Younger Man at Work - Chapter 28

“Why would my elder brother date an old woman!”

A vein popped on Eun Seo’s forehead.

Why is Seung Joo called ‘elder brother’ while I’m referred to as ‘old woman’ at every turn?

“But why is our Seung Joo Na Eun’s elder brother?”

Trying to suppress her anger, she asked, and Na Eun replied proudly.

“He said I could call him elder brother. Elder brother treats me really well, you know?”

While Seung Joo was filling the refrigerator with drinks in the distance, the argument between the two was becoming increasingly childish.

“Earlier, elder brother moved all the boxes for me instead.”

“Oh, really? Seung Joo even carried me on his back.”

“Don’t lie, old woman.”

As the two women were bickering, a voice was heard from behind.

“Elder sister.”

Only then did Eun Seo and Na Eun stop talking simultaneously and smile at Seung Joo as if nothing had happened.

“Seung Joo.”

“Elder brother.”

Seung Joo, unaware of what was going on, spoke to Eun Seo.

“Let’s go now, elder sister. I’ve filled all the drinks.”

“Okay, let’s go. … Ah!”

Eun Seo, who was turning around with a bright smile, suddenly screamed and collapsed. Startled, Seung Joo hurriedly supported Eun Seo.

“Elder sister, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Ouch… I think I’ve twisted my ankle.”

As expected, Seung Joo turned his back as Eun Seo had anticipated.

“Get on.”

“I’m fine…”

As Eun Seo pretended to reluctantly climb on, Seung Joo lightly stood up.

“Then Na Eun, good work. See you tomorrow.”

Na Eun was frozen and couldn’t reply to Seung Joo’s greeting. Towards Na Eun, Eun Seo winked one eye and waved her hand.

“Bye-bye, Na Eun~!”

And so, Eun Seo left the convenience store on Seung Joo’s back.

“How old is that friend?”

“She says she’s in her second year of high school. The school right next door.”

So she was indeed a high school student. Moreover, a junior from my alma mater. Belatedly, a sense of self-loathing washed over me. What childish things have I done to a kid…!

As soon as the convenience store was out of sight, Eun Seo quickly tried to get off his back.

“I’m fine now. I’ll walk.”

But Seung Joo wouldn’t let her down.

“It’s okay, let’s just go home.”

“I said I’m fine.”

Finally insisting and getting down, Seung Joo looked disappointed.

Feeling embarrassed and sorry for genuinely teasing a high school student, and a junior from her alma mater at that, Eun Seo decided to try and make amends.

“By the way, that friend Na Eun was incredibly pretty. Tall and slim, oh my, she could be in a girl group. Don’t you think?”

Seeking agreement, Seung Joo mumbled.

“I… prefer small women.”

“No, why do you like small women? A big guy like you.”

After a long while, Seung Joo spoke quietly with his head bowed low.

“Because when I hug them, they seem to fit perfectly in my arms.”

His cheeks were slightly flushed.

Eun Seo unconsciously imagined Seung Joo tightly embracing a small woman in his large arms. For a moment, her face strangely heated up, so she quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, Na Eun is really pretty, right?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why, she seemed interested in you, why don’t you give it a try?”

However, Seung Joo spoke decisively with a stern face.

“If I get involved with her, it would be a crime.”

Belatedly, Eun Seo realized. Oh right, that’s true.

‘This won’t do, Na Eun. I was trying to help because I felt sorry, but come to think of it, he was originally thirty-three years old.’

Apologizing to Na Eun internally, Eun Seo laughed.

“That’s right. I forgot. Oh yeah, you were originally an adult.”

“Of course.”

Seung Joo smiled brightly. Seeing his wide smile for the first time in days was so dazzling that Eun Seo turned her head away.

I see, you were actually a perfectly normal adult.

The feeling of suddenly realizing something so obvious was indescribably perplexing.

*

“No matter how mature he seems, a kid is still a kid. Working part-time because he wants to buy a game console.”

Sun Ah laughed heartily after hearing the story from Eun Seo during their after-lunch coffee.

“So, how much is that game console?”

“Apparently about 500,000 won. He begged so much to work for just ten days that I let him.”

“Wait, should I take this chance to buy it for him and score some points?”

Eun Seo shook her head.

“Leave it. Even if I offered to buy it for him, he’d jump up and down insisting on buying it with his own strength no matter what.”

“By the way, that convenience store is really booming. Are there a lot of customers?”

“Don’t even mention it. The kids, the kids, oh my. When school ends, the line stretches all the way to the school gate.”

Sun Ah, who doted on Seung Joo, worried.

“How will our Seung Joo manage, it must be so tiring!”

“That’s why they hired another part-timer. A high school girl who looks incredibly pretty like an idol, and it seems she’s interested in Seung Joo. She even called me ‘old woman’ this and that…”

As she was telling about yesterday’s incident, Sun Ah jumped up.

“What?”

Thinking she was getting angry about being called an old woman too, the focus was unexpectedly elsewhere.

“What if our Seung Joo gets caught by the youth protection law?”

Eun Seo laughed.

“Don’t worry. Seung Joo has his head on straight. He even said with his own mouth that it would be a crime to get involved with her.”

But Sun Ah looked genuinely serious.

“Don’t forget that no matter how mature Seung Joo seems, mentally he’s still a high school student. It’s only a matter of time before he’s tempted when a girl his age, and such a pretty one at that, keeps calling him ‘elder brother’ and saying she likes him.”

“Is that so?”

Eun Seo’s heart sank along with her.

“This won’t do. I need to rescue our Seung Joo before he ends up in handcuffs.”

Suddenly, Sun Ah leaned in close.

“Let’s go to the amusement park this weekend, Eun Seo. The weather’s going to get much colder from next week, so let’s go right away this week.”

It was already mid-November. The weather had been cool and autumn-like until now, but it was about time for it to get cold.

“Why the amusement park all of a sudden?”

“It’s a date, of course. We’ll hang out together for a bit, then you pretend to have an urgent matter and slip away in the middle.”

Eun Seo asked seriously.

“Sun Ah, are you really thinking of getting together with Seung Joo?”

“How many times do I have to tell you?”

Sun Ah answered confidently.

“Just because he calls us ‘elder sister’ doesn’t mean Seung Joo is a minor. What’s wrong with it?”

“No, that’s beside the point. What if Seung Joo’s feelings change after he regains his memory? Or what if he forgets everything that’s happened in the meantime?”

“You’re always too serious, Eun Seo. Why worry about things that haven’t happened yet? We can worry when the time comes. Even if maggots appear later, we should at least start by making the soy sauce first.”

Giving her a sidelong glance, Sun Ah asked.

“So, are you going to help or not?”

Eun Seo fell into thought.

Sun Ah was someone who cared for Seung Joo even more than herself. When everyone, even Eun Seo, thought of CEO Kwon Seung Joo as a cold-hearted person, only Sun Ah believed. ‘Our CEO might seem cold on the outside, but he’s warm on the inside,’ she’d say.

It seemed like she could trust Sun Ah. Above all, whether things work out or not is for the two of them to figure out, and there’s no harm in just hanging out together and then slipping away.

“Alright, I’ll help.”

In the end, Eun Seo nodded.

*

[Seung Joo. Shall we go to Playworld this weekend? You don’t have work on weekends, right?]

When she suggested going to the amusement park, Seung Joo’s whole face lit up with joy.

[Really? The weather’s been so nice lately, I really wanted to go somewhere!]

It was surprising to see a high school boy so excited about an amusement park.

Seung Joo was in high spirits all week. On Saturday morning, the day of the trip, he woke up early and even made kimbap.

“Don’t. We can buy food there.”

Even though Eun Seo told him not to, Seung Joo didn’t listen.

“It’s expensive to eat out. We should save money.”

Seung Joo, who came out with a packed lunch, was wearing clothes Eun Seo had never seen before. Apart from the suit he bought recently, all his clothes were from the market they bought initially, so Eun Seo asked, wondering where the new clothes came from.

“What’s with those clothes?”

“I got an advance on yesterday’s wages from the owner and bought them. Are they okay?”

They were more than okay. The pure white hoodie and light blue jeans looked so pure and fresh that at a glance, he could pass for a college student. It was a look she couldn’t have imagined when he always wore heavy suits at the company.

Looking at a man with a very different vibe than usual, Eun Seo suddenly remembered the day she had a private meeting in his office. For some reason, he was dressed noticeably casually that day.

[Do you have a date or something?]

Sun Ah had said that.

‘What really happened that day?’

She became curious now, but there was no one to answer.

“I haven’t been to Playworld since middle school. There was a roller coaster called Highway to Hell that was really fun, I wonder if it’s still there?”

Seung Joo said in an excited tone while putting on his shoes.

“I’m not sure, I’ve never ridden it…”

As Eun Seo trailed off, Seung Joo flinched.

“Elder sister, when was the last time you went to an amusement park?”

“I’ve never been.”

Eun Seo’s parents hadn’t gotten along well since she was young. They say her father was already straying by the time Eun Seo was born. So there was no chance to go to an amusement park with her parents. Even less so after losing her younger sibling at the age of twelve.

“Then this is your first time.”

Seung Joo looked sad for a moment, but quickly brightened up.

“Let’s ride lots of things together. If you’re scared, I’ll hold your hand.”

His heart was in the right place, but today she was planning to slip away in the middle anyway. Eun Seo smiled and shook her head.

“It’s okay. I have a fear of heights, so I don’t like them. You ride a lot with Sun Ah.”

For a moment, Seung Joo flinched.

“Is elder sister Sun Ah coming too?”

“Yes.”

Seung Joo’s shoulders, which had been excited until just now, suddenly drooped.

“I see…”

They took the bus together and arrived at the amusement park in the suburbs. Sun Ah was standing in front of the main entrance ticket booth, waving her hand.

“Eun Seo! Seung Joo! Over here!”

Unlike Eun Seo, whose motto was to dress as plainly and inconspicuously as possible, Sun Ah was very interested in fashion. Always wearing sophisticated office looks, today she was in bright blue jeans and a white shirt, looking very fresh. Coincidentally, it was similar to Seung Joo’s outfit. Standing side by side, they could easily pass for a couple.

While the three were standing in line at the ticket booth, Eun Seo pretended to receive a phone call and stepped out of the line.

“Hello, Team Leader? What’s the matter on a holiday?”

Sun Ah had said to slip away in the middle after hanging out together, but it seemed better to just slip away early since she was going to leave anyway.

After pretending to talk for a while, Eun Seo returned with a troubled expression.

“Sun Ah, what should I do? The team leader says there’s an urgent matter, so I think I need to go to the office now.”

“Oh my, really? Then should I go too?”

Sun Ah pretended to be surprised and responded.

“No, I think I can handle it with the team leader. Instead, please take care of Seung Joo for me, Sun Ah.”

Seung Joo couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“But elder sister, you said this was your first time at an amusement park. You’re leaving without even going in… Do you really have to go?”

“What can I do when the company is calling? I have to go. We can come again later, so don’t worry about me and have fun with Sun Ah.”

Gently patting Seung Joo’s shoulder as if to comfort him, Eun Seo turned away.

“Then I’m off in a hurry. See you at home later!”

Seung Joo bit his lip as he watched Eun Seo’s retreating figure.