Chapter 78.
“Where is a.s.sistant Manager Woojin?”
“I thought he went to lunch.”
When Shin asked while standing in front of the policy room, Yeonwoo replied as she put on her coat. Jihoon, who was sitting next to Yeonwoo, glanced at Shin briefly before leaving the room without a word. Jihoon had an odd talent of making people feel unhappy. He had a great reputation, but the more Shin got to know him, the more darkness and shallowness he found. Yeonwoo shrugged her shoulders and patted Shin’s shoulder.
“Why are you looking so down, Shin oppa? Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?”
“I will buy you lunch, so can I get some dating advice?”
“Hmm… I feel like I’m being used. But if you promise to help find me a good boyfriend, I will help you.”
“Got it!”
They invited their other colleagues, but they were all busy, so just Yeonwoo and Shin ended up going to lunch together. They walked to the office cafeteria as they talked about the company.
“Shin oppa, did you notice that it feels a bit tense around the office?”
“You feel it too?”
“Yeah… There are rumors that the directors are going to be replaced. Maybe even the managers too.”
“… I wonder if the chairman is ill?”
“Isn’t that an old ongoing rumor? I heard he has been weak for a very long time.”
“Well, as long as the company doesn’t go bankrupt and I get to keep my job, I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“Wow, you are such a salaryman, Mr. Shin Kim.”
“You too, Ms. Yeonwoo.”
They stood in front of the elevator and waited. Shin asked quietly, “Have you dated a lot in the past, Yeonwoo?”
“That’s a private question, but go on.”
“If your boyfriend is too friendly, is that something you would get mad at?”
“If he is nice to everyone, of course it would annoy me.”
“…”
“I think I told you this before, Oppa. People who are quiet and unsocial usually have difficulty understanding others who are social and friendly to everyone.”
“… Oh.”
“You can be so slow, Oppa.”
“What?”
“Imagine your girlfriend being nice to everyone.”
“My partner isn’t like that.”
“And that is why you can’t understand. Again, imagine your girlfriend being super friendly with other men. You know, touching their shoulders, helping straighten their ties…”
“What? But that’s too much…”
“Oppa! YOU are like that all the time! You can be really touchy. You tuck other girls’ hair back or wipe their cheeks if there’s a smudge. I’ve seen it many times.”
Yeonwoo had a teasing look, so at first, Shin thought she was joking. But when she looked up at him solemnly, Shin realized that she was serious. Indeed, Shin was very friendly with everyone. It was also how he met many of his previous girlfriends in the past.
Yeonwoo continued, “You admit it, right? You feel guilty right now. I can tell.”
“…”
“Hmm… Your girlfriend got angry at you for it, didn’t she? I knew it.”
“Do you think she is really angry?”
The elevator finally arrived, and they walked in. Yeonwoo laughed as she looked at Shin’s anxious face.
“Yeonwoo, are you laughing at me?”
“No, it’s just strange seeing you looking so nervous.”
“… I really am nervous.”
“Alright. I will give you some helpful advice.”
***
Siwoo rested his hands on the handle as he waited in his car, which was parked in the parking lot. He felt thirsty, so he opened a bottle of water he bought from the convenience store. It was past 6:30 PM. When he swallowed a sip, someone knocked on the car window.
“Oh, you are here.”
“Yes. I just got off work.”
Siwoo always found himself feeling uncomfortable around Woojin. As he sat down in the pa.s.senger seat, Siwoo studied Woojin’s profile carefully. Woojin didn’t have a sharp face, but there was something oddly harsh about him. Perhaps it was because of Woojin’s eyes. His eyes were large and deep, making him look strangely memorable. Siwoo remembered those eyes from high school.
Siwoo said to him, “Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice.”
“I a.s.sumed you had a good reason for asking me.”
Woojin was a man of few words. He was very straightforward, saying what he needed to without unnecessary words. Siwoo started his car and said to Woojin, “I will take you to a restaurant where we can eat and talk comfortably.”
“It’s ok if you tell me here right now. Shin already left work.”
“Pardon?”
“You want to talk about Jihoon Kang, right?”
“…”
“By now, you must know how Jihoon and I are related.”
“Just a little.”
Siwoo nodded and tried to read Woojin’s face, but Woojin looked blank. He looked out briefly before explaining to Siwoo, “If we move to a different place, they are going to think something is up. Jihoon left work as well too. I a.s.sumed that you came today because you knew all these things.”
“…They? Who are you talking about?”
“Jihoon Kang is always being followed and watched.”
Woojin replied nonchalantly but Siwoo suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“… I don’t understand. What did you just say?”
“Didn’t you know all this already?”
“…”
“If you spent some time with him, I thought you would’ve felt something by now. Hmm… I guess not.”
Woojin took off his coat slowly and placed it in the backseat. He then reached out and turned on the radio as he explained, “Just in case someone is listening in.”
“… What?”
“Jihoon Kang is the most likely person to inherit this company. This means that they will try to eliminate anything and everything that might create a bad reputation for him.”
Siwoo had never seen Woojin talk this much, so he stared in surprise. Siwoo felt breathless, so he grabbed the bottle of water again and gulped it down. When he was with Jihoon, nothing unusual happened. He never felt anything strange….
Suddenly, Siwoo asked, “Is that why Jihoon always asks me to meet him at home?”
“I don’t know much about Jihoon’s social habits.”
“…”
“After that incident, Jihoon was watched even more closely.”
“…You weren’t in Korea when that happened, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“What did Jihoon do?”
“I thought you called me here because you had something to tell me.”
Woojin raised the volume a little. The radio DJ was explaining a new song that had been released. Concerned that their conversation was still audible, Siwoo took out a CD from his glovebox. It was an EDM alb.u.m, something he never thought he would actually listen to. When the music started, Woojin frowned. Siwoo remembered Shin explaining how Woojin could be very sensitive. At the time, Siwoo thought it would be hard to date such a difficult man, but Shin seemed too happy to talk about Woojin.
Siwoo asked, “Don’t you get followed and watched as well then?”
“Not as much. My grandfather isn’t as interested in me. Besides, Jihoon…”
“…”
“It’s partly his mother who is behind everything.”
Siwoo took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts. He needed to remember why he asked Woojin to come here. He needed to calm down.
Siwoo asked, “Does Shin know about everything?”
“I’m not sure about ‘everything,’ but because I act like it doesn’t matter, I think he is ok with it all.”
“… and is everything really ok?”
“We like each other, and that’s all that matters.”
Woojin seemed certain. Siwoo found him very interesting. Woojin looked so young, like a fragile young boy sometimes, but there were many moments when he looked so strong. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed and fine smile lines appeared, making him look seductive.
Siwoo replied, “That’s a very confident answer.”
“…”
“As you expected, I am here to talk about Jihoon Kang.”
“… and what about him?”
“You are guessing… that Jihoon Kang is trying to harm Shin Kim… Right?”