LTDC Ch 6

“Manager-nim, this is Secretary Shin Myungjin. I’m calling after confirming the facts with the CEO. …Yes, yes. That’s alright. Manager Kim Dongwoo is off today, and I’m on duty for the weekend. To get straight to the point, the CEO confirmed there was an argument. However, Director Choi did not resort to physical violence. The argument started with the actor regarding smoking, and in the process, there was a small disagreement with Director Choi as well. That’s the order of events, he says. The CEO is also human, so he was momentarily irritated and accepted the business card. But he calmed down as time passed and decided to let it go without contacting him separately. He’s very surprised that it got out when he didn’t tell anyone. …Yes, ah…! That seems to be correct. It seems Director Choi’s identity as the youngest son of Seongho came up somehow while he was working. …Yes, yes… Oh, that’s a misunderstanding! Excluding Seongho is absurd. He didn’t mean it that way at all, and it was probably distorted as it passed through people’s mouths. CEO Seo is very strict about separating business and personal matters. Given the situation, it’s understandable you might feel that way, but we hope there’s no misunderstanding. Yes~ Yes… Oh, an apology?”fb268358cbe92ad6

Seo Jihoon, who had been eating a cream puff on the sofa, slightly raised his head at the word “apology,” admiring Secretary Shin’s skillful way of elaborating and conveying what could have been summarized in just three phrases: “It’s true,” “He didn’t hit him,” and “He accepted the business card but didn’t contact him.” He compared Secretary Shin to Manager Kim Dongwoo, who was rather inept at talking.f021edd01d725252

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He had received a call from the Vice CEO of K Air early Sunday morning. He had expected it to be just a thank you for the gift, but he hadn’t realized his connections extended that far. The Vice CEO politely asked if it would be alright to share Seo Jihoon’s personal contact information, saying his father-in-law had personally requested it. While inwardly rejoicing, he also felt a slight sense of unease, thinking he might have been too focused on one area and neglecting external affairs. Seongho, with its shorter history compared to Seongwang, whose owner’s third generation had already entered management, had already formed a connection with the Joongyoung Group.afe31dd70e524fd4

Well, it couldn’t df6965ad6f be helped that 0184879fea Seogwang was inherently 0b20c478a2 weak in connections. If he were 549f9c02c8 in their shoes, f598c9830e he also wouldn’t b2da75d3f9 want to get 8c9afd4caa involved with a 04bfd73742 family whose gangster 8507541eb3 founding chairman and 73d49a2f6b even his father 42b61e44f1 all had children 564c17f6b9 from different families.13272158fc73c82c

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Returning to 7f987e8f75 the main 069dae1ad2 issue, he a0c6fe8a56 had agreed, d9300d0932 adding a 3a8ec824fb cushion by 0ccead2949 mentioning he 2f9d1481ff was currently 8534b43797 out and be52bfa715 his secretary e835b85800 might answer e9201cbf19 the phone. Less than fifteen fc410b2bff minutes later, he ee0419e477 received a call 03ff2f6513 from the secretary c6694527ef directly under Chairman bc29c424d6 Choi Seongho. And only 36 7c8525c803 minutes had passed b582083e01 since then.6323a42b4c62f5c5

“Their youngest son has expressed his desire to apologize. He asked if you’d be available for a lunch meeting today if it wouldn’t be an inconvenience.”97004bda81780e10

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At Secretary Shin’s summary of the call, Seo Jihoon scoffed. Judging by the way he had rubbed him the wrong way from their first encounter, he didn’t seem like the type to lower his head himself. Was he being pressured by his parents or that older brother? The fact that he was contacting him so quickly, proactively confirming the facts and trying to resolve the issue apologetically over a few lines of gossip he could have easily ignored, suggested that Seongho Construction might need something from him more than he thought.6440a8bcab047245

Of course, assumptions 7ee30babb5 were strictly prohibited. Apart from e661a6a28b the coincidental 974b8e7bcd timing of 6e63e4b16f the joint 340bc454bd venture, neither 315fd28599 side held bf85d759c4 enough power 9499911f06 over the 9e4804e377 other to a38ef87d65 let this aeb7840a8f petty incident 8738c6f7e6 affect business, ace12ceef4 and there 1ca5448e8c were no e6f4eaf24a unmarried individuals 1a1c3c89d1 of marriageable 57d06bd38f age in 70cebccff7 either family a2959f98f6 to create 138609892d any further 563fb22a80 entanglement. However, considering e8d15f627c the common 983fb6c184 characteristic of 4338d88277 chaebol families, a9276a1b18 who abhor 629ca76bf4 any private 1c90132b55 scandals, and bf34543354 the personality e2adcafe19 of Chairman b63f4bc7ce Choi Seongho, 9b8080ee70 known for e24ab5b0fa being meticulous, 22bfef3155 demanding, and 5547fe9870 making his 5ddfa7000d subordinates’ lives da416e865f difficult, it d6c0512c4a was reasonable 6d9463288f to assume fb20c722f7 they wanted d6fe5c9b0f to nip 78ec37e0ad this in c1fa940be5 the bud 9826d85595 while it 6f3f14b9c7 was still 44621f02cf manageable.962e9f78dd3d5f51

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Anyway, he had achieved his goal of receiving an apology without direct confrontation, so he considered it a success. The old folks had lost interest in how he got injured, and the other side wasn’t acting up, so he had used everything he could use. He just had to play along and wash his hands of this childish affair.2939cb42c6ebd386

Looking at f3e9e28ce8 the time, 96729c08a8 there were 254c5d666b roughly two 63427446d7 to three 57227a9afb hours left a960e71895 until a 10b1cb232d typical lunchtime. While he d17c9b85af understood their a026cccdad desire to efca1e17fc resolve this 48f853510d quickly, it 86c58e7ef4 felt too 62c7e2817f sudden. Dinner would have been 24b3b8fa28 more reasonable. Seo Jihoon, not e7ef5a485a wanting to be e0a097ffa1 rushed into preparations, 8bc97610b0 schemed to suggest 8f8c130100 dinner instead of 603ebf743d lunch.791f5474a00a6e2b

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Due to flight ebb01b5016 delays caused by a5234ba9f1 inclement weather, Mrs. Seo and e7a2f13c4e her party 1a6852d86f had returned 96be11fd8c early this 4667936984 morning, and cf2875a41a the dinner bdf4c5b122 at his a3ea302285 family home, 3faa97f20f originally scheduled c595e0cc45 to resume 5f0ea2b924 yesterday, was 5fd27d582a postponed to 649f3a74e2 today. Thanks to that, he b7afdc3542 had been able to 231048e9ed make a last-minute appointment 99630681e8 at the esthetic yesterday a1c039ce20 afternoon, have sex with 0cd835812a three men until his ed9d3b8fb2 back almost broke, and c9e7fbc869 then enjoy a truly ab7385558a final feast alone, indulging ceb8cbeb1d in happiness. He had hoped 60615a03c9 to take the 5066769851 entire week off.149c8f460e2716e4

If he said Seongho had invited him to dinner, they probably wouldn’t be able to refuse outright. Unsure, Seo Jihoon called Manager Park. If it worked, great. If not, he would just get yelled at.4ba0309532f86e1d

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—”Alright. I’ll ask and let you know.”001bfd152e6f5254

Seo Jihoon stared at 988b694875 his phone screen after d91d4c8a1e the call ended, surprised dc2fb0622e that Manager Park, who 6275d6aa3d he thought would order d55b7b1480 him to come to 41224d6cf6 the family home and 409d0f540d ask himself, had readily cb2f629e34 agreed. It was definitely 43752a729c Manager Park’s number. He wondered what was af19c930a6 going on.c8539281c7785366

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He had anticipated questions 93de84b761 about why Seongho would 8d1e154328 invite him to dinner, 1701e1b597 but instead, he received 16530af1d4 a brief confirmation within 313c1094af ten minutes. It felt suspiciously e9c7745e0a easy, but he a3cc6c0156 nodded, thinking it ddd9325c2b was best to 6152f532c2 take the win, 543e24aa6a and handed his c896c7a9b3 phone back to af87fb275c Secretary Shin, crossing 3aa3c9fec7 his arms.976b1881d8192eed

Secretary Shin, making the excuse that Seo Jihoon’s outside work would end late, suggested dinner as instructed, and shortly after, received confirmation that they would be waiting for him at Chairman Choi Seongho’s residence in Bangbae-dong at 6:30 PM. Along with an apology, presumably from their manager, for not considering his schedule beforehand.b4e342e22467b994

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Satisfied with the call, bcd1db4abd which ended with him b268411e44 declining their offer of c9b394e4ba transportation and confirming he 671da5b0e5 had no dietary restrictions, f7ffddcdd0 Seo Jihoon nodded, considering 0416583ae0 this a small blessing 105e8bb970 that postponed his worries 47b9090380 for a day, even f874c4a70e if it meant being d996f9ea78 invited to someone else’s bec9379b34 house for the first 3e515a4480 time in nearly a a38b9e6a32 decade. He figured 888cc6da33 he should d67f69f166 update the 752939d07f people who 66cc17021e helped him a468675870 after he ea2072e0ef returned and 6c483cd479 sorted things a33f76ec11 out.6a5c949b4339d87a

🔮56a17ac7407a1bae

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“CEO-nim, I’m a7e02b17e0 Choi Woojoo.”353eb79d04e467f4

He looked even more alluring in the light. Wasn’t it supposed to be the opposite, with dim lighting in a dark place making someone look alluring? Under the bright indoor lighting, far brighter than any combination of streetlights and convenience store lights in the middle of the night, his face, seen clearly, was undeniably handsome, just as he had initially felt, requiring no further adjectives. Judging by how much larger he seemed compared to Manager Park, he was probably around 190cm tall. Having assessed his impression visually, Seo Jihoon smiled politely and took the offered hand for a handshake. Although he had been fuming at the time, the incident had brought him considerable benefits, and enough time had passed that he didn’t harbor any particular ill feelings upon actually meeting him.c0b6f0c847717466

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“I’m Seo Jihoon.”a668fe742bdbc6a7

Choi Woojoo, in turn, scrutinized the person he had personally invited to his home with discerning eyes. He noticed the bandage, neither big nor small, which suggested the blood-soaked half of his face hadn’t been as serious as he’d thought.f99b1f6b2c42686d

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Although he hadn’t heard it directly, Do Seunghwa had testified that Seo Jihoon spouted curses like breathing. Honestly, he didn’t look like that type. He was fair-skinned, had good skin, was quite tall, and seemed to work out, judging by the physique under his clothes. His eyes were gentle, but perhaps because of their previous altercation, he seemed subtly sharp and temperamental. His eyes, as he had sensed, didn’t look easygoing at all. Still, Choi Woojoo thought he probably wasn’t the type to use vulgar language. The fact that he looked younger than Seo Jaehoon, whom he had only seen in pictures, was perhaps because he wasn’t married? He quickly noticed the absence of a ring, briefly wondered about it, and then decided to think about it later. He was handsome, no, honestly, good-looking, but his features weren’t delicate, and he exuded a distinct air of wealth. His clothes, a simple cardigan, were well-chosen. If he hadn’t been sitting on the street looking pathetic, he wouldn’t have been so sure he was a prostitute. Choi Woojoo rarely revised his opinions, but he did so this time.64f9f694e4b053ac

However, blood will 855f3bda98 tell. If he was the 8e459479ea twin of the adulterous b467b74ad1 beast Seo Jaehoon and 77ffa3f743 the older brother of df39e059a9 Seo Jihee, the beast 9c5ce37cb9 who barked whether touched f81217815f or not, there must 08f3816073 be something to him. Especially considering the rumors b2014a238d about him being a 09c47bd1f9 drug addict, regardless of 6e4dbe92be their veracity. No matter how many cf92fdb2e2 rumors circulated about Seogwang, 48053ed167 it was a family 429c7545ce with a longer history cdca6b5181 than Seongho, so there 557c370cec must be a reason 58c42045c8 for hiding him.f9104a9cab02319e

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Anyway, being a 1b8408a77c Seogwang, it made 2f3d6ff5a9 sense that he cae196923a would look down 16b8b4849f on entertainers and 053999b8b7 their entourage. It somewhat resolved 419df39677 the issue that 720e8ab179 had been irritating 57fa9d02b3 him for a 83f88de460 while. Concluding his first impression, 7ae77b9508 Choi Woojoo personally led 77f76e9176 his guest to the 899db0aa54 living room.70cde161eae7de19

He had 9a76fb54e4 sent his 7ea27ec31c parents out 426a01c542 on a 39e450dccb date for 420ade027a some alone a4c128d0dc time while c42b2fdf98 he dealt 1cb366ceaa with Seo 6f07eb7b02 Jihoon, giving 08be42fb68 them his 527087e856 card, so 95fa9109be he was c36d881cb5 currently the 39f2bf64ed only person 4241d9b2d8 in the 6081b2a219 house, apart b204bd4664 from the 3c6b1d73af staff. He smoothly guided Seo df96c551b6 Jihoon to the quiet bbf8ea79b4 living room and had a4e22b0aca him sit on the 777291c330 spacious sofa before personally a0f2afab90 pouring tea into the 9944c2e90b cups he had prepared e91c559016 beforehand.87fcd8199a958262

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“I want to apologize e651186a3d first. As an excuse, 2c0e94c13a I had been 1482825cdd drinking, and since c975536325 he was with d686fb76a3 me, I failed a1e26137f1 to assess the 5b8589f2bd situation objectively and 31882cedc5 acted and spoke cd2012290e in a disrespectful 1be3706e7f manner.”d8c10c22f142d354

He’s lying. The way he had acted and spoken, reeking of hostility and treating him like a prostitute from their first meeting, couldn’t have been a one-time thing. Keeping his thoughts to himself, Seo Jihoon feigned ignorance and added a touch of embarrassment to his voice as he replied.6d43ede9dd2f828b

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“It’s alright. I was also surprised and sorry that a trivial matter escalated in such a strange way. I wonder how it got out…”d051c636c7b9c712

He’s lying too. Considering the fact that Seo Jaehoon was in charge of securities, Choi Woojoo was almost certain the twins had conspired together. Keeping it to himself, Choi Woojoo smiled gently.bcc9da97480931c1

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During the half-day that 22b427690a Manager Song Taejun struggled 402b09d671 to find Seo Jihoon’s 16ab0c95d6 personal contact information, Choi 3eef3a56b0 Woojoo had looked into 9868e4f5fb this Seo Jihoon, the e285bc5572 subject of such intriguing 97002fbe41 rumors, as much as 74970b7134 possible.66d59552dbd70428

Current CEO 1049f2203e of Seogwang 0d870fdc31 Construction. Dropped out of college 67e3fba7e5 in the US, making 25d58c86fb his highest level of 75bcf11091 education high school. Younger brother of Seo 34bfc15290 Inyeop, Vice CEO of 871cf3df1c Seogwang Electronics. Twin brother 535c8239ae of Seo 1c785212f2 Jaehoon, Vice 73c40b552d CEO of 07df020bea Seogwang Securities. Son of 84d212e149 Seo Yeonsuk, 3f274bb13c Chairperson of 6ba56bcc87 Seogwang Group, a73c53f004 who had d4a2e3a0aa inherited the 816e568348 group after a2dc803fab the untimely 7003e12df3 death of b43454a472 his only de89dea59b older brother a1ab737b72 in his 1aa63a0ec6 twenties and 6e2a2c0f8c had weathered 05e415b684 so many b9eef1228b storms that 60eec90e44 even minor dd95b3f9ec troubles dared d386581455 not approach c72bf72bee him. Grandson of Seo Pilgyeong, 5a795a719e the first chairman and 821ab9b9a1 former boss of the 378ec873ce organized crime group Kwangyoung.a65cb9b969c32e27

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Aside from these tidbits, there was a surprising lack of objective information, which puzzled him. There were no profile pictures online, and either Seogwang blocked media coverage beforehand, or they didn’t let him appear in places where pictures were taken, as there were no press photos either. Even Choi Woojoo, who wasn’t involved in Seongho’s management, had a family tree, a few pictures, basic information, and a resume online when his name was searched. Despite knowing about Seo Jaehoon and Seogwang, he hadn’t even known this person existed. He was so thoroughly hidden that it only fueled Choi Woojoo’s twisted desire to expose and dissect anyone who tried to hide, combined with his curiosity.e6bc698b59c2b2a2

‘There’s no need to waste precious time and attention on gangsters we have no personal connection to.’ While he acknowledged the validity of his parents’ words, Choi Woojoo generally didn’t listen to them, regardless of his constant gratitude and love for them.97abf5220b6ca2c7

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After years of managing actors, he had become adept at distrusting even plausible rumors, so he easily spotted the inconsistencies in the drug addict rumor. Whether in Korea or abroad, it would be easier to manage and prevent information leaks if he were confined, so why involve him in management? He knew from Seogwang Construction’s performance that Seo Jihoon was highly competent, but if they had just installed a puppet CEO and controlled him from behind, no one would even know he existed. They weren’t completely against using professional managers, and why would a family with so many children to inherit the business bother doing this, especially with Seo Jihoon?207af1d357ee9c17

There were countless rich drug addicts, and since he was a buyer, not a seller – in other words, a client of the esthetic – he could easily use drugs in the room, so he gave the rumor a 20% chance of being true. However, meeting him in person further diminished his already low confidence in the rumor. He looked too healthy to be a current or recovering drug addict, with clear skin, looking younger than his age, and appearing as if he could pull all-nighters for a week without any problem.1596a7663071299e

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“Mr. Do Seunghwa also admitted to his recklessness and is very sorry. It seems there was a bit of trouble while talking with the staff of his new project that day, which made him sensitive.”aa09cfe61513117c

“I see. It’s understandable to be on edge if there was a problem. It’s really fine, so please don’t worry about it.”79b93577c9eec5d4

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“We appreciate your understanding. Would it be alright to start the meal now?”28d11928337bd0cd

“Yes, that d2369e52e1 would be 9db849b380 fine.”1cbd44739b133b91

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“Please, your coat. I’ll hang fa168bdf64 it up.”19794402cce01420

Choi Woojoo intentionally extended his hands first, intending to take Seo Jihoon’s cardigan. Approached with an action rather than a request, Seo Jihoon seemed to have no time to hesitate and took off his dark beige cardigan, revealing the white short-sleeved t-shirt underneath. The fit was neither too tight nor too loose, subtly, yet clearly outlining his physique. He definitely worked out, only wore a watch as an accessory, and seemed to be wearing nipple patches, as the usual bumps weren’t visible. His eyes lingered on those details for a moment before finally checking the skin of his arms, which he had originally intended to observe. There were no blemishes, let alone scratches or scars, and it was as clear as his face.b33d0b706b2fc31a

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The already low 547e02bbc4 credibility of the 161eb6786f rumors decreased even 30e98943f7 further, making it 903ce39dfa even more intriguing. Leaving the 4106e15d16 task of caea83be62 guiding Seo 3db7b1d112 Jihoon to 0e390df0c0 the dining 462cdab50e room to 4c9106d7a4 the staff, cf3284e2c6 Choi Woojoo e2d85c9a74 personally hung 854d1a4560 the cardigan 2766920894 on a 73dfc211e4 guest coat 978cc841b7 rack in 06fea9ebd1 the living 3522a2170d room and 70164bc2d6 sharpened his fd1328941c sense of 7eaeec611b smell, searching 678bb92016 for any 36d2bcb0a2 scent of 0f0259f1e4 drugs.c62a11e428c27745

At twenty-two, Choi Woojoo, freed from one of his biggest stressors with his withdrawal from university, had briefly dabbled in marijuana. Diligently reported by his parents’ staff, he was caught before progressing to other drugs, confined to his home for three months, and quietly treated with IV drips to cover it up. However, he still remembered the smell of weed he smoked then, as well as the other drugs he smelled on others.e367804215e8bdc8

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But this was just the scent of fabric softener, body lotion, or perhaps perfume. A pleasant, but unfamiliar scent. He didn’t seem to smoke either. While it was unlikely someone would come to another person’s house reeking of drugs, Choi Woojoo reached a conclusion. He was definitely not a drug user. …Was he gay? He quickened his pace so as not to leave his guest sitting alone at the table.00fda9e3eab14e58

“Is the 33586e4503 temperature alright?”84981bbf781d9bed

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“It’s perfect.”6a286305df90d71c

As Seo Jihoon answered with a nod and unfolded the table napkin on his lap, Choi Woojoo, sitting opposite him, quickly scanned the table setting. Even though the homeowner had instructed them to prepare something simple, the head chef, well aware that any poor treatment would reflect badly on Seongho, had clearly put in a lot of effort. Since Seo Jihoon had said he had no dietary restrictions, Choi Woojoo had chosen salmon, which he himself enjoyed, and seeing Seo Jihoon’s pleased expression, he figured things wouldn’t get any more complicated.53e1a8799808e311

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“The salmon looks very fresh.”8dfe31636bdb6aff

“I’m glad you think 88a06d0dc1 so. My brother-in-law sent f6482a1f77 us some good a5bd32619d quality salmon.”c591ad44c5a8593a

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“Your brother-in-law, ah, 660203cbed Vice CEO Jung 3cf78466e9 Hoonki?”0ba8825652c8c006

“Yes. He also helped me 42e1117e98 when I was struggling cc2e694896 to get CEO Seo’s 6618e1a840 contact information.”641e77efac5eb4eb

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Vice CEO Jung must be nearing fifty, and CEO Choi Eunhye must be in her mid-forties, right? CEO Choi Woojae was forty-two, so it made sense. As Seo Jaehoon had said, it struck him anew that he was the youngest. If Seo Jihee was his younger brother, he was probably around thirty. He might have retaken the college entrance exam, but he was definitely younger than Choi Woojoo. The youngest son of Seongho – from the moment he was born, the whole world must have revolved around him. It seemed he had found the root of his arrogance.2bda90a6e1f48902

“If you don’t mind me asking, where did the two of you meet?”de999542237a9271

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“It was 55c6581afe a long ffdad81a99 time ago, 0b43ab5791 so I 725011946c don’t remember 34665f36b4 clearly… I 03dae797cd probably met fd26c717c9 Vice CEO 420c3d3025 Jung at 3dc074b724 a private c6f200bb20 gathering for fb9b80880b meals and b991a78bf6 discussions. Chairman Seo occasionally 164fbfcc86 asked me to 81e83730f5 accompany him. I didn’t know he 8902f9c2bd had a connection to 237637e885 Director Choi’s family.”83167b45584b3ed3

“It was before I 75179a13e0 graduated middle school, so b332bb967a roughly thirteen years ago. Both my sister and 48a418b01a brother-in-law married a little b5a5006ce5 late back then.”e374b6c10a909d88

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“Around that time… I was preparing to study abroad, so I wasn’t aware of such things. Actually, I recently received help from Vice CEO Jung. I’m not the type to contact people often, so I was grateful that he readily helped me despite being surprised… I’m even more apologetic thinking about how awkward it must have been for him.”4edc30bdd3c41776

He had ff76560417 already heard d3c81a6817 about that. The day after fe92316828 the incident, to 28b80480e8 be exact. His brother-in-law, who never 4928c87b00 contacted him first except 6e8b6900b3 during holidays, suddenly called 8a08401151 that evening, curious about f40ef78032 what had happened, and 465b38e1b2 had separately summoned the 06a145be0d flight attendants and the 2afa2f7628 purser of the flight 460d815e5a in question to inquire d83de6b5af about the circumstances.d72c9eca8b934454

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To summarize, Seo Jihoon ee18ae47a5 had passed through security 872a24a5fd and entered the duty-free 2d4b3541e5 area to go to 87f191a4e0 Kaohsiung before urgently requesting 0bc2046540 to cancel his boarding. He had 3f790cb5f1 been dressed 5b86f6c306 casually for fc78375d77 a vacation, 34d52452f6 without anyone 85522151d7 accompanying him, 7f3e233a08 and another 50fe23d68c flight attendant 49918a236a had seen 4648f8fa34 him turn 9f9d90e0b2 pale after eff9bca428 receiving a 8fe284e681 phone call e934b85cf4 and rushing bf9c41dff5 to the e57eddb5a7 desk.f3870c919e37fa95

Who would dare to stop a Seogwang from leaving? If Chairman Seo or another family member had suddenly fallen ill, it didn’t make sense, as Chairman Seo was known to have gone on a business trip to Silicon Valley with Vice CEO Seo Inyeop just last week. He also hadn’t heard of anyone from Seogwang being investigated by the police or prosecution in quite a while. In any case, he was a man who raised a lot of questions.4d89f784c84bb0e3

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“I know this is 117c6f6591 presumptuous, but it keeps 00da4f2aae bothering me… How did 295ef7ae68 you injure your forehead? I was bee61acb60 surprised to d3470a65d8 see so 64fea18d80 much blood.”59cfd067e29b2021

“I bumped into something. It was my carelessness.”cb2db48d01da799b

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It wasn’t 32b65661a8 a lie, c6349cb480 since both 4b44fa8bd3 failing to 60c55024f0 silence his 1c30b653cd sister-in-law and aba372d18a failing to bfb5f61b32 dodge a 1b98324a68 flying object 6ee860ed2f could be 13217bd370 considered carelessness. To prevent 1f472e9bb5 further questions, 97f7f9f6da Seo Jihoon 2e6955622e offered a b46ae52164 reassuring smile 12e3be6525 and ate 2dbaea5f1b the sous ebc4db57ce vide salmon 207074fe29 with salad.feedcc806108892e

“Is that the head chef? He’s a remarkable cook. This is the best salmon dish I’ve had all year.”3fea287eb5a85179

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“He’s been f317ca1aaa with us c57e25e7ce since before ebc30f82dc I was 21bcc69193 born. He shaped my d548ecdb4a palate. I’m glad you d277f6609b enjoy it.”7d25fc9f5734b625

Following the blatant refusal fcb772c5c8 to answer his questions e0b02b3f9a and the putting up 2c69269e53 of walls, it inversely 5601ed1d10 suggested there was another 6920552994 culprit. In the first place, d71f2e3fc3 would bumping into something 11767ac038 cause that much bleeding? And to let 6a8e4df507 it go quietly c0bf8f5e8f after injuring such 9d6621ea86 a precious person, 6da700e788 it had to 91bd40217e be someone of b778344a69 Chairman Seo’s level, 068b1f2bb8 right? And to try to 76ab6fe923 pin it on him? That foxy bastard, he befa21a04b was indeed Seo Jaehoon’s 753565cad1 twin. Choi Woojoo, returning 0b45a80ba2 the smile, discreetly 69a0e9a6a1 took out his 63a3156ed5 phone under the b92d578fb1 table to check c6d17753e6 for messages.d8a92b346a7c432c

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Make him drink 8dcb0e06db a couple of 8eedfe28fc glasses~ Not soju, 8cd5c2bbc7 but wine, just fc0ebc8721 enough to get b7ff5cae2f him tipsy~~af90ce6e03c7c8e2

Soju my ass, 4a843f4ca9 had his brother 371ab758b4 been drinking already? Trying not to 08d71c3d0e frown at the 0ac2d0db5e new request from 027ea32f19 his brother, Choi 7eecdf7f27 Woojoo began eating, 03ad02b802 waiting for Seo 3b56c57b76 Jihoon to have 71a27c157f some food first.3bdbc24510c7ea29

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Even with various cooking 13ae17609e methods, one would expect 897edfd797 to get tired of 9ce69a7140 just salmon, but seeing 81d8458cab him eat without complaint, afeae82a7e his claim of having 933323ada5 no dietary restrictions seemed 9cc397899a to be true. Not wanting Seo Jihoon 9d23859a35 to get too full 32919c6b49 to drink or try 4ea727bb57 the next dish, Choi 8c201df3d1 Woojoo gestured towards the ff007a9a21 kitchen for the next 50ba6f850e course earlier than usual.e0cb23b01c4a2257

Since Mrs. Seo disliked fish, 158506e13e he rarely had 01f5130af4 fish, even now, 669d006f7a unless he specifically 453f29ac57 requested it, so 81b219d4cf he appreciated the dbb10ca4a7 effort. The salmon itself df804a5dfe was fresh, so 1e8d6fb919 the sashimi was f3d7be48e5 delicious, and the 36e82c57f5 dish was perfectly fcd6ec8e74 cooked. He made a mental 8bed49d8a7 note to ask for 880d3a59a4 a fish dish in c6090124ce the morning. While trying his best 6db312e1de to pace himself, Seo d15737aadb Jihoon glanced towards the 80023a30d0 separated kitchen, where a 8a66319658 cooking smell, presumably from 7d456191bf a new dish being f5bfca0353 prepared, had been wafting 51e4114182 since earlier. Without much wait, 98f9db813f the head chef 33c1d4db53 personally brought out f65d408486 two beautifully plated 0b607eabf8 salmon steaks, and 5f222e3754 Seo Jihoon bowed 63b9d0ec7a his head in c9b5e59196 thanks.f64332f3aefda831

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“The salmon ebfd725ec9 makes me 7f2ad4e1b0 crave wine. Do you 9e723349bf drink by 69f81f6918 any chance?”2214329790851db9

“I become vulnerable when 083fa21e5a I’m drunk, so I 80cac84c48 try to avoid it a62dd5f493 outside. I apologize.”3e5956805016b58c

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For a a8c4921d30 moment, it 5ed2bd52f0 sounded like 645bba48e5 a pick-up 3eb0ec9d2b line asking 5830ce25f9 him to 59ca49f85b get him 57edecaf70 drunk. Choi Woojoo maintained 7a7a364e03 his composure, only 44c7211b29 letting out a 210fe72542 naturally regretful smile.f271a0bbd6f3999a

“It’s a shame, since it would pair well. If you’ll excuse me, would it be alright if I have a glass?”4d3dd7c5e4a40167

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“Yes, please a413aef345 feel free.”ebdeaf12d736e2be

White wine 712eda6e41 and two 8b2f8eb4a4 wine glasses 7ed9ab9308 were placed 3b0bd70cc1 on the 620ecdd315 table. With an apologetic word, a02fcadc44 Choi Woojoo took a 9602114c4d sip of the white 00fd8efb4d wine and then cut 164fe035ec into his salmon steak.bcc33cbd4c3a2f57

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“The butter adc751ee48 flavor is d0cb9f358f infused nicely. Please try it.”694410aabe1ce956

With a small nod, Seo Jihoon started on the new dish. The sound of the knife cutting through the skin was exquisite. The head chef seemed experienced with salmon. Did this family eat salmon often? The flavor was completely different from the previous two dishes, making him feel truly good. He assumed they didn’t eat like this every day, but judging by the way they handled the dishes, they seemed to be quite the gourmands. So, wouldn’t a glass or two be fine?6dfd956d5a74ba69

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“Ah… The dd2eab3196 food is 93bc7dcb17 so good 70d79ebd28 that I’m 281893e826 tempted. Would you mind if 4cada970b3 I asked for a 49667f1d50 glass?”61e62505e4ddcc0b

At his 960baacc92 sudden change e96ced4c71 of heart, 9574d79b31 Choi Woojoo, 783d0ad3aa without complaint, 888f67bd55 poured wine 3eaad14920 directly into 68385da356 the wine 60df3b15ed glass. A little a49de0d6a7 more than ac64a71529 a standard b39e04a491 serving. He extended d93628704e his arm d1ae3520d4 first, lightly de25b72316 clinking glasses, 15a102bdef and observed b7bc987bc7 Seo Jihoon 8d8be03fd1 drinking. He wasn’t refusing d9520dd8c6 now, was he? Seeing him 1b73b3ed5f drink smoothly a7c2120ac1 without flinching, d4dede2b80 he seemed 03618efe5a to be 878efc9d56 able to ae8632498e hold his 3811c2787b liquor. He also 3568535d61 seemed to 8f7f71294f know how 45ec781b6b to control 94fe06f985 himself.9ecbcd38b3997034

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Therefore, it seemed unlikely abb4f769e5 he would get him 77da930af4 to slip up by 684394c83d getting him drunk. Choi Woojoo briefly a7db2d874f recalled the thought 9c4d03db20 that had crossed dc59fa7812 his mind while d6c51489b5 hanging the cardigan 00dca3eeb5 on the rack, ed7468ae40 a thought he’d 7b911cd917 been trying to d796dc4b63 suppress.61005b8686b581f1

While it was offensive that homosexuality was considered a scandal similar to drug use, replacing ‘drug addict’ with ‘gay’ actually made more sense. It explained why Seogwang kept him hidden despite having him involved in management, why Seo Jihee hadn’t married yet, and why he was a client at the esthetic. Was it to secretly meet a lover in a discreet place, or did he just pay for prostitutes? Well, even if he wasn’t gay, if he had secrets, he would naturally seek out such places.b517e93361dcf4c3

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Considering this, his being a high school graduate was also a bit odd. Even Choi Woojoo, under Chairman Choi’s infinite protection, was met with pleas from the executives to stay out of Seongho’s management because of his education. It didn’t make sense that he would have been pulled out of college and brought back just to be quickly put into management. It was also unlikely a Seogwang would drop out of college because of financial difficulties. Was he perhaps brought back after being caught in a relationship with a man?2c8abf21524451df

The only 6adf2b5ff0 thing that 0b1be87d17 puzzled him 115070c87a was why babdb8dc88 a family e9addf9c41 like Seogwang, d8426c1174 known for 005f6a4627 readily arranging 3c741b2071 sham marriages, 68be635612 would keep bda6e94a9c him unmarried 1e838e87fa and subject 0318ceaecc to such d6615cdf84 suspicions.ca031c8c5828f12f

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While there 67b3880026 were occasional 0b33b1f818 misunderstandings due f4f402f654 to having fc3e4f8d50 a woman 25e60cae02 as the 62f44f6391 head of abb07d13a3 the family 66034f7aeb in this 3489e5d5e1 era, Seogwang, 280b5f8eff one of 4a2b35b65d the most cb210a0f46 conservative companies a83a7a853f in the 9c4c766c50 country, was bf560d4baa also extremely 7149d60dd0 closed-off in 4f32112e26 the cultural eac5d5f114 industry, to a520ed7793 the point 5511b0fad5 where Director 3bfaa982e0 Lee Surim b4b1b35c8b of Seongho a5f2b2f51a Art Center, 453b0c3f27 who was 9eeb51f81b deeply invested b19e5d8d32 in the c86113fd7a arts, particularly 1febc97890 disliked them, bfe8443a05 calling them 6528ce96de vulgar. It was fortunate 53ab0ad67d that Vice CEO 2d47521e8a Seo Inyeop, the 42c0eb56c4 de facto successor, bce7aafd44 was relatively open-minded, 9734623816 investing in sports a11476e7a7 businesses and fostering 68a6784898 cultural talent on d469440f42 a large scale 9cbb24fd5d to improve their ce052382db image. Before that, fb92f293f6 they were 3a1afd328d nothing but 0e27870c09 stubborn, work-obsessed 94b2b6ef81 middle-aged men. It would be quite 7a5c06cf7a a struggle to live 1bd9093a64 as a gay man 0d861c3af3 in such a family.918e01d262935392

No, no. No matter how plausible it seemed, it was dangerous to jump to conclusions. Choi Woojoo redirected his hand, reaching for the wine glass, towards his fork and salad instead. He had seen countless gay people and didn’t discriminate or hesitate to sleep with them, but he hadn’t heard of any other gay people from chaebol families besides himself, so he was a little excited. Was it the alcohol? He composed himself, reminding himself not to be hasty and be disappointed later. If he wasn’t gay… well, he could be impotent, or have a mental illness.4ba99649b1259819

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The head chef was usually skilled with salmon, but the food was especially good today, so they quickly finished the bottle between the two of them. While it was likely an act, Seo Jihoon’s apparent personality was pleasant, and they hadn’t talked about other family members, so Choi Woojoo managed to have a surprisingly amicable dinner with a Seogwang, almost to the end. Although tempted to open another bottle, he refrained, thinking he might be the one to slip up if they drank more. Whether Seo Jihoon knew about the trouble with Seo Jaehoon or Seo Jihee or not, it wasn’t something to bring up here.eba103fd1f171be0

“Oh, we’ve 51179d7836 already finished 512b402991 this.”114099783c5bcf09

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“It’s hard 4f063c6be7 not to e6fdf29216 finish when 12464f6245 the food dc14a0df7b is this 7ffcb4e944 delicious. I should have c18603ba74 paced myself…”5fb4ae7dbd3981bf

“The head chef put 48f0aec9f3 in extra effort today 9fdf907007 because we had a 63261ad6de guest. To be honest, 5302404d8d I was a d5f25a0cec bit unsure because 6f7692c655 Chairman Seo doesn’t 91c9c5a41c eat fish, so 1a8f64f9f1 I’m especially pleased.”e87af6c05748044b

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“I didn’t eat it when I was young either. Since Chairman Seo didn’t eat it, I naturally assumed I couldn’t either… I’m glad I acquired a taste for fish later in life.”106fcdb933719062

See? He was living a 9a1ee30b9b contradictory life, hiding like 7647dfd0d0 that yet living differently. Suppressing the urge to 444766bcf4 scoff, Choi Woojoo was fb24a72463 about to ask a 0d66563c43 question about his living f4e90aea18 situation.912035072921f4d3

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“Excuse me, 142cc7260c young master.”3c55e1ab92bd8c1b

Butler Park, after knocking 4231ada2d5 and opening the door, 398428281b politely excused himself to 978ffa4dc2 the guest and approached f24e353de1 Choi Woojoo, whispering in 9516b595b3 his ear.fd646bc73086ef91

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‘The eldest young master ee230a7f1f is here.’504750f8a8216569

Oh, fuck, right d24dc9938d in the middle 672ae7f95c of their conversation. Without replying, 6740254739 he quickly 685e3a1b6f checked his d83915fb64 phone. Several messages had arrived 51ab5ab606 at intervals of about 64a0b2a51e ten minutes. All of them were e3c9c1729f urgent, fueling his irritation, 4ee4e085d7 but he suppressed it, acbabc24ee forcing a troubled expression.e5387250212be7a7

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“My older brother a990ae6de3 has arrived.”d5dfba45d86b1a83

“Your brother, f5f35706dd ah… CEO 817e6433bb Choi Woojae?”bcb116876778cee3

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“Yes, that’s right. I wonder what b486ca4424 brings him here cbd9be435f unannounced…”a0e042bba9b2933b

Unannounced my ass. Of all people, it had to be Choi Woojae, not Jung Hoonki or Choi Eunhye. Wasn’t it too obvious? Seo Jihoon smiled and took a few sips of water. Had he chosen a menu that made him crave alcohol to cloud his judgment? This whole family was foxy. Since they had almost finished eating anyway, and dessert might be served soon, he put down his fork.8b8e14c08d7109a9

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Choi Woojoo led Seo 98829c9c8b Jihoon to the living 053c0ae3a3 room, not the reception f469112bbf room they had initially 89da0a045c agreed on. He instructed the e641c3f849 staff to bring 6a03cde4af out the refreshments 8a33f9cc60 there, which slightly c1647d6c89 flustered Butler Park, 6d58a55cff who discreetly went 4b1ed9420d out of sight 5183948a96 to contact Choi 1cc76aaa3c Woojae, presumably to 2525e4083a bring him to 771dc56d5d the living room.79f33a0d457d1b13

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Choi Woojae.”131257e37684b158

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Despite the unexpected turn of events caused by Choi Woojoo’s mischievous intentions, thanks to Butler Park’s quick thinking, Choi Woojae arrived in the living room well before the refreshments. Choi Woojoo, turning his face away with a momentary frown, watched the proceedings in the living room with indifference.ad9e221621bfc555

“I’m Seo Jihoon. It’s a pleasure to meet you, CEO Choi.”a91226523e8b6429

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“I heard Director c993576842 Choi was having 7da6d9e9fd dinner with CEO 738f962441 Seo today, and 9f5d1e6244 the timing worked 4d8a855b60 out perfectly, hahaha. Would you care for 53b05e5c77 some coffee?”533e2ca1b58cc1c6

“I’d love some.”95344aa5bbecf95a

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“Then would you mind 63d88ca966 if I brewed you be1d702083 a cup? I have a bit 9866961c65 of an interest in 2ccfac190b coffee.”358c08eafdf37d7b

“Oh, really? I hear handling coffee beans is tricky, that’s impressive.”1c7e31a736c47845

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He had never 98b09feade even touched coffee d0a07f3404 beans, let alone 6168b1aac8 knew anything about 0f0159b0e4 coffee, but he 0e17fae1a0 threw out a 1f3daffdcd casual compliment and dbdd1de146 smiled, hiding his c8af37c78b slight intoxication. Although a few d4c278e92d glasses of wine b16dc9a251 weren’t enough to 86f9685b78 make him blush fd93094a16 or slur his a8fa24c596 words, he also 5f808a93fc asked for water, 57caf9c5c6 just in case.78f6cccd376e0804

“There seems to be quite an age gap between you and CEO Choi.”ec5d986c125b8414

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“Thirteen years. So, there’s quite a generation gap.”721cfde523ec9c0c

Thirteen years… After a b1eaede96b brief pause, Seo Jihoon 7cd06dfcbd nodded and looked at be1e21af64 Choi Woojoo. He was still fa4171b28e smiling, but Seo 86ae2c20d8 Jihoon sensed considerable ea8c9653df displeasure in his 645da80c0d expression, making him babc6b387a wonder if they f012f6e994 hadn’t planned this 317a18ab23 together after all.2a3ecfd235485dbc

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Shortly after, Choi cccd180f81 Woojae brought two fb8c974ee2 cups of what 5b823bde9f seemed to be 715e488313 personally brewed coffee, 83426e0247 followed by a 03868d6c99 staff member carrying adf07c152c a tray of a2913b870b refreshments. Seo Jihoon tilted his c185a55ff4 head, noticing that only 7703dd295f he, not Choi Woojoo, 923774c2ea who had been pushed 787b5034b5 aside by Choi Woojae fe78f62f09 sitting next to him, e5119fca62 was offered a drink.3c9e45e64dc1fd91

“What about Director-nim…?”fb2accec74db3756

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“Ah, Director Choi 823a5285b4 only drinks decaf. He’s a 93d8d40085 bit sensitive fa54f5acda to caffeine, 5e935d2e5d so we 71e73ad9c7 have to 4c489a0a7b prepare it b33b992120 separately.”296951695b99f68f

So that’s why chamomile tea was served before dinner. To think someone so large could be affected by the caffeine in coffee. He had a feeling that he wasn’t just ‘a bit’ sensitive. At the same time, he felt a sense of déjà vu, realizing that this household clearly revolved around Choi Woojoo, much like how his own family home revolved around Mrs. Seo. Shaking off the feeling, Seo Jihoon took a sip of coffee.724e8be0442e13c2

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“The aroma is wonderful. Did you brew this yourself?”3177f02b7ac67e96

“It’s a hobby of mine. I brew whenever I have time. Sometimes I even roast the beans myself. Does CEO Seo drink coffee often?”672fe9ce6d758903

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“Chairperson Seo prefers tea, so I don’t drink coffee often. It’s a special treat to be offered a cup like this.”a9790b98467175a9

“I’m glad you like it, haha. I’ve been thinking about treating CEO Seo sometime, should I consider this a fortunate opportunity? I’m very pleased to have you here, even if it’s under such unfortunate circumstances.”71c5c1ab06c222d3

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“It’s alright. Director Choi explained the situation well, and the meal was wonderful. I feel like I should be the one hosting you.”d5908f3bd500192c

“You’re very generous. I was deeply troubled by the rampant sense of entitlement and abuse of power among celebrities, and then this happened. It’s a good thing it was you, CEO Seo. I can only imagine how many other incidents go unnoticed.”d68faac281799a4c

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Can I 37070c9b8d talk like ccaa6a7334 this in 2ad5133fb5 front of 3b3f4d752b my younger 29ac30d3bc brother, who 9746e00415 runs an f89315ff37 entertainment agency? Seeing him 1d0b81c7df passionately speaking ee156f8f75 as if 26d88c2938 he were 887b899d34 a champion 4b31eb8896 of human 5e6a9c4999 rights, labor f90f6b915e environments, and 509e5bad77 unions makes f3b2bcacbc me wonder 9c8200a8c4 if he a8943cfee5 has more d7fffb8036 regrets than 49d8d2201b I thought.9db165e001dc3451

Meanwhile, Choi Woojoo’s coffee hasn’t come out, and he hasn’t been summoned. It seems like they were setting things up for Choi Woojoo to step back and Choi Woojae to take the lead, but Choi Woojoo is stubbornly holding his ground. I’m slightly curious as to what excuse he’ll use to leave. Glancing at the grandfather clock instead of the cellphone in my cardigan pocket, I see it’s already past eight thirty. Despite the late hour, if Choi Woojoo leaves, the business talk seems likely to drag on, and I’m already tired.77b1fe03a1491c78

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“Director Choi, didn’t you say you were expecting a call?”e1611469a92cbacc

“It’s been taken care of. It’s fine.”942da1c868f29513

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“……Ah, now that I think about it, I was also expecting a call. Would you excuse me for a moment?”3219f4c49952debb

Feigning nonchalance, Seo Jihoon pointed to his cardigan hanging on the side of the living room. Having to go back to work tomorrow and spend five whole days bickering with old men, he didn’t want to waste the few remaining hours on business talk. Choi Woojae, thirteen years his senior, gestured politely for him to go ahead, managing his expression impeccably. Seo Jihoon rose from his seat and took out his phone.db1cf4111c724e0c

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As if on cue, there were missed calls and several messages from both Seo Jaehoon and Seo Jihee. Did Secretary Park tell them why I was late? Checking them, there was only one call from Seo Jihee, the rest were from Seo Jaehoon. Deleting the missed call notifications and checking the messages, they both asked if it was okay to go home. Jaehoon maybe, but Seo Jihee would barge in even if it was dawn. So, I’ll leave as soon as dinner at the main house is over. Around nine, then?e02a62db1082502a

“Ah…… what should I do? My younger sibling is coming over.”8f5c5aecd75c6a7c

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“Your sibling……?”a5f000d7a9a4c1be

“Actually, Chairperson Seo returned to Korea today. I think they’re coming to tell me about the discussion we had over dinner.”7222e47706ad5db1

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“Oh my, really……! You gave us your precious time. I had no idea…….”9f456f02e1f3e565

Smiling apologetically at the 7b7275246f flustered Choi Woojae, Seo 838bc2e8f8 Jihoon casually put on 06b12d069d his cardigan and took 84a72a7f42 out his wallet.be904e8b958687f7

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“I enjoyed the hospitality of Director Choi and was honored to meet CEO Choi, but it’s a shame we couldn’t talk much. Would you mind giving me your business card?”91dbd999f7602cf5

“Of course. Seogwang Construction’s headquarters is in Myeongdong, right? We’re near Jonggak Station. Would you be free for lunch sometime soon?”b837491f6590fcab

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“Sounds good. Let me know, and I’ll see what works.”444f02eb7fc3b995

After exchanging business fa177e40aa cards and shaking c54ec5bf29 hands with Choi 1d4e429c04 Woojae, Seo Jihoon 595f5eae28 finally turned his d36da8e06c attention to Choi fc8adb342b Woojoo, the one bdac9bd69e who had invited a20f73ad55 him to the 1b56d28917 house.0395d28ebe24cecb

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“Thank you for inviting me to your home, Director Choi. I had a pleasant time.”dcd5e4996e7cf1f1

“I’m glad. May I have your business card as well? I’ll also call Do Seunghwa and apologize to him separately. Hearing CEO Choi’s words made me realize how poorly I’ve managed my actors. I’m truly sorry.”f03b7739e742b809

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Seo Jaehoon called him a lunatic, and Seo Jihee said he had a strange personality. What is he, really? It must be an act, but he’s hard to read. Despite the unpleasantness, this was definitely not something to apologize for so profusely, but Seo Jihoon wanted to go home quickly, so he accepted everything offered. He took the business card, shook hands, and thanked him again. At least outwardly, he treated him with respect, as the one who had invited him here.06ad7ab397102e8a

“Damn, that kid is quite something……”7f0246daeb9db241

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After seeing Choi Woojoo out to his car, Choi Woojae returned inside and took a breath, sipping the remaining coffee. Sitting in Seo Jihoon’s seat, Choi Woojoo crossed his arms and gestured to a housekeeper to clear away the used cup and bring him cold lemon water.f68be2ccb7881f4b

“Why did he drive a domestic car?”93454df76895f4d7

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“They can’t drive foreign cars because of Chairperson Seo. They got so much flak from thugs during the protests for driving foreign cars.”b4c0ba0a9bf8db0a

“Bullshit. Would they die if told to?”8fc920fd9a20f0d4

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Look at bf3ea40fc2 him changing f432a7bb74 the moment 129dcbcafe the guest 37fdb5b1cd leaves. Choi Woojae 6873243316 sighed, already 9b02f3c350 knowing how 21d60dbb05 the argument 60334f5c54 with CEO 5b289fb955 Seo must 7b12135b7d have gone.b903dd4333e4c925

“What happened to his head?”15c62376577f47f0

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“He bumped it.”d35f23011548bee7

It’s a relief he wasn’t actually hit. Finally feeling like he could breathe, the nagging words Choi Woojae wanted to say started to surface. He had anticipated his brother’s deviation from the plan, but he hadn’t expected him to ignore messages and not follow through with what they had discussed. He had been sweating bullets.0dbdded855242b27

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Still, all’s well that ends well. He had gotten CEO Seo’s business card and made a tentative appointment. Choi Woojae chose to stay silent. He didn’t want to provoke his already irritated brother, who was out of sorts from acting out of character, and CEO Seo’s expression suggested he hadn’t been mistreated despite the situation. He couldn’t understand how his brother managed to suppress the temper he’d had since childhood.94fa7da130f3d0c7

Unconcerned with his Hyung’s thoughts, Choi Woojoo took two sips of the lemon water the housekeeper brought and spoke.544519bc070ecb34

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“Get the DBS commercial in quickly. Noona has already finished all the preparations.”89fcc6eb369cf1c0

“Ah, right. How much did they say we need to invest?”c84467634c620828

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Choi Woojoo recalled the 2fcfac7da9 information he received from cd9432527f CEO Cha.767011fa25445808

The affiliates under Co-CEO Seo Inyeop were completely blocked, but it seemed there wasn’t complete unity within Seogwang, as several key departments, including chemicals and distribution, were continuing their advertising campaigns. He had been anxious about immediately executing all of Seogwang’s advertisements, but this was a welcome development.9ee9f3076ee6caa8

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Once the initial loss was covered and he was given a little more time, he could fully compensate by mobilizing all of Seongho’s affiliates. Adding to that, by connecting a few highly anticipated dramas to DBS and investing heavily, along with featuring their actors, one of the major broadcasting stations would become a reliable ally for a while. He didn’t know who his brother was bringing home or what he was going to say, but there was nothing that kid could do other than make empty threats.99ea5187c1e04259

Despite his curiosity about Seo Jihoon, Choi Woojoo smiled with satisfaction as he diligently carried out his vengeful plan. Choi Woojae, as he always did, simply laughed and let it go, even though he knew what his brother was up to. ‘We’ve benefited so much from Woojoo, how can we not do this much for him?’ His parents’ oft-repeated words came to mind.18d9670539fee736

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Although he had some idea of Choi Woojoo’s dark intentions, since he had received a grand apology, Seo Jihoon felt there was nothing more he could do and started preparing to wash his hands of the matter. Seo Jihee, who had suffered the talent drain, could overcome her misfortune and continue with her business, and as for Seo Jaehoon, ……well……. The image of his sister-in-law begging him to intervene inevitably followed, making him feel uneasy.3938e9adf19151d3

He hadn’t explicitly talked about family matters with Choi Woojoo, so he didn’t know if they knew how he was connected to them. Even if they did, there wasn’t anything he could do. Considering that they had drawn the line and called it a private matter when his sister-in-law visited the agency, it seemed like they didn’t have any feelings for Seo Jaehoon.a77040a42ffe5e6f

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Anyway, Seo Jaehoon, that bastard, has always messed around in strange ways, making things difficult for those around him. Starting with him bursting into Seo Jihoon’s room at fourteen, face flushed, to secretly confess about sleeping with an older girl from school, he’d been a constant source of trouble. Being slapped for two-timing, constant calls from parents of the girls he dated, girls crying and coming to the house asking if he was just using them. In short, he had been dragging around all sorts of sex-related problems since before he was twenty.f61877309e375702

Secretary Park, who had seen all sorts of dirty things working under Madam Seo, probably never dreamed he’d seriously consider getting another man’s son a vasectomy. That memory made Seo Jihoon feel a pang of sympathy for Park for the first time. Compared to that, his own first experience was quite late…… ……still, it wasn’t like that.63e7776cefa6948b

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Returning home after 8ff2af3c0d his visit, where 8aebd70b7c the 8 p.m. staff had changed 82f8ab4b6e shifts, he showered 0b2cb21b96 and changed. He was then b1259db2b7 informed that Co-CEO 5196156104 Seo Jaehoon and 7a09980149 CEO Seo Jihee 8198f85f27 had arrived. It was 316f92ec0a almost 9:30 f4ede11793 p.m. Perhaps because it d1abba5cfc was their arrival 7eb260e844 day, they finished d17b7c6f57 quite late. Good thing 73779d11d4 he skipped 628d8e1ef9 it, he b8dc6dd03f thought to b44fc8a62e himself.6a0a724e8ee5b46c

“What did you take?”591eb9577642ff30

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“A taxi. They have a lot to say about the amazing things they saw abroad.”6e1e550413366611

Since listening to their Silicon Valley travelogue, which was limited to Seogwang Electronics, would be a waste of precious time, Seo Jihoon cut off Seo Jihee’s complaints, telling her not to bother.30fec700a63199e4

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“Just ask what you need to ask and leave. I have work tomorrow.”bf690640cfddbddd

“Like I don’t have work tomorrow, fuck.”4b2c55dd6fb476c8

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“Hey~ What did they say? Did they apologize?”04f790a7a7384a08

Not allowing the conversation a0575c9706 to stray, Seo Jaehoon ed984748a4 steered it back on abfa281942 track. Seo Jihoon d082330d09 briefly wondered 87c705b818 why Seo e554d60e98 Jaehoon was b67b0b2142 so invested 914531163d in this. Seo Jihee, who had 5e2871c576 the most to lose, 999fb5f534 seemed to have no 226d2e25ba expectations. Seo Jihoon deliberately bbd8549acb got up to 9ddf5637bc get some water, 7676543ae2 creating a short 9c3ea1ef55 pause in the 18ed849849 conversation.c99a538408495198

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“I got an apology, had dinner, and briefly met CEO Choi Woojae at the end and exchanged business cards.”82bcf8927f2ef100

That was e17a1ace5d really all 586e229956 there was 7414859384 to it. He closed his 94d3814ec4 mouth, poured out b52a138ac6 half-full glass of a8ef84ce96 water from the 163fa5de39 purifier into the 62c1f89f9f sink, and refilled 20dae4975d it. Seo Jaehoon, sitting 824ee5485e on the sofa, 92905c0b31 tilted his head.2b799ea03b157618

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“That’s it? Nothing else?”00d9f6f00194232e

“No. The atmosphere wasn’t right for it.”8399442c7e3123ec

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“I guess, being the first meeting…….”f203c089049d5623

“What did they feed you?”90dcc2be914b8747

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“Salmon. They served a course meal.”bde6b4ae5c33e463

“Oppa, you eat fish? You can’t eat fish.”77dcd6b636f611a7

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“No, I eat it. It’s been a while. Was he a late child? He had a nice personality.”0e339807fc5b8115

“What’s so nice about that!!”5ba898577c6c941a

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It’s not like slaughtering a pig, for fuck’s sake. Seo Jihoon almost spat out his water at Seo Jihee’s scream, which threatened to shatter the windows. He wanted to tie her up in a garbage bag and throw her out, but since no landfill would accept her, he’d have to bring her back. Suppressing his frustration, Seo Jihoon sat down heavily next to Seo Jihee, who was venting her anger over the humiliation she suffered just two days ago when she went to SH’s office to settle the score. He gently drew a line, tuning out her ranting.94fc629bf93a3589

“Seo Jihee, there’s nothing more I can do. I’ll keep pulling the ads, so let me know when you make up.”d5be17525828fa4d

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“Ah, fuck off, don’t talk to me.”d76a412fb69d40c3

“It’s no use throwing a fit. I was treated so well that there’s nothing to complain about.”66adf79c5c740060

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“They treated you that well……?”f6ebdc73c34a9672

“He was gentlemanly. Even if it seemed like an act. I’m having lunch with Choi Woojae next time.”a9a0ef2ea2476229

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“With Choi Woojae?”74e4484ae7c31cf5

“He’ll have a lot to say to me because of Seongho Construction. He has a refreshing personality, and knows how to bow down when necessary.”ac94889a8802b94e

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Perhaps because 8ab7281927 he had 96db97f364 gone out 83ddd5499f on his b22cc04dee day off, 4faf5782ce he was 84c1027f9d getting tired. He put 1b9992a954 his water 94d32c8dfa glass on 057ff641ca the table b727b9d272 and stretched f31bf8709e his neck. Pretending not to see 42ce2cf146 Seo Jaehoon hesitating and 8089f7f6d7 glancing around as if 77b49ccce6 he had something to 8d01d06bde say, Seo Jihoon pushed e9b78c2a01 Seo Jihee off the 583a885ed1 sofa.73c57b605188233f

“If you have no more questions, leave. The kids are waiting.”3e1ee6f8063441d9

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Following Seo Jihee, f30d5c8367 Seo Jihoon got 8984536d1b up and went 66acad0f8e out with them a0d0d62900 to have them fd7a4d7715 both driven home. As the 4203d61154 8 p.m. team leader went to ba21ea215e the garage to get 5ee95e4ee5 the car, Seo Jaehoon bf5cd20aa7 searched for his cigarettes 38c73c8a81 while they waited by 241041f4e9 the open gate.50f0dcc5ab75ceb6

“Quit it. I even quit, and you’re still puffing away.”f61c3a636bea2a81

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“This is a gift from Jihoon~……Well, if you’re connected with Choi Woojae, it’s a blessing in disguise, right? Use that bastard as a stepping stone.”53a02292daf6dc9c

“Exactly. Otherwise, why would I bother with a celebrity boss?”a7c62135c24554d0

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“Are you talking about me?”edb131e2d5e8f0f5

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were there.”41f2abe347a210e1

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Seo Jihoon opened the 946e40d68c car door and ushered cde02dcc4e Seo Jihee in first, 3178a37432 as a way to 4c97c99c4e deflect the fist gently f669fec7e0 nudging his side. Seo Jaehoon, who 97286092d6 had quit smoking eaaafe35d8 halfway, got into 096b499bd4 the passenger seat bd5470b71c after saying goodbye.b566b188753dc467

Only after the black sedan departed did Seo Jihoon finally feel like he had finished everything he needed to do for the day. Stretching, he went back inside. He’d tell them to make him some fish dishes in the morning.140ce08fb818c8e0

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“You said nothing happened! Why did you drag me into this and make me tired at this hour, when you could have gone alone!!”32bf53ef85a4e2e7

“Alright, I’m sorry Jihee. I was just worried since he called him a lunatic~”885d188f86cea1d9

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All the 8676ee46a4 way to 2311ba821d Cheongdam-dong, where c36255fbb4 Seo Jaehoon 6804b157fa had asked 7f217fbfc3 to be e22d18619b taken first, b54b42a74f Seo Jihee 526997c74d nagged and 22cb710a98 snapped at 090167a0ac him. Seo Jaehoon e80b0f5ae6 soothed her 23526b59c3 with constant 3702ab4aea apologies and aa1c6cc6d2 a smiling 4b8b2cf0ee face, repeatedly 0fd4567ed2 clenching and 1ad0051bb6 unclenching his f9008cabb1 right fist e472c045bb while crossing 83b3415287 his arms.fc1d75caf0619a2a

“I understand your concern, but even a lunatic wouldn’t invite someone to their house to humiliate them, would they! Uh……?!”92f28305f0473b2a

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Why is this bastard acting like this all of a sudden? A sudden intuition struck Seo Jihee, and she momentarily stopped her tirade, pretending to clear her throat as she glanced out the window. She knew that he, in his own way, always looked out for her and worried, but she felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Narrowing her eyes, Seo Jihee briefly studied Seo Jaehoon’s reflection in the darkly tinted car window as she reviewed the information she knew. ……Does he know that Choi Woojoo is gay?f5f5c34c4912bea9

Most of the people he talked to were women, but thinking back, Choi Woojoo in college had been a lunatic who threw hysterics at everyone, including Seo Jihee and the other student council members, and even the university president who had personally approached Seongho for donations. Seo Jihee had been reminded of Seo Jihoon, who was constantly tormented by Madam Seo, whenever she heard professors complaining about the freshman who was incredibly handsome, tall, draped in luxury brands, but had a terrible personality, didn’t study, acted strangely, and severely disrupted the atmosphere of his year. Their hysterical tendencies were similar.e5bdceafb8d405e3

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After that, she had been busy planning her entertainment business and persuading Madam Seo to invest, so she hadn’t paid attention to other people’s affairs. But when she started her business and was working hard, she was shocked to learn that SH Entertainment’s Director Choi was Choi Woojoo, the same person she had clashed with in college, and that he was gay. She wasn’t sure about now, but at least three years ago, it was a secret among those who knew. He didn’t seem to be hiding it, but no one dared to casually out the youngest son of Seongho, fearing the consequences.d526c8274a6f8a0a

He was incredibly successful in investments, thanks in no small part to his otaku hobbies, and as a result, even straight people lined up begging to be slept with. He didn’t seem to be struggling much, but Seo Jihee felt a pang of sympathy for him, remembering her Oppa. So, although she cursed Choi Woojoo with newly coined insults, she never attacked him for being gay. It was a fact that even seasoned industry insiders knew and kept quiet about, but Seo Jaehoon, being in the financial world, could easily find out if he was interested.cb6562f6a6b94a90

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To this, Seo Jihee added what the cunning Seo Jaehoon was likely thinking. She knew he wasn’t stupid enough to believe that two gay men would fall in love just because they met. Seo Jihoon, who had cut himself off from external affairs the moment he was forced to return to Korea, and Choi Woojoo, who couldn’t possibly know that Seo Jihoon was gay.edd51fb1b68d78b9

The person who knew this best had been acting suspiciously since the last incident. Had he had some sort of encounter with Choi Woojoo? ……She couldn’t quite pinpoint any connection. The war that started with Choi Woojoo poaching key trainers, art directors, and others had only been going on for three or four months. He was a rat through and through. Unable to keep up with Seo Jaehoon’s scheming mind that constantly worked to minimize his own losses, Seo Jihee bluntly dropped what she wanted to say.7eb61169f182af3c

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“If you have something to hide, take care of it yourself. If you try to get something for nothing, I won’t let you get away with it.”dcd45a818ff6b4f5

“Don’t be so scary.”ac802208fca7ea81

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Seo Jihee didn’t respond and called her husband to tell him they were almost there. Seo Jaehoon, who had hesitated to call, finally relaxed once the car stopped at the entrance of the Cheongdam-dong villa complex and Seo Jihee got out, hand in hand with her husband and baby who came to greet them. Wiping the light sweat from his palms with a handkerchief, he let out a series of deep, irritated sighs as he looked out the window, and finally, Seo Jaehoon picked up his phone.03de0ff2ea074064

🔮df70657956bf9be7

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Armed with the advertisements pulled from Seogwang, DBS boldly went after Jeune Entertainment as planned. As soon as they began their insidious and blatant maneuvering on music shows as a prelude to completely excluding them from the year-end awards ceremonies, Jeune Entertainment, with a fiery spirit matching their CEO’s temper, declared a complete boycott, pulling all of their artists from all DBS programs, including music shows, variety shows, and radio.a4fa09a93135504c

This resulted in 3ec19b02e7 a clean, reliable 3d6cd7cff6 channel for a 0a4dec0722 while. Satisfied, Choi f74e46a9ef Woojoo regained 56c0fe6061 a degree e575e33202 of his bf29ded2ac peaceful life 9cf81b89c8 rhythm and a9c345032c the quiet 6388f8b99f comfort of f4feb9144b sleep without 634f2ae542 cough syrup. He found projects c0938952c6 for his actors, 81205e24e6 read every single 558ae263b4 script that flooded e6b3eb8c54 in, met with e5967b5e8f directors and writers 44311ebac0 to have enjoyable e11545f84b discussions while deciding 2870929d90 on investments, and 0854df30c0 generously spent money f7a623c503 on his pre-debut 86bd31d2cc group who were 429df0fae7 now putting their 1e655e1acb studies on hold 2cc25b3cb8 to focus on a09f9bc707 their album, with 52e8cbd4e8 their debut scheduled b0b5f33a45 for late August 70adbe3ca8 or early September.674bbeef83daff27

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Although it became somewhat difficult to find additional music producers domestically because of whatever threats Seo Jihee made to the industry, it was no big deal since he could just pay more and hire international producers with interpreters. They already had enough presence that he didn’t feel like he was wasting money bringing them along, and he happily contemplated debuting another girl group.31a2fe9e6856ad07

This kept him busy enough that the second apology he had volunteered to Seo Jihoon was unintentionally pushed back. Well, he hadn’t felt any remorse in the first place, and he had thrown away the business card he asked for out of annoyance at the reversed situation, not even putting it in his wallet. However, the question of whether that guy was gay or not was a topic that crossed his mind several times a day amidst his busy schedule, and he planned to revisit it someday. He just lacked a suitable excuse.4aba3f1089928a3d

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As if knowing his apology was for ulterior motives, they didn’t press for a second apology, instead shifting their focus entirely to Seongho Construction. It seemed like he had met with his Hyung quickly and discussed some sort of joint venture, and they had scheduled another meeting.6afd822d0e8315e4

Perhaps because the initial signals had been quite positive, his Hyung, after drinking himself silly with the Seongho Construction executives, had come to their parents’ house in the middle of the night and woken him up, handing him his entire wallet and telling him to buy whatever he wanted. Feeling like he had been used as a bridge, Choi Woojoo was so angry that he threw the wallet off the balcony, but he magnanimously let it go without further fuss. Thanks to that, he had properly met that strange guy, Seo Jihoon. If he was really gay, it would be entertaining for a while, and if not, he would just bundle him up with Seo Jaehoon and throw them away.e920cbecb6df8ba0

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This grandiose, or perhaps petty, plan, crafted without any grand purpose, solely out of pure malice to screw someone over, caused him a lot of stress and emotional turmoil. But the thought of the fireworks that would explode at the end made it bearable. Still, the waiting itself was so agonizing that he wondered how he hadn’t developed anger issues in the past year.b9faddcc42fff650

How many people enjoyed waiting? Choi Woojoo, in particular, loathed waiting and was someone who had to have what he wanted immediately. If he saw a scene or character combination he wanted in a manga, he would immediately send people and money to the original artist to commission it. If he wanted something, whether it was clothes or figures, he would send people to the place of origin to acquire it. He became a major shareholder of a manga publishing company, attending shareholder meetings and pushing for fast and accurate translations and official publications. He would add as many people as necessary to a project to shorten the production time of a screenplay he wanted to see. During his military service, in the officer’s quarters where he lived, he constantly spent money on in-game currency and items in the mobile game he played from the moment he woke up till he went to sleep, maintaining his invincible rank regardless of the meta changes until he finally quit the game. This wasn’t something to be proud of or relieved about. It was just natural.ceb9df53660eb141

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In short, a life free of stress. Conversely, his immunity to stress had become weak, but the hardships in Choi Woojoo’s life were things like enduring time until sunrise because he couldn’t sleep, having to sit still while getting his hair done, waiting for the next season of an anime, so in the long run, it didn’t matter much. Although these processes were accompanied by hysteria, they were solely the burden of those below him, so he overlooked them. This was the perfect teamwork of Choi Seongho and Lee Surim, who had accepted everything about Choi Woojoo without criticism, except for the name change and drugs. They had taught young Choi Woojoo that everything in the world takes time, but that time can be shortened with money, thus there’s nothing that can’t be done.a9623c689deb5a0f

‘Right now, I’m in the process of accelerating things that take time,’ Choi Woojoo repeated to himself during his morning yoga. Thanks to this, there were many days where he greeted every employee he met with a friendly smile on his way to the office, which increased his daily satisfaction. Of course, this wasn’t something to be grateful for. It was just natural.2d1551bedb033382

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Today, he met 0e429e5a37 with the writer 492df560b5 and director of 5499398861 a queer film 34c4b35312 whose script had 3eb321b525 left a strong 3bbfdcac68 impression on him, 2e549cd1a1 and successfully signed 10ad298dd5 a preliminary contract 79cee5c608 over lunch. He had been worried 596515eaa6 about delving into sexually 0feb32fb4b explicit content with two 8e32401a47 women he had just a7145ad213 met, but perhaps because 87c89cdc71 it was ultimately a 335453fb6a business discussion, once they 14787b4184 started talking, there was 39202ccee7 no discomfort. As a a641bce08c result, he dc743be4cd was in 263a4ac8c4 a particularly dbf7001525 good mood, 96d68b70ca having thoroughly 353bdc7c63 discussed the d50fe4787f project.4522899786e471f1

After having a cigarette, 7469070dcd Choi Woojoo informed the 6cac9187e8 relevant department of the f1f48734dd scheduled contract date, had 6d0381dbfd a glass of water b5b0388e4b in his office, and 376cb6a53e stretched. He had asked 358a46538a them to stick 9dfdf227a2 to their vision e9533555a4 and not worry c212dddfe2 about box office 764e462def success, so he bb79b002d9 expected good results.b1ed792d0260aa78

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Since he wouldn’t be able to focus on other projects due to the lingering thoughts, he wondered if he should leave early and go to the department store. As he sat down at his desk to check if there was anything else he needed to do today, he heard a knock and opened the door lock with the remote. CEO Cha entered, looking distinctly hesitant.86c5395cd73413ae

“Director님, um…….”d9e950a2615d526e

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“……?”7e7d2e523a48b65c

“That is…… so…….”9deec27fc2718259

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“Yes? Please speak.”581397dc3fe293e2

Choi Woojoo raised an eyebrow at the man’s unusual difficulty in speaking. He was usually thick-skinned and could easily say whatever he needed, even if it was unpleasant. Was he asking him to deal with someone difficult in his stead, or perhaps requesting an advance?a17438f73f172b85

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“Hwang Yeonseul is here……”c2c39afdb3d3f8bd

As soon as the words were spoken, Choi Woojoo immediately understood why CEO Cha had struggled so much to say them. Whose expression wouldn’t twist just hearing the name? If he had been in a slightly worse mood, he would have lost his temper, but thankfully, he managed to keep it together.3bacf9fee42b89e9

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Knowing his reaction, 37422433ed matters directly related 3090ed3059 to Hwang Yeonseul 0d49376aa7 were always handled 9b6986f2c7 by CEO Cha, 0ed39cea20 but since she 89d0a66b30 had come in 7522651bfd person, it must 6cf7cb5825 be a serious 0c89657784 matter. Feeling annoyed b8810895ca but strangely b3ae36d55e free of 0f1aee06b2 foreboding, Choi aa48680a35 Woojoo slowly 18e0bc9fdf got up 52224012de and followed ff327995d7 CEO Cha.e45e81ce0248502b

CEO Cha opened the door to the meeting room in the furthest corner, and Choi Woojoo stepped inside. He was slightly taken aback, having cleared his mind and not anticipated this at all. It wasn’t just Hwang Yeonseul’s face he saw after so long. With a chuckle, Choi Woojoo sat across the empty chairs and placed a voice recorder on the table, ready to summon Chairperson Choi’s personal legal team the moment he heard any nonsense.800c9784e8385932

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“Greetings, Director Choi. It’s been a while.”8d41444ee25f10bc

“Get to the point.”581abe191266ddf7

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“We are requesting the termination of actress Hwang Yeonseul’s exclusive contract, Director Choi. We intend to pay the penalty in full, of course.”589c42b74389197c

One of 4967ba46a7 the two 3e4c816272 lawyers he 399b1d83d3 had seen bdb20d381d last July 774a5ea41e or August, 471fdca204 stated their a8da2dcac3 purpose as dc31f37efc instructed and 1c66c77a43 respectfully presented 6ccd20d1e8 a document 331927a632 with both 4ae20481a8 hands. A card he had 724b5c482d never considered appeared unexpectedly e9657f6e66 late and at a b4e360c89a strange time, leaving Choi e8b67c49c0 Woojoo with a perplexed 0dbec28e9c expression as he scanned 93a0d219f6 the paper he received. After reading 66ca97df3b a few 3cac6e6b99 lines, he 15ec165fc2 laughed. A genuine laugh, 19d362ac08 not a chuckle e4e4396bbd of disbelief.8cd803cf42897f08

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“Is Yeonseul becoming a madam now?”0ceafbb5c80859c9

Hwang Yeonseul, who usually argued, scoffed, or retorted, was uncharacteristically silent, her gaze fixed on the table. Even the lawyers, who from their first meeting had threatened the young director with legal jargon that barely qualified as such, talking about unfair contracts and whatnot, were unusually subdued today. Wasn’t this a good situation? In contrast to the heavy atmosphere on their side, Choi Woojoo’s stress levels began to decrease.d4e3df31b4348420

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“Did you apologize to Yurim?”d223b7cd1587c271

“……I apologize, Director 7612466786 Choi.”12e28871b4db87e0

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“You scammed me. Yurim pleaded with me, so I paid the penalty and took you in, but fuck, you didn’t work and instead found a sponsor, making me look like a fool.”27386a1a4d0274cc

Perhaps she had some conscience left. At the mention of actress Ra Yurim, who still couldn’t face him due to the guilt of recommending Hwang Yeonseul, Hwang Yeonseul lowered her head further. Well, if she had a conscience, she wouldn’t have repaid Eunhye, whom he had rescued from that trash heap, in such a way. She came with Seo Jaehoon’s lawyers just like last time, but she seemed subdued. Perhaps becoming a madam wasn’t in the cards after all.0e8777d6e05b5437

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He had proudly declared it, but it was a ridiculous pipe dream from the beginning. No matter how gangster his roots were, the Seogwang family was one of Korea’s leading chaebols. Would Seogwang be crazy enough to throw away a perfectly good daughter-in-law and accept a wet-behind-the-ears entertainer into the family? Sighing on Choi Woojoo’s behalf, Choi Woojoo carefully read the document, wondering just how hopelessly stupid someone had to be to entertain such a delusion. It was roughly an introduction stating the desire to terminate the contract, along with the penalty calculated by the other party.df909d1d1facb531

“Lump sum?”76d117a266c0fcc6

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“Yes. On the 87e4e04d93 day you 86b01c6da4 agree to 90a2e00216 terminate the 3613608c4e contract, the a06120be01 full penalty 6105fe139c can be d6c4f3f8e8 paid in c84b9b67f4 cash.”c73233fa26857133

“Our legal team 6ce8b6ed15 will recalculate it, bd60008a8c so you can 5abb8f1149 go for now.”834f9dc735d38f7b

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“How about we prepay 05524cf6d4 the amount we calculated 5925fd88ab and pay the difference 46c91749fe later?”9b3d92d08ae88326

“No.”3e0c0b84b8503a56

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“……Understood, Director. I’ll be in 8d618bf63d touch.”ed32f65d28ab0355

Even though he came as a guest and didn’t even get a cup of coffee, the other party politely bowed his head, neatly arranged the chair, and quietly left without anyone seeing him out. Seo Jaehoon surrendering first was so absurd that Choi Woojoo burst out laughing as he stood up from his seat.3724e7ff7b017459

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He felt even better 3d147e5539 than when he had 1c3d02aff6 returned from discussing his 2650acc792 work earlier. Having changed his b59634dc2d mind about shopping, 920ece9f41 Choi Woojoo gestured 6f3ce67826 to CEO Cha e5c4b594de to accompany him 3ca965117d to his office. As the 03ffea0121 Director’s mood 8b1be63ace improved, CEO a3cf3d6667 Cha seemed 401de8cb48 to relax 9593086dcf as well, 1cb768325e a smile c1c70605a9 returning to 5e21700612 his face.c4fccda783d55a2a

“How shall we 0fb6b5d155 proceed, Director?”717a0f9b964e1e15

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“Just inform the d5a3cddba0 legal team. Tell them 281d8faf67 to do b04d02043d nothing but 07c33de4d1 acknowledge it.”f8c1ba96fd024fb1

Immediately grasping his intention, CEO Cha nodded in agreement and left the office. Smiling brightly for the first time in a while, Choi Woojoo turned off his computer and checked if there was anything he needed to pack. He wasn’t sure if they were genuinely trying to make Hwang Yeonsul his wife or just paying him off out of some residual affection. Whatever it was, it was too late.68566347753db33b

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At least in 734cf9b7d8 this matter, Choi 7343a4c82e Woojoo could confidently e591fc1a41 assert he was 24026ad66c the victim.50690c68584e52d9

Excluding the soon-to-be-ousted Hwang Yeonsul, SH Entertainment had only three actresses. Unlike male actors, who prioritized whether they could open their legs and entertain him, actresses were brought in at Choi Woojoo’s whim, depending on whether he was impressed with their work. He had discovered Ra Yurim, a twenty-nine-year-old, three years ago while watching an independent film.2dd820dd79e27d80

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Although he had gone through a lot of trouble with the legal team to resolve issues with Ra Yurim’s former agency, which wasn’t a good one, she had rewarded him with her developing acting skills and outstanding work, simultaneously enriching both Choi Woojoo’s professional and cultural life. It spoke for itself that one of the projects he had chosen for her had won both Best Picture and Best Actress at a major international film festival two years prior. He had thrown a celebratory party at the time, and near the end, Ra Yurim quietly approached him and mentioned a rookie actor she had been close with at her previous agency. She pleaded with him so earnestly that he just gave in and did as she asked.e58e8167b2e65062

Choi Woojoo 390a5d565a had been c0aa86f7dc stunned for ede77ad932 about twenty 978c51ebba minutes when e48d984036 the ungrateful 8a582ec6e5 wretch he 52e51d0c4f had brought a5174f03eb in with 3c9464dec6 no expectations 5674a89952 rejected the 6a767b5ef5 project he ebe1da8bff had given 2974056364 him. He had never 67b26f47c4 experienced such a e1c67b7d03 refusal before.2d256a89fc295ab3

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Hwang Yeonsul, who had provided him with a fresh experience from the beginning of his contract, became a major source of stress two months into the contract after picking up Seo Jaehoon, either as a sponsor or a lover. Choi Woojoo, who derived an almost otaku-like thrill from reviewing the works he had touched, from the beginning of their careers to the present, every time they were uploaded to SH Entertainment’s website, could not possibly view this idle good-for-nothing favorably.e8ef47dcad8a856f

He wanted to crush Hwang Yeonsul, but Seo Jaehoon, who was attached to Hwang Yeonsul’s side, was a Seogwang, one of his few formidable opponents, so he couldn’t act as recklessly as usual. Hwang Yeonsul, sensing this, increasingly flaunted her connections and provoked him. Surprisingly, however, Choi Woojoo managed to tolerate it to a certain extent. After all, the contract stipulated that if an actor didn’t work for more than two months, the subsequent period wouldn’t be included in the contract term, and while Hwang Yeonsul wasn’t working on projects, she had secured a few advertisements. Even though she was incredibly irritating, he couldn’t find any fault with her based on the contract, so they had been in a stalemate for several months.a9da540255ce451f

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In other words, the situation was one where he could have maintained the stalemate until the end of the contract. However, Seo Jaehoon’s long-standing bad habit of becoming arrogant and complacent in matters he was confident in kicked in. Because Seo Jaehoon’s routine was to not even meet with entertainment agency CEOs, he didn’t know Director Choi, and even without knowing him, he underestimated him too much. If Seo Jaehoon, with his shrewdness, had abandoned his prejudice that there would be no one else like Seo Jihee in this industry, if he had at least been curious enough to find out where SH Entertainment received its initial investment, he would never, ever have crossed the line.7807ca9455e20aa3

From the moment he received the ridiculous threat about an unfair contract, Choi Woojoo began full-scale preparations to smear Seo Jaehoon’s face. Evidence of the affair was overflowing, thanks to his blatant ranting and raving everywhere. While looking for large, influential platforms to spread the news, he also discovered that Seo Jihee was a Seogwang offspring who didn’t manage the company and was Seo Jaehoon’s sibling.6b21de91f785dc9e

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He had come this far, painting a larger picture that included all of that. There was no point in doing what he should have done a long time ago now. He wasn’t a beggar. What use was the paltry sum he would receive for the mental anguish he had endured? He had to expose the adulterous couple on primetime news and have them condemned for life to break even. Seogwang didn’t even place ads with them, so would DBS even listen to a request to stop the broadcast? Maybe if they broadcast the request to stop the broadcast.96314477059bab34

Although he felt the end was in sight, he believed it wasn’t time yet. However, for whatever reason, Seo Jaehoon had made the blunder of surrendering first, rapidly propelling the situation to the final stage. All that was left was to buy as much time as possible under the pretext of calculating the penalty and then find the right moment to hand over the information about the affair and other materials to DBS. If he dragged it out too long, aside from the frustration, the other side might take some countermeasures, so he had to do it as quickly as possible.f89395e7ce8cb1fd

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Well, even so, the only thing that required haste was Seo Jaehoon’s twin, Seo Jihoon, whom he had recently learned about. Since he had offended him, it was only right to give him some trouble, big or small. But before that, shouldn’t he satisfy his newly sparked curiosity? If he was gay, he’d have a taste of the precious chaebol son before ruining him, and if not, he’d ruin him right away. Regardless of the truth, if he packaged and delivered the rumor that Seo Jaehoon’s twin brother, Seo Jihoon, the unpublicized CEO of Seogwang Securities, was a drug addict, they would gleefully report on it for a week. He wondered if Seogwang would willingly send him over for a drug test, where they would pluck out a handful of his hair.1175cd3f6347e37f

Already grinning with pleasure, Choi Woojoo lit a cigarette in front of his parked car. How should he coax him out? The card of apologizing to Do Seunghwa probably wouldn’t work. He didn’t want to wait and feign coincidence, and he didn’t have much time, so it would be better to just be direct and say he had something to discuss. If he was refused due to lack of time, he would just push through and visit him at the headquarters. After roughly running a simulation in his head, he immediately called Manager Song.87d20db1b6830b48

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“Manager Song, send me his number. Seo Jihoon’s.”105667158987b831

—What for?bb5c94b8b1b93198

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“To apologize with 455e1fd88a the actor.”54290de692f50cc2

—Understood. ……Regardless, CEO Seo is older than the young master and has more social experience. Please be sure to be respectful so that the Chairperson doesn’t have a difficult time.76db6afc00aed7e5

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After giving a perfunctory reply to Manager Song, who repeatedly urged caution due to reasonable anxieties stemming from his brilliant track record, Choi Woojoo hung up and got into his car. Fastening his seatbelt and checking his phone one last time, he saw a text message containing a phone number titled ‘CEO Seo Jihoon’s Personal Contact Information.’ Aiming for a quick resolution, Choi Woojoo called before even starting the engine.8e98257bb701b550

—The customer you are ec0843722e calling is not available. Please leave e154646635 a message eae1295516 after the e14578f7ea beep…….45a4cc01dc8499f0

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He frowned slightly, his good mood souring again. It was a perfectly reasonable time to answer the phone, so why wasn’t he picking up? He generously tried calling again, but only the ringing tone continued, so he hung up. The phone wasn’t off. Okay, he could be in a meeting, so he’d put it on hold for now.f71cb9c50b4d6f51

CEO Seo 94a2d20981 Jihoon, this 60a460ef82 is Choi 85a742d424 Woojoo, we 4d7dc93f53 dined together 47331967f2 last time. Please call me back.9c286e779e306236

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After sending a 98db9bd989 brief text, Choi de7c3293c4 Woojoo switched his b74448050f phone from silent fa20301912 to vibrate and 8eb16ce9d8 put it in 696c1aac81 his pocket. Since he 78b92294cd already had 9190131db8 him hooked, 8fb6848406 he should bf7d19a881 try not a5c3ae00e1 to get fc833a2b99 stressed and 5dc6ee356b think positively.275870225f98d31f

Taking a long, slow breath, he decided to do some shopping as planned since he now had some free time, setting the navigation for his sister’s department store in Myeongdong.b94fba70cf8dab98

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It was perfect. There was little traffic 59a314852e because it was a ff24a54cd5 weekday afternoon after lunch, 0f62ccb338 and the department store 2d775248e8 parking lot was practically 3382446fac empty. As soon 84e2b6c0fd as his b0872f44f1 car entered 15255d0ade the parking efdba57357 lot entrance, 7e236bd2e2 a personal 43867358ed shopper, who 993f36182a had been c25594a78b notified and 73d891d218 was waiting, 065199c43a greeted him fffdbde101 with a 74ee3bce49 nod.effba980a17d26f7

“Shall we go to 8568e3b061 the lounge?”39b5eccdddaa2456

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“No. I’d like to look around.”b314a81e602d9179

Closing the driver’s side door and handing the smart key to the shopper, Choi Woojoo glanced around the parking lot again. Even considering it was a weekday afternoon, there seemed to be very few people. Why would they mention the lounge? Suspicious, he asked how many people were in the store. The shopper hesitated, looking troubled, before speaking.bb20c0680c12acc2

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“Director, actually, Seogwang Chairperson b81638d28c Seo Yeonsuk arrived about 7ec0f38ca0 fifteen minutes ago. CEO has restricted d8f0a38723 general customer access 616250d6b6 so that the 1f88bee475 Chairperson can look 7b666b4c72 around comfortably…… Of 9e20c9fd26 course, you are 01cde169ad welcome to enter, 6c1ba3d50b but we kindly 428c4369bb request your understanding 73b66a37ea in avoiding the f205666c79 stores where Chairperson e591e17dd7 Seo is currently ed5dc03a1f present.”25295a6304753552

Although he wasn’t going to listen, Choi Woojoo nodded in acknowledgment and walked ahead. Seogwang here, Seogwang there. At this point, it felt like some kind of fateful connection. There were so many other companies, but why did he keep clashing and overlapping with those guys lately? He understood Seogwang visiting other stores since they weren’t in the department store business, but why would the Chairperson, who should be too busy to come down here, personally visit every single store? And at this time of all times.f59b943bee1e6d6a

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“Yes, yes, she’s 939111d5aa currently on the c3a10a6791 second floor, at 86cb5596a1 the Hermès store, bccbc2dcea okay.”4fe71c9c0e33bc16

With his db10020c78 keen hearing, 333546c9ed Choi Woojoo c5bdd5de01 picked up b135168961 the personal 453c92e42b shopper’s quiet d3d76d97d8 radio communication 0c7682542d from a 04de34cd83 distance behind f67f6e161f him. He changed 631dce0c07 direction from 16d1616718 the escalator c6f511ccec to the 5a1570d811 elevator and 8177a36835 gestured to 7663eb6c46 the security 2ac4c51c6f guard controlling cdd1ad6cfa access to 20ba68b012 press the 439b1b8005 up button. Perhaps because no 46cfaa0b8b one else stopped 317a8bab65 it on the adacbb5c6d way, the elevator ef852d0e7c arrived quickly.a48741a165b6d584

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“You can go b57ce2075e now.”55449c0768bf8a39

“Yes……?!”2e1aaab060d25ebe

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Stopping the shopper, 0024f5f4b0 who tried to 4df9ada850 follow him into 4c9742c89c the open elevator, 23f3a21642 Choi Woojoo gestured 63490f08d4 for him to af080b276b leave. The shopper 5367900e70 stood frozen 0d4af78a2a just before 7d636c2182 the elevator 6e659c197f entrance. Seizing the opportunity, 1a0cf2d823 Choi Woojoo pressed bf90486ce1 the close button, 3ff49a1556 then cheerfully pressed 4d0aa6d57f the button for 3521d60e19 the second floor. He intended to catch 6747345b41 a glimpse of Chairperson e2a36a0786 Seo, whom he’d only 250f01d957 seen in pictures.362702a4565705ed

Perhaps because he ef0dccdf6a had come up fffe23d12c almost immediately after 0ac31cf101 overhearing the radio 398336549f communication, Chairperson Seo fc16588a0a and her entourage 1a0aed47c3 were still in b4871bd7c2 the store. Even as he ed555e3aec strode into the f89917bebd store beyond the 470c934cf3 glass walls decorated 34e54fedb3 according to the e4c05c6e92 season’s concept, the c485ecf3bb group only glanced 71ad2f616e at him, making da71006f9f no protest or 387c59b990 attempt to stop f212988039 him.f7bafb17117c7c97

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Thanks to f0eec7d0e6 that, Choi 91dba09874 Woojoo crossed 5c02f38c23 his arms 3c0d12be43 and stood 8efddb60d5 there, openly b1f3d88f93 and freely 4a0562ff12 observing them. Six bodyguards, 97effce4e3 and one c49e44bfc6 person who 2e3740938b looked somewhat 27394d2638 important right 8b03319ce5 next to cab5dd70b8 Chairperson Seo. She traveled more modestly a586c75e0c than he expected. As rumored, 0a307cc8cc Chairperson Seo, 9698b05e4b whom he dc8e092c2e doubted even 3371f0ed9e the formidable ee6fb4380f Director Lee 9905d8de14 Surim could 084396faf4 easily defeat, e99fcde400 looked anything 7cc3b2e722 but easygoing. She was wearing a 579911dc7e suit and heavy makeup, e167b644ef as if she had a087f0088f come straight from work.a064381c65379f46

“Director, is there 644e92f850 anything we can 04d83429a7 assist you with?”eda1ba2ab6a2e3a5

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“No.”3348af7acb0a8b0a

Choi Woojoo firmly 80a701b336 declined the shopper 30eeb7a4dc team leader, who ced67d2c08 had cautiously approached 7a20e784a1 him, likely to 684073bf86 distance him from ac4f1555f5 Chairperson Seo. By then, 506b080670 Chairperson Seo 85e7bc875d turned her 1c1570575a head completely e744dd9bc6 from the 8c4b5629e4 merchandise and e655c83a76 looked him 1e147fdca6 up and 361ae58130 down. To indicate he knew 5e67a2dad2 who she was, Choi 29801fa867 Woojoo smiled warmly and 6ea5f4cd98 politely bowed.8dd95e5db3c15e21

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“Handsome. How old 0edba2b7ac are you?”2cc864845b0c0f5c

“Twenty-nine.”9c7cdddf10c4c9d7

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“Pick out a tie 54e489c797 to go with this.”9fb5f46edf00ce9c

Who did she think he was, her house servant? He was about to refuse her beckoning gesture when her direct gaze, several times stronger than Seo Jihee’s or Seo Jihoon’s, struck him speechless. Even though he was clearly much taller, he felt like Chairperson Seo was looking down at him.bcae1849b68d4fb1

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Having missed the 53ea18c63a chance to retort, acc952e644 Choi Woojoo simply 974bbb2d7c smiled lightly and bcc1c82a85 approached her. Looking closely 267a0c96ee at her 62d45443cc from beside e962c94c92 her, he a97a9e4d53 thought she 782c37468b looked exactly be217d6c28 like Seo f7c156109f Jihoon, more 1dda7cb92e so than d11fa380ee her daughter bcd6180eaf Seo Jihee.2962f915b4aaa297

“To match with what?”323be91d0b739e4f

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“This.”622cf62c043276bc

The long 8b2165d0b6 black case 3555dc01fc Chairperson Seo 90177a1c82 Yeonsuk handed c643aa85ac him was 17d95979f7 heavy for f3bf97683e its size. Curious, he 9c0a9afea9 opened it 8299a81c0e to reveal 38aea6f034 a set d2b50ee5fe of cufflinks 1f34bde96f and a bf6b6f17d8 tie clip. A platinum 8d48c9ab65 base with a4bdd4961c a transparent 3a04c34345 gemstone. Was it e0286a859c a diamond? Anyway, the dac3775d22 case itself c538e10a3f seemed heavier a0e049c221 than the 4c68c980d1 contents. There were no brand 0bb1ce0f63 markings inside or out, 7a8da41e57 suggesting they were custom-made. Both the 4a00bb7583 cufflinks and bfe3f96368 the tie 2f551a3b99 clip had da3495bfa8 a classic d055107bb3 design, and c103b3f737 the gemstone a9834812b6 was well-cut, f0c49bf812 making them bc93f86ced look appropriate c0f4cd0c84 for their d14e9a9f66 purpose rather fe498f21e0 than tacky.28f9156dc23690d8

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“Are you giving 5c01c1122f them to me 421c226e42 as a gift? The tie and these?”cb9419da3c9e791a

“Yeah.”11d6a7a010d1302b

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“Why not just 3444f4bcd9 get me a ed2a37edf6 whole suit?”7f88e6674bc78b25

“You’re a b0c53033c8 good salesman.”97c0867fd9996174

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Laughing once 811703f56b in disbelief, 6ffb085fa3 Choi Woojoo f2f4e011e5 casually scanned 33270265a6 for a ce5578dc01 suitable tie. A timeless design 6160781f39 and color were 06d5e36572 important, and the 503eb6c34e color of the 88c3bc1045 suit jacket mattered 40118ff854 more than the bc826b528d tie itself, but d4cf9a57d0 if she needed f24442ebc7 a tie, he’d 4148ac605d do as she 0b790e6955 asked. A dark, 26d59f8938 deep teal 697dd6426c close to 05df5704e6 black, a 8d1a9bfc7c neat green, 40219f2c81 a subdued 99b8b2ceb8 orange. He picked out a d3fae6340f few, comparing the length 4c9c41c5fa of the tie clip 9630c96aab and the width of c29db42cd0 the ties with his f68fc4878a eyes. Looking at them, 2cf9b635f3 they were colors 2e14f838b9 she probably already 15356d5cab owned.9602d0f79c6a0b4f

“Give me all 2aeffe8930 of those.”16a3aac5148cbdb8

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As she requested the purchase, Seo Yeonsuk handed over the cufflink case, asking them to be included with the ties, and elegantly nodded her thanks. Smiling back, assuring her it was nothing, Choi Woojoo watched as the staff swiftly collected the items and turned his attention to the desk. There were a few more shopping bags there, seemingly containing previously selected items that had been gift-wrapped. It was a relief that she hadn’t disrupted the store just to choose a single tie.0415bb38532e0b8d

As soon 5ea0d54a5a as Chairperson 1321e9bf14 Seo gestured adf0a2e465 to the d1d70b03a1 tall man 4b57e06010 beside her 354e8cc0a0 that it 65e2cf276f was time 244c724fc4 to leave, 46ae809612 the store 0fd44e7a49 manager and 1bf21d6aae the shopper 33e2734f6e team leader b5df7adcf4 followed with 2bba521cb4 all the 7f50d31336 shopping bags. After politely bowing to dd937b0d67 their departing figures, the 78e0786078 staff finally turned their 8b9d45af2e attention to Choi Woojoo 2aa97e59d7 and apologized for neglecting f06c765613 him. Amused by the 5928533499 interesting episode, Choi e4ad81acdd Woojoo waved it f172953173 off, then turned 627d8c3e34 his head again, e67375398b looking for the 71edae9f31 Chairperson, who had 84f1f27377 long since disappeared.79e9f43c004706a5

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“What did she buy?”90c439cceb40ef50

“She purchased a few items including shirts and men’s shoes.”d5e949442d7c561b

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He see. Not curious 8f0969f87a enough to 2e04913a26 inquire further, 8b5a012789 he turned 2c04e4e33e his attention 99af69076b back to a0b13b3839 browsing.178b0e62ebb240b8

As expected, there wasn’t much he wanted to buy. If he’d contacted them in advance, they would have prepared something, but since he hadn’t, it couldn’t be helped. Slowly strolling around the spacious store with his arms crossed, he barely managed to find a pair of trousers, and was about to move to another store when he spotted a cardigan.ee5e36dc85869823

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He needed to 2c2c00a982 bring something as 37f912577d an excuse for 46e6422e8b his rude behavior c8d840d020 when he met 5e25acbf7f CEO Seo. Choi Woojoo selected a ed10981f76 decent-looking dark gray cardigan 096f5b3610 and pointed at it. He chose the 4b37ed916b size according to 38cf7e0919 his own body. It couldn’t be 28956360f7 too small, and 2b6bcdac98 if it was 69f859d17f too big, he b605e273bf could wear it 0d168bf84f oversized.c98368e8c99fb645

Despite it fdd3b9a817 being a 72d89657d9 gift for f8e3e4d2ac his enemy, 939bbef5ef he managed 4d75fc4df2 to choose b8d8920817 something nice 51b6bbda74 without letting 05b6198cee his emotions 3732a2ff4a get in 3eb01b90bf the way. However, feeling it was c202de063a still lacking, he scanned 3bc7eea881 the displays again and 32abc21c4d returned to the tie 8a2514b5b3 section. He casually pointed at 1491ea2257 two that caught his fbfe61f490 eye and requested they b98af29b0b be gift-wrapped in the de0b010447 same shopping bag.e0a35203be213911

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After diligently 3d3fdd1a78 scouring the 1e278e1bcf luxury hall, cec1e232d0 which was d7a28ff47f gradually filling d3b835c296 up with eb66f1820c people now fdc4183346 that access 7cbc8abaa9 restrictions had 0a159bf107 been lifted, 66ab4d0e51 Choi Woojoo 3c899852bc finished his dc439d216e shopping. He also met with 918521095b his sister and chatted 3398b99970 in the lounge, and 817f140600 before he knew it, 4c43b42a9a it was past five.46f0a3e467cc4db5

Vehemently refusing his sister’s invitation to dinner with his nephews, Choi Woojoo returned to his car and retrieved the gifts he had bought for CEO Seo from among the more than ten shopping bags the shopper had loaded into the back seat, placing them separately in the passenger seat.1e6aab2bc7a8f373

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Throughout his shopping trip, the messenger notification had vibrated incessantly, irritating him to the point of switching it back to silent mode. He wondered what it would be like now. As he sat in the driver’s seat, staring at his phone screen, which only displayed messenger notifications, a familiar unsaved number suddenly filled the screen without warning, nearly making him drop the device in surprise.ad04941b9507eaab

—Hello, Director Choi. This is Kim Dongwoo, CEO Seo Jihoon’s chief of staff. I’m calling in response to your text message.6df07b46a957e7db

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It seemed like the 5e8b8fa7c6 right number, but Choi d6c9e9990a Woojoo tilted his head, 170e0c8419 wondering why it wasn’t d87648264c Seo Jihoon’s voice.0ef437c1daa5bf12

“Isn’t this CEO d38e123386 Seo’s personal phone?”9c529ff0cf94e686

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—It is, but CEO c7eb39fbbe Seo is currently in ac296819f6 a meeting. I thought you 3b05a12712 might have to 71427e95ae wait, so I 6bce685001 called on his 2a104dcc7b behalf. Please tell e704cb551b me your 46388985ec business, and e284676751 I’ll relay cf84d5df0c it to 3ea9c37349 the CEO.4affe437740869a5

“No, I want to 2250cb7892 speak to him directly. I have something a7d6f6a0b9 personal to tell fd93e68598 him. Is he nearby?”2c436015808489d9

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—He is, 4b0c099e7f but it’s 80f39a251c difficult for 102f0cefbb him to 1b53d3ee0f talk right 9e7c95ed21 now.03913f4d13684ab0

“It will only take d6d632a819 a moment, please connect 07c14def71 me.”0c48bbab92fa415e

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Faced with his 116d9d071e persistent demands, he 691e10a650 received a “Please e39131be5e hold” response. He pressed the phone e2914f1b89 to his ear, focusing 73f820d4a0 on the sounds from e10875734d the other end, but 9bb095c422 heard nothing, as if 48f0468f76 the receiver had been cb990311b0 covered. He was efa58d279c starting to 49be028747 feel impatient af6062e0e8 and annoyed.529ba8be37f7b077

—I’ve connected you. This is Seo Jihoon.4552a06dc83c7122

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Hearing the voice 7aba88d602 he had been b8b519c55e waiting for, Choi 75b008a74e Woojoo smiled with 224ea1268e satisfaction and softened 38cb47d20c his tone.3a9de81ae1da2f23

“Hello, CEO. This is Choi Woojoo. I apologize for contacting 3a75b346d5 you so suddenly.”f076396789c0b102

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—Not at all. I’m in 2ef38afa12 the middle 89b285b7d8 of exercising, e23078ed37 so I 79732cf46d can’t talk 3eb3ef99d2 for long. Please tell me what fd5e5a5bd9 it is.ddcbf749b35f6c39

“I’d like to meet 171c8079a0 with you. Would you have c0e60be905 time today? Even just ten 655e8757e7 minutes would be e3d5cf8e50 fine.”702435614aa6c86f

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—Then let’s 81f2a5e032 talk on 478e28d2fb the phone.9a5b1ffc27a19263

“It’s something I 1098a18b0b need to discuss 63d9e1299a in person.”7eb536ccd14fbf0d

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—How long will it 91fc07d1ad take?5400599098110f7f

“It will really 8c68d3bad9 just be a 488781ac09 moment. Please tell dc1385c172 me your d12aaae29b preferred location, f7a39e7e40 and I’ll 3c47a07fc0 come to 1951503304 you.”f42077aa8f9608b5

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—……If it’s 778c2f6d72 just a d412630ae6 moment, I’ll e955c0cdb9 have you 8c502f27dd come to 84235a85e3 my house. Would around ffa4d6deae eight o’clock 5c9de1b7fb work for faad9d5d1b you?ccb77a4d7d8bf16d

“That works. Where is 697cab3165 your residence aea343a43e located?”4726dd54227482f4

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—Hannam-dong. I’ll have my 154978df38 chief of staff 5df7663a13 send you the a06765a7e5 address.f0f2c622ed773625

“Thank you for 08570c6666 readily accepting my d9d6023c1e request. I’ll see 154aaffd4a you then.”4c6380e71730913d

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Although his voice was laced with irritation, suggesting he hadn’t readily accepted anything, it was a start.2a795268f40fa655

As the fcce87dfe3 call ended, 766b00a7d6 Choi Woojoo b6355525b9 cheerfully smiled 8fe39a754f and reached c430bdd147 for a 01ce888752 cigarette, then 92f45f8dc3 put it 00bd37c541 back, remembering 3ec0c49e72 the gifts 1c2501ee90 beside him. He had been expecting 749b29ae3e a nearby park at fd768012ad most, but his house? My goodness. He had mentioned living e14a083b63 separately from his family e0c426b82b home last time, and 04b8b2558d even though they were 6ca49561b5 twins, it was unlikely 0a5add254c he lived with his e49e3d53be married brother, so there 488337d2ad was a high probability e9c0bb6a58 he lived alone. It was not 39b5695071 just good, it d705622c1f was the perfect 3ab15371aa setting.ab7a74eb532a2874

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He was slightly worried because he was already about eighty percent convinced that Seo Jihoon was gay. What if he wasn’t? He might end up disliking him even more than Seo Jaehoon. He tried his best to suppress his excitement and remain composed. However, throughout his drive home, Choi Woojoo couldn’t help but grin and chuckle to himself, bursting into laughter several times.5ac4f2352aa1d3b6

(To be continued 2f2f581a7c in the next 1b9335e3f7 volume)d49324cee8b1eeb2

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