The Young Boss (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
Wednesday was Si Hyeon’s birthday and also the day she was supposed to greet Woo Jin’s parents. Si Hyeon had been busy getting ready since early dawn.
She stopped by the salon for a haircut and kept her makeup as light as possible. She put on elegant pearl earrings and chose neat, refined clothing and shoes.
“Si Hyeon, isn’t today the day you’re supposed to visit your boyfriend’s parents?”
Mi Ju asked in surprise upon seeing Si Hyeon arrive at work that morning.
“Yes. I have to go right after work.”
Mi Ju spoke with concern.
“Do you really think you can finish preparing all the materials before you leave?”
“What materials?”
“Don’t you remember? We’re supposed to present everything we’ve worked on so far to the department head for the first evaluation tomorrow morning!”
Si Hyeon was startled. Come to think of it, that was right!
Between the whole proposal commotion and meeting Woo Jin’s parents, she’d been so overwhelmed these past few days that she’d completely forgotten.
Si Hyeon quickly assessed her workload in her head. No matter how she looked at it, finishing by quitting time was impossible.
“Well, I guess there’s no choice. I’ll have to go, have dinner, then come straight back to the office for overtime.”
“But it’s your birthday today—won’t that be tough?”
“My birthday isn’t the issue right now. I need to be ready to respond if the department head points something out tomorrow.”
Even though she spent the whole day working, eating only a sandwich for lunch at her desk, she still couldn’t finish everything by quitting time. Resigned to working overtime, Si Hyeon left the office for now.
In addition to the red ginseng set she’d prepared earlier, she stopped by the hotel to pick up the cake she’d ordered and took a taxi to Woo Jin’s house.
Woo Jin’s home was in an apartment complex right near the precarious border between Seoul and southern Gyeonggi.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Woo Jin came out to meet her, dressed far too casually. Seeing him in sweatpants and slippers, Si Hyeon frowned.
“What are you wearing? I came all dressed up.”
“Aw, it’s my own house—what does it matter? I’ll dress up properly when I visit your parents.”
Woo Jin smiled and took the gift box from Si Hyeon’s hand.
“Let’s go in quickly. My parents are waiting.”
Si Hyeon took a deep breath and followed behind him.
“Mom! Si Hyeon’s here!”
Woo Jin called out loudly as he opened the door. Sure enough, an elderly-looking couple—presumably his parents—stood waiting in the entryway.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kang Si Hyeon.”
Si Hyeon bowed politely.
“Oh, yes. Welcome.”
Suddenly, a group of people poured out from somewhere, leaving Si Hyeon momentarily flustered. Seeing her reaction, Woo Jin proudly explained.
“It’s also our mom’s birthday today. My sisters-in-law are setting up the celebratory meal.”
Her palms grew damp with sweat. She’d known she’d be greeting his parents—but nobody mentioned his older and younger brothers, sisters-in-law, and nieces and nephews would all be there!
Woo Jin seemed immensely proud of his large, happy family as he introduced Si Hyeon to each one.
“This is my eldest brother.”
“Hello, I’m Kang Si Hyeon.”
“And this is my younger brother. Doesn’t he look a lot like me?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kang Si Hyeon.”
“This is my eldest sister-in-law, this is my younger sister-in-law, this is my eldest nephew from my older brother, this is his second child, and these are the twins from my younger brother…”
After repeating her introduction countless times—from elders to children—Si Hyeon finally escaped the “greeting hell.”
As she followed Woo Jin’s parents into the main room, Si Hyeon barely managed to suppress a sigh. She already felt utterly exhausted before even getting to the main point.
The trouble continued once inside the room. Since she was wearing a skirt, she had no choice but to kneel on the floor cushion instead of sitting on the sofa.
Meanwhile, Woo Jin’s parents across from her sat in perfectly relaxed postures.
Not to mention Woo Jin himself, seated beside her. Though she’d done nothing wrong, she felt strangely guilty, kneeling alone while everyone else sat comfortably.
As she endured the growing numbness in her legs, the woman who’d earlier been introduced as the younger sister-in-law brought out a glass of sikhye.
“So, you and our Woo Jin have been together quite a while, haven’t you?”
Woo Jin’s mother, Jeong Im, spoke first.
Aside from her delicate makeup and pearl necklace, she looked like an ordinary, slightly plump neighborhood ajumma—nothing fierce about her, yet not particularly warm either.
“Yes. We’ll be entering our sixth year together this year.”
“To be honest, Woo Jin’s had plenty of matchmaking offers over the years. There were several promising young ladies, and even when we secretly asked him to just meet them once, he never listened. So I’m surprised his girlfriend turned out to be such a lovely young woman.”
Though clearly meant as a compliment, Si Hyeon found it impossible to smile. Struggling to control her expression, she quickly took a sip of sikhye.
“Mom, really—you say the strangest things.”
Woo Jin just chuckled, clearly amused.
“I heard your parents passed away early, and you were raised by your uncle’s family, is that right?”
This time, his father asked.
“Yes. But they’ve raised me since I was little, so I think of them as my own parents.”
Si Hyeon lied calmly. The uncle and his wife had never treated her like real parents, nor had she ever considered them as such.
“But even so, it’s not the same as having your own parents, is it?”
For a moment, she couldn’t grasp his intent. Was he expressing pity, assuming she’d been mistreated in her uncle’s home? Before she could decide, Jeong Im cut in.
“Oh dear, you worry too much. Don’t worry—I’ll take her in and teach her properly.”
Teach her what, exactly? A wave of unease rose within her.
As she fiddled with her now-empty sikhye glass, Woo Jin suddenly whispered in her ear.
“Si Hyeon, don’t just sit there—go help my sisters-in-law.”
Si Hyeon was taken aback. She wasn’t even part of this family yet; she was a guest visiting for the first time, and now he wanted her to help in the kitchen?
Uncertain what to do, she stayed still—until Woo Jin whispered again, urging her.
“My sisters-in-law are still busy in the kitchen. Are you really just going to keep sitting here? If you’re the junior, you need to make a good impression first if you want the elders to like you.”
It sounded reasonable at first glance, yet somehow it didn’t feel right. But her legs ached so badly she feared they’d start cramping, so Si Hyeon finally stood up. Anything was better than staying seated.
“Then I’ll go out for a bit and help with the work.”
Neither of Woo Jin’s parents said a word to stop her.
As she opened the door and stepped out, children were running around the living room like a battlefield, and the kitchen was bustling with meal preparations.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
She approached hesitantly and asked. Two women in aprons immediately waved their hands.
“Oh no, you’re a guest—how can you help?”
“It’s fine, just go sit back down.”
Thankfully, the future sisters-in-law seemed kind, and Si Hyeon felt slightly more at ease.
“But I feel awkward just sitting there. Please let me help with anything.”
“Then while we set the table, could you just mix up some quick kimchi?”
A large basin was filled with chopped napa cabbage, topped with gochugaru, fish sauce, garlic, and other seasonings.
“We’ve already added all the seasonings—you just need to mix it gently. Don’t squeeze too hard; just massage it lightly with your fingertips. Got it?”
While the two sisters-in-law arranged the table, Si Hyeon opened a drawer herself, found plastic gloves, and put them on. As she began mixing the kimchi, a sharp voice suddenly came from behind.
“Good heavens—who mixes kimchi wearing plastic gloves?”
It was Woo Jin’s mother, Jeong Im. Pointing at Si Hyeon, she scolded her daughters-in-law.
“Did you tell her to do that?”
Both daughters-in-law jumped in alarm.
“Oh no, Mother! Not at all!”
“We’re sorry, Mother. She must have taken them out on her own while we weren’t looking.”
Only then did Si Hyeon realize—the request to mix kimchi wasn’t meant as light work, but as a way to dump an unpleasant task onto her.
Jeong Im clicked her tongue, watching Si Hyeon, frozen in place with gloves still on.
“Food is all about the ‘hand taste.’ Didn’t they teach you even this much at your parents’ house? … Though I suppose, since it wasn’t your real mother, what could she have properly taught you? Tsk, tsk.”
Si Hyeon’s face burned hot.
She removed the gloves and began mixing the bright red seasoning with her bare hands. Only then did Jeong Im look satisfied.
“Not knowing isn’t shameful—just learn properly from me going forward.”
Though her eyes were wide open, everything went dark before her.
In the taxi on the way back, Si Hyeon sat blankly, as if her soul had left her body.
“……”
Both hands stung as if they were on fire.
What angered her even more than the pain was her own foolishness.
Why couldn’t I just walk out right then?
Why couldn’t I clearly say I wasn’t capable of doing such work?
Why did I, as a guest, end up mixing kimchi, get told I wasn’t properly raised, then sit through the whole dinner pretending to enjoy it, sing happy birthday for someone else on my own birthday, and even help with the dishes before leaving?
Even more absurd was that Woo Jin hadn’t noticed her miserable state at all.
When he’d walked her out earlier, he’d just grinned and said:
“See? I told you my mom and dad are good people, didn’t I?”
So furious she couldn’t even respond, Si Hyeon had just gotten into the taxi.
Even after scrubbing her hands repeatedly with soap while doing the dishes, they’d only grown redder and more swollen. As she reached into her wallet to pay the fare, the pain nearly made her cry out.
Her body and heart were utterly drained. All she wanted was to collapse into bed at home—but she had to prepare for tomorrow’s morning meeting.
By the time she arrived at the office, it was already past nine at night. The thought of starting overtime now made everything go black before her eyes. It would surely be remembered as the worst birthday ever.
The office was nearly dark. Dragging her exhausted body toward her desk, she spotted someone approaching from down the hallway.
It was Tae Ha.
At the sight of his face, she felt an immediate surge of relief—the sense of finally finding someone on her side after being battered and swept along all day.
“Tae Ha.”
But the reply she got was nothing but coldly formal.
“You’ve worked hard staying late.”
As she watched Tae Ha walk away without stopping, Si Hyeon realized she was entirely alone. Not even the man she was to marry was on her side, and the child she’d raised didn’t even recognize her.
Back at her desk, a birthday cake sat alone. Assuming Mi Ju had left it, Si Hyeon inserted the candles one by one.
Three large candles, three small ones. As she lit all six, the dim office filled instantly with a soft, warm glow.
Si Hyeon closed her eyes quietly and made a wish.
“I wish I had even one person in this world who was truly on my side.”
Her held-back tears finally spilled over.
Though she’d wished aloud for someone on her side, the face that came to mind was Tae Ha’s.
Strangely, even though the man she was to marry was Woo Jin, it felt as if, if everyone in the world turned their backs on her and only one person remained by her side—it would be Tae Ha, not Woo Jin.
And the fact that Tae Ha himself didn’t even recognize her was unbearably heartbreaking.
“Liar.”
Staring at the flickering candlelight, Si Hyeon choked back a sob.
“You promised me—if I grew up, you’d grant my birthday wish. You said it yourself with your own mouth…!”
She couldn’t finish her sentence—someone had grabbed her arm and turned her around.
Startled, she looked up to meet eyes filled with quiet anger.
“Who made you cry?”
Cupping her tear-streaked cheeks in his large hands, Tae Ha asked again.
“I’m asking you— who made you cry?”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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