TPG 7
by Cherry“I see.”
Kim Tae-shin gave only a bland response with a face that seemed to have something to say.
“Then I’ll be going,” he added, giving his farewell before heading out. Lee Si-woo quietly followed behind him.
“It seems like we’ll see each other often, so contact me if anything comes up.”
When Kim Tae-shin turned around, Lee Si-woo realized he was talking to him.
“I understand.”
Lee Si-woo responded politely, even though his head remained a tangled mess of thoughts.
‘So General Manager Kim Tae-shin became CEO.’
Since he couldn’t fully recall the article’s content, he had no choice but to piece things together.
Han Jeong-hyeon takes over as successor and Kim Tae-shin becomes CEO. Then Han Soo-hyeok…
‘I can’t remember.’
Perhaps because the marriage news had such a strong impact, other things didn’t come to mind easily.
On his way back to his desk, his phone rang.
“Yes.”
― I’ll pick you up this evening.
It was Kim In-soo.
“I’ll go back on my own.”
― It’s the chairman’s order.
Hearing his father mentioned left no room for his own wishes. Si-woo felt invisible strings tightly binding his wrists and ankles.
“I’ll call you.”
― I’ll be waiting.
After the call ended, Si-woo forced a light smile, worried someone might notice his troubled feelings. He had lived like this for so long, always masking his feelings until the day he had run away from his father. This wasn’t anything new. He was sure he could hide it well again.
* * *
One by one, employees packed up to leave. Aside from the secretary director, those finishing their work bid farewell to Lee Si-woo.
“Good work today.”
“You worked hard.”
After greeting each of them, he sat down.
“Aren’t you going, Si-woo-ssi?”
“Oh, I was just going to look at this before leaving.”
When I pointed to this week’s external meeting materials, General Manager Yoo shook her head.
“Don’t overdo it on your first day.”
“I won’t overdo it.”
After saying that much, she didn’t try to stop him anymore.
“Alright then. Could you buy me a cup of coffee?”
General Manager Yoo held out her card.
“It looks like we’re both stuck with overtime, so get one for yourself too, Si-woo-ssi.”
“I understand.”
Si-woo took the card and headed out, but a thought nagged at him. Kim In-soo might call. After hesitating, he got off the elevator and hurried back to the office.
“I’m sorry. My phone…”
His words trailed off when he made eye contact with General Manager Yoo, who stood near his desk.
“Oh, I was looking for it because it was vibrating. It was yours, Si-woo-ssi.”
She quickly regained her smile and pointed to my desk.
“Here it is.”
He took the phone that the General Manager Yoo handed him.
“Thank you.”
“Since you’re here, I’ll just have coffee tomorrow instead. Keep that card and give it to me tomorrow morning. I’ll leave first.”
“Yes, get home safely.”
General Manager Yoo walked out carrying her bag so quickly that he couldn’t even hand her the card. Thinking he’d have to give it to her tomorrow as she said, Si-woo turned around and hesitated.
‘I was looking for it because it was vibrating. It was yours, Si-woo.’
Si-woo looked at the phone in his hand. When he swiped with his thumb, the screen lit up. Pulling down the notification panel, Si-woo confirmed the device was set to silent. His fingers froze.
“What are you doing?”
Startled, Si-woo looked up to see Han Soo-hyeok standing there. He had gone to an external meeting with the general manager, so why had he returned?
What was I doing…
“I was thinking about what to have for dinner.”
He couldn’t say he was mulling over General Manager Yoo’s words.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
* * *
“I’ll just make one phone call and come back.”
Si-woo pointed to his phone in front of the restaurant. Han Soo-hyeok nodded slightly and went in, so he stepped aside. He called Kim In-soo.
“I’m having dinner before going home, so tell father that.”
― I understand.
From the indifferent tone, it was clear In-soo already knew who Si-woo was with. No doubt he’d report back that Si-woo was with Han Soo-hyeok.
“Phew.”
It was unbelievable yet strange that he ended up eating all three meals with Han Soo-hyeok.
‘So this kind of thing happens when you work together.’
If he was going to stick close to him like this from now on, it would be good for diverting father’s attention.
“Why isn’t he coming yet?”
“I’m not sure either…”
“We can’t tell a VIP that the chef is injured.”
“Of all times, even the head chef is off duty today. What a disaster.”
“It’s not like I can do it myself. This is driving me crazy.”
The alley Si-woo entered to catch his breath seemed to be where the staff took their breaks. Listening to the conversation flowing from this frustrating situation, where they could do neither this nor that, reminded him of when he worked at a small restaurant.
There was a time when the kitchen uncle had suddenly fallen ill, and even the aunt who was supposed to substitute couldn’t come because her child was sick. Back then, while he had frantically managed only the basic menu items all day, he hadn’t realized how fortunate it was when the owner grandmother came out to help.
The scale was different, but the same thing was happening at this upscale restaurant, and since people’s lives were similar everywhere, Si-woo couldn’t help but smile.
Until now, he had just happened to overhear, but it would have been rude to keep listening.
Just as he was about to return to Han Soo-hyeok, Si-woo stopped. A handsome man with a slim build was slowly walking in his direction.
What kind of day was this, really?
A vague memory resurfaced as soon as he saw the man’s face. That very person who would marry Han Soo-hyeok, wasn’t his name Eun Hee-yoon? Si-woo remembered it because it was such a pretty name. The man was gradually closing the distance, and just as his gaze, which had been turning away carelessly, was about to shift toward Si-woo, a tight squeeze gripped his lungs.
That person didn’t know him. But he was someone who would be connected to Han Soo-hyeok in the future. Just knowing of his existence while bringing up engagement made Si-woo feel suffocated.
The staff behind him also grew urgent.
“What do we do?”
“Why did the owner come?”
“How about sending the customer away?”
“What? Are you crazy?”
Their voices rose, then fell again.
“It’s Han Soo-hyeok. Do you know what would happen if we just sent him away…”
Ah, so Eun Hee-yoon was the owner of this place, and the VIP was Han Soo-hyeok.
Were they already acquainted?
Han Soo-hyeok had said he wasn’t seeing anyone. But he knew Eun Hee-yoon.
Perhaps their relationship would develop later.
While nothing was more dangerous than making assumptions without asking directly, Si-woo’s heart still grew heavy.
He swallowed and turned toward where the staff had gathered.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Sorry, but could I enter through this door? I need to get in hurriedly right now…”
“No one except staff can enter through here…” The employee began with a stern face, but someone else nudged them in the ribs.
“Please go in.”
“Thank you.”
Si-woo didn’t want to cause trouble by using the staff entrance either, but going through the main entrance would mean passing by Eun Hee-yoon.
He didn’t want to run into him.
Si-woo entered through the back door and was heading to where Han Soo-hyeok was when someone suddenly blocked his way. It was someone he had never seen before.
“Why are you so late?”
“Uh… well…” Si-woo stammered. Could it be that it had been so long that he didn’t recognize this person?
“There’s no time for this. Come here, wash your hands and… Sigh, how could you come in a suit on your first day?”
At the man’s scolding, Si-woo awkwardly touched his clothes. Unlike when he used to work in comfortable attire, being dressed up felt just as awkward.
“Just take off your outer clothes and put on an apron. We don’t usually hire people like this, but today we really have no choice. I’m in a hurry so I’ll skip the formalities. Do you see those?”
Si-woo looked where the man was pointing. On one side, dishes were piled up like a mountain, and the large sink next to it was packed full of pots and pans of various sizes. He nodded after seeing it.
“Yes, I can see them. But I…”
“Hurry up.”
Without giving him a chance to properly explain the situation, the man handed him a pair of rubber gloves. Si-woo ended up standing in front of the towering pile of dishes, but he couldn’t easily get started.
“Um, there’s someone waiting for me…”
“If it’s the manager, I’ll handle it,” the man replied quickly.
“That’s not it…”
Before Si-woo could finish speaking, the man disappeared, and he lost the chance to correct the misunderstanding. Looking around, everyone seemed too busy with their own tasks to listen to his story.
“He’ll be waiting…” Si-woo muttered while taking off his suit jacket.
“I should call and tell him.”
Si-woo was about to take out his phone and put down one rubber glove when someone shouted, asking if there were more frying pans, so he picked up the glove again. It seemed they were short on frying pans, so he figured he should wash these first and then call.
* * *
They realized that the person who entered through the back door wasn’t the newcomer who was supposed to start work today.
“Why are you telling me this only now?”
“I only just learned about the situation myself.”
The manager trailed off. He had just received word that the person who was supposed to start today wouldn’t be coming. Because of this, Park Jung-geun, who had rushed the person who arrived earlier into the kitchen thinking he was the new employee, hurriedly went inside. He was trying to apologize quickly and resolve the situation.
They were already frantic because the chef was injured. On the other hand, he also resented the man who had followed along without saying anything. If it wasn’t him, he should have said it wasn’t.
“That person is accompanying the VIP…”
At the employee’s murmur following behind after learning the situation, Park Jeong-geun held his head that felt like it might split. When things weren’t meant to work out, they really could go this wrong. That meant the VIP was alone right now without knowing what was happening. And if they found out that they had made his companion work like this… They’ll be bowing so low their backs might break today. And hopefully, it would end there.