Chapter 8
Seo-ah could only gape in bewilderment at the unexpected question.
“My… my workplace?”
“Yeah.”
“Why… my workplace?”
“I think I saw someone who looked like you at the company today.”
Seung-hyun deliberately kept his explanation vague. He was certain he’d seen a woman who looked just like her collapse into a seat in the elevator. With his perfect eyesight, there was no way he had mistaken her. Unless…
She forced an awkward smile and looked away.
“I-I think you must’ve mistaken someone else. I have a pretty ordinary face…”
“Well, I guess you do.”
“Anyway… could you please cut me some slack? Please?”
Was she bold, or simply shameless?
After silently studying her for a moment, Seung-hyun released her hand.
Caught off guard, she landed hard on the floor and rubbed her aching backside with a pitiful expression.
“One week. You’re sure?”
Hearing the softening in his voice, Seo-ah jumped to her feet and nodded vigorously.
“Yes! One week might actually be enough.”
“I want your word.”
“…Yes! I’ll move out. One week!”
“This is the last time.”
She let out a jubilant cheer.
Then she impulsively grabbed Seung-hyun’s hand before he could turn away and thanked him again.
He stiffened, staring down at her in surprise.
She looked exactly like a little puppy wagging its tail while clinging to its owner. If her hair had been a tail, it would’ve been swishing happily behind her.
What’s this?
His pulse suddenly felt strange.
It was irritating… and oddly unsettling.
Seung-hyun quickly shook her hand off.
Even so, she bounced happily on the spot before running into her room with a delighted shout.
Soon the sound of her rummaging through the bookshelf echoed into the living room, probably checking whether anything was missing.
He frowned at the hand she’d grabbed, then went into his room, packed a suitcase, and returned to the living room.
Seo-ah followed him out, eyes wide.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“To a hotel. Since you’re not leaving, I have to. I don’t share a house with strangers.”
“Then… why did you…”
“Why? Did you want to live with me?”
“No! Absolutely not! Have a safe trip! Thank you so, so much! I’ll take good care of the house!”
She waved both hands frantically before giving him a cheerful bow.
He couldn’t help letting out an incredulous laugh.
Didn’t she switch attitudes a little too fast?
Just moments ago she’d been desperately begging him.
Now she looked completely refreshed as she happily cleaned up her messy room.
Besides, he’d never planned on staying in a house with no furniture anyway.
He had already asked his secretary to reserve a hotel, and even received the room number.
Nothing had actually gone against his plans.
So why did it somehow feel like he’d lost?
Suitcase in hand, Seung-hyun pondered the strange feeling as he opened the front door.
“Well, well. So this is where you’ve been hiding.”
A long cane suddenly shot through the opening.
“Grandfather?”
Instinctively blocking the strike, Seung-hyun’s face turned pale.
Min Pil-seong, dressed entirely in white from head to toe, shoved the door wide open.
“Get back inside, you brat! Trying to slither away like a snake!”
Forced backward by the cane of the man well into his eighties, Seung-hyun glanced toward Seo-ah, who had peeked out in surprise.
She caught the hint immediately, clamped both hands over her mouth, and hurried back into her room.
“Grandfather, please calm down!”
Accompanied by several attendants, Min Pil-seong marched into the apartment, slammed his cane against the floor, and plopped into a chair.
“Sit.”
“I’ll stand.”
“I said sit!”
“There aren’t any chairs.”
“Then sit on the floor! You think you’re going to stand there looking down at me? Hmph! You insolent brat!”
Unable to withstand his grandfather’s furious insistence, Seung-hyun finally went into Seo-ah’s room and borrowed the chair she’d been sitting on.
Stay quiet.
He glared fiercely at her in silent warning.
Understanding immediately, she quietly shuffled into a corner and covered both ears.
I am nothing. I am invisible. Just a speck of dust.
She shook her head like a frightened rabbit, eyes wide and sparkling.
Watching her tiny lips mumble silently for herself, Seung-hyun suddenly felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest.
Frowning, he left the room.
Reality awaited him.
Pil-seong sat majestically in the living room, raising one snowy white eyebrow.
“Was it Park Gyu-jin?”
“My friend. I heard you’ve already been told.”
“A man and a woman can’t just be friends! They dragged my precious grandson into some ridiculous scandal, and you’re sleeping peacefully?”
Faced with his grandfather’s explosive roar, Seung-hyun answered calmly.
“This isn’t the 1980s. Men and women can absolutely be friends.”
“Hmph! Fine. If you’re going to keep getting tangled up with strange women, then go on a blind date and get married already.”
“I’ll marry the woman I love. Someday. I’m not against marriage.”
His composed answer finally shattered Pil-seong’s patience.
“And what guarantee do you have that she’ll love you back? Who’d like an arrogant, self-important workaholic like you?”
“I’m sure at least one woman out there will see me through rose-colored glasses. But I still won’t go on blind dates. Especially not with someone whose parents look perfect on paper but who lacks basic common sense. I’m not getting married just to babysit my wife.”
“I don’t want some ignorant, money-obsessed granddaughter-in-law either! Who told you to date women like that?”
“Then why are you here? Who are you trying to push onto me this time?”
Still grumbling, Pil-seong carefully examined his grandson.
Of all his grandchildren, Seung-hyun alone had inherited both exceptional looks and exceptional ability.
Wherever he went, people praised him as the best.
Pil-seong’s gaze drifted from his handsome face to his broad shoulders and athletic build.
Then he asked,
“If… I brought you a woman who had everything you asked for—good family, healthy, graduated from a top university, and full of common sense—would you marry her?”
“No.”
“So you’re refusing blind dates, refusing to give me great-grandchildren, while using my company and my employees to quietly build your own influence? Do you think it was a small decision for me to choose you, of all people, to inherit the company while you were in the U.S. branch?”
“I know. It was quite a generous gift.”
Seung-hyun replied indifferently, already preparing himself for the familiar lecture.
Inheritance. Family wealth.
He could let it go in one ear and out the other.
By now, no amount of threats or harsh words could shake him.
“Hmph… hopeless boy.”
“Director Kim said I take after you.”
“You little…! Forget that. If you won’t do any of those things… then find that child.”
After a long pause, Pil-seong’s unexpected request finally came.
For the first time, a faint crack appeared in Seung-hyun’s composed expression.
“…Who?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You’ve seen that child before, haven’t you?”
Instead of answering, Seung-hyun’s expression stiffened.
Frustrated by the silence, Pil-seong tapped his cane against the floor before speaking again.
“Your mother keeps trying to bury the past… but that’s no way to live. Before I die, I want to repay that kindness. And if that’s too much, then at least build a family and live happily yourself. Let this old man see that before he goes.”
“That happened… over ten years ago. And five firefighters died in the line of duty back then. If I truly wanted to find that child, I probably could.”
“I know. I’ve deliberately tried to forget all these years too. But I shouldn’t have. These days that day keeps appearing in my dreams. So find that child. I want to buy them a meal… and see how they’re living.”
Though hidden beneath wrinkled eyelids, the old man’s eyes remained as sharp and clear as they had been in his prime.
He wasn’t joking.
Nor was he rambling.
He meant every word.
Feeling suffocated, Seung-hyun loosened the top button beneath his tie and nodded.
“…I’ll do my best. Until I give you an answer, please wait patiently.”
“How can I trust you? Do you think I don’t know you want to leave that incident buried? Either way, the longer you delay, the worse it’ll be for you. Starting now, you’ll meet one woman every two weeks.”
“Yes.”
“Tsk! What kind of grandson doesn’t even offer his grandfather a glass of water? I’m leaving! But why’s there no furniture in this house? Do you even live here?”
“It’s being renovated.”
“You young people are always tearing things down and buying them all over again. What a waste of money.”
After clicking his tongue at Seung-hyun, Min Pil-seong stood.
The secretaries guarding the entrance—afraid Seung-hyun might run away—bowed apologetically before following him out.
When they finally left, Seung-hyun leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face.
Honestly, it might’ve been easier if his grandfather had simply continued nagging him about blind dates.
Now he had to find someone whose face had long since faded from memory.
A heavy scent of incense.
People sobbing uncontrollably.
Amid them sat one pale face, blankly staring ahead with the faintest hint of a smile.
A white hairpin nestled in soft light-brown hair, like a butterfly pinned inside a display case…
Shaking away the unpleasant memory, Seung-hyun stood and opened the bedroom door.
Seo-ah, still sitting in the corner with her ears covered, looked up.
“Has… he gone?”
Instead of answering, Seung-hyun simply picked up his suitcase.
Seo-ah hurried after him, nervously fidgeting with her fingers as she watched him put on his shoes by the entrance.
Grrrr…
At that exact moment, both of their stomachs growled.
Looking down at his own stomach, Seung-hyun suppressed a curse and grabbed the doorknob.
“Um…! W-would you like to eat before you go? I’m starving too… I can cook something really quickly.”
It was already nearly nine o’clock.
He had planned to fill his stomach with simple room service after checking into the hotel.
Then he remembered the refrigerator, still stocked with plenty of fresh ingredients.
“Confident?”
For some reason, he felt his energy draining away after the exhausting battle of wills.
Seo-ah beamed brightly, grabbed his suitcase, and nodded.
“I went grocery shopping yesterday.”
Her innocent smile stirred an unfamiliar heat inside him.
Not a pleasant one.
It took exactly twenty-five minutes.
Only twenty-five minutes for a proper meal to appear before him.
By the time he’d washed his hands and checked a few emails, dinner was ready.
Since all the furniture had been removed, they stood facing each other at the kitchen island.
The kimchi stew was packed with huge chunks of meat.
The thick rolled omelet looked more appetizing than any he’d ever ordered at a restaurant.
Even the freshly cooked rice, made in just twenty-five minutes, was glossy, fluffy, and fragrant.
Seo-ah even brought out roasted seaweed she’d seasoned herself with sesame oil before handing him a spoon and chopsticks.
“Thankfully, you left a few cooking utensils behind. I can’t guarantee it’ll be amazing, but it should be edible. Please, help yourself.”
His rice bowl featured a rather crude cartoon rabbit.
Yet as though enchanted, he picked up his spoon and stared at a piece of meat in the kimchi stew, swallowing unconsciously.
“If I get food poisoning, it’ll be your fault.”
“Yes, yes. Just try it. Ji-hyun loved this.”
Still eyeing Seo-ah suspiciously, Seung-hyun decided he had nothing to lose.
He scooped up a generous spoonful of stew.
One bite.
“…”
His eyes widened.
The broth was perfectly spicy.
The meat was tender yet pleasantly chewy.
Rich, clean, and completely free of any unpleasant smell.
She… made this?
Even during his years in America, he’d never been fully satisfied by Korean restaurants.
His notoriously picky palate had just been knocked out in a single bite.
As if under a spell, Seung-hyun lowered his head and began eating in earnest.
Once your stomach gets captured… it’s over.
Watching the bowl of rice slowly empty, he suddenly remembered someone’s long-forgotten words.
When that happens, there’s no escaping it. You’ll keep thinking about it.
Who had said that?
Still chewing, Seung-hyun suddenly froze, his chopsticks stopping midair.
Standing across from him, Seo-ah alternated glances between his face and his rice bowl before quietly sliding a glass of water toward him.
“Is it… not to your taste?”
He frowned.
No.
He was simply stunned that it matched his tastes so perfectly.
But admitting it outright was impossible for his pride.
Was he really supposed to admit that this tiny woman had conquered his notoriously difficult stomach, his picky taste buds, and his preferences?
After wrestling with himself, Seung-hyun finally set down his utensils, his expression turning cold.
Yet the half-finished bowl of stew kept calling to him.
“Huh? Are you leaving already?”
Seo-ah blinked in confusion.
“I’ve always had a small appetite. Thanks for the meal. Don’t make a mess of the house.”
“Oh… you have a small appetite. Okay! Then have a safe trip!”
Swallowing his regret, he stood, grabbed his luggage, and walked out.
She followed him to the door to see him off, but he never looked back.
He boarded the elevator and pressed the button for the underground parking garage.
Only after driving out of the garage and heading toward the hotel did a long sigh escape him.
The entire drive, fluffy rolled omelets and steaming kimchi stew floated through his mind.
“Ha… what is this?”
