Within the large ballroom, many high-cla.s.s individuals were present at the networking tables. Some of the few worth noting included the Song Family who owned the Song Music Company, the Ki Family, running a conglomerate of their own, the Jang Group, the controller of the largest export and import company in Asia, and the Moon Group who owned many land properties as well as other business ventures.n.o.body could ever see such a sight unless in this room. Every person present had a fortune that rivaled against all middle-cla.s.s income combined.
Now. Why would all these important people gather here today you may ask? It was for networking.
The South Korea Elite Gala was a place for the most high-cla.s.s people to meet and gather connections. People who weren"t in the circle were individuals with high potential, supported by a higher-rank.
It was wild jungle with many tigers with sharpened fangs. The smile on their faces were scarily real-looking when it reality, everything was rehea.r.s.ed from head-to-toe.
Most of the night would consist of dancing and socializing. It was a time for many women and men to dance and showcase their skills. To appeal to the opposite s.e.x, the gala was a perfect opportunity to meet a marriage prospect.
Near eleven however, the official charity auction was to begin, all proceeds going to the South Korean community. To others, a charity event would show how empathetic and wonderful the people donating were! After all they were giving back to the community.
However, deep inside, the smart partic.i.p.ants knew what the real purpose of the auction was. It was a way for them to show off their money and power. The highest bidders would be the winners of the night, gaining the awe of many.
This auction was a large deal for the elite to symbolize their power; therefore, they were prepared to show off how "humble" they were by doing charitable deeds.
What mattered was not the inside; but how people portrayed themselves. In the end, n.o.body can scorn someone who"d donated millions of dollars to the poor.
In the midst of the chatter, a few people began to speak about the MH CEO.
"Have you heard?" A man said as he sipped their wine. "Chae Minhyun is coming to the event. It will be my first time seeing him in public!"
"Chae Minhyun? As in the CEO of MH Conglomerate? You have to be joking. There is no way he"s here. He"s known not to show up to social events, more or less talk to any of us peasants. To him, all the great families are comparable to worms."
"It"s true!" A lady pipped in. "In fact, I heard that he asked for an extra invitation, meaning that he is bringing someone along. I wonder who it could be..."
"Whoever it is, they"re lucky to be merely by his side."
In the middle of the room stood the Moon siblings speaking to their family"s business partners and their families. It was a social rule that the first half of socializing to involve formally greeting all relevant persons to their venture. More than having fun, it was pure business, strengthening the relations and being polite.
As if the garlic incident never happened, Jaeun"s face was flawless. Her skin glistened like jewels, no blemish in sight. It took her a lot of money and hard work to get her skin back into top tier condition. She visited the dermatologist numerous times and got facials done by her personal esthetician.
She bit her lip as she overheard the group talking about Minhyun. "Brother."
Jaemin didn"t reply. He was talking to a business professional and didn"t want to stir away from the conversation.
Jaeun let out a huff before tugging his sleeve. "Jaemin let"s talk."
A frigid smile was on his face. He sent a glare to his sister, hidden from the other party, before bowing his head to the man. "Sorry about that. I must tend my brotherly duties. What can I say?"
The other man laughed happily. "Go on. If I had a sister that beautiful I would talk to her everyday. Don"t keep her waiting."
Jaemin chuckled. "Thank you sir."
Once Jaeun dragged him near the refresher table, he grit his teeth. Although his lips were curled up in a smile, his gaze was icy. "What do you want. That was a very important conversation you interrupted dear sister."
"Minhyun is coming."
The annoyance in his eyes disappeared, replaced by confusion. "What?"
Eyes carefully evaluating the scene to make sure n.o.body was eavesdropping, Jaeun spoke again. "I overheard that he decided to come to the gala."
"That f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Jaemin murmured under his breath. His eyes rang with blood-thirst. "I thought he didn"t come to events like this. Just seeing his face makes me want to rip his throat."
Jaeun gulped. Even as her blood relative, her brother was an unpredictable person. Seeing him like this even made her blood curl.
Chae Minhyun. In all honesty, hearing that he was going to come made her very happy at first. Last time she saw him, Jaeun was in awe. His perfection out of this world. As a man of high-quality, she knew that he would be looking for a significant other that would match his standing. Someone like her. She just needed to help him realize it.
However, the problem started in the later news. He was bringing someone else.
"That"s not the main problem brother," she insisted. "Apparently he asked for an extra invitation and he"s bringing someone else."
"So?"
She widened her eyes. "So... That person might be Yoona? I thought you were the smart one out of the two of us."
He let out a chuckle. "You can"t possibly believe that he"s going to bring her right? This is the South Korea Elite Gala not a playground. He can"t possibly bring her here. Yoona is a low-cla.s.s poor girl. Even with his all-mighty status, this is against the social norm. There is no way."
Well that was true.
No matter how hard she tried, Yoona could never fit in with this world. Even if she were to become a nouveau rich. Her personality did not allow it
Jaeun"s racing heart slowed down. "Okay. That"s good. I"m relieved."
"Besides, she can"t be that important to him. Enough for him to sacrifice his cold-blooded image."
Jaeun giggled happily. Ah yes. In the end, there was a large line separating the rich and the poor. There was no way Yoona could overcome that barrier.
She lifted up a gla.s.s from the table. "Cheers?"
"Cheers."