The Guide

e he saw her today.
It was his first time meeting her in a bright place, so he thought her skin tone looked relatively pale….
A long-distance business trip after staying up all night.
Surprised by the much higher intensity of work than expected, Ji-Won could no longer stop Gaon from pulling up the blanket.

“If you need anything, call me right away.”

“Yes.”

“Do you not wear eye patches? Do you want me to close the door?”

“No.
No need.”

Gaon, who answered in a whisper, closed her eyes softly.
Although she didn’t seem to fall asleep right away, Ji-Won carefully organized the lights and curtains and returned to his place.
Even though he finally felt a little at ease, he was nervous inside even if he didn’t want to.

Ah…, it was a really turbulent day.
The trap is that the day isn’t over yet.
Even by London standards, there are 17 hours left in the day, aren’t there? Ji-Won, who buried himself deeply in the coach and made a groan with his eyes closed tightly, opened his eyes slowly after feeling a sudden rush of hunger.

He had a poor breakfast because he was facing his aunt’s suspicious gaze, and it had already been a long time since lunch.
It was not very comfortable to leave a sleeping person and eat alone, but it is not possible to starve together either.
Ji-Won, who glanced at Gaon, who was tossing and turning, immediately called the flight attendant.

“I would like to have a meal.
I’d like a steak, medium cooked, for the main dish.
Don’t drag the cart, and please put the salad in moderation.
No dressing is required.
Only baguette for bread.
And for the dessert, I would like each kind of fruit, please.”

“Yes, Sir.
I’ll get your meal ready right away.”

“Don’t disturb the person sitting next to me.
I’ll tell you when I need anything.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Ji-Won, who looked at the seat next to him throughout the meal, frowned reflexively whenever Gaon flinched.
To have a sleep disorder like this.
She said she stayed up all night, but she couldn’t sleep well right now either. Wouldn’t it be better to take medicine and sleep well? No, then she won’t be able to sleep in London again.
Then it will continue to be a vicious circle.
Sigh….
Let’s get rid of it.
I can’t do anything about it.
How would it help her if I just keep glancing at her?

Ji-Won, who consciously averted his eyes, relaxedly drank coffee and chose a movie.
He couldn’t drink alcohol and stretch from the standpoint of performing as an assistant of his boss, so he had to do something to endure boredom in his sober mind.
He played a movie that had a great plot among the ones he had watched before because he didn’t find anything to dislike in particular.
But the movie that was interesting every time he watched it was strangely boring today.
Is it because the screen is too small? He wasn’t impressed.

Ji-Won, who yawned countless times while watching the movie, took out a draft for the exhibition and began to rummage.
Normally, he could concentrate for two or three hours, but strangely enough, this didn’t catch his eye either. Why can’t I concentrate today? Am I tired?

Ji-Won, who shook his head from side to side while rubbing his shoulders, stopped moving when he saw Gaon’s neat face lying down to his side.
It looks like she’s finally sleeping.
She has been tossing and turning for over two hours.
But her face is so small.
Her face line is the same even though she was lying on her side.
He didn’t notice before because she always had a hard expression, but Gaon surprisingly has very delicate features.
It’s a face that could draw people’s attention.
Ji-Won wants to draw her face at least once. But I can’t draw people’s faces….

For some reason, his hands were itching so hard that he had to clench his fist in a disappointing mood.
Suddenly, the aircraft met the unstable airflow and fluctuated greatly.
Then Gaon, who was sleeping with an even breath, opened her eyes like a ghost. Oh, of all things, the plane had to shake now. He wanted to let her sleep for a couple more hours.
Ji-Won quietly kicked his tongue inside as he saw Gaon raising her body with a face that had completely disappeared from sleep.

“…What time is it now?”

“It’s a little past 7 o’clock in Korean time.
If you’re not going to sleep anymore, let’s eat first.
Mrs.
Kwon told me to make sure to give you two meals a day.”

“Well, I should eat.”

“The main dish is steak and grilled perch, what should I order?”

“Anything.”

It was an answer that put Ji-Won in a dilemma of whether both were okay or not.
They did say she’s a person who eats whatever is served.
Is it better to eat fish that digest well because it’s less flavoured? Ji-Won, who thought for a while, suggested a third option while staring at Gaon, who drank a cup of cold water, as if her mouth was dry.

“CEO, would you like some ramen?”

“… Ramen?”

“Do you like it? If you don’t have an appetite, I think you’d better eat something spicy.
”

“Well, I’ve never tried it before.”

You’ve never tried ramen? Never? How can a modern civilized person do that? When Ji-Won, who always seemed calm, couldn’t hide his shock at the unexpected answer, Gaon looked slightly awkward.
No matter how dark Gaon was about the world, she knew that ramen is a very popular food.

“Don’t let Mrs.
Kwon know that I ate instant noodles.”

Oh… It seems like I know the reason now. Mrs.
Kwon must have only carefully selected organic ingredients for every meal and set up a royal dinner for her.
Ji-Won, who nodded right away, recommended the menu again, but to her surprise, Gaon chose an adventure.

“Then let’s have the perch.”

“This ramen….
I’d like to try it.”

After a while, Gaon, who received a steaming ramen bowl, seemed slightly embarrassed at first by the more stimulating smell than expected.
However, as soon as she tasted it carefully, her expression changed.
Looking at Gaon, whose eyes were wide open, Ji-Won understood for the first time the feeling of a mother feeding her child baby food for the first time.
He couldn’t be more proud that someone ate the food he recommended deliciously.

“Do you like it?”

“This is so good.”

“That’s a relief.
Anyway, it’s a secret from Mrs.
Kwon.”

“Yes.
I’ll keep it.”

Gaon, who nodded determinedly with chopsticks, was so cute that Ji-Won laughed in a small voice without realizing it.
Then, he began to appreciate Gaon eating ramen with his chin resting on his palm.
He had no idea the look of fascination on his face the whole time.
Gaon was also unaware that he had never turned his eyes to other places because she was busy emptying the bowl of ramen.