God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 203

Thud.

The door closed, and a chilly silence descended. In contrast to the cozy aroma of porridge, the atmosphere between the two was decidedly cold.

Jung Da-on ran his hand through his hair and patted Baek Jae-ha's shoulder.

"Sit down for now. You need to calm down too."

"......"

Without a word, Baek Jae-ha sat at the table, guided by Jung Da-on's hand.

"I'll get us something to drink."

It was somewhat amusing that he was playing host while the actual homeowner was in the bedroom, but there was no helping it. Jung Da-on opened the refrigerator.

And immediately after, he couldn't help but press his lips tightly together.

'The refrigerator... is completely empty.'

Apart from water, drinks, and a few basic ingredients, there was nothing.

It was hard to believe this was the refrigerator of someone in the food industry. Especially since all the ingredients were ones that could be stored for a long time.

It seemed she hadn't even considered ingredients with short shelf lives like milk or refrigerated meat.

'Even these are close to their expiration dates.'

A small container of mayonnaise was close to its expiration date. When was the last time she had properly prepared a meal at home?

'I knew she was busy, but I didn't realize it was to this extent.'

Jung Da-on closed the refrigerator door with a somewhat devastated feeling.

Because Song Woo-yeon always had a smiling face in front of them, they hadn't noticed at all that she was pushing herself too hard. And that wasn't all.

'Because it's Song Woo-yeon. We vaguely thought she'd be fine.'

Song Woo-yeon.

Knowing the magical power that those three syllables held.

Of course, she only has one body, a day is still 24 hours, and Song Woo-yeon has a mountain of tasks to complete. But still, because it's Song Woo-yeon, we held the unreasonable expectation that she could somehow manage it all.

Jung Da-on returned to the living room with a glass of cold water.

Only then did he notice things he hadn't seen before.

'The house is neat, but there's hardly any trace of daily life.'

It's like a well-made model house.

Usually, there's some inevitable clutter that comes from living, but in Song Woo-yeon's house, there was no sign of such things.

Slide.

Jung Da-on set the glass down in front of Baek Jae-ha.

Baek Jae-ha was still deep in thought, his head bowed low.

"Jae-ha."

When Jung Da-on quietly called his name, Baek Jae-ha flinched slightly.

"Are you very upset?"

"...Yes."

"I'm a bit shocked too. It's the first time I've seen her this sick."

Jung Da-on murmured as he naturally sat across from Baek Jae-ha.

"...Because she accomplishes everything so perfectly. I thought she was like a robot. But Woo-yeon is human after all."

When he first saw her, he really thought she might be a robot.

Even though she was just a part-timer who had started working earlier, when the two of them were serving tables together, Song Woo-yeon's excellence particularly stood out, despite them being the same age.

She rarely got orders wrong, and even while busy with her own work, she caught and corrected Jung Da-on's mistakes.

Later, when Song Woo-yeon wasn't there, it was overwhelming even with two additional serving staff, making him realize anew that Song Woo-yeon had been doing the work of a hundred people.

That alone was impressive, but to think she was actually the CEO of a franchise headquarters.

"It's always like this."

Baek Jae-ha, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

Jung Da-on stopped his reminiscing and focused on Baek Jae-ha in front of him.

"What did you say?"

"I said it's always like this. CEO, no, Nuna..."

Baek Jae-ha slowly raised his head. His eyes were reddened.

"She pushes through grueling schedules even with an injured arm, and she just laughs it off saying it's fine even when public opinion is fiercely against her."

Baek Jae-ha's fingertips trembled. Jung Da-on found his gaze unconsciously lingering on that delicate trembling.

"And you saw it too earlier, hyung! She was clearly having a nightmare."

He buried his face in his palms, but his miserable expression was clearly visible through the gaps between his fingers.

"Sweating coldly like that. And then when she wakes up, she acts as if nothing happened, with a face that seems used to it."

"......"

"Even when we ask what happened, she just says it's an 'old dream'."

"That's... but..."

"What do we really know about Nuna? That she lost her parents early? That she's an incredible genius? What else do we know besides that?"

Jung Da-on found himself at a loss for words. He too knew virtually nothing.

Sure, he knew her public profile. But could he really say he knew how Song Woo-yeon had lived as a person?

"What happened in the past that makes her scream like that in her sleep? Is this really the first time she's had a nightmare? How many nights has she spent like that..."

"Jae-ha, you..."

"And yet she acts like nothing's wrong again. As if she has no intention of telling us when she's struggling."

"Are you crying?"

Jung Da-on tried to hide his bewildered expression. Because Baek Jae-ha's eyes were moist with tears.

'This kid who would silently complete all the harsh assignments I gave him the next day?'

Jung Da-on was quite experienced in tutoring, and even to him, Baek Jae-ha was one of the most persevering students he had encountered.

Moreover, Baek Jae-ha sometimes lacked basic knowledge in odd areas, so at first, thinking he was doing it on purpose, Jung Da-on had scolded him harshly.

Later, when he realized Baek Jae-ha really didn't know, he apologized.

'I tend to be quite sharp when scolding. Even high school students sometimes shed a tear or two. But Jae-ha was always calm.'

That's why he had even more suspicions that the kid might be messing with him.

Anyway, for Baek Jae-ha to be crying like this.

Faced with this unexpected sight, Jung Da-on could only fumble to pull out a tissue and hand it over.

"I told you before. To me, Nuna is everything in this world."

"......"

Jung Da-on had heard the gist of the story.

That when Baek Jae-ha was struggling without proper guardians, Song Woo-yeon had rescued him from that pit.

That's why he followed Song Woo-yeon like a baby bird following its mother.

"I knew that it wasn't the same for Nuna. But still, that... I hate it..."

Even though Baek Jae-ha was sitting, he looked like he might collapse right there. Jung Da-on found himself standing up and gripping Baek Jae-ha's shoulders without realizing it.

"Hey, hey. Why are you crying! You know how much Woo-yeon cares for you, right?"

Jung Da-on hurriedly wiped Baek Jae-ha's wet cheeks with his other hand as he spoke.

"She's extremely devoted to you. She prepared your college entrance exam lunchbox, and even went with you as your guardian for your regular admissions counseling. I didn't even do that for my own sibling!"

"...Really?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm telling you."

Although it's not exactly normal to treat Baek Jae-ha, who's only a year younger, like a child.

Anyway, as Baek Jae-ha seemed to be calming down gradually, Jung Da-on continued in a similar vein.

"She wouldn't go that far out of simple sympathy. You know that Woo-yeon, while not appearing so, is quite strict, right?"

"......"

"And the fact that she doesn't tell us when she's struggling, hah... it might be frustrating for us, but from Woo-yeon's perspective, it might be natural."

Jung Da-on gave a slightly bitter smile.

"Jae-ha, you're her employee, and I'm technically on the franchisee side. Even though we're close personally, there are some conflicting interests officially."

"I don't care about that."

"Well, I don't either, but..."

But they couldn't just push forward because these two were okay with it.

"Try to understand. Woo-yeon has lived alone until now."

"......"

"And suddenly, even if we tell her she can lean on us, it's not easy, you know?"

Those who have received love know how to give it, and those who have experienced leaning on others are better at doing so.

"You're right, hyung."

Baek Jae-ha let out a deep sigh and wiped his tear-stained face. By now, his eyes were filled with a sparkling intelligence instead of sadness.

"To hunt a beast, you have to watch for when it lets its guard down."

"Huh?"

That... that wasn't my intention.

How did my suggestion to wait and give it more time turn into such a harsh tone? Before Jung Da-on could express his bewilderment, Baek Jae-ha smiled brightly.

"If that's the case, I'm confident."

If Jung Da-on said that Baek Jae-ha's smile looked exactly like someone sleeping soundly over there, oblivious to the world, would it be his imagination?

Jung Da-on stopped thinking.

"Yeah. Fighting!"

Hang in there, Song Woo-yeon.

It's right that you reap what you've sown. Jung Da-on nodded, sending a silent condolence to Song Woo-yeon that would never reach her.

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"Yawn~"

How refreshing.

How long has it been since I woke up feeling this refreshed? Perhaps because I slept well for once, my body felt light.

Just as I was getting out of bed, the scent of porridge tickling my nose made my mouth water.

'Ah, right. Jae-ha made porridge before he left yesterday.'

A smile naturally formed on my lips. When I went out to the living room, a bowl of porridge was neatly placed with plastic wrap over it.

Next to it was a note written in a neat handwriting:

「Don't skip breakfast and make sure to eat.

-Baek Jae-ha-」

Despite the blunt tone, the affection contained within was clear.

"Who's taking care of whose breakfast?"

I muttered with a chuckle. On the surface, there's only a year's difference, but considering the mental age gap, he's still so young. His attempt to act grown-up in his own way was incredibly cute.

"Well, I'm grateful nonetheless."

I removed the wrap and heated the porridge. Then, taking a bite:

"Mm. Delicious."

Indeed. I wonder how many company new menu development team leaders can cook this well. It was a taste that naturally inspired pride.

After finishing the whole bowl of porridge, I felt full and satisfied.

Looking at the clock, it was about time to get ready to leave. If I dawdled any longer, I'd be late for today's recording.

I got up from my seat.

Because of that, I ended up missing the words written on the back of Baek Jae-ha's note.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

Flutter.

As it fell under the table, the note flipped over. This revealed words written in a different handwriting on the back.

「I'm sorry, Woo-yeon. I think I might have touched something I shouldn't have.」

But regrettably,

Jung Da-on's kind warning would never reach Song Woo-yeon.