【03. Transaction】
The spacious living room was decorated as if bright flowers had bloomed. The cream-colored wallpaper with delicate floral patterns that sparkled with a subtle pearl finish, the painting of a canary with its wings spread, the flowing curtains, and the roses decorating various spots in the living room added elegance.
Chaehun, who had been staring at the canary painting drawn in meticulous detail with colored pencils for quite some time, took out his phone from his jacket pocket to check the time. 8:32. There was still quite a while until 9 o’clock.
“I rushed too much.”
Chaehun slightly furrowed his brow. The time he had agreed to meet Seunggeon was 9 o’clock. To avoid being flustered like last time, Chaehun had arrived at the H Hotel bungalow 40 minutes early.
It was good that he had hurried to avoid being late. However, waiting with an anxious heart made him feel parched inside.
Like a story from a drama or novel, he had to sell himself for money to escape a crisis situation.
When he thought about Seunggeon’s proposal, it wasn’t such a bad deal. The condition was meeting once or twice a week for a year, for 2 billion won. For a sum of money he couldn’t get his hands on even if he saved his entire life’s salary without spending it, the price was too easy. It only hurt his pride.
No, he had already thrown away all his pride when he contacted him. But facing him directly was another matter.
In response to the message asking if the proposal was still valid, Seunggeon replied before long. He didn’t ask what was wrong. He simply asked when would be good to meet.
Seunggeon said he was busy and asked how about the weekend, but Chaehun couldn’t do that. Time was of the essence. In the end, they arranged to meet late on a weekday.
The high-rise residential building Seunggeon said he had briefly borrowed was under repair due to interior work. So a hotel bungalow where they could talk quietly became the meeting place.
Chaehun learned for the first time that such a building existed at the foot of the mountain behind H Hotel. The bungalow was furnished more like a private villa than a hotel room. Next to the living room was a large bedroom. It was obvious what would happen here.
Chaehun reflexively looked toward the bedroom with its door open, then shook his head vigorously. It seemed he was tense not because of his pride but because of what was going to happen.
Bzz.
Just as he was about to move to close the bedroom door, his phone inside his jacket vibrated. It was Seunggeon. Chaehun took a long breath and then pressed the call button.
“Hello?”
—Where are you? Have you arrived?
“Yeah. I’m at the bungalow. Why?”
—Sorry, but I need to cancel today’s appointment. Something suddenly came up and I got held up.
Something could suddenly come up. But Chaehun didn’t have time.
“Will it take long? If it’s not too late, no, even if it’s late I’ll wait. If you’re okay with it, let’s meet.”
—It’ll be past midnight.
“That’s fine. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
Chaehun spoke honestly without hiding anything.
The license plate of the car that cut them off was clearly captured on Kang Suchan’s car dashcam. But according to the police, it was a stolen vehicle, so it would take time to identify the culprit.
President Yoon’s threat was real. Kang Suchan was furious but there was nothing he could do. Jo Mihye was frightened, and Kang Yeonghwan had no intention of returning from his friend’s house. In the face of an overwhelming crisis, the family became powerless.
Accepting Seunggeon’s proposal was no longer an easy path, but something that had to be done. They couldn’t know when or how President Yoon would strike. If possible, he had to meet Seunggeon today and settle things.
—Alright. Then I’ll see you there.
“Uh, yeah.”
The call ended simply. Chaehun sighed and sat on the sofa that occupied the center of the living room. The large sofa finished in white leather had such good cushioning that his body sank deeply into it.
“So it’s past midnight.”
It wasn’t even 9 o’clock yet. He had to wait over three hours to meet Seunggeon. When he thought there was plenty of time left, his tension suddenly released.
“I should have eaten before coming.”
Chaehun, who had been spacing out for quite a while, muttered while rubbing his stomach. Although the appointment was well past dinner time, he wasn’t in the mood to eat anything and had no appetite, so he skipped dinner. But now that his tension had released, his empty stomach started to ache.
Ordering something through hotel service felt burdensome somehow. Since he had time, it seemed okay to go outside and buy some kimbap or something, but that also felt bothersome.
Sitting on the plush sofa, his body went limp. After dropping his younger brother at his friend’s house, bringing clothes for his hyung to change into and necessary items to the hospital, he got home past 2 AM. He went to work after sleeping only a few hours, so drowsiness was now washing over him.
Chaehun leaned against the sofa backrest and closed his heavy eyelids.
Let’s sleep just a little.
Since Seunggeon still had a long way to come, there was time to catch some shut-eye. He thought he should set an alarm, but his consciousness sank all at once.
Chaehun fell sound asleep.
* * *
Following a short electronic sound came the clunk of a door opening. He wondered if it was Kang Yeonghwan. Kang Yeonghwan, who knew the officetel password, would visit without notice. That thoughtless kid would fling open the inner door while calling for his hyung. But today he was unusually quiet.
Even in his sleep, Chaehun thought it was strange, then remembered where he was and opened his eyes.
Sure enough, standing before him was not Kang Yeonghwan but Seunggeon. He simultaneously realized that the sight of Seunggeon standing there holding a black coat and a document envelope wasn’t a dream, and that the reason he looked crooked was because he himself had collapsed and was lying on the sofa.
Oh my god.
Chaehun, whose mind cleared in an instant, bolted upright. Embarrassment and awkwardness hit him in the back of the head. Seunggeon’s expressionless face looking at him made it worse.
“Sorry. I couldn’t sleep last night. No, I mean. Let me wash my face to wake up. Just wait a moment.”
Before Seunggeon could say anything, he quickly found the bathroom and went in. The sight reflected in the mirror was a spectacle. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were red, and he had dark circles under his eyes. At least he was fortunate not to have drooled.
The sofa was plush though. He also hadn’t slept much last night. Still, falling into a deep sleep oblivious to the world in this situation wasn’t right.
Chaehun quickly washed his face and fixed his hair. Only after checking in the mirror that he looked presentable did he leave the bathroom. At that moment, Seunggeon was just coming out of the kitchen. When their eyes met, he held out the bottled water he was holding.
“Drink.”
“Uh. Yeah. Thanks.”
Chaehun sat on the sofa following Seunggeon without drinking the water. Seunggeon, who sat across from him while loosening his tie, looked quite tired.
The hands of the wall clock had passed midnight by far, approaching 1 AM. A distinct smell of alcohol came from Seunggeon’s body. If he had been at a company dinner until now, he had every reason to be tired. Chaehun felt sorry, wondering if he had been unreasonable by insisting it was urgent.
“You look very tired.”
“I’m fine.”
“It seems like you drank, will you be able to talk?”
“I only had two glasses. The alcohol smell is… because alcohol got spilled, so don’t worry about it. Here, the contract. Read it and check what you want to revise.”
Seunggeon pushed a white document envelope onto the table toward Chaehun.
Instead of taking out the contract, Chaehun quietly looked at Seunggeon. Then their eyes met.
Chaehun opened his mouth, hoping he didn’t look desperate.
“Before I read it, I have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
“You knew, didn’t you? That my hyung got scammed. So before making the proposal, I mean.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you investigate my background?”
“I did.”
Seunggeon affirmed so simply that Chaehun felt deflated. He was about to question why he did that to someone who openly revealed he had done a background check.
“Why?”
“To make a deal, you have to offer what the other party needs.”
“Even so, isn’t 2 billion too much?”
“2 billion or so is nothing to my lifesaver.”
2 billion or so. It was amazing that he could express with “or so” an amount of money that others couldn’t touch even if they worked their entire lives. More than anything, he was a little moved by being called a lifesaver.
“If you had explained properly back then, you wouldn’t have been cursed at. Rather, I would have been grateful.”
“I didn’t offer 2 billion to receive gratitude.”
“……?”
