🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 33
“Ah, yes! Please go ahead.”
“Would it be possible for me to get one of your business cards as well…?”
The man was shorter than Yeongwon but carried a neat, sharp impression. His suit fit him well. The café staff stole glances at him and at Yoon-ah.
Looking a little sheepish, the man finally handed over his card.
“I’m Assistant Manager Park Chang-min from Prime Infra Investment. I should have asked first if you also do beverage catering… but instead I just jumped right to asking for your card.”
“Ah… We haven’t actually handled group orders yet…”
“I’m often the one in charge of preparing drinks for our executives’ breakfast meetings, and lately our CEO prefers sweet teas over coffee. The black tea with apple syrup was really delicious. If you’d be open to it…”
Hearing praise for the apple syrup she had planned to make a flagship product, Yoon-ah’s face brightened instantly. A corporate bulk order—this could open up an entirely new sales channel. Sure, having to prepare drinks at dawn was a bit of a drawback, but it wasn’t as if breakfast meetings happened every day.
Beaming, Yoon-ah handed Chang-min her card politely with both hands.
“If you can share the schedule in advance, I’ll definitely give it a try! Please take good care of me.”
“Ahem. Don’t worry about delivery. I can do the pickup myself—I live nearby.”
With the tips of his ears reddened, the employee left the café.
“It’s Uncle!”
“…”
Opening the front door, Yeongwon looked down at his nephew clinging to his legs. He was glad to see the child, but… this was his own house. Letting out a deep sigh, he lifted his gaze toward the living room. Sure enough, his older sister Yeongin was sprawled on the sofa playing a video game. The bleep-bloop music filled the entire apartment.
“Jeremy! Mommy’s going to win!”
“Cheater!”
The boy abandoned Yeongwon and scrambled back to the couch, frantically grabbing his game controller.
Yeongwon didn’t even have the energy to ask how she had figured out his door code. He just gave up, walked in, and dropped his gym bag on the dining table.
Moments later, Yeongin’s triumphant shout echoed. She had managed to beat a seven-year-old. She accepted a kiss from her son before finally turning to her younger brother, leaning back against the sofa.
“Little bro, coming back from the kiddie gym?”
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t you curious how your sister got inside?”
“No.”
“You brat,” she muttered, frowning. The code was nothing special—just the family home’s passcode with a zero tacked on the end.
“Honestly, you’ve got more important things to work on than bulking up.”
Thinking she was starting her usual nonsense again, Yeongwon ignored her and unpacked his bag. Having long since gotten used to being brushed off, Yeongin didn’t care and continued.
“One of the junior employees has a thing for Yoon-ah.”
“….”
At that, Yeongwon froze. His cold gaze slowly turned to his sister. She grinned, clearly enjoying his suppressed reaction.
“What, you’ve been stewing in jealousy all this time but never actually asked her properly?”
“Do you still have a one-sided crush?”
“….”
Come to think of it, Yoon-ah had been glued to her phone a lot more lately. Normally she barely touched it. That alone wasn’t enough to confirm she was seeing someone, but… could it be mutual, not one-sided?
A male employee meant an office worker. Someone Yoon-ah could rely on—not some kid who hadn’t even graduated college, but a proper working adult.
Her brother looked tangled up in his thoughts. With a small smirk, Yeongin started to recount what had happened—starting from how Yoon-ah first met Chang-min.
Yeongwon’s already cold expression darkened further. He knew she’d been preoccupied lately with a new group order, but he hadn’t realized it was tied to early morning deliveries—or worse, his father’s company.
The company name didn’t matter, but the dawn schedules… she must have kept it quiet so he wouldn’t try to help. His brows knit slightly.
“Anyway, since then, every time there’s an executive breakfast, the drinks come from Yoon-ah’s café. Apparently, Chang-min even takes the ingredients for the Apple Earl Grey and makes your dad’s cup himself.”
“…Father… drinks Apple Earl Grey?”
He knew his father had been cutting down on coffee, but never imagined he’d replace it with sweet tea.
So all this time, I’ve been making apple syrup for my father to drink…
Reeling, Yeongwon wore an almost shocked expression. Jeremy chimed in matter-of-factly:
“Grandpa likes his tea with sugar and milk, like me.”
“….”
So his father had grown used to indulging his beloved grandson’s tastes. No way he could refuse a drink those tiny hands had prepared.
But something else felt off. Yoon-ah was never careless with anything she made. If the drinks were being delivered, surely she had prepared them herself.
“…Then why is a company employee handling it personally?”
“He’s the kind of guy everyone adores—very polite and well-liked by the higher-ups. He even bought an expensive insulated carrier with his own money and waits at the café at dawn to pick the drinks up.”
“…He waits?”
“Exactly! It’s not like the café is close by. Why would he bother going so early? There are plenty of coffee shops near the office. But no—he wakes up at dawn every time, complains he’s tired, yet looks happy as can be.”
Yeongwon’s face darkened further. No wonder she sometimes answered his messages at dawn. He hadn’t pressed, worried about intruding on her private life… what a huge mistake that turned out to be.
“Word is, he finds every excuse to message her. And knowing Yoon-ah, she replies to all of it—especially since he’s technically a client.”
“….”
Even though he had thought someone like that might actually suit her better, the more he heard, the hotter his head grew.
They’d been spending weekdays together often, whole weekends side by side. Yet she had never once mentioned this man. Why?
He knew she had no obligation to share every detail of her life with him. Still, a pang of disappointment hit—no, not just disappointment. His chest ached, physically.
Standing rigid, clutching his tumbler so hard it looked ready to crumple, he barely noticed when Yeongin came over carrying a small paper shopping bag. She slung an arm around his shoulders and whispered.
“That brave Chang-min has no idea the woman he’s chasing is the boss’s son’s girl.”
“….”
“Baby bro. Judging by your face, you’ll be needing this.”
Grinning, she handed him the bag. He peeked inside. A box of condoms.
“…Sis, are you insane?”
His expression twisted harsher than ever. But Yeongin just cackled and carried the bag off to his bedroom.
“…Boss.”
Yeongwon softly called out to Yoon-ah, who was sitting beside him studying a cat treat with great concentration. The two of them had gone up the wooded hill behind the school on a new “mission”: finding the stray cats that supposedly lived there. But even after waiting at the usual path, not a whisker was in sight.
Wondering if the snacks were the problem, Yoon-ah was carefully reading the ingredient list when she answered.
“Yes, Yeongwon. What is it? By the way… what exactly does ‘white fish’ mean here? They don’t specify. Maybe I should’ve bought freeze-dried instead.”
“…I wanted to ask you something.”
His opening was unusually serious. Yoon-ah finally lifted her gaze to meet his.
“What is it?”
“Are you close with Assistant Manager Park Chang-min?”
The name popped out of nowhere. Yoon-ah’s eyes widened as if they might fall out.
“How do you know him?”
Him?? The word meant nothing special, but hearing her use such a respectful tone soured Yeongwon’s mood. He forced down his irritation.
“…My sister mentioned him.”
“Ah… Well, I wouldn’t say we’re close. He just… gives off that ‘social butterfly’ vibe? Kind of like how Ki-tae’s the mood-maker on our team. Only, he’s even more outgoing.”
“….”
That gave Yeongwon a very clear picture: loud, overly friendly, clingy. Of course, Yoon-ah hadn’t said it that way.
Still, she always seemed to laugh and enjoy herself around people like that. Suppressing the lump in his throat, he pressed on.
“Do you… enjoy spending time with him?”
The sharp edge in his tone made Yoon-ah freeze, a treat pouch in her hand. She had never heard him speak like that before.
From the look on his face, he seemed furious. Flustered, she quickly shook her head stiffly instead of answering. Being with Yeongwon was what made her happy, not Chang-min. That was what she wanted to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to voice it.
Still, his icy demeanor seemed to ease slightly. At last, he lowered his gaze. A heavy silence fell between them.
It was Yeongwon who finally broke it.
“I know it’s a ridiculous question…”
“….”
“…But why didn’t you tell me before?”
His fists curled tight with tension as he asked.
