Chapter 21

Chapter 21

As she looked at me, my mother said, “Buyeon was the same way… and so are you, it seems.”

I could feel the sweat running down my back.

“I think it’s because I got used to my sister’s cooking. Food from other places just doesn’t satisfy me.”

“Buyeon was better than me.”

Thinking of me, my mother’s eyes welled up with tears. My chest felt unbearably heavy, filled with pain and sadness. I wanted to tell her that her daughter was still here, that I was Buyeon. My mother apologized and wiped her tears.

“I’m sorry. I’m sentimental in my old age.”

Before I could say anything, President Jang spoke up.

“No need to apologize. Who could possibly understand the sorrow of losing a child? Thank you for coming here despite your pain.”

“Thank you for saying that, President.”

I looked at him, feeling something more profound than just gratitude. I realized that Jang Doha was a much better person than I had initially thought. He continued,

“Mrs. Han, you haven’t had a meal yet, have you? Our company cafeteria serves quite good food. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d love to hear your thoughts while we eat.”

“What advice could I possibly give?”

“Anything you share will help us improve the well-being of our employees.”

I think I understood why he made this request. My mother needed a change of environment, which is why I had also asked her to take on some tasks. Working on more projects, including the overseas dining business, would help distract her from her thoughts. If he planned that far ahead, he truly was a thoughtful person.

As I was about to stand up to head to the cafeteria, President Jang called out to me.

“Director Namgung, just a moment.”

I wondered if he had some instructions for me. Instead, he handed me a small bag of medicine.

“I didn’t think you should apply this before eating, so please use it after your meal.”

Inside the bag were ointment and bandages. I felt a strange emotion.

“When did you buy this?”

“I went downstairs to get it earlier.”

When I looked up, he gave me a soft, curved smile that sent a flutter through my heart.

“Thank you.”

My voice was thick with emotion. He then turned to my mother and said,

“Shall we go?”

He and my mother left the President’s office first, and I followed behind. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what I felt as I watched them together. Just that something tugged my heart.

I had never been to the company cafeteria before, and honestly, I was surprised. There were separate sections for Korean, Western, Chinese, Italian, and Southeast Asian cuisines, making it practically a buffet. The quality looked high, and my mother was also impressed.

“It looks wonderful.”

“The Honorary Chairman insisted on it. This place is run in-house. He wanted the employees to have quality meals, and it’s provided free of charge.”

I remained silent.

‘If you were to manage the company cafeteria, how would you do it?’

‘The company cafeteria?’

‘Yes.’

‘I don’t know how it’s currently run, but if it’s outsourced, I’d recommend bringing it in-house.’

‘And why do you think that?’

‘If it’s outsourced, profit comes first, so they mostly likely won’t use the best ingredients. But if it’s run in-house with employee welfare in mind, they wouldn’t skimp on the ingredients.’

‘I see. Currently, employees are served from a serving line. How would you handle that?’

‘There are clearly differences in age and rank within the company. I’ve heard that many people are forced to eat according to their superior’s preferences. If the cafeteria were run with the quality of a high-end restaurant and meals were free, there’d be no need to go out for an uncomfortable meal.’

‘And how would you cover the deficit in the cafeteria’s budget?’

‘Everyone deserves to eat comfortably. If you treat it like a business, who would want to give their all to the company? Any deficit can be made up through business profits.’

Grandfather had looked at me thoughtfully.

‘You should have joined the company as an asset, not just as a daughter-in-law of this family.’

I recalled that conversation with Grandfather from long ago. Was it after that discussion that he made these changes? My head spun.

“Director Namgung, what are you going to eat?”

Awakening from my sea of thoughts, I lifted my head. Jang Doha was watching my eyes closely and asked, “Are you okay?”

I gave an awkward smile. “Yes, I was just lost in thought for a moment. What did my mother-in-law decide to eat?”

“She chose Chinese food.”

“What?” I was surprised, and he asked curiously, “Why?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

My mother dislikes Chinese food. I naturally assumed she’d choose Korean food, so this was unexpected.

“Then I’ll have Chinese too.”

“I’ll have Chinese as well.”

He gave me a playful smile, making me laugh.

“Copying me?”

“We’re in this together, after all. We’re a team bound by fate.”

I paused, watching his back as he walked toward the Chinese food section. He had a way of saying things that could make a person’s heart skip a beat, all while sounding so casual and nonchalant.

Shaking my head, I followed him. The food options were limited, but they looked more like proper dishes and seemed delicious.

There were vegetable dishes, meat dishes, and a few different meals. I chose Yu Xiang eggplant (crispy eggplant covered in a sticky sweet, sour, savory and slightly spicy sauce), Jjajangmyeon (Blackbean sauce noodles), and Jeongabok (sautéed assorted seafood and vegetables).

The noodles took a little time, likely because they were made to order, but the wait wasn’t too long. I took my food and sat by the window. My mother chose similar dishes, adding menbosha (fried shrimp toast) and yuringi (pepper friend chicken) to her plate. She only took small portions of each.

“Is that enough for you?” I asked.

She smiled gently. “This is more than enough.”

She ate carefully, sometimes expressing her approval with a nod or a word of praise.

“Who’s the head chef for the Chinese food here?” she asked.

I glanced at President Jang. As the President, he probably wouldn’t know, but he answered, “Master Chef So In-beom is our consultant.”

He continued, “For Western cuisine, we have Edward Kim, for Italian, Marco Han, and for Southeast Asian cuisine, we brought in top chefs directly from their respective regions.”

I was surprised. How did he know all that? And why? My mother then said, “It seems you don’t have a Korean cuisine expert.”

“That’s correct,” he replied.

My mother looked at him and asked, “Are you perhaps hoping I could serve as a consultant?”

“I’m sure that would be difficult for you right now. But if you ever wish to expand your work in the future, it would be an honor to have you consider MK as an option.”

He spoke politely, with a touch of deference, which caught my attention. I wasn’t used to speaking this way. Suddenly, I found myself wanting to learn how to communicate like that.

“But President, must be busy. How do you find time to manage all these details?” she asked.

“Actually, the Honorary Chairman asked me to do it. He wanted me to find ways for you to take on new challenges beyond what you’ve done so far.”

My eyes widened. Grandfather?

“It’s too much for me right now, but once I’ve recovered, I’ll seriously consider the offer.”

“That alone means a lot to us.”

I sighed inwardly. I hadn’t realized Grandfather had thought so deeply about this. Today seemed to be a day full of emotional rollercoasters.

After finishing our meal, we got on the elevator to return to the office. Employees who saw us standing side by side greeted us with knowing smiles. I felt awkward because I knew what those smiles meant.

When lunch ended, we entered the large conference room. The employees looked puzzled when they saw my mother. President Jang introduced her.

“This is Mrs. Han Yesuk, a specialist in royal Korean cuisine. She will be advising on our upcoming overseas dining project. Many of you are aware of the recent frozen gimbap craze in the U.S. This project will focus on frozen foods inspired by royal Korean cuisine.

“Director Namgung Yena has already submitted the initial plan, and this project will proceed under the special directive of Honorary Chairman Namgung Beom. I hope all of you will work with Director Namgung and Specialist Han to continue spreading the popularity of Korean cuisine abroad.”

There was a murmur of excitement among the employees. I focused on Team Leader Jeong Han-il. His expression shifted rapidly in response to the President’s words.

My husband likely didn’t see this coming either. The fact that this was under Grandfather’s special directive must have been a shock. Despite being a senior executive, he had been completely excluded, which meant he had lost Grandfather’s favor.

I stood up and clicked the remote for the projector to begin my presentation.

“The key to this project is vegan cuisine. As you know, there’s a major health food trend in the U.S. right now, and that’s why our vegan frozen gimbap has become such a hit.”

I clicked the remote again, showing a graph of Korean cuisine’s market share in the U.S.

“Korean cuisine’s market share in the U.S. is on the rise, even surpassing Japanese and Chinese cuisine in some regions. Korean food has already established itself as a health-conscious option in their minds.”

I clicked the remote again, displaying images of japchae and royal tteokbokki.

“These are just preliminary concepts. Korean food has traditionally been seen as spicy, but both royal tteokbokki and japchae will be made vegan. These non-spicy, healthy dishes will serve as convenient meals for Americans. Moving forward, we will be working with Specialist Han to create fusion versions of royal Korean cuisine dishes. If any of you have good ideas, please feel free to share them.”

When I finished my presentation, there was applause. I hesitated at first, but then smiled confidently. Having completed my first presentation at my first job, I felt encouraged. Confidence surged within me. I can do this.