SRSYT C8

Chapter 8

“Huh? It’s the uncle who found Kkokko! Uncle!”

They had just left the mart. Seojin turned at the young voice calling him. It was yesterday’s little client, and Shin Seyeong holding the child’s hand tight.

I don’t want to get involved!

Seojin swallowed a groan inside. It was the biggest mart around, so running into them was possible.

“Hello.”

“Yes, hello.”

Seojin and Shin Seyeong greeted each other awkwardly.

“Uncle! Kkokko tried to run away again and Seyeong hyung caught it!”

They had only met once, but the lively child looked overjoyed to see him.

“Ah, I see.”

“But who’s that next to you?”

Then the interest swung to Euni at once. Come to think of it, they were the same age.

“I’m Appa’s daughter, Euni!”

“Euni. Hi. I’m Heo Jun-ie!”

Euni and Jun-ie were soon talking on their own. Seojin could not turn his back in front of the children and only awkwardly rolled his toes.

“Thank you for last time. Thanks to you we found Kkokko quickly.”

“Not at all. You handled what I should have done. And I heard from Jun-ie that you were supposed to take money but just took a greeting and left it.”

“Ah, well. It was a little client.”

So they knew it was an information company. Embarrassed, Seojin scratched the back of his head.

“Yes, well. If you need something later, please contact us.”

Once the words were out, Seojin himself felt a little awkward. Shin Seyeong looked at him with an odd expression.

Why is he like that?

Seojin blinked, puzzled. After a short pause, Seyeong nodded.

“I will. Thank you.”

It was an ordinary greeting, but strangely that short answer sank heavy in a corner of his chest.

By the time they got home, the sun was painting the rooms in a soft warm color.

Seojin put on slippers and turned on the living room lights. Meanwhile Euni neatly put both pairs of shoes in the cabinet.

“Appa making dinner? Should Euni help?”

“Yes, that would be nice.”

“Ung!”

“But first let’s wash our hands.”

“Ung, ung!”

The little child ran to the bathroom. Pink rabbit slippers made a cute slap-slap under her feet.

Hearing the slippers slap away, the corner of Seojin’s mouth lifted on its own. On an evening like this, that alone was enough.

Right. So what if the workplace is a bit strange. Living in a warm home with a cute daughter is enough.

Anyway. At least it was not a wicked company that held back pay or handed out sudden firing notices.

It doesn’t seem that stable either, though.

He remembered talking with Manager Kim. Not a single secretary had lasted long beside Yoon Haegang.

The shortest period: half a day.

The longest: two weeks.

Even more stunning, every resignation letter blamed their own shortcomings.

“Appa! Can Euni do this?”

A clear voice came from below. He did not know when she had come back. Looking down, Euni was holding three strawberries in both hands.

“Is Euni going to wash the strawberries?”

“Ung! I want to cut them pretty!”

She had said they were learning kitchen play at daycare lately, and now that she had gotten a taste for cutting, she quickly added a condition.

Seojin looked at those shining eyes and smiled.

“Alright. Be careful not to get hurt.”

He took out the child-safe knife he kept in a drawer, held out the handle, and reminded her. He did not forget to set a cutting board on the counter made for her height.

“Ung!”

Euni gripped the knife firmly and nodded. Then she turned at once, washed the strawberries, set them on the board one by one, and started cutting off the stems.

“Euni is doing so well.”

“Right! Teacher said Euni can be a chef too!”

“Is that so.”

The cut parts of the strawberries were a bit mashed for that, but Seojin chose praise over waking her to reality.

“What’s Appa doing?”

“First rice, then Euni’s favorite sausage and vegetable stir-fry, rolled omelet, and cucumber salad.”

“Wow…”

They were all her favorite sides, so her eyes sparkled again.

“Fish cake soup too!”

“Okay. Then Euni is in charge of the salad.”

“Ung!”

She nodded hard again, even wrinkling her brow, and started arranging fruit and salad with great focus.

Watching her fondly, Seojin hurried through his own share. He set rice in the cooker and finished her favorite cucumber salad in no time.

“Looks so good…”

Euni put a piece of clumsily cut fruit and vegetable in her cheek and let out a sound of wonder. Her round mouth looked full of drool.

“I’ll be done soon. Wait a little.”

“Ung!”

“Euni, put the dressing on the salad later.”

Seojin, just beating eggs in a bowl, stopped her when he saw the tube in her hand.

“Want to taste the sausage and vegetable stir-fry for me?”

Then he quickly handed her another mission. Euni hurried over and opened her cute mouth.

He speared a sausage on a small fork, blew on it, and gave it to her.

“It’s good!”

“Is it? Great. Then put this on a plate for me.”

“Ung!”

He took out a deep plate and held it out. She started filling it happily again.

Meanwhile Seojin poured the egg wash into the pan, waited until it was golden, and rolled it neatly. He glanced at the soup bubbling beside him and did not forget to drop in the fish cake he had already cut.

“Euni wants to do this too!”

The moment he moved the omelet to the board and cut it into bite sizes, Euni’s hand shot up as if she had been waiting. He did not refuse. He handed it over at once and instead portioned soup and rice onto the table.

When the cooking was done, they sat in front of a generous spread set for each of them. Proud of her work, Euni even swung her legs.

“Why is Appa so good at cooking?”

“Because I have to make tasty things for Euni.”

“Heehee… right? Euni is good at cooking too.”

“Yes. That’s right. The salad Euni made is really good too.”

Seojin stabbed the salad, heavy with strawberry dressing, and praised her.

“Euni is good at cooking because Euni takes after Appa!”

“Is that so?”

“Ung!”

Sometimes Euni said she and Seojin were alike like this.

Because she walked well. Because she laughed well. Because she read well.

It was so cute the smile never left his mouth. They talked about little things from daycare and ate happily.

Watching empty bowls pile up one by one, Seojin laughed for no reason. As expected, noona had known what he wanted.

Of course, that changed again the next day at the office.

Arriving twenty minutes early, Seojin was about to tap the security key and blinked. It was a scene similar to yesterday.

“President, hello.”

The moment he opened the door, Yoon Haegang was on the sofa, legs crossed, smoking. Seojin muttered of course only inside and bowed.

The person receiving the greeting only stared and gave no reply.

Tapping his ankle is probably not a greeting in place of one.

Seojin hurried to his seat and fiddled with the corners of documents for no reason. His hands moved over the desk, but all his attention was on the sofa.

Maybe because of the talk with Manager Kim, every time Haegang’s gaze brushed him, his shoulders stiffened.

But why is he even here.

As Seojin remembered it, Haegang had a golf round with the construction company’s managing director today too. They seemed to be calling him often lately.

What business would the president of an information company have meeting a construction managing director so often? Unless it was a personal friendship.

No chance.

This was all seasoning, meant to stir the alpha-omega couple’s love, planned by the secondary yandere top Yoon Haegang. Thinking that made his stomach sour a little.

No. They’re strangers anyway. Do I have to get involved with that side?

Avoiding it was still best. That decision stood apart from the fact that he kept running into the main bottom, which made the plot feel like it was flowing strangely.