Ch 35

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1 Month Before that day (7)

 

When Eunho woke up, the spot next to him was empty. Judging by the warmth lingering there, Yoonjae hadn’t been up for long. Eunho covered his mouth with his hand, yawned widely, and trudged into the living room. It was quiet, making him wonder if Yoonjae had gone home, but the sound of water indicated he was in the bathroom.

 

“There’s nothing to eat…”

 

He didn’t usually eat at home, so he wasn’t likely to have proper ingredients. He always let milk expire, so he’d switched to UHT milk long ago. Yoonjae would have to go to his own place to change anyway, so he’d eat breakfast there, but Eunho felt uneasy.

 

‘Should I at least give him milk?’

 

He hesitated, holding a pack of UHT milk, wondering whether to put it in the fridge, when the door opened and he met Yoonjae’s eyes. Yoonjae was only wearing a towel around his waist.

 

“……”

 

Eunho’s face flushed as if on fire, and he lowered his head. The sight of water droplets falling from Yoonjae’s hair and trickling down his bare chest was both sensual and decadent, stirring up Eunho’s hidden desires.

 

“W-Would you like some?”

 

Eunho awkwardly offered him the milk pack he was holding. Yoonjae, who was drying his hair with the towel, approached and studied Eunho before taking the milk. Seeing Eunho’s face as red as a tomato, he deliberately moved his face close.

 

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

 

“W-Well… it’s bright outside.”

 

He was about to turn away, spouting the absurd logic that it was okay to be half-naked at night because it was dark, but not in the bright morning. However, a quicker hand cupped Eunho’s neck and cheek, and their lips met. The wet sound of saliva echoed sensually between them.

 

“It’s a shame we don’t have more time.”

 

Eunho placed his hand over Yoonjae’s hand on his cheek and met his eyes. His gaze, focused solely on him, was as glossy as glass beads. Eunho calmed his racing heart and replied with a light smile.

 

“Go home and eat breakfast quickly.”

 

After moving to Yoonjae’s house, five minutes away, and changing clothes, Yoonjae seemed to be in better condition than yesterday. While eating breakfast, they reviewed the documents that needed to be checked before today’s meeting.

 

Eunho accompanied Yoonjae to most of the meetings, collecting data and writing minutes. With record-breaking performance since the company’s founding, high-value investors were lining up, so meetings with the Product Strategy Division to research related investment products were fixed once a week.

 

Eunho collected all the investment product proposals, sent them to Yoonjae and Chief Yoon via email, and was the last to leave the conference room.

 

He had his phone on silent and vibrate so as not to miss anything during the meeting, so he missed the call from  Hyukpil Sunbae. Back in the secretary’s office, Eunho put his laptop on his desk and immediately walked out of the entrance.

 

“Sunbae, I’m sorry. I missed your call because I was in a meeting.”

 

-I know you’re busy. Anyway, there’s not much to report. I’ve sent the relevant information by email, so check it out.

 

“Thank you, Sunbae.”

 

Back at his desk, Eunho opened his personal email and reviewed the data Hyukpil had sent.

 

“Ah, there’s nothing here.”

 

Most of the information was no different from the data the finance team had investigated. The only additional information was that Isabella Brown, the CEO of A Second, was a Korean-American, 58 years old, and her son was an executive in the company.

 

Eunho felt lost, as if adrift at sea. Was it really just a simple investment? But they were buying up company shares so aggressively for a simple investment.

 

Chief Yoon had also checked with the shareholders who had handed over their shares to A Second for the same reason, but stopped the investigation because he couldn’t find anything unusual. Eunho, who had hoped something would come of it, also had to stop the investigation after finding nothing.

 

***

 

Yoonjae thought about Kang Taeoh from various angles whenever he had a chance. He casually asked a few close confidants about Kang Taeoh, but they didn’t seem to know him, as he was quiet and didn’t even enjoy parties or social gatherings.

 

He would have to get an additional report from Chief Yoon, but overall, it seemed certain that the purpose was investment. Considering that Seoin Construction was a major shareholder of Yuseong Venture Capital in the past, he speculated that they were looking into various things for investment and the scope expanded to Yuseong Venture Capital.

 

But there was still an unsolved mystery. It was the fact that he knew all the places Yoonjae had invested in before his regression and the places he had newly invested in after his regression. Furthermore, it was too excessive, like a stalker, considering that he had looked into Yoonjae’s information in the past in the name of Seoin Construction to invest in Yuseong Venture Capital, and that he knew Eunho well, who was not his executive secretary but a regular secretary at the time. And the fact that Seoin Construction was excluded from the list of investors this time, unlike in the past, was still an unsolved mystery. He wondered what that implied.

 

There must be a reason why Kang Taeoh was trying to confirm Yoonjae’s regression.

 

Yoonjae was planning to meet Kang Taeoh again as soon as he received the data from Chief Yoon.

 

Eunho, who was driving home from work, tilted his head, seeing Yoonjae getting into the passenger seat instead of the back. Yoonjae tapped the navigation system with his finger to set the destination, fastened his seat belt, and crossed his arms. Eunho’s eyes widened.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“You’ll see when we get there.”

 

He didn’t seem to want to tell him, so Eunho said he understood and didn’t say anything more. His hands were skilled as he turned the steering wheel. As he turned the corner and went above ground, the outside was as bright as day thanks to the long evening sun.

 

The location was in a neighborhood full of luxury shops, but there were also restaurants run by famous chefs on the way. Were they going to a restaurant? He guessed the destination was a restaurant, but when they arrived, it was an unexpected private jewelry shop. Eunho pointed to the jewelry shop, wondering why they were here, and Yoonjae, who had been smiling gently, pulled Eunho out of the car.

 

“Welcome, Executive Director.”

 

As if they had been waiting for the two of them, the clear glass windows darkened, blocking the outside view. As they walked to the center of the dome-shaped hall, the manager who came out to greet them smiled warmly. Eunho, who was a little daunted by the fact that there were no other customers besides them due to the time-based reservation, looked around and was pulled closer to Yoonjae.

 

Inside the display cases, dazzling jewelry was arranged in a way that made them stand out according to their style. Whether it was the philosophy of this brand to be elegant, simple, and modern, each set had its own meaning written on it.

 

“Would you like to pick something you like? Or you can explain the design you want. We can make it exactly as you want.”

 

Yoonjae showed Eunho a catalog as he looked into the display case. He sat on a nearby sofa and turned the pages with a serious expression, as if he liked it. Unlike his worries that he would ask him to pick something for him because he didn’t know what to choose, Eunho’s usual professionalism came out, and he checked everything, including the size, color, and shape of the diamonds.

 

When he asked if there were any bookmarks, the employee next to him brought several. Eunho marked each page he liked with a bookmark and turned to the next. He was so focused that it took him a full 30 minutes to look through the entire catalog. It was Eunho’s first time customizing a ring, and he didn’t want to skip over anything. Especially if it was with Yoonjae.

 

“But even if we customize it, we can’t wear it right away.”

 

“It takes some time to work on it.”

 

Ah, the crafting time. Eunho pressed his lower lip with his fingertip and, after checking everything to the end, took the catalog with the bookmarks to the manager.

 

“Is it possible to add or subtract a little from this ring design?”

 

“Of course.”

 

After choosing one ring he liked, Eunho drew some parts of it on paper to complete the desired design. Yoonjae, who had only been playing the role of an observer one step behind, subtly stuck to Eunho’s back and smiled contentedly as he looked at the ring drawing he had drawn.

 

He had drawn the desired points quite plausibly. A thick body, Roman numerals engraved on the outside circumference, and a small diamond drawn on the front.

 

“How is it? If it’s not good, should we just pick one from the catalog?”

 

“I think it’s great.”

 

Yoonjae reacted positively to the meaningful ring design. Eunho’s brown eyes, filled with pride from the compliment, sparkled dazzlingly in the light of the display case.

 

“You have a good hand! You could be a designer.”

 

The manager who was guiding them gave a sincere cheer. While the manager was checking the ring sizes of the two, Eunho took a picture of the ring drawing he had drawn. He wanted to record everything they did together.

 

“Then please do it like this.”

 

“The production is expected to take about a month. Is that okay with you?”

 

“That’s fine.”

 

As they were finishing signing and paying, a valet who had moved the car to the entrance approached them. Yoonjae, who received the keys, stroked Eunho’s flowing hair, saying that he would drive on the way back.

 

“I didn’t expect this.”

 

Yoonjae, who put Eunho in the passenger seat first and returned to the driver’s seat, pressed the start button and gently covered the neat face that was staring at him. Yoonjae tilted his head slightly, pressed his lips to Eunho’s cheek, and whispered softly, tickling his ear.

 

“Tell me if there’s anything you’re upset about. There’s a lot I don’t know and miss.”

 

Eunho, who was melting into the cotton candy-like sweet tone, raised his neatly trimmed eyebrows and looked up at Yoonjae.

 

“There’s nothing like that.”

 

The dimples on his soft cheeks were deeply indented. Eunho was grateful and happy just that he was always taking care of him and being considerate.

 

“Just… being with me is enough.”

 

The eyes looking at him with affection, and the face that was sculpted like a statue, were only directed at Eunho.

 

“Just like now.”

 

Yoonjae pressed Eunho’s cheek and tilted his head to overlap his lips. The two people’s breaths were sucked into each other’s mouths without hesitation.

 

***

 

Chairman Choi had stepped down from his position long after the management succession, but perhaps because he was on the verge of death, the Yuseong Group was unable to overcome the company’s financial difficulties and the depressed atmosphere, and continued to sink.

 

“I heard about the chairman. You should prepare yourself.”

 

“That’s right. I feel sorry for him because he’s been sick for so long.”

 

Choi Seryeong, sitting on a single sofa in the vice president’s office, continued the light conversation with Kim Seongho, the director of Jane Pharmaceutical, who was sitting opposite her, but the gloomy atmosphere of the company and the unremitting tension between them could not be erased. Kim Seongho, who visited at Choi Seryeong’s invitation, rolled up his sleeves to check the time and glanced at the empty seat opposite him with a dissatisfied look.

 

“Is one person going to be late?”

 

“No. He’ll be here soon.”

 

Choi Seryeong, who was anxious about Kim Seongho’s uncomfortable reaction, got up from her seat and greeted Kang Taeoh, who was knocking and entering, with a welcoming gesture.

 

“Welcome, Managing Director Kang. Why are you so busy these days? It’s so hard to see your face.”

 

“I’m a loafer. I’ve been busy meeting beautiful ladies these days…”

 

Although she spoke to him in a friendly manner, Choi Seryeong and Kang Taeoh were distant, as this was their first meeting since the last private auction. They had often built relationships at business gatherings because their parents were close, but they were not close enough to have a drink or confide in each other. Taeoh, who roughly matched Seryeong’s desire to show off her connections, smiled outwardly but harbored ridicule inwardly.

 

“Hello. This is Kang Taeoh from Seoin Construction.”

 

“This is Kim Seongho from Jane Pharmaceutical.”

 

Kim Seongho, who was sitting in his seat with arrogance, hurriedly got up and shook hands with Kang Taeoh, who came closer and offered his hand first. An awkward current flowed between the pheromone wavelengths of the three people, who were gathered for their own interests but could not mix together.

 

“Hmm,” Seryeong, who cleared her throat and focused her attention, immediately moved the conversation to the main point.

 

“The reason I called you two here today is because I thought I would ask you two for a favor, as the chairmen have been in a cooperative relationship for many years.”

 

Taeoh had also come here at Seryeong’s request. These days, the Yuseong Group was in a state of isolation due to various misfortunes, and was desperately trying to find a breakthrough. Seryeong picked up her teacup, took a sip to moisten her throat, and put it down. The intense red lipstick, which contrasted strongly with her fair skin, gave her a venomous feeling in conjunction with her straight eyes.

 

“As you know, it is true that the group has become difficult since our chairman stepped down from his position. We are continuing to invest in facilities for resorts and hotels, but the cash flow is not smooth.”

 

She was saying that things were difficult, but perhaps because she couldn’t forget the glorious reputation of the past, or because she judged that her pride would fall into the abyss if she collapsed further here, the expressions of the two men sitting on either side of her were dumbfounded at her attitude of trying to act haughty.

 

“We need to find a source of funds, and as you know, Yuseong Venture Capital is doing well these days.”

 

Seryeong turned to Director Kim Seongho, who was sitting on her right, and focused. In order to overturn Yuseong Venture Capital, she had to grab several people, but Kim Seongho was the master key. Currently, Seryeong was continuing to contact A Second, but had not received a reply.

 

“We are planning to reincorporate it into the Yuseong Group through the general shareholders’ meeting in the third quarter and dismiss Executive Director Choi Yoonjae, and I called you here because I need Director Kim’s help.”

 

“Isn’t Yuseong Venture Capital a company with a different owner?”

 

Kim Seongho, who was uncomfortable with the words incorporation and dismissal, expressed his dissatisfaction. There were not many companies of this caliber among the average companies, and he was annoyed as a major shareholder because they were trying to put the brakes on a company that was on a roll.

 

Kim Seongho, who knew Seryeong’s black intentions, frowned and raised a rebellion. He was appalled by her intention to use Yuseong Venture Capital as a lever to attract large funds or to allow Yuseong Venture Capital’s cash to flow into the Yuseong Group because the cash flow was not working and everything was about to collapse. Seryeong was upset by Kim Seongho’s immediate change of attitude, but she calmed herself down and responded calmly because he was a necessary person.

 

“You know that my younger brother is the second largest shareholder after Choi Yoonjae.”

 

“Even if the shareholders agree, will Choi Yoonjae stay still?”

 

Kim Seongho took Choi Yoonjae’s side from an objective point of view. Currently, Choi Yoonjae was at the beginning of his prime as a leader. Yoonjae achieved his prime at an early age, which usually starts in his forties or fifties. Presumably, his prime will last for quite some time. He had been showing his potential for several years, and now he had come to the forefront and become a roaring beast. Seongho did not want to pull the reins of a horse that was running well and stop it from running.

 

“I know that you have nearly 10% of the shares, including the 4% you have and the friendly shares you have secured.”

 

“Did you investigate me?”

 

“That’s not it, but wouldn’t I have eyes and ears?”