NOVPUB“Team Leader... Isn’t this a bit excessive?”
“What part do you think is excessive, Deputy Manager?”
“No matter what... it’s a domestic flight, so why bother chartering a private jet....”
Yeah, absolutely. The short thought that Yoon Tae-oh would take a regular plane to Jeju Island seems excessive to me. Considering Yoon Tae-oh's personality, isn't it more surprising that he hasn't bought a private plane yet?
“You have to prepare as best as you can since the company will be paying for it anyway. The CEO is very sensitive to other people’s body odor.”
From airplanes, accommodations, vehicles, to offices. These are the basic items that Yoon Tae-oh must prepare in advance before leaving for his Jeju Island resort inspection.
“And the TF team is actually working in Jeju Island, right?”
“Oh, yes. The power went down last week.”
Well, I think I'm almost done with the preparations. Now the rest is something I can do on my own, and I can't expect help from anyone else. For example, packing Yoon Tae-oh's luggage.
Beep.
While I was checking the business trip preparations on my tablet, Yoon Tae-oh's call bell rang. Since I knew he was going to ask me about the business trip, I grabbed my tablet and went into his office.
“You called.”
“But Secretary Baek too.”
"no."
“...I haven’t asked the question yet.”
Oh, sorry. This is how I am these days. I realized that most of the things that come out of Yoon Tae-oh's mouth are nonsense, so I got into the habit of denying them first. This time, it was so fast that I denied it before the question was even asked.
“...Please speak.”
One corner of his mouth is twitching, as if he's debating whether or not to swear. Why are you talking like that? Tell me the important stuff first!
“They say that office workers usually start thinking about what to eat for lunch the moment they get to work.”
"ah...."
It's true that I spend most of my mornings choosing what to eat for lunch, although not from the moment I get to work. I'm the same way, but I'm not stupid enough to answer honestly here.
“There are people like that, but I’m not that big of a eater.”
“...That can’t be. Should I tell you about Secretary Baek’s past behavior with my own mouth?”
What is it? Why are you arguing so early in the morning? Did you notice that I ordered all my groceries yesterday at once?
“...So what are you curious about, sir?”
“Choose a lunch menu.”
“You want me to choose the menu that the CEO will eat?”
“What Secretary Baek will eat.”
I'm confused. Why do I have to choose my lunch menu in front of you...? Am I now deprived of the freedom to eat whatever I want spontaneously?
“...I haven’t really thought about it?”
“Think about it now.”
With a thud, the pen in Yoon Tae-oh’s hand fell to the desk. He looked at me, his fingers interlocked and his index finger lightly tapping the back of my hand as if he was going to watch me until I answered.
“Speak, speak.”
But Yoon Tae-oh didn't have much patience. Just hesitating ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) for a moment made a sharp voice come out.
“The weather is cold... How about eating budaejjigae...?”
“Something else.”
“Right. I guess the sodium intake is excessive....”
Why is it that it's my lunch menu and you...? I have to sit there and kill my precious brain cells just to choose one menu item.
“Jajangmyeon....”
“Something else.”
"soybean paste...."
"next."
Kalguksu, donkatsu, mandu jeongol, shabu shabu. I rejected every single one of them outright. I hesitated for a moment at galbitang, but I rejected that too.
“...Now that I think about it, I think today is my day of intermittent fasting.”
Yeah, let's starve. You won't die if you skip a meal.
“I wonder if bakuteh would be good.”
“...Baku, Teyo...?”
“It’s just like Secretary Baek said, the weather is cold.”
“Oh, yes... I guess so.”
Bakuteh or galbitang. Why can't I have galbitang but can I have bakuteh? I had a lot of complaints, but I swallowed them down.
“Well, since we’re on the subject, let’s go now.”
I wondered what kind of nonsense he was talking about, but as soon as we decided on the menu, Yoon Tae-oh started putting on my outerwear. From a jacket to a coat. Then he tapped me on the shoulder and urged me to hurry up and leave with his eyes.
“Right now? You too, sir?”
Wait a minute. Let's say it's only 10 o'clock... .
“Sir, is there a lunch meeting today?”
“I thought you said you’d never go to that restaurant gathering again. Cancel it.”
... he did say things like, “The food at the restaurant where the financial executives gather is so tasteless.”
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going?”
Let's not try to understand Yoon Tae-oh's stream of consciousness any longer.
I was wrong. I thought that galbitang or bak kut teh would be the same thing as dogin-gae-gin. Yoon Tae-oh certainly looked good with a bowl of bak kut teh in front of him. If it had been a galbitang earthenware pot, it would have been a bit awkward. It could just be because it’s a restaurant that costs tens of thousands of won per bowl.
“This is a bit... much?”
“You can bet. Secretary Baek will eat all of that or not.”
A dish that wasn't even on the menu was placed in front of me. Unlike the usual bak kut teh, which usually has two or three pieces of meat, what was placed in front of me was a mountain of pork ribs piled up so high that I couldn't even see the broth properly. It was what Yoon Tae-oh ordered.
“I think I can eat this much.”
Since we eat together quite frequently these days, I think Yoon Tae-oh has figured out how much I eat. I eat two samgyetangs and two ramens. That means I eat a little more than the average person.
“Are your business trip preparations going well?”
“Oh, yes. I was going to report to you anyway, but I think you can come back next week or so.”
“Next week.”
“As you said, we have decided to stay in an area of the resort where construction has been completed....”
I haven't seen the accommodation in person, but I don't know if Yoon Tae-oh will like it. No, he will definitely not like it. Although he did remodel the interior to his taste in a short period of time, it was lacking in many ways.
“It might be a little inconvenient since it’s not the CEO’s house.”
"doesn't care."
Well, if you go to Jeju Island... Yoon Tae-oh will be distracted by other things and won’t have time to worry about where he sleeps. This is the story of the main beta protagonist. It hasn’t even happened yet, but thinking about their meeting makes me lose my appetite.
Wait a minute... This is something I should welcome... ? This is a development that could lead the drama towards its ending, but why do I feel uncomfortable about it?
“I guess I should buy him a new toy.” 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
I was in deep agony for a long time, but I came back to reality when I heard a mocking voice directed at me.
“...Me...?”
“That’s what puppies do. If you throw them a bone they’ve already eaten, they’ll chew on it all day long. Are you planning on chewing on the bone now?”
I never used to be such a glutton... Why am I holding a rib in one hand... And why, there’s not even a drop of soup left in the bowl.
Now I have a reasonable suspicion. It seems like Yoon Tae-oh is switching his plate with mine while I am absent-mindedly eating.
“I’m thinking about getting a dog.”
“No, absolutely not.”
I absolutely refuse. I don't know if it would be Yoon Tae-oh's secretary job, but I have absolutely no desire to be his dog's secretary.
“Just kidding. I already have one that looks like a dog, so I don’t think I need it.”
I should have expressed my dissatisfaction with the behavior of treating people like dogs, but the harsh voice was stuck in my throat when I saw Yoon Tae-oh's behavior of switching my empty bowl with his.
“Eat more. You’ll get tired after going to Jeju Island.”
... He doesn’t seem like a very bad guy. Since ancient times, there has never been a bad guy who shares food well. But why is he looking at me eating with such curious eyes? In the end, I had to bite off a rib and open my mouth again.
“Why are you looking at me like that...?”
“People sometimes feel a sense of vicarious satisfaction.”
I have no idea what he's talking about, but let's just wait and see. The main point of this guy who speaks Korean strangely will come out soon.
“I heard there’s something called mukbang on the internet.”
So you're saying that you're going to have people sit in front of you and watch you eat in real time? This is very...
“...If you saw it well, please shoot some moon balloons.”
“Just say one more thing.”
... let's eat. From now on, I'll only open my mouth when I'm eating.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Welcome, sir.”
"thing...."
“Sir, this is Team Leader Lee.”
I think I should just sneakily tell the TF team leader to change his name to turtle. Yoon Tae-oh still summoned turtle first whenever he saw the TF team leader. I was used to this situation, so I quickly cut him off.
“...where is the car.”
“It’s ready in front of the airport. Let’s go.”
I followed the team leader who was leading the way and left Jeju Airport. Even though we are in the same country, the air feels different. The severe cold that started over the weekend didn’t seem to have followed me here, so it felt like the weather was just like early winter.
“Is this all you have?”
“...No way.”
Our luggage was one small suitcase. No, mine, to be exact.
“Your luggage has already arrived at your accommodations as cargo.”
“...How much of what was sent arrived as cargo.”
That's right. Isn't it because of your personality that you can't stand even the slightest wrinkle in your clothes? You had so much luggage that it was almost like moving. It wasn't a problem that could be solved with just one or two carrier bags.
“No matter how short the business trip is, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“If you look closely, it seems like you’re the type of person who’s good at flattering.”
... got caught. I spoke too much like I was reading from a script. I was worried that you might twist your neck because you didn't have what you needed, you brat.
“Hand it over.”
Before I could even ask what he was talking about, the handle of the suitcase in my hand slipped away. What the... are you going to pull my luggage for me too...?
“Team Leader Lee.”
“Yes, sir... Uh...!”
“Put some in the car.”
Oh, then that's right. The carrier that briefly brushed Yoon Tae-oh's hand was quickly sent to Team Leader Lee as if he was playing bomb trolling. Oh, he has some useless skills. He throws a cigarette butt and hits a person's eyeball, and the roughly rolled carrier lands at its destination.
“I heard that there’s something really expensive there?”
“Did you bring a bowl of ramen?”
“...How did you know...?”
“Is there anything more expensive to Secretary Kim than a bowl of ramen?”
... Bad bastard. Every word I say a word, but I decided to see it today. Although it is a business trip, I feel a little mood as I leave a familiar city and company. Thanks to excitement. The weather outside is warm, and the swallowing breath is sweet.
"...ah!"
As I was about to get into the car that was just ready, I collided with something that was running fast and lost my balance and fell down. Yeah, it's a nice day today, so I guess that's what it's like. Well, wait a minute, that guy...!
“Are you okay? I’m sorry....”
Hair color that shines a faint brown in the sunlight. Hair like fluff that flutters in the slight breeze. Skin as white as snow, without a single blemish, as if it had never seen the light. Eyes that shine so clear that they look like they could shed tears at any moment... .
“I, I was walking without looking ahead... What should I do....”
Sure. It's this guy.
The beta protagonist of this world, Choi Hyun-jin.
