UR | Chapter 19

“Let’s get out together. I’ll help you with the stuff in the trunk.”

Before Yujin could say there was no need and that she could handle it herself, Jihoon had already gotten out of the car. Just as Yujin was stepping out too, she heard a voice.

“Noona!”

Yoosung approached with a bright smile from the dark alley.

She hadn’t contacted Yoosung, worried she might end up being dragged to Jihoon’s house again, but what a coincidence this was.

“I was on my way to the mart nearby. But you said you’d be late, and you’re already done?”

Yujin had planned to surprise her brother, but she ended up being the one surprised. She glanced over at Jihoon. However, Yoosung was quicker.

Yoosung, who quickly glanced at Jihoon heading towards the trunk, gestured with his eyes, asking who that man was.

“Introduce yourself. This is our company’s president.”

“President?”

Jihoon, who had turned back from the trunk and approached Yujin and Yoosung, greeted them first.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Han Jihoon.”

As soon as Jihoon finished his greeting, Yoosung’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

“The Han Jihoon President?”

Yoosung, who frequently searched about the company his sister worked for and what they did, showed an honest reaction to seeing Han Jihoon, whom he’d only seen in photos, standing right in front of him.

“Wow, you’re really handsome. You’re the most good-looking guy I’ve ever seen in person.”

“Yoosung.”

Yujin, who always felt sorry for her brother who matured quickly compared to his peers, was taken aback by Yoosung’s sudden childish behavior. She wondered why the usually polite kid was acting this way.

“Kim Yoosung, you should introduce yourself first.”

While Yujin found it hard to even make eye contact with Jihoon, Yoosung, perhaps because he was young or not an Austin employee, showed no hesitation.

“Hello, I’m Kim Yoosung. I’m a freshman in college.”

Though he followed instructions and introduced himself, Yoosung’s voice was two tones higher than usual. He blinked several times to get a better look at Jihoon and complimented his appearance once more.

“Wow, no matter how much I look, you’re really handsome. Even as a guy, you’re so cool.”

“Yoosung, stop it.”

“What did I do wrong? Saying someone is handsome is a compliment, noona.”

“I was just about to…!”

Yujin, who was about to scold her brother, swallowed her words when she saw Jihoon’s face. She hurriedly tried to send Jihoon off.

“Thank you for the ride. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”

But Jihoon seemed not to hear Yujin’s words and looked around the neighborhood for no reason.

It was uncomfortable to see someone who lived in an expensive apartment in a pricey area of Seoul looking around with curious eyes. She wasn’t ashamed of her poverty, but she didn’t want to show every detail of where she lived.

This place, with its shabby houses and old villas clustered together, was messy and everything was old. The stained walls and littered streets on the sloping uphill road were clearly different from where Han Jihoon lived.

“It’s nice here, quiet.”

Jihoon’s words didn’t sound pleasant. So she tried to send him off even faster. The cold wind cutting through the alley made her already tense body stiffen even more. She wanted to get inside and warm up quickly.

“President, you can go now.”

Then, judging that Jihoon would soon leave, Yoosung smiled and put his hand on Yujin’s shoulder.

“Noona, let’s go to that new beer place nearby and have some ice-cold beer. I went there with a friend before, and it’s nice.”

“Why ice-cold beer when it’s so cold?”

“Don’t you know cold things taste better on cold days? Even in the middle of winter, it’s packed with people. It’s not weird at all.”

She was willing to do whatever her brother wanted, but she didn’t want to say more in front of Jihoon.

Yujin sighed.

She couldn’t understand why the perceptive Han Jihoon was acting like this.

Was he trying to experience a common neighborhood like a male lead in a drama?

As she internally chuckled at the fleeting ridiculous thought, Yoosung crossed the line again.

“President, would you like to join us for a beer?”

“Kim Yoosung!”

She didn’t know how many times she’d called Yoosung’s name today. Despite the biting cold wind, Yujin forgot about the chill.

“Actually, it’s my sister’s birthday today. Thanks to the salary she earns from the company, I can attend school, so you’re like a benefactor to me. Let me treat you to a beer.”

As Yoosung held onto Jihoon for a nonsensical reason, Yujin stood in front of her brother.

Where had the timid brother gone, who used to tremble in fear at the sound of the wind in his sleep and burrow into her arms?

Jihoon was someone who exuded an image that made it hard for anyone to approach, but she couldn’t just leave her fearless brother alone.

“Don’t worry about it, you can just go.”

But Jihoon replied with a smile that was hard to read.

“It’s fine.”

“Sorry?”

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin’s brother just said he’d buy me a beer.”

“……”

“I don’t mind. I’m actually a bit thirsty.”

Hearing that, Yoosung quickly jumped back in.

“Wow, meeting the president makes me realize how great a company my sister works for. Let’s go before it gets too late!”

“Sure.”

Yujin had no say. Yoosung excitedly led the way, and Jihoon and Yujin quietly followed behind.

As she listened intently to Jihoon’s footsteps and occasionally glanced back, they soon arrived at the beer place Yoosung mentioned.

“Since I’m treating today, feel free to have as much as you want. You picked a good day. It’s rare for me to treat like this.”

Watching her brother boast at a place where the most expensive dish was barely 20,000 won, Yujin couldn’t help but laugh in resignation.

It wasn’t the time to think about it, but honestly, she envied such audacity.

Unlike herself, who always felt inferior in front of Han Jihoon despite doing nothing wrong, her brother seemed fearless and impressive.

Whether he was always like this or had developed such boldness through various part-time jobs, she couldn’t tell, but she felt Yoosung was growing up better than she knew.

“Indeed. It’s an honor.”

Jihoon’s response, playing along with Yoosung, was unexpected.

After glancing at the menu, Jihoon ordered the dishes Yoosung wanted. They toasted as Yoosung suggested and drank beer. He didn’t stop there; he listened attentively to Yoosung’s one-sided chatter, occasionally adding comments and even chuckling.

All of it was a series of surprises for Yujin.

‘If I spoke freely without fear, what expression would that man make?’

Imagining something that would never happen, Yujin drank her beer, and Yoosung, with his innocence, asked Jihoon a question.

“By the way, do you have a girlfriend, President?”

For a moment, Yujin’s eyes widened.

It wasn’t because Yoosung did anything wrong. Jihoon had been quite kind while they drank a few sips of beer, so Yoosung felt a sense of closeness and spoke comfortably.

Yet, Yujin was tense because she sensed that no matter Jihoon’s answer, she wouldn’t feel good about it.

“Do you think I have one or not?”

When Jihoon turned the question back, Yoosung answered as if it were obvious.

“Of course, you do.”

“Then why ask something so obvious?”

When Jihoon neither confirmed nor denied, Yoosung, determined not to be fooled, pointed out the core.

“You should answer first.”

When Yujin lightly tapped his hand, signaling him to stop, Yoosung pouted, acknowledging he might have gone too far.

“With that expression, you do resemble Assistant Manager Kim Yujin. At first, I thought you two didn’t look alike at all.”

When Jihoon, who had been alternating his gaze between the siblings, met Yujin’s eyes, she inevitably lowered her gaze. She couldn’t endure even a fleeting moment, wondering what Yoosung had eaten to grow so fearless.

“But what’s your major, little brother?”

“Me? I’m in the physics department.”

“Both siblings are in the sciences.”

“My sister is really good at math, so she taught me a lot. Our dad said she won many awards in competitions when she was young. Oh, is it a bit much to brag about this in front of someone as smart as you, President?”

With a look that said he shouldn’t have said that, Yujin glared at her brother, but Jihoon agreed.

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin is indeed smarter than me. So I think you can be proud of her.”

“Right? The president is really lucky. My sister is pretty, kind, and really good at her job.”

Unable to bear hearing more embarrassing words, Yujin intervened again.

“Yoosung.”

But Yoosung, pretending to be silent for a moment, once again expressed pride in his sister.

It was an undeniably uncomfortable situation for Yujin.

As soon as they got home, Yujin, clutching her throbbing head, scolded Yoosung.

“Couldn’t you have toned it down a bit?”

Even a proud mother wouldn’t have gone that far.

During the hour or so they drank beer, Yoosung bragged about his sister like that. While Yoosung did so, Yujin felt like she wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

“How many impressive people must be around the president? Even in our company, there are so many amazing employees. It was so embarrassing.”

However, Yoosung, seemingly unaffected, shrugged his shoulders and boldly asked.

“Noona, do you like the president?”