75 Do I have to get married if I eat with oppa?

Hyunseong drove Haejoo away from the press conference venue. Haejoo, who had just gone through a major ordeal, had bravely shown up for Director Kwak.

“Noona, you worked hard today.”

“You look more exhausted than me. Are you okay?”

Hyunseong’s voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat, but it didn’t return to normal.

“Of course! This is nothing.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through this because of me...”

Youngjae, who appeared out of nowhere, tried to prevent Haejoo from attending the press conference. Hyunseong, with his stubborn streak, managed to successfully take Haejoo to the waiting room. But Youngjae, infuriated, dragged Hyunseong away. Without a chance to resist, a fierce grip twisted Hyunseong’s collar.

‘Are you out of your mind right now?’

‘Let go of me!’

‘How can a manager lack such discretion?’

Unable to control his anger, Youngjae pushed Hyunseong to the point where he struggled to breathe. Hyunseong’s face turned red, and tears welled up in his eyes.

‘It won’t do any good for Lee Haejoo to get on Chairman Yoo’s bad side!’

Youngjae, who desperately needed to keep Haejoo, was displeased with how things were getting complicated. It was best to avoid troublesome situations, even if it meant being cowardly. However, Hyunseong’s actions were akin to a younger brother looking out for his older sister. This was hardly professional.

‘I’m telling you nicely, quit.’

‘No...’

‘If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had to suffer like this. You’re blocking Ms. Haejoo’s path when you know nothing?’

At that moment, many thoughts crossed Hyunseong’s mind. Was his action, intended for Haejoo, actually making things more difficult? It was a complex for him not to have as much experience as Youngjae. Even knowing that this part would take time, he felt discouraged.

‘I... for Haejoo Noona...’

Then, his vision flashed, and Youngjae fell. He couldn’t express how relieved he was to recognize Dojun through his blurred vision. So this is what it felt like. Being protected by Dojun felt like encountering a mighty constellation. Nevertheless, perhaps because of the great emotional wound, his nose tingled throughout the drive.

“Noona, you know your next schedule is for the A Electronics CF shoot, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s next Monday, so please rest well until then.”

“Hyunseong, wait a moment.”

When the car stopped, Haejoo took out a card from her handbag. With a sorry heart, she pressed it into Hyunseong’s hand.

“Is there anything you need me to run errands for?”

“Buy whatever you want with this.”

“Oh, you don’t have to.”

“Take it when I offer. And I’m sorry you had to go through something difficult.”

Hyunseong suddenly felt wronged and sniffled. As the youngest in his family, he had grown up wanting for nothing, and had never been hit outside. The violence committed by Youngjae crushed Hyunseong. At the same time, he worried that Haejoo might face greater difficulties because of this.

“Am I a helpful person to Noona?”

“I wouldn’t have been able to endure it without you.”

“More than CEO Park Dojun?”

“You fool, that’s going too far.”

Haejoo let out a wry laugh at his innocent question. Hyunseong, in turn, couldn’t hold back his laughter either, giggling until tears welled up.

“Can I buy just one pair of the limited edition sneakers this time?”

“You can buy two. Buy one for your girlfriend too.”

“Thank you, Noona.”

“Go home and rest now.”

“Yes, please go inside.”

Hyunseong saw Haejoo inside, then turned the car around and headed for Seoul. A few days later, on Saturday night, an internet browser, not a game, was open on Hyunseong’s PC.

________________________________________

GN suffered from the aftermath of Director Kwak’s press conference. All accounts opened under GN’s name were a mess, mixed with criticism and malicious comments. Finally, GN, unable to bear it any longer, began damage control.

‘Regarding the recent unpleasant rumors circulating.’

Through a press release, they denied that the “certain corporation” mentioned by Director Kwak was GN. At the same time, they sent official letters to each of their affiliates behind the scenes. They had officially begun to control information. That wasn’t all. At theaters bearing GN’s name, films awaiting release were canceled or postponed. This was an unilateral measure by the company, citing “internal circumstances” as an excuse. The affected films were works in which those who attended or supported Director Kwak’s press conference had participated.

________________________________________

The next day, Saturday, Dojun went to work alone. Depending on how Jinhan reacted, Dojun also planned to take action. Last night, after receiving news about GN through Chief Secretary Song, Dojun licked his lower lip, then bit it hard. He had to ponder until late. This incident was strongly criticized by the media and reported daily. As it became a hotter topic than even political issues, GN’s position was becoming increasingly precarious.

‘What do you think we should do?’

Dojun slowly shook his head at Chief Secretary Song’s question. The conclusion he reached was that they had to row while the water was flowing in.

‘We have no choice but to fan the flames so that GN gets investigated for unfair practices.’

It was already the weekend. Dojun left the office late in the afternoon. For Haejoo, who hadn’t been able to go out for days, he went to a hotel on the outskirts of Seoul.

“Why are we here?”

“The Korean restaurant here is famous.”

This hotel was built with a Hanok (traditional Korean house) motif. The beautiful scenery of the main building and the separate Hanok annexes captivated guests. Up close, the charming lights added to the elegance of the Hanok.

“It’s so beautiful.”

People glanced at Haejoo and Dojun, but they didn’t mind. Holding hands tightly, the two entered under the bright roof of a Hanok.

“I have a reservation under Park Dojun.”

“Please come this way, and I’ll show you to your table.”

As they entered the backyard, small, charming Hanok buildings rose up. As they were being guided to one of them, Haejoo noticed someone. It was where other guests were. Just looking at his back...

“Isn’t that Director Yoo Jinhan?”

“It is. Did he come alone?”

Jinhan, seated with his back to them, was sipping tea by himself. As Haejoo and Dojun watched, a woman followed a staff member into the backyard. She went to where Jinhan was and greeted him brightly.

“Looks like a blind date.”

This was Jinhan’s choice. Of all people, Hwang Gyeong-ok would be the one who desired her youngest son’s marriage the most...

“Not bad.”

Jinhan was preparing to stab his father, Chairman Yoo, in the back. At least, that’s how Dojun felt. Fortunately, Dojun’s reserved table was far from Jinhan’s. As long as their departure times didn’t overlap after dinner, they wouldn’t run into each other.

“Shall we have the course meal?”

“Sounds good.”

As they were ordering their meal, Dojun’s phone lit up. It was a message from Director Kwak.

[My colleagues have been harmed by this incident, and I am devastated. It seems legal action will be difficult to avoid.]

Haejoo excused herself to wash her hands. Dojun, who had been smiling lightly, instantly changed his expression.

[With the evidence we have, GN will have no choice but to surrender. I will handle this part.]

After calmly typing his reply, Dojun had dinner with Haejoo. As soon as they got home, Haejoo heard about Director Kwak’s situation from Yoonji.

“That’s too much.”

On Saturday night, Dojun was in his study, and Haejoo was sitting idly in the living room. Each had their laptops open, staring at blank Korean text documents for a long time. The internet windows they had open together were filled with various public opinions.

________________________________________

On the day of Director Kwak’s press conference, Jinhan had met his mother, Hwang Gyeong-ok. When he recounted what Han Jintae had done to him, she immediately flared up.

“Did Chief Secretary Han really do such a thing to you?”

“Mother, don’t put up with it for my sake anymore. You can leave Father.”

“You more than me...”

“I’ll go on ten more blind dates if I have to, so live your own life, Mother.”

Chairman Yoo had always had a string of women since his youth. Moreover, his personality was self-righteous and selfish, always causing conflict. Nevertheless, she endured for the sake of her three sons. With so many eyes on them, she didn’t want to marry off her three sons while divorced. Now, with only Jinhan, the youngest, left, she had endured, but the end was in sight.

“Instead, please gift your shares to me.”

“You don’t need to tell your father?”

“It’s yours anyway, Mother.”

“Alright. Then I will settle things with your father.”

After their conversation, an announcement appeared on GN Entertainment’s public disclosure board on Friday morning. It stated that Hwang Gyeong-ok would gift all of her shares to Jinhan. With this, Jinhan’s stake, which was 5%, jumped to 25%. Chairman Yoo, upon hearing this news, called him.

-I heard you received your mother’s shares without a word.

“That’s what happened.”

-I’m disappointed you don’t seem to trust me.

“I’m not doubting you, Father. It’s just that your surroundings are messy, and I don’t want to get involved.”

-Is it Chief Secretary Han again?

“From now on, GN Entertainment will operate independently, not as an affiliate of GN.”

-Says who?

“Says me. And you should start treating Mother better from now on.”

-What?

“I’m hanging up now.”

Hwang Gyeong-ok contacted a powerful large law firm and began divorce preparations. Of course, Chairman Yoo was unaware of this. Her intention was to unleash everything at once when all preparations were perfectly complete. It was unavoidable, as a persistent legal battle would ensue.

On Saturday afternoon, Jinhan, after a brief call with Hwang Gyeong-ok, prepared to go out. He carefully selected a suit and neatly combed his hair back.

“A blind date, really.”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t dated; he simply hadn’t wanted to. Even now, if he went out, there would be plenty of women wanting to date him. While he was deeply engrossed in Haejoo, he had no interest in other women. Even now, he wanted to be alone and sort out his feelings rather than date. Nevertheless, he left home, remembering his promise to Hwang Gyeong-ok.

Fortunately, it was the blind date partner. He heard she was the daughter of Hwang Gyeong-ok’s acquaintance, not the daughter of some corporate tycoon. It was a burden, but if she was a decent woman, he was even willing to keep seeing her.

“Mother, I’ve arrived at the meeting place.”

-It’s a hotel. Hopefully, it goes well.

“I’ll handle that myself.”

Hwang Gyeong-ok’s direct way of speaking brought on a wave of fatigue. Jinhan went to the promised location and felt his mind calm at the beautiful colors of the Hanok. A short while later, his blind date arrived. Jinhan rose from his seat, intending to greet her, but instead stared at her.

“...You!”

“Oppa, hello. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here for a blind date. Mom said she’d shave my head if I didn’t go.”

“Do you have any more hair to shave?”

“Look at this. I still have plenty of hair.”

The woman on the blind date was someone Jinhan knew. She was the daughter of Hwang Gyeong-ok’s close friend and seven years younger than Jinhan.

“Your name is...”

“It’s Bomi. Did you forget my name?”

“Right, four-dimensional Bomi...”

The last time Jinhan had seen Bomi was when she was in her second year of high school. Back then, she was in a school uniform, asking Jinhan for pocket money, and then forcefully taking his cash. Bomi’s personality was free-spirited and bright. Meeting her after a long time, she appeared with a short bob haircut. No wonder Bomi’s mother was shocked.

“Did you really come for a blind date?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You and me? On the premise of marriage?”

“Do I have to get married if I eat with oppa?”

“This is driving me crazy.”

“Oh, come on, if that’s the case, let’s just have a drink.”

“What do you mean, a student drinking?”

“I’m an adult.”

“Ah, right. Anyway, just eat and go.”

He had promised Hwang Gyeong-ok that he would meet this kind of girl three times. Bomi’s eyes, as she habitually touched her round head, were still large and clear. He had thought she was still a child, but she had grown into an adult. Watching her quietly, he felt a strange sensation.

“The course meal is famous here.”

“Anything is fine.”

While eating, he naturally felt like drinking. Jinhan, in particular, wanted to forget his troublesome problems for a while, so he ordered traditional liquor.

“You can only have one glass.”

“I’ll be your drinking buddy.”

“This isn’t a date.”

“I know. It’s a blind date.”

“So what I mean is... you, as my mother’s friend’s daughter, are not a woman to me.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t really like old boyfriends either.”

“How am I old?”

“You’re old.”

She was beyond honest; she was rude. Jinhan was annoyed but also, for the first time in a long time, free from company worries.

“Let’s stop here today.”

After dinner, he called a designated driver, and he and Bomi sat side-by-side in the back seat of the car. He endured her chattering throughout the ride and finally dropped her off.

“Oppa, please talk to my mom for me.”

“...This is confusing, so confusing.”

His mind was truly confused. After dropping Bomi off, the stark reality came back into view. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Chairman Yoo retaliate for Director Kwak’s press conference. Late at night, he changed his clothes and turned on his laptop.

________________________________________

This day was a Saturday.