Younger Man at Work (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

I came out in the morning without a clear head, but now that I think about it late, it’s been bothering me. I should’ve at least brought something for him to eat before leaving.

He had neither wallet nor phone, and was even wearing someone else’s clothes—there was no way he had any money. There was only kimchi, rice, and eggs at home, and there was no way a chaebol heir would know how to cook.

‘He must’ve gone without food all day yesterday too…’

Right after clocking out early, Eun Seo bought kimbap and hurried home with quick steps.

Kwon Seung Joo sat alone on the veranda, staring blankly at the sky as the sun set. His broad shoulders—usually twice as wide as most—looked unusually small today.

Eun Seo cautiously approached and handed him the kimbap.

“Um, please eat this.”

“Thank you—I’ll enjoy it.”

He seemed relatively calm, as if he’d settled down a bit over the past day. With his mouth closed, he looked exactly like the usual Director Kwon Seung Joo, which made her strangely restless—after all, he was the same man she hadn’t dared to look properly in the eyes until just a few days ago.

“You should eat with me, Nuna.”

Only when she saw him carefully push the Styrofoam container of kimbap toward her did she suddenly realize—Ah, this isn’t that Kwon Seung Joo.

“I already ate. Please go ahead and eat a lot, Director.”

Even though he must’ve been very hungry, he didn’t eat greedily. Watching him neatly pick up each piece with chopsticks and eat slowly made her think, as expected—he really is a chaebol heir.

While eating the kimbap, Kwon Seung Joo suddenly asked,

“How much is one roll of kimbap?”

“Three thousand won. Tuna kimbap is four thousand.”

“It was only a thousand won until yesterday…”

Hearing that, Eun Seo realized—he truly knew nothing about the current world.

“Um, Director, I think you need to understand the situation a bit first.”

Waiting until he’d eaten some of the kimbap, Eun Seo carefully began to speak.

“I looked into it a little, and apparently the Chairman is considering replacing you as heir.”

He didn’t seem surprised at all and simply asked back,

“Why?”

“I’m not exactly sure either, but that’s what I heard.”

She couldn’t bring herself to tell him—right after such a shock—about his stepmother and half-brother. She decided she’d reveal that slowly, bit by bit.

“My father never liked me from the start. He called me a useless son who only knew my mother and didn’t even acknowledge him… Seems like it’s still the same.”

It wasn’t easy to say: “Your father dislikes you so much he wants to drive you out.” Thankfully, he didn’t seem hurt upon hearing it.

“You’ve worked incredibly hard all this time—even coming into the office on holidays. It seemed like you were desperately trying to hold onto your position.”

“Yes.”

“I was so worried you might end up at a disadvantage that I couldn’t even tell the secretary’s office and just brought you here right away.”

She hesitated before continuing. This was, after all, the main point.

“But… you can’t stay at my place like this forever.”

She tried her best to phrase it gently, but Kwon Seung Joo replied with something completely unrelated.

“You said you’re a tenant in this house, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then who’s the landlord?”

“You are, Director.”

As soon as Eun Seo answered, Kwon Seung Joo declared firmly,

“Then I’ll stay here.”

“…What?”

Surprised, Eun Seo looked at his face. He looked utterly resolute.

“Mom isn’t really dead—she’s just been missing so long they declared her legally dead. So she must still be alive somewhere.”

“…Director.”

Eun Seo couldn’t find words. She understood his feelings all too well.

“Even when Mom separated from Dad, she took me with her. She said no matter how much Dad tormented her, she’d endure it all and protect me to the end. There’s no way she’d just abandon me and die.”

Only then did Eun Seo understand the situation. No wonder the chaebol heir had been living here with his mother in such a modest house—their parents were separated. She could even guess why they’d separated: because of his father’s affair.

“So if I wait here, she’ll come back someday.”

She understood how he felt. In his mind, his mother had only left home a year ago. Back then, there might’ve still been hope for her return—but now, fifteen more years had passed since then.

“Your mother was a fully grown adult. If she were coming back, why hasn’t she already?”

The moment she said it, Eun Seo flinched. That was exactly what the Director himself had once said:

[If she were going to come back, she’d have done so already.]

She’d resented those words so deeply, yet now she found herself thinking the same. Maybe his way of speaking had just been harsh—but perhaps he’d felt exactly as she did.

Knowing how painful those words must be, Eun Seo tried her best to speak gently.

“It’s already been fifteen years. It’s time to… let her go.”

But before she could finish, Kwon Seung Joo cried out,

“What if Mom lost her memory like I did!”

“…”

“Then maybe one day, her memories could suddenly come back! What if she vaguely remembers our home and comes looking—but I’m not here when she does?”

It was the exact same thing Eun Seo’s late mother used to say:

[Our Eun Ho just can’t remember right now. But someday, his memories will return, and he’ll definitely come home.]

That’s why her mother never locked the front door, not even at night.

She understood what he was thinking. Fully, completely. But realistically, it was impossible.

Eun Seo tried her best to persuade him.

“You still can’t stay here. I’m already living in this house.”

“Why not? My old room’s empty, right? I’ll just use that one.”

It was a house for one person anyway—there were plenty of rooms. But that wasn’t the real issue.

“Don’t you have your own place to live? Where was it again?”

She desperately tried to recall what Seon Ah had told her.

“Oh—the Dae Han Signature apartment, right? It’s brand-new and super luxurious. I think you even have a penthouse there. It’s nothing like this place.”

But Kwon Seung Joo shook his head.

“I don’t even know where that place is. This is my home. I’m the landlord, aren’t I?”

His stubborn insistence started to wear away Eun Seo’s sympathy and ignite her frustration.

“Well, yes—you are the landlord, but right now I’m legally renting it. At the very least, until my lease ends, this is legally my home.”

It was ridiculous. No matter what was going on in his head, he was still a grown man—how could they possibly live together?

Worse, he was her company director. Who in their right mind would invite their boss to live with them? And of all people, Kwon Seung Joo was the single most awkward and difficult person on Earth to Eun Seo.

“Anyway, I absolutely won’t leave this house.”

At Kwon Seung Joo’s declaration, Eun Seo scoffed.

“Do whatever you want. Anyway, this place will be demolished in ten days…”

She stopped short, suddenly clamping her mouth shut. A lightning-bolt realization struck her.

‘Wait—if the landlord is him…?’

That’s right. Even if he’d lost his memory, he was still Kwon Seung Joo—the one and only person who could stop the demolition.

Her mind raced in turmoil. Yes, that’s it… But no, even so…

Her gaze fell on the apple tree with barely any leaves left, and her mother’s final words echoed in her mind:

[The tree… Eun Seo, okay?]

Before she could decide, her mouth moved on its own.

“But there’s a condition.”

Kwon Seung Joo’s eyes lit up as he turned to look at her.

“Cancel the demolition. Then I’ll let you stay in the house.”

Kwon Seung Joo flinched at Eun Seo’s proposal.

“Can I… really do that?”

“You’re the landlord! You were the one who ordered it in the first place—why wouldn’t you be able to cancel it?”

As soon as she said it, he immediately replied—as if afraid she might change her mind.

“I’ll do it! Right away! Just tell me how.”

But the moment he eagerly volunteered, Eun Seo suddenly came to her senses.

She was, after all, a reasonable person. Though her own situation was desperate, she couldn’t bring herself to take advantage of someone who clearly couldn’t function normally in society. It really was best for his parents to take care of him.

“I’m sorry. Just pretend I never said that. You clearly need a guardian right now—going back to your parents’ home is the right choice.”

Kwon Seung Joo desperately tried to convince her.

“But you said Father’s looking for an excuse to kick me out of the company! If he finds out I’m like this right now, I’m done for!”

“But you can’t hide forever, either.”

“Just until I get caught, then! What if my memories come back in the meantime?”

True—it was a special circumstance. Seeing Eun Seo hesitate, he pleaded like a child.

“I promise—if my memories come back, I’ll repay you. You said I’m your company’s CEO, right? I’ll promote you, give you a big raise, and… I’ll do anything! Okay?”

“…”

“I’d rather die than go back to Father’s house. That woman I saw at the hospital would be there too.”

Eun Seo’s heart sank—she’d deliberately avoided mentioning his stepmother earlier, but he already knew.

Kwon Seung Joo bit his lip, looking on the verge of tears.

“If not for that woman, Mom wouldn’t have separated from Father. And if they hadn’t separated, she wouldn’t have left home and gone missing. How can I possibly call that woman ‘Mom’?”

Eun Seo put herself in his shoes.

Imagine waking up to find fifteen years had vanished overnight—and learning your mother was essentially dead. Already a devastating shock—now add being sent to live with your father and his mistress…

“I won’t be any trouble to you, Nuna. I’ll stay quiet as a mouse—absolutely no bother. Please… just let me stay here a little while longer.”

He even clasped his hands together and begged. The man who had always carried himself with arrogant superiority, looking down on everyone from above, now looked pitifully vulnerable as he pleaded not to be cast out.

Eun Seo closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

“…”

Yes—for everyone’s sake.

She would stop the demolition, Kwon Seung Joo would protect his position at the company, and young Kwon Seung Joo could keep waiting for his mother.

That’s how she convinced herself.

“Until the end of this year.”

It was already mid-October—less than three months remained. The timeframe seemed shorter than expected, and Kwon Seung Joo flinched, but Eun Seo continued firmly.

“You can’t hide forever, not with the company situation and all.”

“…”

“So if your memories don’t return by the end of this year, you have to promise you’ll go to your father or… figure something out yourself.”

“I promise.”

Eun Seo flinched as the big man suddenly held out his pinky. Hesitantly, she extended her own—and he quickly hooked their fingers together and even pressed a thumbprint like a seal.

With the face of a fully grown adult, Kwon Seung Joo smiled with pure, unclouded brightness.

“Thank you, Nuna.”

For the first time, Eun Seo didn’t just understand it with her head—but truly felt it in her heart—that he really was a “different” person.