Ga Eul came out of the office faster than she had gone in.

She completely abandoned her plan to observe the office situation to see what would become of the company’s fate. She had to escape before the fire chicken arrived. Why did she forget that spicy chicken had been ordered for the boss’s hangover?

In the midst of it all, she left the coffee carrier on the table as she exited.

It seemed she had only wasted money on coffee without finding out why the handsome man had come to see the boss. What a blunder. It didn’t seem possible to get reimbursed for the coffee from a boss eating spicy chicken on an empty stomach the day after heavy drinking.

Ga Eul went to the convenience store farthest from the office. It seemed best to stay far away from the boss until the effects of the spicy chicken wore off.

After checking the business status of three convenience stores, Ga Eul received a phone call.

The caller ID showed “Woo Jin’s father”. Suspecting it was related to Woo Jin’s mother’s visit that morning, Ga Eul hesitated briefly before answering.

“Hello, sir.”

Trying to lift her drooping mood, Ga Eul greeted more brightly.

“Are you very busy? It must be hard work in this heat.”

“Not really. I don’t have much to do.”

“If you’re not busy, shall we meet for a bit? I was in the area and thought of you. I was wondering if we could have lunch together.”

“If you tell me the location, I’ll head there.”

She wanted to ask him to say it over the phone, but there was no way to avoid it. He said he was already nearby. Dealing with both Woo Jin’s mother and father in one day was difficult. No matter how much she steeled her heart.

Ga Eul decided to think positively. Since Woo Jin’s mother had barged in early in the morning, she hadn’t packed a lunch, so this worked out well. She saved on lunch money. She also needed to report to Woo Jin’s father that someone had come to see the boss.

At the agreed-upon cold noodle restaurant, Woo Jin’s father was already waiting. As soon as Ga Eul greeted him and sat down, the food he had pre-ordered was served on the table.

“Cold noodles are the best in summer. Eat a lot. Why do you look thinner every time I see you?”

Contrary to his words about cold noodles being best in summer, Director Sun Jae Ho, Woo Jin’s father, pushed a plate of boiled meat towards Ga Eul.

“I’ll eat well.”

Ga Eul picked up her chopsticks without hesitation. She had to eat a lot when she could. When else would she eat beef? Beef was always her younger sister Gyeo Ul’s portion.

The thought of Gyeo Ul made her pause. She wanted to feed this to grandmother and Gyeo Ul too.

“Please pack three portions of the boiled meat to go.”

Noticing why Ga Eul’s chopsticks had hesitated, Woo Jin’s father quickly asked for the meat to be packed.

Such kind people. Woo Jin’s mother and father were kind people to Ga Eul’s family. How much help they had received since her father passed away.

She felt more sorry because they were so kind. She was only causing them worry by not resolving things with Woo Jin. She needed to make Woo Jin give up his feelings for her quickly.

“Is your grandmother healthy?”

“Yes.”

Ga Eul’s head drooped low.

“And Gyeo Ul? Is school going well? The college entrance exam is not far off now.”

“Gyeo Ul is busy studying, you know.”

For a moment, Ga Eul resented her father. If he were still alive, she might not have to feel guilty towards Woo Jin’s father. If only he hadn’t quit his company job to start a business… If only that business hadn’t failed…

“Is everything alright at the company? Is Director Ki still drinking a lot?”

Ga Eul put down her chopsticks before the cold noodles reached her mouth and answered.

“Yes. He seems to be drinking even more these days. The frequency and amount have all increased. Last night too, he must have drunk all night because he was passed out on the office sofa until morning.”

As she spoke, she felt like she could still smell the alcohol. Ga Eul wrinkled her nose.

“Did anyone come to visit today?”

“Yes, someone did come. He seemed to be a friend of the boss, but I wasn’t introduced so I don’t know who he was.”

As she answered, Ga Eul realized this must be why Woo Jin’s father had asked to meet. Not because of Woo Jin’s mother’s visit this morning.

“What did he look like? His appearance or any distinguishing features?”

“He was a handsome man. He seemed like someone from a good family who was well-raised. He appeared to be on very familiar terms with the boss.”

Ga Eul answered, recalling the scene of the boss and the handsome man in the office.

“So Jung Se Hyun has returned after all.”

Woo Jin’s father muttered as if to himself.

“Pardon?”

“You observed well. The man who came today, Jung Se Hyun, is an old friend of Director Ki. His only friend, in fact. You’re right that he’s from a good family and well-raised. Have you heard of the law firm APEX? He’s the son of the representative lawyer there. He himself is also an extremely capable lawyer.”

The law firm APEX was famous enough that even Ga Eul had heard of it. She nodded.

“Did you hear what they were talking about?”

“No. The boss sent me out. He seemed eager for me to leave quickly. Before I left, both of them were keeping their mouths tightly shut.”

“Hmm.”

Sun Jae Ho, Woo Jin’s father, appeared to think for a moment before staring intently at Ga Eul. After a while, he opened his mouth.

“Ga Eul, if those two meet again, could you listen to what they’re talking about and tell me?”

‘Could you?’ Woo Jin’s father never says ‘do it’ or ‘please do it’. He always asks ‘could you?’ As if Ga Eul has a choice. But he knows and Ga Eul knows. That Ga Eul has no freedom to refuse.

With all the help she’s received from Woo Jin’s father weighing on her neck, how could she say no? How dare she.

Ga Eul stared blankly at Woo Jin’s father. Somehow, this felt like a critical moment.

She knew from the start that she had to report on Director Ki’s activities when she joined Dae Un Investment. Woo Jin’s father had told her when he got her the job.

‘Could you periodically let me know how Director Ki is doing? His grandfather is very worried about him. It seems he wants to check if Director Ki is living properly. Since I can’t check on Director Ki’s situation myself, could you help me out a bit?’

At that time, Ga Eul had readily agreed.

Later, after seeing how Director Ki Dae Un lived, she fully understood his grandfather’s feelings. It was natural that his grandfather would want reports on Ki Dae Un’s activities. There was more than enough reason to worry he might cause trouble.

But this time, Ga Eul couldn’t easily agree. This didn’t seem like just easing a grandfather’s worry about his grandson. He probably didn’t want to hear about how Ki Dae Un and Jung Se Hyun’s friendship was progressing.

She felt somehow trapped. Should she not have accepted help from Woo Jin’s parents? She didn’t know their help would become a noose around her neck like this.

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

Ga Eul answered after a long pause. Even though she knew what Woo Jin’s father was asking now was different from what he had asked before, she answered that way.

She had some confidence. The confidence that the boss wouldn’t let her hear his conversations with Jung Se Hyun. Judging by how hastily the boss had sent her out, it wasn’t an unfounded confidence.

Along with confidence, doubt also arose. The doubt that Woo Jin’s father had gotten her the job at Dae Un Investment for this moment.

To find out what Ki Dae Un and Jung Se Hyun were up to. Is that why he called to meet her as soon as Jung Se Hyun came to see Ki Dae Un?

* * *

“Oh, why are you back so early?”

Ki Dae Un abruptly asked Ga Eul as she entered the office with a troubled mind after parting from Woo Jin’s father.

Ga Eul squinted and looked the boss up and down. Jung Se Hyun was gone and the boss was eating lunch alone. There was a suspicious smell. Somehow the boss seemed to be hiding his flustered state.

Above all, is this how a normal boss talks to a subordinate? ‘Why are you back so late?’ would be understandable, but this? Did the boss cause some trouble while I was gone? Ga Eul quickly scanned the office. Nothing seemed different from before she left.

“Has the guest left?”

“Mmm.”

The boss evaded answering.

“Go to the pharmacy and buy me a hangover cure.”

As Ki Dae Un’s only subordinate, such errands were Ga Eul’s responsibility. When she first started, she tried to resist doing such tasks.

Briefly, that is. She even protested, asking if they hired her just to run errands. In the end, she only confirmed that was indeed why they hired her.

“You already had one earlier. And do you have to drink the pharmacy ones? They sell them at convenience stores too.”

Feeling like the boss was making up an excuse to send her out, Ga Eul resisted.

“The ones from the pharmacy seem to work better. There’s a difference in effectiveness. I’m a bit sensitive, you know. Because I was raised preciously.”

That precious upbringing spiel again. She had heard ‘because I was raised preciously’ so many times it was etched in her ears. The boss tacked it on to the end of every sentence.

Anyway, it was annoying. The hangover cure she had given to the boss earlier was her last one. Now it looked like she’d have to walk to the pharmacy in this scorching heat.

“That’ll be 4,000 won.”

As Ga Eul was about to collect payment for the hangover cure, a familiar object caught her eye.

“Boss!”

Ga Eul shouted. So this was why the boss had looked flustered.

“That’s my lunchbox!”

Her grandmother must have brought it while she was out. Grandmother would have known she didn’t have time to pack lunch because of Woo Jin’s mother.

“You can eat the spicy chicken.”

The boss gestured with his chin towards the unopened package while subtly pulling the lunchbox towards himself. He had no intention of giving up the lunchbox.

“Don’t call me ‘you’. My name is Han Ga Eul. No matter how small this office is, I’m still your subordinate. Call me ‘Ms. Han Ga Eul’, not ‘hey’ or ‘you’.”

Ga Eul raised her voice to protest. Even as she protested, she thought she might be taking out her anger on the wrong person.

Because she couldn’t do this to Woo Jin’s parents, who were kind to her. It felt like the hurt she received from them was bursting out as suppressed anger.

She had lost count of how many times she had complained to the boss about this same issue. Each time, the boss said ‘Alright’, but it was only temporary. Ga Eul’s form of address soon reverted to ‘hey’ or ‘you’.

“You come onto the boss asking to date, but I can’t even call you ‘you’?”

Oh, the boss is making sense. Did he eat something wrong today? Has the lunchbox gone bad? The boss using logic was unusual.

“If I like someone, I can ask even the boss to date. But calling a subordinate ‘hey’ or ‘you’ is a human rights issue. It’s a violation of the subordinate’s right to dignity.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The boss made a half-hearted response while busily using his chopsticks. Shamelessly eating someone else’s lunchbox right in front of them. Eventually, he even held the lunchbox up to his mouth and scooped the contents directly into his mouth with the chopsticks.

“Stop eating and give it back.”

Her protests were useless. The chopstick movements only got faster.

“Give it back, I said.”

Ga Eul let out a scream-like shout. Dae Un’s eyes widened as he paused his chopsticks and looked up at Ga Eul. He saw Ga Eul’s tear-filled eyes staring intensely at him.

Dae Un saw Ga Eul’s tears for the first time. Even if it wasn’t the first time, it was still shocking. Was this something to glare at him so fiercely over? Just for eating some of her lunchbox?