‘My seat? No way.’
Yeohwi’s eyes widened as he looked at the desk with a surprised expression. A gleaming desktop flaunted its presence on top of it.
“Starting today, we’re going to reorganize the basic strategy for inheritance management from scratch. That document you wrote had good direction, but the details were a mess.”
Dowon ignored Yeohwi’s reaction, which seemed like a puppy wagging its tail at getting a new home, and placed several thick books and bundles of documents on Yeohwi’s desk with thuds.
‘Original Seong Family Inheritance Portfolio’, ‘Advanced Financial Statement Analysis’, ‘Corporate Valuation Theory Vol. 1’……
Just looking at the titles made his head throb.
“Understand how sharp the weapon you have is, and how much grip strength you need to hold that sword hilt.”
Dowon added as he returned to his seat and sat down.
“Don’t think about leaving until you’ve read and memorized everything.”
“Memorize? All of this?”
“What, you want to carry them around?”
“No…… Yes, I understand.”
Yeohwi, who had been flustered, quickly pulled himself together and added playfully.
“I’ll work hard, Master!”
“Use the proper title.”
Dowon opened his documents without batting an eye.
“Yees, Director-nim.”
Yeohwi also sat down at his newly prepared seat with a giggle. The morning sunlight pouring through the window, the rich smell of wood, and Dowon sitting across from him.
It was perfect. Although the amount he had to study was a mountain, just being in this space together with him was enough.
Time slowly passed that way.
Dowon suddenly came into Yeohwi’s view as he stretched his stiff shoulders. He was perfectly immersed in his work. His appearance frowning while reviewing documents, or lost in deep thought while rolling a fountain pen. Even the low, calm voice heard occasionally when he made calls.
‘Is this the sexiness of a working man……’
He should be reading the book, but once his gaze turned, he couldn’t concentrate on the text. His light brown eyes kept turning beyond the desk.
Dowon’s wrist bone revealed under his rolled-up shirt sleeves, his long fingers scribbling signatures quickly and sharply, his habit of pressing his lips tightly when pondering—each was engraved in his mind.
‘He’s cool.’
Yeohwi rested his chin and blankly admired Dowon. Then, Dowon raised his head.
Yeohwi’s vacant eyes and Dowon’s sharp gaze met precisely in mid-air.
“Ah.”
He was startled and tried to turn his gaze to the book, but it was already too late.
Dowon put down his fountain pen and asked.
“Are there words written on my face?”
“N-no.”
Yeohwi blushed and mumbled.
“You’re distracted. Already at your limit?”
“No, that’s not it……”
Yeohwi confessed honestly with a ‘whatever’ feeling.
“It’s just, you look so cool working, Dowon-ssi. My eyes keep going there.”
It was a straight pitch. Pure praise without excuses or embellishment.
“Nonsense. If you want to earn your keep, look at your book.”
“Yes……”
“And stop fidgeting with your limbs.”
“Yees……”
Yeohwi obediently replied while folding his legs. But a groan leaked through his teeth.
“Ugh.”
After sitting crumpled on the hard chair for a while, and currently experiencing severe growing pains, all his muscles were pulling and his bones were throbbing. His already long legs were even numb, so they wouldn’t fit well under the desk.
“Just a moment. Ow ow ow.”
Yeohwi fidgeted while stretching his feet. Thud, the sound of Dowon closing a file rang out.
“Your concentration.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“If you don’t even have that much perseverance, quit. Get out.”
Not wanting him to think he was slacking off, Yeohwi rubbed his knees with a tearful face.
“My legs are numb and it hurts so much. They said it’s growing pains.”
“Growing pains?”
Dowon let out a scoff as if dumbfounded.
“How much more are you trying to grow from there.”
“Who knows…… I actually want to grow about a span taller than you, Dowon-ssi.”
“You think you will? You’ll break through the ceiling?”
“But I also want to look cool. To you, Dowon-ssi……”
Yeohwi’s mumbling face looked quite pained. His hands frantically massaging his calves while breaking out in cold sweat were urgent. It seemed he even had a cramp.
Dowon let out a long sigh. Judging that he’d keep whining for a while if left alone, he pushed his chair back and stood up. Then he approached Yeohwi with irritated steps.
“Let me see.”
Dowon spun Yeohwi’s chair to face him, then knelt down on one knee in front of him.
“Dowon-ssi?”
Without answering, Dowon rolled up Yeohwi’s pant leg. His solid, long-stretched calf was revealed. Dowon firmly grasped Yeohwi’s calf with his large, cold hand.
“Ack!”
Yeohwi screamed.
“Stay still.”
Dowon’s touch was too rough to be called a massage. It was closer to pressure crushing the muscles. But because he accurately found and pressed the knotted pressure points, it was very refreshing.
“Ugh…… Dowon-ssi, your hands are really big.”
Yeohwi, whose pain had subsided, looked down at Dowon with languidly relaxed eyes.
“They’re cold, it feels good.”
At those words, Dowon’s hand hesitated.
He newly felt Yeohwi’s calf muscle that filled, no, overflowed his hand. It was solid. Perhaps he had grown again as much as he’d experienced growing pains, it was different from the youthful appearance he’d seen in the bathroom last time. His bone structure had thickened and his muscles had filled in with density.
The fact that he really could become a span larger than himself came through vividly through his palm. Then he was seized by a strange feeling.
Dowon withdrew his hand and stood up.
“Body management is also an ability.”
He spoke sternly on purpose.
“Don’t whine about pain. I won’t look after you next time.”
“Yes.”
“If you don’t want to be kicked out, do it properly.”
“Yes, Dowon-ssi.”
Dowon returned to his seat. Yeohwi hid his reddened face while caressing the handprint Dowon left on his calf.
***
“You stupid bastard!”
Crash! A crystal whiskey glass shattered into pieces against the wall. Fragments flew in all directions, and the acrid smell of strong alcohol rose sharply.
KD Group President Do Jingyu’s private residence.
In the room flowing with heavy silence, only the sound of the air purifier running and the scratching sound of a fountain pen scraping paper could be heard.
Do Jingyu glared at his son Do Jinsang, who had collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily through his nose. His eyes were bloodshot like a snake filled with venom.
“You couldn’t even hold back against one brat’s provocation and brought shame to your father’s face, ruining the party like that?”
“F-Father, President-nim. That’s not it, really they were the ones who first……”
Do Jinsang’s voice trembled. He protested while covering his cheek as if wronged, but shut his mouth again at Do Jingyu’s kick.
“I don’t want to hear your rambling excuses.”
Do Jingyu muttered lowly.
“Do you know how much the PR team had to scramble to suppress the photos of you brawling? The plan to slot you in as director this time all went awry!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Do Jingyu roughly loosened his tie.
“Enough. You’ll receive a personnel transfer to Busan soon. Get out. Don’t let me see you for a while.”
Do Jinsang fled from the president’s office.
Do Jingyu sighed and buried himself deep in his chair.
What bothered him even more than his son’s stupidity was none other than Dowon’s gaze he had seen at the party venue. Those arrogant eyes that looked at him like a bug. His pride was shredded by them.
After Do Jinsang left, a knock sounded and his trusted aide Executive Director Kim entered.
“President-nim.”
“What. Get out, I don’t even want to see you.”
“……It’s a report on Director Do Dowon’s movements.”
Do Jingyu’s eyebrows twitched. He steadied his rough breathing and extended his hand.
On the tablet Executive Director Kim handed over, complex fund flow charts and reports were displayed.
“Director Do didn’t come to work today. They say he’s working from home.”
“Working from home? That workaholic?”
Do Jingyu’s hand stopped.
“It’s not like he’d be busy playing around with that little brat he was dragging around at the party, yet he didn’t come to work……”
After thinking for a moment, he smiled grimly.
“Well, if he belatedly discovered the taste of pussy, good for him. That bleak eunuch-like bastard without a single common scandal.”
“Actually, it doesn’t seem like he’s just playing around.”
Executive Director Kim hesitated as if troubled. His expression was dark.
“This morning, Director Do’s direct legal team moved in strict secrecy.”
“Why the legal team.”
“They’re collecting case precedents related to overseas asset management and gift tax law. And there’s information that they requested past accounting data from the Seong Family.”
In an instant, Do Jingyu’s eyes sharpened.
Seong Family. Chairman Seong’s inheritance. Overseas asset management……
“It smells fishy.”
Do Jingyu muttered.
