“Because I’m a figurehead, this new drug development contract is in my hands. Chairman Park will be pleased. If a contract worth hundreds of billions of won flies away because of his seventh grandson.”
—Whoa. Hyung, are you crazy?!
“I’m telling you for the second time, transfer departments first. Quietly fill your 2 years and leave.”
—Fuck. Don’t talk shit. Are you going to stick with that bastard forever? Huh? You’re not. So why are you doing this? Wait? Kang Chaehun, that bastard is next to you right now, right? Right? Fuck. Listen carefully. You might think you’ve won right now, but I’ll pay you back for everything later. You bastard!
“If you can’t understand even when given a chance, there’s nothing I can do.”
Seunggeon just hung up. The phone rang a few seconds later, but when Seunggeon said “Block Park Gwangho,” it soon became quiet.
Chaehun was amazed at the greatness of voice recognition and Seunggeon’s boldness. The title of CEO of Taehwa Group really seemed to be impressive.
The scene of threatening Park Gwangho with a contract worth hundreds of billions of won as leverage was similar to that of a drama. It was cool, but also childish. Still, as Park Gwangho said, he wasn’t going to be his backing forever, so he was worried about what to do.
“Is that really okay?”
“What?”
“Saying the contract worth hundreds of billions of won will fly away or not. It’s not something you can decide on your own.”
“I’m choosing one out of three, and all three have similar conditions. They’re also similarly related, so it doesn’t matter which one I choose. And don’t worry about what Park Gwangho said. This contract is quite important to that family, so Chairman Park won’t just sit idly by.”
“How so?”
“Kids who cause trouble are usually kicked outside. If they’re really hated, they’re made unable to enter Korea at all. Chairman Park has fourteen grandchildren, and one of them is nothing. Chairman Park doesn’t have an easygoing personality either. When you get older, you should know how to keep an appropriate line, but Park Gwangho doesn’t have that.”
Chaehun thought it was a ruthless world. Also, Seunggeon’s explanation of it so nonchalantly sounded cold. He had only heard through rumors that such a world existed, but confirming that it really existed was a different matter.
Then he suddenly remembered that Seunggeon had been the victim of an attempted kidnapping. He said he went to America for aftereffects treatment, but if he attended university and even got a job there, he might have been planning not to return to Korea.
Perhaps at nineteen, Seunggeon had become a target in that ruthless world. Of course, it was only speculation, but it wasn’t impossible.
Having inadvertently glimpsed a bitter reality, Chaehun appropriately continued the conversation.
“I’m just glad not to see Park Gwangho’s face.”
“Just in case, I’m telling you—don’t contact Sunny. Same goes if contact comes. That side doesn’t have such a good personality either.”
“Should I say you’re my backing?”
“Do as you like.”
With that, the conversation stopped for a moment. Chaehun turned his head from Seunggeon and looked ahead. The red taillights of cars filling the night road dizzied his eyes.
He had been prepared to even quit, but Seunggeon not only stopped Park Gwangho but claimed to be his backing, which was something to be grateful for. Just thinking that he could stand up to Park Gwangho on Monday without being intimidated made him feel good.
There were still many things he was curious about. What happened ten years ago that almost got him kidnapped, why he was spending 2 billion won to meet him, and why he was being his backing now. He wondered if making him write a contract not to pry was for times like this.
He felt a bit hurt and annoyed, but soon calmed his mind. He didn’t have a hobby of pondering problems that had no answers for long.
Using the brief silence, Chaehun took out his phone. There were a bunch of missed calls and messages from Kang Yeonghwan. Chaehun only sent a message saying he’d explain later and still kept the alarm on silent.
Before he knew it, it was well past 8 o’clock. All he’d eaten since 1 o’clock was two bottles of beer. If he had to endure until tomorrow morning like this, he felt like he’d be sad.
“Seunggeon-ah.”
“Why?”
“Did you eat?”
“I ate. You… don’t tell me, you didn’t eat?”
“I told you my brother scammed me. Ordering something at the apartment won’t work, so let’s just buy one hamburger set on the way. I feel like I need to eat something. Or you can drop me off in front of the convenience store near the apartment.”
Chaehun quickly listed what he wanted. Ordering delivery food at Seunggeon’s apartment was probably too much. The best option was a hamburger set, and if not that, hitting up a convenience store was the most realistic method. If you crossed just one small street from the same line as Seunggeon’s apartment, there was a convenience store.
“Convenience store?”
“Because sandwiches or triangle kimbap can be eaten quickly.”
“If you’re going to eat, eat properly. Don’t eat things like triangle kimbap.”
“Then just drop me off somewhere suitable and I’ll handle it myself. I just need to meet you by 10, right?”
Since he said he already ate dinner, Chaehun was trying to figure something out on his own, but being nagged not to eat things like triangle kimbap made him feel annoyed for no reason. Since the appointment time was 10 o’clock anyway, the words that he’d do as he pleased came out stiffly.
“There are several restaurants around the apartment, so let’s go there.”
Because Seunggeon made an unexpected suggestion, Chaehun had to stutter for a moment.
“Uh… You’re going too? You said you ate?”
“I can eat something simple.”
“Oh, um. Then there’s a Japanese restaurant on the back street of the apartment, let’s go there. I tried it once before and it was good.”
“Okay. That would be better.”
Properly cooked food was definitely better than triangle kimbap. And if there was someone to eat with rather than alone, it would be more enjoyable. Of course, there was the prerequisite that Seunggeon wouldn’t say annoying things, but anyway it was fine.
“What’s your schedule tomorrow?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Let’s eat lunch together tomorrow too. I have a place to go before that, but it won’t take long. How about it?”
Chaehun, who was expecting to eat a bunch of sushi, looked at Seunggeon who suddenly suggested eating lunch together tomorrow. He was still driving, looking only ahead.
There was nothing urgent right away. He had finished all the housework before coming out. Going to the gym tomorrow afternoon was all he had. But it was strange that Seunggeon was suddenly suggesting eating lunch.
The contract did specify one weekend day. However, despite meeting several times so far, that was only kept on the day they made the contract. After that, they just had sex and parted ways immediately. There was the work issue, and since he said he didn’t want emotions to get tangled, it seemed better not to stick together. Seunggeon didn’t particularly hold him back either.
He nodded, thinking that if he asked what change of heart this was, it would ruin the good atmosphere.
“It’s fine. Then can I decide the menu?”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Chinese food. Let’s eat a course meal.”
Chaehun shouted quite boldly. Chinese food was surprisingly a tricky menu to properly eat. Many people ate a meal with jajangmyeon or jjamppong. If there were two or more people, they also added sweet and sour pork. But other dishes besides those weren’t popular.
Most of all, the people around Chaehun didn’t really like Chinese food. Because his father disliked Chinese food, it was always left out of family dining menus. Even friends he met often said that rather than eating a Chinese course meal, they’d rather grill beef with that money.
Moreover, in Chaehun’s memory, Seunggeon was quite fond of jajangmyeon. He couldn’t let such a good opportunity slip by.
But there was no answer from Seunggeon. Seeing no particular reaction from Seunggeon, Chaehun asked just in case.
“Do you not like it? If you don’t, we can eat something else.”
“Chinese food is fine.”
It’s fine, he says. Chaehun cheered internally.
“Where do you need to go tomorrow? I’ll look for a place near there.”
“Gangnam area.”
“Got it. I’ll make a reservation.”
Chaehun immediately picked up his phone and started searching for decent Chinese restaurants near Gangnam. There were several places recommended on the community cafe he was active in, but none of them satisfied him. The place that caught his eye the most was a hotel Chinese restaurant he’d had his eye on for a while.
“A hotel Chinese restaurant is good too, right? Hm?”
“You’re overflowing with enthusiasm.”
“I like eating delicious food. After all, I don’t get many chances to eat Chinese food.”
Chaehun spoke honestly without any need to save face. There was no reason he couldn’t tell Seunggeon what all his friends around him already knew.
“Gourmet?”
“Not quite that far. It’s kind of a hobby. Going around looking for good restaurants.”
“I don’t think you were like that before.”
“Back then I didn’t know anything.”
During his school days when home-cooked meals, school lunches, and chicken, pizza, and hamburgers were everything, good restaurants were just words. But as he grew older and started earning money with his own hands, the world expanded. In a harsh, stress-filled daily life, culinary pleasure was a small joy.
