Blissful Monday After a Perfect Weekend
A perfectly peaceful and sweet weekend slips by, and as expected, Monday morning sun rises.
"Mm…."
I wake up feeling great to the morning sunlight sneaking through a gap in the blackout curtains. The first thing that enters my sight is Han Seol-ah's face, gazing down at me intently with her chin propped on her hand.
"Awake, my college boy?"
Back in the day, she'd jolt awake at the slightest sound of me stirring and cling to my waist like it was her lifeline. That fragile, anxious look in her eyes, trembling at the fear I might vanish like smoke right in front of her—it's completely gone now. In its place is an endlessly soft smile, brimming with the leisure of someone who knows she's fully trusted and perfectly loved.
Clearly, all the conversations and body heat we shared rolling around on the sofa yesterday swept away the dark cloud of her inner anxiety.
"Uh… what time is it? I've got a mandatory major class first period today."
"7:30 a.m. Shower, eat, and head out now, and you'll make it just in time. Up you get."
Seol-ah taps the tip of my nose playfully and grins. Just last week, she'd whine, 'Don't go to school or anything—just stay by my side and breathe!' Now she's checking my schedule for me. What massive progress.
I slip out of bed, take a quick shower, and step out to find Seol-ah waiting in front of the dressing room, arms crossed, her outfit perfectly set. From head to toe, an impeccable sleek black office look.
"Here, your campus look for today. I put my heart and soul into picking it."
She hands me a understated navy cardigan of top-grade material, a crisp white shirt ironed without a single wrinkle, and charcoal slacks with a perfect drape.
"Uh… this looks crazy expensive just at a glance. No logo, but the fabric is insane. Can't I just throw on some sweats or a hoodie for college classes?"
"Absolutely not. I won't stand for my man getting outshined by anyone, even after I'm dead and buried. And starting today, you're not just Business major Kang Jinwoo—you're Taesung Group VVIP Kang Jinwoo, campus legend. Maintaining this level of dignity is basic basics."
In the face of Seol-ah's firm resolve, I quietly change into the clothes. Once dressed, I stand in front of the mirror, and she steps up to fuss over my shirt collar with care. The guy reflected back isn't the dirt-poor returnee student drowning in convenience store shifts and grades anymore. He's a refined young man with subtle class oozing from him—one who could be cast as the chaebol heir in a youth drama without a second thought.
"Perfect. Subtly luxurious, genuinely cool. Breakfast in the car on the way. We're gonna be late—let's go!"
Seol-ah naturally laces her fingers with mine and heads for the penthouse's private elevator. Watching her back as she sends me off to school without a hint of anxiety, I feel anew how much stronger our bond has grown.
On the clogged Gangnam roads during rush hour, our massive black limousine glides smoothly, parting the surrounding traffic like the Red Sea.
"Rewrite the Q3 affiliate sales profit margin analysis report and send it up immediately. It completely contradicts the risk hedging direction I specified at last week's executive meeting."
Sitting beside me, Seol-ah flicks through her tablet PC screen with sharp eyes while issuing cool, decisive orders to an executive over her wireless earbuds with her other hand.
"No excuses. If you plan to sit in Taesung's planning office with that sloppy mindset, submit your resignation today. Have the revisions on my desk before lunch."
Her profile, fully immersed in work—her true calling—is breathtakingly cold and alluring. It's a moment where I truly feel she's the power player commanding tens of thousands at a massive corporation.
But even amid those scary, ruthless directives, her other hand stays firmly laced with mine, not letting go for a single second. As if holding this hand is her one true sanctuary.
"No, hold the Daesan Group merger. I'll report directly to Chairman Han Taesoo myself this afternoon and get approval."
Click. She ends the call, removes her earbuds, and turns to me. In an instant, the sub-zero expression of Strategy Planning Director melts away like spring snow, transforming into the world's most adorable puppy eyes.
"How's the sandwich, my Jinwoo? I specially told the chef this morning to use the tenderest parts of top-grade Hanwoo sirloin and load it with organic veggies."
"Man, it melts in your mouth. No exaggeration—the best sandwich I've ever had in my life. You not eating? You burned energy yelling first thing."
"Watching you munch away fills me up. And I wasn't yelling—just giving light work instructions?"
I swallow a wry internal chuckle at her calling the tongue-lashing that terrifies industry execs a "light instruction." Seol-ah gently brushes crumbs from my eating off and pinches my cheek affectionately.
"But Jinwoo, at school… those trashy jerk seniors won't dare come near you anymore, but if some other girls approach because you've gotten so handsome and ask for your number—what'll you do?"
A cute pout with a hint of petulance. Not the old deranged obsession about wrecking their families—just healthy, lovable jealousy any couple might have.
"Obviously, total shutdown. I'll say I've got the world's prettiest, scariest, richest girlfriend watching me with eagle eyes."
"Correct. Model answer. Here's your passing necklace."
Perfectly satisfied with my cheeky reply, Seol-ah bursts into delighted laughter and leans her head on my shoulder. The faint shampoo scent from her hair fills the cramped car.
Before long, the limo passes the university main gate and silently pulls up at the entrance to the business building where my class is.
"Here we are. My Jinwoo's arrived at school."
As I finish the sandwich, toss the wrapper, grab my bag of textbooks, and reach for the door, Seol-ah tugs lightly at my cardigan collar.
"Jinwoo."
I turn, and she wraps her arms around my neck, planting a light but deep kiss on my cheek. A satisfying smack and her sweet breath waft over.
"Focus hard in class. No distractions—just think of me. I'll have the car parked out front ten minutes before it ends, so bolt right out when it's over. Got it?"
A cool, caring send-off—180 degrees from last week's sobbing threats to buy the entire university foundation. Her obsession with picking me up lingers, but her mature trust and poise as she heads to work fill me with gratitude, and a deep smile spreads unbidden.
"Got it. You too, Director—don't squeeze the execs too hard at the office. See you later."
I step out and head into the business building. Monday 9 a.m., the lobby buzzes chaotically with students rushing to first period. But the moment I enter, the noisy chatter dies like a lie, and dozens of eyes snap to me all at once.
"Hey… that guy coming in—isn't that third-year Kang Jinwoo?"
"The rumor from Saturday's cafe group project… calling in twenty Taesung Strategy elites and dropping a Harvard paper PPT… it was real!"
Classmates and juniors part like the miracle of Moses, whispering in shocked voices. I ignore the murmurs, enter the lecture hall, and my group project juniors—who used to ignore me completely while fiddling with their phones—spring up like jack-in-the-boxes, bowing 90 degrees.
I clear my throat, feign nonchalance, and take the prime seat they'd saved. Looking around, that infamous "jerk senior" who'd tried dumping all the work on me is nowhere—even erased from the attendance sheet.
Rumor has it he spent the weekend terrified of permanent Taesung blacklist, cracked under the stress, and tearfully submitted a voluntary leave to the TA Sunday night. Seol-ah's warning was no joke.
As I sit and open my bag for the thick textbook, I spot an unfamiliar tumbler tucked deep inside. Sleek matte black design with a cute white bunny sticker like Seol-ah pasted adorably on it—a premium insulated one.
Curious, I unscrew the lid. Inside: three handmade macarons from a top hotel bakery you couldn't buy at any price, and warm Earl Grey tea wafting a subtle aroma.
And on the tumbler's side, a pretty pale pink post-it carefully stuck on.
—Your world's biggest Jinwoo fan, Seol-ah
The Taesung Strategy Director who'd been commanding a trillions-won merger over the phone just earlier, squeezing execs' throats. That icy perfectionist got up early to sneak this humble, adorable snack into my bag.
I tamp down surging emotion, carefully peel off the post-it, and tuck it safely inside my wallet. A sip of the warm Earl Grey from the tumbler melts away my tension, a pleasant sweetness tingling deep into my chest.
The lecture hall door opens, the professor enters, and the major class begins in earnest. Outside the window, blindingly clear Monday morning sun shines, and as I rest my chin listening to the lecture, a silly smile lingers on my lips till the end.
Our new daily life, unburdened by anxiety and obsession, filled with pure trust and ordinary yet sweet love. This perfect, lovable capitalist romance is just starting to climb its brightest orbit.