Chapter 34: The Agreement (2)
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Chapter 34 – The Agreement (2)
When Yuri was notified that the Heart of Apollo passed the customs, she was swamped with work. She needed to thoroughly examine for any possible damage to the art piece during transit, thereon, prepare an inspection report. The report would then be confirmed by her agency and subsequently by the client, Daejin Department Store. The entire process had to be filmed, a mandatory requirement for the approval.
After spending the entire day drafting the report, Yuri returned to her hotel room and headed straight to the bathtub. She immersed her exhausted body in hot water for a while and followed it up with a shower.
Feeling refreshed, she stepped out of the shower. She patted herself dry, wrapped a robe, and walked out. She was drying her hair when two cards sitting on the vanity grabbed her attention. One was black, the other ivory.
I forgot about these. It was about time for Yuri to make up her mind.
After gazing at the two cards for a moment, she picked up the black one. J Consulting, Jin-Wook Jeong.
She quickly opened her laptop and searched for J Consulting. Numerous companies with the same name filled her screen in a second. As vague as “Consulting” sounded, every “J Consulting” offered its own service of all sorts.
After clicking a couple of websites from the top, she concluded this was a wild goose chase and shelved the idea. Her reason was simple. What ordinary company would dig up people’s background, and those that did, would they leave their background in the open just to be dug up?
After picturing some of the faces she saw at Myung-jae Jin’s office before, she reminded herself of what Hyeon-ah had said.
He didn’t talk about you in the beginning. He asked me about Hye-yeon first.
Why did he ask about a dead person?
Wavering, Yuri searched for Jinseong City’s local newspaper. At long last, she found an article about Hye-yeon. It was from four years ago. It mentioned that the body of Ms. Jin was discovered by an old man, Mr. Cho, who was out fishing. The body was lying on the edge of the riverside with no visible injuries.
Four years ago….
Yuri’s eyes were shifty. Her father’s death, her own disappearance, and Hye-yeon’s death were all aligned in the same timeline. To see it as a coincidence, too many pieces of the puzzle were missing.
What happened?
One by one she started to put all that she knew thus far before her.
Scenes from what she’d glimpsed at Hyun-ah’s shop flashed before her eyes – Splash, a woman sank to the bottom of the water.
A stranger called Jin-wook Jeong asked around about Hye-yeon and her. How she’d ended up at Hotel Seoin, the CCTV. All of it replayed before her eyes, again and again.
Is this an indication of a correlation between Hye-yeon’s death and me? Even if that is the case, why is he looking for me after four years?
She decided to call the man and get to the bottom of this for good. However, right before calling the number on the card with her cellphone, she barely strained her nerves. She realized it was too risky. Without grasping his intention and identity, it was perilous to call the stranger and reveal her privacy.
Slipping on her jacket, the next moment, Yuri stashed the card inside the pocket and recklessly left the hotel. There should be a payphone around for her to use. However, contrary to her expectations, the proliferation of cellphones precluded her from finding a payphone nearby.
At last, after a long stroll, she found a payphone. With quivering hands, she inserted coins and entered the phone number on the card. The sound of the dial tone made her heart pound. Some minutes later, the call was finally answered.
– “Hello.”
A man answered in a low voice. Surprised, Yuri dropped the receiver. The voice was familiar, she could not remember the person, but she recognized the voice.
But how?
⸙
Unexpectedly, the sky began to cloud over abruptly and it started raining. Through the window, the uproarious sound of the pouring raindrops flowed in. Intermittently, the man on the bed groaned.
Like a tramp, Hye-seong was wandering about in a piece of his memories. He stopped at one point. It’s about five years ago, on that day…
In the court of public opinion and press, Jinseong Construction was already shredded into pieces. Prosecutors summoned every executive of the company for investigation and confiscated anything and everything that belonged to Jinseong Construction, even if it was a mere hard drive. Adding insult to injury, In-bae Lee delivered an ultimatum, requiring recovery of his campaign funds in a month.
– Let’s meet.
It was late in the afternoon when the Seoin Group contacted him. It was the call the father and son duo, Myung-jae and Hye-seong, had been waiting for all night and day.
As a matter of fact, it was not surprising to Hye-seong that Seoin Group had been coveting Hotel Jinseong for a long time now. Myung-jae was apathetic. Jinseong Construction was running on the track and the hotel was expected to produce significant financial benefits to the company as it was located in the prearranged lucrative development area close to Jinseong River.
When the tables had turned and Jinseong Group rushedly struggled to liquidate the hotel, Seoin Group had disregarded their efforts to connect. The intention was clear – the court receivership was expected, and they anticipated a dirt-cheap price for the hotel.
In this situation, Seoin Group contacting them was the only salvation Jinseong could hope for. Another door was opening. Perhaps, this was what Hye-seong’s father thought.
Soon, a private bar located in Hotel Seoin’s sky lounge was decided as their rendezvous point. The one who appeared, was Tae-jun Seo, the executive director of Seoin Holdings.
Hye-seong was surprised to see Tae-jun in flesh. The man who was at the top of the food chain was uncannily handsome with piercing eyes. It was not a secret that he was the practical ruler of Seoin Group, despite his young age.
Instead of drinking from his wine glass, Tae-jun chain-smoked. Feeling uptight and nervous, Myung-jae Jin initiated the conversation.
“We will accept your previous conditions. Let’s proceed with disposal procedures.”
“Previous conditions? … Aha!”
Slowly, Tae-jun tapped the ash off his cigarette, intensifying the tension.
“Excuse me, but that is a ‘previous’ condition, not the latest.”
Silence descended. Hearts stifled, the pair was finding it hard to even breathe.
Wiping his brows, the elderly man managed to speak.
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, you are not in a position where you can demand or suggest something to me.”
As a man his son’s age humiliated him, Myung-jae’s face turned red. He was seething within.
“Then why did you want to see me?”
“Because I have a proposal.”
With a cigarette in his mouth, Tae-jun’s lips twisted, emanating a cold aura.
“And what do you propose?” Myung-jae asked diffidently.
Looking straight into Myung-jae’s eyes, Tae-jun stubbed his cigarette out. He took a moment, it heightened the anxiety before dropping the bomb. Then, his cold voice sounded.
“Mr. Jin, what if I date your daughter…”
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Chapter 34 – The Agreement (2)
When Yuri was notified that the Heart of Apollo passed the customs, she was swamped with work. She needed to thoroughly examine for any possible damage to the art piece during transit, thereon, prepare an inspection report. The report would then be confirmed by her agency and subsequently by the client, Daejin Department Store. The entire process had to be filmed, a mandatory requirement for the approval.
After spending the entire day drafting the report, Yuri returned to her hotel room and headed straight to the bathtub. She immersed her exhausted body in hot water for a while and followed it up with a shower.
Feeling refreshed, she stepped out of the shower. She patted herself dry, wrapped a robe, and walked out. She was drying her hair when two cards sitting on the vanity grabbed her attention. One was black, the other ivory.
I forgot about these. It was about time for Yuri to make up her mind.
After gazing at the two cards for a moment, she picked up the black one. J Consulting, Jin-Wook Jeong.
She quickly opened her laptop and searched for J Consulting. Numerous companies with the same name filled her screen in a second. As vague as “Consulting” sounded, every “J Consulting” offered its own service of all sorts.
After clicking a couple of websites from the top, she concluded this was a wild goose chase and shelved the idea. Her reason was simple. What ordinary company would dig up people’s background, and those that did, would they leave their background in the open just to be dug up?
After picturing some of the faces she saw at Myung-jae Jin’s office before, she reminded herself of what Hyeon-ah had said.
He didn’t talk about you in the beginning. He asked me about Hye-yeon first.
Why did he ask about a dead person?
Wavering, Yuri searched for Jinseong City’s local newspaper. At long last, she found an article about Hye-yeon. It was from four years ago. It mentioned that the body of Ms. Jin was discovered by an old man, Mr. Cho, who was out fishing. The body was lying on the edge of the riverside with no visible injuries.
Four years ago….
Yuri’s eyes were shifty. Her father’s death, her own disappearance, and Hye-yeon’s death were all aligned in the same timeline. To see it as a coincidence, too many pieces of the puzzle were missing.
What happened?
One by one she started to put all that she knew thus far before her.
Scenes from what she’d glimpsed at Hyun-ah’s shop flashed before her eyes – Splash, a woman sank to the bottom of the water.
A stranger called Jin-wook Jeong asked around about Hye-yeon and her. How she’d ended up at Hotel Seoin, the CCTV. All of it replayed before her eyes, again and again.
Is this an indication of a correlation between Hye-yeon’s death and me? Even if that is the case, why is he looking for me after four years?
She decided to call the man and get to the bottom of this for good. However, right before calling the number on the card with her cellphone, she barely strained her nerves. She realized it was too risky. Without grasping his intention and identity, it was perilous to call the stranger and reveal her privacy.
Slipping on her jacket, the next moment, Yuri stashed the card inside the pocket and recklessly left the hotel. There should be a payphone around for her to use. However, contrary to her expectations, the proliferation of cellphones precluded her from finding a payphone nearby.
At last, after a long stroll, she found a payphone. With quivering hands, she inserted coins and entered the phone number on the card. The sound of the dial tone made her heart pound. Some minutes later, the call was finally answered.
– “Hello.”
A man answered in a low voice. Surprised, Yuri dropped the receiver. The voice was familiar, she could not remember the person, but she recognized the voice.
But how?
⸙
Unexpectedly, the sky began to cloud over abruptly and it started raining. Through the window, the uproarious sound of the pouring raindrops flowed in. Intermittently, the man on the bed groaned.
Like a tramp, Hye-seong was wandering about in a piece of his memories. He stopped at one point. It’s about five years ago, on that day…
In the court of public opinion and press, Jinseong Construction was already shredded into pieces. Prosecutors summoned every executive of the company for investigation and confiscated anything and everything that belonged to Jinseong Construction, even if it was a mere hard drive. Adding insult to injury, In-bae Lee delivered an ultimatum, requiring recovery of his campaign funds in a month.
– Let’s meet.
It was late in the afternoon when the Seoin Group contacted him. It was the call the father and son duo, Myung-jae and Hye-seong, had been waiting for all night and day.
As a matter of fact, it was not surprising to Hye-seong that Seoin Group had been coveting Hotel Jinseong for a long time now. Myung-jae was apathetic. Jinseong Construction was running on the track and the hotel was expected to produce significant financial benefits to the company as it was located in the prearranged lucrative development area close to Jinseong River.
When the tables had turned and Jinseong Group rushedly struggled to liquidate the hotel, Seoin Group had disregarded their efforts to connect. The intention was clear – the court receivership was expected, and they anticipated a dirt-cheap price for the hotel.
In this situation, Seoin Group contacting them was the only salvation Jinseong could hope for. Another door was opening. Perhaps, this was what Hye-seong’s father thought.
Soon, a private bar located in Hotel Seoin’s sky lounge was decided as their rendezvous point. The one who appeared, was Tae-jun Seo, the executive director of Seoin Holdings.
Hye-seong was surprised to see Tae-jun in flesh. The man who was at the top of the food chain was uncannily handsome with piercing eyes. It was not a secret that he was the practical ruler of Seoin Group, despite his young age.
Instead of drinking from his wine glass, Tae-jun chain-smoked. Feeling uptight and nervous, Myung-jae Jin initiated the conversation.
“We will accept your previous conditions. Let’s proceed with disposal procedures.”
“Previous conditions? … Aha!”
Slowly, Tae-jun tapped the ash off his cigarette, intensifying the tension.
“Excuse me, but that is a ‘previous’ condition, not the latest.”
Silence descended. Hearts stifled, the pair was finding it hard to even breathe.
Wiping his brows, the elderly man managed to speak.
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, you are not in a position where you can demand or suggest something to me.”
As a man his son’s age humiliated him, Myung-jae’s face turned red. He was seething within.
“Then why did you want to see me?”
“Because I have a proposal.”
With a cigarette in his mouth, Tae-jun’s lips twisted, emanating a cold aura.
“And what do you propose?” Myung-jae asked diffidently.
Looking straight into Myung-jae’s eyes, Tae-jun stubbed his cigarette out. He took a moment, it heightened the anxiety before dropping the bomb. Then, his cold voice sounded.
“Mr. Jin, what if I date your daughter…”
Chapter 34 The Agreement 2When Yuri was notified that the Heart of Apollo passed the customs, she was swamped with work. She needed to thoroughly examine for any possible damage to the art piece during transit, thereon, prepare an inspection report. The report would then be confirmed by her agency and subsequently by the client, Daejin Department Store. The entire process had to be filmed, a mandatory requirement for the approval.After spending the entire day drafting the report, Yuri returned to her hotel room and headed straight to the bathtub. She immersed her exhausted body in hot water for a while and followed it up with a shower.Feeling refreshed, she stepped out of the shower. She patted herself dry, wrapped a robe, and walked out. She was drying her hair when two cards sitting on the vanity grabbed her attention. One was black, the other ivory.I forgot about these.It was about time for Yuri to make up her mind.After gazing at the two cards for a moment, she picked up the black one. J Consulting, Jin-Wook Jeong.She quickly opened her laptop and searched for J Consulting. Numerous companies with the same name filled her screen in a second. As vague as Consulting sounded, every J Consulting offered its own service of all sorts.After clicking a couple of websites from the top, she concluded this was a wild goose chase and shelved the idea. Her reason was simple. What ordinary company would dig up people's background, and those that did, would they leave their background in the open just to be dug up?After picturing some of the faces she saw at Myung-jae Jin's office before, she reminded herself of what Hyeon-ah had said.He didn't talk about you in the beginning. He asked me about Hye-yeon first.Why did he ask about a dead person?Wavering, Yuri searched for Jinseong City's local newspaper. At long last, she found an article about Hye-yeon. It was from four years ago. It mentioned that the body of Ms. Jin was discovered by an old man, Mr. Cho, who was out fishing. The body was lying on the edge of the riverside with no visible injuries.Four years ago.Yuri's eyes were shifty. Her father's death, her own disappearance, and Hye-yeon's death were all aligned in the same timeline. To see it as a coincidence, too many pieces of the puzzle were missing.What happened?One by one she started to put all that she knew thus far before her.Scenes from what she'd glimpsed at Hyun-ah's shop flashed before her eyes Splash, a woman sank to the bottom of the water.A stranger called Jin-wook Jeong asked around about Hye-yeon and her. How she'd ended up at Hotel Seoin, the CCTV. All of it replayed before her eyes, again and again.Is this an indication of a correlation between Hye-yeon's death and me? Even if that is the case, why is he looking for me after four years?She decided to call the man and get to the bottom of this for good. However, right before calling the number on the card with her cellphone, she barely strained her nerves. She realized it was too risky. Without grasping his intention and identity, it was perilous to call the stranger and reveal her privacy.Slipping on her jacket, the next moment, Yuri stashed the card inside the pocket and recklessly left the hotel. There should be a payphone around for her to use. However, contrary to her expectations, the proliferation of cellphones precluded her from finding a payphone nearby.At last, after a long stroll, she found a payphone. With quivering hands, she inserted coins and entered the phone number on the card. The sound of the dial tone made her heart pound. Some minutes later, the call was finally answered. Hello.A man answered in a low voice. Surprised, Yuri dropped the receiver. The voice was familiar, she could not remember the person, but she recognized the voice.But how?Unexpectedly, the sky began to cloud over abruptly and it started raining. Through the window, the uproarious sound of the pouring raindrops flowed in. Intermittently, the man on the bed groaned.Like a tramp, Hye-seong was wandering about in a piece of his memories. He stopped at one point. It's about five years ago, on that dayIn the court of public opinion and press, Jinseong Construction was already shredded into pieces. Prosecutors summoned every executive of the company for investigation and confiscated anything and everything that belonged to Jinseong Construction, even if it was a mere hard drive. Adding insult to injury, In-bae Lee delivered an ultimatum, requiring recovery of his campaign funds in a month. Let's meet.It was late in the afternoon when the Seoin Group contacted him. It was the call the father and son duo, Myung-jae and Hye-seong, had been waiting for all night and day.As a matter of fact, it was not surprising to Hye-seong that Seoin Group had been coveting Hotel Jinseong for a long time now. Myung-jae was apathetic. Jinseong Construction was running on the track and the hotel was expected to produce significant financial benefits to the company as it was located in the prearranged lucrative development area close to Jinseong River.When the tables had turned and Jinseong Group rushedly struggled to liquidate the hotel, Seoin Group had disregarded their efforts to connect. The intention was clear the court receivership was expected, and they anticipated a dirt-cheap price for the hotel.In this situation, Seoin Group contacting them was the only salvation Jinseong could hope for. Another door was opening. Perhaps, this was what Hye-seong's father thought.Soon, a private bar located in Hotel Seoin's sky lounge was decided as their rendezvous point. The one who appeared, was Tae-jun Seo, the executive director of Seoin Holdings.Hye-seong was surprised to see Tae-jun in flesh. The man who was at the top of the food chain was uncannily handsome with piercing eyes. It was not a secret that he was the practical ruler of Seoin Group, despite his young age.Instead of drinking from his wine glass, Tae-jun chain-smoked. Feeling uptight and nervous, Myung-jae Jin initiated the conversation.We will accept your previous conditions. Let's proceed with disposal procedures.Previous conditions? Aha!Slowly, Tae-jun tapped the ash off his cigarette, intensifying the tension.Excuse me, but that is a previous' condition, not the latest.Silence descended. Hearts stifled, the pair was finding it hard to even breathe.Wiping his brows, the elderly man managed to speak.What do you mean?What I mean is, you are not in a position where you can demand or suggest something to me.As a man his son's age humiliated him, Myung-jae's face turned red. He was seething within.Then why did you want to see me?Because I have a proposal.With a cigarette in his mouth, Tae-jun's lips twisted, emanating a cold aura.And what do you propose? Myung-jae asked diffidently.Looking straight into Myung-jae's eyes, Tae-jun stubbed his cigarette out. He took a moment, it heightened the anxiety before dropping the bomb. Then, his cold voice sounded.Mr. Jin, what if I date your daughter
