Fell for the Way They Eat Gamjatang, Showing Interest
"Unintentionally Said 'Eommaya' and Ran Away"
A female office worker shared her story of receiving a confession from her 40-something boss who is 20 years her senior.
On the 31st, a post titled "The company deputy manager told me to marry him after seeing my lunchbox side dishes" written on the 27th gained attention on the online community Nate Pann.
The author, A, who revealed she is in her late 20s, said, "I used to spend too much money buying lunch and coffee every day at work, so I started bringing my own lunchbox," adding, "At first, I ate my lunch alone in the pantry, but then other colleagues joined in and we shared side dishes."
She continued, "The CEO praised me and said to ask if I needed anything, so I requested a rice cooker and rice support, and they bought it for me," explaining, "Because I asked for a rice cooker, I ended up cooking the rice myself. I prepare several dried side dishes over the weekend and make a main side dish in the morning, then as soon as I arrive at work, I go to the pantry to wash the rice and set the timer."
However, from a certain day, the deputy manager began showing interest in A. She said, "He asked, 'Who cooked the rice?' and 'Who packed the side dishes?' After tasting them, he said, 'The seasoning is perfect. It's delicious. It's my taste,' showing a lot of interest."
A added, "As far as I know, the deputy manager is in his late 40s, divorced, and has one child. Since he showed interest in food, I thought it might be because of his child."
One day, the deputy manager invited A to have a meal together, and without much thought, A accepted. During the meal, she was confessed to.
She said, "(The boss) said his ex-wife was someone who was all-in on her career and never had a proper meal at home. When he tasted the gochujang pork bulgogi I made, he felt it was fate and asked if I would consider dating him with marriage in mind."
She continued, "I was so stunned that I dropped the chopsticks I was holding and said, 'Hul.' Seeing my reaction, he seriously told me to think about it carefully with a confident expression," adding, "He said it wouldn't be a bad thing for me either, and that he fell for me again because I casually ate gamjatang on our first date. I unconsciously said 'Oh my god' and rushed home without even realizing how."
A said, "After getting home, I registered my resume on job search sites," and added, "I only told the CEO and want to quietly quit."
Netizens who saw this commented, "Is this a new kind of forced resignation tactic?" "A 20-year age gap and such a shameless confession," "Good thing she ran away from the meal."
After the story spread across various communities and SNS, A posted a follow-up
Mr. A also left a review saying that as the post spread across various communities and SNS on the 30th, all the employees came to know about it. [Photo by Nate Pann]
On the 30th, A posted a follow-up saying that the story had spread across various communities and SNS, and all the employees found out. She said, "Colleagues who eat lunchboxes with me asked if I wrote it. I said yes," adding, "The deputy manager is not in his late 40s but was born in 1980, and everyone laughed a lot at the post calling it a new type of workplace harassment."
She shared, "They were also jealous of my cooking skills and thanked me for the delicious side dishes. But they said it would be hard to keep eating lunchboxes at work after this happened, which made me a bit sad."
She added, "The CEO was very surprised and immediately went out with the deputy manager and didn’t come back until the end of the workday," and said, "This morning, the CEO sent a company-wide notice. Although it was written diplomatically, anyone could tell it was targeting the deputy manager."
She continued, "The CEO called me separately and said the deputy manager took a few days off, so I wouldn’t have to see him, and when he returns, I could take a vacation too and rest," adding, "He said he hoped this wouldn’t leave a scar on me, and I unexpectedly cried a little."
Finally, she said, "The CEO noticed I was attached to the rice cooker and told me to take it home, so I gratefully accepted," adding, "I’m thankful for the good CEO and colleagues. I will forget my job search site ID and password and work hard at my desk."
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