Chapter 98
Many thoughts crossed Cheong-yeon’s mind in that brief moment. Was Do-heon’s health still not good? Or had some other problem arisen?
Since it was also the hospital where Cheong-yeon had been hospitalized and received his infertility diagnosis, it seemed unlikely that Do-heon had set the address by mistake.
In the time it took Cheong-yeon to blink once, the navigation screen quickly changed. He turned to look at Do-heon, but the man was focused on driving and hadn’t noticed Cheong-yeon’s confusion.
“Director, whose car is this?”
“A company car.”
“Ah.”
No wonder it seemed unfamiliar. Then could someone else have set the destination?
While Cheong-yeon was debating whether to ask if anything was wrong, their eyes met.
“What? Are you hungry?”
Do-heon asked while turning the steering wheel toward the road.
Cheong-yeon wondered how his concerned, well-meaning look could possibly be interpreted as a hungry expression.
Regardless of his bewilderment, upon hearing the question, he realized he did feel hungry.
“I think so.”
“You’re hungry?”
Do-heon turned his head at Cheong-yeon’s affirmation and asked again.
“…You asked if I was hungry first. I just said I think so. Why are you surprised?”
It’s not like you’ve never seen a hungry person before.
“How much? Very?”
Initially, Cheong-yeon hadn’t been thinking about food at all when getting into the car, but suddenly his stomach felt empty.
In a way, it was natural. He had been controlling his diet for the drama shooting all this time. Moreover, today being the last day, the pressure had caused him to consume only a shake for breakfast.
“Now that you ask, I do feel quite hungry…”
“You should have said something earlier. I could have had a meal packed for you.”
“I didn’t know you were coming in person.”
“There are plenty of menu options at the food trucks on set. Was the food not good?”
Cheong-yeon blinked at Do-heon’s apparent familiarity with the on-set meals.
“Who has time to eat properly when busy with rehearsals and memorizing scripts? By the way, did you send those food trucks?”
“Who else would have sent all that every day?”
“…What? You really sent them?”
Come to think of it, he did seem to have noticed the JT Food logo here and there… But JT Food was so famous and common that he hadn’t thought much of it.
No wonder such a variety of food—Korean, Chinese, Western, and even desserts—was available every day in this rural area.
“You should have taken credit for it. Why keep it a secret?”
“Since you didn’t eat any of it, I ended up just doing a good deed for others.”
Do-heon muttered in a flat tone.
I wish you’d told me earlier. I would have gone to get extra servings at least once.
Cheong-yeon pouted. Do-heon, with his hands on the steering wheel, checked the green signs on the road.
“There doesn’t seem to be a restaurant nearby. Should we head to a rest stop for now?”
“How long would it take to reach a rest stop?”
“About forty minutes?”
Cheong-yeon stared intently at the sign following Do-heon’s gaze and thought for a moment.
“…Hmm. How about a campsite? There’s a fairly large one nearby with a convenience store and a snack stand.”
“Which direction?”
“Hold on. Let me search on my phone. I think it’s only about twenty minutes from here…”
Cheong-yeon turned on the map app and showed it to Do-heon. While explaining various details, he hesitated, wondering if he was being excessive.
Was it necessary to go all the way to a campsite? If they waited a bit, they’d reach a rest stop. He also thought it might be better to go straight to Seoul. It’s not like he would die from being a little hungry.
“It’s close.”
Contrary to Cheong-yeon’s concerns, Do-heon nodded lightly after checking the location.
“Are we really going?”
“You said you haven’t eaten. Besides, it’s on the way to Seoul anyway.”
“Well, I guess so.”
Cheong-yeon adjusted his posture awkwardly.
“…”
“…”
As the conversation ended, the car interior fell silent. Staring endlessly at the empty highway with few cars was a boring task.
Gazing absently at the sky as the sun was just beginning to set, Cheong-yeon couldn’t bear it for long and began to fidget.
Do-heon was someone who didn’t mind silence at all, but Cheong-yeon found the quiet atmosphere heavy and stifling.
“May I turn on some music?”
When Cheong-yeon cautiously asked, unable to endure any longer, Do-heon nodded.
*
It was fortunate that the campsite was nearby, but being a weekday and off-season, there weren’t many visitors, and the snack stand selling various foods was closed.
Only a large convenience store was open.
“All the shops are closed. Wouldn’t it be better to go to a rest stop?”
Having come this far, Cheong-yeon shook his head, reluctant to turn back. As the smell of ramen being cooked wafted from nearby, saliva pooled in his mouth.
“Let’s just eat some ramen before going.”
Cheong-yeon answered with an embarrassed face. He had expected Do-heon to find it troublesome, but surprisingly, he immediately took a seat at one of the tables provided in the camping park.
“Sounds good.”
“Not there—we need to buy ramen from the convenience store first.”
“Ah.”
Do-heon, unfamiliar with the self-service system of the place, belatedly followed Cheong-yeon to the convenience store building.
Cheong-yeon pulled his bucket hat down low and selected a packet of ramen and a triangle kimbap from the convenience store shelf.
“Will that be enough?”
Do-heon asked, standing behind him.
“It’s plenty. What about you?”
“I’m fine.”
“It feels awkward to eat alone… Eat with me.”
When Cheong-yeon urged him, Do-heon picked up a nearby ramen packet and a bottle of water. After paying, he looked at Cheong-yeon as if to ask what he should do next.
“Have you never made convenience store ramen before?”
“Hmm. Don’t we need to heat up water first?”
He really doesn’t know anything.
Do-heon, standing there with just ramen and water in his hands, somehow seemed cute. Finding him cute? It was such an incongruous feeling that it was both amusing and strangely ticklish in a corner of his heart.
Cheong-yeon grabbed his sleeve and walked to where the ramen cooking machine was located.
“How can the CEO of an electronics company not know how to cook ramen?”
Cheong-yeon chided him incredulously while putting the ramen and soup powder into a disposable container.
“What’s the connection between being the CEO of an electronics company and cooking ramen?”
“Being a Director, you should be good with electronic devices.”
“…Broadly speaking, this machine also falls under electronic devices, so there’s some logic to that.”
Quickly agreeing, Do-heon followed Cheong-yeon’s example by placing his ramen in a disposable container and adding the soup powder.
“You just sounded like a real science student. Didn’t you study business administration?”
“If I didn’t know this much, I shouldn’t even step near an electronics company.”
This time, Do-heon responded with disbelief as he quickly learned how to operate the machine by observation and pressed a few setting buttons as if he had never been clumsy.
“I won’t go near the company in the future then.”
When Cheong-yeon hunched his shoulders, pretending to be scared, the corner of Do-heon’s mouth lifted slightly.
“Of course, our actor is the exception.”
Whenever he said “our actor,” it made Cheong-yeon strangely embarrassed.
“…I only graduated from high school, so I couldn’t get hired at JT Electronics anyway. But if I asked, could you get me in?”
“…”
“…”
Do-heon, who had been answering well until now, fell silent and stared at the water that was about to boil.
Why am I suddenly getting worked up over this?
“What’s the deal? You can help me get commercials but not into JT Electronics?”
“I was considering which department to place you in.”
Do-heon replied calmly.
“Accounting and R&D require academic credentials, while marketing, production, and sales would be physically demanding.”
He crossed his arms and thoughtfully stroked his chin with a serious expression.
“Starting as an intern in the planning or legal department and then getting certifications might make promotion feasible.”
“Oh! I was thinking I might become your secretary if I joined. Is that not possible?”
Cheong-yeon asked with a playful voice, eyes twinkling.
“No.”
That’s ridiculously firm. Suddenly deflated, Cheong-yeon grumbled quietly to himself.
“Come on. Why not?”
“If I was stuck with my secretary every day, the company wouldn’t function.”
“…Is there a rule about having such serious conversations in front of a convenience store ramen machine?”
“Besides, if the secretary is pretty, there’s a high chance of unnecessary rumors, making it inefficient in many ways.”
It was a surprisingly plausible answer for such a frivolous question. Along with a giggling laugh, Cheong-yeon’s pale, soft cheeks rounded up.
“By the way, Director, you’re unexpectedly good at making ramen.”
“I just copied what they were doing.”
Do-heon gestured with his chin toward a couple standing a space away. Having arrived before Do-heon and Cheong-yeon, they had almost finished making their ramen and were gathering napkins and water to take outside.
“Ah, what? You were just imitating them?”
“Isn’t benchmarking also considered a skill?”
Cheong-yeon smiled, narrowing his eyes at Do-heon’s tone, which made it sound like he had accomplished something remarkable.
“Speaking of which, how did you know there was a campsite here? Have you been here before?”
Do-heon turned his gaze from the ramen that had just started to bubble and made eye contact with Cheong-yeon.
Cheong-yeon didn’t answer immediately, his lips quivering. In truth, he had researched various camping sites in the past, hoping to visit one with Do-heon. At that time, he had been filled with expectation that they might go together someday.
It was during their newlywed period when he was deeply infatuated with Do-heon, diligently creating all sorts of bucket lists.
When Cheong-yeon gave an awkward smile, Do-heon’s expression hardened, interpreting it somehow.
“With another guy?”
“…What else would I do?”
At Cheong-yeon’s uncertain response, Do-heon’s thick, smooth eyebrows rose.
“If that’s the case, I should hope I make better ramen than him.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
