While eating breakfast and listening carefully, the house was silent today as well. While Yeonrok was sleeping in soundly, it seemed Choi Hwan and Moon Gyeonwoo had diligently gone out to work. He unconsciously sighed.
“What should I do to pass the time today?”
As a result of showing off a bit lately saying he’d study for certifications, Yeonrok was able to realize something. Though he’d felt it when attending school too, studying just wasn’t his thing. So wondering what on earth he should do, he was aimlessly wandering in and out of job search sites. Yeonrok complained to Kim Jeongseong.
“Hyung, where on earth should I get employed?”
Kim Jeongseong, who was drinking coffee while listening to Yeonrok’s lament, politely dissuaded him.
“Would there really be a need for you to get employed? Since you have sufficient financial support, it seems good for you to spend your time leisurely enjoying hobbies you like.”
“But I don’t particularly have any hobbies I like……. I don’t know what I should do at all…….”
In the past, he’d just worked his body to the bone day and night with the goal of living lovey-dovey in one house with his Name Partner. To him living alone in those days, home was a place used only for the purpose of eating breakfast, going to work, coming home, eating dinner and sleeping. Working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday like that, and on Sundays sleeping all day, watching some TV, then sleeping again.
This had been the routine he’d lived until now.
It wasn’t that he’d originally lived boringly, but it became like this after breaking up with his lover. At first to forget the pain of separation, and after that to save money to buy a house. But when things turned out this way, he felt adrift, having lost his life’s purpose as well.
When Yeonrok answered with blank eyes, Kim Jeongseong, who had been quietly looking at that face, showed a strangely flustered expression.
“Well, you don’t really need hobbies or anything! Let’s just watch dramas or something.”
Thinking he’d made someone feel awkward over something that wasn’t even a serious topic, Yeonrok quickly answered with a smile. But Kim Jeongseong put down his coffee cup and spoke with a face that had made some firm resolution.
“No. I will definitely find a hobby for Lee Yeonrok-nim.”
“What? I’m really okay though.”
“No matter what, I will find one.”
“Secretary hyung, you’re incredibly busy.”
“I’m not busy.”
How could someone who’s not busy be busily tapping away at their laptop nonstop without even resting while drinking coffee? Yeonrok tried to dissuade Kim Jeongseong, but he was firm.
And that afternoon, people dressed sharply in suits visited the house. Was it just his feeling that for some reason they looked like the people who had waited to move Yeonrok’s belongings? While Yeonrok watched with his neck stretched out like a meerkat, they emptied one of the guest rooms. After doing something or other for several hours like that, they spoke to Yeonrok, who had been loitering nearby out of curiosity, with smiling faces.
“Would you like to take a look?”
“Really?”
Yeonrok, who had been waiting inwardly, gave them each a can of beverage saying they’d worked hard, then quickly stepped inside. And he opened his mouth wide in surprise.
“Wow…….”
“If there are any materials you need, please tell us anytime.”
“You’ve worked so hard! Thank you!”
“Not at all. We only did what we naturally should do. We’ll be going now.”
After the people withdrew like that, Yeonrok looked around inside step by step. In the center of the room where the wardrobe and bed had completely disappeared, a large table was placed. All four walls were occupied by shelves and drawers, with one side packed full of all kinds of items.
After just looking around for a while, Yeonrok took out one of them. It was a set composed of a sketchbook, pencils, paints, pastels, and such. Next to it were colored pencils and a coloring book. Next to that were carving knives and wood, knitting supplies, brushes and traditional Korean paper, a camera, a plastic model box, puzzles, Lego, bonsai, a keyboard, musical instruments, various handicraft sets that seemed like they could make all sorts of things…….
The intention of “at least one of these will suit your heart” was strongly conveyed. Deeply moved, Yeonrok sent a text to Kim Jeongseong saying thank you. A smiling emoticon came back saying to enjoy it happily. Yeonrok unconsciously murmured.
“It would’ve been nice if Secretary hyung was my Name Partner. What a shame.”
* * *
“My goodness, Young Master’s handiwork is tremendous.”
“Hehe, really?”
Yeonrok, who received praise from Housekeeper Park, grinned. In front of him was beef bulgogi that he’d carefully made with Housekeeper Park’s help. While Yeonrok neatly packed the beef bulgogi in a lunch box and then carefully arranged the other side dishes as well, Housekeeper Park watched with a pleased gaze and asked.
“Don’t you want to get a Korean cuisine chef certification? I’ll help you.”
“Isn’t that difficult?”
“It seems like it would be easy for Young Master!”
“Really? For real?”
“Oh my, for real! I don’t say empty words.”
Korean cuisine chef certification……. Yeonrok’s ears perked up.
Over the past few days, Yeonrok had diligently spent time in the hobby room Kim Jeongseong had set up. At first he lightly assembled jigsaw puzzles, and next he tried fiddling with this and that. Looking at those results, Yeonrok thought.
‘Do I really have good handiwork?’
Thinking about it, he’d almost never been criticized for being unable to do things when working until now. Even when he showed the results to Housekeeper Park or Kim Jeongseong, they only praised him, so it wasn’t an objective judgment. Still, if it was a Korean cuisine chef certification, since it used his hands, it seemed like he could accomplish it without losing interest.
Anyway, that wasn’t what was important right now. Yeonrok, who had finished packing fruit in the lunch box as well, asked worriedly.
“Will it suit the President’s taste?”
“Of course! I’m telling you, you made it really well. We tasted it together too.”
There was a reason Yeonrok was diligently packing lunch boxes today. Yeom Cheonho had proposed through Kim Jeongseong that if it was okay even if it was somewhat boring, they should eat lunch together at the company. When Yeonrok responded to this and cautiously asked if he could pack a lunch box, a ready answer came back saying to do so.
‘I can’t treat him to an expensive meal, but still, I can at least make food for him.’
He wanted to repay him in this way at least. It was when he was subsequently packing his own lunch box as well. Choi Hwan, who had been busy filming but had some time after a while and was lounging around at home, appeared. As if drawn by the smell, he sniffed his nose, then rubbed his drowsy eyes and asked.
“Oh, did the housekeeper make this? It looks delici…….”
“Yeonrok Young Master made it! He made it really well, right?”
“ous…….”
He, who had already gotten ramen from Yeonrok two or three more times, reacted like Pavlov’s dog. In other words, he looked at Yeonrok again and gulped down his saliva.
“Should I give you some?”
When Yeonrok arrogantly proposed, Choi Hwan, who had been conflicted, sat down. He now habitually took out his wallet from his pocket, then thrust out money and glared.
“I’m only going to eat one bite of each. Who knows what you put in here.”
“I put MSG in it…….”
A moment later.
“Ahhh!”
Ridiculing Choi Hwan, who left for the exercise room to burn calories while suffering just like when he’d made him ramen, Yeonrok picked up the lunch boxes. They were quite heavy. Arriving at the company, he readily handed one lunch box to Kim Jeongseong, who came out to greet him with a smiling face.
“Hyung, you haven’t had lunch yet, right?”
“No, but is it really okay for me to receive something like this?”
“While I was making them, I just packed one for you too, hyung!”
Yeonrok, who had moved Kim Jeongseong and felt proud, got on the elevator. Today, unlike last time, he was guided not to the reception room but a bit further inside. Feeling strangely stuffy, Yeonrok opened the office door and went in, soon realizing the reason.
‘There’s not a single window?’
From the moment he got off the elevator, there wasn’t a single thing that could be called a window. The reception room from last time was the same, and the current office was the same. Wondering if they’d deliberately not put in any windows for security reasons, Yeonrok looked around.
“President……? I’m here……!”
Did he go somewhere for a moment? In the unfamiliar space with no one there, Yeonrok sat awkwardly on the sofa positioned in the corner. It was so plush that his body seemed to sink in rather than just being buried. It was when he was looking around the office half-melted into the sofa. The sound of some door inside the office opening abruptly was heard.
“It’s not like you’re burying them once or twice, so handle it yourselves. And make sure there’s no incident of a police report coming in because you didn’t kill them properly like last time when disposing of them……. And just how long do I have to do this kind of cleanup work?”
Yeom Cheonho, who had been irritably talking on the phone with someone, discovered Yeonrok. Immediately a smile spread as if drawn on his face.
“……An important person has come, so I’ll hang up now.”
When Yeonrok jumped up from his seat, the tall Yeom Cheonho strode over and welcomed him.
“Yeonrok-ssi.”
Then he grabbed his hand right away. Yeonrok gulped down his dry saliva and smiled back. The other person’s grip was particularly strong today.
“Your hands are cold. Was it very cold outside?”
“Haha, yes, a little…….”
He brought a thick blanket from somewhere and handed it to Yeonrok. Then, while receiving the lunch box and placing it on the table, he asked in a casual tone.
“But did you perhaps hear the phone call from earlier?”
