“Was the food to your taste?”
“It was good. Thank you for the meal.”
Jae-geon recalled the plate that stood in complete contrast to that answer. Was it enough to just make it look presentable? The seasoning was all over the place, and the finish tasted dull, as if it leaned on too many additives.
Assistant Manager Yoon, who was said to have a refined palate, smiled with clear satisfaction. Jae-geon held back a sigh and spoke.
“There are plenty of good places in Seochon besides Not. I’m glad it suited your taste.”
“I see.”
Jun-won noticed the slight discomfort in that short reply and quickly stepped in before it could turn into trouble.
“Not only your support, but a wonderful meal on top of that. We’re always grateful, Assistant Manager Yoon.”
“It’s our honor. After all, we get to see a chef who’s hard to meet like this every quarter.”
There was a sharp edge in his words.
Most fine dining restaurants funded by large corporations partner with chefs. Cooking shows, pop-ups, cooking classes—exactly the sort of things Jae-geon disliked.
Instead of hosting those add-ons, Not had agreed to report its performance every quarter. The remark sounded like a direct jab at that.
Jun-won joked around to lift the mood.
“This isn’t an opportunity that comes every day, so please enjoy it to the fullest. That’s why Chef Jung even came in a ‘special’ suit today, right? Haha.”
The smile that had been fixed on Jun-won’s face throughout their social exchange disappeared once they left and entered the alley where Not was located. He loosened his tie all the way down to his stomach and clicked his tongue.
“Jung Jae-geon, you really live a tiring life.”
“Who in this field doesn’t? Everyone lives like this.”
“What’s the point of having a rich father? If you just bowed your head a little, he’d fund you for sure. Why go through all this?”
“Why? Was it hard flattering him? I thought that was your specialty.”
Talking nonsense you don’t even believe—that was typical of the Cha siblings. As the lingering image of Cha Ji-won crossed his mind, Jae-geon frowned slightly and picked up his pace.
“For me, it’s routine. But watching you deal with Assistant Manager Yoon like that… I don’t know, it felt like I could see the weight of being head of the household on you.”
“Feel whatever you want. Just work as much as you feel.”
“You really only have work on your mind. A total work addict.”
Grumbling, Jun-won quickly returned to his role as general manager and started talking about the second-quarter tasting schedule as if nothing had happened. At this point, there was clearly another work addict here.
After nonstop chatter all the way up Seochon, Jun-won suddenly snapped his fingers.
“Oh right. I need to get Bambi’s contract signed. I got the paperwork the other day.”
Bambi? So that’s what he decided to call her?
Maybe it was because it was his first time bringing a woman into the kitchen, or maybe it was the protective instinct from the age gap.
Jun-won seemed restless with how much he wanted to dote on Hae-som. His attitude was completely different from how he treated his own sister, Cha Ji-won.
“She’s adapting even better than we expected. If even the picky Han Seungjun is praising her, that says it all.”
On her first day, she struggled to match dishes with garnishes, but that was no longer the case. She read the situation and prepared ingredients ahead of time for her seniors, and even set up the chef’s table without being asked. All the while, she stayed alert, trying to learn anything she could.
Jun-won saw it the same way.
“She’s cute, smart, and capable. Where did you even find someone like that? You don’t even have ties with her department head, do you?”
If he found out who had recommended her, he’d be shocked. Jae-geon simply watched Jun-won with quiet pity as the latter remained enthusiastic, unaware of the full story.
Beep, beep. As Jae-geon entered the code and opened the door, Jun-won, who had been waiting for an answer, suddenly grinned and gestured toward the garden.
“Wow, I’m getting attached already. No—should I say I’m getting Bambi-fied?”
Past his shaking shoulders, they could see Hae-som placing a flat stone, about the size of the back of her hand, onto a small stone tower while making a wish.
What kind of sentiment was that? A quiet chuckle slipped through Jae-geon’s tightly pressed lips.
“Bambi!”
Straight posture, a slender neck, firm nose, and large, clear eyes. True to the nickname, Hae-som looked like a baby deer as she turned around in surprise.
She brightened at the sight of Jun-won, but the moment she saw Jae-geon, her face stiffened. The color drained from her like she had just seen a ghost in broad daylight.
She had once grabbed him and said things even an old person wouldn’t say, and yet whenever their eyes met, she treated him like a hunter. It was hard to understand that shift.
Sensing the tension, Jun-won spoke up casually.
“What wish are you praying so hard for?”
“A personal one.”
“A wish? What kind?”
“They say if you say it out loud, Buddha won’t grant it.”
“That’s like saying Santa doesn’t give presents to kids who cry.”
Considering their age and demeanor, it felt like their roles in this conversation should be reversed.
Amused by the almost old-fashioned sensitivity of a twenty-four-year-old, Jae-geon approached them with a faint smile.
As he got closer, Hae-som flinched again and took a couple of steps back, bumping into the stone wall.
“Ah!”
Jae-geon closed the distance in an instant and stood in front of her, almost trapping her in place. Seeing the clearer reaction on her flushed cheeks, he let out a low chuckle.
His hand brushed past her tense shoulders and steadied the stone tower, which looked like it might collapse at any moment. Within the solid frame of his arms, Hae-som was practically enclosed against him.
“In case the tower falls. Wouldn’t want Buddha to get upset.”
“Ah…”
Hae-som pressed her palms together between them and managed to create a bit of space, nodding lightly.
“Thank you.”
Her quick response made Jae-geon raise an eyebrow.
Watching from a few steps away, Jun-won burst into a loud laugh before gesturing them over.
“First, the internship agreement.”
“Yes.”
Hae-som sat in Jae-geon’s office chair to fill out the paperwork, Jun-won perched on the edge of the desk, and Jae-geon, the owner of the office, lounged on the sofa.
Jun-won pointed to a section with his pen.
“Check your responsibilities as an intern and your pay carefully. Ask if you have any questions.”
“Yes, Manager.”
“There’s a personal information section on the last page, so fill that out carefully.”
“Yes.”
As if to block the gaze directed at her, Hae-som held up the papers and covered her face. Jae-geon shifted his attention to Jun-won, who kept praising her nonstop.
“I spoke with your department head the other day.”
“At my university?”
“Yeah. I’ve got strong connections in this field. I’m close with Professor Kim.”
“Ah… yes.”
For some reason, her lukewarm response amused him. Jae-geon smirked slightly.
“Professor Kim had a lot of praise for you. Said you got scholarships all four years and won quite a few competitions. Then again, it’s not like Jung Jae-geon would bring in just anyone.”
“Thank you for thinking highly of me.”
After her polite response, Hae-som finally lowered the contract. As she rolled the pen between her fingers, as if preparing to sign, she occasionally glanced his way.
“…Huh.”
You looked first, so why avoid my gaze?
“They said you were selected through a mock interview. There’s no way Jae-geon went himself. Who recommended you?”
Jae-geon loosened the tie around his neck. The puzzled expression on her face made him suspicious.
Don’t tell me she’s going to mention that name.
Cha Ji-won, Cha Jun-won. If you think about it, there are connections there.
“Editor Cha Ji-won.”
His expectations must have been too high. Watching Jun-won frown deeply, Jae-geon let out a low sigh.
“What are you going to do?”
The silence they had kept while Hae-som was there shattered the moment she left the office.
The repeated question carried clear anger.
“I asked what you’re going to do.”
About Cha Ji-won? Or Seong Hae-som?
Recalling the neat handwriting that looked just like its owner, Jae-geon sank deeper into the sofa. The ID number starting with four felt oddly fresh.
“About who?”
“Who do you think?”
The one person he’d bother with, after cutting ties with his only sibling, was obvious. Calling her Bambi and fussing over her like a youngest sister.
Jae-geon answered with deliberate cynicism.
“You don’t trust your sister’s judgment? Say what you want, but Cha Ji-won is still the editor of Savorin.”
“So?”
“If anything, she’d be even stricter to protect her reputation.”
That seemed likely, and it felt that way. Now he was even certain it would continue, so whatever hidden motives Ji-won had didn’t matter much anymore.
Jun-won clicked his tongue in frustration.
“Must be nice, being so cool about it.”
It wasn’t a relationship that started because he liked Ji-won in the first place. Unless he’d been lured in by her career, that is.
In reality, he and Ji-won were more like business partners. With her extensive connections in the field, Ji-won effortlessly secured meetings with major corporations, which was instrumental in helping Not receive the industry’s highest level of sponsorship.
Their contact grew more frequent out of necessity, and before he knew it, he found himself in bed with her. Although he was taken aback by the fact that he’d been rolling around with his friend’s younger sister, he didn’t go out of his way to refuse Ji-won when she came back to him.
Closer than a friend, yet far from a lover. Since it was a relationship without any special affection—just occasional physical encounters—it didn’t last long. Last Christmas, after seeing her with another man at the hotel where a seminar was being held, they ended things.
Thinking about it, maybe that was when it started.
Cha Ji-won’s obsession.