Sungmin POV:
"Where did you go without informing Mr. Han?" Junwoo said, his tone low-key, filled with annoyance, his eyes narrowing as he awaited my explanation while Minjae worriedly glanced at me, clearly concerned about the situation unfolding between us.
"I just got an emergency call from—"
"Than we have in our department?!" Junwoo's voice rose in frustration, his eyebrows furrowing in disbelief. Minjae's hand reached out to touch my arm, his eyes silently begging me to behave, not to roll my eyes or give a rash reply. But behind that soft look was another message entirely: See? I told you already.
I looked at the young manager; he doesn't look all furious, yet somehow his calm demeanor itself sends shivers down my spine. Never in my life did I think I would shiver in front of this brat.
I exhaled a long breath and said, "It's my brother's Parent meeting, and I was the only one who had to attend, so I had to slip out like that," I explained.
Junwoo's frown deepened, but before he could say anything, I quickly added, "Oh! And in the process, I have found quite a fascinating restaurant, Gaw-jang-nim. "I brightened, flashing a toothy grin. "I think we will have a chef soon."
The team lead just stared at me, completely deadpan. His face literally screamed louder than words: Are you seriously joking right now? I ignored him, turned back to Junwoo, and bowed deeply, my grin unshaken. "If you're intrigued, please allow me to lead you there."
There is a pin-drop silence settled between us; like an old cowboy movie, it's just the settings and customs that are different. I could even hear that whistle of wind and the whooo-eee background music.
And then Junwoo opened his mouth; I thought he would just start lecturing me or just say what I had seen on Minjae's face: the "Are you serious?" look. But instead—
"Well then, let's go."
I blinked not once, not twice; I didn't count how many times I blinked. My lips parted like a fish gasping for breath rather than speaking, and even Minjae's eyes went wide, being stunned at what our manager said.
As if noticing we'd both turned to stone, Junwoo added smoothly, "Assistant Manager Han Sungmin-ssi, lead the way to this restaurant you have been talking about."
I swallowed the air, taking a millimeter step forward. "But, Sir, I still haven't said anything to the chef."
"It's okay," Junwoo said, utterly unfazed. "Maybe we can just give them an offer after tasting the food."
"But Junwo—I mean, Manager Joo," Minjae cut in, voicing the exact thought stuck on my tongue, "What if the chef has no interest in working with us?"
That brat simply chuckled, his eyes twinkling with confidence. "Trust me, they won't be able to resist once they hear the offer from a company like us," he replied with a smirk, as if this company hadn't lately been running on a streak of luck.
And just like that, there we are—me, Minjae, Junwoo, and Bongseon in his white Hyundai IONIQ, heading straight toward Joohawn's restaurant.
Bongseon threw me a glare, turning her head back at me, not just for dragging her but also for making her sit next to the driver's seat, which means next to that brat, and I sheepishly smiled and mouthed a "Sorry" while she huffed and snapped her gaze forward. I do know, low-key, she secretly enjoys that.
"Are you okay, Miss Kang?" Junwoo's voice cut in smoothly, making her straighten up like a soldier caught slacking.
"Y-yes, Ga-gaw-jang-nim," she stammered, fumbling over her words. Miss Kang Bongseon. The most confident lady in the department was stuttering in front of our bratty manager, Joo Junwoo; the thought itself made me snort, but I only pressed my lips, holding my laugh.
I turned to my left and nearly choked; there he is, Park Minjae, our fucking team leader who told me he would manage while I was gone.
"Yah, Park Minjae!" I whisper-yelled, leaning toward him, my face dark with betrayal. "You said you'd manage! What the hell happened to that, huh?!"
Minjae immediately leaned against the beige leather seat of the car, as if he did not want to let Junwoo hear us, just like I did. "Hyung, believe me, I did my best," he hissed back, "but Junwoo wasn't easy to convince."
"Not easy to convince?" I whisper-hiss, letting out a scoff in disbelief. "Yah! Every time you slip out during working hours to meet your girlfriend, who's the one covering for you, huh? Me! I'm always the one playing my assistant manager role, and you think that is easy?" I shoved a hand through my hair in pure frustration, then pointed a finger at the strands. "Look at this. See?! Even my hair started to turn white because of you!" I huffed, taking my hand away from my hair and pushing it neatly.
Minjae snorted, his eyes flicking to my hair before he leaned closer. "Hyung, don't blame me for your age. White hair comes free with thirty, not with me."
My eyes widen in disbelief, and my jaw drops, hitting the car floor. "You—! Yah, you little punk, I'll—"
"Is there a problem back there?"
Junwoo's voice cut through the tension, causing both Minjae and me to shut our mouths at once. I straightened in my seat so fast my neck cracked, while Minjae suddenly found the car ceiling. Very fascinating.
from dirver's seat, Bongseon coughed awkwardly, and I swore I saw her shoulder shaking like she was trying not to laugh. Traitor. She is definitely laughing at us.
Junwoo didn't turn around, but his voice was enough to freeze me. "Assistant Manager Han," he said smoothly, "you were leading us to this restaurant, yes? I'd hate to think you dragged us out here on a whim."
Punk!
I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I struggled for the right words: "O-of course, Manager Joo! Just a couple more blocks."
Beside me, Minjae smirked, the bastard. I kicked his shoe under the seat, eliciting a muffled yelp that Bongseon tried to cover with another fake cough.
By the time we pulled up to the small corner of the same restaurant I went to yesterday, my palms were slick. I am not even sure if it's from nervousness or the air conditioner not working hard enough. The name of the restaurant remained the same as it did yesterday.
"Kwon Bibim Bop restaurants?" Bongeson read the sign aloud, tilting her head.
"Hyung, how did you even know this place?" Minjae asked, like I'd been hiding some superficial secrets from him.
I rolled my eyes. "Tim-jang-nim, don't overreact. I found it yesterday when I took my brother for lunch. It's run by his homeroom teacher's uncle and his father." My tone dripped with sarcasm.
"Looks like you have been planning this all along, dae-ri-nim. All we need now is to taste and make the offer." Junwoo said, in the middle of our conversation, his V-shaped arch on his lips curving up into a smile that didn't reach his eyes, yet looked so polite that it would be easy to fool you if you fell for it.
I forced a tight-lipped smile. If things had gone my way, this would've been easy. Simple, instead, here we are—me dragging three colleagues to a restaurant whose chef might just hate my guts. What if Joohawn doesn't like this? yeah I don't know him yet. But the way he just ignored me yesterday made my gut feel that this is not going to happen. And how should I tell this brat that we are better off leaving than walking in?
I cleared my throat. "No, I only found it yesterday. The ajumma—my brother's teacher's mom—she is really friendly." I laughed, thin and shaky, hoping no one noticed the nervousness.
Junwoo raised his eyebrow with a shrug, nodding his head, like, as you say, and said, "Alright, let's go," walking past me.
Beongseon looked at me. "What, are you not coming in?" she asked as I stood stuck.
"Y-yeah, I am coming," I said; maybe I am just overthinking. I thought about pushing my thoughts away.
"Hyung," Minjae called as he walked alongside me.
I sighed. "Now what?"
"What's your brother's homeroom teacher's name?"
I scowled, paying attention to him now; why the hell does it matter? Whatever, I can't blame or be angry at him for not covering up for me. No matter how close Junwoo and Minjae are, the scenario yesterday was not good, so I kept all my anger aside, but is it even considered anger at all? Maybe I shouldn't have put him in that situation in the first place.
"Kwon Tae—"
"Taekwang?" he asked before I could say the name.
My steps faltered. "H-how do you know that?"
A slow, knowing smile spread across Minjae's face. "He's my—" he started, his voice brimming with excitement, his eyes wide and sparkling. However, he put his fist to his mouth, cleared his throat, and closed his eyes as if to calm his surging enthusiasm. The side of Minjae that I have never seen in him. "He is my best friend, Hyung." Yet, the excitement still lingered in the air.
W-Wow... just wow... Who'd have expected that? The entire world is so small that everyone around you is somehow connected to everyone else, like some sticky spiderweb. Horrible. Just fucking horrible.
The bell above the glass door jingled cheerfully as Junwoo stepped in first, very calmly, like he was the CEO of the restaurant, and Minjae followed behind, his hands buried in his pockets, looking relaxed in that infuriating "I'm here for vibes, as I know this place" way. Then Bongseon clicked in after them, her heels tapping like gunshots against the wooden floor. No matter how tall her heels got, she still somehow looked short, especially next to Junwoo. I saw her side-eye him as he opened the door for her, and 'I swear I'm only here because of you, Sungmin' glare. But deep down, I know she is quite flustered by that brat's action.
I dragged myself in last, feeling like I was walking toward my own execution. The air smelled of the nice aroma of grilled meat and seasonings, and, somehow, my regret, too. Everything looked exactly like yesterday. The same neat wooden tables, the same chairs, everything around is the same as it was yesterday.
Junwoo had already slipped into full "critic mode." he walked around like a Michelin inspector, nodding thoughtfully at the lighting and running his hand along the counter like he was checking for dust. "Hmm," he hummed and then muttered, "nice presentation."
Presentation? It's literally a chair, you punk.
Meanwhile, Bongseon leaned toward me, whispering just loud enough for me to jump and said, "If anything goes wrong, you're paying for my lunch."
"Wh-why me?" I hissed back.
"Because you dragged me here, Dae-ri-nim." She said that with a corporate smile that could melt glass while stressing my title, making me choke on my saliva.
And before I could think of a comeback, a familiar voice came from behind, getting our attention, mainly our team leader's.
"Oh, Min-jae-ya." Ajumma is approaching with her warm and polite smile from the kitchen, greeting Minjae like her own son who came to visit her. He grinned back, scratching the back of his neck in that sheepish way.
Of course. Of course, he knows her too. Why wouldn't he, when she is his best friend's mother? The universe clearly has me in a sitcom I didn't sign up for.
"Omo, Minjae-ya! How are you?" Ms. Kwon beamed, clasping Minjae's arm.
"Eomeonim, I'm well. It's been too long since I visited. How have you been?" Minjae replied with pictures of politeness. Ms. Kwon chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling. "I've been well. It really has been too long."
Ms. Kwon's warm gaze swept over us, and then her eyes met mine. Her smile widened in recognition. "Ah! The handsome one from yesterday! I'm sorry, I couldn't remember your name."
Handsome. Handsome~
Somewhere behind me, I could feel Bongseon scoffing, rolling her eyes, and Minjae's smirking.
I rubbed the back of my neck with a sheepish grin. "Oh, it's no problem at all, ma'am. I'm Han Sungmin. It's good to see you again." I gave a slight, polite bow.
Her smile grew warmer. "Oh my, this kid is truly so humble; I already told you to call me Ajumma last time..." she said, patting my arm with her warm hands, which were so gentle and motherly, so kind, it made me want to sink into the floor out of embarrassment.
Then, like any curious mom, she turned her attention finally to the other two, who stood unnoticed till now. "And who are these fine people?" Ms. Kwon turned back to Minjae and me with a genuine interest.
"Ah, they are my teammates, Sungmin hyung, as you already knew, and that's Miss Kang Bongseon, and this man is our manager, Joo Junwoo."
The moment he said "manager," Junwoo gave a polite bow, and Bongseon smiled sweetly and quite shyly beside him, like she wasn't internally throwing a fit at me for dragging her here until now. And me? I just stood there grinning stiffly, praying for the ground to open up and swallow me whole before Joohawn showed up and made this worse.
Then, before I could even try to steer the conversation toward small talk or anything safe, Junwoo opened his stupid mouth.
"Sungmin-ssi has been talking so much about your food since this morning," he said in his perfectly composed manager voice. "And our company has been looking to hire a new chef..."
I froze. My jaw nearly hit the floor.
He did NOT just go straight to the proposal!