RBCT Chapter 67 is a bit addictive.
Chapter 67 is a bit addictive.
Mina has always felt that she belongs to the low-energy group outside of work.
If she has a three- or four-day holiday, she might want to go out for a walk because she's been staying at home for too long, but the thought of going out would be even more tiring makes her choose to stay home and be a homebody.
Surprisingly, having dinner with Jung Do-hoon wasn't a tiring experience for her.
We occasionally chat about Japanese customs and food, discussing her favorite flavors and dishes, but most of the time we simply eat together in tacit understanding.
Moreover, this quiet atmosphere doesn't make people feel awkward. Perhaps this is the professional quality of a diplomat. She can make anyone feel comfortable, and even someone like her becomes more expressive.
"When I was in the English drama club, people mistook me for an Indian exchange student. I wasn't upset at all; on the contrary, I found it quite novel. I even put a red birthmark on the middle of my forehead. When there were Indian characters in the plays, I would volunteer to play them..."
Mina scratched the beauty mark on the tip of her nose and unconsciously shared some interesting anecdotes from her high school days.
He's truly one of those people who can instantly understand Mina, which is quite rare.
"Mina, did you appear in 'Tara'?"
"Huh? Why is it 'Tara'?"
Mina's interest grew even stronger when she saw that he had guessed the play she had acted in so quickly.
Tara's story revolves around conjoined twins—Tara, the older sister, and Chandan, the younger brother—and delves into the problems of male chauvinism and the caste system in Indian society.
Jeong Do-hoon smiled frankly:
"Actually, it's less of a guess and more of a fact that I only know two English-language plays with an Indian background. One is Tagore's 'Chitra,' which is quite famous. Although Mina Xi, your image is very suitable for playing Princess Gudan Chitra, this play requires a lot of male roles. The other is 'Tara.'"
I thought he had a deep understanding of foreign literature, but it turns out he just didn't know much about it and guessed right by accident after using the process of elimination.
However, this made Mina feel that he not only had a wide range of interests, but also had no airs of an elite, and even had a humor that was somewhat surprising.
"Yes, I played the female lead in 'Tara,' but women can also play male roles. Who knows, I might have done it before?"
"Well, I guessed right this time. But casting you as the male lead would be such a waste."
"I'll take that as a compliment?" Mina tossed her hair, feeling a warmth rising in her chest.
She took a big gulp of soda water. The icy drink went down her throat, and some of her senses returned. Only then did she remember that she still had a mission to complete.
Or rather... she asked Jung Do-hoon out, ostensibly to help Minatozaki Sana clear up the misunderstanding, but actually also wanted to watch the drama unfold in person.
If things had gone according to plan, she should have been the one to extract information, but instead, she ended up talking the whole time, while Jung Do-hoon became the listener.
I wonder how Sana Minatozaki is doing all by herself out there. Is she angry because I haven't sent her any messages?
We need to find a topic to get Jung Do-hoon to open up, so let's start with plays.
Mina raised her eyes, not even realizing that she was genuinely smiling:
"Doho, you used to work in New York, so you must have seen Broadway shows, right?"
"I'm just an ordinary person," Jung Do-hoon waved his hand. "I'm already busy enough with work. I'd rather stay home and watch 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' or 'Kamen Rider' than go to a long, drawn-out play. What about you, Mina?"
"What Japanese kid doesn't watch Kamen Rider? You know Kuuga, right?" Mina answered subconsciously. After talking for a while, she belatedly realized that the man in front of her was truly unfathomable.
He always manages to guide others to be more willing to express themselves; perhaps this is a diplomat's professional instinct? Gathering intelligence, a skilled listener, and adept at finding topics to discuss…
She was just looking for a suitable opportunity to end the topic when she heard a noise outside the door.
"What you're doing is really affecting my work..."
Snapped.
The door was pushed open.
Sana Minatozaki stared coldly at Mina, which made Mina's heart skip a beat.
Did Sana Minatozaki hear their conversation just now? And how much of it did she hear?
After lingering on Mina for a while, Sana Minato's gaze finally turned to Jung Do-hoon.
At this moment, he had already stood up and come to stand in front of him.
"Sana-ssi, are you dissatisfied with Assistant Park's hospitality?" Jung Do-hoon knew that she must have guessed that he knew she was outside, which was why she rushed over. So Jung Do-hoon didn't intend to pretend that he didn't know she was there.
"You... and Mina seem to be getting along very well?"
Sana Minatozaki had been listening at the door for over a minute. Before pushing the door open, she had told herself countless times to stay calm and not to escalate the conflict between herself and Jung Do-hoon.
The tone should be calm and gentle, but why...?
When she opened her mouth, her voice still sounded a little tearful.
Jung Do-hoon glanced back at Mina, who had just picked up her handbag and was walking forward with her lips pursed.
"Sana, didn't we agree..."
Sana Minato shivered, took a deep breath, and interrupted Mina:
"Come with me."
When Mina saw her wrist being grabbed, she instinctively looked at Jung Do-hoon first, her face contorted in pain as she frowned.
She didn't intentionally ignore Sana Minatozaki's matter.
There always needs to be a warm-up before a meal, chatting about trivial topics to get to know each other better, right?
In just a few seconds, she had already thought of what to say in her defense.
But... even if she can handle Minatozaki Sana, how will Jung Do-hoon view her?
Not sincere enough? He came to help Sana Minatozaki clear up the misunderstanding, but he kept his existence a secret from her.
Her image seems to be ruined.
Actually, when we were chatting just now, Mina felt that she really enjoyed talking to him, and that she was 100% sincere.
Ugh, let's deal with Sana Minatozaki first, this is giving me a headache.
With his hands in his pockets, Zheng Daoxun silently watched the two women disappear from his sight, and sighed softly.
"Clerk, I'm so sorry..." Assistant Park was almost in tears, "I tried to persuade her for a long time, and I saw her standing at the door for a while, so I thought she wasn't going to come in..."
Jung Do-hoon snapped out of his daze and gently patted Park Ah-jeong's shoulder:
"This is not your problem."
"I must have hindered your efforts to expand your network within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, right?" Park Ah-jeong raised her eyes, her gaze filled with self-reproach.
Despite being a talented woman who graduated from a prestigious university, Park Ah-jeong sometimes displays an unexpected clumsiness.
However, as long as she is diligent in her work, that's fine.
From the moment Jung Do-hoon learned that Minatozaki Sana was also there, he knew that this dinner party was not organized for work purposes.
"It's nothing serious. Just work harder and do more work for me from now on. Don't take it to heart." Zheng Daoxun forced a smile, walked to the front desk with a worried expression, paid the bill, and looked at the intersection not far away.
Sana Minatozaki pulled Mina into a taxi.
When Sana Minato saw him chatting so enthusiastically with Mina, she probably felt disheartened.
Perhaps it's a good thing for both of them.
Meanwhile, in the taxi, Minatozaki Sana sniffed and looked at MAI Mina with a resentful expression:
"You seem to like him quite a bit, right?"
"It is somewhat intoxicating."