She expressed a tantrum that she wouldn’t normally have done.

“The chairman made you cry.”

“It’s nothing.”

He told her not to grumble, and he ruffled his hair.

But for some reason, his touch made my heart start beating faster than usual.

Why is this happening…? There have been occasional times like this, but today, as if enchanted, my squeezed heart started beating wildly. Bewildered, Gaeul composed herself and bit her lower lip.

Gaeul’s words seemed once again absurd to him, and the laughter that he rarely made burst out, echoing throughout the office.

The chairman is laughing now…?

Surprised, Gaeul opened her eyes wide and looked up at him.

His smile, not hiding the joy, entered her eyes, and the sound of laughter tickled her ears again. The refreshing laughter, which she had never seen before, took up her entire field of vision and made it impossible to look away.

It was the day Gijeong came to have a meal.

Following Mijeong’s request, Gaeul headed to the main building around dinner time. Gaeul, who squeezed in between the busy Ansan house and her own mother, spoke cautiously.

“Um… What should I help with first?”

“Gaeul has come!”

“Gaeul is here?”

Ansan greeted her, and Mijeong appeared between Ansan and her mother.

“Gaeul, first, could you take out all the dishes from the cupboard? We might need more dishes than usual.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Reaching into the cupboard, Gaeul started pulling out the items from the bottom shelf.
She was about to reach for the higher compartment to neatly place the side dishes in the side dish container when:

“I’m here.”

“Oh, Gitaeh, did you come? You’re early today.”

“Yes.”

“What do we do about this? We’re not ready yet.”

“It’s okay. I had some documents to check, so I came early.”

At the welcoming voice, Gaeul’s ears perked up.

As she pulled out dishes and glanced back, Gaeul checked him. The gaze that was directed towards Mijeong during the conversation shifted to Gaeul.

Thump, thump, thump. Strangely, her heart had been pounding since yesterday. She could even feel warmth rising to her face.

Suddenly, Gitae, who had been chuckling, approached Gaeul with a smile. Then, he reached out and took out the dishes that Gaeul couldn’t easily reach.

With Gitae so close, Gaeul’s heart fluttered.

“Oh, really… Why has it been like this since yesterday?”

It seems like the impression was quite significant.

Her face turned red, and unable to contain herself, Gaeul cautiously raised her gaze to him, who was still looking down at her. Maybe because it was a gathering of family, he was standing more neatly than usual, even wearing a tie, in a full suit.

With a lifted corner of his mouth, he asked, “Why are you here?”

“I came to help for a moment.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Strangely, he’s been smiling well since yesterday.

The words whispered from such a close distance were so close to her ear that her shoulders involuntarily shrank. Everything was nerve-wracking.

He patted her head, then turned around and headed towards the stairs.

“I’ll go upstairs to check some documents. I’ll be down before the meal.”

Answering Mijeong like that, he quickly disappeared upstairs.

Gaeul, who neatly arranged the side dishes, began moving them one by one to the dining room. It had been a while since they gathered together, so there were many elaborate dishes that Mijeong had put extra effort into preparing.

Seasoned crab, yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), beef short rib stew, grilled fish, deodeok (mountain herb) gui, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles). Various side dishes.

The kitchen, where something else was still being cooked, remained busy. Then, a face she hadn’t seen in a while entered the main building.

As her eyes met, Gaeul, who tidied herself up, greeted first, “Hello.”

“Right, hello.”

Gitae’s older brother, Han Gijeong.

Although they weren’t close due to the age difference, he greeted Gaeul as if she were a little sister. It was a friendly tone, much like an older brother next door.

After a brief greeting, Gijeong passed by Gaeul and entered the dining room. Following him, Gaeul, who once again greeted Mijeong and then turned to the kitchen, where Gitae’s brother and Gijeong’s wife were, quietly entered.

It seemed almost finished. Mijeong, who briefly checked the kitchen after a quick look around the dining room, stopped at Gitae’s empty seat. Then she quickly called Gaeul, who had entered the kitchen.

“Gaeul.”

“Yes, Madam.”
“Could you please go and call Gitae?”

“Yes. I’ll be right back.”

Having received Mijeong’s request, Gaeul stood in front of his room, climbing the stairs.

Knock, knock. Carefully knocking to avoid disturbing him while checking documents, Gaeul thought, ‘Huh? Why isn’t he responding?’

After tilting her head for a moment, Gaeul called out to him.

“Mr. President.”

“…….”

Perhaps he’s reviewing documents in a different place. Hesitating, Gaeul called him again.

“Mr. President…?”

“…….”

Strangely, there was no response.

After briefly checking for any signs outside the door, Gaeul, feeling nothing, raised her hand to the doorknob to enter his room.