The Vice-Chairman I Accidentally Found - Chapter 15

Just by the tone of her voice, she thought, ‘There must be something.’ and quickly asked.

“You know, the guy I met on the mountain last time.”
[Mountain? What… Ah! The one you said you bumped into?] “Hey! Who bumped into who? It’s not like that!”
The phrase ‘under the same blanket’ that Ha Joon had used came to mind, and she yelled out in an instant.

[Not like that? But, why did that person…?]

“Yep. I ran into him again by chance at the hospital yesterday.”
[At the hospital? By chance?] How many people are there in our country, and you meet the person you met on the mountain so quickly again?

[So, he took you home?] “Yeah. He insisted on taking me home even when I said I was fine.”
[Ah. From your tone, it seems like you fell for his kindness of walking you to your doorstep, didn’t you?] Da Eun asked in a teasing tone.

“Well… more of a kind face than kind actions?”
Su Ah burst into laughter as if she found her own statement amusing.

“Hey. You’re saying that because you haven’t seen him. He’s seriously not of this world, you know?”
Heavenly. Heavenly. A heavenly appearance that could even dissolve boiling anger.

[Look at this lookist. What’s so special about looks? You have to see a person’s character.] “What character. It’s not like I’m going to see him again, it’s enough to just heal my eyes.”
She was content with the healing she got yesterday. Friend. [Hey. You never know? You might run into him again like at the hospital. You know what they say, three coincidences make a fate.] “Oh my, fate, what are you talking about? It’s not like that.”
Su Ah’s lips curled up as she waved her hand in the air. [No, it’s not like that. From the looks of it, you’ll run into him again soon.] “Run into what.”
[I can’t let this happen. I need to go and teach you how to handle a third encounter. You’ll be at home, right?] Da Eun got up from her seat, grabbing her car keys.

“No, I can’t. One of the parttimers called in sick for today, so I have to go to the convenience store now.”
[Now? Then when does it end?] She asked, setting down her car keys with a disappointed expression.

“Um… 10 o’clock?”

[Alright. Then I’ll go to your house when you finish. I’ll pass on all my knowhow. Haha.] The call ended with Da Eun’s smug laughter.

“Three coincidences make a fate?”
Su Ah muttered quietly, hugging the penguin cushion on the sofa.

On his way home from work, Ha Joon headed straight to Ji Hoon’s convenience store.

His gaze landed on a quiet alleyway as he parked and began to walk.

It was surprising that there was not a single person coming and going on the street. Did everyone have plans?

Had she gone out too? Was she dressed up, meeting someone, and having a good time?

Should he go in front of Su Ah’s house? Maybe he could meet her?

At the end of his thoughts, he let out a small laugh.

Had he ever thought about anything other than work?

His changed self was unfamiliar yet amusing.

He thought, people can change in an instant.

Having lost himself in thoughts, he arrived in front of Ji Hoon’s convenience store before he knew it.

Should he go in? Should he call and ask her to come out?

After some thought, Ha Joon grabbed the handle of the glass door and pushed it forward.

“Welcome.”
The voice of the parttime worker came through the opened door gap.

“Huh?”
Ha Joon’s eyes widened as he stepped into the store.

‘Ha Joon?’
Su Ah squinted, wondering if she had seen wrong, and looked again at the man standing at the door.

The neatly groomed hair, the sculptured facial features, the perfect body proportions that were hard to find anywhere. It was definitely him.

“Ha Joon, what brings you here?”
Su Ah came out from behind the counter and hurriedly approached him.

“Ah. I had arranged to meet a friend here.”

“A friend? Here at the convenience store?”
“Yes. I know Min Ji Hoon is here.”
Min Ji Hoon? If it’s Min Ji Hoon, that’s the store manager’s name.

“Ah! So, you’re friends with our store manager?”
“Yes. Probably.”
Strictly speaking, they were relatives, not friends, but he shrugged it off as if it didn’t matter.

“Ah. I see. The manager will be back soon. He just went up to his house.”
Su Ah pointed her index finger towards the sky.

It seemed like she was referring to the second house set up above the convenience store.

“Ah. Okay.”
With Ha Joon’s brief answer, an awkward silence settled between them.

“Are you feeling better now?”
Su Ah asked.

“Feeling better?”
“Yes. That day at the hospital….”
“Ah. Yes. I’m fine. I was really grateful that day.”
He didn’t expect her to be working at Ji Hoon’s convenience store.

“So, Su Ah, you work here?”
“Yes. I originally work only on weekends, but the parttimer couldn’t come in suddenly, so I was asked to help for today.”
He was grateful that she answered without him asking which days she worked.

“Ah. Then, I would have missed you if I had come tomorrow. Right?”
“Yes. Thathathat’s right.”
Why does he ask questions so sweetly?

Under his gaze, Su Ah unknowingly blushed.

“What? Did you two know each other before?”
Ji Hoon, who had just come down, asked curiously.

“Not originally. We just happened to know each other.”
Su Ah hastily answered, waving her hands.

Just… coincidentally…

Why did that word sound so disappointing? Ha Joon’s eyebrows lowered in gloom.

“Coincidentally? When?”
“Well, in the mountain….”

“Hey! You should have been prepared when I said I was coming. Why did you make me wait?”
Ha Joon quickly interrupted Su Ah.

Because Ji Hoon, who was as curious as Su Ah, had eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“The side dishes are already in the office, okay? What? What about the mountain?”
Ha Joon’s attempt to change the subject was suspicious.

Ji Hoon took a step towards Su Ah and kept digging.

“It’s in the office? Where is the office? Over there?”
Whether it was obvious or not, Ha Joon tried to stop Ji Hoon by pushing him towards the office.

“Ah! What? What’s going on? Su Ah! What happened on the mountain….”
Before he could finish his sentence, he was dragged into the office.

“Wow. Jung Da Eun. I should lay out the mat.”
Left alone in the store, Su Ah blankly stared at the office door.

“He said we would meet soon. And we really did.”
Su Ah blinked her round eyes continuously.

“Third meeting coping mechanism. I should have at least heard it over the phone.”
Muttering to herself with regret, Su Ah headed towards the display to check the expiration date of the sandwiches.