Don't Talk, Just Drink, Please
He walks into the steakhouse. With Eunbyul. The reason they came here was simple:
"...I told you, I’m not divorced."
"You are. There are ways to know everything."
"Stop looking into things like that. It’s my privacy."
"Anyway, let’s go in."
He felt a bit uneasy meeting another woman when his ex-wife was waiting at home. He couldn’t quite define his status. Was he a divorcee, or a married man? It was only natural to feel this way. Outside, he didn’t think about his ex-wife at all, but once he stepped inside his home, a woman who was legally a stranger called him "Master" and apologized for her past mistakes. Regardless, they sat at a table by the window. Before he could even open his mouth, she spoke as if everything had already been set in her mind.
"We’ll have the 700-gram Tomahawk steak, medium-rare, and the Bloomin' Onion pasta."
"Yes, I’ll get that started for you."
"And two glasses of house wine... this one and this one, please."
"Understood. Will you be needing any other beverages?"
"I think wine will be enough."
No, my father specifically told me not to drink... Anyway, once the order was finished, he looked at her and asked, "...Do you come here often?"
"No. It’s my first time today."
"Then how did you..."
"After the hearing ended today, I thought, 'I should ask the Executive Director to buy me dinner,' and I decided where to go in advance. I woke up, washed up, and came straight here."
"...?"
Wait, I never said I would buy it, did I?
"Of course, I had no doubt that the Executive Director would grant my request. I mean, look at what I did today. Come on, now."
"...What, ah..."
"I worked so hard on it. Look at the news. You’re a total superstar, Executive Director."
It was the first time a "hearing star" had been unearthed from the witness stand. Because of that, the spotlight on him was intense, and every news article was filled with everything related to Han Suhyun. Of course, he said,
"I don't watch the news I'm in."
"Why?"
"It’s embarrassing. They take weird photos and post them. Without even asking for my permission..."
"That’s what being a public figure is all about."
"Am I a public figure?"
"Yes!"
While they were talking, two bowls of soup were placed on the table, and the bread was served. Just like before, she told him to stop moving as soon as the food arrived, picked up her phone, and took what must have been 300 photos. Then, she said,
"Now you can eat."
"Wasn't I the one paying for this?"
"That’s true, but I’m going to give these photos to you, Senior!"
As she scrolled through her gallery, deleting the ones she didn't need, he thought, *What kind of nonsense is this?* but he picked up his spoon anyway. He tasted a spoonful of soup. It was definitely different from the meals he had in his father’s presence, which had tasted like nothing at all. Just as he was thinking that, the restaurant server cautiously approached their table.
"...Excuse me, are you by any chance Han Suhyun...?"
"Hmm."
He really hated being recognized.
"Ah, I’m not here to ask for an autograph or anything. I’m Choi Seongho, the owner of this establishment. It’s an honor."
Looking at the owner who had suddenly introduced himself, he set his spoon down neatly and returned the greeting. But what was this about an autograph? What kind of rumors were going around?
"I heard you were here, so I rushed out. I heard you jumped into the sea to save the ship... I watched the hearing today, too."
"Haha, yes..."
This is so uncomfortable...
"So, if we contact the head office and discuss it, I think we could waive the cost of your meal today..."
"Oh. No. Absolutely not. Not at all."
Only then did he hurriedly wave his hands, telling him not to do that.
"No, I just did what I wanted to do. You really don't have to..."
"..."
Eunbyul was enjoying this situation, while the owner kept making a troubled expression, suggesting that if they discussed it with the head office, he could even provide plenty of takeout. The talk of how he couldn't possibly accept their money continued, and Suhyun opened his wallet to show he had plenty of money—a boast that wasn't really a boast—but then,
"...Then, um... it seems your wife is here with you today, so if you would allow us to provide the wine free of charge..."
"...?"
Wife?
"No, this person is my—no, my wi..."
"Thank you so much~"
Eunbyul quickly covered his mouth with a knife... and with a look of extreme satisfaction at what the owner had just said, she told him they would request it if they needed anything, sending him away. After the owner bowed and disappeared,
"Hey. You have plenty of money, why are you eating this for free? We should pay for the wine, too. If you accept things like this..."
"He called me your wife!"
"....?"
Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked as if she were already drunk, even though the wine hadn't even arrived yet.
"So what?"
"He said I’m the Executive Director’s wife! Does that make any sense? Ah, I’m so flustered! Right? Don't you think so?"
She looked like she was enjoying it, despite saying she was flustered. But man, she was talking too fast. It was several times faster than the speed at which she had been telling him what to say in the car earlier. And her eyes were wide open, looking like she had the whole world in her hands. Anyone could see she was dying of happiness. He decided to ignore her expression for now.
"Anyway, I’m going to pay for the wine, too. Don't take things for free like this. It’s a bad habit..."
"Is that what’s important? Ah, why am I becoming the Executive Director’s wife? Ugh, I really hate it. I don't like divorced men, you know? A beautiful maiden like me, and someone with a divorce record like you..."
Beautiful maiden, my foot. I’m dumbfounded. *So what, am I some dirty piece of trash?* He was looking at her with that thought in mind, and since she kept going on and on, he decided to land a decisive blow.
"You kissed me."
Seeing her try to act like she hated it despite her happy expression, he said it so bluntly that she opened her mouth to say something, then gave up. He had thought she might have been so drunk at the company dinner that she didn't even remember, but it seemed she did remember the kiss.
Soon, she stopped talking and looked away, and having seized the momentum, he continued,
"You're acting like you hate it, hey. I'm dumbfounded. So what if I'm divorced? What's the big deal?"
He had been swayed. Thoroughly. He didn't even know if this was part of her strategy or not.
"I’m the one who got divorced. Poor me. This is ridiculous."
"Why?"
"No, Seo Jia, ha... ...Why am I telling you this? This is ridiculous. Anyway, stop pretending you hate it. Your cheekbones are going to ascend to heaven."
Then, the wine arrived.
— She blushed slightly while talking to him. Because during their conversation, purely out of his curiosity, he had bombarded her with questions:
"No, but why did you kiss me?"
"How did you know I was divorced? Were you stalking me?"
"And what do you mean, 'waiting'?"
Eunbyul was vulnerable to things like this. She loved seeing him get flustered as she spun the conversation around, and she enjoyed taking the high ground and teasing him. But his innocent, curious questions kept interfering, preventing her from doing that.
"You like it, but you're going on about divorce records. Seriously."
"..."
"Eunbyul, I have a question, that..."
It was time to ask what he was curious about. He looked at her and asked,
"Why are you helping me?"
"...Yes? What do you mean?"
"No, you..."
From the moment she started working, she knew too much about his work and tried to help him too much, and even though she could have claimed the credit, she showed no desire to be recognized for her achievements at all. That wasn't all. As if it were her own business, she strategically analyzed what kind of appearance he should show at the hearing, what questions to expect, and how to respond, only to present him with the results. And then she’d say, "I did that, so buy me dinner sometime." By common sense, one might think she had an ulterior motive, or perhaps she was doing it because she had no motive at all.
"Why are you working so hard? As if you have some kind of goal."
As mentioned earlier, in this company, female secretaries are assigned to female executives, and male secretaries to male executives. But Eunbyul, a female secretary who had suddenly dropped from the sky, had the ability to turn everything into his credit while causing a stir in the company from the crack of dawn. Not only had she caught a massive cow while stumbling backward, but she also never walked around with her head held high. That’s why he was curious. Why she was helping him. Anyone would naturally think it was because Eunbyul liked him, but until now, she had only said she liked him in a way that felt half-joking and half-serious. And it hadn't happened often. Once when they had their last meal in college, saying it amidst the white snow, and the second time after the company dinner, after they kissed. Even the second time, she hadn't been that aggressive; she had just left after saying it in a way that suggested he should have noticed.
"That is..."
Eunbyul held the wine glass and rolled it slowly. As if drawing circles in the air. Then, lost in thought for a moment, she stared intently at the wine glass she had placed on the table, and said,
"...I think I’m just that kind of person."