INTFT Ch 1. Reunion

It was 5 AM.

The flight from Los Angeles, USA, landed at Incheon Airport.

Unlike the other tired passengers, Seonghyeok, looking fresh, exited the arrival gate, stopped, and took a deep breath before exhaling.

The cool pre-dawn air filled his lungs. Was it just his imagination, or did the air in Korea feel different from the air in the US?

He’d always thought patriotism was something other people felt, but stepping onto Korean soil after so long made his chest ache a little. Three years was definitely long enough to stir up some homesickness.

But those tender feelings didn’t last. The face of the woman he’d tried so hard to forget completely took over his mind.

He scowled, swallowing back the curses that threatened to bubble up. The curses weren’t for her, though; they were for himself. For being such a fool, still clinging to a mere woman.

“What an idiot.”

Just as the half-swallowed curse slipped out, a calm, even voice reached his ears.

“Welcome back, Director Cha Seonghyeok. You must be exhausted from your journey.”

He turned his head to see a middle-aged man in a black suit approaching him. It was one of Chairman Cha Hyunwoong of SL Group’s personal assistants.

“Secretary Nam.”

Seonghyeok knew he was about to take over the Management Planning Department, a position currently held by his older brother.

Chairman Cha Hyunwoong wasn’t someone who bothered asking for anyone’s opinion. He just gave orders. And his own son was no exception.

“The Chairman asked me to take you home.”

“I can go by myself. You didn’t have to trouble Secretary Nam.”

Secretary Nam took the luggage cart himself and changed the subject.

“The Chairman and Madam left yesterday afternoon to attend the Boao Forum.”

“I know.”

The Boao Forum was an annual economic forum for the Asian region, held in China.

Seonghyeok knew very well that his father personally attending the forum this year, after his brother had gone the past two years, wasn’t a good sign for his brother at all.

He could almost picture his brother, anxious about losing his position as successor.

“Shall we go?”

Seonghyeok nodded and calmly followed Secretary Nam, who was pushing the cart ahead of him.

***

The car, which had left Incheon Airport, sped down the open road and arrived at a luxury villa complex in Cheongdam-dong. The building, which looked like a temple, was enveloped in the pre-dawn gloom.

As Seonghyeok rolled down the window and enjoyed the soft breeze on his face, the car pulled into the underground parking lot.

“Thanks for your trouble.”

Seonghyeok sent Secretary Nam, who offered to carry his luggage upstairs, on his way and took the elevator alone.

He got off on the third-floor penthouse. As soon as he opened the front door, a chill permeated the air. The white marble walls and floor seemed especially cold today.

Leaving his suitcase by the entrance, he walked down the hall to the living room. The space, untouched by anyone for so long, felt eerily empty.

It was as if time had stopped just for this room.

Seonghyeok paused in the middle of the living room, his gaze fixed on the large window. The outside was already turning reddish as the sun prepared to rise. Suddenly, the image of a woman, rubbing her sleepy eyes to watch the sunrise and standing out on the balcony, overlapped in his mind.

He vividly recalled the moment he’d wrapped a blanket around her delicate, seemingly fragile body and hugged her from behind. They’d only dated for about half a year, but why were there so many traces of her everywhere?

“Guess I need to find a new place.”

Was the weight of unnecessary lingering feelings making these last few minutes feel more tiring than the thirteen hours he’d spent in the air? He leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes, a sudden weariness washing over him.

***

The next evening.

Seonghyeok pulled a can of beer from the fridge and sat at the dining table. Then he called the real estate agent he’d worked with when buying the villa.

“It’s Cha Seonghyeok.”

He cut off the agent, who was rambling on about how everything had been fine, and got straight to the point.

“I’m thinking of selling this place and moving somewhere new. As soon as possible.”

Having learned from their previous transaction that Seonghyeok was a serious buyer and not particularly picky, the agent repeatedly assured him there would be no problems.

Some people called him picky, while others said he wasn’t. The reason was simple: he was utterly indifferent to things he didn’t care about. And for him, a house was definitely outside his sphere of interest.

He rarely showed interest in anything. But when he did, he’d see it through to the end.

“I’ll wait for your call.”

Seonghyeok finished the rest of his beer after the short call. The moment the last sip went down his throat, his phone vibrated on the table. It was his friend, Beomjun.

Seonghyeok’s expression soured the moment he saw the name “Chae Beomjun.”

The woman’s face he’d barely managed to shake off—no, the face he was desperately trying to shake off—became even clearer. Seonghyeok hesitated, then reluctantly pressed the answer button.

“Hey, you jerk! I heard you’re back in Korea! When did you get here?!”

A thunderous shout erupted, and he put the phone back down on the table instead of holding it to his ear. The voice was so loud, he didn’t need speakerphone.

“Yesterday.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?! You should’ve told me you were coming!”

“Why bother, when you find out anyway?”

The agitated voice and the nonchalant one were quite a contrast.

“Where are you now?”

“Home.”

“Come out. Let’s have a drink.”

“I’m tired.”

“Should I come to your place?”

“No.”

“Why won’t you let me come over? Is there something you don’t want me to see?”

“There’s nothing.”

There wasn’t now, but there used to be. That’s why he couldn’t let Beomjun come over. It would have been awkward if Beomjun had known about her. It was what she wanted, not him.

“Then come out. I’ll call the others.”

Seonghyeok was too lazy to argue with the stubborn Beomjun, and figured it wouldn’t be bad to just get it over with and meet everyone today anyway, so he changed his mind.

“Text me the address.”

Honestly, what he really wanted was a strong drink, not this beer that wasn’t even giving him a buzz.

“Okay.”

He hung up, got up from his seat, crumpled the beer can, tossed it in the sink, and headed to the dressing room.

***

About 30 minutes later. A taxi emerged from the darkness and stopped in front of a grand, dark-brown, three-story building. Seonghyeok got out of the taxi and was escorted into the club by the general manager waiting at the entrance.

The first-floor stage was throbbing with heart-pounding beats, dazzling strobe lights, and a packed crowd so dense you couldn’t even find a place to stand.

“They’re on the third floor.”

Seonghyeok followed the general manager up the stairs and entered the VIP room. Familiar faces were already drinking like there was no tomorrow.

Beomjun was the first to spot him and raised his voice.

“Seonghyeok’s here!”

After Beomjun, everyone else welcomed him in unison.

Seonghyeok didn’t particularly like the people gathered here, including Beomjun, who was a high school friend. Maybe it was more accurate to say their personalities didn’t quite match.

He just maintained a reasonable acquaintance with them because they were from families it wouldn’t hurt to know. And so, the “Welcome Back Seonghyeok Party,” which Cha Seonghyeok himself hadn’t even wanted, began.

***

Young-in received an unwelcome call in the car on her way home.

The moment she saw “Beomjun Oppa” on her phone screen, a frown creased her smooth forehead.

It had been an utterly draining day, dealing with the aftermath of a rookie actor who’d suddenly gone missing during a drama shoot, so the call was even less welcome than usual.

She had a pretty good idea why her brother was calling her this close to midnight.

“I’ve been drinking. Come pick me up.”

The words “What’s wrong with a taxi?” rose to her throat, but she couldn’t say them. If she did, she’d have to listen to him call her ungrateful for days on end.

She was sick and tired of hearing the saying about how you shouldn’t bother with ungrateful people.

“Where are you?”

“The New Palace.”

She knew the place, having picked him up there a few times before. She also knew very well that her brother was a VIP at that club.

“It’ll take about 20 minutes. I’ll call you when I get there.”

Resigned, Young-in turned the car around and arrived at the club about 20 minutes later as promised. She pulled over to the side of the road and tried calling, but the person who’d asked her to pick him up didn’t answer. After ten attempts, she concluded that calling any more was pointless.

“Ugh…”

Young-in calmed her rising frustration with a deep breath and got out of the car, walking towards the club building.

Two guards in black suits stood at the first-floor entrance. Both were tall and easily looked over a hundred kilograms. Their expressions were also stern. It would be strange if anyone didn’t feel intimidated, but there wasn’t a trace of wavering in Young-in’s eyes. She just wanted to get this annoying task over with quickly.

“I’m here to pick up my brother, but he’s not answering his phone. Can I go in for a moment?”

One of the guards grinned and asked in return.

“What’s your brother’s name?”

Young-in hid her annoyance and replied calmly.

“Chae Beomjun.”

“Oh, Beomjun Hyung.”

Typical club regular, huh.

The man’s immediate reaction made her scoff inwardly. The man lowered his chin slightly and spoke into the microphone attached to his jacket lapel.

“Beomjun Hyung, which room are you in?”

After locating the regular’s room, he smiled at Young-in.

“He’s in Room 7.”

The corners of her lips curved into a pretty smile.

“Thanks. But please, stop using informal language with me. We just met.”

Young-in walked into the club, leaving the flustered, speechless man behind her.

It had been hard enough catching a passing staff member to ask where Room 7 was and making her way up to the third floor, but on her way to Room 7 at the end of the hallway, she saw something she really didn’t want to.

After navigating through the chaotic human mess, she found a couple passionately kissing, leaning against the hallway wall.

Aren’t you animals? Go somewhere private, you two.

She walked past the oblivious couple and entered Room 7, quickly scanning the interior. It was laid out with bench sofas lined up on both sides of the main seats. About half of the six or seven young men inside were familiar faces. And one of them caught her eye.

The man who looked most at home in the main seat. A figure to whom the children of wealthy families deferred. The apex predator who reigned supreme over everyone: Cha Seonghyeok. After three years, the gazes of the two reunited people locked at a single point.