Sungmin Pov
Since Minjae's bastard ran away, I stood behind the wall where Joohwan could not notice me and waited until he went inside the restaurant. I tapped my feet nervously, peeking out my head to see if he was gone or not.
Sigh
He went inside. But I didn't move out. I waited until he finished his setting up and arranging everything back to the usual appearance that his restaurant had. When I heard the bell chime, I knew he was fully inside. That's when I stepped aside from where I hid and dusted my clothes, setting my white collar neatly and brushing over my blue sweater to make sure I looked so casual.
Don't be nervous or awkward; just act like you're another customer who just came early
I repeated my words in my head again and again.
I walked toward the entrance, my heart thudding against my chest; the thought of facing him after knowing who he was makes me feel more awkward now. The glass door suddenly looked like a huge wooden door that I needed to push forward to step into Joohwan's closed life.
The last time I walked through it, I had left with a rejection that I didn't ask for and that is still brewing in my chest. This time would be different. It had to be.
I pushed open the door. The bell jingled above, welcoming me lazily as if even the door knew I wasn't supposed to be here. The smell of trapped cooking smoke and semen filled the air, indicating that it just opened now. The empty low tables are waiting for the first customer to fill the space. The curtains' windows passed the sunlight in small streams, casting it over the wooden floor.
It was very quiet now but not peaceful.
There was this emptiness in the air that had just been filled with this furniture to make this very space full. The silence that swallowed the words that now were forgotten to speak that layered with survival.
I took a step, my shoes scuffing softly against the old wood. Then I heard a voice from the kitchen; maybe since there was silence, it came too loud to hear but was calm with no hurry or enthusiasm in it.
"We are not open yet…" he trailed off as I heard his footsteps.
And as soon as he saw me, his eyes did something I hadn't expected. They widen. Just for a moment, well enough for me to notice. Then they flickered to something almost like wariness. Like he was already bracing himself for whatever I am here for.
"You again?" he said, more like a question, flatly.
"Are you looking for someone particular other than me?" I asked and let out a groan-worthy laugh.
I wish he were more expressive, at least roll his eyes, than just stare at me with those soulless eyes. I sighed, shaking my head. I wonder if he was always like this or if he turned like this after Yoosuh hyung's death.
Whatever, I wasn't here to fix or heal him; I was here to pull out the shell he created around and for my company, of course. I need to keep up with some conversation.
"Well, I was just passing by and thought of visiting your restaurant, as it's lunchtime," I said, forcing my casual tone.
Joohwan stared at me, the silence stretching that made me feel dizzy and uncomfortable. I could feel his gaze weighting. He looked like he was trying to find if I was lying or if I genuinely had some other business in this neighborhood.
I cleared my throat, scrambling for an excuse that could make him not dig too much. "I had a meeting nearby that ended early. And I was hungry. Since the food here is good… I am here."
It wasn't a lie, though; the food was good.
He let out an exhale and turned to his back. "The restaurant isn't open yet; better to find another or…" he trailed off, turning his head side-glancing at me over his shoulder. "You can wait."
I let out a wide grin, fighting the urge to pump my fist in the air. "I'll wait," I chimed.
He didn't respond; he just disappeared into the kitchen, the swinging door fluttering behind him. I stood there staring at the door alone in the empty restaurant. I walked to the table near the window, where the sunlight pooled like honey on the wooden surface and the spring air blew. I sat down waiting as he told me to.
Minutes passed. Then more, I could hear him moving in the kitchen, the clatter of metal utensils, and running water. The prep that Taekwang had mentioned, though I wasn't able to see him standing in the kitchen since the place was quiet enough, I could feel it. Then the hiss of oil and the thud of a knife against the cutting board. So this was his routine here everyday.
But then the sounds stopped. I looked up as the kitchen door swung open and Joohwan walked out with a small tray with a bowl that was steaming and a side of rice. My eyes widened a little as he walked to my table.
"You said you were hungry, so eat," he said flatly.
I blinked in surprise, gulping, "You made this for me?"
"I have to make it anyway; customers might come after a little while, but as you have already arrived, I just made them. You can order once you finish them."
I stared at him without blinking; it was the first time he spoke something long. An amused huff slipped before I could stop. I looked at the food tray, Sunbubu gyeran guk, the soft tofu and egg drop soup steaming alongside rice; my mouth watered immediately seeing it.
"Thank you," I said to him.
He gave a nod. "You don't have to pay; take it as the payback for the tteokbokki," he said and turned to leave before I could refuse.
That was surprising that he actually thought of it. I chuckled, looking at the food, tilting my head. "He must have a soft side that hasn't left him yet," I muttered under breath.
I picked up the spoon, the steam rising against my fingers as I started to dig in. The armor itself is super moldable. I lifted a spoonful, blew gently on it, and took a sip.
OHHH
The flavor hit me like a memory I hadn't known I had experienced before. The tofu melted on the tongue; the egg ribbons were soft and delicate. I placed my hand on my cheek at that comforting feel.
This... this is why I can't give up on you, Kown Joohwan.
Then the bell chimed again.
I looked up with my hand still on my cheek and saw Mrs. Kwon walking in.
When she saw me, she passed a motherly smile, already expecting me here. "Oh, we have a customer early," she said, making a shy grin.
I bowed to her politely, and she waved her hand. She walked straight to my table. "Did you get the documents?" She whispered while keeping her at the kitchen door.
I chuckled, nodding my head. "Yes, thank you so much for your cooperation," I whispered back.
She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and looked at that food. "Did he make these?" she asked, with her eyes slightly wide in surprise.
"Yes, I had said I was passing by, completing my meeting, and I am hungry."
Her brows rose, and she nodded. "I didn't expect that. Well, eat up; I shouldn't interrupt you," she said with a smile that followed.
I shook my head. "No, Mrs. Kwon, it's fine."
"How many times do I have to tell you, handsome man, not to call me that?"
I grinned sheepishly at her. "Ah, sorry, Ajumma."
She grinned, her whole face brightening. "That's right."
We turned our heads when we heard the kitchen door open and Joohwan walking out. Joohwan stepped out, wiping his hands with a clean kitchen towel. His eyes went to his aunt first, then to me, then again back to his aunt. Nothing changed on his face, but his feet slowed slightly.
"You're early," he said to her.
Mrs. Kown smiled knowingly. "Well, your uncle said that he could manage at home, so I went back to help you."
"I can manage."
"I know you can." She glanced at me, then at the bowl in front of me, and her smile grew wider. "But apparently we already have a customer."
Joohwan's eye flickered toward my half-empty bowl.
"He's waiting," he said shortly, walking toward the counter.
"Since when did you serve food before opening?" His aunt asked casually, which made Joohwan pause, reaching to the drawer, I guess, as I heard a slide sound. He looked up through his lashes, and I suddenly became very interested in my soup.
"I had already prepared it." He answered.
Mrs. Kwon hummed knowingly. I looked between them. I can definitely tell she wasn't buying that explanation. Neither did I when he said it's payback. She walked past the counter and went to the kitchen, leaving two of us alone again.
Joohwan looked at me. I looked back, and then his gaze dropped to my bowl.
"You want to order something?"
I blinked at his question and looked down at the bowl in front of me. Then at him, then back at the bowl. "Didn't you just feed me?"
"I gave you something to eat. I didn't ask you to stop eating."
I stared at him and let out a genuine laugh this time, not forced. I can see that annoyed glint in his eyes. That same expression from the drunken night. Was he that offended by my laugh?
He shook his head and walked out from the counter, ready to ignore me. "If you are done laughing, order something for yourself; if not, call me when you are done. I'll take your order; if not, my aunt will. Thank you," he muttered, ready to get back to the kitchen.
I subsided my laughter and nodded. "I am done; can you take my order?" I said with a grin, titling my head, staring at him.
He closed his eyes, let out a huff, and walked to my table. Taking out his pen and small notepad. I told my usual order what I ate when I was here for the first time. He didn't utter a single question about that, like, 'Why do you order the same?' or 'Don't you get bored eating the same thing?' He quietly noted the order and headed back to the kitchen.
I sat there idly thinking about what I should do next. I hope Bongsoen and Junwoo get that folder. I sighed, looking at the empty rice bowl and then at the soup bowl with fragments of soup left, scattered and incomplete, just like the information we currently had about him.
Bongseon POV
I shook my head, looking at the folder, still not believing that Mr. Hollow has this much certification and experience in the culinary field. I softly threw the folder on my desk, leaning back into my chair. The chair squeaked as it swung, leaving the name. Kown Joohwan was staring right back up at my face from the cover.
Honestly, "Mr. Hollow" felt a lot more relatable than the man described in these pages.
I still can't believe that Junwoo actually let Sungmin mention Mr. Hollow to Yu. It was risky, to say the least, not because he had some experience, but because the man had already rejected us.
I flipped open the folder again, scanning the pages. Hoosung University, which was no small achievement. Their culinary program was one of the most competitive in the country. Specialized training in traditional Korean cuisine, food preservation, and large-scale kitchen management. He worked at a Gangnam restaurant, then a hotel kitchen in Jongo. They'd wanted to promote him to head chef within two years.
Two years?! That's quite impressive. But as I turned to the next page, my breath caught. I closed the folder and leaned forward, clicking my tongue in annoyance at how he had just walked away from a position where he was about to hit a milestone.
Two years… Only two years at the restaurant, and they had clearly considered promoting him to head chef. That wasn't normal. I opened the folder again; there had to be something; people didn't simply leave a position like that without a reason.
My fingers moved down the page, trailing down the words. Employment status written in bold: resigned. There wasn't any explanation written. I formed. "That's it?" I flipped to the next page, but that was the dead end.
I checked the employment history again, wondering if I'd somehow missed a line. Fortunately I hadn't. His career before that resignation was almost annoyingly perfect. Good university. Excellent training. Strong recommendations. And then nothing, as if someone had taken a knife and cut his professional life cleanly in half.
This work somehow made me feel like an illegal, and now this makes it super hard.
"You're frowning too much, Ms. Kang." I snapped my head back at that familiar voice, finding Sungmin's brat, our manager Jeon Junwoo.
I sighed, shaking my head, pointing at the file since I had to keep up with my work more than my racing heart.
"This feels illegal, Gwa-jang-nim. You shouldn't have allowed Assistant Manager Han to speak about this man who already rejected us," I said, more like complained.
He let out a chuckle that my dumb head took as sweet and soft; if it was Sungmin in place of him, he would have either gotten offended or been surprised at how he looked right now. A small, very small dimple peeking at his right cheek made him look soft, my heart fluttering.
"You think I should have stopped him? After everything he had done for this team?" Junwoo asked, leaning against the edge of my desk, his arms crossed loosely, the sleeves of his crisp white shirt rolled up just enough to reveal his veiny forearms.
I flickered my gaze up at his face. "That's not what I meant, Gwa-jang-nim. I just…" I paused to put my words together. I wasn't so surprised when I heard him mention Sungmin's hard work since I had known, after all, he was this guy's mentor once.
"This man already said no. We went to him with an offer, and he turned it down, flat out. Sungmin-ssi is chasing someone who doesn't want to be caught."
Junwoo was quiet for a moment. Then he leaned down and said, "But didn't we make that rush in the first place?"
I opened my mouth but was immediately cut off by him: "Well, even if he had nothing in his mind, we haven't foreseen it. So let him try again; it won't go in vain."
I looked at the folder and gestured at it. "But this? This doesn't make sense. Look at his qualification. He should be running a kitchen somewhere prestigious, not hiding in a small place like that, though it's his own—"
"No, it's not his own; it passed down from generation to generation if we see clearly." Junwoo said that I almost rolled my eyes. I hate it when someone interrupts me, but what can I do? After all, he is my manager and…okay. No distraction.
"Fine, let's keep it that way. But something must have happened to him. Something that made him walk away from everything."
Junwoo's gaze dropped to the folder. "And that's exactly why Han Dae-ri-nim is chasing him."
I frowned, my nose crinkling up; my mouth twitched. "That's not how it works, Gwa-jang-nim; it was all that man's personal belongings we already had and going through them—
"You really overthink so much, Ms. Kang," he said, making me bite my words back.
His gaze softened a little, or were my eyes doing some magic? I don't know; he seemed a lot different. He never interrupted me this much.
"If you noticed the qualification page, you might see that he and Mr. Han studied in the same high school, where Joohwan-sii had graduated, as he is the senior. If my hunch was right, they must at least know each other. So let him do whatever he does."
I opened my mouth, but since nothing came to my mind to say, I closed it again, biting my lower lip and looking at the papers.
"Um…If this work is done, would you like to have coffee with me?" Junwoo said, For the first time I heard the hesitation undertone."
My eyes had blown wide at whatever it was if he asked me out or something. I couldn't believe it myself. Before I could say anything, he added, "I mean about work, you have been working too much; you might need a very little break."
I would not have any problem if he hadn't added that "working too much" thing. Now that bothers me, why is he bringing up my work habits as if he hadn't seen me working this hard before?
But, whatever, who would miss this chance to know more about him? A giddy feeling bubbled in my chest.
"Ms. Kang?"
I blinked, realizing I had been staring at him without responding.
"Oh. Right. Coffee. Yes. I mean—" I cleared my throat, trying to regain some of my composure. "That would be fine, gwa-jang-nim. For work purposes."
The corner of his mouth twitched into almost a smile. Almost very soft.
"For work purposes, of course." He repented, lowering his eyes, his lips curved into a half-smile before he straightened up, adjusting his tie. "I'll find you when the files are done, then."
I nodded, watching him walk back to his office. My heart was doing something ridiculous in my chest, and I hated it so much that I am loving it.
I looked down at the folder again, at the name Kwon Joohwan staring back at me. I pressed my lips into a thin line. Thanks, Mr. Hollow, and Sungmin too; maybe this crazy plan of yours isn't so crazy after all.