The Problematic Helper - Chapter 39

“It’s not that I have a hard time being certain once, I don’t doubt things I’m certain about. I’m sure, I wavered.”

“In dramas, wavering men call almost every day when on business trips, leave messages if they can’t call, and even send people if that’s not possible.”

“Are you saying not to do that, or to do that?”

With ointment on his hands, Ji Wan asked with just his eyes lowered.

Seeing how serious that question was, Do Eum took a step back.

“I’m saying not to do that. Those things are burdensome and all.”

The prim expression blurted it out, then pursed her lips again.

Ji Wan furrowed his brow as he spread the ointment on her pink lips that had nothing on them.

“Kang Do Eum is the one who’s hurt, but I’m the one who’s in pain.”

“Huh?”

“It’ll probably hurt every time I see it, so do something to heal quickly.”

“Come to think of it, sir, you’re a crybaby. Making a big deal out of nothing.”

“In other words, you’re quite insensitive to pain.”

After saying that, Ji Wan’s face soon turned bitter again.

“Ah, Grandmother said she’ll send a kitchen lady from Anseo-dong soon.”

“Did we need someone?”

Ji Wan’s question was reasonable, since the housekeeper he had carefully chosen had also been bitten.

“No. Actually, when I went home last time, I casually asked what side dishes you liked. When I said I wanted to learn properly, she gladly said she’d send someone.”

‘I see, so that’s why all the food on the table lately has suited my taste.’

As the curiosity that had been puzzling him was resolved, something at the bottom of Ji Wan’s heart tickled.

To think she had even asked that in Anseo-dong, where it’s said most people enter sober and come out half-dazed, she was truly beyond imagination.

Come to think of it, Do Eum showed no signs of being intimidated or uncomfortable in Anseo-dong. She was polite but didn’t hold back her words, and unlike Ki Hyeok or Seo Hyeon, or even himself, she wasn’t submissive to Chairwoman Jang’s words.

“But still, she’s from Anseo-dong. Won’t it be difficult?”

“What’s there to be difficult about? If it’s someone who’s known you for a long time, they’ll be like family to me too. I’ve cleared out the guest room on the second floor for them to use while they’re here.”

No matter who you put where, Do Eum would treat them without reservation.

It was something he could never do even if he died and came back to life, and ultimately it was the woman’s nature that had led him here.

“Then, we should clear out your room too.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Someone’s coming from home. Are you saying you and I should use separate rooms?”

Oh no.

Do Eum, who hadn’t thought that far, fidgeted and covered her gaping mouth.

“What should we do?”

“What do you mean what should we do? We’ll just lock up your room and pretend it’s an unused storage room for now, and you’ll stay in my room.”

He answered calmly, but Ji Wan was actually more worried himself.

While Do Eum would just be uncomfortable whether he was there or not, it was obvious it would be a long night of endurance for him.

“Ah! That’ll work!!”

After saying absolutely don’t waver.

Seeing the woman answer without a hint of wavering, Ji Wan felt strangely hurt and stood up from his seat.

“Why? Why are you getting up? You need to have dinner, right?”

Once twisted, his feelings dragged him down for no reason.

“Eat by yourself. No consideration.”

As Ji Wan got up and went into the study, Do Eum, unable to understand the man’s feelings, just pouted her lips covered in ointment.

*****

Do Eum felt quite uncomfortable as she wiped down the tables at Kong Café.

Since a replacement for her wasn’t easily found, she had unintentionally lied to Ji Wan, who thought she had finished wrapping up her work.

Min Seung, Jae Han, and Eun Hyeok bustled into Kong Café.

“I don’t know for sure, but you really got bitten this time.”

At Min Seung’s words, Jae Han frowned deeply.

“This is all because of Choi Eun Hyeok.”

Even under Jae Han’s fierce glare, Eun Hyeok remained nonchalant throughout.

“What happened?”

“Yesterday, Eun Hyeok said there was a girl he liked, so a sudden blind date came up, but this jerk said he wouldn’t go.”

It was common for Eun Hyeok not to go on blind dates or group dates.

“We couldn’t stand him up, so Min Seung and I went out to at least apologize.”

Up to there, it was a completely unproblematic development.

“Their matchmaker has a girlfriend, and the girl Eun Hyeok likes, would she be interested in Min Seung? We were just going to talk honestly and come back, with no ulterior motives.”

“But Oh Sa Ra from the Korean Literature department found out about it today.”

Min Seung gulped down the iced Americano Do Eum had brought out and wiped his mouth.

“She’s been crying and wailing, dragging all her friends around campus searching for Lee Jae Han like combing for lice.”

Do Eum untied the green apron with ‘Kong Café’ written on it and prepared to leave work.

“You guys should hide too, who knows where the sparks might fly. Especially you, Kang Do Eum.”

“Me? Why? What did I do?”

Do Eum, who had been standing the whole time, jumped up in place.

“Why are you suddenly pretending not to know? Kang Do Eum, the common enemy of all female students at Korea University.”

It was the most unfair thing in the world to be blamed for their sins just because she was close to the three men.

Eun Hyeok just silently laughed at the charges Min Seung and Jae Han had pinned on her.

“It’s not the right time to say this, but Choi Eun Hyeok, you missed out on a big one. The girl who came out yesterday. She’s the top in the Dance department. When you see her, your jaw just drops. Totally glamorous and…”

It was then, as Min Seung was giving more details.

A group of female students burst into the coffee shop.

Oh Sa Ra, in a leather mini skirt and chomping on gum in an ominous manner, bypassed Jae Han whom she had been searching for and headed straight for Do Eum.

“I heard that seat yesterday was supposed to be for Eun Hyeok oppa. They say he didn’t go because of you, unnie?”

It was a terribly rude tone, regardless of the stares around them.

“So my boyfriend went in his place instead?”

Before she could even respond.

Oh Sa Ra, who had been standing crookedly the whole time, raised the cup of iced Americano over Do Eum’s head.

Jae Han and Min Seung jumped up, and before Do Eum could do anything.

Splash.

It was sudden.

Eun Hyeok turning his body to block in front of Do Eum, and as a result, the cold iced water falling on Eun Hyeok’s chest instead of Do Eum’s head.

The dark red liquid dripped from Eun Hyeok’s head onto the floor.

“…Eun Hyeok!”

Wiping the liquid that had splashed on Eun Hyeok’s face with her bare hands, Do Eum glared at Oh Sa Ra.

“Hey!!”

It was the loudest shout she could muster.

Cutting off all the polite speech she had used even with juniors much younger than her.

“If you’re an intellectual, talk it out like one. What is this now!”

As the not-so-large Kong Café became noisy, the attention of students eating in the student union building gathered.

It was pandemonium.

*****

Woo Seok placed a document on Ji Wan’s desk.

It was information about Young Hun, the man who had visited last night.

“Is it really necessary to go this far?”

Late in the evening,

Ji Wan had instructed Woo Seok to find out everything, even the smallest detail, about the man.

“Later, if by any chance Do Eum ends up alone. We can’t let him come back and cause trouble again. If we can’t cut off the root entirely, we should at least have a card to hold over the other party’s head.”

The meticulous man intended to have something that could be Young Hun’s weakness in case Do Eum ended up alone.

Woo Seok, who was about to turn and leave, hesitated several times before carefully asking.

“Wouldn’t it be good to send even a small gift to match the Gallery Director’s birthday…”

“Don’t.”

Woo Seok asked this question every year around this time, only to be flatly rejected.

“But this is the first birthday since you got married, wouldn’t it be good to do something?”

Scratch, scratch,

The sound of Ji Wan’s pen scratching on the approval documents was ominous.

It was probably no coincidence that the pile of pending documents on the left side of the desk was getting higher and higher.

“Ah, Oh Jung Hyuk from Eden Entertainment called several times.”

Woo Seok hastily changed the subject.

Ji Wan was well aware through entertainment news that Yi Seol, who had returned from the movie set two days ago, had disappeared.

“Don’t connect the calls, we’ve indulged them too much.”

“Yes.”

Thud.

Another pending document was added to the pile on the left.

“You still haven’t found where she is?”

Although he wouldn’t take calls, he had given instructions to search for Yi Seol separately.

Since she had no proper family, nor any trustworthy friends, there weren’t many places Yi Seol could go.

“No, not yet.”

Opening the last approval document, Ji Wan closed his eyes deeply and opened them, thinking about something, and asked.

“Han Manager, what about Bandi Crodien in Nonhyeon-dong?”

It was the officetel where Ji Wan had stayed until his marriage, which he hadn’t disposed of in case of unforeseen circumstances.

“Yes, as you said, we haven’t disposed of the officetel.”

“I told you to change the card key before, did you change it by any chance?”

“No, we haven’t done that yet…”

Closing the last document with a thud, Ji Wan stood up from his seat.

The way he irritably picked up his suit jacket that he had taken off clearly showed that something was not to his liking.

“Han Manager, you don’t need to follow.”

Ji Wan left the office, carelessly tossing those words at Woo Seok who was following behind him.

*****

Do Eum and Eun Hyeok walked side by side after cleaning up the chaotic Kong Café and leaving the student union building.

Although they had received apologies for the misunderstanding and promises that such incidents wouldn’t happen again, the unpleasant feeling didn’t improve.

“How can I face you when you got caught up in this because of me?”

Eun Hyeok’s pure white t-shirt was covered in brown stains from the coffee he had taken instead of Do Eum.

“Are you okay too?”

Eun Hyeok smiled, gesturing at the stains that had splashed onto Do Eum’s shirt as well.

“The common enemy of female students, that’s right. To think I’d end up in this state.”

Eun Hyeok took off the mustard-colored checkered shirt he was wearing and draped it over Do Eum’s shoulders.

“A bit better.”

While she might have looked better, Eun Hyeok in his stained short-sleeved t-shirt stood out even more.

“I’m fine, so you go ahead. Don’t you have to oversee the juniors’ training at the dojo?”

“I can change into my uniform, it’s okay.”

The late-night campus was as bright as day just from the lights of the central library on the hill.

“Ah, why didn’t you really go to the blind date? Min Seung said she was the top in the Dance department.”

“I saw her, that top.”

“Ooh.”

With a look that said ‘you’re no different from other men after all’, Do Eum playfully hit Eun Hyeok’s arm.

“She came looking for me at the gym where I work out.”

It was common knowledge among his followers that Eun Hyeok practically lived in the gym on days without lectures.

“And? You didn’t like her?”

“She was tall.”

“I’m asking if she was pretty.”

There was no answer.

“Apart from her face being as small as my fist, I couldn’t tell if she was particularly pretty.”

“That’s Choi Eun Hyeok with his high standards. Even if she had a stunning appearance, a woman Choi Eun Hyeok likes probably doesn’t exist in this lifetime.”

“You, you know her.”

“Huh?”

Do Eum stopped in her tracks, halting what she was about to say.

Her face, which had been pondering whether she had a friend majoring in dance around her, slowly began to harden.