a sweeping view of Seoul’s skyline.
The office, with its blue-tinged scenery that stretched as far as the eye could see, was furnished in contrasting calm tones, and beyond it all sat him at the teak desk I’d seen in the articles, looking through documents.
The door closed behind me. Even then, he didn’t lift his gaze from the papers. Soon, instructions fell with a clarity that made my back straighten.
“The morning meeting minutes are missing. Summarize the key agenda items and have them reviewed before you leave. Have you been to the hospital?”
As I agonized over how to respond to the rapid-fire words, an awkward silence fell. At that puzzling gap, he raised his head sharply, and our eyes met head-on.
“……”
The colliding gaze wavered for an instant, then quickly regained composure. It was so fleeting that no one would have noticed without careful attention.
Soon, his gazeāstrangely loosenedāslid down toward my ankle.
“It seems you have.”
His eyes dropped without hesitation. Returning his attention to the documents, he asked in a flat tone.
“What brings you here?”
Looking at his perfectly expressionless face, I brought the words I’d been mulling over to the tip of my tongue.
Whether he fell in love at first sight or not, whether he worried about me or notāwhether his words and actions were genuine didn’t matter. From the start, he and I had met out of family necessity, and what we could want or give each other was always one step removed from sincerity.
Nevertheless, at least this feeling right now was genuine.
“Thank you. They said it would have scarred if I’d waited any longer.”
After regaining consciousness, I’d done a lot of thinking alone in that hospital room. If luck had been against me and I hadn’t woken up, who would have come to my funeral?
They say it’s a good life if even one person sincerely mourns your deathābut well. Maybe I was someone whose life fell short of that, and that’s why I lost all my memories and got to start over.
And now, looking at the bandage wrapped around my ankle, I could, for the first time, say that waking up wasn’t such a bad thing. Thanks to you.
“I came to say that. I’m sorry for interrupting when you’re busy. I’ll be going now.”
I turned quickly and headed for the door. It wasn’t exactly a welcoming attitude, but considering I’d shown up unannounced, it was decent treatmentāand I felt lighter having said what I came to say.
It was with that light heart that I grabbed the doorknob. Then a low voice struck from behind.
“Is that all?”
Not understanding what he meant, I turned around to find his gaze now fixed on me, not the documents.
As I hesitated, unable to answer, he rose from his seat and began striding toward me.
“Uh……”
I stepped back from the distance closing in an instant, but after a few steps I was blocked by the thick door. He leaned in close enough that his breath reached me, trapped as I was with nowhere to go, and repeated clearly.
“I asked if that’s all.”
‘Is that all’āwhat more could he want?
I held my breath and worked my brain frantically, when suddenly a firm thumb brushed along my jawline.
At that touch, my heart lost its rhythm and began beating erratically.
“Settling things with words isn’t my taste.”
Still cold eyes. And still burning body heat. I couldn’t read the heart caught in that gap.
Is it sincere or pretense? Is it deliberate harshness or hypocrisy?
“Then……”
His lips parted slowly, and the eyes meeting mine grew denser. Cutting through the taut air, a faint voice finally escaped.
“Want to get something to eat?”
At my words, his expression hardened incomprehensibly, but I couldn’t think of any other reason.
Didn’t he mean ‘you’re not just going to let it slide with words’? Buying a meal for someone you’re grateful to is good manners even between spouses, and… I think it’d be nice. Someone who buys you delicious food is a good person.
“Um, I’ll buy you a meal. Me.”
“……”
“Let me buy you a meal. Please?”
I happened to be in the middle of my “become a good person” project, so I saw my opening and stubbornly insisted on buying him food, practically forcing it.
He seemed at a loss for words at my not-quite-forced forcing, then without a word threw the door open and called for Secretary Yun.
No. Am I getting kicked out like this? Without even getting to start?
In the few seconds before Secretary Yun appeared, I panicked and blurted out whatever came to mind.
“I’ll buy you something deliciousā!”
“I’ll be leaving with her, so show her somewhere to wait until then.”
“Yes, Executive Director.”
As if his business was concluded, he returned to his seat without hesitation and buried himself in work again. I followed Secretary Yun out of the office, somewhat dazed.
“…Secretary Yun.”
“Yes, madam.”
It was in front of the elevator that I called out to the kind man so generously guiding my way.
“Do you happen to have thirty thousand won?”
* * *
The place Secretary Yun brought me to was the skylounge in the company building. At first he’d offered to give me an entire guest room for buyers, so I asked if there wasn’t somewhere more modest, and he brought me here.
I watched people holding meetings over laptops, people constantly on the phone, people moving busily with employee badges around their necks, and drank the coffee Secretary Yun brought me. Very diligently.
“This is really good.”
I’d been trying to savor it, but it was already near the bottom, so I left one sip and set the cup down. Then I pulled out the thirty thousand won I’d carefully tucked into my pocket.
“This should be more than enough, right?”
I’d already looked up the most expensive menu item at a nearby fusion restaurantāeight thousand wonāso no matter what he ordered, I could cover it within thirty thousand.
Buying a meal and building a good-person image for just thirty thousand wonāthe world is still a place worth living in.
I suppressed the pointless smile threatening to escape and finished the rest of my coffee. Behind the cool swallow, a fragrant flavor lingered pleasantly on my tongue.
“I’d love just one more cup… but is it really expensive?”
I started calculating the price in my head, then gave up. If I spent money on coffee here, I might end up short on cashāa disaster.
Resigned, I tipped my head back to drain even the remaining ice, when the surroundings suddenly grew noisy and, thanks to the high ceiling’s open view, a familiar face popped into sight.
“Let’s go.”
Walking out of the building with him, I felt like I’d received all the attention I’d ever need in my lifetime.
From the skylounge to the elevator, the lobby, and the front entranceāevery single person we passed stopped and turned to look at him and me.
So while I was thoroughly cowed, he walked ahead calmly without a single change in expression, acknowledging employees’ greetings with a slight nod.
“Why is everyone staring?”
“Must be curious.”
“About what?”
“About Baek I-jun.”
“Why would they be curious about me?”
At the twenty-questions-style barrage, heāwho had been staring straight ahead the whole timeāmet my eyes and answered simply.
“Because you’re my wife.”
Ah, I see. Well, of courseāHis Highness the prince who’s been the main character since birth would be used to this kind of attention.
Someone like me, who was kept hidden away out of embarrassment to be shown in publicāMs. Baek, that isācould barely breathe from being so conscious of the eyes stabbing at me.
So I crossed the lobby as quickly as possible with the widest strides I could manage. In front of the main entrance I’d barely escaped through, his sleek car was parked.
He received the keys from a waiting employee and opened the passenger door without delay.
“Get in.”
“Uh, what about Secretary Yun?”
“He’s off work.”
“So you’re driving, Han Je-ha?”
At my thoughtless question, he raised an eyebrow once, then pulled out his phone from his pocket.
“If you’re uncomfortable going with me, I can call Yun Do-yun.”
“No! I’ll get in, I’ll get in, right now.”
I waved my hands frantically and scrambled into the passenger seat.
Ugh, why can’t I just say things properly? I only asked because I’d ridden in a car Secretary Yun drove on the way hereāit was a thoughtless question.
As I let out a silent sigh, he got into the driver’s seat and started the car immediately.
The car glided smoothly along the road without a single vibrationācomfortable. The heater set to just the right temperature, and the sunset sinking between the forest of buildings far in the distanceāit was all very cozy.
If only it weren’t for the suffocating silence filling the car.
