When Yiyoung entered the lounge, she chose a spot to sit down and left her purse on the seat before standing back up immediately. Sheâd seen a buffet on her way in. Despite the fact that they had already eaten breakfast in the morning, sheâd grown hungry after looking at the end.
âDo you want something, too?â Yiyoung asked Muyeol.
âNo,â he replied.
Yiyoung saw Muyeol open his laptop, and cheerfully started walking. âOkay!â
She knew Muyeol was a representative of S Airport, but she held no interest in that. She didnât care much about the way his employees seemed to treat him either. However, while the ticketing process had gone on, she had grown curious.
Heâd seemed so ordinary, even more than sheâd expected. He had to stand in the line for the security check just like everyone else, and after going through several inspections for his passport, he, too, had to go to the duty free shop area. She wouldnât even have batted an eyelid if something that seemed like it belonged in the news on TV occured right in front of her eyes, compared to how shocked she was to see Muyeol acting so ordinarily.
It was then when Mr. Hong handed a plate to Yiyoung. He was going to travel with them to assist Muyeol with the meeting in Istanbul.âHereâs a plate for you, maâam.â
âThank you.â
âItâs great to see you healthy again,â Mr. Hong said with a huge smile.
âYou went through a lot because of me,â Yiyoung trailed off, âOh, yes. Since weâre talking about health, just one moment please.â
She studied Mr. Hongâs face and eyes. He had a sickly pallor last time, so sheâd assumed he was stressed out. But he looked much better now.
âOur director gave me some nutritional supplements. I felt much better after taking them,â Mr. Hong explained when he noticed her examining him.
âMuyeol did?â Back then, he had rebuked Yiyoung and told her to stop working while on rest. She could still remember the shock his blunt tone had caused.
But now she was hearing that he took care of his secretary⦠It was really surprising.
Yiyoung put a tuna sandwich on her plate. âDid he say heâd found them lying somewhere instead of admitting he bought them himself?â
Mr. Hong laughed quietly. âNo. He doesnât joke around like that.â
Yiyoung chuckled at his response. Judging by his gold-framed glasses, Yiyoung had thought Mr. Hong would be strict, but he was surprisingly unconstrained.
âBut, Iâm a tad surprised,â Yiyoung added, âI feel Iâm too materialistic. Because I found it weird that Muyeol was going through the security checks and waiting in lines just like everyone else.â
âOnly he does that. The other executives take advantage and book tickets for the first class, but sir tends to sit with the main employees in the business class while flying out for a business trip. â
âOh, really? So youâre saying Muyeol intentionally chooses business class?â
âYes.â Mr. Hong served some food for himself once Yiyoung was done.
âAnd thanks to our director, all employees, no matter what their position, can use the business if the flight is longer than 6 hours,â Mr. Hong added, âSir said employees canât focus on their work when theyâre too tired.â
âIs that⦠considered a good thing?â
âOf course. The change was only brought about because of him,â said Mr. Hong, his chest puffed out with pride.
âBut⦠when you call him âour directorâ, it sounds awkward. Are you talking like that because of me?â
âYeah, just a little⦠I didnât really have anyone I could brag to about him before this.â
As Mr. Hong talked to Yiyoung, he checked on Muyeol for a brief moment, only to have their eyes meet. He quickly turned to Yiyoung and said, âThen, Iâll get back to work. And what we talked about todayâ¦â
âLetâs keep it a secret,â Yiyoung said.
âThank you, maâam.â
After Mr. Hong left to join Muyeol, Yiyoung analyzed the buffet and took some of each dish to eat. By the time she grabbed a cup of soda and returned to her seat, more people had joined the group.