Chapter 405: It's Chilly.
"Uh, um."
"...Hmm."
"Hmm."
What am I supposed to say to this? I thought to myself as I looked at the Branch Chief.
Did she even have any intention of hiding her age in the first place?
She goes around telling everyone who'll listen that she's over 200 years old, doesn't she?
At times like this, you need a specific person.
Namely...
"...Uh, why is everyone looking at me?"
As if by prior agreement, our gazes all turned toward Yu Daon, who pointed at herself with a puzzled expression and tilted her head.
"Is there something I need to do for you?"
Why is she so clueless at times like this?
It looks like I'm the only one who's going to have to evaluate the Branch Chief's lunchbox after all.
I let out a deep sigh and opened my mouth.
Still, I should phrase it mildly so the Branch Chief doesn't get hurt.
"I don't think my grandmother back home would eat something like that. You really are amazing."
"...Do I look that old? And I packed this thinking it was a pretty modern lunchbox."
The Branch Chief made a sullen face upon hearing my words.
"'Modern' is this."
Let's see. Whose lunchbox should I call the modern one?
"This one is the more modern lunchbox, I suppose."
Fried foods, lots of sauces, and so on...
When I pointed to Song A-rin's lunchbox, she looked quite pleased with herself.
"What can you do? I guess it's a generational thing, since I'm the youngest. Ugh. Those two are so old that—"
"I heard these days, 'modern' means food that's unnecessarilyåºæ¿æ§ (spicy/flavorful) enough to kill you with its taste."
"Hey!"
I took a step back from Song A-rin, who yelled out, and looked at the Branch Chief. The Branch Chief, who had been eyeing Song A-rin's food, furrowed her brow.
"Is this what kids eat nowadays? Oh my. Your stomachs will be ruined. If you want to live a long, healthy life, you should eat your vegetables and keep the seasoning light... Fried food is a bit much."
Then the Branch Chief took a bite of Song A-rin's food and furrowed her brow even more.
"Oh my, oh my. Salty, so salty. And why is this so spicy? Ugh."
"..."
And Song A-rin was looking at the Branch Chief as if her eyes could kill.
After critiquing Song A-rin's lunchbox like a mother-in-law, the Branch Chief turned her gaze to Jang Chae-yeon's lunchbox.
"Let's see. Should I try Jang Chae-yeon's lunchbox too?"
"I'm going to kill you."
"You can't kill me."
I looked at the Branch Chief walking toward Jang Chae-yeon's lunchbox while trying to placate Song A-rin, whose face was bright red as she gritted her teeth.
The Branch Chief placed her hand on Jang Chae-yeon's lunchbox and started eating.
"But honestly, what does a grandmother with a palate like hers know about taste?"
"It's just respecting your elders, I guess. Just let it slide."
"I can hear you."
The Branch Chief cut off my conversation with Song A-rin and began eating Jang Chae-yeon's lunchbox.
"Mmm... Mmm..."
The Branch Chief tasted the lunchbox with her eyes closed.
"...Mmm."
Soon, she opened her eyes and looked at us.
"It's not bad? No, it's delicious?"
"..."
Jang Chae-yeon looked at us with a confident expression.
It wasn't surprising, since Jang Chae-yeon was pretty good at cooking.
The Branch Chief ate each item one by one, seeming to enjoy it, and nodded.
"But the seasoning is a bit too strong."
She eats it well but then complains. It seemed I wasn't the only one who thought that, as Jang Chae-yeon was also looking at her with a similar expression in her eyes.
"Especially these soy sauce-based dishes, they all feel a bit too sweet?"
The Branch Chief muttered while nodding, then turned her attention to Yu Daon's food.
"Now, then, next is Mr. Yu Daon..."
"But since when did you start eating our food so casually?"
"Can you finish all of this, Kim Jae-heon?"
"...Well, no."
"I'm not eating a lot, just one bite each. What's the problem?"
The Branch Chief answered with a brazen face and then ate from Yu Daon's lunchbox.
"Mmm. Mmm!"
The Branch Chief nodded, seeming satisfied, and ate each item one by one.
"This is really delicious! It suits my taste perfectly!"
The Branch Chief gave a thumbs-up and nodded several times, looking pleased, then continued her explanation.
"The seasoning is light, and the healthy aspect is like a hospi... mmm... food..."
The more she talked, the worse her expression became.
"...No, it's not like that."
Then, uncharacteristically, the Branch Chief waved her hand, cold sweat pouring down her face.
"It's delicious. Wow, the seasoning is perfect and it's really my taste it'sreallytoodelicious!"
If she goes that far, even Yu Daon will catch on.
Thinking that, I picked up the Branch Chief's lunchbox.
"I'll try a bite of this."
"Ah, yes."
The Branch Chief nodded and stared intently at the lunchbox.
Really...
"It looks healthy."
"It's not just looks; it is healthy."
Well, of course it is.
Thinking that, I ate from the Branch Chief's lunchbox.
Perilla leaves slathered in doenjang, whole radishes pickled in salt, and... crumbly barley rice...
"Ms. A-rin. The lunchbox, quickly."
"Huh? Oh."
Song A-rin, hearing me, handed over her lunchbox, and I ate the food as if to cleanse my palate.
"...It doesn't really suit my taste."
"Ugh, you'll die early like that."
No matter how long I live, I doubt I'll live as long as the Branch Chief. I shook my head with that thought.
"What's the point of living a long, healthy life if you're eating tasteless food?"
"If you end up hospitalized later, you'll think, 'Ah, I lived wrong.'"
Go on, talk your trash, talk your trash.
As I looked at the Branch Chief thinking that, she picked up her lunchbox, sighed, and stood up.
"That's enough. I'm going to go play with someone else now."
"Who?"
At my question, the Branch Chief's gaze turned toward one person.
Ahn Sang-hyun, who was chewing on a round rice ball he'd shaped, mumbling.
"Hahaha!"
When his eyes met the Branch Chief's, he raised a hand and gave me a hearty wave.
"It's always good to see an interesting scene, but it's always tiresome when the sparks fly my way! I'll be going then!"
Then, making his body as round as the rice ball he'd shaped, he rolled away swiftly and disappeared down the hallway.
"..."
The Branch Chief watched him go, sighed again, and headed elsewhere.
"Fine. I'm going back to the office."
Wait, she's not sulking because I said her food was tasteless, is she?
But tasteless is tasteless.
After the Branch Chief left like that, I watched her go and then looked at the other four.
"Shall we just eat?"
"You know, sometimes I really feel it, but you can be so heartless at times."
Song A-rin looked at me and shook her head, and I got up from my spot.
"Then should I go catch her? Branch Chief-nim—"
"Ah, shit!"
Song A-rin grabbed my arm in a panic.
"Okay! I get it! I won't do it!"
"Good for you."
Why do I give an inch and they take a mile? Do they like that sort of thing?
Thinking that, I finished the meal.
I gritted my teeth and ate it all.
Seriously. With the resolve to fast until tomorrow's lunch, I emptied all the lunchboxes.
"Since you enjoyed it, should I pack more again tomorrow?"
"Please reduce the amount."
If I eat like this until tomorrow, I might really die.
Thinking that, I barely suppressed the food that was filled to the point of reaching my throat and let out a sigh.
*
In the end, I decided to go out for a walk that night.
Good grief, even after taking digestive medicine, it wouldn't settle, so what could I do?
I put on comfortable clothes, went outside, and started walking.
The cool night air tickled my cheeks, and as I walked, it seemed a bit more bearable.
"...Hah."
I let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.
Yu Daon, Jang Chae-yeon, Song A-rin.
"...It's a headache."
Well, they each said they liked me, so what can I do?
It's not like they're the type to say anything if I just stay still, but...
"..."
Ignoring it and living on like this would be the most comfortable, but is that really the right thing to do?
I was lost in such thoughts while walking when someone jogged past me.
"Hoo... hoo..."
A small frame, dull blonde hair tied up.
Despite her size, her running posture was incredibly solid, her back straight—she looked like she could really run well.
"...Ms. Eileen?"
I called her name, and Eileen, hearing me, turned her body to look at me.
"...What are you doing here?"
She looked at me, her eyes shining as if she were happy to see me, and I also looked at her, lost in thought.
"..."
Wouldn't Eileen be a suitable person to consult about my worries?
"Actually, I have a worry."
"...Yeah."
Hearing me, Eileen came closer, and looking at her, I opened my mouth.
I told her that three people had confessed to me, and I didn't know what to do about it.
As I spoke and watched Eileen's expression as she listened,
"..."
She was looking at me with a blank expression.
"...What, what is it?"
"Ugh, you fool."
Then she let out a deep sigh.
"...First of all, in my opinion."
And then she slowly opened her mouth.
"Rather than giving a clumsy answer, it's better to think carefully and then answer."
"...That's true."
"Or just live with all three."
"Isn't that impossible in this day and age, unlike the Branch Chief's time?"
Isn't it legally prohibited in modern society?
When I looked at Eileen thinking that, she chuckled.
"Is that so? I wouldn't know."
What.
I looked at Eileen with that expression, and she stretched her arms wide.
"But it might not be three."
"Huh?"
"If I said I liked you too, wouldn't that make four?"
"...Huh?"
I looked at her with a 'what are you talking about' expression, and Eileen gave a refreshing laugh and started running again.
"Think about it carefully."
"Wait, hold on, Ms. Eileen!"
I called after her, but as if she couldn't hear my answer, she ran off into the distance and disappeared.
"..."
Why does she just throw another problem at me instead of helping and then leave?
So this situation is...
*
"Die, you bitch. Die."
"Ah! Team Leader! Ah! My head hurts, Team Leader! Ah!"
-Thwack! Thwack!
The Team Leader, who had been beating my head with a binder, caught his breath and opened his mouth.
"Don't you dare say that to anyone else. You'll get stabbed."
"I only said it because it's you, Team Leader."
"Take another hit."
-Thwack!
"Argh!"
As I held my head, the Team Leader opened his mouth.
"...What can you do. I was quite a dashing guy who made a name for myself back in the day too..."
"..."
It was hard to believe, but I listened to the Team Leader's words.
"..."
The Team Leader's mouth slowly opened.