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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Company Welfare
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“To help Yu Yi Yeon.”
Su Jin, who had been sitting in front of him, glanced back and forth between Yi Yeon and Do-hyun at his sudden appearance.
She then tactfully picked up her tray and stood from her seat.
“I forgot I have to go to the bank for a loan consultation. Yi Yeon, I’ll head out first! Vice President, enjoy your meal.”
“Su Jin, we just got here……”
We just arrived, so where are you going without even eating? Before she could hear a reply, Su Jin had vanished.
Just before turning away, Su Jin had locked eyes with Yi Yeon and winked before disappearing.
It seemed to mean: I’ll clear out, so make sure to show off some sweet moments with Do-hyun.
Do-hyun switched to the seat Su Jin had occupied moments ago. Settling into the spot across from her, he picked up his chopsticks.
“Vice President? You don’t usually come to the company cafeteria, do you?”
Worried someone might overhear, Yi Yeon leaned forward and quietly spoke to Do-hyun, who was casually picking up his chopsticks without a clue about her feelings.
Do-hyun rarely ate at the company cafeteria.
The moment he lined up, employees would suddenly flock over no matter what the menu was that day, forming a line hand in hand and crowding around wherever he sat.
Because of the annoying glances stealing peeks at him while he ate, he almost never used the company cafeteria.
“I came to help Yu Yi Yeon.”
“How are you planning to help?”
Yi Yeon pouted slightly. Do-hyun nearly reached out to touch her puffed-up cheek but instead flashed a silent laugh.
“When you said you were coming here to eat on a day like today, I figured you were fanning the flames properly, so I thought I’d pour some oil on the fire.”
Do-hyun was right.
Glancing around, Yi Yeon saw that employees had gathered in small groups, surrounding their table and claiming seats one by one.
The cafeteria, usually bustling and noisy, was now eerily quiet, filled only with hushed whispers.
People mechanically moved their chopsticks while their ears perked eagerly toward Yi Yeon and Do-hyun.
Just the fact that she was having lunch here with Do-hyun had ignited the employees’ curiosity into a roaring blaze.
Since Do-hyun arrived, Yi Yeon no longer cared about the surrounding stares.
She focused only on his gaze and voice. She felt sorry for having tried to avoid him earlier. Yi Yeon properly looked at the man in front of her.
He firmly sliced the tteokgalbi in two and pushed it into his mouth.
The line of his jaw moving along with his lips was strangely sexy. Watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed, Yi Yeon gulped down her own saliva in response.
“You’re eating well. The tteokgalbi.”
She didn’t even like tteokgalbi, but watching Do-hyun eat it made it seem appetizing somehow.
Yi Yeon smacked her lips and began preparing to eat.
“A wedge like this might not be enough—I can always crank it up with a kiss.”
What was this man saying right now!
“Are you crazy?”
Though she spoke softly, the employees who caught the stimulating word “kiss” froze in place. They shifted subtly, adjusting their positions to hear better.
As if confirming whether they had really heard “kiss.”
Seeing Yi Yeon’s face flush with fiery embarrassment from his mischievous tease, Do-hyun let out a pleasant laugh.
Among the many gazes watching their cute bickering, one pair stared particularly sharply.
“Ha. So this is how it turns out?”
Ji-hu’s expression twisted so much it was unclear if he was chewing rice or stones.
His contorted face matched the chewing motion perfectly.
“Ji-hu, what’s with that face? Did you bite down on a rock or something?”
He wished he had bitten a rock instead.
From morning through the late morning, Assistant Manager Kang had talked nonstop about Yi Yeon, then shared the news that she had shown up at the cafeteria. He had dragged Ji-hu up here, saying they should eat at the company cafeteria today.
He was already irritated because things weren’t going his way, and to top it off, the seat Ji-hu had claimed put Yi Yeon right in his direct line of sight.
There she was.
Yi Yeon, more mature than in her college days and now radiating even greater femininity, sparkled brighter than ever.
Seeing the Yi Yeon he had once loved stirred up old emotions in Ji-hu. At the same time, surging frustration mixed in, leaving his heart in turmoil.
Nothing was going his way.
Ji-hu realized too late.
How bold and sharp Yu Yi Yeon truly was.
She wasn’t the type of friend to sit idly by while her man’s image got tarnished by weird rumors.
Do-hyun didn’t have a single scratch; if anything, he looked triumphant.
Talk of their marriage sounding like a drama, how he loved even her unattractive sides, and all sorts of positive stories were rampant.
“Who the hell spread that dramatic story anyway?”
Oblivious to the fact that Su Jin had slightly flexed her skills to sway public opinion with their story, Ji-hu stared at Yi Yeon sitting sweetly with Do-hyun.
Watching her eyes curve prettily toward Do-hyun tore at his heart.
He had wanted those eyes so badly.
Why did people crave what they couldn’t have even more?
Ji-hu’s gaze sharpened fiercely as he watched the two.
* * *
“What is this? Why is Do-hyun’s marriage all over the news!”
Gap-su bellowed at Deok-ho, causing the secretary who was bringing in tea to flinch and tremble.
Once the flustered secretary left, Deok-ho scolded Gap-su.
“It’s true that they’re married, so it was an article that should have come out long ago anyway.”
Gap-su couldn’t comprehend why Do-hyun had requested to release the marriage article he had been blocking.
“I told you to be extra careful to keep the marriage secret until you have a child—what the hell is going on!”
“Do-hyun will be here soon, Father.”
“And what’s this? Who is this woman they’re calling Secretary Yu?”
“It’s Yi Yeon, Father. It seems she’s been dressing down like that due to some circumstances.”
At that moment, a knock sounded, and Do-hyun entered.
He gave a light nod upon entering and sat on the sofa.
Seeing Do-hyun, Gap-su—who had seemed ready to yell—simply stared at him silently.
Do-hyun knew full well that the silent stare was even more intimidating.
“If you’re here, say something—did you come just to sit there quietly? Do you think it makes sense that you didn’t even contact me after I came to your house for an explanation?”
Gap-su tossed the photo he held onto the table in front of Do-hyun.
“Explain this first.”
Do-hyun gave a surface-level explanation of the bad incident Yi Yeon had gone through.
He needed to explain why she had resorted to disguising herself in a way that would satisfy both of them.
“You met a real scumbag, huh? Have you looked into what that guy’s doing now?”
Deok-ho erupted in anger at the “scumbag” once Do-hyun finished explaining.
“Yes, I checked, and he died of lung cancer.”
Do-hyun hadn’t told Yi Yeon, but he had no intention of letting the guy who inflicted such a deep wound on her off easily. While tracking him down, Do-hyun had frowned upon hearing he was already dead.
He had left without proper punishment, which felt unfair for Yi Yeon.
“He didn’t even pay for his crimes properly before dying. What an irresponsible bastard.”
Deok-ho struggled to calm his rage. The story of such a lovely daughter-in-law hiding her youth after being hurt by a bad person felt profoundly tragic.
In fact, it was Deok-ho who had leaked the rumor about Do-hyun’s marriage.
He couldn’t understand why Gap-su wanted to keep the marriage a secret.
If they wanted to marry each other, hiding it from everyone wasn’t good for either of them, he thought.
Deok-ho saw Yi Yeon’s kind and pure heart as a rare purity not found in today’s world. He had no desire to hide that she was his daughter-in-law.
“This is no different from tricking us into the marriage.”
“We weren’t trying to deceive anyone.”
Gap-su seemed lost in thought for a while. He needed time to sort things out.
“Since there was a reason, I’ll let it slide this once. Now that it’s out, focus on having a grandchild quickly. Why is there still no news?”
Deok-ho inwardly thought it fortunate they were letting it go at this level.
It seemed like they were finally settling into a somewhat normal family.
* * *
Do-hyun, who had a morning meeting, strode toward the conference room.
As Do-hyun opened the door and entered, the seated employees quickly stood and bowed.
After a brief nod, Do-hyun took the head seat, and the meeting began.
“We’re scheduled to film ‘Company Welfare’ soon.”
“Yes, with public interest in company benefits on the rise these days, ‘Company Welfare’ has become a hot variety show. Woosung Card is always mentioned when it comes to welfare, and our cafeteria food is famously delicious, so we’re finally proceeding with the long-standing invitation.”
‘Company Welfare’ was a program where three hosts visited companies—small or large—with famous cafeterias, sampled the food, and experienced a few of the company’s welfare perks.
With growing interest in work-life balance, it was especially popular among young people focused on company welfare.
“They sometimes bring in guests for filming, and we’ve been told that a special guest will join for our company’s shoot.”
“Who’s the guest?”
Team Leader Kim stroked his chin as he asked.
“It’s actress Jeong Hee-ra, our current company model. Somehow she found out about Woosung Card filming ‘Company Welfare’ and contacted us saying she really wants to appear as a guest. We were surprised to hear our model feels such responsibility and is willing to appear on the show herself.”
“But there’s a bit of a problem. Apparently, Hee-ra designated a specific employee to introduce the company?”
In ‘Company Welfare,’ one company employee acts as a guide for the hosts.
It made sense—no one could introduce the company better than an employee, they could share vivid personal experiences, and as direct beneficiaries of the welfare, they boosted credibility.
Hee-ra had apparently picked someone to follow and guide her throughout the shoot.
“Designated someone?”
“Yes, she insisted to the production team that this employee introduce the company. We heard about it today. It’s also a condition for Hee-ra appearing as a guest.”
“So, who is this employee?”
Do-hyun asked sharply in his deep voice.
