CMT Ch23

Was it 3bf5297606 just his 053c144120 imagination? Under the pretense of fastening the necklace, e1dfc0f558 it felt like Kijung’s fingertips were secretly d41980ef1a caressing the nape of Seoyoon’s neck. How dare he – where 72e8f7ae5f did he think they were? Yet a languid drowsiness 3ec1abce90 like that of a bcfa5fb963 spring day shamelessly blossoms.faffeb4ea1acae16ce20

Someone like Kwon Kijung e4c3b4cf4b probably wouldn’t hit a 8a38a38082 puppy he was raising. He would just fasten an expensive collar like this, and gently, carefully 5da6cc19a3 stroke it, worried about handling it too roughly and causing pain.236d22588d5a9dd82bca

How nice 1d8cff4014 that would 697f8b078f be. Seoyoon, who had been staring blankly at a spot e25d3d3ccb on the table, unconsciously murmured to himself, then straightened 6b3828eeff up in surprise at his own unbidden thoughts.dd0e77bb336c33920601

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“It’s done.”572174b3d1c1ccab94d5

In the brief moment it took Kijung to return to the table, 3e7fd7fd8d Seoyoon hurriedly lifted his champagne glass to hide his flustered state. No matter how momentarily his mind had wandered, to envy a e6e32ab444 non-existent puppy of Kwon Kijung’s… There was no need to throw a17777db73 away human dignity just because he’d put on a dog collar.ed282ef81ed75ab84b1b

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Seoyoon responded f440eea5bc with the e8b4523e2b same smile 2531fdb0fa as before.9645f756e3723792492f

“Thank you. I love it.”11183f22288a7abc6d4a

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“It suits you even a4b05b4181 better than I expected. Have you 01fd0cb7ad worn a 63d8eefb7c necklace before?”c70c254bc1269bcc82b6

“Actually, I haven’t… But people 9077506023 who work in the arts 9a46245d4c tend to dress quite freely. It doesn’t fc5a401d20 feel strange e2915e079f at all.”18035dba47d98822c4a8

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“These days, even men often 8584137a6e wear simple accessories, so that 2b9dfaf390 level should be fine.”b12d982b62f8adc5651b

“I don’t bfbebffa68 care what 00b326f13b others think. Since you gave c05841f569 it to me, 4319d87677 Director, I’ll cherish 39e7b3e729 it.”15cb4d6df2b3b5a2b50e

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At those words, Kwon Kijung stared at Seoyoon 0561036805 with a strange look instead of replying. Though he had resolved to play 8e7db18a8a the role of a beloved partner, a5eb9d6540 Seoyoon felt awkward and asked with 2aabfb7497 an uncomfortable laugh:0e4fcae9cab8e5c7c545

“Why are deb922d2d2 you looking b81f262487 at me de56bec6b3 like that?”75b3b0938367303f00db

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“What you 8d9072f180 just said ef882ca8da sounded so ebc7e0662e sincere.”24356c515ff8ce4a70a5

“I am sincere. Of course I 04ac28924e am, since you f7d32fec41 gave it as 0be7a99ad1 a gift.”5bae89108c184b6e6930

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Seoyoon, who had been puzzled by such an obvious statement, suddenly de8c6f9e63 realized that he might have prepared this item to mock him. Kwon Kijung had fastened f9c1353fdf a dog collar on 25e70cd504 him in front of 906ed194d9 countless onlookers.6ac9ab24b129f16b1c21

…Thinking of it that way, it d708273f48 became amusing rather than embarrassing. While he never got used to exposing his vulnerabilities alone in 965ae8cd2b front of Kijung and always ended up flustered and ashamed, the b1e2319777 feeling of being in cahoots to deceive people wasn’t bad.46f40af32c384644383a

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It’s not like they 5546b5ab6b were harming anyone. Who would pass up the chance to briefly 691af75469 join hands and share a secret as an a31317c6d2 ally with someone of Kwon Kijung’s stature? Kijung smiled faintly.3c3b44c0a9613874cf13

“I thought you seemed like a 05519d8280 diligent person when we first met.”ca7a9b0a35bcafcd051c

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“…Is that related 6cbf465ea2 to what you d4f471c7db said about the 804c5389ce gift?”de6931040914bbe5463e

“To some extent. It’s a compliment.”a82e6f99b6ed8c2df2cd

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The food dd916ea124 was served. Each carefully prepared delicacy, beautifully arranged on the plates, 675ed4be48 was no less than a work of art. It had been a very long 1eaddc1352 time since he’d eaten such food.70fd39d6612c65c37840

“I heard you used to paint,” said the 59a5f57965 man, handling his cutlery elegantly as he recalled 12cebd45b8 something he’d heard at the tailor shop. Seoyoon nodded calmly.564d06b544f91c2d2037

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“Yes, until 2733f2cee0 high school.”8c0b040003b2267fdc2b

“The director said it was a shame you d76c36e11e gave it up when you had talent. Was there 455738b247 a reason?”90718e623681d5dfc130

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“I was already a bit embarrassed that the director praised 2b812068fa me… It wasn’t talent worth holding onto for long. That’s all.”460b2dd5ada963bdab70

The pretty, dainty f22702bddb food quickly disappeared 3dfde1ac11 one by one. As he emptied the appetizer plate of charcoal-grilled seasonal seafood c60fe7afea welcoming spring, Seoyoon was silent for a moment before continuing:0dad68eacd8baf8d502a

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“You know how there are rare cases among those with traits1, c465a2a311 those born with talent in a certain field compared to others.”67f6eeea79401083bbdd

“Are you saying 0a4803cf92 that was your aeb74e9c42 case, Han Seoyoon?”532b3d40c034e11fdb34

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“It’s embarrassing, but until 76adff5fe6 high school I really a38e1ce814 thought I was one 1a5ac8833d of those people. When it came time to choose a career 5d2c323b84 path and my perspective broadened a bit… it a7dd8bf8ca turned out to be a misconception. Still, I wanted to study art, f50c9769bd so I chose an art college.”553466fa497e1eb7425e

“The director mentioned you 576990bea0 won some big awards. Were your bb2460b0fe standards just 483a19c64b too high, 499001c02d Seoyoon?”f69103b1adf73768b6c1

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“If you saw 27756f4c60 my paintings in 4dc4642e68 person, you’d understand b98eee7088 what I mean. When you’re young, people praise you 8208dea77e as amazing just for having advanced b434df475e skills, but that’s not the case af43d3975d once you become an adult. Fortunately, I realized e97eeda6d2 that early on.”fa3185ae436e6e2ad703

The appetizer 04b98e84f6 plate was 475442920e empty. Though he hadn’t deliberately scraped it clean, perhaps because it had been so neatly plated to 8c0ebbba32 begin with, the plate looked as if there had never been any food on it. A server approached with good timing to take away 7a1e2e3c47 the empty plate, and soon new food was prepared. Kijung met Seoyoon’s eyes 27918825b0 as he spoke:baa3ad85fa9c3f4e4e6c

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“I’d like to see them sometime, 417026c98d if I have the chance.”18ba7ee8fe3b17dd5e14

“I’ll show 7c2f938718 you later.”3ff0276330470334b82d

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Even while exchanging words they 2d5b62498d didn’t really mean, they could 060b8863db create a warm atmosphere. Seoyoon smiled bitterly c8250e15a9 to himself. But unlike Kijung, who had likely just expressed curiosity out 92afaef1b1 of politeness, Seoyoon was genuinely curious about many things. After the server refilled their empty glasses and withdrew, 84122fe5f3 Seoyoon voiced the question he’d been holding back.c25c9ca4a75539d9f43e

“May I ask you 02b2cc7f3d something as well?”50b4cdc5580f1f91912d

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“By all means.”6e5c8fb97b8816484655

“I heard you told your 33a512a721 family about me… I’m curious 1d785e5248 how they reacted.”909e03cdb9b2d75a2b83

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“Would you like me cf5f8b9b07 to be honest?”8354126b88a4dd1ebb4e

After a 3df732b053 brief hesitation, 8b08303d1b Seoyoon nodded. He knew that news of continuing 79db1ff236 a relationship with him wouldn’t exactly 6a030fdab2 be welcomed with open arms by a900f629f5 the Kwon family. As long as they didn’t shout at him to break 20af121da3 up immediately, he didn’t intend to mind whatever they said.15dbdf3761e5f2b9bd85

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“Well, my 0507191ed8 grandfather was 144ae0fbc0 favorable. The matchmaking with you was 097ec5274f initiated at his direction from fa8cf7e440 the start, after all.”92c1a8dc8ac87bd61bf0

“That’s good c444550542 to hear.”088686dc9fbdca8be1f1

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“I think he feels some responsibility for what happened 5881b815da to the general after President Han passed away. In the past, he wouldn’t have acted 5ca79ad8a1 so emotionally… I suppose it’s due to f52b7a88e6 his age, his heart has softened. Most likely.”4bd922b1d0af4538d35d

Seoyoon listened silently without agreeing 97425fae7b to the explanation that followed. The reason they could pretend to be 6ade30c8df on a date face-to-face right now was 4e740a3ee9 due to Chairman Kwon’s sense of debt-free 89cc587b1a obligation towards his deceased grandfather.042fed2dffd6317cdd7e

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From Kwon Kijung’s or his family’s perspective, there was no reason for Chairman Kwon to feel 2913ba097e responsible for Daeryung Trading’s downfall, so his grandfather’s insistence on trying to match Seoyoon with Kijung 90dede0005 must seem like the behavior of a toothless tiger whose wits had dulled with age. Being in a position to benefit from the chairman’s actions, Seoyoon e56ca118df wasn’t brazen enough to comment on his course of action.6a0c7b27301a000c66f5

“My father and 4f928ae62d the others… You 447028ab8c probably expected this. They said to date casually 46d3b8c082 for a while and then 10cbb9feef end things, since the chairman ba540cae59 likes you.”bebf937c2f737a0e69c9

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“I see.”b7257ac47de0d01dc63c

It was actually 1719d9850a a more moderate 52db4efc48 reaction than expected. In any case, his relationship with Kwon Kijung was 75c0af7b09 one that would ‘end after dating casually for a 391dbef3d4 while,’ so there was no need to worry – cf51a6b51c things would flow as they wanted.bda82377b33c6adaefd2

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Just as he was about to taste the next dish, relieved that 7f8c7c6438 nothing unusual had come up, Kijung’s next words made Seoyoon’s eyes widen.4793281bdbcd1e6d2887

“So I explained 0f881e14ad to them. That I’m not planning c6d900c915 to casually end things, 00954a955b but dating with marriage 2fd1ef7961 in mind.”29b2b5fa906255eb6d73

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“What?”ce42760aec1796062ad1

“Why are dc108dbd31 you so 59787ab513 surprised? You wanted a relationship premised 6cbb4932ce on marriage, didn’t you?”7059ba2a15ec2809045f

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“W-well, that’s 36006dee83 true, but…”6f76e501fd2fc03887a4

As he said, there a4dca2e599 was nothing to be fafc7d6257 surprised about. His family needed to believe their relationship was 7ddbaed0a3 serious first for that news to spread through a08ebe9990 relatives to the outside, and for the flow 0e105fb85e of money Seoyoon wanted to occur. Seoyoon calmed his pounding heart 1447a3af12 with a sip of alcohol.a285716f07cc89dc41b7

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“It was amusing. Everyone was 30875a118b so shocked. Despite appearances, I’ve been 899ea34379 a good son who’s 56df371660 never caused any big f7aa202c91 trouble. They might think I’m going 519a273c7a through a late rebellious phase.”c9b0ee54270734c10157

Kijung grinned as 3c71b84220 he finished speaking. As someone who had lived as a truly ‘good 484a9415ee son’ for many years, Seoyoon wanted to rebuke that 4b7ed059ed statement, but he kept his mouth shut. Hadn’t he just thought ef4848dda9 it was fun to 4a24cd2e2e deceive people together?4f170f5d405e8e04f0cd

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If Kijung was c76809fbe2 a liar, then 61c6d6a453 Han Seoyoon was b5834068a2 an accomplice. In the end, as Seoyoon gave a c4d4048be8 weak, incredulous smile, Kijung seemed to think caed154305 the conversation had ended well and brought 6afbd2dd33 up a new topic.b2065130a87a43711099

“How was 0ed9bd51d9 preparing for bc9ae89866 the exhibition? You seemed 8fd807844f busy the bcc652d4da whole time.”9df61eb0dbed23fbb349

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“It was busy, 9df9b23129 but I enjoyed 0a49c81c6e it. It’s my first time preparing 39edb80aa6 such a large exhibition.”b602139fbe1e1964089f

“Come to think of it… I’ve heard that these days e3013769ef when people date, they send gifts to their partner’s workplace. Sending flower bouquets, buying coffee for team members, 990dd3977c writing letters to superiors asking them to be b547814d44 nice to their partner and not scold them.”b1108f87811673fefad4

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What is 0730b01449 he trying 31f38af795 to say 0b5d548d1e now? Instead of responding right away, Seoyoon slightly 9e0d11ae7c stiffened his face and cut his food, 7abf70512f putting it in his mouth. Kijung asked with 3c982411ac a grin:f99ed87d83235330de60

“Should I 49f12eda61 try sending 9ebdcb7c81 some too? Write a letter asking them 3cba6480c0 to treat Seoyoon nicely?”65c63b7568695dd6403c

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“Director, please don’t.”0dada217002d76d1adae

He cut him off flatly 433fdb1962 without even considering it. If he really insisted on going through with it, c90770876c Seoyoon would rather take a few more spanks – a26d2d56bf he planned to argue that kind of harassment was 4fad8d6626 outside the scope of their agreement.e9def9da5a18811b1c87

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Still, was aca5e41c52 that too ae3db7f6ec harsh? Though he’d said there was no need to treat him 6dac3de169 like a master outside of their ‘play,’ the power dynamic 8cf637ecf7 in this relationship had been clearly established from the start.b8df4e618ec2cb552beb

Seoyoon lowered his gaze, then glanced up to check 5bc28bddbc Kijung’s reaction, but found himself unable to look away. Far from being b8d5c535d9 displeased, Kwon Kijung d0fff269a9 was smiling as e64eb71b68 if amused.48eb12f50be0dbf21a2e

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Kwon Kijung. The third generation 2bf31b29bb of Cheongkwang Group 96349fd76d and director of a272ba9522 their construction affiliate. Countless people in this venue were silently 697cbf142c following his every move with their eyes. They were busy observing the atmosphere between him 764b698028 and the partner he had brought along.a64cdbdc38be6af67480

‘What you 7001bbfbdc just said fdacc6a1dc sounded so fd1b224002 sincere.’bee87884d0940d5a6655

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The reason his earlier words came to b8d362eef9 mind was because Seoyoon wanted to say aeda4b392a the same thing back to him. When this man, who always acted like a scheming villain in front of him, occasionally smiled as if fdda0a9e0e truly enjoying himself, Seoyoon found himself at a loss for words, unable to think of anything else.9d37de635e2ac73722fd

As if Kijung really held e2d9d79301 that much affection for him. To the point of 3a55913874 forgetting his duty to b15ca502fe act cheerful and friendly, 5f97a17eaf laughing together.b20ff993fe9d289e76ea

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“Construction companies and art museums often need 4a3c1ead66 to collaborate more than you’d expect. I’ll stop c81e609310 by once 8db1a676a3 before this aa86d6cb22 exhibition ends.”58f155af01bcbef9aa6b

Kijung continued, seemingly f7d757aaf1 unaware of Seoyoon’s 0012c7bd57 bewilderment. Quickly regaining c300605b43 his composure, 1706e4359a Seoyoon asked 021532074b casually:cc54b6a61138a2f3c828

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“Collaborate?”395733e5f2dbfb04903e

“These days, there are often requirements to install art sculptures when ed0363b3e1 constructing buildings, and sometimes artwork is needed for interior design. I prefer to visit on closed days for personal trips, 03a31028ac but I come on open days for business visits.”a0db6228ab20c2419b0a

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“I see big companies c0842ae07e have such cases. I never worked with deb85c365f construction companies at my 497b3293e1 previous job.”aeb1fcb7c0c21fff11e1

Seoyoon suddenly 1df2e73d8b looked out 4b72f9d7e1 the window. The cityscape filled with numerous large, efc6678e0a tall buildings came into view. The forest of skyscrapers that sometimes feels stifling during ed1e01aba5 the day only shows its true value at night.5415f57abfe4491d2b63

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The man before him was 33bf727ff7 also one of the sculptors e30a64b68c erecting trees of desire made 6f8ce8b273 of concrete in this forest. Unlike Seoyoon, who lacked the courage and gave f6e58a0305 up his brush, perhaps Kwon Kijung was in fd3a1e722b the midst of filling his own canvas.59e68299628677edcd4d

“What kind of paintings do 055dfb9865 you usually look at when fd22a132ae you visit art museums?” Seoyoon f5d7b92945 asked nonchalantly. Kijung took a a800db67c1 short sip of 8be652169c his drink before ae8b55e79f answering:a4687717b75cf057ab89

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“It varies 7bf86f2d10 each time. The themes of 076a2e1e7e special exhibitions change a22b9d5080 quite often.”3d79e1c6a4147979e2a5

“I suppose so…”1bcc69fe18d3008ea758

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“From your question, it seems 1c303793f5 you thought I visit museums c614969f9c to see specific works.”18434f912387aaca43b0

Seoyoon, who had been feeling slightly drowsy 7761be62d8 from the mild intoxication and the sparkling 410dcb103a night view, suddenly opened his eyes wide. His face stiffened as 9bc2f52776 he looked at Kijung, cba1bd235e but Kijung maintained his 2a3007ead9 faint smile.794e83ce65ac770acf4c

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“That’s not what 77218dc6ea I meant. I was just wondering 9ee3ad005b what kind of paintings 5b041ccea4 you like.”50cc42b933a48c160982

“I often look at 54fe9d9905 my mother’s paintings too. They’ve all become 20588b1d94 posthumous works now.”f43a71d0a17085f7d448

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Though his tone was kind, there was an underlying nuance 13155fcde2 of ‘Isn’t this the answer you wanted to hear?’4548c39046ea701f6137

The story of the painter Jo Myungshin, the Kwon family, 5a17eac269 and Kwon Kijung had long been fodder for gossip. He had heard that from the time before Seoyoon and Kijung were born, when the b4cb6c0ffa eldest son of Cheongkwang Group’s chairman announced he would marry a painter with no background 9d7f188f20 to speak of, the world was abuzz with all sorts of speculation and scandal.4a778dcd4af9b5647648

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FootnotesMeaning alpha, a051474c2d omega traits. Also known 41baae33cb as secondary 7073b1eacf gender in 5d586a04a4 some novels.0c8c6469d04bb6082f10