Chapter 179: ‘Not As Pretty As You’
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Holding back a chuckle, Yeon-Ah took a seat on the other side of Yeong-Cheol, moving slowly and gingerly. She only took a small portion of the space, afraid of waking up her little brother. At the same time, she replied to Seo-Jun's rant with an accommodating smile.
"Well, in my opinion the verses are quite nice, but I understand why some people may fail to understand the subtle meaning behind the words."
Seo-Jun scoffed, but remained silent.
Yeon-Ah took that as a cue to continue speaking, so she patiently explained.
"I believe the author was trying to say that he had met an outstanding beauty at the cusp of two seasons. Once winter is gone, spring will naturally arrive. In that process, the man's heart is bound to change, giving birth to feelings like love and yearning. Just like nature comes back to life after being asleep in winter, so is a person's soul bound to revive with the help of love."
"Then, wouldn't it be much better to simply say that he fell in love with someone? Why go around in circles like this? When chasing after metaphors, people are bound to either miss the main point, or misinterpret the message entirely. With important things like love or hate people should be more straightforward, instead of hiding behind verses."
"With that I have to agree. I actually think the same way as you do, Deputy Director Kim. Still, I think poetry is rather pretty."
'Not as pretty as you.' Seo-Jun's mind instantly supplied.
As soon as that thought wormed its way into his mind, Seo-Jun was rendered speechless. The particular feeling was strange and unfamiliar, like his own brain had been hijacked and he was currently unable to control it.
The fact that Yeon-Ah chose that exact moment to give him a radiant smile didn't make Seo-Jun's situation any easier. In that instant he really wanted to run away and hide.
However, he wasn't the type to abort tough missions. Hence, he stood his ground in front of Yeon-Ah's lovely appearance and hoped against hope that something might happen to help him get through this moment, without betraying any strange emotions.
To his utter luck, salvation came in the form of a yawn, made by the same little rascal that kept staring daggers at him earlier.
As though he could sense his sister's presence, Yeong-Cheol soon began to squirm. His eyes fluttered open, his eyelashes moving up and down like flapping butterfly wings.
"Big sister?" he cooed, stretching his little hands towards Yeon-Ah. "Are you done with your shift?"
"Mn, we can go home now. It must have been hard for you to wait so long."
While she said that, Yeon-Ah's smile became even brighter, tinged with boundless love and patience towards her little brother. She slowly pulled him on her lap, giving him a soft kiss on the forehead.
"Let's go home. I'll make you your favorite food."
"Yaay! Spicy rice cakes!"
Yeong-Cheol was suddenly very much awake. He jumped out of his sister's lap and began pulling at her hand.
Just then, Dal-Gi suddenly came rushing from the staff room. He had already changed out of his uniform and into casual clothes. A pair of simple jeans and a white T-shirt. Nothing changed about his overall appearance, though. Seo-Jun still thought the young man looked pretty plain, while Yeon-Ah didn't seem to regard him in any special way, a fact which Seo-Jun quickly noticed.
A small part of him jubilated at the thought and caused him to be in a better mood.
But, like rain may come after a sunny day, his mood also took a sudden dive when he heard Dal-Gi's words.
"Let's go, Yeon-Ah, Yeong-Cheol. I'll walk you home."
"That won't be necessary." Yeon-Ah shook her head. "It's barely evening now and besides, didn't you move out recently? I remember you telling me that now you live in the opposite direction from our place."
"Yeah, but mom is expecting me for dinner, so I'll be coming to the neighborhood anyway."
"Well, if that's the case…"
Yeon-Ah's words faltered. She chewed on her lower lip, hesitating on how to say goodbye to Seo-Jun. Half of her felt reluctant at the idea of separating so soon, while the other half urged her to say the words quicker.
'This should be for the better. After all, I was surprisingly lucky to have met him today like this, so I shouldn't be greedier for more. Such a busy man like him must have other stuff to do.'
Still feeling rather unwilling, Yeon-Ah tilted her head to glance at the man who was causing her so much internal struggle.
And that's when two pairs of eyes unexpectedly met.
The rather 'busy man', who had just spent almost an entire day in a coffee shop, lounging and browsing books, merely stared at Yeon-Ah's face in silence. His face was a mask of coolness, as though he wasn't really interested in what was happening around him.
However, the truth of the matter was, Seo-Jun couldn't have been more interested in what was going on. Yet, there was nothing he could do to stop what was about to happen. There was no way he could claim that he was going in the same direction. That would have been an obvious lie, since everyone in their team knew the approximate location where he lived.
At the same time, he couldn't act out of bound and prevent the woman from going home with her friend. On what grounds could he even begin to think of doing that? There was absolutely nothing that could warrant something like that. To Yeon-Ah he was merely her boss and coworker at best. If he was lucky, maybe… just maybe, she might consider him a possible friend.
When their eyes met just now, Seo-Jun immediately noticed Yeon-Ah's reluctance to speak. He also accurately interpreted it as her being unsure of how to say goodbye to him. Yet, he attributed this hesitancy to the wrong reason.
'Sure enough, she doesn't want me to stick around any longer, but doesn't know how to tell me that. This is quite understandable considering our work relationship. Still, is she really that afraid of me? Am I that intimidating or is there another reason behind her attitude? After all, it's not like I would do or say anything at work just because she refused to let me accompany her home.'
Since Seo-Jun didn't want to trouble Yeon-Ah any further, he decided to remove himself from the situation by himself.
Showing a charming and accommodating smile, Seo-Jun directed a few words at her.
"Miss Lee, since I see you are already in safe hands, I shall take my leave. There is something I must take care of this evening, so it won't be possible for me to accompany you any further. I hope you won't mind."
"Oh no, not at all." Yeon-Ah hurried to reply.
She felt both sad and relieved. She also scoffed at her own indecisiveness. Sure enough, there was absolutely no reason for her to hesitate. She had been right in guessing that Seo-Jun had other plans for the rest of the day, and that he wouldn't be staying with her.
Meanwhile, Seo-Jun squatted in front of Yeong-Cheol, talking to the little boy in a most serious tone.
"Yeong-Cheol, you're a man, so you should protect your sister well. Make sure you pay attention on the road and be wary of dangerous people. Even if you are with brother Dal-Gi, you shouldn't let your guard down, understand?"
"Don't worry, mister. My sister can handle dubious people like you without breaking a sweat." Yeong-Cheol said with a deadpan expression.
"There you go, saying 'people like you' again." Seo-Jun sighed, feigning an injured look. "Are you really that biased against handsome people or are you simply jealous of my natural beauty?"
At this, Yeong-Cheol let out a snort and even Yeon-Ah was momentarily stumped. Hearing someone talk about themselves in such a manner wasn't something you'd experience everyday. Especially when that person was someone as high-class as Seo-Jun, and who happened to be Yeon-Ah's boss.
Therefore, the pair of sister and brother keenly felt the shock of such an encounter even more acutely due to their previous knowledge of the man.
Meanwhile, Dal-Gi looked as though he had swollen a fly. With the corner of his mouth twitching, his features slowly contorted into a grimace of strong dislike. He watched as Seo-Jun straightened himself up and dipped his head in farewell.
"Then, please take care on your way home. It was a pleasure meeting you today, and I was also very happy to make your acquaintance." Seo-Jun gave Yeong-Cheol a small nod, then turned to Dal-Gi and did the same. "You too."
The two men stared at each other for a moment. Then, as if on signal, they both looked away at the same time.
"Miss Lee, have a good rest and enjoy what's left of the weekend. I'll see you at work on Monday."
With that, Seo-Jun finished saying goodbye and walked out of the coffee shop.
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Holding back a chuckle, Yeon-Ah took a seat on the other side of Yeong-Cheol, moving slowly and gingerly. She only took a small portion of the space, afraid of waking up her little brother. At the same time, she replied to Seo-Jun's rant with an accommodating smile.
"Well, in my opinion the verses are quite nice, but I understand why some people may fail to understand the subtle meaning behind the words."
Seo-Jun scoffed, but remained silent.
Yeon-Ah took that as a cue to continue speaking, so she patiently explained.
"I believe the author was trying to say that he had met an outstanding beauty at the cusp of two seasons. Once winter is gone, spring will naturally arrive. In that process, the man's heart is bound to change, giving birth to feelings like love and yearning. Just like nature comes back to life after being asleep in winter, so is a person's soul bound to revive with the help of love."
"Then, wouldn't it be much better to simply say that he fell in love with someone? Why go around in circles like this? When chasing after metaphors, people are bound to either miss the main point, or misinterpret the message entirely. With important things like love or hate people should be more straightforward, instead of hiding behind verses."
"With that I have to agree. I actually think the same way as you do, Deputy Director Kim. Still, I think poetry is rather pretty."
'Not as pretty as you.' Seo-Jun's mind instantly supplied.
As soon as that thought wormed its way into his mind, Seo-Jun was rendered speechless. The particular feeling was strange and unfamiliar, like his own brain had been hijacked and he was currently unable to control it.
The fact that Yeon-Ah chose that exact moment to give him a radiant smile didn't make Seo-Jun's situation any easier. In that instant he really wanted to run away and hide.
However, he wasn't the type to abort tough missions. Hence, he stood his ground in front of Yeon-Ah's lovely appearance and hoped against hope that something might happen to help him get through this moment, without betraying any strange emotions.
To his utter luck, salvation came in the form of a yawn, made by the same little rascal that kept staring daggers at him earlier.
As though he could sense his sister's presence, Yeong-Cheol soon began to squirm. His eyes fluttered open, his eyelashes moving up and down like flapping butterfly wings.
"Big sister?" he cooed, stretching his little hands towards Yeon-Ah. "Are you done with your shift?"
"Mn, we can go home now. It must have been hard for you to wait so long."
While she said that, Yeon-Ah's smile became even brighter, tinged with boundless love and patience towards her little brother. She slowly pulled him on her lap, giving him a soft kiss on the forehead.
"Let's go home. I'll make you your favorite food."
"Yaay! Spicy rice cakes!"
Yeong-Cheol was suddenly very much awake. He jumped out of his sister's lap and began pulling at her hand.
Just then, Dal-Gi suddenly came rushing from the staff room. He had already changed out of his uniform and into casual clothes. A pair of simple jeans and a white T-shirt. Nothing changed about his overall appearance, though. Seo-Jun still thought the young man looked pretty plain, while Yeon-Ah didn't seem to regard him in any special way, a fact which Seo-Jun quickly noticed.
A small part of him jubilated at the thought and caused him to be in a better mood.
But, like rain may come after a sunny day, his mood also took a sudden dive when he heard Dal-Gi's words.
"Let's go, Yeon-Ah, Yeong-Cheol. I'll walk you home."
"That won't be necessary." Yeon-Ah shook her head. "It's barely evening now and besides, didn't you move out recently? I remember you telling me that now you live in the opposite direction from our place."
"Yeah, but mom is expecting me for dinner, so I'll be coming to the neighborhood anyway."
"Well, if that's the case…"
Yeon-Ah's words faltered. She chewed on her lower lip, hesitating on how to say goodbye to Seo-Jun. Half of her felt reluctant at the idea of separating so soon, while the other half urged her to say the words quicker.
'This should be for the better. After all, I was surprisingly lucky to have met him today like this, so I shouldn't be greedier for more. Such a busy man like him must have other stuff to do.'
Still feeling rather unwilling, Yeon-Ah tilted her head to glance at the man who was causing her so much internal struggle.
And that's when two pairs of eyes unexpectedly met.
The rather 'busy man', who had just spent almost an entire day in a coffee shop, lounging and browsing books, merely stared at Yeon-Ah's face in silence. His face was a mask of coolness, as though he wasn't really interested in what was happening around him.
However, the truth of the matter was, Seo-Jun couldn't have been more interested in what was going on. Yet, there was nothing he could do to stop what was about to happen. There was no way he could claim that he was going in the same direction. That would have been an obvious lie, since everyone in their team knew the approximate location where he lived.
At the same time, he couldn't act out of bound and prevent the woman from going home with her friend. On what grounds could he even begin to think of doing that? There was absolutely nothing that could warrant something like that. To Yeon-Ah he was merely her boss and coworker at best. If he was lucky, maybe… just maybe, she might consider him a possible friend.
When their eyes met just now, Seo-Jun immediately noticed Yeon-Ah's reluctance to speak. He also accurately interpreted it as her being unsure of how to say goodbye to him. Yet, he attributed this hesitancy to the wrong reason.
'Sure enough, she doesn't want me to stick around any longer, but doesn't know how to tell me that. This is quite understandable considering our work relationship. Still, is she really that afraid of me? Am I that intimidating or is there another reason behind her attitude? After all, it's not like I would do or say anything at work just because she refused to let me accompany her home.'
Since Seo-Jun didn't want to trouble Yeon-Ah any further, he decided to remove himself from the situation by himself.
Showing a charming and accommodating smile, Seo-Jun directed a few words at her.
"Miss Lee, since I see you are already in safe hands, I shall take my leave. There is something I must take care of this evening, so it won't be possible for me to accompany you any further. I hope you won't mind."
"Oh no, not at all." Yeon-Ah hurried to reply.
She felt both sad and relieved. She also scoffed at her own indecisiveness. Sure enough, there was absolutely no reason for her to hesitate. She had been right in guessing that Seo-Jun had other plans for the rest of the day, and that he wouldn't be staying with her.
Meanwhile, Seo-Jun squatted in front of Yeong-Cheol, talking to the little boy in a most serious tone.
"Yeong-Cheol, you're a man, so you should protect your sister well. Make sure you pay attention on the road and be wary of dangerous people. Even if you are with brother Dal-Gi, you shouldn't let your guard down, understand?"
"Don't worry, mister. My sister can handle dubious people like you without breaking a sweat." Yeong-Cheol said with a deadpan expression.
"There you go, saying 'people like you' again." Seo-Jun sighed, feigning an injured look. "Are you really that biased against handsome people or are you simply jealous of my natural beauty?"
At this, Yeong-Cheol let out a snort and even Yeon-Ah was momentarily stumped. Hearing someone talk about themselves in such a manner wasn't something you'd experience everyday. Especially when that person was someone as high-class as Seo-Jun, and who happened to be Yeon-Ah's boss.
Therefore, the pair of sister and brother keenly felt the shock of such an encounter even more acutely due to their previous knowledge of the man.
Meanwhile, Dal-Gi looked as though he had swollen a fly. With the corner of his mouth twitching, his features slowly contorted into a grimace of strong dislike. He watched as Seo-Jun straightened himself up and dipped his head in farewell.
"Then, please take care on your way home. It was a pleasure meeting you today, and I was also very happy to make your acquaintance." Seo-Jun gave Yeong-Cheol a small nod, then turned to Dal-Gi and did the same. "You too."
The two men stared at each other for a moment. Then, as if on signal, they both looked away at the same time.
"Miss Lee, have a good rest and enjoy what's left of the weekend. I'll see you at work on Monday."
With that, Seo-Jun finished saying goodbye and walked out of the coffee shop.
Holding back a chuckle, Yeon-Ah took a seat on the other side of Yeong-Cheol, moving slowly and gingerly. She only took a small portion of the space, afraid of waking up her little brother. At the same time, she replied to Seo-Jun's rant with an accommodating smile."Well, in my opinion the verses are quite nice, but I understand why some people may fail to understand the subtle meaning behind the words."Seo-Jun scoffed, but remained silent.Yeon-Ah took that as a cue to continue speaking, so she patiently explained."I believe the author was trying to say that he had met an outstanding beauty at the cusp of two seasons. Once winter is gone, spring will naturally arrive. In that process, the man's heart is bound to change, giving birth to feelings like love and yearning. Just like nature comes back to life after being asleep in winter, so is a person's soul bound to revive with the help of love.""Then, wouldn't it be much better to simply say that he fell in love with someone? Why go around in circles like this? When chasing after metaphors, people are bound to either miss the main point, or misinterpret the message entirely. With important things like love or hate people should be more straightforward, instead of hiding behind verses.""With that I have to agree. I actually think the same way as you do, Deputy Director Kim. Still, I think poetry is rather pretty."'Not as pretty as you.' Seo-Jun's mind instantly supplied.As soon as that thought wormed its way into his mind, Seo-Jun was rendered speechless. The particular feeling was strange and unfamiliar, like his own brain had been hijacked and he was currently unable to control it.The fact that Yeon-Ah chose that exact moment to give him a radiant smile didn't make Seo-Jun's situation any easier. In that instant he really wanted to run away and hide.However, he wasn't the type to abort tough missions. Hence, he stood his ground in front of Yeon-Ah's lovely appearance and hoped against hope that something might happen to help him get through this moment, without betraying any strange emotions.To his utter luck, salvation came in the form of a yawn, made by the same little rascal that kept staring daggers at him earlier.As though he could sense his sister's presence, Yeong-Cheol soon began to squirm. His eyes fluttered open, his eyelashes moving up and down like flapping butterfly wings."Big sister?" he cooed, stretching his little hands towards Yeon-Ah. "Are you done with your shift?""Mn, we can go home now. It must have been hard for you to wait so long."While she said that, Yeon-Ah's smile became even brighter, tinged with boundless love and patience towards her little brother. She slowly pulled him on her lap, giving him a soft kiss on the forehead."Let's go home. I'll make you your favorite food.""Yaay! Spicy rice cakes!"Yeong-Cheol was suddenly very much awake. He jumped out of his sister's lap and began pulling at her hand.Just then, Dal-Gi suddenly came rushing from the staff room. He had already changed out of his uniform and into casual clothes. A pair of simple jeans and a white T-shirt. Nothing changed about his overall appearance, though. Seo-Jun still thought the young man looked pretty plain, while Yeon-Ah didn't seem to regard him in any special way, a fact which Seo-Jun quickly noticed.A small part of him jubilated at the thought and caused him to be in a better mood.But, like rain may come after a sunny day, his mood also took a sudden dive when he heard Dal-Gi's words."Let's go, Yeon-Ah, Yeong-Cheol. I'll walk you home.""That won't be necessary." Yeon-Ah shook her head. "It's barely evening now and besides, didn't you move out recently? I remember you telling me that now you live in the opposite direction from our place.""Yeah, but mom is expecting me for dinner, so I'll be coming to the neighborhood anyway.""Well, if that's the case"Yeon-Ah's words faltered. She chewed on her lower lip, hesitating on how to say goodbye to Seo-Jun. Half of her felt reluctant at the idea of separating so soon, while the other half urged her to say the words quicker.'This should be for the better. After all, I was surprisingly lucky to have met him today like this, so I shouldn't be greedier for more. Such a busy man like him must have other stuff to do.'Still feeling rather unwilling, Yeon-Ah tilted her head to glance at the man who was causing her so much internal struggle.And that's when two pairs of eyes unexpectedly met.The rather 'busy man', who had just spent almost an entire day in a coffee shop, lounging and browsing books, merely stared at Yeon-Ah's face in silence. His face was a mask of coolness, as though he wasn't really interested in what was happening around him.However, the truth of the matter was, Seo-Jun couldn't have been more interested in what was going on. Yet, there was nothing he could do to stop what was about to happen. There was no way he could claim that he was going in the same direction. That would have been an obvious lie, since everyone in their team knew the approximate location where he lived.At the same time, he couldn't act out of bound and prevent the woman from going home with her friend. On what grounds could he even begin to think of doing that? There was absolutely nothing that could warrant something like that. To Yeon-Ah he was merely her boss and coworker at best. If he was lucky, maybe just maybe, she might consider him a possible friend.When their eyes met just now, Seo-Jun immediately noticed Yeon-Ah's reluctance to speak. He also accurately interpreted it as her being unsure of how to say goodbye to him. Yet, he attributed this hesitancy to the wrong reason.'Sure enough, she doesn't want me to stick around any longer, but doesn't know how to tell me that. This is quite understandable considering our work relationship. Still, is she really that afraid of me? Am I that intimidating or is there another reason behind her attitude? After all, it's not like I would do or say anything at work just because she refused to let me accompany her home.'Since Seo-Jun didn't want to trouble Yeon-Ah any further, he decided to remove himself from the situation by himself.Showing a charming and accommodating smile, Seo-Jun directed a few words at her."Miss Lee, since I see you are already in safe hands, I shall take my leave. There is something I must take care of this evening, so it won't be possible for me to accompany you any further. I hope you won't mind.""Oh no, not at all." Yeon-Ah hurried to reply.She felt both sad and relieved. She also scoffed at her own indecisiveness. Sure enough, there was absolutely no reason for her to hesitate. She had been right in guessing that Seo-Jun had other plans for the rest of the day, and that he wouldn't be staying with her.Meanwhile, Seo-Jun squatted in front of Yeong-Cheol, talking to the little boy in a most serious tone."Yeong-Cheol, you're a man, so you should protect your sister well. Make sure you pay attention on the road and be wary of dangerous people. Even if you are with brother Dal-Gi, you shouldn't let your guard down, understand?""Don't worry, mister. My sister can handle dubious people like you without breaking a sweat." Yeong-Cheol said with a deadpan expression."There you go, saying 'people like you' again." Seo-Jun sighed, feigning an injured look. "Are you really that biased against handsome people or are you simply jealous of my natural beauty?"At this, Yeong-Cheol let out a snort and even Yeon-Ah was momentarily stumped. Hearing someone talk about themselves in such a manner wasn't something you'd experience everyday. Especially when that person was someone as high-class as Seo-Jun, and who happened to be Yeon-Ah's boss.Therefore, the pair of sister and brother keenly felt the shock of such an encounter even more acutely due to their previous knowledge of the man.Meanwhile, Dal-Gi looked as though he had swollen a fly. With the corner of his mouth twitching, his features slowly contorted into a grimace of strong dislike. He watched as Seo-Jun straightened himself up and dipped his head in farewell."Then, please take care on your way home. It was a pleasure meeting you today, and I was also very happy to make your acquaintance." Seo-Jun gave Yeong-Cheol a small nod, then turned to Dal-Gi and did the same. "You too."The two men stared at each other for a moment. Then, as if on signal, they both looked away at the same time."Miss Lee, have a good rest and enjoy what's left of the weekend. I'll see you at work on Monday."With that, Seo-Jun finished saying goodbye and walked out of the coffee shop.
