"Lee Yeong-Cheol!" The woman's voice called out loudly.
As if on command, both the little boy and Seo-Jun turned their heads in the direction of the shout.
The moment he saw the young woman running towards them, the little boy's face lit up and he launched himself straight at her like a missile.
"Big sister!" he called, burying his face in the woman's open arms.
"Yeong-Cheol, what are you doing here? You were supposed to wait for me outside." The young woman softly chided the little boy.
Meanwhile, Seo-Jun remained rooted to the spot. The only thing he could do was stand there and watch as that person picked up the small boy and slowly turned her head sideways. The moment he caught a glimpse of her face, his features transformed into a mask of shock and disbelief.
Just then, she suddenly noticed the presence of someone else and she turned her head. The instant her eyes landed on Seo-Jun, her expression turned stiff.
While the young woman was struggling to find her words, Seo-Jun was the first to break off from the shock.
"Miss Lee, what a wonderful surprise to find you here." He drawled in a pleasantly deep voice.
Then, he straightened his back and gestured with his head towards the boy she was holding.
"Lee Young-Cheol?" He addressed the kid first. "So, this is the sister you told me about? The one who taught you how to recognize bad people?"
Without waiting for an answer, he immediately looked the woman in the eye.
"Miss Lee, I never knew you had such a bad opinion of me. Surely, in order to pass your judgment as a good person I must revise my behavior."
As he said that, Seo-Jun's lips curved into a smile that didn't bode well. The sight of it caused Yeon-Ah's heart to tremble. Her eyes glanced sideways at her little brother, but the boy's expression was impassive. She couldn't tell whether her brother did something too out of line or Seo-Jun was simply using this to tease her. He did have a record after all.
'Could it be that Yeong-Cheol had said something to upset Deputy Director Kim? He is known for being quite insensitive with his words. Father always scolds him for it, but he never listens. What should I do if he really said something insulting to this person?'
As Yeon-Ah wailed silently inside her head, Seo-Jun stared between the two siblings with earnest curiosity.
"You know…" he began slowly. "At first, I didn't see the resemblance. But now, looking at you again, it's quite obvious that you two are a family. Mh, it's definitely the eyes. You have the same pair of large, sparkling eyes, very pretty."
Along with his last words, Seo-Jun's face broke into a wide smile and he directed a wink at both brother and sister.
That playful expression hit Yeon-Ah straight in the heart, dealing a heavy damage. She was almost instantaneously frozen on the spot and unable to make even a peep.
At the same time, though, little Yeong-Cheol was once again rendered unimpressed. His blank expression didn't fluctuate one bit. Moreover, he even went as far as to avert his eyes from Seo-Jun as though the man was something that shouldn't be seen.
"Big sister, is this person like those dangerous perverts you told me to be careful of?" he asked in a crisp voice.
The question startled Yeon-Ah out of her daze. With a flinch, she quickly raised a hand and clamped a palm over her little brother's mouth.
"Shh, Yeong-Cheol, you shouldn't say rude things like that." she admonished in a hushed whisper.
"Bu… whny ish it… rhude?" Yeong-Cheol still insisted on speaking even with his mouth covered.
It didn't matter, though, that his words sounded muffled and slurred. Both Seo-Jun and Yeon-Ah could easily understand the question. But while they both understood, their reactions were quite different.
Yeon-Ah blushed a crimson shade of red, to the point that even her ears seemed to drip blood. The hand she was covering Yeong-Cheol's mouth with trembled slightly, and her expression was somewhere between extreme embarrassment and high level bashfulness.
"I'm so sorry, Deputy Director Kim." She spoke in a tiny voice.
Then, she placed her little brother down and pushed his head down into a bow.
"Yeong-Cheol, hurry up and apologize to Mr. Kim."
The little boy merely kept his head bowed and refused to make a sound. His posture was maintained at ninety degrees mainly due to his sister's hand pressing the back of his neck. If she had removed her hand at any point, the boy would have most certainly straightened his body, like a tensed spring that had been suddenly released.
But, in spite of this momentary well-behaved appearance, Seo-Jun could sense the unwillingness the little one felt at being forced to apologize.
'The little guy is a stubborn one I see. Not bad, not bad at all. If things continue like this, I think the little devil might actually make an interesting diversion for now.'
Consequently, instead of feeling insulted, Seo-Jun silently enjoyed the show. He also looked as though he could barely hold back his laughter.
When enough time had passed, he raised a hand to his mouth and used a cough in order to clear his throat.
"It's alright, Miss Lee. In fact, it is very good to teach the young ones to steer clear of weird strangers." he said with a chuckle.
A moment later, his eyes narrowed like that of a cat that was pondering over what to do with the mouse it had caught.
"Since we were lucky enough to meet under such unexpected circumstances, how about we go somewhere?"
As he said that, Seo-Jun glanced at his wrist. It was around lunchtime anyway and he hadn't eaten anything all day. He might as well grab something to eat. And having Yeon-Ah and her younger brother to keep him company might prove to be more fun than being by himself. Especially after that dreadful morning.
Unfortunately, all his careful planning was rendered useless when, a second later, Yeon-Ah shook her head and resolutely turned down the offer.
"I am sorry Deputy Director Kim. Unfortunately, I still have a few hours of my shift."