Recognition

“Chairwoman Yang, this is only the beginning.

It’s best to keep the breakfast menu consistent.

Make it a signature country-style breakfast that’s easy on the stomach, the kind of meal people imagine eating at their grandmother’s house.”

“Okay.”

“Our first priority is winning over first-time guests.

Once they leave satisfied, they’ll spread the word for us.”

“Right, right.”

“And let’s run an event.

We’ll pick a few people through a word-of-mouth promotion and give them free weekday stays.

We don’t have to pick all the cherry tomatoes ourselves.

People will gladly pay to come pick them.”

“Okay.

I’ll do whatever you tell me to.

Goodness, what would’ve become of us without you?

You’re our lucky charm, Ruri.

You really are.”

At the praise, calling her a lucky charm, Ruri’s eyes curved into crescents.

At that very moment, Daeju finally looked up from the phone screen he’d been staring at.

“…”

One of his eyebrows slowly arched.

His eyes were filled with unmistakable surprise.

Meeting his gaze, Ruri…

Straightened her shoulders and flashed him a bright smile.

‘See?

I’m capable of this much.’

As if she were saying exactly that.

He let out a quiet sigh before giving a small chuckle.

But…

This smile was different.

She couldn’t quite put it into words…

It didn’t look like his usual mocking smile.

‘You’ll have no choice but to acknowledge me now.’

The thought sent a thrill through her.

It felt even more satisfying than draining that glass of tomato juice moments earlier.

“So she really wasn’t lying when she said she was good at her job.”

After drying himself off and pulling on a fresh set of clothes, Daeju found the smile refusing to leave his face.

The more he thought about it…

The more “remarkable,” as Geumran had put it, Lee Ruri seemed.

“Ha…”

He shook his head with a quiet laugh.

She really was an interesting person.

Earlier, while Ruri had been eating her afternoon snack, Daeju had been returning from Seoul after meeting with a department store buyer.

The moment he spotted the three of them sitting beneath the shade near the cherry tomato greenhouse, he stopped the car.

Seeing Geumran and Jihoon jumping excitedly to their feet, he naturally walked over.

That was when Ruri, smiling contentedly, raised her hand.

She high-fived Geumran.

Then Jihoon.

Without realizing it…

Daeju held out his own hand.

But…

Just before her small hand could meet his with a sharp smack—

It stopped a few centimeters away.

Exactly as he’d expected, she looked up at him with wide, startled eyes.

Without realizing it, a smile spread across Daeju’s face.

But…

‘She didn’t high-five me.’

His thick brows slowly lifted as he looked down at the palm that still carried the warmth of Geumran’s and Jihoon’s high-fives.

He even gave his hand another little wave.

Ruri ignored it.

Instead…

Smack.

Jihoon high-fived him.

Smack.

Then Geumran did too.

Only then did he understand why everyone was so excited.

The project Ruri had enthusiastically pushed forward the night before had produced remarkable results in less than a single day.

[“Hyung, look at this!”]

Jihoon proudly shoved his phone toward him.

The screen was packed with reservation inquiries.

Not every message would turn into an actual booking.

Even so…

The results achieved in just one day were undeniably impressive.

Truthfully…

The previous evening, Daeju had been quietly impressed by Ruri’s ability to identify problems, propose practical solutions, and immediately put them into action.

She might have been hopeless at farm work.

But in her own field…

Her instincts were astonishing.

Honestly, it had been difficult to look away.

She practically seemed to glow.

It almost looked as though she had a halo around her.

No wonder Jihoon had stared at her with his mouth hanging open.

The excitement in his eyes was even brighter than when he’d begged for months to get his motorcycle.

‘Annoying.’

“…”

Daeju paused in the middle of drying his damp hair.

Jihoon’s childish antics irritating him wasn’t anything new.

But lately…

It bothered him more than usual.

Hadn’t Jihoon been pestering everyone to rent him an apartment in Seoul?

So why was he suddenly acting like a responsible young man, helping out on the farm and working hard for the guesthouse?

Should he just tell Geumran to let the kid move to Seoul?

Maybe introduce him to one of those YouTubers or influencers he was always so interested in?

Daeju shook his head.

As troublesome as Jihoon could be, if he was finally settling down and helping around the house, that would only make Geumran happy.

Still…

No matter how he thought about it…

“…”

‘Did she really have to high-five him?’

‘That brat’s done nothing except give Chairwoman Yang headaches.’

‘I was the one who painted the guesthouse.’

‘I was the one who laid the flooring.’

‘…Yet she wouldn’t high-five me.’

After drying his hair, Daeju was about to head out to the blueberry farm.

Instead…

His gaze drifted toward the study.

After hesitating for a moment, he opened the door and pulled open the desk drawer.

“Hmm…”

Sitting down in the chair, Daeju carefully pulled out Ruri’s résumé.

His fingertips tapped lightly against the desk.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Before they knew it, it was already Ruri’s third day working at the tomato farm.

After finishing a bowl of mixed noodles topped with grilled beef brisket, shredded cucumber, and finely diced cherry tomatoes, she set her bowl down.

The spicy vinegar gochujang sauce blended surprisingly well with the fresh, tangy sweetness of the tomatoes.

Noticing she’d finished eating, Jihoon quickly handed her a bottle of yogurt drink with the foil lid already peeled back.

After the spicy noodles, the sweet yogurt coated her tongue perfectly.

First came corn hell.

Now it was tomato hell.

Still, compared to the endless corn dishes, at least tomatoes made for a more varied menu.

That alone made things somewhat bearable.

But…

“Haa…”

The real problem was that every morning she woke up to find another batch of tomatoes ripened overnight.

Round.

Bright red.

Waiting patiently for her hands.

They felt like enemies from a previous life.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Of course.”

“It’ll be hard by yourself…”

Ruri smiled reassuringly at Geumran’s worried voice.

With the weekend just around the corner, Geumran and Jihoon had to go into Seoul to prepare for the guests who would soon be arriving at the guesthouse.

That meant Ruri would be handling the greenhouse alone that afternoon.

Normally she would have listened to Geumran and taken a break.

But too many tomatoes were already ripening.

If she left them for another day, they’d all become overripe.

She had to harvest them before that happened.

‘It’d be such a waste.

Do you know how much money these are worth?’

“If it gets too hard, I’ll take a break.

Don’t worry.”

“Okay.

Just make sure no butterflies get into the greenhouse.”

“I will.”

“And tonight I’ll grill some meat for dinner.”

Before the first guests arrived, they were planning to use the large cauldron they’d recently installed in the yard for the first time.

It seemed Geumran had finally decided on the menu.

“Mom, are we having a pork belly party?”

“Just pork belly?

Of course not.

We’ll grill some beef too.

Ruri, what else do you want to eat?

Just name it.”

“I’m happy with anything.”

“Then we’ll make everything.”

Watching Geumran smile warmly, Ruri couldn’t help smiling right back.

Just then, a shadow fell over her.

Looking up, she saw Daeju standing there.

A basket of blueberries rested in his hand.

“I heard you’re heading to Seoul this afternoon.”

“Yeah.

Have you eaten?

There’s some noodles left.

Want a bowl?”

Sneaking another glance at the plump, tempting blueberries, Ruri shifted over to make room.

He was so tall that looking up at him made her neck hurt.

She’d only meant to offer him a place to sit.

Whether he understood or not, Daeju immediately sat down beside her.

“Sure.

Thank you.”

“Alright.”

Once he sat beside her, Ruri was reminded yet again of just how big he was.

His broad frame alone blocked nearly half her view, and she couldn’t even see Jihoon anymore.

Geumran handed over a bowl of noodles topped with sauce and garnishes.

Daeju accepted it.

He must have been hungry.

Watching him take large bites with his chopsticks made her oddly want to steal a mouthful.

‘He eats well.’

‘And so neatly, too.’

While she was thinking that, he’d already emptied the bowl in just a few bites.

After wiping his mouth with a tissue, he didn’t forget to politely say,

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Need a ride?”

“No.

We’ll probably have a lot to bring back, so Jihoon and I are taking the truck.”

Even though he’d spent the entire morning picking blueberries, the only scent coming from him was clean and pleasant.

Suddenly self-conscious, Ruri wondered if she smelled like sweat after spending hours roasting inside the greenhouse.

“…”

She subtly sniffed herself.

Fortunately…

She couldn’t detect any unpleasant odor.

Only then did she relax her shoulders.

“Ah…

So you’ll be taking the afternoon off from farm work, then.”

As he said that, Daeju picked up the basket he’d set down behind him and placed it in front of Ruri.

‘He’s not giving them to me.’

‘They’re just for checking the quality.’

‘Is he teasing me or something?’

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Daeju turned toward her.

Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he gestured toward the basket overflowing with blueberries.