A Woman Who Looks Delicious
It was a rather lavishly appointed hall, and inside it milled the sort of people who belonged to such luxury, all gathered for the day’s event.
Atop the marble staircase that led from the main floor up to an interior balcony, Kang-hyun stood as if posed for a painting.
He had stopped only a few steps above the first floor, one hand thrust into the pocket of his suit trousers, the other arm draped along the railing, his body angled toward the hall below.
Beyond the banister the entire main floor lay open to his view. He was still studying the room without so much as a twitch when a voice cut in from beside him.
“Well now, if it isn’t Executive Director Do Kang-hyun! Seeing you here makes me even happier!”
Even at the delighted greeting, Kang-hyun did not turn his head. The speaker seemed to be Vice President Im of a firm they had only begun dealing with the previous month, yet Kang-hyun kept his gaze fixed on a single point and did not move.
“Director Do?”
Thinking Kang-hyun might not have heard, Vice President Im cocked his head and called more loudly—only for Kang-hyun to lift one hand in a sharp stop without so much as glancing his way. His eyes remained locked on the floor below.
Flustered, the vice president followed the line of Kang-hyun’s stare, but he could not tell what held the man’s attention so completely. There was no guest in that direction who looked more important than himself.
Besides, Museong was hosting today’s event. Treating a guest this coldly was almost unbelievable.
“Haha… You must be watching something important. More important than me, clearly, so I’ll just— ahem, ahem…”
Whether the embarrassed man left or stayed, Kang-hyun did not stir. Only his eyes moved now and then, tracking some path across the room.
“Director, shall I get you something to drink?”
This time it was Deputy General Manager Yoon Tae-seok’s voice.
“I just brought over a freshly opened bottle of champagne.”
Only when the tray and the champagne Yoon Tae-seok was holding entered the edge of his vision did Kang-hyun briefly look away, take the glass with one hand, and then fix his gaze once more on the same spot as before.
The stack of plates was far too high. Dishes of mismatched shapes and sizes sat poorly balanced, stacked in a clumsy, precarious tower.
Almost no one had declined the invitation today, so the hall was crowded. As a result the staff working the floor were rushing about.
One small woman was struggling valiantly with a load that looked far too heavy for her frame.
Her careful steps already seemed unsteady; then, in a single instant, the plates appeared to slip.
The flash of pure terror that crossed her face was something to behold. Museong-affiliated hotels used tableware more expensive than any other chain, and she knew exactly how disastrous it would be if those dishes shattered. For a moment she was in complete panic.
In the next second she stretched one arm as far as it would go, as if performing some desperate acrobatic feat, and gathered the plates against her body. She was quicker than she looked; mercifully, the dishes survived.
The relief that flooded her face was so vivid it was perfectly visible even from where Kang-hyun stood.
Every flicker of expression that had crossed her features in that brief span was burned into his eyes without a single one missing.
She remained frozen in place, unable to take another step. She had barely saved the plates; the slightest wrong movement threatened to steal her balance again.
Stuck between one impossible choice and another, she wore a look of pure misery.
The guests nearby only watched with lofty indifference. No one cared about plates that might smash at any moment. They were the sort of people who would not even approach for fear the food residue might soil their fine clothes.
The woman stood rooted, on the verge of tears. Even from this distance the worry swimming in her large eyes was easy to read.
They were only plates, however expensive—yet she wore the expression of someone watching the world end.
A face like that made him want to go down and help her at once; at the same time, he wanted to keep looking at those frightened, tear-bright eyes a little longer.
Just then a male staff member noticed her predicament and hurried over. The moment she saw him, her big eyes curved into bright half-moons. This time it was an expression of pure, innocent delight.
The young man, who looked about her age, carefully took half the plates from her arms. She chattered something at him and laughed.
It was impossible, of course, yet he almost thought he could hear the sound of that laugh from all the way up here—a laugh that somehow seemed clear and refreshing.
Strangely, the tearful face and the smiling face left the same impression. Was it even possible for both misery and laughter to look that transparent?
“Who is that woman?”
At Kang-hyun’s abrupt question, Deputy Manager Yoon, standing beside him, craned his neck forward to look.
“Whom do you mean, sir?”
Yoon had been heavily involved in staffing for the event, so there was a chance he might know. Kang-hyun lifted a hand and pointed.
“There. That woman.”
“Ah—the young-looking girl over there?”
Once Yoon had found the right person, Kang-hyun did not stop asking.
“Is she a full-time employee of our hotel?”
“Ah, no. She’s one of the part-timers.”
“Find out exactly who she is.”
At that, Yoon Tae-seok did not give his usual immediate assent.
“Well… actually, I already have a rough idea who she is.”
Kang-hyun turned his head just enough to glance at him. For some reason Yoon’s expression was troubled. Who could she be, to put that look on his face?
“Who is she?”
Kang-hyun kept his eyes on him until an answer came.
“Ah—Director. The truth is… that girl is Chief of Staff Jin Jae-hwan’s daughter.”
At the unexpected identity, Kang-hyun looked back toward her. Beside him, Yoon added more.
“She was introduced by Chief Jin and is working part-time at one of the affiliate hotels. Her main occupation is university student—fine arts, painting major. From what Chief Jin mentioned before, I believe she’s currently a senior.”
The woman disappeared into the kitchen with the plates and reappeared almost at once. Kang-hyun watched her work busily in silence for a moment, then finally gave a small nod.
“All right. I’ll ask Chief Jin myself for the details.”
“Yes, Director.”
Kang-hyun asked nothing further and simply continued to watch the woman. Even so, Yoon Tae-seok remained at his side, as if he still had something left to say.
Then it was Yoon who spoke, suddenly curious what business the executive director could possibly have with the girl.
“Um… but Director. Is there some sort of problem with her?”
“No.”
Kang-hyun answered without sparing him a glance. Then, in a tone of complete casualness, he offered the reason.
“It’s just… I’ve never seen a woman who looks that delicious before.”
“…….”
Yoon Tae-seok glanced around quickly, checking whether anyone else had overheard. He could scarcely believe his own ears.
He had only just said she was Jin Jae-hwan’s daughter—and still.
The man who had uttered such an appalling remark wore a face free of the slightest discomfort.
“Ch-Chief Jin Jae-hwan seems to dote on his daughter a great deal.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes. He said she’s his only child.”
Catching the careful warning, Kang-hyun’s mouth curved faintly at one corner.
“So if I take an interest in his daughter, Chief Jin won’t like it.”
“…….”
“And if I say I want to eat her, he’ll hide her away.”
“…….”
After more than a decade of serving Museong’s notoriously difficult owners, Yoon Tae-seok had learned to keep his expression blank in the face of almost anything. It had been a long time since anything had rattled him this thoroughly.
He had served Kang-hyun’s uncle, then Kang-hyun’s older brother, and ever since Kang-hyun finished his studies in the United States and joined Museong, he had worked at the man’s side as his personal secretary. Never once had Executive Director Do shocked him quite like this.
Chief of Staff Jin Jae-hwan had been with them just as long—loyal and devoted—and now the director was speaking of that man’s daughter in such vulgar terms. How was anyone supposed to stay composed?
“O-of course, your interest would be an honor, but…”
Finding nothing better to say, Yoon mumbled something meant to soothe the director’s mood. Privately, he already felt a pang of pity for both Jin Jae-hwan and his daughter.
Right now she was just a bright, laughing, sunny girl… How on earth had she wandered onto Do Kang-hyun’s radar?