Chapter 115
“…Alright.”
McRae narrowed his eyes as he watched Hyeon-woo reluctantly take the ticket.
Whenever he looked at Hyeon-woo, McRae was reminded of the old Aesop’s fable about the North Wind and the Sun competing to remove a traveler’s coat. The more forcefully the North Wind blew, the more tightly the traveler wrapped his coat around himself. That traveler was just like Hyeon-woo. Taking one step closer meant he’d move two steps away.
So he had to be smart like the Sun, not the North Wind. Instead of forcibly invading Hyeon-woo’s territory, he needed to remove all the boundaries around him and gradually lure him out of his fortress with kindness he couldn’t refuse.
Looking down at Hyeon-woo’s round head as he obediently got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt, McRae was once again convinced that there was no better strategy for conquering Hyeon-woo’s iron fortress.
*
The car drove for a long time following the navigation. Finally, a dazzling street appeared, with rows of red lanterns coloring the night sky crimson. After parking the car, they got out.
Amidst the neon signs crowded with Chinese characters, a alley with Korean signboards caught their eye. Hyeon-woo entered as if mesmerized.
A familiar scene that stirred nostalgia unfolded before his eyes. Hyeon-woo looked around busily with a flushed face.
Passing by shops selling Korean-style hot dogs and twisted donuts, he moved to the next store. Hyeon-woo’s gaze, which had been scanning the newsstands displaying imported magazines and print media by category, suddenly froze.
An unforgettable face filled the stands.
A face that had become even sharper and colder than before.
Hyeon-woo’s frozen eyes checked the front page titles featuring Tae-geon’s photos one by one.
[Taeryeong Pharmaceuticals’ ‘Legatum’ Countdown to Basic Necessity Designation]
[Suppressor Tax Exemption, What Are the Economic Effects?]
[Taeryeong Group Stock Price Reaches All-Time High]
They were all articles about Taeryeong Group’s new suppressor.
Shortly after arriving in America, while flipping through TV channels late at night due to jet lag, he had accidentally come across news that Taeryeong Group’s new drug would soon be imported throughout the US continent through Biobak, its official US distributor. In the meantime, it seemed that discussions about making it a daily necessity were underway in Korea.
When he received the trial suppressor from Ju-on, he had scoffed at the claim that human civilization was changing, but after personally experiencing the miraculous effectiveness of the drug, he changed his mind.
Not only had such a new drug been put into human hands, but a world where everyone’s dignity was protected without human rights blind spots was arriving.
It felt somewhat ironic that Tae-geon was achieving this. Hadn’t he despised omegas more than anyone? Even if profit creation was now a priority as a businessman, Hyeon-woo had never imagined he would seek corporate prosperity in this way.
“…woo.”
“……”
“Hyeon-woo!”
Startled by the hand gripping his shoulder, Hyeon-woo quickly looked to the side. McRae, his brow deeply furrowed, was holding onto his shoulder.
“I’ve been calling you but you couldn’t hear. What on earth are you looking at?”
McRae glanced at the stand Hyeon-woo was staring at, but it was full of printed materials in a language he couldn’t understand at all. He only noticed that the same person’s face was featured in the photos on every front page.
The black suit he wore neatly and the attendants behind him looked dignified yet somewhat overbearing, giving the impression of a businessman rather than a celebrity despite his handsome features.
“It’s nothing.”
Hyeon-woo quickly shook his head and spoke as if it was no big deal, avoiding McRae’s gaze that was alternating between the person in the photo and himself.
“Let’s go quickly, I’m hungry.”
“……”
Hyeon-woo, who never initiated contact, grabbed one of McRae’s arms and pulled him forward. Despite the soft and warm touch of their skin, for some reason McRae’s heart was pounding with anxiety rather than excitement at this moment.
He had a somewhat bad feeling.
Fortunately, the sign for the restaurant McRae had mentioned was visible not far away. Hyeon-woo hurriedly led McRae inside and they sat down.
After ordering, he looked around the interior. The retro-style decor reminiscent of a traditional Korean jacket was tacky yet endearing. Then his eyes met McRae’s, who was watching him. Hyeon-woo unconsciously avoided McRae’s gaze.
“Why are you avoiding my eyes suspiciously? Did you commit a crime?”
“…What are you saying.”
“What was it? The article you were staring at earlier.”
“It was nothing.”
“It didn’t seem like nothing.”
“Just. It was an article about suppressors.”
“……”
“It’s the biggest issue in Korea these days. I was just momentarily distracted by the article because I’m interested in the content too.”
Even knowing it was an implausible excuse, McRae didn’t press Hyeon-woo any further. He didn’t want to ruin his rare meal with Hyeon-woo by arguing over unnecessary talk.
Following Hyeon-woo’s gaze around the interior, McRae also looked around. A large old CRT TV on a black cabinet caught his eye. Rainbow-colored white stone pieces of various sizes were embedded in a wooden board, sparkling in various colors depending on the angle.
“What’s that? The sparkly white thing on the cabinet.”
“It’s called mother-of-pearl. They process and engrave the shiny part inside seashells.”
“Oh, that’s cool?”
After hearing Hyeon-woo’s explanation, it looked even more novel. The CRT on top of the mother-of-pearl cabinet was consistently broadcasting incomprehensible Korean programs. Five panelists sitting around a table exchanging opinions under a host’s moderation looked like a current affairs satire program close to a talk show.
The waiter started placing side dishes on the table. As Hyeon-woo was setting up the spoons and chopsticks:
-We’ll end today’s broadcast here, and deliver some hot news that just arrived at the studio.
The host’s voice was so excited that everyone in the restaurant turned curious eyes to the TV.
-I think this might be the first time we’re delivering this news on public broadcast, it’s about the heir apparent of the Taeryeong Group. The protagonist of this era who is rewriting civilization and making history with a new drug! Our director who is heating up Korea in many ways, news of Taeryeong Group Director Choi Tae-geon’s engagement. Let’s look at the footage together.
As the host’s comment ended, a photo appeared on the screen. It showed Tae-geon extending his hand towards the back seat of a black limousine, in an escorting pose.
Although the photo’s pixels were quite broken and unclear, Tae-geon’s figure in an off-white tailcoat seemed to pierce through the low quality and appear vividly before Hyeon-woo’s eyes.
Clang- clang-.
The chopsticks and spoon in his hand fell to the floor with a screeching sound like a scream. Unaware of this, Hyeon-woo stared blankly at the screen like a person in a trance.
-Amidst various opinions about which family the Director’s fiancée, who was invited to a top-secret engagement ceremony with only a few acquaintances, comes from, it has been revealed that she is the niece of Congressman Kim Chang-sik, which is likely to cause controversy. As you all know, Congressman Kim Chang-sik was at the forefront of commercializing and tax-exempting Taeryeong Group’s new drug.
Exaggerated booing sounds from the panelists flowed out of the CRT.
-What do you think about the engagement between Taeryeong Group Director Choi Tae-geon and the niece of such Congressman Kim Chang-sik? Next week, we’ll take time to look back on the special ties between Taeryeong Group and Congressman Kim Chang-sik. With that, we’ll end ‘Other World Debate’ here. Thank you for watching today.
Even long after the broadcast ended with the host’s closing comments and commercials started playing, Hyeon-woo’s gaze remained fixed there, unable to leave.
McRae, who had been watching Hyeon-woo frozen like a statue while sitting in a skewed position, frowned and let out an empty laugh.
…It was definitely the same person.
As the one in the photos covering the newsstand.
Although he couldn’t understand the broadcast content, the meaning of the off-white tailcoat with a fresh flower instead of a handkerchief in the pocket was obvious internationally. Engagement or marriage.
