The car slowed down as it entered the city center.
Jeong Da-hye opened her eyes.
She blinked.
She had fallen asleep leaning on Yoo-hyun’s shoulder, and she lifted her head carefully when she realized it.
Then she looked out the window and pretended that she hadn’t slept.
“There are a lot of restaurants in the downtown area. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Well, I don’t know of any special places.”
She shrugged her shoulders, hiding her awkward expression.
“How about Uncle Billy’s Kitchen?”
“Huh? How do you know about that place?”
“You told me before. You said there was an amazing restaurant in this small town.”
“Did I? You’re right, but it’s closed today. I haven’t been there for a long time because they also take weekends off.”
“That’s lucky.”
Yoo-hyun whispered with a smile.
It was then that the car stopped in front of the destination.
-Uncle Billy’s Kitchen.
She confirmed the sign on the building and said confidently.
“I told you. They’re closed today.”
“Just get out and see.”
He clicked.
“No, they’re closed… Wait, why are the lights on inside?”
She lowered her hand as she got out of the car and blinked her eyes.
Yoo-hyun guided her with a smile on his face.
“They must be open today. Let’s go and see.”
“That can’t be.”
Jeong Da-hye looked doubtful, but the restaurant was operating.
The cozy wooden decorations, the candles, and the lights were all the same.
The only difference was that there were no other customers except Yoo-hyun and Jeong Da-hye.
She tilted her head as she sat down.
“This place is usually crowded, but why is there only one table today?”
“I don’t know. It’s my first time here.”
“Right. How would you know? Did the chef change?”
She was wondering when a man with a round face and a friendly smile approached them.
“Long time no see.”
He acted like he knew her, and she greeted him back.
“Huh? Chef, what’s going on? It’s your day off, and why is there only one table?”
“Alice, think of it as a day for you. I’ll prepare whatever you want.”
“Really? Wow, I love all your pasta dishes.”
She looked at the menu with a very excited expression.
She looked like a child who was happy.
She buried her face in the menu, ignoring him behind her, and Yoo-hyun thanked the chef with his mouth.
The chef winked back and quietly retreated.
She was excited throughout the meal.
She also liked the wine that came out as a service.
He felt proud as he watched her eat happily.
‘I made a good choice.’
She was eating with her elbows swinging habitually, and when she met his eyes, she coughed.
“Ahem. Stop that and tell me now.”
“What?”
“How did you get to know Paul Graham?”
It was something she had to be curious about.
He wanted to tell her the truth, but there were too many unbelievable factors.
There were also parts that he thought it would be better to hide for now, so he modified it a bit.
“Da-hye, you know Hyun Jin-geon Geon, right?”
“Yes. You’ve mentioned him a lot. He runs a company in Silicon Valley.”
“Yes. His company is JK Communications, and he met Paul Graham when he first raised investment. And then…”
He told her about his first meeting with Paul Graham, and then explained how he started working with him.
He also included the story of how he became an investor in shale oil, which she would be curious about.
Of course, he didn’t mention that she was the reason for all this.
The core was missing, but it wasn’t too hard for her to accept.
It was because of the name Willy Thompson that came out late.
“So Paul Graham recommended Willy Thompson.”
“Yes. He’s been very helpful.”
“I see. That makes sense. If someone of that level was involved, I can understand why you jumped into the unfamiliar field of shale oil…”
She was answering when she hesitated for a moment.
The fact that Willy Thompson was helping him meant that he might know the situation behind him.
Did he know how hard it was?
She didn’t want to show him her weak side.
She didn’t want to burden him.
He felt her shaking emotions and pretended not to know.
“Do you know Willy well?”
“I’ve never met him. But this field is small, so I know he’s good. And he has an impressive career.”
He moved closer to her, who was trying to be calm.
“But why didn’t you do the presentation today?”
“I had some… trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Let’s not talk about work now and just eat. The desserts here are amazing. What do you want?”
She smiled awkwardly and handed him the menu.
She still needed time to open up.
He didn’t push her further and followed her pace.
“Anything. Whatever you like, Da-hye.”
“Then I’ll choose. Just wait.”
She buried her face in the menu and pondered for a while.
But she didn’t need to.
The chef did everything she wanted, and thanks to that, her mood came back quickly.
Delicious food was the key to soothing her heart.
He ate with her and talked about various things in his life instead of work.
He mostly talked, but it didn’t matter.
He just wanted to make her comfortable.
When they left the restaurant, the sun was setting in the sky.
He didn’t get in the car, but walked around the city with her.
They both had fruit juice prepared by the restaurant in their hands.
The chef’s service was impeccable until the end.
Jeong Da-hye took a sip of her juice and said calmly.
“I can’t believe I’m here with you, Yoo-hyun.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Of course. I never imagined I would see you here.”
“Maybe it’s fate. Ah, the weather is so nice and cool.”
Yoo-hyun smiled and took a deep breath as he walked.
He enjoyed being by her side more than the cool breeze or the open scenery.
Jeong Da-hye seemed to feel the same way, as the warm atmosphere continued.
They chatted about this and that while drinking their juice.
Then Jeong Da-hye felt something odd about the direction they were walking and asked.
“Yoo-hyun, what’s our next schedule?”
“Do you want to eat more?”
“Of course not. That’s not what I mean. We have to work. It will take some time to discuss the investment.”
Jeong Da-hye still thought about work, even though she felt a bit better after eating.
She probably thought it would help him.
Yoo-hyun had a different suggestion for her.
“We don’t have any more schedule. You can just rest.”
“Rest? Why?”
“Isn’t this your place?”
Yoo-hyun stopped and pointed to a building on the right.
It was a five-story residence building, where Jeong Da-hye stayed whenever she came to Midland.
She had been sleeping at the site most of the time because she was busy, but this place was much more comfortable for her.
The site was too noisy and shaky.
She had been overworking herself for the past few days, so she felt like she needed a good rest.
But how did he know this was her place?
She put aside her curiosity for a moment and protested.
“No, why should I rest now? It’s not even the end of the work hours.”
“What does that have to do with being with me? We work for different companies. You don’t have to worry about Enertex.”
“That’s not what I mean. You have to review properly to make the right decision, don’t you?”
Jeong Da-hye was in a hurry, but Yoo-hyun was not.
He had planned to spend a long time with her, so he wanted to give her some leisure.
“We have a lot of places to go. You need to be in good condition to travel with me and give me advice.”
“But… we didn’t do anything today.”
“I’m tired too.”
“If you’re being considerate of me, I’m fine. I don’t think I can take it easy just because I’m close with you.”
Jeong Da-hye never wanted to ask for his help.
She even drew a line at his small kindness.
It was because of her personality that wanted to handle everything by herself.
It seemed like it would never end, so Yoo-hyun spoke a bit harshly.
“Don’t you think you’re being too easy on me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about what would have happened if Paul Graham came instead of me. Could you have refused my words? Even when I said I was tired.”
If Paul Graham had come?
She would have tried to please him in any way possible.
His word could change not only the success of the project, but also the direction of the business.
He was that important of a client.
And so was Yoo-hyun.
Jeong Da-hye obediently agreed.
“You’re right. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I just want you to rest for today. I’ll rest too.”
“Do you really want that?”
“Yes. I want to have some more time tomorrow. I just arrived in Texas today.”
“Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”
She nodded at Yoo-hyun, who shrugged his shoulders.
She had a lot of things to say, but she decided to go along with his will for this time.
It was not because of work, but because of her consideration to make him feel comfortable.
Yoo-hyun smiled at her.
He knew very well that Jeong Da-hye had been working too hard lately.
Her face looked quite worn out, so he just wanted to let her rest.
He wished she could sleep without any worries.
To do that, he had something to take care of.
He was about to take out his phone, when it rang at the right moment.
It was a call from Willy Thompson, who stayed at Enertex.
-Steve, did you have a good time?
“Yes, thanks to you. Did you sort everything out?”
-There wasn’t much to sort out. Thanks to you setting the mood, Jack Cruise became a tame sheep. I easily arranged the schedule according to my preference.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Yoo-hyun nodded, and Willy Thompson scratched the itch as if he had been waiting.
-And Jack Cruise won’t call Ellis to check on you.
“I was going to ask you about that. How did you do it?”
-I told him you don’t like being disturbed, and he got the hint right away. He’ll probably hold back his curiosity for a few days.
Jack Cruise wouldn’t have complied so easily with just that.
Willy Thompson must have pressured him hard from behind.
Anyway, thanks to him, Jeong Da-hye could rest without any interference.
Yoo-hyun expressed his gratitude to him.
“Thank you. I don’t have to worry about anything because of you.”
-It’s my duty, of course. Oh, and I got some interesting information while meeting with the subcontractors today.
“What is it?”
-It’s about Enertex’s fund management. I’ll send you a report with the details.
“You don’t have to do that.”
-No, I do. It’s good to be on the same page. I’ll update you on the progress every day while you’re away.
He had trusted him to handle it, so he didn’t need to take his time.
Yoo-hyun was about to say it was okay, when his phone beeped.
Beep.
A message from Jang Junsik, an assistant, came in.
-Sir, I’m reporting the progress of the smartphone development today. First of all, the killer application that Hansung SI is developing…
What’s with the report all of a sudden?
Yoo-hyun checked the content and felt absurd.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter