Younger Man at Work (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11

The moment I inserted the key into the front door and turned it, a cheerful voice came from inside.

“Did you come home, Nuna?”

The footsteps fading behind me suddenly stopped dead.

Cold sweat soaked my palms. Just as I thought, “Am I about to be found out?”, an answer slipped out of my mouth as if by magic.

“Yeah, I’m here. It’s raining outside, so don’t come out!”

Even though I was clearly so nervous I felt like collapsing any second, my voice sounded unnervingly natural—even to myself.

“Someone dropped by, so I’m just having a quick chat. I’ll come in right away.”

Casually calling out toward the inside of the house, Eun Seo turned to face the man with a battle-ready glare.

“I don’t know what business you have with the CEO, but honestly, there’s absolutely no reason he’d contact me.”

“…….”

“Please leave carefully, and don’t ever come looking for me like this again.”

Only after watching the man turn and walk away into the distance did Eun Seo finally open the front door. Her legs felt so weak she thought she might collapse right then and there, but she barely managed to stagger all the way to the wooden floor and sank down heavily.

Seeing Eun Seo looking as though her soul had fled, Kwon Seung Joo asked in alarm,

“Nuna, are you okay? What happened?”

But Eun Seo couldn’t even hear what he was saying. Her heart pounded so violently that her eardrums buzzed.

‘Could he have noticed something?’

She quickly shook her head. No—if he had, he surely would’ve followed me inside to check.

Kwon Seung Joo’s current manner of speaking was completely different from his usual tone. Even if his voice sounded somewhat similar, there was no way anyone would’ve guessed that the person calling her “Nuna” was Kwon Seung Joo—he was, after all, six years older than Eun Seo.

Thinking this eased her tension slightly, but the anxiety remained just as strong.

‘What if I get caught doing this?’

Could she possibly go to jail for not sending him back to his parents but keeping him instead? Of course, he was a fully grown adult with every right to decide where he lived—but his mental age right now was another matter entirely…

Her opponent was Dae Won Group. Only now did it dawn on her that she was playing a dangerous game against a chaebol family. If exposed, this wouldn’t end with just getting fired. A vague, overwhelming fear gripped her, making even her fingertips tremble uncontrollably.

“Nuna?”

The instant Kwon Seung Joo placed a concerned hand on her shoulder, Eun Seo jerked away as if scalded, swatting his hand off.

“Don’t touch me!”

“I—I’m sorry.”

Kwon Seung Joo stammered an apology, flustered, but by then Eun Seo’s anger had already fully erupted toward him.

This man had cruelly declared her brother was surely dead and tried to kick her out of the house overnight. Why did she have to risk everything and lie repeatedly just because of someone like him?

She no longer cared that he’d helped stop the demolition. Hadn’t he ordered that demolition himself in the first place? If he hadn’t done something so heartless, none of this would’ve happened.

Glaring straight at him, he fumbled for excuses.

“I’m sorry… I just wanted to have dinner together. You never eat dinner, Nuna, so…”

Eun Seo snapped back sharply,

“Could you please stop calling me ‘Nuna’? I honestly can’t get used to it.”

It was infuriating to see a perfectly grown man act so naively. Amnesia or not—right in front of her eyes was that face. What was she supposed to do with that?

“Go look in the mirror! Who exactly looks like a ‘Nuna’ here?”

“…….”

“And besides—you’re the CEO, the one who pays my salary. You’re my superior by a huge margin. How am I supposed to sit across from you and eat comfortably? Do you ever consider my position at all?”

Eun Seo ranted on without restraint.

“…I’m sorry.”

He apologized with a thoroughly downcast expression. Seeing his flushed, red face only made her more irritated. Why did she keep feeling like the bad guy here? What exactly had she done wrong?

“I’ve lived my whole life without lying to anyone—but because of you, how many times have I already lied? Why on earth must I go through all this because of someone like you…?”

No matter how harshly she berated him, he never talked back—only repeating gentle apologies as if everything truly were his fault.

“I’m really sorry for causing you trouble.”

This only made her feel worse instead of relieved. It was like punching someone who wouldn’t fight back.

“Here.”

She practically shoved the plastic bag containing the lunchbox into his hands and stormed off into her room.

As soon as she closed the door, a wave of self-loathing crashed over her. Eun Seo sank onto the floor of her room.

“…….”

After calming down and thinking it over, she realized this wasn’t really his fault. He hadn’t forced himself on her—this arrangement was clearly made because it suited both their interests. If she’d agreed to hide him, she should’ve been mentally prepared for situations like this from the start.

He had nowhere else to go in this whole world and knew no one. Wasn’t it natural he’d spent the whole day waiting at home just for her return? Truth be told, she wasn’t even someone close to him—how desperately lonely must he have felt to act this way?

She’d never once spoken kindly to him. Hadn’t he waited so long that he could recognize her just from the sound of the front door opening and immediately call out, “Nuna’s home”?

Yet she’d yelled right into that eager, happy face…

Sitting there dazed, lost in thought, Eun Seo finally made up her mind.

‘I should apologize.’

Just as she stepped out of her room, a faint smell of food drifted toward her from somewhere.

Following the scent, she walked past the wooden veranda and headed into the kitchen. Peeking under the newspaper covering something on the counter, Eun Seo was startled.

It was a fully set meal.

Eun Seo rarely ate properly, so there was almost no food in the house. All they had were eggs, sprouted potatoes, and a half-soft onion—but somehow, he’d managed to make fried rice with them.

[“I’m sorry… I just wanted to have dinner together. You never eat dinner, Nuna, so…”]

Only then did Eun Seo guess the rest of what he’d tried—and failed—to say earlier. He must’ve wanted to say, “I’ve already cooked dinner.”

She didn’t know how it tasted, but it looked surprisingly decent. Seeing the clumsy smile drawn on top of the fried rice with ketchup made her heart ache softly.

How on earth did an eighteen-year-old boy even know how to cook? Eun Seo carefully recalled his earlier words.

[“Go tell Father clearly that I won’t return to his house no matter what.”]

At first, he’d spoken angrily. And he’d mentioned his mother had left home a year ago…

Only now did Eun Seo realize:

‘For a whole year, he’s been living alone in this house, waiting for his mom to come back.’

The thought of a high school boy waiting by himself for a mother who never returned suddenly brought tears to her eyes.

‘What kind of things did I say to a child like that…?’

Eun Seo left the kitchen, intending to apologize for speaking so harshly earlier and invite him to eat together.

Just as she stepped onto the veranda, Kwon Seung Joo happened to emerge from his room.

“Um, about earlier—I was really too harsh…”

Her carefully prepared apology never reached its end. Suddenly, he threw his whole body against her in a tight embrace.

“CEO?”

Eun Seo was so shocked she nearly fainted. Her face instantly burned hot. As someone who’d never even held a man’s hand before, this level of physical contact was utterly overwhelming.

And worse—he was the very man she’d secretly admired from afar until recently. Her heart raced wildly, her face felt ready to burst, and she could feel the solid warmth of his body through her clothes.

“CEO! Wait, please—could you let go for a moment…?”

Flustered and flailing helplessly, she suddenly felt his scorching-hot breath against her ear.

“…Nuna, my body… feels strange.”

With those words, his large frame completely lost strength and collapsed into Eun Seo’s arms.

“CEO? CEO!”

His body, heavy as an iron block, crushed her mercilessly. Unable to bear the weight, she tumbled sideways onto the floor with him.

Eun Seo sprang up like a coiled spring, but Kwon Seung Joo remained limp with his eyes closed, seemingly unconscious.

“What’s wrong? Hey? Are you okay?”

She barely moved him, yet a pained cry burst from his lips as if he’d been stabbed.

“Ugh!”

Startled, Eun Seo immediately pulled her hands away.

Something was definitely wrong. After a brief internal struggle, she carefully lifted the hem of his sweater—and nearly screamed, quickly covering her mouth in panic.

“……!”

His exposed skin was covered in deep, bruised welts.

Only then did Eun Seo remember he’d had a car accident just days ago. Even if he’d miraculously escaped broken bones, how could he not be in pain after being hit by a speeding vehicle? He wasn’t made of steel, after all.

Though it was an emergency, touching his body still felt incredibly awkward. First, she asked for his permission—then hesitantly reached for his forehead.

“Um… excuse me for just a moment…”

His forehead burned like fire. Now she understood why his face had been so flushed earlier.

The thought of him cooking while in this condition made Eun Seo hate herself anew. He must’ve been watching her every move, too afraid to speak up about his pain.

“Just hang in there a little longer.”

The moment she barely managed to help him lie down in his room, he started groaning in distress.

She gave him the painkillers and fever reducers she had at home, but his fever wouldn’t break. She had to stay right beside him, constantly replacing the damp cloth on his forehead.

“…Mom.”

Feverish, Kwon Seung Joo babbled deliriously all night. Sometimes he’d jerk awake as if trapped in a nightmare; other times he’d whimper, pleading desperately.

“Mom, don’t leave me. Take me with you too.”

His usually cold, steel-like face was now filled with fear and vulnerability.

She finally understood, deeply and painfully, the loneliness he must have endured, living alone at such a young age.

Because she’d been through it herself.

Her mother had passed away when Eun Seo was in ninth grade. Social workers had urged her to move into a group home, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t want to leave the house—what if Eun Ho came back? She felt her late mother would be angry from heaven.

Though it had been her own decision, it hadn’t been easy for a young girl to live completely alone. The house was huge and isolated, with no neighbors nearby. On nights when the wind blew hard, she’d hug her pillow and cry from sheer fear.

‘He must’ve gone through the same thing.’

Now, for the first time, she truly saw the man lying before her—not as the CEO who’d yelled cruel words at her, nor the cold-hearted executive, but simply as a wounded eighteen-year-old boy.

She wanted to crawl into a mouse hole. To someone who’d lost everything overnight—his mother, his friends, the college he’d planned to attend—she hadn’t offered even a single word of comfort like, “Stay strong…”

“It’s okay. I’m right here.”

Though she said it, the man lost in nightmares probably didn’t hear her.

Hesitantly, Eun Seo took his hand. His large, feverish hand immediately tightened around hers as if he’d been waiting—clinging to her like she was his only anchor to this world.

“…….”

After holding his hand for a long while, the fear slowly faded from his face. His breathing gradually slowed, and soon he fell into peaceful sleep.

Still holding his hand, Eun Seo eventually leaned against the wall and dozed off.

…When she woke up in the morning, Kwon Seung Joo was nowhere to be seen—only a neatly folded blanket lay where he’d been.