Chapter 15. Kang Gwon-ha’s Grand Plan (2)

Ha… unbelievable.

Gwon-ha let out a hollow laugh.

“The whole morning incident was because of that cat, Chun-sik or Chun-hyang or whatever…!”

“Chun-ja.”

Do-ah corrected him without missing a beat, and he froze.

The hand in his pocket moved to his waist as he took a deep breath from the pit of his stomach to calm himself.

“Right. Chun-ja. Anyway, I told you it was because of the cat, but you called me a flasher…”

“If you switch perspectives, I think you’ll see the answer.”

“Oh, come on! This woman…!”

How could she say something that outrageous so casually.

His neck, exposed above the stiff collar of his shirt, flushed red in an instant.

Do-ah tilted her head lightly and offered a clean, polite apology.

“Anyway, if I misunderstood, I apologize.”

“This isn’t something you can just brush off that easily. Do you know how important the humidity of yeast is…”

“I’m grateful for that.”

Her tone stayed perfectly even as she cut him off.

There was no hint of emotion in her thanks, and somehow, that made him feel small.

The mighty Kang Gwon-ha, losing ground in a conversation.

‘And she’s even taken control of the pace…’

This woman was definitely skilled.

Even during multi-billion-won negotiations, he’d kept the upper hand with calm precision. Yet she’d turned him into a soggy sheet of paper.

She had to be some kind of master negotiator. Or a push-and-pull expert.

There was no other way she could feed him humiliation like it was part of his daily diet.

‘Damn it.’

The fact that he didn’t curse out loud was a testament to his superhuman patience.

His rising temper finally reached his face.

Do-ah stared at his flushed cheeks and suddenly asked:

“Are you drunk by any chance? Your face looks red.”

His brows pinched together sharply.

She opened her mouth slightly and added quickly, trying to soften it.

“Some people get a little tipsy from the yeast smell, so I was just asking. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”

“I’m not. And I don’t have such a weak tolerance that I’d get drunk off yeast smell.”

“That’s a relief. Go have breakfast. You know where the dining hall is, right?”

“If I found the yeast room, of course I can find the dining hall.”

“Then I’ll head out first.”

She ended the conversation there and turned away.

Unfortunately, the ankle she’d twisted yesterday was acting up again.

Running here earlier had only made the swelling worse.

She stepped carefully, aware of the situation, but when her foot pressed down on a small stone, her weight shifted suddenly.

A sharp pain shot through her ankle as her balance tilted to the side.

“Ah!”

A hot hand suddenly wrapped around her waist.

Her weakened ankle left her light body collapsing straight into his arms.

Her cheek pressed against his firm, heated chest through the fabric.

Different place, same situation. Her usual composure faltered again.

A deep sigh and a low voice rumbled from above her head.

“You didn’t ice your ankle.”

She blinked twice.

“You’re right.”

“…”

“That mouth that was flapping just a moment ago shut real quick.”

His voice snapped her thoughts back into order.

This was an accident. Just an accident.

Reminding herself of that, her trademark composure began to return.

She tried to push away from him, but his arm around her waist held firm.

“Planning to fall again?”

“I’m fine. Let go.”

His gaze dropped to her ankle, swollen far worse than the day before. His face twisted in an instant.

“In what world does this look fine? Are you numb to pain or something?”

“…”

“If you leave it like this it’ll get worse. Is there a clinic or an orthopedist nearby?”

There was genuine concern in his voice.

At least, that’s how it sounded to her.

Her chest stirred in an unfamiliar way, making her want to escape this warm hold.

At the same time, the wall she’d built around herself began to soften.

Why did a bit of kindness and warmth shake her like this.

And then, like clockwork, Yeon-ah’s mocking voice echoed in her mind.

‘The neighborhood boys say you’re an orphan, so you’re desperate for any scrap of affection people give you.’

She shoved his shoulders away with all her strength.

This time, he let her go without resistance.

“I’ll handle it myself.”

Leaving only that cold remark behind, she turned away.

His gaze followed her limping steps, but she didn’t stop walking.

“Man, she’s cold.”

She didn’t hear his muttered comment either.

* * *

Meal time.

Once everyone else had finished eating and headed off to their assigned areas, Do-ah finally sat down to eat.

As soon as she took a spoonful of the dried pollack soup, her face twisted.

“Why, does it taste bad?”

Jeong-ja, sitting beside her, asked worriedly.

“No, it’s delicious.”

“Good. You better eat up since you’re going into the inner quarters later. Here, have some more.”

“Thank you.”

Jeong-ja placed her fried egg on top of Do-ah’s rice bowl.

As she was about to eat it, her ankle throbbed again.

Even after taking painkillers in a rush, the pain was worse than before.

The man’s words about underestimating it and suffering for it came back to her.

‘Tomorrow I should at least get acupuncture from Dr. Go.’

She needed to get through the inner quarters today.

As she lifted her spoon again, Sumi ajumma shuffled over nervously.

“Hey… was it you who came by? The yeast room fire thing.”

“Ah, luckily I wasn’t too late so it was fine.”

“Oh dear… I feel so bad. I guess I was too on edge because of those Daeseong Brewing guys yesterday and fell asleep…”

The guilt on Sumi’s face was genuine.

Do-ah knew her clumsy personality well enough to smile it off, but Jeong-ja didn’t.

She smacked Sumi on the back and scolded her.

“Oh, you idiot! If it weren’t for Do-ah, the Master Brewer would’ve killed you. How can you forget something like that. Should I tie your brain down. How do you manage to turn off the fire in the yeast room of all places!”

“Ah! It wasn’t Do-ah who turned it off! And how’s this my fault. It’s all because of those Daeseong Brewing punks. Right, Do-ah?”

Do-ah gave a wry smile and looked away from their bickering.

Her gaze landed on a man sitting at the end of the table.

Gwon-ha was already looking straight at her.

“…!”

Why is he making that face again.

What’s his problem now.

He looked like he’d bitten into something rotten.

Noticing this, Jeong-ja stopped scolding Sumi and spoke up for Do-ah.

“What’s wrong, handsome. Doesn’t the food suit your taste?”

“Where’s the nearest clinic?”

“Huh? Clinic? Why, are you hurt? Did you get injured fighting those guys yesterday!”

“No, it’s not that.”

He dragged out his words as he stared at Do-ah.

Jeong-ja’s gaze followed his.

“Huh? What about our Do-ah. Do-ah, are you hurt somewhere?”

“N-no, Auntie. I’m fine.”

“She says she’s fine.”

He gave up explaining and stood up abruptly.

Shin Dong-hun, who’d been wolfing down his meal beside him, froze with his spoon still in his mouth.

The sudden move was so decisive that Shin couldn’t even stop him.

It was strange.

His boss, who normally couldn’t care less about other people, was involving himself this deeply.

It felt foreign.

‘The vibe earlier was weird too.’

Was this all part of the department head’s grand plan?

Well, knowing him, it wouldn’t be surprising.

While Shin slurped at his spoon, Gwon-ha reached Do-ah’s table.

She looked up at him with innocent, unbothered eyes, and his mouth opened.

“I told you, Joo Do-ah.”

He leaned slightly, placing his hand on the table beside her bowl.

Blue veins bulged across his hand menacingly as he tilted his chin toward her ankle.

“I told you something bad would happen if you underestimated it.”