Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Chaebol's Meal
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The Genesis G90 glided smoothly down the road.
The ride was unbelievable.
It was on another level from the quietness of my 2017 Avante AD that I drove around in.
If my Avante was a gloomy literature girl, then the Genesis G90 was like a refined noble lady.
'Expensive cars really are different...'
I kept scanning the interior like some country bumpkin.
From the luxurious leather trim to the subtle ambient lighting.
"What are you looking around for like that?"
Eun Ha-min, who had been watching me with interest as I rolled my eyes everywhere, let out a chuckle.
I scratched my head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Nothing. The car is just so nice. The G90 really is different."
"Other people just sit there primly. You're the first one I've seen with eyes sparkling like yours, oppa."
"I-is that so?"
"That's what makes you cute. No, seriously, how is this the behavior of a twenty-eight-year-old?"
Her words teased but carried a hint of praise.
So it didn't feel bad at all.
"Do you like cars too, oppa?"
"Don't all guys? Personally, I prefer sedans over SUVs."
"Hmm. Guys really are all the same. My little brother is into cars too, and he's still in high school."
Eun Ha-min tapped the center armrest with her finger.
Her tone carried a touch of concern.
Her younger brother, who was just turning twenty, wasn't old enough to have a license yet.
The light changed, and the car smoothly accelerated forward again.
"Enjoy it while you can. From the looks of it, I might give you rides often from now on."
"Thank you."
I sank deep into the seat, savoring the moment.
I wondered if I was getting too comfortable, but Eun Ha-min didn't say anything about it.
'But where are we going?'
It was lunchtime.
I hoped she wasn't taking me to some hotel for a fancy meal.
I was still in my work uniform after all.
That would be a bit awkward.
The car slowed to a stop by the roadside where other cars were illegally parked without a care.
"Get out."
"Pardon?"
"Time to eat. We're here."
Eun Ha-min unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out without hesitation.
I unbuckled mine and followed her.
Thank goodness it wasn't a hotel or upscale restaurant.
It was just a regular neighborhood strip mall.
Click-clack.
With the lively sound of her heels, Eun Ha-min headed toward an unexpected eatery.
[Kimbap Nation]
The place with the orange sign and bold white letters.
A dime-a-dozen snack bar you could find anywhere in the country.
"Oh... Pretty impressive taste for a chaebol heiress."
Their pork stir-fry rice bowl was delicious.
Paired with fish cake skewer udon, it was hearty.
"What are you doing? Come in."
Eun Ha-min opened the door without looking back.
I hurried to her side at the counter where she waited.
Just then, the kitchen auntie appeared at the counter.
She smiled brightly upon seeing Eun Ha-min.
"Ha-min! Who's the guy next to you? Boyfriend?"
"Something like that. One tteokbokki set, a pork cutlet, and a ramyeon."
"That all? It's been a while, so auntie will throw in some extras."
"Thank you."
Eun Ha-min finished ordering casually and plopped down at a window seat.
I hesitated before sitting across from her.
"Oppa, set the utensils."
"Okay..."
I took out spoons and chopsticks from the holder and set them down.
I even grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and set everything up.
That aside...
A chaebol heiress seemed awfully familiar with Kimbap Nation?
Eun Ha-min crossed her arms and legs, staring right at me.
Her haughty demeanor clashed oddly with the snack bar backdrop.
"Oppa looks like he has something to say?"
"Yeah, a bit... This scene feels so unfamiliar and amazing."
"A chaebol heiress ordering at Kimbap Nation like it's nothing?"
"Yes."
I nodded honestly.
Eun Ha-min took a sip from the water bottle I'd set down and refilled her glass.
"Considering the level of your Shorts videos... You probably thought chaebols eat fine dining or omakase all the time, right?"
That wasn't exactly my average take.
The Shorts were just deliberate nonsense.
"I didn't think it was every meal."
But I never imagined ordering regulars from a snack bar.
Could she read my mind from my face?
Eun Ha-min chuckled.
She rested her chin on the table, eyeing me playfully.
"You've watched too many dramas, oppa. That one about chaebol daughters."
"I did... But more than that... Was it just prejudice?"
"Of course. I'm just an ordinary person living in Korea."
She glanced toward the kitchen before continuing.
"This place has been my go-to since middle and high school with friends. We'd rush over after school in uniforms, dipping fried snacks in tteokbokki broth."
"Sounds cute just thinking about it."
"Ahem. Our teachers would scold us, saying our classroom smelled like a snack bar instead of farts."
I pictured it in my head.
Eun Ha-min, who had been in uniform just earlier this year, devouring tteokbokki skewers with friends.
Unlike me, her expression as she reminisced was quite happy.
Even though it was less than a year ago.
"Honestly, fine dining and omakase are for occasional moods. Eating them daily would make you sick of them."
"Really?"
"Same at home. We have a dedicated chef, but they make regular home-cooked meals to fit our diet. Kimchi stew, rolled omelets, soybean paste stew. Eating steak and foie gras every day would give you high cholesterol and kill you."
I nodded unconsciously at her practical point.
Fair enough.
No matter how rich, Koreans thrive on rice power.
"We're the same. Late-night hunger? Chicken and beer delivery. Hangover the next day? Ramyeon. Dad loves eating at the company cafeteria with employees most."
"The chairman at the cafeteria?"
"Yeah. He says their pork stir-fry is the best."
"The chairman's a foodie."
My illusions about chaebols shattered, but oddly, she felt more approachable.
The distant chaebol heiress Eun Ha-min seemed a tiny bit closer.
Beep-beep.
The pager buzzed right on cue.
"I'll get it."
"No. I ordered, so I'll get it. Stay."
Before I could stand, Eun Ha-min jumped up.
Wasn't that usually the junior's job?
A moment later.
Eun Ha-min returned with a tray piled high with food.
Steaming tteokbokki, fried snacks, and blood sausage.
Crispy pork cutlet and chewy-looking ramyeon.
The addictive snack bar aroma hit my nose.
"Looks delicious, right?"
"Perfect snack bar combo."
Eun Ha-min sat down with a satisfied look.
She grabbed her chopsticks without hesitation.
"Let's eat."
She attacked the ramyeon first.
Slurp. Slurp.
She inhaled the noodles like water.
Didn't she say she doesn't slurp? But here she was, slurping away.
Wait, this meant my nonsense Shorts weren't nonsense anymore.
It turned into straight facts?
"Not eating? Dig in."
"Oh, right, I should."
I picked up a tteokbokki piece and popped it in my mouth.
The sweet-spicy sauce spread across my tongue.
Familiar taste.
The auntie must put in a good amount of sugar here too.
The meal ended in a flash.
Eun Ha-min lifted the bowl and drank the ramyeon broth straight.
"Whew... Good meal."
She patted her flat stomach and stood.
Payment was already done upfront.
We headed back outside.
The ride back was far more relaxed than the way there.
Eun Ha-min just hummed along to the song from the speakers and gazed out the window.
Soon, we arrived at the logistics center parking lot.
I spotted my beloved Avante AD parked quietly in the corner.
"Get out."
"Thanks for today. Great meal too."
As I unbuckled to step out, Eun Ha-min stopped me.
"Hold on."
"Yes?"
She rummaged in her bag on the armrest and pulled out a thick envelope.
A plain white one with nothing written on it.
"What's this?"
"Payment for hanging out with me today. Take it."
I took it in a daze.
It was heavy.
Peeking inside with a mix of doubt and shock, I gasped.
Yellow.
It was stuffed full of 50,000-won bills featuring Lady Shin Saimdang.
"W-what is this?"
"Count it. Exactly 100 bills."
100 bills...
Five million won?!
More than my monthly salary plus rice deliveries combined by a million.
My hands trembled.
"Why give me so much money all of a sudden..."
"Today's daily wage."
"Pardon?"
"You spent the day entertaining me. I calculated it at my hourly rate."
"Whoa..."
Eun Ha-min said it casually.
Like handing over a single 1,000-won bill.
At her hourly rate, not mine?
Then what was her hourly rate?
No, we'd only been together a little over two hours, so per hour that'd be 2.5 million?
"Next time we meet, same deal. Gotta properly compensate for your time."
Was this a dream or reality?
Just eating a meal and chatting, and she burns five million?
This was why people obsessed over chaebols.
I bowed 90 degrees at the waist.
"Thank you!!! Call me anytime, and I'll drop everything to come!"
"I like how quick on the uptake you are, oppa."
She looked pleased at my groveling-fast pivot.
"I'll come running no questions asked! Dawn call or whatever! Anything!"
"Got it, got it. You just promised to do anything, right?"
Eun Ha-min reached out, pinched my cheek, then stroked it gently.
"I'll visit often, so be on standby. My good puppy."
"Yes, sir! Loyalty!"
I even snapped a salute.
She nodded in satisfaction.
With a soft engine hum, the G90 pulled out of the lot.
I kept my head bowed until it was completely out of sight.
That was the monster capitalism bred.
Or rather, the etiquette a faithful dog of capitalism should show.
Only after the car vanished did I straighten up.
I checked the envelope in my hand again.
Still heavy.
Cash, five million won.
Earned in just two hours.
"Way better profit than Shorts."
A grin crept across my face.
What side gig beat this honey pot?
Prostitution? Voice phishing?
Those high earners?
The real deal was right here.
"Wait, this..."
A thought flashed through my mind.
Wasn't this just dating rich women and getting allowance?
What was it called again?
The shady term: sugar baby?
Or like that papa-katsu trend in Japan?
Gender-swapped to mama-katsu?
"Eh, whatever."
Not a crime, just ate and listened.
Any conscience pangs had long washed away in the scent of 50,000-won bills.
I hugged the envelope close, whistling as I headed to my car.
Plain compared to the G90, but my Avante was still cute.
Today, bro's treating you to premium fuel additive.
And a machine wash too.