Where does she hide her age? No matter how he looked at her, she did not seem older than him. Both when they first met and now, Kang Mo could hardly take his eyes off Seo Hee’s small face that looked much younger than her actual age.

She cleared her throat as if to say something, then licked her dry lips with her tongue.

In the end, unable to utter a single word, she pressed her lips together. Her gaze, which had briefly risen, immediately dropped back to the table as soon as it met Kang Mo’s eyes. Next to her reddened face, even her ears had turned bright red.

Ah, seriously. She’s so cute, it’s driving me crazy. Isn’t it unfair to do this to someone who’s trying so hard to hold back?

If this continued, he felt like he would devour her lips without any regard for her situation of having stayed up all night. Letting out a soft sigh, Kang Mo tore his gaze away from her lips and opened his parched mouth.

“Let’s eat first. I’m hungry too since I haven’t eaten. You should have breakfast before going to work, right?”

“How can you eat when you’re late?”

“Anyway, Baek Seo Hee, you worry too much. I’m not late. I took the morning off.”

Seo Hee’s eyes, which had been wandering over the table, immediately flew to Kang Mo’s. She gaped like a carp, at a loss for words, then raised her voice with a huff.

“Why did you only tell me that now?! If you had said it earlier, I wouldn’t have worried like this.”

“I like it when you worry about me.”

“Are you even making sense right now?”

“I really like it when you fret over me with concern. It feels like your heart, which can’t be expressed in words, is being revealed that way. So if you’re not going to love me, at least worry about me a lot.”

A person can change like this. Seo Hee was bewildered by the gap between the blunt and reticent Kang Mo of the past and the current Kang Mo who had become much bolder.

It’s really hard to adapt. To adapt.

Seo Hee’s head felt heavy, perhaps because of the all-nighter or because she was startled by Kang Mo’s boldness. Rather than arguing like this, it seemed better to quickly eat and send Kang Mo off, so she got up from her seat.

“Where are you going?”

“Didn’t you say let’s eat? I’ll go wash my hands and come back.”

“Just stay here. You look like you don’t even have the strength to walk. I’ll make a wet towel for you.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“I told you to stay. There are plenty of towels in the kitchen. Just wait a moment.”

Kang Mo smiled and got up from his seat, taking a small towel from the kitchen cabinet and wetting it with water.

“Thank you.”

Seo Hee quietly sat and received the towel he handed her. The wet towel, not too cold or too hot, seemed to carry Kang Mo’s warm heart.

Feeling strangely embarrassed, Seo Hee quickly wiped her hands and urged Kang Mo to eat.

“Kang Mo, hurry and eat. I’ll eat well too.”

“Okay. The side dishes were made by the ajumma who works here, but I personally cooked the rice and soup. Enjoy your meal.”

“You know how to make soup too? Impressive.”

“I can’t guarantee the taste, but eat a lot, even if it’s just for the thought.”

Nodding her head, Seo Hee smiled brightly and took in the food laid out before her.

There was a clear beef radish soup, fresh aster scaber, fernbrake, and dried vegetables like gosari and gondre, a soft steamed egg, and well-fermented kimchi neatly arranged. Although Kang Mo couldn’t have known and prepared it, surprisingly, every single dish was Seo Hee’s favorite.

In fact, when she came home, she was so tired that all she wanted to do was wash up and jump into bed right away. But considering the effort Kang Mo had put in, she thought she should at least eat. However, looking at the prepared dishes, she was amazed to find her mouth watering.

Come to think of it, while she had cooked for Kang Mo before, this seemed to be the first time she was eating food he had personally made.

“I’m being treated like royalty. To receive a meal prepared by Lee Kang Mo. You really have to live long to see it all.”

Kang Mo’s gaze, as he let out a chuckle, followed Seo Hee’s spoon from then on.

Sitting in the back seat on the passenger side, Kang Mo received the tablet handed by Seung Ho and slowly reviewed the items awaiting his approval as he checked the screen.

He nodded his head and continued with the approvals, but occasionally furrowed his brows and shook his head. Finally, he rejected the item and briefly wrote down the reason for rejection, wrapping up the urgent approvals. Kang Mo then gave a short instruction to Seung Ho.

“Seung Ho, notify each department. From now on, even the CEO must be included in the upcoming approvals.”

“Yes, I understand. The day the CEO returns is truly approaching. You’ve worked hard all this time, Executive Director.”

“Father is the one who worked hard. Because of that damn bastard, he suffered disgrace.”

Just thinking about it made his teeth chatter and grind.

Father was someone who never resorted to violence unless his life was threatened or it was absolutely necessary. He had put in his utmost effort to somehow break the vicious cycle between the group and the organization, but in the end, he was no different from any other parent when it came to his child’s problems.

In front of parents who had buried their child in their hearts, long-held determinations and firm beliefs crumbled easily like a sand castle. Recalling the act that his father would have done if he hadn’t, Kang Mo habitually clenched his fists tightly.

Seung Ho, who had keenly noticed the change in Kang Mo, glanced at him through the rearview mirror and carefully brought up the subject.

“Time flew by, and now that he’s coming out soon, I can finally feel a bit relieved. Ah, and about Kim Chang Joo. It seems he’s trying every possible way to dispose of the ready-mix concrete company, but it’s not easy, so he’s wracking his brain.”

“Seeing as he even came to our company, he must have said everything. Keep a close eye on him until the end, just in case. Whoever joins hands with him, we’ll have to throw them into the sewer together.”

“Yes, I will continue to keep watch. But Executive Director, is something the matter?”

At the out-of-the-blue question, Kang Mo’s gaze turned to the room mirror.

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you take a half-day off. I was wondering if something had happened.”

He had called early in the morning and abruptly said he would take the morning off, leaving a brief instruction before hanging up, so there was no chance to ask.

Seung Ho couldn’t help but be curious about the sudden behavior of Kang Mo, who rarely left the company.

At Seung Ho’s words, Kang Mo’s stiff expression softened as if it were a lie. The brief moment from the morning that had unexpectedly crossed his mind came to him.

Seo Hee, who had returned home with a load of fatigue due to the all-nighter, looked very tired. Her desire to go straight to the bedroom was clearly evident on her face, but even so, seeing her express her worries about him made him smile.

He wasn’t without the desire to let her rest right away, but it was clear that if she lay down on the bed like that, she would skip not only breakfast but also lunch and fall into a deep sleep. That’s why he wanted her to eat at least a little.

At his urging, Seo Hee reluctantly sat down at the dining table with no energy. As she scanned the food he had prepared, a glimmer of interest flashed in her previously unenthusiastic eyes.

‘I’m being treated like royalty. To receive a meal prepared by Lee Kang Mo. You really have to live long to see it all.’

The spoon she had playfully spoken with first sought out the soup. After taking a sip of the warm beef radish soup, Seo Hee’s eyes slightly widened, and a smile spread across her lips.

‘Are you sure you made this soup yourself?’

Seeing him nod arrogantly, Seo Hee laughed and took a few more sips of the soup before exclaiming with a short ‘Mm’ and giving the highest praise.

‘It tastes like my mom made it. Lee Kang Mo could open a restaurant.’

With those words, Kang Mo’s heart swelled with pride.

Her mother not only ran a side dish store in the past but was also recognized for her outstanding cooking skills to the extent of currently serving as an advisor to a food company’s research institute.

Her daughter, Seo Hee, was also second to none when it came to cooking. Seeing her enjoy the food he had made was so gratifying.

Kang Mo’s gaze, as he mechanically ate his rice, remained fixed on Seo Hee, unable to leave.

Gone was her initial lack of enthusiasm, and she was now tasting every single dish on the table without exception. Especially when she tried each type of vegetable, she unfailingly made a delighted expression and let out a satisfied sigh. Fortunately, it seemed to suit her taste perfectly.

It was worth specifically requesting those vegetables from the ajumma who took care of the housework. How could she eat so deliciously and cutely?

Kang Mo had never seen anyone, male or female, eat as neatly and prettily as Seo Hee. As she ate quietly without making a sound, she never spilled any soup or side dishes, and she always scooped the food in just the right amount to fit in her mouth, cleanly putting it into her mouth without leaving any traces on her lips.

The way she chewed and swallowed the food slowly with her cheeks slightly puffed out was so adorable, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her lovely lips.

Lost in thought as he gazed at her without realizing it, Kang Mo immediately stood up from his seat when Seo Hee asked, “Is there any soup left?”

And so, Seo Hee finished two bowls of the soup Kang Mo had personally made and a bowl of rice, finally putting down her spoon with a satisfied smile, feeling full.

Kang Mo barely managed to stop Seo Hee, who was about to roll up her sleeves to do the dishes after finishing her meal, and pushed her towards the bedroom.

‘Hurry up, go wash up and get some sleep. I’ll clean up here and leave.’

‘Then just leave the dishes. I’ll do them later when I wake up. Okay?’

‘Don’t worry about it and go in already. Otherwise, I’ll kiss you right now.’

Making a startled expression, Seo Hee quickly replied.

‘I’m going, I’m going. …Thank you. Kang Mo. Next time, I’ll make you a delicious meal. Go home safely.’

As she turned her back, fidgeting, the tips of her ears were flushed red as if they would burn. Kang Mo suppressed the urge to grab her right then and there and hurriedly went to clean up the kitchen.

About twenty minutes later, having finished tidying up the kitchen, Kang Mo headed to the master bedroom to see Seo Hee, even if she was asleep, before leaving.

Quietly opening the door, he saw the warm autumn sunlight pouring in through the half-closed curtains, illuminating the bed on the side like a spotlight.

Kang Mo’s gaze naturally turned in that direction.