RB - 5

Chapter 5: A Younger Man I Live With

That evening.

What was supposed to be a casual beer turned into a dinner of samgyeopsal (pork belly) and soju.

Due to the recent late nights at work, Seoyeon’s drinking habits had not been going well. She couldn’t even remember the last time she got properly drunk, other than chugging down a beer after work.

“Sigh…”

Seoyeon let out a small sigh and opened the door to the samgyeopsal restaurant.

Director Jeong from the New Business Strategy Team, Manager Kim from the Finance Team, and Deputy Manager Kim Mina welcomed her. Manager Kim, who was already heavily drunk, made a snorting noise and waved her hand.

“Hero! Come in, today you’re the star, Han!”

“Manager Kim, have you had a lot to drink? You look like you’re in a good mood.”

“I’ve been saying I couldn’t drink because I was pregnant, and then because I had to nurse my baby. Tonight, I’m going to make up for all that!”

Manager Kim’s determination to drink was amusing, and Seoyeon chuckled and played along.

The moment of light-heartedness was quickly dampened by Director Jeong. He had promised to bring the materials but came empty-handed and was subtly glancing at Seoyeon. She couldn’t tolerate being treated this way.

“Director! You said you’d bring the materials today. I was planning to read them at home.”

“Calm down, Han. Jinhyeok will be stopping by briefly to drop off the materials.”

At the mention of Jinhyeok’s name, Deputy Manager Kim Mina’s eyes widened in surprise, her voice full of youthful excitement.

“Wait! Jinhyeok is coming? Why just stop by? He should eat with us! There’s plenty of space.”

Director Jeong shook his head as if to avoid the subject.

“I already asked him, but he had other plans. He’s quite stubborn, I couldn’t ask again.”

While sipping on a soju beer cocktail, Manager Kim placed her hand over Kim Mina’s hand and said, “By the way, doesn’t Jinhyeok have a girlfriend?”

The answer was obvious, so Seoyeon cut in sharply.

“Isn’t it more unusual for him not to have one? With a face like that, he could have ten billion in debt and still be forgiven.”

Manager Kim nodded in agreement, and just then, Jinhyeok opened the door and walked in. His expression showed mild surprise when he saw Seoyeon.

He handed over the folder with documents to Director Jeong, who proudly puffed his chest out.

“I told you I’d bring it. Didn’t I?”

“Thank you, Director Jeong, Jinhyeok.”

As Seoyeon gathered the papers into her bag, Jinhyeok sat down in the empty spot.

Kim Mina quickly placed new chopsticks and spoons in front of Jinhyeok. Director Jeong raised an eyebrow and asked, “Wait, didn’t you say you had plans, Jinhyeok? You were so insistent that you couldn’t cancel.”

“The plans just got canceled,” Jinhyeok replied nonchalantly.

The sizzling sound of pork belly and the lively chatter blended together. Manager Kim asked a direct question about Jinhyeok’s personal life.

“So, Jinhyeok, what’s your ideal type? I’m getting old, but these things still make me curious.”

Seoyeon thought to herself, That question is so old-fashioned. It doesn’t even fit the times anymore, but of course, she didn’t say anything out loud.

To her surprise, Jinhyeok answered without hesitation.

“I like women who are older than me.”

Well, well, how loyal, Seoyeon thought with a faint smile, remembering the name “Queen” saved in Jinhyeok’s phone. An older woman preference? That was quite an interesting character trait.

Kim Mina, who was a year older than Jinhyeok, blushed brightly. It was amusing to see her cheeks flush, as she was usually unaffected by alcohol. Director Jeong, noticing this, became excited. There was nothing more entertaining than other people’s love lives.

“What’s this, Kim Mina? Why’s your face so red? Is something going on between you two?”

Manager Kim stared at Jinhyeok with a knowing look and said insinuatingly.

“Jinhyeok, the house prices have gone up insanely lately. It might not be a bad idea to date an older woman who’s saved up some money.”

At that moment, Jinhyeok looked at Seoyeon meaningfully and smiled. His response was unlike his usual self, a rare and unexpected statement slipping out.

“I have a lot of money, more than you’d expect.”

Fluent in four languages and an Ivy League graduate, Shin Jinhyeok was usually humble. But for some reason today, he tossed aside his usual modesty.

Manager Kim, adjusting her hair near her ears, asked with a tone that betrayed her surprise.

“Huh? Really? How much are we talking about here?”

“I could pay off your jeonse loan, if that’s what you mean.”

At that moment, Seoyeon quickly downed her glass of soju in one go. The bitter liquid slid down her throat.

Here was a fresh-faced new employee, who had a girlfriend, making a move. This was completely a lost cause, and Seoyeon’s mind became tangled.

Jinhyeok stared at her empty glass with a disapproving look.

“Han, you took medicine for a cold, right? You shouldn’t be drinking.”

All eyes in the room turned toward Jinhyeok and Seoyeon. Kim Mina, who had turned red for another reason, stared intently at Seoyeon. It seemed like the situation was heading into awkward territory.

An hour later.

The evening, filled with prying questions about personal lives, came to an end. Manager Kim seemed to have received instructions from Kim Mina and prodded Jinhyeok in the side.

“Jinhyeok, could you get a cab for Mina? She looks like she’s had a bit too much.”

“Oh, I’m fine…” Kim Mina shyly smiled and twisted her body, soon standing beside Jinhyeok. He hesitated and looked toward Seoyeon for her reaction.

Afraid that people might misunderstand, Seoyeon quickly decided to leave.

“I’ll take a cab after crossing the overpass. Everyone, please get home safely. Oh! Director Jeong, thank you for the materials.”

“They really shouldn’t refuse to pick you up, right? This is unbelievable.”

For the past 30 minutes, Seoyeon grumbled as she couldn’t hail a cab. At that moment, she heard a voice behind her and instinctively turned around.

Jinhyeok was running toward her. His neatly kept bangs swayed above his forehead.

“Han, let me grab a cab for you.”

His tone was calm, but his eyes held a certain meaning. Jinhyeok was the kind of man who invoked maternal instincts, and Seoyeon instinctively turned away from his charm.

I really didn’t want to use this tactic, Seoyeon thought but couldn’t help herself. She took a deep breath and confessed.

“Jinhyeok, I live with a younger man. But that man’s surname is Kim, not Han. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Jinhyeok smiled awkwardly but said nothing. He pretended not to hear her and focused on hailing a cab, which he successfully did after a while.

As Seoyeon got into the taxi, she asked Jinhyeok with a serious tone.

“Jinhyeok, please keep this secret. My personal life, that I’m living together with someone.”

Once again, Jinhyeok simply smiled silently and gave a small nod.

Seoyeon briefly considered the possibility of being branded as the “promiscuous, worn-out woman” at work but quickly dismissed the thought. After all, Jinhyeok seemed like a thoughtful and discreet employee. She let out a sigh of relief.

Once in the taxi, Seoyeon quickly dialed her phone. There were already two missed calls, and she could already imagine the lecture coming her way. It felt like her drunkenness was wearing off with the anxiety.

“Hello?”

“Sis, what are you doing? Should I tell the director about how you’re living? Seriously, you need to stop working late.”

“Hey, Kim Biryu, stop being mad. Don’t bring the director into this. You’re scaring me.”

“What? Why does your voice sound like that? Did you really drink this late?”

Seoyeon cleared her throat, trying to mask her voice, and said sheepishly.

“...A little.”

“I can’t stand it, I’m seriously just waiting to become independent. Only two more years left!”

Seoyeon’s younger brother, Kim Biryu, who was twelve years younger than her.

To be precise, he was a boy she met at an orphanage, someone not related by blood.

Seoyeon, when she was an elementary school student, literally took care of him—changing his diapers and carrying him around. Biryu, shy and reserved, would only cling to Seoyeon, as if she was his only safe haven.

Though Seoyeon never tutored him, Biryu somehow managed to excel in his studies on his own, even getting into a prestigious school. When he missed the deadline for applying to the dormitory, he wanted to give up on the school, but Seoyeon made a declaration.

―Kim Biryu! You know I’m in debt, right? I go to school from home. But, if you become a doctor, you can repay me with interest!

That was the moment Seoyeon chose to live with “the younger man,” a decision that came from a time when an orphaned child found his family in her.

What does family mean? It doesn’t matter if you’re born without one—if you create it, that’s enough. Even if others might laugh at her for insisting on it, to Seoyeon, it was precious and comforting beyond measure.

The next day, Seoyeon arrived at work humming a tune.

Though she still felt a bit under the weather, it wasn’t an issue. Texting with “Daniel Shin,” it felt as if all the worries and stresses in the world were someone else’s problem.

Seoyeon quickly skimmed through the texts she had exchanged with Daniel Shin the previous day. She felt completely satisfied, even without having eaten.

―Assistant Manager Han Seoyeon. Let’s meet and talk.

―Mr. Daniel Shin. Thank you for reaching out. I’ll accommodate your schedule. When would be convenient for you?

―10 PM tomorrow night. That’s about the time after work.

―Of course, that works for me. Please let me know the location. I’ll come to you.

She was supposed to meet him tonight at 10, but Daniel Shin still hadn’t confirmed the location. Seoyeon was determined to go, even if it meant traveling to a distant place.

As she envisioned her happy future, complete with a promotion and incentives, her phone buzzed suddenly.

After checking the text, Seoyeon mumbled in a daze.

“I’d rather meet in a remote mountain village. Mr. Daniel Shin.”

In an instant, a shadow passed over Seoyeon’s features. Her excitement turned into a deflated mood—a perfect reflection of her mixed feelings as she headed to work.

―I’ll meet you at 10 PM tonight at Yesung Building, 1st floor, at Café L’Amont.