“Good morning!”

Yeo Reum said loudly as she entered the kitchen.

The cooking team, busy preparing breakfast, turned around in unison and greeted her warmly.

“Welcome, young lady.”

“You’re all busy from the morning?”

Head chef Baek stopped what he was doing and approached Yeo Reum.

“Do you need anything?”

“No.”

“But what brings you here before mealtime? Is there something wrong with the lunchbox I packed for you?”

“No way! I love the lunchbox so much! It tastes great and there’s even plenty of food, I really enjoy it!”

Head chef Baek smiled at Yeo Reum’s raised voice.

The cooking team felt the same way.

However, they resumed the work they had briefly paused to keep up with the meal schedule.

“It’s just that I feel sorry.”

“For what?”

“You’re busy, head chef, and I feel bad that you have to pack my lunch every morning. Please don’t pack my lunch anymore. If I need it, I’ll do it myself.”

“Young lady, you’re working part-time and can’t even have proper meals, I can’t let you eat just anything outside.”

“I’m so grateful for your thoughtfulness.”

“It’s not a big deal for me. So unless you dislike my cooking, please just eat it.”

“Your skill is undoubtedly the best, head chef. But please stop doing it from now on.”

Yeo Reum said to head chef Baek with a grin.

“Thanks to you and everyone here, I get to eat really delicious and healthy food for breakfast and dinner in this house. That’s more than enough. And if I really need it, I’ll let you know then.”

The head chef, looking slightly sullen, said,

“I was in such a good mood thinking about you eating my lunchbox with your boyfriend. What a pity.”

Yeo Reum, her face suddenly flushed, asked,

“How did you know I have someone I like?”

“Well, you can never hide love.”

The cooking team around them chuckled softly.

Yeo Reum’s cheeks turned even redder.

“So that’s why you put eel in the lunchbox?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my, head chef. You’re so thoughtful.”

Yeo Reum smiled shyly.

“Young lady, does that person perhaps not like my cooking?”

“No! He really likes it too.”

Yeo Reum quickly took out her cell phone and showed the photo San Ha had sent.

Along with the cleanly emptied lunchbox, there was a text message saying “Ate well. It was totally delicious!”

“See? This person says it’s delicious too.”

Head chef Baek’s face brightened.

“But your boyfriend’s nickname is ‘Really Good Tiger’?”

“Yes.”

“He must be a wonderful person.”

“That’s right! Totally wonderful! Totally cool! Just looking at him opens my eyes and heals me.”

Seeing Yeo Reum praising San Ha with such passion, head chef Baek and the cooking team smiled along.

But then Yeo Reum suddenly let out a short sigh.

“Why?”

“Actually, he’s not 100% my boyfriend yet. He’s a friend I want to be my boyfriend.”

“The tiger is bouncing away?”

“That’s right. I keep making advances but he won’t give me a definite answer. But I will definitely make this person my boyfriend.”

“Hey, you have a boyfriend?”

A sarcastic voice suddenly came from behind her.

Turning around, the person who had entered the kitchen was Ha Eun.

Head chef Baek and the cooking team bowed their heads in unison.

But Ha Eun came straight up to Yeo Reum without responding and said,

“You have a boyfriend looking like that?”

With a dismayed expression, Yeo Reum said,

“Mind your own business.”

“Jung Yeo Reum, are you perhaps going around blabbing that you’re the heir of the PR Group?”

“What?”

“Otherwise, what man would like you looking at you? When you’ve gained so much weight? You’re a woman but you don’t take care of yourself? Oh, and while we’re at it, I’m starting a detox from today, so prepare it Mediterranean style without carbs.”

Head chef Baek replied,

“Understood.”

“Anyway, it’s a one-way street.”

It was Yeo Reum.

“What?”

“Breakfast is almost ready, how can you notify us now? Don’t you ever think about the people preparing it?”

“What to do? You just have to make it in a flash from now on. And if you want to get paid in someone else’s house, you have to handle at least that much. Right?”

“You’re really consistent.”

“You should go on a diet right now too. Aren’t you ashamed of that body? Hey, all the men curse at you.”

“Don’t talk about what you don’t know. Men always prefer slightly chubby women like me over skinny anchovies like you. What do you know?”

“Hey, are you chubby? You’re fat, aren’t you?”

Yeo Reum picked up the celery on the table.

Startled, Ha Eun screamed and ran out.

“I don’t know why she’s always like that when she can’t even do it.”

Head chef Baek and the cooking team chuckled.

Yeo Reum was about to put down the celery in her hand.

But she tilted her head as if something was strange.

The celery seemed to be a few days old and had lost its freshness.

Come to think of it, the vegetables piled up on one side were all wilted.

“What’s wrong with all the vegetables?”

“Ah, that…”

Head chef Baek had a troubled expression.

“Is the refrigerator broken?”

As much as he was serious about cooking, head chef Baek was strict about ingredient management.

So the ingredients are delivered early every morning.

But the vegetables in the kitchen now were all yellowish and wilted without any moisture.

The staff stopped what they were doing and sneaked glances at each other.

Reading that atmosphere, Yeo Reum asked again,

“Head chef?”

As if there was no choice, he replied,

“Actually, the First Lady recently changed the ingredient supplier.”

“What?”

“In the past, only the highest quality ingredients were brought in under the chairman’s orders, but now the ingredients used for the family members and employees are being brought in at different levels. What you saw is for the employees.”

“The ingredients for the family and employees are brought in at different levels?”

“Yes.”

Yeo Reum immediately approached the refrigerator and opened the door.

And she took out the meat inside. It was a dark color close to black.

The cooking team quietly stood by and watched Yeo Reum check the ingredients.

Even after checking all the seasonings like soy sauce and vinegar, Yeo Reum let out a short sigh and said,

“You and everyone must be working hard, head chef. It must take several times more effort to make delicious food with such poor ingredients.”

“No, not at all.”

Yeo Reum looked at head chef Baek and said,

“I’m sorry. But I can’t change it right away.”

“I understand.”

“But now I know, right?”

“Yes. Young lady.”

Head chef Baek smiled slightly.

Yeo Reum lightly bowed to him and went out without saying anything else.

The cooking team quickly gathered around head chef Baek.

“The young lady seems very angry, right?”

“I think so.”

“But no matter what, it will be hard for her to confront the First Lady about this, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But somehow, I have expectations. It’s Yeo Reum, after all.”

It was the youngest member of the cooking team.

“Actually, I feel the same way.”

The cooking team looking at the exit smiled quietly.

*

Instead of I Seok’s words, the group’s future prospects were very hopeful.

Following his explanations, the screen of the project constantly showed grand bird’s-eye views, and the executives in the conference room listened attentively with their ears pricked up.

“So we need to make bolder and more aggressive investments in technology development.”

As he finished his remarks, the conference room brightened.

The executives who stood up from their seats applauded with fiery passion.

I Seok, who was scanning their faces with satisfaction, frowned.

He saw San Ha dozing off again in the back row.

But he decided not to mind.

Isn’t the expression on his father’s face at the head of the table very satisfied?

At that moment, along with a knock, General Manager Kim entered.

His urgent-looking expression made them sense that it was bad news.

“Chairman, there was an accident at the Geoje factory a little while ago.”

“What accident?”

“While cleaning the valve section, gas leaked, causing two of our employees and three employees from partner companies to collapse. Zone 1 has been contaminated.”

The executives in the conference room straightened their backs involuntarily.

It’s a major accident.

“How are the employees?”

“We’ll have to wait for an accurate diagnosis, but currently they are all unconscious, and one employee from a partner company even went into cardiac arrest.”

“Wait. You said it was the cleaning section? Only skilled full-time employees should be there because it’s dangerous, but suddenly there are partner company employees?”

General Manager Kim couldn’t answer readily.

“Speak clearly. Why are there partner company employees there?”

“It was recently changed that way.”

“Who ordered such a thing?”

“…Well, I heard it was changed that way by the Strategy Planning Department as a way to reduce labor costs.”

Chairman Gu’s angry eyes turned to I Seok.

“Was it you?”

I Seok, flustered, couldn’t answer.

“Who changed it on their own accord? Cleaning requires advanced skills, so only experts handle it, don’t you know that! You have to save money when you need to save money!”

Angry Chairman Gu slammed the table.

At that, San Ha woke up.

Since everyone around was frozen, he carefully asked the director next to him,

“What’s going on?”

He whispered quietly into San Ha’s ear,

“There was an accident at the Geoje factory.”

In the meantime, Chairman Gu shouted at I Seok while slamming the table,

“Because you put clueless novices where top experts should be working, accidents happen!”

“…I apologize.”

At that moment, Director Moon, known as I Seok’s left arm, stepped up to defend I Seok.

“Chairman, the executive director only ordered them to put partner companies for simple labor jobs at the Geoje factory. But the one who pushed it unreasonably is the factory manager there.”

“That’s right. It’s the factory manager’s fault.”

Director Jang also agreed.

He was I Seok’s right-hand man, known as his closest aide.

“No. No matter what, it’s largely my fault. Chairman, I will take responsibility and handle this accident. I apologize.”

I Seok bowed his head and asked for forgiveness.

Sighing roughly, Chairman Gu said,

“Find out the cause of the accident and handle it properly.”

“I understand.”

Chairman Gu left the conference room, as angry as he was.

“Executive Director, are you alright?”

The executives rose like a swarm of bees and surrounded I Seok to defend him.

“I guess I should go to Geoje now.”

Looking at San Ha approaching, I Seok replied,

“Why would I go there?”

“What do you mean why? The employees’ lives are in critical condition, so the person in charge should go and see? Go apologize and say you’re sorry, and handle the accident?”

“Who are you calling the person in charge now?”

“Isn’t it you?”

“There’s already a factory manager there.”

San Ha replied,

“I heard the Geoje factory was reorganized this time? That’s the work of the Strategy Planning Department.”

“I only told them to improve a few things. But why are you calling me the person in charge? Director Gu, you know better, right?”

I Seok went out as if annoyed.

The executives following him said,

“Executive Director, they’ll probably ask to handle it as an industrial accident.”

“Why would we do that? Admitting it’s an industrial accident is like admitting the company’s mistake.”

The executives immediately responded to I Seok’s reply,

“You’re right, Director. Not only the money, but if the Ministry of Labor starts an audit, the follow-up is so tiring.”

“Of course.”

“But Executive Director. The union won’t stay still, right? Five people were injured.”

“No matter how many come out, we need to give them some settlement money and cover it up.”

“The union will never try to cover it up.”

“Then we have to push it as their fault no matter what, and threaten them civilly and criminally so they can’t tackle us.”

“That’s right. Unions are best suppressed with money and power.”

They followed behind him, picking only words that suited I Seok’s taste.

Watching them, San Ha muttered lightly,

“But that will lead to bigger problems.”

*

After the lunch peak time passed, the cafe quickly became quiet.

While Ji Na was organizing the store, Yeo Reum wiped the outdoor tables.

Then a black sedan stopped right in front of the cafe.

‘It’s not even a parking lot.’

Yeo Reum frowned at the sedan that invaded even the sidewalk where people were passing by.

But the woman getting out of the driver’s seat and the young woman getting out of the back door that was swiftly opened were also familiar faces.

The rude pearl earrings she had met at the boutique!

Perhaps because of Yeo Reum’s gaze, the woman turned her head.

She scanned Yeo Reum from head to toe in her cafe uniform, then smirked.

‘So rude.’

Yeo Reum didn’t want to lose her good personality because of a woman like that.

Yeo Reum pretended not to know and just wiped the tables hard with a rag.

But the woman approached, making clicking sounds with her heels.

Next to her, the secretary followed like a shadow.

“It’s you, right?”

The voice coming from her pretty lips sounded nice, but it was laced with mockery.

“What is?”

“The maid from the Blue House.”