AUTHOR'S POV
Mara did not plan to bring food again.
She really did not.
Honestly, when she left the school carrying the sealed envelope of revised documents, she was completely determined to look presentable this time. No more fries. No more sandwich. No more iced coffee that had nearly become the cause of her death by embarrassment. No more anything the universe could use against her in front of the man she could barely look at directly without remembering the ketchup on her lips.
Her plan was already fixed.
Go straight to Alcázar Holdings. Hand over the envelope. Be professional. Do not talk too much. Do not create a new humiliation. Go home.
Simple.
Very simple.
The problem was that Mara was the one making the plan.
And Mara had a natural talent for ruining her own decent decisions.
While she was walking toward the ride stop, she smelled it.
Hot oil. A little smoke. The sweet and salty scent of barbecue. And that tempting smell of kwek kwek just lifted from the pan, bright orange and looking like it had been made to test the self control of anyone who was hungry.
She stopped in her tracks.
It was not her fault.
Anyone would have looked.
At the side of the road, there was a small cart surrounded by a few students and office workers who looked like they had just come from work. The kwek kwek, fish balls, and barbecue were lined up. There was sour vinegar in one container, sweet sauce in another, and cucumber soaking in a small plastic container as if it were a personal gift from heaven to stressed people.
Mara swallowed.
She was not hungry.
Okay, she was a little hungry.
But not the kind that would kill her.
The truth was, maybe it was just boredom hunger. Or stress hunger. Or revenge hunger. Or the kind of hunger that suddenly appears the moment you see food and your stomach decides, right, I am suffering.
She hugged the envelope tightly to her chest and told herself to keep walking.
One.
Two.
Three.
She had already taken four steps away when she suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky as though asking for a sign.
No lightning came. There was no voice from the clouds saying, Mara, stay away from the kwek kwek. So in her mind, technically, there was no prohibition.
Besides, she reasoned to herself, it was more dangerous if she went hungry again in front of Lucien Alcázar. If she got too hungry, she might say something again that would make her entire bloodline panic. It was better to have food. For safety. For peace. For national security.
At that point alone, common sense had already lost.
"Kuya, can I buy kwek kwek? And three barbecues too," she said to the vendor when she returned to the cart.
"Sweet and spicy?" he asked.
"All of it. And extra vinegar."
Just a few minutes later, she was holding a small paper tray of kwek kwek with skewers and a plastic bag with three barbecue sticks. They were still warm, and while she walked toward her ride, she almost wanted to bite into one immediately.
But she held herself back.
She needed to get there first.
She needed to prioritize the important thing.
She needed to prove to herself that she could be serious, even just a little.
During the ride, she checked the envelope several times to make sure it was still there. She also checked the kwek kwek several times to make sure it was still beautiful. In the end, she even had to scold herself quietly when she almost opened the sauce while still inside the vehicle.
"Control," she whispered to herself. "Documents first before food."
When she arrived in front of Alcázar Holdings, her chest tightened all over again.
That building really was so different from their school. Too clean. Too shiny. Too expensive in aura. The kind of place that made you feel like even your breathing had to be business casual.
As she walked into the lobby, she noticed that two guards looked at her. There was probably nothing strange about that. It was normal for guards to look at people entering. But when she passed them, one of them seemed to smile a little.
She froze for half a second.
Wait.
Did he remember her?
Possible.
Most likely.
Maybe she was already that girl who rode the private elevator in the security group chat.
"Oh, wow," she muttered to herself while hugging the envelope tighter. "So I already have a fan club for my humiliation."
She quickly headed straight to the elevator and this time, she was very obedient. Public elevator. No running. No drama. No chasing after closing doors like it was a field trip.
As she went up, she kept rehearsing what she would say in her mind.
Good afternoon. I am here for the physical submission of the revised documents.
Simple.
Short.
Professional.
She did not need to add anything else. She did not need to joke. She did not need to tell a story. She did not need to look like someone carrying a full meal while walking into a CEO's office.
When the elevator opened on the executive floor, her eyes immediately turned to Luz's desk.
No one was there.
She stopped.
Usually, at the very least, the secretary had a presence. Sitting down. Holding a tablet. On the phone. Or at least there was an aura of judgment in the air. But now, there was nothing. The reception area was quiet. No keyboard sounds. No movement. No Luz looking at the food in her hands and thinking about her poor life choices again.
Slowly, she walked toward the desk and looked around.
"Hello?" she called softly.
No one answered.
She even checked the hallway to the side. Still no one.
She bit the inside of her cheek.
She remembered what the secretary had said earlier.
Next time, Miss Cortez, perhaps make an appointment before bringing snacks into an executive office.
Technically, Mara wanted to follow that advice. She really did. But how was she supposed to ask for permission if there was no one there to ask? It was not like she could announce herself to the air. She also could not just wait around too long because the documents were time sensitive. And besides, she was already there. The envelope was ready. The student council was ready. Her samgyup reward at the end was ready. It would be such a waste to turn back just because the secretary was not at her desk.
In Mara's mind, her logic was very clear.
If there was no one outside, that meant there was no one there to stop her.
And if no one stopped her, then it was not her fault.
Such excellent logic.
Such chaotic logic too.
She took a deep breath, adjusted her grip on the envelope, and carefully walked toward the office door.
One quick knock.
No answer.
She waited for one second.
Two.
Three.
Then, because she was Mara and her patience was as short as the remaining distance between good judgment and chaos, she slowly turned the doorknob and peeked inside.
The spacious office was quiet. The blinds were open, so the afternoon light was pouring in through the floor to ceiling windows. Lucien was behind the desk, seated, holding a document, and the whole scene looked so natural, as if he had been born this put together.
He was wearing a white long sleeved shirt now, with the sleeves folded slightly, and the coat he had been wearing earlier was gone. Mara did not know why, but that look was somehow even more distracting. More human. More relaxed. More annoying because it made him even more handsome.
Before her mind could drift too far, Lucien noticed her entering.
He looked up.
Mara went quiet.
For a few seconds, everything seemed to slow down. She was by the door, holding an envelope in one hand and a plastic bag of barbecue in the other. Lucien was just sitting there, looking at her as though trying to figure out why this woman always had a food item in her hands every time she appeared in his life.
She smiled slowly. "Good afternoon."
Lucien's gaze dropped to the plastic bag in her hand. Then it returned to her face.
"Miss Cortez," he said, calm as always. "You walked in again."
She swallowed. "Luz was not outside."
"Your conclusion was to enter."
"I did knock."
"Briefly."
She fell silent.
Fair.
Too fair.
"Sorry," she said. "I just thought maybe you were busy, and the papers are urgent too."
Lucien looked at her for a few seconds before slowly lowering the document in his hand. "Come in."
She did not know why, but that one simple phrase made her feel a little lighter. She stepped all the way inside and carefully closed the door behind her. She did not even try to pretend to be elegant. It was hard to be elegant when you were holding skewered kwek kwek.
She walked toward the desk and handed him the envelope. "This is the physical copy of the revised documents. They said it is complete."
Lucien took it and glanced at the label. "I already received the digital set."
"They told me that too," Mara replied. "But they said there should also be a physical copy for expedited review."
"Yes."
She stood there for a moment, unsure whether she should leave immediately or if she still needed to wait for something. In school, when you submitted papers, that was it. But here, it felt like every second had its own protocol.
"Do you need a receipt?" Lucien asked while opening the envelope.
Mara's eyes widened. "There is such a thing?"
He looked at her.
"What?" she said at once in defense. "It is not like I submit things to CEOs every day."
A brief silence passed before he turned his attention back to the contents of the envelope. "Sit. I will check if everything is here."
Mara froze.
Sit?
Wait.
That meant she could not leave right away yet.
And because she was naturally a problem solver in moments that did not need solving, the first thing she thought about was not the documents, not the deadlines, and not the possibility of a second humiliation.
It was this.
Was the barbecue still warm?
She quietly sat down across from the desk, carefully placing the plastic bag and paper tray beside her chair, then straightened her back as though she knew anything at all about proper etiquette in expensive offices.
She did not.
After three seconds, her posture gave up and she leaned back a little.
While Lucien checked the documents, Mara quietly stared at the kwek kwek in her hand. It was still warm. She could still see a little steam. She could smell the barbecue too. And every time her hand moved, the scent of vinegar and sweet sauce drifted up as if reminding her that there were still simple joys in the world even though she had almost been buried alive by embarrassment earlier.
She tried to hold back.
She really did.
But Mara's self control came with an expiration date.
After five minutes of silence, she could not stop herself anymore.
Slowly, she picked up one kwek kwek.
Her movement was very slow. Like a thief. Like if she moved slowly enough, it would not be noticed. Like the physics of quiet eating changed when it was done in slow motion.
She raised the stick.
Bit into it.
And immediately closed her eyes from how good it tasted.
Hot. Crispy. Just the right amount of salt. Just the right kick from the sauce. She almost wanted to cry from the comfort street food gave in the middle of such a social and polished place.
She did not notice that Lucien was already looking at her.
When she opened her eyes, their gazes met.
Mara froze with half a kwek kwek still in her mouth.
Dear God.
Slowly, she chewed, trying to preserve whatever dignity she had left. Then she coughed softly. "Sorry."
Lucien looked at the paper tray, then at the stick in her hand. "You brought food again."
It was not a question.
It was a quiet observation with a very faint trace of disbelief.
Mara felt her cheeks grow warm. "I passed by a kwek kwek and barbecue stand."
Lucien stayed silent.
It felt like he was waiting for a more sensible explanation.
There was none.
That really was it.
"I did not plan it," she added. "It just suddenly appeared in front of me."
One of Lucien's eyebrows lifted. "The kwek kwek appeared."
"Yes."
"And the barbecue."
"Yes."
A small part of her was telling her to stop while it had not gotten worse yet. But another part, the chattier and more childish one, kept going.
"It was tempting."
There were a few seconds of silence before Lucien looked back at the documents. "Clearly."
She pouted a little but said nothing else. Instead, she just kept eating quietly, this time more carefully. She wanted to prove that she could eat neatly, with class, without spilling sauce everywhere.
Unfortunately, once again, she was Mara.
By the second kwek kwek, a drop of sauce rolled onto her finger.
Her eyes widened.
She quickly tried to catch it with a tissue from her bag, but because she rushed, the red sweet sauce only spread a little more at the tip of her finger.
She shut her eyes.
It was not new, but it was still embarrassing.
"Do you always eat like that?" Lucien asked, though it was not entirely clear whether he sounded amused, concerned, or simply curious about her strange ways.
Mara looked at him. "I am more proper when I am not nervous."
"You are nervous."
"It does not show, right?"
Lucien looked at the sauce she was wiping off, then at the barbecue that was nearly slipping onto her lap, then at her face.
She did not wait for his answer.
"Okay, it shows," she admitted herself.
For some reason she could not explain, breathing felt easier now than it had earlier. Maybe because this was the second time she was facing him. Maybe because she was holding kwek kwek. Maybe also because even though Lucien was still calm, the air between them was no longer as cold as it had been during their first meeting.
Lucien quietly continued checking the contents of the envelope. After a while, he spoke. "The packet is complete."
It felt like a thorn had been pulled from Mara's chest. "Really?"
"Yes."
Her face slowly brightened. "So it is okay now?"