LLU 2

The meal proceeded in an amicable atmosphere. Chairman Choi told a few stories with a deliberate demeanor. They were stories that could have easily been uncomfortable, but he was unreserved. The content was mostly what I had heard from my mother, but to confirm for myself that Chairman Choi was, as my mother claimed, happy about the pregnancy, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“It goes without saying, but Ms. Jeongin will become my wife, and in turn, Oon will become my person. This means we will be bound together under the name of family. But I have no intention of forcing anything on Oon. It’s an age when you’re very sensitive, and it must be bewildering to suddenly hear something like this. So I’d like it if you would think of everything comfortably.”

Chairman Choi revealed his intention to live with my mother after my college entrance exams were over, and he emphasized my freedom several times. Saying that I could live with my mother at the mansion as much as I wanted, or if I preferred, he would get me a room so I could live near the school. At his attitude of complete consideration for me, my mother’s happy laughter, sitting next to me, deepened.

In reality, the man showed no sign of being bothered by me. Surprisingly, he was instead trying to win me over.

He was trying his best to restrain himself, but he looked like a person high on being in love. It was similar to the expression my mother used to make back in the day when she was infatuated with worthless men.

I observed his face intently, replying with a moderately polite “Yes” in between. It went without saying, but I had not the slightest intention of staying at ‘that house.’

However, that place would soon become the home of my mother, who was recklessly setting out to have another person’s child. I had talked with her late into the night, but her immature stubbornness was something I couldn’t possibly break. Now that things had come to this, there was only one thing I wanted.

For Chairman Choi, who seemed so smitten with my mother, to maintain that feeling for as long as possible. So that my mother would be hurt even just a little bit less. That was the reason I was attending this foolish gathering, wearing a shabby suit and sitting quietly.

Just then, there was a presence outside.

“Come in.”

Chairman Choi’s face instantly brightened. So much so that one could easily guess how much he cherished his grown son.

An employee opened the door from the outside. The man standing outside strode in. As he entered through the papered doorway, he naturally ducked his tall frame, then straightened his posture. His gaze, looking down at the people sitting inside from a standing position, was direct, relaxed, and,

“I’m Choi Junghan.”

Excessively arrogant.

Don’t people usually add a greeting? Something like, it’s nice to meet you, or sorry I’m a little late. I felt like I already knew how the man was treating us.

Yes, this seemed more honest, in a way. I sneered inwardly and twisted my lips up.

“It’s nice to meet you, Executive Director. I’ve heard so much… about you.”

My mother smiled awkwardly and tried to get up from her seat. But Chairman Choi actively stopped her with a smiling face.

“What do you mean, Executive Director. Call him by his name.”

“Ah, yes. Then, Junghan… Mr. Choi.”

The man simply gave a light nod without answering and naturally sat down next to Chairman Choi. His gaze soon turned to my mother.

The way his eyes openly scanned my mother’s face was excessively rude. Under that sharp, blade-like gaze, my mother didn’t know what to do and lowered her eyes, her face turning red.

The man’s gaze quickly lost interest in my mother. The shifted gaze now turned to me. The moment our eyes met, I put strength into mine. I could understand why he was being openly rude to my mother, but I had no desire to understand.

“And this is?”

He opened his mouth without taking his eyes off me. My mother, looking startled, answered in a fluster.

“Ah, my son… it’s my son. You should say hello, Oon-ah.”

“Hello.”

I tossed out a dry greeting.

“I’m Pi Un. My last name is Pi, and my first name is Un.”

A short silence flowed. Was it two, maybe three seconds? To me, that silence felt like a reconnaissance battle. While the man stared at me with the same unfiltered gaze as before, I, too, did not back down and observed him in return.

His pale skin color emphasized his cold and neurotic impression. His arrogant eyes looked accustomed to looking down on everyone as if they were beneath his feet. The bridge of his nose, descending from a straight forehead, was sculpted as if delicately carved, and his firm yet neat jawline highlighted his masculinity. He was a strong, stubborn-looking man.

While our eyes were locked, a kind of warning flashed through my mind. It had no basis, but I was the type to deeply trust the instincts that strongly gripped my inner self.

I must never get involved with this man.

That was my first impression of the man.

“What a flower-like name.”

Just like your face.

The man who had been silently staring at me added that, raising the corners of his mouth in a smile. There was no way I couldn’t recognize the slight ridicule mixed into the appraisal-like comment he had thrown out so abruptly. Since I was young, I had been mercilessly teased for my name, along with my girl-like appearance.

Rude b**t**d. I barely swallowed the words that flared up. Of course, it was true that my mother, a hopeless romantic, had named me with that in mind, but it wasn’t something I should hear from a man I was meeting for the very first time.

“That’s a cliché assessment.”

Therefore, I didn’t want to suppress the childishness that was stealthily raising its head.

“I’ve heard it many times already.”

I deliberately finished my sentence slowly and looked him straight in the eye and smiled. It was an intentional imitation of his smile.

The man’s eyebrow twitched, though only for a moment. My mother, flustered, pulled my arm, saying “Oon-ah!” Chairman Choi’s eyes widened slightly, then quickly softened.

“Haha, it’s fine.”

“I’m sorry, Chairman. I’m sorry, Mr. Junghan. My son is a bit…, he has a bold side to him.”

“No, I like it. A man should have some backbone.”

Chairman Choi guffawed. The hearty laughter smoothly and generously smoothed over the small disturbance that had occurred just a moment ago.

The meal took place in an amicable atmosphere. Chairman Choi calmly explained his position. He told Choi Junghan not to feel burdened, but that he would appreciate it if he took his time and slowly accepted the situation, to which Choi Junghan gave a short reply of “Yes.” It was neither obedience nor defiance. To me, it seemed close to no reaction at all.

“Excuse me, the restroom.”

After some time had passed, I got up from my seat and left the room. I was desperate for the cigarette I had put in the inner pocket of my jacket. But I couldn’t very well sit there reeking of cigarette smoke at a gathering like this. I sauntered to the restroom and washed my hands.

As I blankly let the cold water run over my hands, I felt like I could breathe a little. The ill-fitting clothes and the uncomfortable setting, and the even more uncomfortable person.

I had been curious about what kind of person Chairman Choi was, but after meeting him, I wasn’t too worried. He was much more infatuated with my mother than I had thought, and the atmosphere between them was smooth.

The only thing that was grating was.

‘What a flower-like name.’

A curse almost escaped through my clenched teeth, but I held it back. I irritably turned off the water and dried my hands. The moment I turned to leave, what I faced was the owner of that grating face I had just recalled.

I had noticed when he naturally bowed his head upon entering the room earlier, but he was a very tall man. His upper body, which had developed in proportion to his height, also naturally came into view. His shoulders and chest, wrapped in a suit, looked solid. It was a body designed to be threatening, unlike his neurotic, young master-like face.

“…….”

Choi Junghan walked towards me, staring straight at me. I, who ended up wedged between him and the sink as he closed the distance in an instant, looked up at him with a feeling of disbelief.

He just stood there, towering over me and looking down. The silence he created was strangely twisted. Is he planning to make some pathetic threat? If so, he’s barking up the wrong tree.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

I asked in the most insolent tone I could muster, hoping to provoke him. But unlike before, Choi Junghan showed no sign of being fazed by my disrespectful gaze. The corners of his coolly stretched lips pulled slightly to the side. His firmly closed lips parted, making a small w** sound.

Suddenly, his hand came up without warning. My body tensed up in an instant. I was about to reflexively take a defensive posture, thinking he might grab me by the collar.

“Your necktie. It was crooked.”

However, the man’s raised hand, as if mocking me, touched my necktie instead of my collar. During the few seconds I was momentarily frozen, Choi Junghan, with a fluid gesture, untied the necktie and began to tie it anew.

…What is this?

By the time I slapped his hand away a beat later, the knot was already firmly completed. The breath I drew in trembled with anger. I lifted my chin, glared at him, and spat out through my teeth.

“I can do it myself. Don’t touch me so carelessly….”

“First time wearing one? A suit.”

Choi Junghan let out a short laugh and washed his hands. Drip, drip. After letting the water droplets fall into the sink, he dried his hands with a leisurely motion, then balled up the towel and tossed it into the trash can.

His brightly shining white hand came up, this time placing itself firmly on my shoulder. A solid and unpleasant weight pressed down.

“It suits you. Next time, try one size smaller.”

Leaving behind a fresh smile, he left the restroom. In the place where he had been, only the unpleasant scent of cologne remained.

Son of a b**ch.

This time, I couldn’t hold back the curse that slipped out. Looking at the necktie, which was as neatly tied as it was infuriating, reflected in the mirror, I irritably left the restroom.

“Let’s see each other again.”

After the gathering ended, Choi Junghan extended his hand to me and said that. With a fake smile on his lips.

I was so dumbfounded I just stared blankly at him. But my mother did not let me commit a second act of rudeness.

“Oon-ah, what’s with you today, really! Hurry up and say goodbye.”

My mother whispered into my ear in an urgent voice. Seeing my mother’s helpless attitude, Choi Junghan’s smile deepened even more. Seeing his obvious ridicule, my animosity towards him boiled up once again. It was to the point where I couldn’t believe a person could be so d**n unlucky in every single thing.

“Yes.”

And I did not want to avoid him. I took his hand and raised my gaze to meet his directly.

“See you again.”

As long as Chairman Choi and my mother’s relationship ripened smoothly, Choi Junghan would be someone I would have to keep encountering anyway. Having been looked down upon by him once in my dopey attire, I didn’t want to act foolishly and grant him any further sense of accomplishment.

It was the first contact I had with the man. His hand was unpleasantly cold. Along with his corpse-like frigid hand, his gaze was the same.

His well-shaped eyes were handsome enough that no one could argue, but the way he looked at people was the opposite. The arrogance that filled them, the condescension with which he unreservedly looked down on people. I had a groundless conviction that this was his innate character.

As Choi Junghan shook my hand, he twisted the corners of his lips up. His cool, well-defined lips drew a fluid line. The gaze he shot at me was intuitive and strong, as if it would pierce its target. But I did not turn my eyes away and stared back at him until the end.

“…….”

A silence as sharp as if cut by a knife flowed for a moment. It was only a few seconds. Just enough time for Chairman Choi and my mother, who had finished paying and followed us out, to exchange a few short words. During that time, he and I stared intently at each other.

The moment Chairman Choi and my mother turned their heads towards us, it was surprisingly Choi Junghan who averted his gaze first. As if he had never been shaking my hand in a childish battle of nerves, he smiled cleanly and turned towards Chairman Choi.

The first reconnaissance battle with Choi Junghan ended like that.

In the eyes of our parents, it was a more or less smooth farewell greeting. Indeed, Chairman Choi smiled with satisfaction and told my mother and me several times that he’d like to see us again soon.

On the way home, Chairman Choi even drove us himself. Choi Junghan left, saying he had to go to the company, and Chairman Choi drove the car himself all the way home, chatting amiably with my mother, who was sitting in the passenger seat. They held hands the entire way home.

It was a different, secret, and sweet atmosphere from what they had shown at the dinner. The feeling of eavesdropping on lovers’ whispers was quite agonizing. The entire way back home, I kept my head fixed on the view outside the car window. If I had my way, I was at the point where I wanted to get out of the car and go home separately.