episode_0347

Knock knock knock.

3 a.m.

Choi Jin-ah, who had been sleeping on the floor, slowly opens her eyes.

At first, my back hurt and I had trouble sleeping because I wasn’t sleeping on a bed.

Now I’m used to it and can sleep comfortably.

‘Are you sleeping?’

Glance briefly.

Min Joo-hee is lying in bed asleep.

The benefactor who has allowed Choi Jin-ah to remain here until now.

‘You’re sleeping.’

After confirming that Min Joo-hee is sleeping, Choi Jin-ah turns on the cell phone next to her.

I’ve become accustomed to the time of dawn.

Also, my finger was naturally pressing the delivery app.

‘Because it’s a university district, there are a lot of houses that are open even at dawn.’

What should I eat today?

Choi Jin-ah is lying face down and flapping her feet as if splashing water, showing off her excitement.

‘I ate chicken yesterday, so should I eat pizza today?’

Or how about Chinese food?

I was a little worried because my face was swollen when I woke up.

‘Udon?’

What happened to be an udon restaurant was there.

As I was looking through the menu of an udon restaurant that opens at dawn, jumbo udon caught my eye.

‘Hmm.’

Choi Jin-ah.

Age twenty-one.

A time when one is learning how to do bad things.

Others may see it as a late onset of puberty, which should have come in middle school.

She was living a life that was completely different from the life of Choi Jin-ah she had known until now.

The old Choi Jin-ah would never have ordered something like jumbo udon at dawn.

‘Order order.’

I briefly considered adding sides or toppings.

Since it’s called Jumbo, I think this will suffice for today.

‘hungry.’

In fact, Choi Jin-ah’s late-night snacks were not simply a way to enjoy the escapades, but were also a means of survival.

I’m stuck in the dorms so I can’t even eat proper meals here.

Even though Minjuhee said she would take care of it, I didn’t want to order a food shuttle when I was already receiving so much consideration.

‘Huh.’

Anyway, I feel good.

I was killing time playing on my phone when I got a text message right on cue.

Jinah Choi quickly gets up and puts on a light cardigan as her outerwear.

A cardigan doesn’t really go well with pajamas, but who’s going to see it anyway?

Squeak.

Opening the door with minimal noise, which is now familiar.

Choi Jin-ah quietly stepped outside, dragging her slippers but with a smile on her face.

“Hoohoo.”

Dark hallway.

It was a little scary at first, but now it feels very friendly.

A shaky step is actually evidence of a good mood.

Choi Jin-ah came down to the first floor with her shoulders shrugged.

They say that the principal and security guards are on guard even at dawn.

They are people too, after all.

Since I couldn’t stay awake all day, as long as I didn’t make a fuss, there wouldn’t be a problem.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can have food delivered right to your dorm.

I did that once and was startled by the loud noise of the motorcycle, so I asked them to put it in a bike rack near the dormitory, which was a bit of a trick.

“Huh.”

A white envelope placed next to the bike rack.

Jinah Choi goes back inside, thanking the restaurant owner and delivery man for giving her daily bread.

Choi Jin-ah sitting in the first floor lounge.

“Wow, it’s huge.”

Udon packed in a huge plastic container.

It’s too much to eat alone, and I think I’ll have some leftover.

Anyway, just the fact that there was a lot of food in front of her gave Jinah Choi a sense of satisfaction.

“I’ll eat well.”

After speaking quietly to herself, Choi Jin-ah started eating udon.

“Um!”

it’s good.

The violent amount of udon that fills your mouth elevates the quality of the meal.

Slurp.

Slurp slurp.

Slurp.

No one will say anything if you eat your noodles noisily, and no one will scold you for being greedy if you order much more than you can eat.

happy.

World-class violinist.

A treasure of the Republic of Korea.

A genius among geniuses.

The most coveted bride in a wealthy family.

Choi Jin-ah found happiness today in a 50,000 won jumbo udon.

Where will I find happiness tomorrow?

I was already so excited that it made me smile.

“What? There isn’t any.”

“Ah, Kabi.”

“Haam, I’m so sleepy, I’ve lost all interest.”

Men’s voices heard from outside the break room.

Jin-ah Choi, startled, hurriedly grabs the packaging bag and goes under the table with chopsticks and a bowl of udon.

Slurp.

Slurp.

A tense situation.

The udon might burn, so eat it first and check the situation.

Slurp.

Slurp.

Even in this situation, udon is really delicious. I didn’t participate in the review event, but I definitely have to write a review.

“I’m going.”

“Let’s go to sleep.”

“You worked hard today.”

Choi Jin-ah sighed at the sound of the male students’ voices outside.

thank god.

‘I have to eat quickly and go back.’

There’s still a lot of udon left, but I guess I can just eat it up if I try hard.

After returning to my seat again, the moment I put the udon in my mouth.

“Hoo.”

The break room lights came on and a man came inside.

“It really exists.”

It was Kim Woo-jin.

“Woo …

Although she couldn’t say anything because her mouth was full of udon, Kim Woo-jin could guess what Choi Jin-ah was going to say without even listening.

“Are you kidding me? Why are you here? Are you really that handsome?”

Slurp slurp.

“Wow, Mr. Woojin! Did you know I was here?”

“I was just wondering. I think it smells a bit like katsuobushi. Are you eating udon?”

‘Gae-kone.’

Choi Jin-ah glanced down at her udon.

I feel like I’ve eaten quite a bit, but I’m still a little embarrassed by how much I’ve eaten.

“Hey, Mr. Woojin, would you like some too?”

“… … Is it delicious?”

“Of course! This is jumbo udon!”

“What else is Jumbo?”

Kim Woo-jin, who had been studying until dawn, also took some udon and sat down to eat it.

I was definitely going to ask why he was here, but I got carried away by the udon.

Slurp.

“Are you still staying in Senior Joohee’s room?”

Slurp.

“Oh, yes. I asked Sister Joohee. At first, she absolutely refused, but after hearing my circumstances, I think she felt sorry for me.”

Slurp.

“Seniors tend to be secretly weak towards their own people.”

However, if the damage is going to spread to others, the person who will cut it off like a knife is the senior.

“You can just go to my house.”

Slurp.

“I feel like it’s a nuisance for me to keep staying here, and I feel sorry towards Woojin’s mom and dad.”

Slurp.

“Isn’t it a nuisance to be in the Hyundai dormitory? Don’t you feel bad toward Senior Joohee?”

“… … Stop eating udon.”

“Trying to take away what I gave you.”

We continue our conversation while eating the udon noodles we were given.

“Honestly, is it because you’re lonely?”

“읏.”

Choi Jin-ah hit the nail on the head.

When I went to college, everyone idolized Choi Jin-ah.

When they go to the orchestra, everyone only talks about work and looks at Choi Jin-ah’s expression.

This was my first time here.

A place where I can put aside my role as a violinist and be myself as Jinah Choi.

And as she spent this time, she felt that she herself was growing.

“Do you feel a little better?”

Slurp.

Kim Woo-jin asks questions as if it doesn’t really mean anything.

Choi Jin-ah, who was staring at him, nodded.

“Yes, a little.”

Slurp.

“Yeah. Hey, don’t bother other people. People think you’re a ghost.”

“Ah, I haven’t been eating properly. I get hungry as soon as dawn comes.”

“But how does sneaking around the dorm and eating late-night snacks help you resist your father?”

Slurp.

Let’s see what hits the nail on the head.

But Choi Jin-ah was quite confident in this regard.

“It’s a sense of immorality. Was a cattle thief a cattle thief from the beginning? He started out stealing needles and now he’s stealing cattle.”

“… … .”

“I will also start like this. Step by step. Not Choi Jin-ah who just listens to what her parents say and follows them… …but Choi Jin-ah who lives according to her own will.”

“Hmm.”

“If you don’t believe me, how about you eat a midnight snack with me, Woojin? If you do this, I feel like I’ve become a really bad person. Should we make a separate midnight snack group?”

“Why are you so serious about late-night snacks?”

“The only time I wait during the day… … .”

Slurp!

He tries to avoid eye contact while drinking the soup. Kim Woo-jin nods slightly while staring intently at Choi Jin-ah.

“That’s right. I guess you’re having a great time.”

“Do you understand?”

“Because you can see it.”

Did you see that he had become more comfortable from his expression?

To Choi Jin-ah, who was smiling awkwardly and bashfully.

“Jin-ah, you gained weight.”

“… … .”

It was Woojin Kim who brought up the truth that Jinah Choi had been avoiding until now.

* * *

“Give a seat to Woojin.”

Space Group headquarters, Chairman’s office.

Vice Chairman Kim Jae-woon put aside all other work and came running at the chairman’s call.

However, the words that the chairman uttered were not very pleasant to Kim Jae-woon.

“Woojin… are you talking about that?”

Kim Jae-woon glances at Secretary Jeong Tae-yoon, a close associate of Chairman Kim.

Seeing that Director Jeong didn’t seem flustered, it seemed like the conversation was already over.

“Yes. To a place where I can achieve results.”

“Performance… ….”

Kim Jae-woon knew what this meant.

It was said that from now on, serious concerns about succession would begin.

Why?

Why so suddenly?

Why did you suddenly do this when you were making preparations step by step?

Such questions were even asked out loud.

“Woojin is still a college student.”

“Do you know how much that college student has raised the stock price of Space Group?”

“But that’s-.”

“I disagree, you punk.”

Chairman Kim clicks his tongue.

There is a look of frustration in his eyes towards his eldest son.

“It’s not that you can’t do it because you’re a college student, but you’ve achieved this much despite being a college student. Then, on the other hand, what if you just stick to this?”

An expression of anticipation for what will be accomplished.

It was an expectation that Kim Jae-woon had never received in his entire life.

“It’s instinct, instinct. It’s like an instinct to take advantage. Selfishly and greedily.”

“… … .”

“Put that guy in the place where the board is laid. Put that guy in a place where it will definitely produce results.”

“Why, may I ask?”

The chairman’s words as if he was going to force Woojin Kim to achieve results.

The chairman let out a long sigh at the careful question.

“Watch. How he moves. Is he a guy who knows how to inflate his size or is he a guy who makes something grow out of nothing?”

“… … Okay.”

Kim Jae-woon answered briefly.

As he bows his head and tries to go out, the chairman takes off the glasses he was wearing and calls him.

“Whew, Jaewoon.”

“Yes, Father.”

It was the first time.

Have you ever been called Jaewoon at work?

“This is giving you a chance too.”

“Yes?”

“I will evaluate Woojin based on this incident. If he exceeds expectations this time too… …there will be no place for you in this company.”

A warning that weighs on your body.

“On the contrary.”

But Chairman Kim continued speaking calmly.

“You’re the one who can stop Woojin from achieving results.”

The decision on where to send it was completely left to Kim Jae-woon.

“Show me too.”

That he is my son.

Greedy and selfish.

So that the youngest sibling can’t settle down.

Somehow, I’ll try to keep the seat you’re sitting in.

At Chairman Kim’s words, “Even if it’s ugly, try to show selfishness.”

Kim Jae-woon stood there blankly for a moment, then bowed his head and went outside.