Chapter 7.1

When she exited the taxi, the quiet avenue was still immersed in the lingering warm light of dawn. Perhaps since the town was small, without much density, and close to the mountains, the air felt crisp and clear. The security guard recognized Min-kyung while opening the door and greeted her.

"Good Morning," Min-kyung responded sweetly and followed the stairs leading to the garden.

She entered the dining room as instructed, and hot coffee and slices of bread with two types of jam and butter wrapped in cute paper bags were placed in front of Min-kyung. Warm steam rose from the bread as if baking had been timed with her arrival. Seon-ae, Lee Seop's mother, sat before her and was even more beautiful than any photo. Min-kyung had thought that Tae Yi-seop looked just like the Chairman, but now she saw that his eyes, lips, and flashy smile were all from her. Seon-ae held a cup in front of her and offered another to Min-kyung as well.

"I was thinking of preparing a full breakfast, but I was worried that you might feel burdened by eating in front of me, so I just had bread prepared. Actually, there are sandwiches as well, so please have some. Since I didn't know what Deputy Director Kang's preferences were, I wasn't sure what to serve, and the manager who was assisting me said to me on that idea, 'Do you think you would eat a sandwich with your mouth open in front of your elder so early in the morning?'"

Min-kyung laughed a little at the comment.

"Lee Seop, I'm guessing he's giving you a hard time, right?"

"No, it's an honor."

"Hmph," Seon-ae waved her hand, "I know he's tricky. That's why he hasn't had a proper secretary until now. I heard that the Chairman had forced you into this position."

"Well, I will try hard to be a good secretary."

"Please, try some of the bread. It's delicious."

"Thank you." Min-kyung bowed her head. At first, she had been so thirsty she thought she'd pass on the bread. But after one bite with the jam and butter spread on it, it was as delicious as the bread served at the French restaurant from the other week. She savored and enjoyed the bread.

Meanwhile, Seon-ae took a couple of sips of coffee and asked various questions, mainly about how Lee Seop was doing these days, whether he was attending meetings, and about the work he was doing at the company. 

For the most part Min-kyung answered truthfully but added bits of praise and exaggeration.

"Is he eating well?"

"I don't eat with him…" As she spoke, Min-kyung's mind wandered back to last night. Sitting side by side, sharing risotto so closely... She shook her head and erased the memory from her mind since that was just a one-time occurrence. "Though I make sure he doesn't skip meals."

She didn't mention the carbonated water he had been drinking since he had indigestion over the past few days. Now that she thought about it, does he eat well? 

While Min-kyung was thinking, Seon-ae laughed a little, "I feel like I'm back in time almost 30 years ago. When Lee Seop went into kindergarten, I would ask his teacher, 'Did he eat well? Did he answer well in class? Did he get along with friends?'"

"I will assist him in everything; you don't have to worry."

"Thank you. I have another favor to ask of you." Seon-ae pointed to a box that had already been prepared. It looked heavy at first glance. "This is herbal medicine for Lee Seop."

"Ah."

Seon-ae smiled as if she read Min-kyung's mind, "He hates taking medicine. He may push back, but make sure he takes it. When he was still living here, I gave him it every morning and night, if not at least once a day. Lee Seop enjoys getting outdoors and spring weather quite a bit. But if he doesn't take his medicine, he gets bad allergies and gets sick occasionally. When I saw him yesterday, his face seemed a bit swollen."

"Yes, madame."

"After the medicine, give him something like a peppermint or cookie, but he's stubborn each time, so sometimes he just drinks water. I also bought some of those separately, but if you find something he prefers, tell me, and I'll get you more. I only trust you, Deputy Director Kang."

"Yes, yes of course," Min-kyung responded with a level-headed response.  But she wondered, since Lee Seop, who was picky about even candy and cookies, would he even try taking herbal medicine… 'Will he actually take this medicine?'

"Lee Seop has very narrow tastes; it's quite frustrating that I couldn't cure him of his picky eating while raising him. He doesn't think he's a picky eater; he just pretends to eat lots of things and says they're delicious because they're what's in front of him. But when you look later, you will see he only touches and rolls the food around his plate and will just starve after barely eating anything. I would only give him what he liked so that he would eat a lot of it…"

Min-kyung nodded with an appropriate amount of understanding. But it was easy to see his preferences without even looking. She was well aware of Tae Yi-seop's pickiness, and understood his thoughts on himself and his tastes. His smile must've also bewitched his mother whenever she tried to scold him about his eating habits. 

"I'm also worried about breakfasts… Has Lee Seop been having trouble staying at his apartment? If so, has he been staying at an officetel again?"

Min-kyung smiled vaguely at the question. The address of his officetel in Cheongdam-dong was something to not tell his mother or anyone else.

"Oh, I'm not asking about where it is. I found out about him staying at officetels by pestering his driver, and Lee Seop didn't deny it without any pushback. But then moved to a new one a few days later, so I've learned not to ask again."

"Sorry."

"When he stayed at the apartment, I would send someone over to prepare breakfast. And I would go the day before and put groceries in the refrigerator, but this past year, I haven't been able to do that. If I give him breakfast, he will eat it; if not, he might skip it. It would be so kind if Deputy Director Kang would give him a quick snack before work or even, if possible, after work as well. Here I made you a list, this is all the food that Lee Seop hates. Other than this, please add to it whenever you need to."

[Translator note: dang mom, chill with your son. Give that man some space, he's an adult!]

"Yes, yes. I will take good care of him"

All her work started with Lee Seop and ended with Lee Seop… their precious Lee Seop, her beautiful son. Min-kyung always knew it from the first meeting, but he indeed was a crown prince who was raised with a silver spoon full of care and love in an uptight imperial palace. Last night, his friendly attitude towards his sharing the food was probably just from his upbringing with Seon-ae. 

Min-kyung brushed any breadcrumbs from the corners of her mouth and stood up. When she reached to grab the box of herbal medicine, but Seon-ae shook her head. "It's heavy, please. I'll have someone put it in the car for you, so please leave it and take this."

She handed Min-kyung a colorful orange box in a shopping bag. Min-kyung wondered how many different candies and cookies Lee Seop had eaten after his medicines. "I'll give him this after he has the herbal medicine?"

"Oh no…"

"These aren't cookies or candy?"

Seon-ae made a confused expression, "Oh, the box might look like that, but they are. This is for you, Deputy Director Kang." When Min-kyung looked at the bag confused, Seon-ae showed the logo on the shopping bag and added, "I feel bad for bothering you so much. And um… I thought the Deputy Director might need a new purse. Don't feel pressured to accept, I had bought it for myself originally but the colors didn't work. And the return window has passed, and it's not my daughter's style, and it was just sitting in the closet…"

"Ah, yes."

As Min-kyung was staring at a brand's logo, which was considered one of the top-ranking luxury goods, she tried to think of how to reject it.

"I heard you mainly wear black, so this will go well with that style, and the design is fashionable. So I thought you could use it when you go out on meetings with the Executive Director." Seon-ae's gaze passed by Min-kyung and fell onto her worn-out bag in the corner of the floor. The tone was friendly and kind, but, like how Lee Seop spoke, it felt like it was a scolding.

Min-kyung bowed her head, "Thank you."

“I’m grateful for you, Deputy Director Kang Min-kyung.” Seon-ae smiled elegantly, and she saw Lee Seop's smile in it.

Min-kyung carried the heavy feeling shopping bag and hurried from the dining room before Lee Seop came down. Behind her, she could hear Seon-ae talking to someone as she went to her kitchen. "I will take a look at the soup one more time; the clams were stir-fried over high heat, right?" 

The faint smell of boiling soup wafted out when the kitchen door was opened. If Min-kyung's nose was correct, it was a seaweed soup made with abalone or clams as the base with fresh flounder. The smell of boiling soup early in the morning seemed warm and cozy, yet it didn't seem to fit the image of Seon-ae or this mansion.

'Making soup for her son, the mother's love.' Now that Min-kyung thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time she woke up in the morning and had soup that her mom made. Perhaps because the coffee was strong, Min-kyung felt an ache in her stomach and placed her hand against it.