“Well, according to the rumors going around, listen to this—there’s talk that Director Ha is impotent. And that rumor has credibility because otherwise, why would his pairs keep breaking with Espers that everyone wants to date? Right? Maybe he can’t do physical contact, so the guiding doesn’t work either?”
Ilkyung looked at his noonas as if urging them to agree with him.
“Or maybe it’s a complete twist—he’s a player? Why is everyone silent?”
It was the moment Ilkyung was about to grumble at his unresponsive noonas.
“Should I tell you? Whether I’m a player or impotent?”
At the familiar voice, Ilkyung’s head whipped around.
“Eek!”
Ilkyung quickly covered his mouth. Why? Why are you here?
Behind Ilkyung stood the very person he’d just been talking about, with his tall, handsome face, standing there bold as brass. His smile was so refreshing—anyone would think he was sunshine itself.
## 2. Forced Contract
“Why did you break your pair again this time?”
“Grandfather. Did you call me all the way here to say that?”
Daehoon, who’d been elegantly cutting his meat with a knife, stopped and looked at his grandfather. Chairman Ha glared fiercely at his grandson, who was looking back at him impassively with eyes that were the spitting image of his own.
“Didn’t I overlook it when you ruined the matchmaking meeting with the Woo family’s third daughter last time?”
“Grandfather. I clearly told you I wouldn’t go to that matchmaking meeting. But ignoring what I said, didn’t you unilaterally set up that meeting? I think just going there for your sake was doing my duty.”
Chairman Ha let out a long breath. His grandson, who was the spitting image of himself, wasn’t easy about anything.
Chairman Ha had one son, and from that son he had two grandsons. The eldest of them was Ha Daehoon.
“Why on earth won’t you go to matchmaking meetings?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m gay.”
Chairman Ha’s brow crumpled like crumpled paper. Meanwhile, Daehoon leisurely cut his steak again. He couldn’t count how many times he’d said it. That he was gay. Gay.
“You think I don’t know you’re making excuses!”
“Grandfather, lower your voice. The whole neighborhood will find out your eldest grandson is gay.”
Daehoon spoke as casually as if ordering breakfast, then raised the corners of his mouth in a splendid smile. From a distance, one would think the grandfather and grandson got along quite well, but in reality, Chairman Ha felt his blood pressure rising with every word he exchanged with his grandson. Chairman Ha took another deep breath and gulped down water.
Daehoon followed suit and took a sip of water. It was to hide the faint trembling at the corners of his mouth.
If this were at home, yelling and cursing would have already flown, but since this was a hotel restaurant, his grandfather couldn’t throw a tantrum like usual and was visibly forcing himself to hold back.
Chairman Ha occasionally called his grandson to hotel restaurants for meals like this, as a show. What business chairman would eat in an open place like this? But Chairman Ha would dine in places where many people could see to demonstrate his closeness with his grandson. Such venues also had the effect of showing they were far from being secretive and exclusive like other chaebols.
“Grandfather, stop talking and please eat. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”
Chairman Ha had to take a deep breath because of his nonchalant grandson.
The second grandson, Daeyoung, got married two years ago. And early this year, he presented Chairman Ha with an adorable grandson as cute as a rabbit. Meanwhile, Daehoon didn’t seem to date at all, let alone marry. Even when he was abroad, there were no signs of that.
“You kept breaking pairs like that when you were abroad, and you still haven’t fixed that habit—what are you going to do if you keep doing that here too? How old are you now!”
“Grandfather, since you brought up age, let me say this—really, at my age, why are you still interfering? I’m thirty-four now.”
“Your brother got married and had a child even though he’s only thirty, so when on earth are you planning to do it?”
Daehoon let out a deep sigh and wet his mouth with wine. He was always noisy with his grandfather about this issue. Of course, they clashed over everything besides this issue, but especially when it came to marriage, there was no compromise.
“Grandfather, you’re getting older so your memory must be getting hazy…”
Chairman Ha’s eyes bulged even more. He clearly wanted to shout right now, but you could plainly see he was forcing himself to hold back because many people were watching. Whether he did or not, Daehoon took another sip of wine and continued speaking.
“I’ve told you repeatedly that I’m gay. For that reason, even if I become paired, I’ve told you until your ears must be ringing that I can’t develop any kind of relationship with female Espers. Do you need more explanation?”
Chairman Ha clenched his teeth. It was to prevent curses from bursting out.
Daehoon manifested as a Guide in elementary school. His mother was an S-rank Guide, and he inherited her genes completely. Meanwhile, his father and younger brother were ordinary people. After manifesting, Daehoon grew up watching his mother’s work as an S-rank Guide, and as soon as he became an adult, he worked as a Guide at the UK branch.
Chairman Ha was the person most upset when Daehoon manifested as a Guide. He’d hoped Daehoon would inherit Hasin Group, but suddenly a Guide! Once he manifested as a Guide, he had no choice but to belong to the state, and naturally couldn’t focus on the family business.
As a result, Daehoon’s younger brother Daeyoung was receiving successor training, but his grandfather, Chairman Ha, still seemed unable to understand—or want to understand—why Daehoon manifested as a Guide.
“That damn Guide thing.”
“Grandfather, how can you say that when you’re the biggest donor to the Center? What if someone hears you?”
“And what about you—what if someone hears you saying you’re… gay like that!”
Daehoon shrugged and put meat in his mouth. Every time Daehoon spoke, Chairman Ha seemed to feel his blood pressure rising, but if anyone saw them, the two were a grandfather and grandson elegantly and gracefully having a conversation.
“What on earth is wrong with you…”
“Grandfather, if you say more than that, it’s hate speech. These days you have to be careful about such remarks one by one. What if someone nearby hears and reports it? It would be terrible if the stock price plummeted due to owner risk.”
It was impossible to tell if this was worry, teasing, sarcasm, or what. But who was Chairman Ha? He was the very person who led Hasin Group, one of the top business groups, without wavering and always maintained a good public image.
“Ahem, who’s making hate speech?”
Chairman Ha cleared his throat and said after wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“You think I don’t know you didn’t meet anyone while you were in the UK? If you were gay, word of you meeting men would have reached my ears.”
“Grandfather, that’s an illness. Why are you even investigating your grandson?”
“Hmph!”
Chairman Ha cleared his throat again and lowered his gaze.
Daehoon knew his grandfather received reports on his every move. He wondered what could be so curious, but since his grandfather wasn’t really interfering, he just let it be. He just thought of it as an old man’s curiosity or interest. But it was troublesome when he suddenly tried to get involved in his life like this.
“Should I prove to you that I’m gay? How about I rub lips with a man right in front of you, Grandfather?”
Chairman Ha glared as if he would flip the table right then and there, but again, you could see him forcibly holding back because they were outside. He’ll get sick from anger at this rate.
Chairman Ha sighed deeply and took a sip of wine. Daehoon likewise held a sip of wine in his mouth and wiped the smile from his lips.
“Then show me proof that you’re gay. Then I won’t talk about marriage anymore. But if you can’t do that and being gay was just an excuse to avoid matchmaking meetings, then come to next month’s political and business gathering and meet the young lady they arrange for you.”
“Grandfather, whether I’m gay or not, why are you so obsessed with your grandson’s love life? I’m asking because I’m really curious.”
At this point, Daehoon was genuinely curious.
In truth, Chairman Ha had long given up on his grandson who wouldn’t do as he wished. Who would have known he’d manifest as a Guide! When Daehoon became a Guide, not being able to pass Hasin Group to his smartest grandson was enough to drive him crazy with frustration, and now he wouldn’t even give him great-grandchildren who resembled him.
