01
“I’m pretty sure I found the right place…”
Jo Junghyun tilted his head back to look up at the tall building, then glanced down at the paper with the address written on it. He had confirmed the address with the receptionist inside, so it should definitely be correct.
Junghyun clutched the envelope his mother had placed in his hands. Thankfully it was the transition period between winter and spring; had it been the dead of winter, his fingers would have surely gone numb. Junghyun clenched his hand once before regaining his composure.
This wasn’t the time to be thinking about such things.
As it was, he caught the eye of the security guard who had been watching him suspiciously as he lingered near the entrance. The guard seemed to make up his mind and approached Junghyun.
“Excuse me. What business do you have here?”
“What? Oh. Ah, me.”
Though he’d expected this, experiencing it in reality was more flustering. “Well, you see,” Junghyun began.
“I’m here for Jeo Capital on the 30th floor.”
“There’s no such company in our building.”
“No, you see… That can’t be right.”
Junghyun was frustrated to the point of madness. His mother couldn’t have made a mistake. She had told him this location, instructing him to deliver the documents and do as he was told.
Recalling his mother’s tearful voice as she held his hands tightly, apologizing for making such a shameless request, Junghyun summoned his courage.
“I’m sorry, but if I could just go check once…”
“If you keep causing trouble for our tenants like this, we won’t be able to just stand by.”
The man standing in front of Junghyun spoke with force in his voice. Junghyun thought the guard had a point, but he couldn’t simply back down.
“Then, I’m really sorry, but if you don’t trust me to go alone, you could come with me to the 30th floor…”
In response to his persistent request, the security guard’s expression grew menacing. As the sturdy built man stepped closer, his intimidating presence made Junghyun unconsciously step back.
“Did you come to see someone on the 30th floor?”
A gentle voice interrupted between the security guard and Junghyun.
Turning around, Junghyun saw a man with a friendly smile. The security guard straightened his posture and gave a slight bow to the man in the sharp suit. Seeing their interaction, Junghyun stared blankly at the man who had appeared.
“Excuse me, do you perhaps work in an office on the 30th floor…?”
“Hey, you.”
The security guard called to Junghyun in a sharp tone.
“It’s fine. You must be busy, please return to your duties.”
At the man’s words—friendly yet somehow impenetrable—the security guard returned to his post.
“Excuse me, are you perhaps CEO Ji Seunghyeok?”
Junghyun asked, mentioning the name he had seen on the business card he was holding along with the envelope. However, the man didn’t answer and instead easily took the documents from Junghyun’s hand. “Huh,” Junghyun exclaimed in surprise, reaching out his hand, but the man had already taken out the papers from the envelope and was reading them.
After quickly scanning the contents, the man made a “Hmm” sound and glanced at Junghyun.
Just as Junghyun was about to ask for the papers back, the man turned around.
“Sir. I think you should check this.”
Junghyun could see the man handing over the documents. The person addressed as “Sir” took the papers and read through them.
Sir. That person must be Ji Seunghyeok.
Before Junghyun, who had been watching the sudden situation in a daze, could open his mouth, Seunghyeok’s gaze moved more quickly.
His eyes moved carefully from Junghyun’s head down to his feet.
“Ji Seunghyeok is my name, but.”
The man’s eyes, his gaze, was particularly intense. It seemed as if a transparent flame was burning inside his pupils.
Like…
Yes. Like a tiger’s eyes transplanted directly into a human.
Junghyun endured that gaze without being able to say anything.
Ji Seunghyeok’s tightly closed lips opened.
“This is troublesome. I don’t accept living collateral.”
His voice was low but struck the eardrum sharply.
Seunghyeok lightly waved the paper in his hand and asked:
“Did you see what this contains?”
“What? No. …My mother told me not to open it because I wouldn’t understand the contents anyway. So…”
As Junghyun stammered through his explanation, Seunghyeok snorted.
While Junghyun struggled to understand the meaning, Seunghyeok gestured to the man beside him. The friendly-looking man approached Junghyun, who was watching the CEO head into the building.
“It seems awkward to talk out here. Let’s go inside first.”
“Ah, yes.”
This time, the security guard didn’t stop Junghyun as he entered with the two men. As they boarded the elevator together, Junghyun suddenly asked:
“Um, but you are from Jeo Capital, right…?”
“You’re quick to verify.”
“…”
Left speechless by the mocking response that didn’t even attempt to hide its derision, Junghyun could only bite his lips. The man who had answered instead of Seunghyeok pressed the floor number in the elevator.
Confirming that the button for floor 30 was illuminated, Junghyun pressed his lips together. Of all times, there was no one else in the elevator with them. The silence between the three people was suffocating.
The elevator moved quickly and soon reached its destination.
With a cheerful alert sound, the doors opened, and Junghyun, who exited last, blinked at the scene before him. Jeo Capital was using the entire floor. With all the desks neatly arranged, it looked like a proper office by all accounts. Yet, it was strange that there was no nameplate.
“Well then, let’s go in.”
The man spoke to Junghyun, who was standing still.
It seemed Seunghyeok had already gone inside, as only Junghyun and the man remained. As Junghyun hesitantly entered with the man, all the gazes of the people inside turned toward them. Everyone seemed to be large men.
Following the man’s lead, Junghyun entered a small room. While the outside area was neat and done in white tones, this room was decorated more comfortably. The plush-looking dark brown sofa contributed to that atmosphere.
The man first adjusted the blinds on the window to prevent anyone from seeing inside from the outside.
Junghyun, not feeling comfortable enough to sit on the sofa, stood awkwardly near the door, just watching what the man was doing.
“It will take some time before the CEO comes out, so please sit down.”
When the man invited him to sit, Junghyun carefully approached and perched on the edge of the sofa. When the man asked what kind of tea he would like, Junghyun dazedly replied that anything would be fine, and a paper cup with a brown rice green tea bag was placed before him.
After serving the tea, the man left.
Left alone in the small room, Junghyun finally exhaled properly. When he tried to call his parents, only a machine message saying the phone was turned off greeted him.
The series of events felt unreal. The situation seemed like a dream. Junghyun clenched and unclenched his tingling fingers. Despite everything, he couldn’t help feeling nervous.
Due to the blinds, he could hear the sounds of people answering calls, but he couldn’t understand what was happening. How long had he been waiting? Just as he started to feel a bit tired, he heard the door opening.
Junghyun tensed up quickly and turned his head.
It was the CEO.
Closing the door without hesitation, the blinds rattled in the wind.
Seunghyeok walked to the seat opposite Junghyun in just a few steps with his large stride and sat down. In his hand was what appeared to be the paper that Junghyun had been holding earlier.
“Mr. Jo Junghyun?”
“Yes, yes?”
Junghyun flinched as his name was suddenly called.
“Do you know why you’ve come here?”
“What? Um… well.”
“You said you didn’t look at the documents you brought, right?”
“…Yes.”
The man’s eyes stared intensely at Junghyun. Under the powerful gaze, Junghyun fidgeted uncomfortably, shifting his legs.
“Whether it’s innocence or what.” Junghyun heard Seunghyeok mutter in disbelief.
“Your parents, that is, the CEO of Hyeonmu Enterprise, borrowed money from me.”
“…”
Junghyun nodded and listened attentively.
“The due date was a week ago.”
This was the first time he was hearing about this.
“They contacted me saying they would repay the debt somehow, but they sent this with you?”
His voice might have seemed languid to some, but Seunghyeok’s intense gaze diluted that impression. Junghyun lowered his head and looked at the documents Seunghyeok handed over.
[Collateral Provision Certificate]
[Parental Rights and Custody Waiver]
Below the prominently written titles were difficult terms. But even without examining the contents in detail, it was easy enough to guess what was written.
Junghyun shuddered, feeling as if a cold metal plate had been placed against his back.
Licking his dry lips, Junghyun slowly closed his eyes and opened them again.
“Am I being offered as collateral for the debt?”
“You understand quickly.”
“I see.”
Junghyun nodded.
“As I said earlier, I don’t accept living collateral. It’s too complicated. So if Mr. Jo Junghyun says he doesn’t want to do this, I could just let you go.”
Junghyun’s eyes widened at the unexpected proposal.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
