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chapter 7
“S-Senior Managing Director?”
Startled, Da-in froze as a brazen whisper brushed past her ear.
“Efficiency should apply here as well, don’t you think?”
“What? But this isn’t even work…”
“Let’s go. The kids are waiting.”
As Taekyung whispered softly, his fingertips brushed lightly against Da-in’s wrist. The spot he touched burned strangely. She fidgeted with her wrist awkwardly and looked forward. By then, Taekyung was already walking toward the booth, chatting with an employee holding a camera.
“Oh my, your husband is so tall and handsome!”
“Embarrassing as it is, I hear that often.”
“And the kids take after their father—they’re so pretty and cute.”
“Thank you.”
Without the slightest change in expression, Taekyung carried on the conversation with an easy charm. He was so smooth and natural that none of the staff found anything odd, only laughing and smiling cheerfully.
“Yeoreum, do you want to raise your arms up, or hold hands?”
“Mm… holding hands is better.”
The children stood in front of the booth, thinking hard about their pose. Da-in, meanwhile, stared blankly at them, dazed.
“Come quickly! We’ll take a nice picture.”
The employee with the camera beckoned her over. At the same time, all three of them turned to look straight at Da-in.
“I-I’m coming!”
Flustered, she hurriedly ran over and stood at the booth. Yeoreum and Hanul clasped hands and hung onto the fish-shaped decorations, while Da-in awkwardly edged into the spot beside Taekyung.
“You two look so stiff! Get a bit closer.”
The oblivious employee called out while fiddling with the camera. Da-in didn’t know what to do, her eyes darting nervously. Her heart pounded, palms breaking out in sweat.
“C-closer? Here?”
One more step and her shoulder would brush his. Just as she was about to blurt out to hurry and take the picture, Taekyung chuckled lightly.
“Just stay still, Assistant Manager Min.”
The pleasant fragrance that had lingered faintly around her suddenly came closer. Even though Da-in kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, she could tell from the scent that Taekyung was now standing very close. Her shoulders tensed up like a spring.
“Relax your shoulders.”
Looking down at her stiff head, he whispered again, trying to ease her nerves.
“Don’t mind me—just think of it as taking a picture with your niece.”
“Ah…”
“Yeoreum seems pretty excited about it.”
“Yes, it’s been a long time since we’ve taken a photo outside.”
Da-in looked at Yeoreum standing in front. Even from the back, she could see how thrilled the girl was, bouncing on her toes. If she ruined this precious chance, she would surely regret it for a long time.
“I feel the same.”
“You too, sir?”
“The boy never stays still long enough for photos. Today’s special.”
As if to prove his words, Hanul started jumping in place. Da-in chuckled softly and glanced at Taekyung.
“That’s nice.”
“Hmm?”
“I feel less nervous now.”
The smile on the handsome man’s face was dazzling.
“Smile, Assistant Manager Min.”
Da-in nodded, as though bewitched. The closeness of his shoulder and hand made her nervous, but more than anything…
“Okay, picture!”
…her heart had never pounded this wildly before.
“Such a warm family. You look wonderful together.”
The employee handed them the freshly printed photos, praising them again. The children laughed happily, splitting the copies between them. Among them were ones for Da-in and Taekyung as well.
“Let’s each take one. It’s a keepsake.”
Because Taekyung said it first, Da-in could naturally take her own copy. Unlike the children smiling brightly, she looked a bit awkward standing stiffly beside Taekyung. Still, just the fact of having taken a photo after so long wasn’t bad at all.
The three of them admired the photos as they finished touring the aquarium, then headed to the rooftop terrace where food could be eaten freely.
The four sat at a large table, and Da-in brought out the lunchboxes she had carefully prepared. As soon as she opened the lid, Hanul’s mouth dropped wide open.
“Wow!”
The lunchbox was packed with cute, decorative foods: rice balls shaped like pandas with seaweed, sausages cut to look like octopuses, egg yolks molded into stars—an assortment of character-themed dishes.
“Oh, imitation crab!”
“I told Auntie to add that.”
“What? Really?”
Hanul beamed, pointing proudly. As Yeoreum had mentioned he liked crab sticks, Da-in had packed a whole section full of them. Yeoreum smiled proudly, clearly pleased.
“Yeoreum told me Hanul likes crab sticks.”
“I see.”
Whispering so the children wouldn’t hear, Da-in explained, and Taekyung nodded. He too looked at the lunchbox with curious admiration.
“Oh, and this is…”
Hastily, Da-in pulled out another lunchbox. This one was much fuller than the kids’, prepared especially for Taekyung.
“This one’s yours, sir.”
When she opened it, neatly rolled gimbap, sandwiches, and salad were revealed.
“You even made one for me?”
Taekyung looked a little surprised. He hadn’t expected her to prepare anything for him, being so busy with the kids’ lunches already.
“It’s nothing fancy. I put it together quickly.”
Da-in ducked her head in embarrassment—but it was a lie.
She had woken up at dawn, watching cooking videos, carefully preparing the meals. The kids’ boxes were easy, but Taekyung’s was harder. Unlike the lightly seasoned children’s food, his required more care.
“To me, it looks more than impressive. It seems delicious.”
Whether fortunate or not, Taekyung wore an expression that said he’d happily eat even a rock if she had prepared it.
“I just hope it suits your taste, sir.”
Her overly formal reply sounded more like a chef addressing a patron than a colleague. Taekyung suppressed a smile, lifting his gaze to her.
She, however, stared only at the lunchbox with anxious eyes, as if willing it to turn out well.
Propping his chin on his hand, Taekyung quietly observed her. The hair tucked behind her ear fluttered in the breeze, exposing the nape of her pale neck, flushed slightly red with tension.
‘She doesn’t need to worry.’
Even if she had only brought a piece of burnt bread, it would still be the most delicious meal in the world to him—because she had made it. Imagining her slender hands searching for ingredients, chopping and cooking since morning filled him with gratitude and a twinge of guilt. He had expected to simply eat at the aquarium café.
Had he known, he would have prepared something proper in return…
“Assistant Manager Min, do you like sweets?”
Just as the kids were about to pick up their chopsticks, Taekyung asked out of the blue.
“Eh? Oh… yes, I do.”
Was he thinking of going to a café after?
She tilted her head in curiosity, and he seemed relieved by her answer.
“In that case, let’s eat something I brought as well.”
Finally, he pulled out the shopping bag he had been carrying all day. Out came neatly wrapped boxes. From the small opening of one, the sweet scent made Yeoreum swallow hungrily.
“It smells delicious.”
“Does it?”
While he answered warmly, Da-in peeked into the box and gasped. Inside were beautifully decorated cakes, pies, and cookies.
“Wow…”
Yeoreum’s eyes sparkled as she let out a cry of awe. It wasn’t often she got to see such desserts, and she was practically trembling with excitement. The assortment of cakes, in particular, caught her gaze.
“Sir, when did you prepare all this…?”
Da-in stammered, just as surprised. She also loved sweet things, but with her busy schedule, she never had time to visit famous cafés. Whenever her cravings hit, she forced herself to endure them with just chocolate or coffee.
“Compared to the lunch you made, this feels rather lacking.”
“N-not at all! I only thought about the meal—I didn’t even consider snacks for the kids.”
“There were many customers waiting in line. Judging by its popularity, it must be very good.”
Though Taekyung wasn’t fond of sweets himself, just looking at the sugary display made him feel full. But the children’s eyes gleamed with delight, proof that his choice had been perfect. Before letting them dig in, he looked at Da-in.
“You said you like sweets, too.”
“Yes…”
“Then join us. There’s plenty for everyone.”
With a casual shrug, he slid the largest, prettiest slice of strawberry cake toward her. Da-in stared blankly at the cake and the fork beside it.
“Thank you, sir.”
She murmured, unable to hide the wavering of her expression. It had been far too long since anyone had shown her this kind of sweetness.
