DMSD | Chapter 24

Jinhwan propped his chin on his hand and stared at Myeongeun. Feeling a subtle hint of disdain in his gaze, Myeongeun realized, slightly embarrassed, that Jinhwan’s earlier remark about “water and meat” was a metaphor for “people” and “non-people.”

“So, then… do you cook for yourself? Since you live alone…”

Blurting out whatever came to mind, Myeongeun quickly clamped his mouth shut. It wasn’t written in any resume, and Jinhwan had never actually mentioned living alone. If he asked how he knew, how would he answer?

Jinhwan simply glanced at him, checked his phone for messages, and showed no particular reaction.

“With all these delivery apps nowadays, who needs to cook?”

It seemed Jinhwan was quite a fan of delivery apps, especially since the internal guidelines specified them too. Thinking back, even Kwon Jinhyeon had taken extra care with his brother’s meals that day in the elevator.

“Health…”

Jinhwan looked up at him.

About to caution him against too much takeout, saying it was unhealthy, Myeongeun looked him over from head to toe and shrank back.

“…Never mind.”

By all appearances, Jinhwan was in great shape, far more robust than Myeongeun, who often cooked at home. But then, how could he convince him to cut back on using the delivery app?

“But doesn’t it cost…”

Just as he was about to ask if it didn’t cost too much, he shut his mouth again. Talking about money with Jinhwan was pointless.

Still, he couldn’t help but worry. Regardless of his strength and wealth, if he only ever ate food loaded with seasonings, he’d eventually run into health issues.

Should I bring him homemade sandwiches or salads for breakfast?

With his eyes closed, Myeongeun pondered deeply. Then he suddenly questioned why he was so concerned about Jinhwan’s eating habits.

He’d only vowed not to see Jinhwan as anything other than an arrogant jerk just an hour ago. If, after his grandma’s passing, Jinhwan had been living alone at the Temple of All Gods, unable to properly care for himself, Myeongeun might’ve shown up every day to make him meals. But it was clear that Jinhwan wasn’t one to care about spending 10,000 or 20,000 won on delivery, likely ordering from places that used quality ingredients. That body wasn’t one that neglected health.

Though the three Kwon brothers were naturally well-built, they also exercised. Kwon Jinhyeok was known to hit the gym a couple of times a week and was as muscular as a fitness addict. Rumor had it that Kwon Jinhyeon also frequented a gym in the building next to their office.

Jinhwan, too, must have a trained body. Even though his broad build was apparent under his clothes, he wasn’t overly muscular. His tall frame and long limbs made clothes hang well on him. Still, the firmness he’d felt once when he accidentally brushed against Jinhwan’s arm left no doubt that he was fit.

“Let’s make a reservation here.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Myeongeun opened his eyes.

“What?”

“Let’s make a reservation here.”

Jinhwan held up his phone screen.

“Oh, for lunch.”

It looked like he’d been searching for a place to eat lunch.

“The menu you decided…”

As he trailed off, staring at Jinhwan’s screen, Jinhwan calmly instructed him, “It might be too late to make a reservation now, but give it a try, just in case.”

“…Kwon Jinhwan-ssi.”

Though he’d resisted the urge all day, this time, he couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

“This isn’t some end-of-year company event. We’re just going for a casual lunch with the team.”

Jinhwan, pulling his phone back, crossed his long legs.

“The steak here is good.”

Well, of course, the steak at a five-star hotel’s restaurant would be good!

Suppressing the urge to shout, Myeongeun took a deep breath.

“Jinhwan-ssi, we can’t go there.”

Jinhwan frowned slightly, his face clearly asking, “Why not?”

“We’re using the corporate card, and we can’t spend tens of thousands of won per person for lunch.”

“Corporate card? Oh, a company card.”

Thankfully, it seemed even this clueless chaebol son understood the concept of a corporate card.

“Then why don’t we just pay for ourselves?”

“What?”

“If you don’t want to use company money, can’t we just pay individually and eat whatever we want?”

He felt like he was losing his breath.

What? Make him sandwiches? Salads? Worry about his diet? Get a grip, Go Myeongeun.

He mentally laughed at himself.

The young man before him was an “heir” in ways beyond his imagination. It was beyond absurd, downright unbelievable. Though it wasn’t fair to compare, he’d never seen Jinhwan’s two older brothers, Kwon Jinhyeok and Kwon Jinhyeon, flaunt any extravagant tastes. At first, even he had assumed they might casually dine on foie gras for lunch and caviar for dinner. Yet, he’d often bumped into them at local eateries, indulging in casual food and soju with their colleagues.

Once, he’d even ended up at a table with Kwon Jinhyeok after running into the Legal team at a stew place. Though he’d often attended work events with Kwon Jinhyeon, it had been his first time sitting close to Kwon Jinhyeok. Watching him stubbornly try to avoid paying for the meal by switching his number during the “ladder game,” even for a mere stew and some egg rolls, had been a bit off-putting. Kim Dae-ri, noting his modest ways, was quite pleased until a call from her boyfriend suddenly sobered her up. Ironically, Kwon Jinhyeok ended up losing that day, but after being caught, he coolly paid, revealing it was all for fun.

And now… Here was Kwon Jinhwan, the kind of person who’d casually fly to Italy for pasta.

As Myeongeun narrowed his eyes at Jinhwan, Jinhwan suddenly spoke up.

“I was joking.”

With a serious look, Jinhwan remarked, “Assistant Manager, can’t you even recognize a joke?” He made it sound like Myeongeun lacked a sense of humor.

“A joke?”

“Yes. Who would have steak for lunch?”

…Idiot. It’s not about the menu, but the choice of restaurant.

Though he realized that Jinhwan’s fixation on the five-star hotel restaurant was genuine, he decided to let it slide. Jinhwan, unusually aware of the atmosphere, was trying to smooth things over as a joke, so there was no need to press further. Perhaps he’d learned something from this.

“Alright.”

As he nudged him to pick a more appropriate spot, Jinhwan asked, “What do you like?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.”

Waving his hand, Myeongeun added, “Today’s just a simple team lunch to welcome you, so you should choose.”

“I was planning to.”

Jinhwan looked at him with a wasn’t that obvious? expression.

“I was just asking so I could avoid the things you probably eat often.”

…I mostly eat at the cafeteria.

Deciding he didn’t want to keep bantering with Jinhwan, he ignored him, pulling out his phone to open his virtual pet app. After cleaning up the litter box and feeding “Gomyeongie,” he typed, Hyung’s having a rough day today, but discovered his pricey virtual curtains had been shredded by the picky virtual cat he’d bought with yesterday’s points. With a throbbing headache, he closed the app.

After a quick introduction to the names, faces, and titles of the Public Relations team members, he guided Jinhwan out of the break room. Reaching his desk, with Jinhwan to his left and Kim Junyoung to his right, he momentarily forgot to breathe.

As the department head finished a call, the remaining team members headed toward the elevators. Even in that short distance, eyes from other departments kept darting toward Jinhwan. Everyone expected it, so they all ignored the stares and exchanged glances only with familiar faces. Yet, the thought of dealing with such attention every time he escorted Jinhwan somewhere already felt tiring.

While they waited for the next elevator, Yang Gyejang glanced at Jinhwan.

“You’re the one who chose jeyuk, right? Do you like pork?”

Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, Jinhwan nodded.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Before they’d left the break room, Myeongeun had practically begged him to respond earnestly to his teammates’ questions. Having earned some points earlier by humiliating Kim Junyoung in the meeting room, Jinhwan was already in good standing with Yang Gyejang and Kim Dae-ri. As long as he didn’t ruin it, he’d be fine today. Although Jinhwan hadn’t exactly acknowledged his request, at least he wasn’t ignoring his coworkers in person.

“Jinhwan-ssi likes meat,” Myeongeun chimed in, filling in Jinhwan’s sparse answer.

At this, Manager Lee awkwardly jumped in with an exaggerated expression of relief.

“Thank goodness. We usually go for meat at team dinners, so I was worried about what we’d do if you couldn’t eat it.”

Why are you worrying about that, Manager?

Myeongeun felt a bit sorry for him, especially as Jinhwan glanced at Manager Lee before looking away, leaving Manager Lee standing there, awkwardly.