“Then what is the correct answer?”
“well. “I have to use it for other people later, so I’ll leave the answer buried.”
Han Cheol-seung said he would not reveal the answer and instead brought up another topic.
“Are the materials you gave me real?”
“That’s right.”
“With that, what the executive director wants is to bring down Rep. Kang, right?”
I was referring to Congressman Kang, that is, Kang Ha-jun’s father. The story of a son dragging his father down was by no means ordinary, but no expression appeared on the faces of the two people having such a conversation.
“My father is not a suitable person to be the leader of the party. So I hope he becomes a congressman, not a father.”
“What do you see in me?”
Rep. Han Cheol-seung asked as if he was curious, but in reality, it was no different from his intention to look inside Kang Ha-jun.
It would not be a satisfactory answer to say here that Kang Ha-jun looked into Rep. Han Cheol-seung’s information. Anyway, that’s not something the other person would expect.
“Because you love your wife.”
For Kang Ha-jun, Rep. Han Cheol-seung’s record of integrity was an added bonus. Rather, the heart that loved only one person throughout his life attracted him.
“I think something that was so obvious to me was impressive to the executive director.”
Han Cheol-seung, who had said that, stood up.
“I have the information the managing director gave me well.”
He didn’t say he would use it until the end.
“By the way, Rep. Kang seems to be in an uneasy mood these days, so it would be better not to visit him.”
There is no secret between Rep. Kang and Kang Ha-jun. Knowing that the relationship between the two was not good, Han Cheol-seung gave him some advice and disappeared.
Kang Ha-jun, who was left alone, pondered the meaning of Han Cheol-seung’s words and then chuckled.
“Then I guess I’ll see you soon.”
Because he was always called when he was feeling uncomfortable.
* * *
“I will never be swayed by Kang Ha-jun.”
Even after being slapped on the back by Lim Bong-sun earlier, Eun-yul still muttered that.
“Honestly… … Kang Ha-jun may not feel like a complete stranger. But that’s something that can’t be helped.”
When you read a book, the main character appears, and you may end up empathizing with the main character.
So, all you have to do is to think of Kang Ha-jun as the main character in the book, as long as it doesn’t go any deeper.
“It was someone I would never meet in my life. You can think of it that way. I don’t sympathize with him at all and I’m not swayed by him, alas. “What am I saying?”
In the end, Eunyul pretended not to be, but admitted that she was shaken and covered her face.
“It’s better not to think about it.”
Eun-yul, who had arrived first in front of the restaurant where Kang Ha-jun had asked to meet, looked at the menu posted outside the restaurant.
“Are you tired of eating hangover soup all the time?”
Otherwise, there would be no reason to call it a restaurant where steak is the main menu item. Anyway, Eunyul was very excited about the menu she had not eaten in a long time, so she looked at the menu closely.
I usually go inside and look at the menu and wonder what to order or a course meal. Considering this kind of conversation, it seemed like a pretty good idea to be able to see the menu in advance at the entrance.
“The price is good too. “You’ll have to taste it to find out, but it’s cheaper than you think.”
“So I told them to move the menu to the front.”
When Eun-yul, startled, raised her head, Kang Ha-jun was reflected in the full-length glass of the restaurant.
“It tastes good and the price is reasonable, but it seems like it’s not easy to get in, perhaps because of how it looks from the outside.”
“When did you come?”
“just now.”
lie.
If you had just arrived, you wouldn’t have heard me talking to myself.
Even though Eun-yul glanced at him, Kang Ha-jun didn’t care and looked at the restaurant.
“So I suggested to the boss how about showing him the menu before he even came in.”
“Do you know the boss here well?”
“huh. “Let’s go in.”
Kang Ha-jun gently touched Eun-yul’s back and led her inside. Thanks to this, Eun-yul was able to relieve herself from worrying about what kind of conversation she should have when she meets Kang Ha-jun as she goes inside.
The staff asked if there was a table reserved and guided us straight to our seats. The three vases across the center of the circular table were impressive.
Eunyul sat down, picked up the tea and smelled it. I did this because I was wondering if the smell had permeated the place since I had just been at a hangover soup restaurant.
As if that wasn’t enough, I raised my head towards Kang Ha-jun and pointed at my clothes and hair.
“Do you not smell anything to me?”
“well.”
Other than the familiar scent of fabric softener that comes from living in the same house, I couldn’t smell anything in particular.
“My hands might smell because I was chopping onions.”
Kang Ha-jun didn’t say anything, but Eun-yul put her nose into my palm and smelled it.
“It doesn’t smell, but you don’t have to worry about it.”
Kang Ha-jun spoke as if nothing had happened. Eunyul was the only one who came to eat steak and wondered if it would smell like a hangover soup restaurant. Kang Ha-jun wondered if he was ashamed of the hangover soup restaurant, but Eun-yul shook his head.
“You might think you’re going to eat hangover soup and then eat steak.”
“ah… … .”
That’s it.
“Anyway, it doesn’t smell. “It also smells like onions.”
“Then I’m glad. “Then I have decided.”
Eun-yul chose a few dishes she had seen before, and Kang Ha-jun ordered the dishes he often orders when he comes here without even looking at the menu.
After coming in and finishing ordering in less than 5 minutes, conversation disappeared between the two for the first time.
“I don’t want you to think that just because we eat together today, I accepted your date request from yesterday.”
Eunyul drew a clear line.
“I was sleepy in the morning and I came here because I wanted to talk more soberly, so don’t think about anything else.”
“okay. “Looking at it like this, it looks different again.”
“different?”
“okay. At a hangover soup restaurant, sometimes all you have to do is sit next to each other and talk. “I think we can talk comfortably since we’re facing each other like this.”
Did you?
Actually, I felt somewhat at ease because the place was different. Because I didn’t feel like I had to do anything like I did at the hangover soup restaurant.
“Do you like Western food more than Korean food?”
When I asked him if that was why he was brought here today, Kang Ha-jun shook his head.
“I don’t know which one I like more, but if I had to ask, the place I enjoyed the most delicious food these days is Haejangguk Restaurant.”
In fact, Kang Ha-jun ate all the food Eun-yul gave him there.
“The reason I called you here is because you’ll be eating there every day, so I wanted to feed you something a little different.”
To be honest, he says he chose it not for himself but for Eun-yul’s sake.
‘That’s the problem.’
Don’t say things like that. It’s better if you act like I’m the only one who knows you like I did when I first saw you.
Meanwhile, Eunyul, who was eating the appetizers, glanced at Kang Hajun.
His face, which was quietly concentrating on eating, had the delicate features that were mentioned earlier.
“Because this is happening, I’m curious too.”
Rather than continuing to worry, Eunyul chose to ask.
“It’s the determination to be sure that I spoke about early in the morning. therefore… … .”
I had to say what happened next, but it didn’t come out willingly. I said it well in the morning.
“If you’re asking if I might like you, yes.”
“… … .”
“Even when we’re apart, I think of you. When I wake up, I start thinking about whether you woke up. “I’m trying to find out because I don’t know if this is a feeling I have because of Haneul, or if it’s because I really like you.”
Maybe it’s because I was expecting that serious reaction without any hint of playfulness.
“I’m still confused. That’s why I said I would look into it more accurately, and if I look at you now, I think my mind will go in the direction I like.”
really… … I like you. This trend is strange, but I think I will like you. What is this again?
“I’ll ask you outright. Why do you think of me? “What are you thinking?”
“When I think about the conversation I had with you, I imagine you raising Haneul on your own.”
Kang Ha-jun paused for a moment while the employee placed the steak in front of him, then lifted the utensil and cut the steak into small pieces.
“Sometimes I imagine the look on your face when Haneul first opened up, and sometimes I imagine the moment when you drank the drink that the customer poured for you, thinking it was water.”
“Why are you imagining that?”
“It comes to me naturally rather than because I have to.”
Kang Ha-jun, who had already cut the steak into bite-size pieces, placed it in front of Eun-yul. Since he ordered the same thing, he brought the plate that Eunyul had not yet touched towards me and used the knife as before.
I think I just changed my diet too naturally. While Eun-yul didn’t know how to react, Kang Ha-jun gave him a look telling him to eat.
First, Eunyul took a fork and put a beautifully cut steak in her mouth. She just rolled her eyes and looked at Kang Hajun.
“Is it delicious?”
Eun-yul nodded, and as if that was the answer, Kang Ha-jun belatedly ate the steak.
Eun-yul swallowed the food in her mouth and watched Kang Ha-jun eat for a moment before continuing the conversation she was having earlier.
“Think over everything I’ve said so far… … No. Are you thinking about it again and imagining the situation back then?”
“that’s right. “I do it that way because I didn’t see it in person.”
Even after saying that, Kang Ha-jun seemed to think that my explanation was insufficient, so he added something.
“It was cool of you to tell me how you raised Haneul.”
“Cool… … Huh?”
I just heard something I couldn’t understand.
Isn’t that what anyone who sees Kang Ha-jun right now would say?
“I was jealous of your confident appearance. “So I thought I wanted to be like you.”
“and… … .”
Eunyul could not react properly to his words.
