PTC Chapter 8. Necessary Kindness

‘Well, we’re not exactly on smiling terms. It’s not like she’d respond with a beaming ‘Yes, with pleasure!’ to a 100-day contract marriage proposal.’ 

But seeing her smiling like that irritated him. Seojun took out his phone and called Da-in. 

He watched her from a distance, but even though the phone kept ringing, she didn’t answer. After a while, she took her phone out of her pocket, checked it, and put it back.

…Rejected.

Seojun was so stunned that his jaw dropped.

‘What? Is she ignoring my call?’

He called again. Once again, she took out her phone from her jacket pocket, checked it, and rejected the call. Seojun gritted his teeth, listening to the disconnection tone.

Da-in was talking to Manager Kim.

“I think this event is going to be a huge success.”

“Our store is always like this. There are a lot of young couples with kids in the neighborhood, so we get a lot of traffic during the new semester events. Sales are expected to be even higher than last year.”

Da-in smiled and nodded at Manager Kim’s words.

“Shall we have lunch together? The bed section is a bit slow right now. We can take turns and eat…”

“I’m afraid that might be difficult.”

A familiar male voice interrupted them. It was Kang Seojun. Da-in tensed up. Manager Kim also became nervous and bowed upon seeing the company CEO unexpectedly.

“Hello, Mr. Kang. What brings you here…?”

“Just stopped by. You could say it’s an inspection? Or maybe a secret royal inspector visit?” 

His words were so odd that Da-in closed her eyes tightly and then opened them. Seojun had these moments sometimes. He looked at Da-in and said,

“I was thinking of looking at a table. They seem to be selling well.”

“Yes, I’ll show you this way, Mr. Kang.”

As Da-in walked toward the table section, Seojun followed and asked,

“Business is good?”

Da-in replied respectfully,

“Yes, Mr. Kang. The response has been positive.”

“Is that why you were giggling and laughing?”

“When did I…?” She then remembered smiling while eating the chocolate and closed her mouth. He must have seen her from afar.

“I apologize for chatting during work hours.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean?”

Just then, the employee who had gone to lunch returned. They immediately greeted the CEO.

“Hello, Mr. Kang.”

“Yes, I need to talk to Ms. Park Da-in.”

The employee’s eyes widened. They wondered what the CEO could possibly have to discuss with a regular employee like Park Da-in.

“I’ll be back in shortly. Let’s go, Ms. Park.”

Refusing to go would only make the situation more awkward. 

“Yes.”

Da-in bowed her head and replied, following Seojun out of the store. As they left, Seojun asked.

“What do you want to do? There’s nowhere to talk here, and we need to eat.”

If they ate at a nearby restaurant, rumors would spread quickly.

“Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Seojun drove a short distance from the store and entered an Italian restaurant. Da-in spoke quickly.

“Didn’t you see how busy the store was? I need to get back quickly.”

“Who’s going to say anything when the CEO takes you out? We need to eat.”

“A simple sandwich will be enough.”

“How can you work after eating just that? I’m too hungry for just a sandwich. And right now, your CEO is buying you time. Having lunch with me is part of your job.”

“Oh, is that so, sir?”

Da-in said that and sat down at the table. Seojun looked at the menu and began ordering.

“First, one truffle pizza. Then, porcini mushroom risotto, lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, and add a rack of lamb steak.”

Da-in stared at Seojun with wide eyes. How much was he planning to eat? Each dish would take time to prepare. She couldn’t understand why he was ordering such an extravagant meal during lunch. Noticing her expression, Seojun raised his chin as if asking what the problem was. Da-in furrowed her brow and said,

“Sir, this is lunch. Aren’t you ordering too much?”

She was back in business mode. Seojun smiled and shook his head.

“You need to eat well. You need strength for the event, right? Lifting heavy furniture and explaining things to customers all day.”

“So you’re saying you ordered all this because of me?”

“I appreciate you treating your CEO with such respect during work hours, but you can drop the formalities.” 

“No. I will not. If this were a personal meeting, I wouldn’t have come.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll speak casually, and you can speak formally. But isn’t that unfair? I’m giving you permission to speak casually.”

Da-in stared at Seojun silently and shook her head.

“No.”

Da-in spoke even more coldly, fixing her gaze somewhere on the table. Then, she looked back at Seojun and asked.

“Why are you here?”

“It’s my store, can’t I come here?”

“So you came to inspect the store, not to see me?”

“I came to this store because you’re here. Have you thought about my proposal?”

“I’m thinking about it. Is that why you came?”

“Yes. It’s a kind of sales pitch. Whenever you make a proposal, there should be a result, a negotiation. I’m working towards a positive outcome. I’m here to convince you to accept my offer. It’s not a bad deal.”

“Whether it’s a bad deal or not, it is something I need to consider carefully. And if I’m going to do that, I prefer to maintain a formal tone.”

“Then drop the formalities. What’s so bad about it for you?”

Although he said that, he knew she wouldn’t.

“So what’s good about a 100-day marriage that ends in divorce?”

“That’s why I’m compensating you financially.”

I never thought there would be a day we’d be discussing marriage and money. 

I know this is a messed-up situation. 

Seojun’s eyes, which had been shut, slowly shifted to Da-in. She spoke calmly,

“So whether I need the money more or a clean family register is my decision.” 

“That’s true. And what else?”

Seojun wanted to know what Da-in was hesitant about. He wanted to understand her thoughts, so he kept probing.

“Who goes through even 100 days of living with in-laws these days? Who would want that?”

Especially with your mother…

She swallowed the rest of her words. She clearly remembered the cold look of frosty in his mother’s eyes directed at her. Living in the same house with her seemed unbearable. Seojun nodded in agreement. Just then, the food started arriving.

“Eat first. We can negotiate better on a full stomach.”

Seojun pushed the food towards Da-in. He cut the pizza into bite-sized pieces and placed them on her plate, a gesture oddly tender considering the circumstances.

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

Seojun, pausing mid-slice, looked at Da-in. She looked down at the pizza and said,

“I have hands. I can cut my own pizza. Don’t bother with unnecessary kindness.”

She drew a clear line, emphasizing the distance between them. But he wasn’t about to back down.

“What are you talking about? Why is this unnecessary? I told you, I’m the kind of person who feels better when a contract is concluded. This kindness is part of my strategy. It’s absolutely necessary kindness, not unnecessary. Just accept it.”

He then pushed the pickle dish towards her, remembering how she always ate several plates of pickles whenever she had pizza, more than anyone else. These small gestures, despite her attempts to ignore them, pricked her heart. 

The fragments of past memories, a mixture of pain and longing, tormented her. As Da-in tried to maintain her composure and ate slowly, Seojun spoke again.

“You’re right. No one wants to live with their in-laws these days. But living together in our house is a key condition of this arrangement. I can’t change that. So, propose other conditions instead.”

“I haven’t agreed to anything.”

“Let’s at least try to find common ground. If the conditions don’t work out, then we can’t do it. That’s just how it is. So tell me your conditions.”

“I might just dislike the whole idea itself.”

“But you’re also considering it, right? That’s why you said you’d think about it instead of rejecting it outright.”

He was right. Da-in remained silent, so Seojun continued.

“This could be an opportunity. A chance to resolve all your big and small problems at once, Park Da-in. Take it. This opportunity. I’ll take care of everything for you.”

If not for the condition of a 100-day marriage, his words would have been incredibly reassuring.