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chapter 21
Even before, after Lee Sung-hee came by, Yoon-ah would often treat Young-won to an expensive lunch. Because of the café business, they had to order delivery, but she always chose from the most high-end options available.
Thinking back on the faint conversations he used to overhear from the storage room, it seemed Lee Sung-hee came by every time alimony was paid. So it must be the same this time too.
Young-won rather liked the fact that Yoon-ah used the money she got from that bastard to eat with him. Some might sneer and say he had no pride, but was there really anything wrong with it? Whenever Yoon-ah celebrated her “successful divorce,” the one by her side was him. The strange sense of victory he felt probably came from the fact that Yoon-ah had won.
As always, a quiet satisfaction filled his heart. He glanced at Yoon-ah, who was busy snapping photos of the next dish that had just been served. She looked happy.
Could part of that joy be because he was her dining companion? That thought was growing in his mind when Yoon-ah put down her phone and, with a slightly shy expression, opened her mouth.
“Mr. Young-won… you’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“The reason I suddenly decided to treat you to such an expensive meal.”
“……”
It was a subject Young-won had deliberately kept quiet about, but Yoon-ah suddenly brought it up herself. Flustered, he couldn’t think of a response and just averted his gaze.
Grateful that he stayed silent until the end, Yoon-ah chuckled softly.
“Actually… that’s why I chose a place like this. I know you’ve always been aware, and I wanted to thank you for pretending not to notice.”
Of course, it was also true that only upscale restaurants still had available seats. But she hadn’t canceled or rescheduled because she wanted to properly treat Young-won someday—to say thank you for everything.
“You might not know, but I’ve leaned on you a lot emotionally. Of course, with café work too… but especially because you knew my situation and still stayed by my side, I let myself think of you as being on my team. Everyone else who knew blamed me for it.”
Her in-laws, naturally—and even her own family. Because her foster mother and foster brother were bound by the condition of keeping the divorce reasons secret, she couldn’t confide in them either. So she offered vague excuses like “personality differences,” only to be scolded by her family as well: “If you’d been more supportive as a wife, this wouldn’t have happened.” Especially her brother.
Other than her lawyer, who was obligated to take her side, Young-won was the only one who didn’t accuse her or look at her like she was a criminal.
“So even when my ex came around, knowing you were in the storage room gave me courage, you know? Thanks to that, I actually yelled at him for the first time.”
Having finally achieved the complete separation she longed for, Yoon-ah openly shared everything she’d kept bottled up. Maybe it was because through her mentoring activities she had grown closer to Young-won—it felt like more than just an employer-employee relationship.
“Hah, but now it’s really all over.”
Looking utterly refreshed, she tilted her head back toward the ceiling. Young-won raised his eyes to her again, and just then, she lowered her head. Their gazes met squarely. Yoon-ah curved her eyes in a gentle smile.
“Thank you, truly.”
Though Seo-yeon had accidentally found out, the only person she could really talk to openly was Young-won. She thought of him as someone she could trust.
Sliding one of the champagne flutes back to him, she said,
“Here! You don’t have to drink, but at least clink glasses with me. I really, really want to celebrate!”
“…Alright.”
Seeing Yoon-ah’s happy face, a faint smile finally spread across Young-won’s lips. He lightly touched his glass to hers. With a clear chime, bubbles rose in the golden liquid as if to celebrate with them.
As he watched Yoon-ah down the champagne in one go, Young-won said quietly,
“…You did well.”
If he’d spoken his mind, he could’ve said far harsher things, but he bit his tongue and managed to utter only that.
But then Yoon-ah froze. Just as he began to deeply regret his words, heavy tears suddenly welled up and streamed from her eyes.
“Ugh…”
“I—I’m sorry, boss. I shouldn’t have said anything…”
“No… it’s because I’m grateful… Since you took my side, suddenly… hic…”
“That… wasn’t meant to make you cry…”
“I know… sniff… it just… hic…”
Setting her glass down, Yoon-ah pressed the linen napkin to her face and began to cry in earnest. Hearing him say with his own lips that he was on her side had stirred up a flood of emotions.
She felt embarrassed—crying like a child over a single line of comfort, despite being four years older than him—but the tears wouldn’t stop. It felt refreshing, as if even the tiniest leftover shards of emotion were being washed away. The problem was, it was all pouring out through her eyes.
“Uh… um… boss…”
“Sniff… hic…”
Confronted with a crying woman, Young-won had no idea what to do. When his sister cried, he just poured her another drink. But with Yoon-ah, surely a better response was needed.
Should he call someone over to bring a fresh napkin? Should he offer words of comfort? What exactly was he supposed to say?
He recalled Ki-tae once saying the way to console someone crying was to tell a funny story. Though he doubted the wisdom of trusting that guy, he had no other ideas.
Since he didn’t know any jokes, he decided to share something people usually found surprising.
“Um… boss. Want to hear something strange?”
“Hic… what is it…?”
Even in tears, she reacted quickly, curiosity piqued. It was kind of cute, and that gave Young-won the courage to continue more naturally.
“I’m way shorter than my older brother.”
“…What?”
Yoon-ah’s small, tear-stained face peeked up from behind the napkin. Her wide eyes, still glistening with tears, blinked in shock. But the crying had stopped—success.
Letting the napkin drop onto her lap, she asked,
“You… have a brother?”
“……”
So that’s where he had to start. Now that he thought of it, he’d never once mentioned his family to her. Young-won nodded.
“I have an older sister and an older brother. I’m the youngest, and they’re both a lot older.”
“Your sister too? How tall are they?”
“My brother’s 192 cm, my sister’s 177 cm.”
“…What?”
Stunned at the towering heights, Yoon-ah clapped a hand over her mouth. Her tears had completely vanished—at least it was effective.
She asked in disbelief,
“A—are your parents tall too…?”
“Yeah… my dad’s over 180, and my mom’s close to 170, I think. Judging by how she looks next to my sister.”
“……”
Compared to them, Yoon-ah was tiny. Standing among such people, she’d look like a cicada clinging to a tree.
Though she’d known Young-won for over half a year, this was the first time she’d heard anything about his family. She found it unexpectedly fascinating.
“What about the age gap? You don’t really seem like the youngest.”
“My sister’s twelve years older, and my brother’s nine years older.”
“…So you’re a late baby?”
“…Yeah.”
The term embarrassed him, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. He had never willingly shared about his family before. Usually, people found out through Ki-tae, who spread it around after sticking to him constantly.
Seeing him embarrassed made Yoon-ah chuckle.
“Haha, late babies are supposed to be all cutesy and spoiled, but I guess it depends on the person.”
“…My whole family’s stiff. Except for my sister.”
“I see. That’s really new to me.”
Her face had brightened again, and a faint smile tugged at Young-won’s lips as well. Watching her eat more cheerfully, this time he asked,
“Boss… do you have any siblings?”
Because aside from Lee Sung-hee, he had never once heard her talk about her “real family.”
