Clues
Drunk By Wood Scent (4)

Gaon, who had a long scroll stretched over his desk, long ago saw the correspondence written in letters that are not currently used anywhere except Jungcheon. It was a letter Hayul had sent before setting a trap on the mountain, but only after he was on the scene did it reach Gaon.

"I'm sorry Sir. Several correspondence came from Myeonggye at once, but there was no direct message to the CEO and no special sign, so I could not directly check it.”

It's not long. As Hayul said, all he wanted to do was create a barrier on the road between Myeonggye and the life world to catch the fleeing sinners. Again, Gaon slowly read the letter and a fine wrinkle formed between his eyebrows.

Why did he send such an important letter so lightly this time? Hayul, who usually sent many letters to Gaon to be cleaned up after his job and did not even bother to use the greetings on the letters, sent the letters very clearly this time. Therefore, Gaon did not immediately understand why he was so relaxed when he told such an important matter.

Although both Gaon and Hayul were largely bound to the procedure, in fact, it was right to ask for formal permission first, in case of an event that greatly affected the other party's territory of government, like this one. Hayul has never neglected the procedure.

Moreover, when he first met Hayul in Taebaek, he did not think of anything suspicious. But on the way back when he thought about it, there was a seed of doubt in his heart. First of all, the method he used did not seem to be very effective in capturing the fugitives. And there was also doubt that King Yama himself had come forward to resolve such a trivial matter.

These days, King Yama sometimes says things that he cannot understand…. Is it because he is really bored? He often said that it was too boring to be stuck in such a position, but even so, he was not just a person acting in the mood. He always had a smile on his face, so he didn't look so calculating, but Hayul was the man who gave meaning to every word and action. There was no way he would do anything without any intention.

"CEO, are you awake?"

Gaon, who had been thinking hard, wrapped the scroll without regret as Hee-Joo's cautious voice rang out from outside the door. There must be a reason. But it's been in the past. Gaon did not think long about things he could not solve on his own.

"I'm up."

"Then I'll go in."

"Yes." Yeah."

Gaon glances at the blood pressure gauge that Hee-Joo is carrying, and calmly hands over one hand while sitting down. He was guaranteed to have a life expectancy until the end of his term, but it had been a long time since he deleted the idea of asking why they made such a fuss. Rather than listening to Hee-Joo's nagging constantly, it's easier to do what she wants. It was a truth he learned from long experience.

"CEO, when are we going to prepare the food?"

“I will go to the main house with you today. Oh, looks like there's a business meeting scheduled today..”.

“Yes, the Vice President decided to pick you up at 10am. Business report will be delivered at 8 o'clock by Chief of Staff.”

Hee-Joo enters the dining room one step earlier than Gaon and moves in haste. Hands that have long been ready, move in unison.

Gaon, who was looking around the perfectly prepared table before he sat down, quietly sighed. Except for rice and soup, there are almost 20 dishes with delicious side dishes.

He doesn't have to do this much in the morning…. Hee-Joo doesn't know much about her tastes even after a long time as Gaon's assistant, which is her fault (Gaon). Gaon clearly knew how difficult it was to prepare a table full of food. So he tried tasting all the side dishes on the table at least once. Therefore, even though there was food to his taste, he did not touch it several times.

Miss Kwon is now over 60 years old, so it's time to prepare for her retirement. When the next person came, he had to tell them to prepare a simple meal from scratch. As Gaon was eating side dishes one by one as usual, he paused while looking at Jangteok*, which was made in a round shape like a full moon. Five pine nuts each are decorated in the form of petals on the cute Jangtteok, which is the size of a bite.

[T/N: Pancake Jangteok or Gochujang. The word “Jang” ( ⁇ ) means condiments, such as soy sauce (Banjang, ⁇ ), soybean paste (Doenjang, ⁇ ), or chili paste (Gochujang, ⁇ ). Therefore “Jang-Tteok” ( ⁇ ) means pancakes flavored with a kind of sauce.]

Why that…. It's not like I'm going to eat all this, but I'm going to eat a little bit. Gaon can only sigh inwardly, thinking Hee-Joo's time and effort are too extravagant, but she continues to eat without saying anything.

"MST. Kwon. I appreciate your sincerity, but you don't have to work this hard to prepare food.”

"What's? What do you mean, my lord? Don't you like the food?”

“No, not like that…. There is rice and soup, so if put two or three side dishes on it.”.

“Eating..., does not taste good?”

“... No, everything is good. I just thought Ms. Kwon is having a hard time…. I said that I don't need so many side dishes. Do as you always do.”

After that day, Hee-Joo tries harder in food. Gaon could clearly see that his words had accidentally backfired while trying to save trouble. However, he had no choice but to shut up about the food. I should have eaten what I liked back then . Then, even if Ms. Kwon will be angry for a while, his suffering will be reduced for decades. However, back then, it was difficult for Gaon to say things to the new assistant.

Eating the soft and supple Jangteok, Gaon was a little regretful for the first time in a long time. He initially liked the crunchy texture, especially the kind of pancakes that were crisp enough to injure the palate, but he has not been able to eat crunchy food at home for more than 40 years because he was not honest with his taste at first. . Now she can't even tell the truth to Hee-Joo, until she retires. Until then, he had no choice but to eat the food given to him.

At the same time when he was feeling a little disappointed, he remembered the potato pancakes he had eaten yesterday the day after tomorrow. As the texture of his potato pancakes crisp every time he is bitten, Gaon suddenly feels sorry for Hee-Joo. It was like that day at the restaurant.

I feel sorry for Ms. Kwon. I couldn't have breakfast properly because there was too much food and the food also tasted rather bland. But he'll be pissed to see me eating out.”

“Food in a restaurant tastes better. Restaurants cannot be maintained without customers, so they have no choice but to use condiments to create a savory taste that captivates the taste buds. Maybe Ms. Kwon only uses natural ingredients, so it feels less appetizing.”

“Yes, you can always eat healthy home-cooked meals and eat snacks with me only occasionally. I'll do this for you anytime.

Having a young friend is fun. Gaon smiles thinly, remembering the neat face of Ji-Won, who always smiles widely throughout the business trip as his companion. Before, he could not pay attention to his appearance well, but since his business trip to London, they went to many restaurants and ate good food, so he was used to his presence. It was the first time at dinner in London that she noticed that Ji-Won had such beautiful features.

He must be popular with women. She had a very nice appearance, a gentle and caring personality, and a childlike heart…. She felt refreshed whenever she was beside him. What do kids call a handsome guy these days?

“I heard the Chief of Staff is here, Mr.”

"He has arrived?"

"Yes." Yeah."

Gaon put down the hot tea cup he was holding and slowly got up from his seat. He was just a nominal representative of a company, and there were people who actually worked for him. But since he is the final decision maker of a company, he must know the minimum flow.

As Gaon began to concentrate with a serious face, there was nothing left in the silent office except the sound of the paper spinning and rubbing. The shadow of a young man with a pleasant smile had been dazzled.

****

“Uhhhh? Where's this…"

Dok-Yeom, who barely lifts her heavy eyelids, looks around with her indistinct gaze. After struggling to relive her memories, she finally realizes that it is Ji-Won's house, but she cannot remember how she came to this room from the living room.

She vaguely remembers that the two of them poured three glasses of liquor into Hae-Soo's mouth and then threw her into the guest room to stay over.

"What are you going to do now?"

“What do you mean by what we do? Is there another way? You just have to stick to us now since you came here.

"Until when?"

The last memory of yesterday is that Ji-Won did not answer the question, but poured another glass of alcohol into his mouth.

"Water…"

Dok-Yeom opens the door with a sullen face, as she cannot help but feel her thirst. His head was throbbing as if it would break even if he was just breathing. Before he left the room, he thought he could hear a buzzing sound coming from the other side. As she opens the door, she hears a clear voice that can be identified as Ji-Won and Hae-Soo.

"Aren't you supposed to at least pretend to be polite and eat?"

“I've never seen such a shameless bastard. You talk about politeness? Is it polite to boil a salted porridge and put it in someone else's mouth?”

“Of course a little salty, but..., But I woke up early to cook it diligently...”.

Ji-Won's once fierce eyes become more fierce due to Hae-Soo's words.

"Diligence? Is this your way of showing sincerity to spend time with ignorance with your simple cooking skills? You make food that people can't eat! It's just a little salty? Have you lost your sense of taste? No, it's none of my business. Clean this up and go, okay? Who knows when you'll roll rice grains on the floor and say it's one of those stupid dishes you diligently make?

“….”

"Are you not going to answer?"

"…Yes.Yes."

Ji-Won, who is staring intently at Hae-Soo's pouting face, gulps down a cup of cold water and walks out of the kitchen in quick steps. Wow, he's more savage than he looks. I thought he drank at least three times more than me, but how could he be so good? Dok-Yeom who is leaning against the wall for not having the energy to stand on her own, sees Ji-Won in neat clothes, and kicks her tongue inside.

The alcohol resistance is so strong.

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