Alice clasped her hands together, looking at him with sparkling eyes like a puppy wanting to be petted. Ryan stared at her for a while before finally opening his mouth to respond.
“You have a talent for cooking.”
At Ryan’s compliment, Alice smiled brightly as if she was pleased.
“Of course! I’m the daughter of a Wesley restaurant.”
“Does that matter?”
“Cooking genes don’t just disappear. Isn’t it salty enough?”
As expected, the Soju matched the Army Based Stew perfectly, going down smoothly.
Ryan was busy eating the Army Based Stew with one hand while grilling the meat with the other.
Ryan placed a few well-cooked pieces of meat on Alice’s plate.
As Alice quickly grabbed the meat he placed, her lips curved into a delightful smile.
“It’s so delicious.”
Ah, it’s hot.
Alice fanned herself, feeling hot, whether it was from the alcohol or the small grill in front of her.
Thanks to the alcohol that had risen to her crown, her cheeks were flushed like they had peaches on them.
Ryan, silently grilling the meat, stood up to place the tongs on the table and adjusted the air conditioner.
“Ah, I feel like I can breathe now.”
Was it the grill? Alice held her cheeks, feeling the alcohol rising faster than usual.
Looking at the bottle on the table, they were already on their third bottle.
“I’ve been curious about something.”
Ryan spoke as he filled his glass.
“Yes, please ask.”
Alice smiled bashfully, feeling the effects of the alcohol.
“Why do you wear clothes that don’t fit?”
It was a comment about her slightly loose clothing.
“What’s wrong with a blouse and long pants! I’m just dressing comfortably.”
Alice replied, resting her chin on the table as if she was annoyed by the comment about her clothes.
“Why, did someone say something?”
Reading something from Alice’s reaction, Ryan asked indirectly. Since other secretaries wore tight skirts, someone must have pointed out why her attire was like that.
“Of course, there were. The head of the marketing department said something at first, and the head of the secretary’s office also mentioned that my clothes seemed big… but I don’t think they’re that big. I just don’t wear them tight. I’m not wearing clothes so big that I can’t work.”
Among those who said something, there was also Assistant Genevieve, who always picked a fight.
“Everyone seems to have gotten used to it now, so they just let it be.”
Alice weakly tossed the remaining alcohol in her glass into her mouth.
The action of placing the glass down on the table indicated that she was quite tipsy.
“Um… the reason I wear these clothes is… to avoid the male gaze, I guess.”
“The gaze?”
“Yes, the interested gaze. The sticky gaze of men.”
Ryan looked at Alice without saying a word.
Reading the signal of incomprehension in Ryan’s eyes, Alice frowned.
Huh? Is he looking at me like I’m crazy? What do I have to avoid the male gaze for!
“Why do you want to avoid it?”
Ryan, as if to concentrate on Alice’s words, placed his arms on the table and clasped his hands.
“Most men, regardless of age, seem to go wild like rutting dogs when they see women.”
“What does that have to do with Secretary Alii?”
She really does have a way of speaking so directly.
Ryan’s blunt question about whether the statement applied to her made Alice’s already alcohol-fueled anger flare up. She almost threw off her wig but carefully lowered her hand.
Don’t make a mistake while drunk, control yourself.
Alice awkwardly chuckled.
“My front might not matter, but my back… doesn’t it seem to matter?”
Alice turned her back.
It was to show Ryan her back. Of course, she knew it wouldn’t be well-received.
“I guess.”
At Ryan’s words, Alice clamped her mouth shut.
Right, this means the disguise is perfect, it’s a compliment.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Alice gave a sly smile.
Ryan’s eyebrows twitched at her smile.
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“It was a compliment. Also, although Vice President might not know, I have a thin waist.”
Stop. Alice bit her lip, trying to control her runaway mouth.
What exactly does he want to hear?
Why did she even mention her thin waist to Ryan?
Her alcohol-soaked brain was incapable of rational judgment.
Since he asked why she was dressed like that, she felt she needed to convince him first to explain the reason.
Since she couldn’t throw away her glasses, she was desperately trying to convince him with her back.
As soon as she mentioned her thin waist, Ryan’s gaze dropped to Alice’s waist. Seeing this, Alice was startled and covered her chest.
“Whoa! That’s dangerous!”
Ryan’s eyebrows twitched again at Alice’s words.
Ryan felt absurd and wronged.
She said it as if to show him, and then treated him like a pervert.
Moreover, around the time she finished a bottle and a half of Soju, she changed into a long hooded dress, claiming her clothes were uncomfortable, making it impossible to see her waist.
