Chapter 123
While mechanically chewing meat dipped in sauce, my ears were inevitably open toward his phone conversation.
It would be work-related talk anyway, so it wasn’t that I was curious about the content. Thinking about what happened in Hongcheon last time, I couldn’t help but be concerned about Yujun, his closest associate.
“Ha, really?”
As if he’d received some ridiculous news, he let out a snort filled with strong contempt and loosely draped one arm over the table.
“Administrative director of the land management department? That’s definitely not a scale that bastard could handle. There’s a high probability he’s moving as a proxy for higher-ups. They’re probably testing each other first.”
His movement of lightly clenching and unclenching the fist of his arm resting on the table was extremely calm. His tone didn’t roughen either. But the jaw muscles of his profile as he sat with his upper body twisted were twitching with concentrated hostility or tension.
“How are the movements within Thailand?”
I gradually lost the taste of the meat I was chewing. The atmosphere was different from the usual calls where work progress was reported or simple verbal approvals were made. Moreover, since I vaguely guessed who “that bastard” referred to, I kept becoming conscious of the call.
“It’ll probably follow a similar flow to the Malaysia case, but there might be traps. It seems they haven’t caught the scent yet.”
For about 2-3 more minutes after that, he nodded and answered in short responses while listening to the report. And at the end, he raised his left wrist to check the time.
“I can arrive at the company by 8 at the latest. No, I’m thinking of moving by KTX from Mokpo, so send someone to take the car instead of me.”
That concluded the call.
Setting his phone back in its original place, he immediately smiled toward me. It was a quick transition that didn’t require a gap to switch from work mode to personal mode. There might be a switch somewhere if I felt around his solid nape.
“Sorry. There was some important reporting.”
“Don’t worry about it. Eat quickly. It tastes even better after exercising.”
“It would have been better if we’d brought wine to drink together, but that’s a bit regrettable.”
“One of us has to drive. It’s no fun if only one person drinks.”
Showing his teeth and smiling more brightly, he finally began eating properly.
I remembered hearing conversations similar to the call from before.
The next day after escaping from ‘Layered’s housewarming and visiting his house for the first time, Yujun was in the late morning dining room.
At that time, I didn’t even know he was Lee Hancheoeum of Hanseo Group, so there was no reason to listen carefully to their conversation and I couldn’t remember the detailed content. However, I retained a general sense of the flow and nuance.
Conversations that seemed to evaluate someone’s management ability and explore their whereabouts.
Thinking about it now, the subject discussed in that conversation was probably Lee Seogyeong.
Setting down my chopsticks for a moment, I reached for my water glass and casually asked:
“You made up with Yujun?”
“……”
He had been quietly chewing his food but raised his eyebrows slightly to look this way. His face showed he didn’t quite understand the exact meaning of what I said.
“In Hongcheon… you even came to blows.”
“Ah…”
Only then did he nod and smile awkwardly. After lightly pressing his lips with a napkin and swallowing all the food in his mouth, he continued:
“Well, we’re not the type to fall apart over something like that. Even if feelings are hurt, we can’t neglect work.”
I had guessed they weren’t the type to misunderstand each other’s intentions and sulk. While I nodded and picked up my chopsticks again, this time he leaned back against the floor chair’s backrest and distanced himself from the food.
“Yujun is the only person I’ve ever talked to about hyung.”
“……”
“Instead of going to graduate school, I had to learn about business operations from a special team formed under Knox New York branch from my college days. And immediately after graduation, Yujun and I entered the company together. In a world where the insight to select and cultivate talent you can trust and assign work to is as important as management ability, I needed my own person as quickly as possible. That doesn’t mean I chose just anyone though.”
He lifted a heavy teacup beside his water glass and moistened his throat with a sip.
“He heard some information from somewhere… I trust hyung but he can’t. Yujun, both personally and because of things he’s seen and heard while by my side… doesn’t trust people who gather around money and power. He thinks wealth and power can transform even the most innocent and kind young man into an incarnation of greed.”
Though he spoke in a playful tone, I could feel bitterness in the laugh he added at the end.
“Actually, I don’t trust anyone other than hyung either.”
People who gather around money and power.
The things Yujun would have seen and heard by his side, things that wouldn’t have been beautiful or just.
I could somewhat anticipate the madness of people who change greedily in the face of wealth’s power. Yang-bu wasn’t originally someone blinded by capital and honor either.
Setting down my chopsticks, I leaned on one arm and slowly chose my words:
“This is a relationship between the two of us, so I don’t think… we need someone’s approval. But I also don’t think our relationship can be maintained long-term with just the two of us without approval from those around us.”
I knew it wasn’t a relationship we could gossip about to many people. But at least I sincerely wanted to be open with Yujun on his side and Taeyoon on mine.
Whether he understood my meaning, his face nodding with a faint smile seemed to show gratitude.
Lost in thought, he looked out at the forest beyond the wide-open sliding doors for a long time. Then, as if it were strong liquor, he sipped his tea a little and spoke like talking to himself:
“What those people said at the rest stop yesterday doesn’t seem bad.”
“……”
“A life where hyung acts and I become hyung’s manager.”
The man and woman who had recognized me at the rest stop we stopped at while coming down to Haenam last night. Realizing he was referring to what they had said, I chuckled a beat late.
“Is that why you went all the way to America to study so hard?”
“I did it because I was told to. If I can’t accomplish what I’m told to do… if I can’t prove my value, it won’t work.”
Pouting his lips like a displeased child, he picked up his chopsticks again. But he didn’t put food in his mouth for a while, just tearing the meat into small pieces in the bowl.
“Maybe I should quit the hotel work and establish an agency to focus on taking care of hyung. Then even if we’re together 24 hours a day, no one would have reason to find it strange. It would also give me an excuse to chase away bugs like Yoon Juho. It’s the perfect job.”
Was he joking, or was he pretending to joke while expressing dissatisfaction with the situation? His intention was ambiguous. Even if he didn’t show it, the phone call from earlier had definitely unsettled him a bit.
If my speculation based on the context was correct, he might be feeling light disillusionment and disgust with his position of having to investigate and be wary of even his siblings’ movements.
“You can’t quit. You said you’d steal the throne or the inner palace if I wanted them.”
It was something I said to try to change his mood. He stopped using his chopsticks and only raised his eyes to look across at me.
“Should I bring them?”
“……”
“Should I lay them before hyung?”
He seemed to be definitely joking. His lips were smiling mischievously. Strangely though, his eyes seemed to appeal with deep emptiness. Maybe it was because I heard the cooing of a wood pigeon outside the casement window.
I couldn’t answer his question.
■
“Hyung, are you awake?”
“Uh… mm.”
I raised the seat back that had been fully reclined and looked out the window. I seemed to have fallen asleep as soon as we left the resort in Hongcheon, but Seoul’s familiar scenery was already spread out before us.
“You must have been really tired. You were sleeping so soundly that I just came straight without stopping at rest areas.”
“Jongseok-ssi must have had a hard time. You should have rested for a bit.”
I spoke apologetically while looking at the back of the road manager who was gripping the steering wheel instead of Jaewoo in the passenger seat. During the 2-day, 1-night advertisement shoot that required moving between regions from Haenam to Hongcheon, there were many things for Jaewoo to handle, so one road manager had been additionally assigned.
“No, sunbae-nim. It wasn’t a long distance so it’s fine.”
I still wasn’t used to the custom of managers calling their assigned actors ‘sunbae-nim.’ Even when I told him to call me hyung, the junior manager who was strictly disciplined insisted he couldn’t do that.
“I did some schedule coordination while you were sleeping… How about the photo shoot from next Wednesday to Friday, hyung? The script reading can probably be adjusted to Tuesday. If you want to rest a day before the photo shoot, that schedule seems most suitable.”
“Oh, yeah… let’s do that.”
After finishing his report while looking through the scheduler, Jaewoo suddenly turned toward the back seat and laughed with a strange “hehehe” sound.
“And hyung, the photo shoot will be in Bali.”
Bali… ah, Bali… so it’s an overseas shoot after all.
While awkwardly smiling back at the excited Jaewoo, I felt like dying inside.
Just the fact that it was a photo shoot with Yoon Juho was already hard to tell him about, and now it’s an overseas shoot. From his perspective, wouldn’t it feel like I was going on an official overseas trip with Yoon Juho?
My body, which had felt like the fatigue was somewhat relieved from about two hours of sleep, suddenly felt heavy.
He would definitely understand. But even while sending me off, he wouldn’t feel good about it. Something… wasn’t there a way to reassure him?
While pondering and unlocking my phone screen, a message from him had arrived. It was a reply to my message saying I was now leaving Hongcheon.
《I received a report that the video came out very coolly. The model who worked hard for our company’s business, I should personally serve you with utmost care. I’m so ill-mannered… You must be very tired, right? Get some sleep even while traveling.》
I kept smiling at the message that chose only pretty words.
《I slept deeply without waking up once on the way. I’ll look forward to Team Leader’s devoted service on the weekend. I think I’ll wash and pass out as soon as I get home. I’ll message you before I pass out.》
After sending the reply and looking up, the car was entering the uphill road leading to the accommodation. We left Hongcheon before sunset, but it was already getting dusky outside. I could definitely feel that the days had gotten shorter.
“I sent all the photos I took personally yesterday and today to your messenger, hyung. Check them later. And this, I’m planning to upload this photo to SNS, how is it?”
I took the phone Jaewoo handed me and looked at it. I used to not even properly check photos for SNS uploads. But after knowing he was watching, I became subtly conscious of it.
“It’s fine. You took it well. Is our Jaewoo’s photography skills improving day by day?”
“Well… it’s basic cultivation for modern managers.”
I burst out laughing at the boastful Jaewoo’s words.
Since they worked hard for 2 days and 1 night, I handed over a card telling the two of them to have a light company dinner and got out of the car. I’d only been away for 2 nights and 3 days, but I felt strangely detached as if returning from a long trip.
Had I climbed about a third of the steep uphill?
I heard someone opening and closing a car door from a bit higher up. I reflexively looked up that way without thinking much, but an unwelcome silhouette was looking at me.
The moment I recognized Yoon Juho, the first thing I did was look around. Unlike me, he was a superstar who could draw crowds. It was behavior that had become ingrained over the past few years.
What he had driven was not the van he usually rode but a sedan. It had been years since I’d seen him driving himself.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
