At the Funny Box store.
“Hey, correct this area again here.”
Mr. Choi talked to the employees impolitely.
“Oh, I see. Are you smiling because you get paid for slacking off? Aren’t you working?”
In his irritating tone, the staff sighed and moved reluctantly.
“Boss, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen you. You look well.”
Sun greeted Choi cheerfully and approached. However, Mr. Choi pretended he had not seen her, and tried to turn the other way.
“Mr. Choi! Mr. Choi!
Sun turned several times to chase Mr.Choi.
“I really don’t have time today. I’m busy.”
“Only one minute! I just need to receive payment from you.”
“Oh, really. I was glad not to see you for a while. Why did you show up again?”
“Hey, don’t do that. I heard that my bear dolls had been sold a lot.”
“Oh, that’s not because you did something great here. It’s because my store is located in a great spot in town.”
Mr. Choi shouted at her in anger.
“Oh, yes. No doubt, so I’m asking you to do the same again. Will you keep receiving our product?
“Oh, no. No more.”
“I even planned a trip for you.
“I don’t even remember when it was, and are you taking credit yourself now?
“It’s not like that. I’m just saying it’s great to help each other. That’s it.”
“You are crazy.”
Mr. Choi stopped walking as if he had given up on the efforts of Sun, who never gave up on him and treated him well.
“I send you payment because you wear me down. My business isn’t doing great either.”
Mr. Choi grumbled, pulling out his phone and opening an internet banking app. At that time, an employee rushed to Mr. Choi.
“Mr. Choi. The men’s toilet is clogged.”
“What? I told you don’t put any toilet paper in the toilet, so who put it in again!? We are expecting a special guest today!”
Annoyed, Mr. Choi turned off the app and rushed to the management office.
Sun, who was watching from the side, bit her lower lip.
“Now, why don’t these guys ever answer the phone?”
Sun rarely made him pay her, but the situation was worsening.
“Mr. Choi, how about the payment?”
Sun carefully called Mr. Choi, and he looked at her with annoyance.
“Hey, Sun, do you know how to plunge a toilet?”
Mr.Choi insinuated.
“Yes? I’ve done it at home a few times…”
“Well, that’s great. Can you solve that for me? A special customer is supposed to come today from our headquarters.”
Considering what he just said to her, he was asking her to clean the man’s toilet.
Sun was panicking and could not answer only to slap her mouth.
“If you hate it, then that’s fine. I’ll just call a plumber. Oh, what are you doing? Don’t get in the way.”
Mr. Choi’s expression changed again.
“Oh, No. I can do it. I’ll do it.”
“No. Forget it.”
“I’ll do it now. Where’s the restroom?”
Sun smiled and asked.
“Over there behind me.”
She hurried her steps, fearing that Mr. Choi would change his mind.
As she entered the bathroom, Choi looked satisfied as he checked the time on his luxury wristwatch.
“But when will he come?”
Mr. Choi looked at the doorway as if he was waiting for someone.
***
“Ugh.”
Sun pushed down the toilet plunger with disgust.
However, rather than going down, only the putrid smell came up.
“Ha. The toilet is not flushing; the smell is penetrating.”
Son tried to hold her breath by blocking her nose with her shirt, but it was no use.
“What do I do now?”
It was an embarrassing situation.
“What… what the hell?”
Some men that came in to use the bathroom screamed upon seeing Sun.
It didn’t seem normal for a young woman to fix the men’s restroom.
“I’m sorry. I’m plunging the toilet.”
It was embarrassing, but Son didn’t show it as she spoke.
“Oh, the smell.”
The men were surprised to see a young woman in the men’s bathroom, and they hurried away due to the terrible smell.
“Ewww.”
She rolled up the tissue and blocked her nose, and she couldn’t breathe even for a little bit.
“Now, let’s finish it all at once.”
She seemed determined to pump the plunger into the toilet.
‘Glug, glug’
The smell rose up as she watched the disgusting heap move about; it was hard to stomach.
“Ahhhhhh!.”
She continued pumping, squeezing to the last of her power. However, it was too complicated, and at that moment, she slipped on the wet tiled floor.
“Ugh”
She was able to turn around but didn’t manage to balance herself and fell forward.
“Ugh…”
As she leaned down and let out a sigh of defeat, a strange shadow approached her. Sun thought someone had entered again, so she tried to stand up by pushing her hands on the floor.
“Oh my.”
When she fell, her palms slammed roughly to the floor.
“Excuse me. I’m cleaning the bathroom right now, so can you please use it a little later? I’m so sorry.”
She spoke kindly, but the other party was speechless.
“I’m sorry, but…”
“… Look at you.”
The cold tone of that voice cut her words.
Upon hearing the familiar voice, she stopped for a moment, slowly looking up.
Luxury handmade shoes, luxury suit that wrapped around long legs, neat jacket, and handkerchief. Sun’s careful, upward gaze passed through a sharp jawline to his eyes.
“Gyeon… Gyeonhui.”
When she identified him, her eyes shook violently.
10. Reunion
He looked at her hand while touching the floor. The rubber gloves she wore to clean the mess were loose.
“Excuse me. I’m cleaning the bathroom right now, so can you please use it a little later? I’m so sorry.”
It was her voice. He knew it without looking at her face.
“I’m sorry, but…”
“… Look at you.”
The voice was familiar. Sun lifted her head slowly.
“Gyeon… Gyeonhui.”
Her eyes were filled with shock and pain. She quickly rose to the floor along with her hands. The throbbing pain that she felt was passed onto his wrist.
“What are you doing?”
She pretended to be innocent and looked at him.
“That’s what I’d like to ask.”
“… I’m helping out Mr. Choi.”
Sun hid her hands behind him, unable to see him. He looked at her still and slowly opened his mouth.
“This suits you.”
His words struck her chest like a sharp dagger. He knew for sure that his words had hurt her.
She left the bathroom. When Mr.Choi saw Gyeonhui from the bathroom, he approached him.
“I’m so sorry Mr. Woo. The toilet has broken…”
“… She… what is she doing here?”
He asked in a careless tone.
“Oh, she is our supplier, and she begs us to take her products. The toilet broke down, and she said she was going to fix it.”
Mr. Choi responded by turning his words to his advantage as much as possible.
“Shoot.”
“Sorry?”
Mr.Choi asked, but Gyeonhui had left the store without answering. He couldn’t tell what he would do if he stayed there longer.
***
“Huahh”
Son left alone and sighed for a long time.
When she pushed the toilet lever, the water went down smoothly as if it hadn’t been blocked.
“… It should have happened a little earlier.”
Son sat down, muttering bitterly to herself before heading to the sink.
She took off her rubber gloves and turned the water on. Her eyes were reflected as she washed her hands. Her eyes were blank with shattered hair.
‘This suits you.’
His cold voice hovered in her ear. She shut her mouth tight and patted her chest with her hands.
Her chest, which seemed to be stuck, hardly settled. Her throat shook and tried to explode, but Sun pressed it down by clenching her teeth.
She put her head down and washed her eyes with cold water, trying to keep the inflammation down.
***
His car stopped with a roaring noise.
His wrists were still throbbing, and he felt pain as if his chest was continually receiving a hit.
“Oh, why is this happening again…”
The pain was so disturbing that he scowled.
“Is she hurting herself? What’s going on?”
He got out of his car after mumbling to himself, annoyed.
“Huh.”
He let out a frustrated sigh into the air, but his mood didn’t get any better.
Standing back in his car, he noticed the sky lounge restaurant on the other side of the building. A few years ago, it was the restaurant where he went with Sun.
Suddenly, he recalled her face while she was looking at him during their whole stay at dinner.
***
As she sliced the steak, she looked at his face frequently.
“Why do you look at me that way?”
He asked while he was putting the food in his mouth.
“I have a question.”
“A question?”
“Yes. I don’t know your name, your title, or your age. Amazingly, I’ve worked with you for a few weeks now without knowing anything about you.”
With Sun’s words, Gyeonhui smiled.
“Go ahead. Ask me.”
“Oh… It might be an intrusion to ask you something like this.”
Sun spoke cautiously.
“What is your exact position at this company?”
“Position?”
He looked at her frowning.
“Why do you want to know my position?”
“No, just…”
“You are excused.”
He put a mouthful of his food in his mouth without answering. It seemed like her questions had offended him somehow as he scowled.
“Well, what’s your salary then?
In her subsequent questioning, he put down his fork.
‘This woman is no different than…’
Chewing the salad, he quickly started talking with a smile. He thought that it would be better to cut her off and be honest.
“My salary is this…”
He tried to say that it was $200,000.00 before he became the president.
“Twenty thousand dollars?”
She opened her eyes with surprise. He calmly looked at her again, scowling.
“It’s ridiculous…”
Looking at her disappointed expression, Gyeonhui smiled bitterly.
Picking up a napkin, he wiped his mouth. He totally lost his appetite.
He tried to put down the napkin and just get up from his seat, but she started speaking once more.
“Stop working for that company. Come to our company instead.”
“Why would I do that?”
At that moment, Gyeonhui didn’t understand her at all as she looked at her.
“I can get you a better salary if you’re getting paid around 20K now. I have the power to do so.”
He couldn’t say anything as if everything were outrageous.
“I know because I have the experience, and I know you’re going to be an impressive businessman. You’re very creative and good at solving problems. You’re also very driven. Well, of course, there’s not enough teamwork, though.”
Sun smiled and spoke cautiously in order not to offend him.
“That’s ridiculous to only pay twenty thousand a year for such talent. How can that be? Think about it.”
“… Is that why you asked my salary?”
“Oh, yes, I’m sorry for being so direct. However, if you were to take the job, I needed to know your salary. I just can’t do that to a person who gets paid millions. I don’t even get paid that much.”
She smiled nicely.
‘This girl… What is it with her?’
She was the type of woman that he had never met in his life.
“It’s just a suggestion, think about it.”
She reached out her white, thin hand, which seemed to break as he held it firmly. He looked at her hand, calmly.
***
In front of a convenience store in the neighborhood.
Sun looked at her hand and carefully repeated while clenching and opening it. It was throbbing, but luckily, it didn’t hurt much.
With the sound of the doorbell, Eunyoung came out of the convenience store.
“Let’s take a look.”
Eunyoung sat and pulled Son’s hand with a happy face. Eunyoung carefully applied the pain-relieving patch that she just bought for Sun to mend her swollen wrist.
“So why did you come?”
“You had a meeting today, and when I don’t have a boss, I’m the boss.
“Aww, geez. You know nothing, and you still smile.”
“So, do you want me to cry then?”
“I’d rather cry, but why do you smile and laugh all the time?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Forget it. If you listened to me, you wouldn’t have gone there.”
Eunyoung sighed and shook her head.
“It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Cleaning their toilet wasn’t a big deal? What kind of person is he?”
Sun told the story of what she did in the restroom, except the part about Gyeonhui.
Although she hid it from Eunyoung, it’s just a matter of time before it reached Eunyoung’s ears.
“It’s been a while since Mr. Choi did something like that to me.”
Sun pretended to be casual and tried to pick up a can of beer.
“Oh…”
She couldn’t hide the pain in her wrist, so Eunyoung opened it for her.
“You’re crazy. I’m frustrated because of you.”
Eunyoung quaffed her canned beer.
“Huh? Is there a veterinary clinic that opened recently?”
“Where?”
“Over there.”
Sun saw Eunyoung’s finger and looked out of the building.
“Blue Rose Veterinary Hospital?”
A new veterinary clinic entered the neighborhood a few months ago.