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The place Soohyun took Haein was a five-star hotel under the Taeseong Group. After making a call to Chief Choi, Soohyun arrived at the hotel and headed straight to the top floor.
Although business hours were over, the restaurant had prepared a table just for the two of them and was waiting.
“Sunbae, shouldn’t these people be off work?”
Haein asked in a small voice as she sat at a table next to the large glass window with a clear view of the city’s nightscape. To her question, Soohyun replied without much emotion.
“That’s right.”
“I feel so bad for them working so late... How about we go home and eat?”
“What’s there to feel bad about?”
“Isn’t this like emergency overtime?”
Soohyun, who had been watching Haein ask seriously, slightly frowned and then chuckled.
“Don’t worry about that. I’m paying the full price for it.”
“Hmm...”
“These people would be surprised if they knew how much they get paid for working for you this late at night.”
“Really?”
“So, don’t feel bad and eat comfortably.”
Even after hearing Soohyun’s explanation, Haein kept apologizing and thanking the serving staff. The staff seemed more embarrassed by the owner’s family’s polite gestures.
Soohyun found such behavior of Haein both cute and unfamiliar.
Soohyun occasionally stole glances at Haein, who exclaimed with admiration every time a course dish was served.
Perhaps she was hungry, as the finely chopped food went into her small mouth quite well. He glanced at her cute munching, and when she looked up, he pretended not to be watching and turned his gaze away.
“Sunbae, would you like to try this?”
Every time a different type of food came out, Haein asked for Soohyun’s opinion and transferred some of her dish onto his.
“It’s delicious. Really.”
“I’m fine.”
“I think this is the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
Haein looked at the elaborately decorated dishes with childlike wonder and widened her eyes in delight, saying the neatly prepared food was delicious.
Soohyun found her reactions simply amazing.
Since birth, he had never eaten or worn anything that wasn’t top-notch. His tastes had naturally become picky, and he wasn’t impressed by most things.
He had never truly felt that anything he ate was delicious.
Food was like fuel that he forced into his mouth to prolong his life. For Soohyun, the act of eating meals had no meaning beyond that.
It was only recently that he had started to take care of mealtimes. It started with having dinner facing Haein.
“Is it that delicious?”
“Yes! And actually...”
“Actually what?”
“I think it’s even more delicious because I’m eating with Sunbae.”
“What did I do?”
“Originally, food doesn’t taste good if you eat alone.”
“I’ve always eaten alone.”
“Come on, food doesn’t taste good if you eat alone.”
“Is that so?”
Soohyun chuckled hollowly, took a sip of water, and put down his glass. Then Haein raised her hand and called the waiter.
“Excuse me, could we get some water?”
When the waiter brought the water bottle, Haein asked him to leave it on the table.
“This way, I can refill Sunbae’s glass whenever it’s empty. I feel bad for constantly calling for someone.”
Haein chattered away as she filled Soohyun’s water glass. Soohyun watched the water filling his glass and then looked at his wife pouring the water.
Come to think of it, Haein had always been watching over him.
In the morning, she would choose his suit and tie according to the schedule she had heard in advance through his secretary, and in the evening, she would prepare dinner according to his expected arrival time.
On days when he had company dinners, she would prepare a light refreshment or a drink to help with hangovers, and the clothes she prepared for him to wear the next day were somewhat loose so they wouldn’t feel constricting.
His wife’s subtle considerations, so natural that he hadn’t even been aware of them.
Soohyun’s gaze towards Haein deepened.
“Hmm...”
It felt like the right time to say thank you, but somehow the words wouldn’t come out. Had he ever sincerely thanked anyone in his life? He probably hadn’t.
As Soohyun just groaned, “Hmm,” with an expression that seemed like he wanted to say something, Haein quickly noticed and looked at him.
“What, do you have something to say?”
“Ah...”
Thank you.
The words that couldn’t become vocalized slipped back into his mouth. Haein, who had been waiting for an answer, tilted her head.
“Yes?”
“Haein-ah. Is there anything... you want?”
Soohyun finally decided to find another way to express his gratitude instead of saying the words.
“Suddenly?”
“I wanted to give you... a gift.”
“Why do you want to give me a gift?”
Ordinary people would be happy if someone offered them a gift, but even this wasn’t easy for Yoon Haein. As Haein pressed him for details, Soohyun vaguely mumbled.
“...Just, I wanted to repay you.”
“Repay me? Is there something... you’re grateful to me for?”
There are many things I’m grateful for.
Somehow, all the words in his heart got stuck in his throat and wouldn’t come out. Soohyun simply shook his head lightly to indicate affirmation.
“Tch, what is it?”
Haein put a bite of dessert in her mouth, smiled softly, and said,
“At times like that, just a word of thanks is enough.”
“What’s that? How bland.”
“A warm word can sometimes fill your heart much more than an expensive gift.”
“Is that so?”
Yoon Haein, who said that if he apologized for something, having a meal together would suffice.
Yoon Haein, who said that if he wanted to thank her with a gift, just a word would be enough.
Yoon Haein, you are unlike anyone around me, who are all full of greed.
Looking at Haein, Soohyun turned his gaze to the scenery outside the window.
It was painful for him to just keep looking at her.
He felt indescribably sorry for the past days when he had left such a woman alone, cooped up in his empty house.
And he was grateful. That she still looked at him like this.
“Um, Sunbae.”
“Huh?”
At the sound of Soohyun calling him, he finally turned his head back to look at her.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Thank you for coming to the hospital, and thank you for feeding me such good food so late at night.”
At Haein’s words, Soohyun couldn’t help but laugh weakly. He also felt like he might cry. It was a strange feeling, his chest swelling and his throat tightening.
“......And thank you for smiling at me like this, Sunbae.”
Ah.
Looking at Haein smiling at him, Soohyun turned his head back towards the window. Her words squeezed Soohyun’s heart.
“Um, was that a bad thing to say? I just wanted to...”
When Soohyun suddenly turned his head away, Haein stuttered, flustered. Soohyun bit his lip, trying to calm his surging emotions. He said, his gaze still on the window,
“No. I’ll try to smile in front of you as much as possible from now on.”
“You don’t have to go out of your way.”
“I... I’ve forgotten how to smile. So please understand if my expression is stiff.”
“Okay.”
He couldn’t bring himself to turn his gaze away from Haein, who was surely smiling at him. Feeling like his eyes were getting wet, Soohyun stood up.
“Let’s go. Home.”
“Okay.”
Instead of looking at her, Soohyun held Haein’s hand tightly.
***
On the way home in the car, Soohyun didn’t let go of Haein’s hand. So Haein also sat close beside Soohyun.
Haein, who had her head slightly leaning on Soohyun’s shoulder, murmured,
“By the way, do you remember all the names of the food we just ate?”
“No.”
“I thought Sunbae would remember everything.”
“What’s the point of remembering?”
“The person explaining was so enthusiastic that I felt like I had to remember everything.”
“It’s their job.”
“But I think I could make the second or third dish that came out.”
“Really?”
Soohyun chuckled at the end of his sentence, finding Haein’s baseless confidence cute.
“Why are you laughing?”
Hearing his laughter, Haein straightened up and pouted.
“Yoon Haein, you should just get a job later.”
“Why?”
“You don’t seem to have a knack for cooking. I’m sure of it.”
“Huh? How can you say such hurtful things when you eat the food I make every day?”
“I’m not good at saying nice things. You’re more suited for working outside the home than being a full-time housewife.”
“Tch.”
Haein glared at Soohyun and then lightly punched his shoulder, seemingly resentful. However, Soohyun went a step further and added one more thing.
“Especially, let’s stop eating kimchi stew now.”
“You’re the one who always scraped the bottom of the pot, saying it was delicious?”
“That was just politeness.”
“What is that!”
“It’s okay. I’ll eat it a few more times even if it’s not good.”
Soohyun took Haein’s hand again and placed it on his lap, fiddling with it. Then Haein, calming her sulky mood, quietly looked at Soohyun’s hand holding hers.
“......Actually, my sibling was very sick today, so I was very sad.”
She murmured, her gaze on their clasped hands.
“Yeah. I heard. It was pretty serious.”
“But after spending time with Sunbae like this, I feel much calmer.”
“It’s only natural that it’s hard for you, doing something so difficult.”
“Actually, I’m always anxious. I’m afraid that we might end up not even exchanging a word before they’re gone.”
“......”
Haein’s words struck his heart heavily, and Soohyun couldn’t say anything in reply.
The heart of someone waiting for the death of a loved one must be incredibly painful.
Soohyun suddenly thought of his mother and brother, who had disappeared without warning. Without even a farewell, they had erased themselves from Soohyun’s life.
If his mother’s accident was an unforeseen tragedy, his brother’s suicide was close to betrayal.
His father, struggling with the death of his wife, had no leeway to look after his children’s well-being. He buried himself in grief and constantly went back and forth to the hospital.
Soohyun didn’t care whether his father had developed a mental illness or had a real physical illness during that time.
The three men left in the house were busy digesting their own grief.
Leaving his father aside, he had believed his brother was his closest confidant.
He still didn’t know why his brother had hidden the fact that he was being harassed by Chairman Park until the very end while going through such a painful time.
‘I will protect you so that you don’t end up like that.’
Soohyun tightly gripped Haein’s hand that he was holding.
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