Chapter 171: Ill-omened Visit
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"Take care, Miss Park." Ji-Won said quietly.
"Mn, I will."
Su-Jin smiled and raised her hand. She waved the phone she was holding, so that Ji-Won could see the screen lighting up. The interface showed the chat application.
Ji-Won noticed with a start that it seemed to be very similar to the one from before. Even the message history was almost the same.
Sure enough, Su-Jin's next words confirmed his silent guesses.
"I sent Min-Jun a message earlier and he just replied. He'll be waiting for me outside, so you don't have to worry. You should get inside, Director Kang."
Ji-Won nodded, the corners of his lips curving into a small smile. As the sourness that almost drowned him earlier slowly receded, Ji-Won felt a sweet taste at the back of his throat. As childish as it was to feel jealous over something as trivial as a text message, Ji-Won simply couldn't deny his emotions.
Right now, though, he felt extremely relieved knowing that Su-Jin had contacted her brother, and not the person she went out on a date with.
Just as Ji-Won was grinning happily inside his head, Su-Jin's voice came from inside the car.
After she told the driver her address, she once again turned her head towards the window.
"Take care, Director Kang. I'll see you Monday at work." She said, inclining her head slightly.
"Yes, see you on Monday." Ji-Won replied quietly.
As he watched the taxi getting further and further away, Ji-Won was suddenly enlightened. The feeling of realization swept through him like an electric current, and he immediately reached for his phone. There was something that he should have definitely said to her. Whether it was already too late to do it now or not, it didn't matter. He just had to say the words, no matter the means.
He quickly searched for Su-Jin contact and opened the message interface. After typing a short text, Ji-Won gave it another read, then pressed send.
At the same time, inside the taxi, Su-Jin's phone chimed. She unlocked the screen and saw the notification for a new message. Puzzled, she clicked on the icon, only to freeze the next second.
On the screen, Ji-Won's message appeared without warning. Su-Jin blinked, dumbly thinking that the words were almost too dazzling for her to look at.
'Thank you for everything you've done for me today, Miss Park.'
After reading this line two or three times in a row, Su-Jin felt her face warming up. She placed the phone on her lap and quickly pressed the back of her hands against her cheeks. She turned her head to the side, trying to hide the bashful smile that was pulling at her lips.
Leaning forward, Su-Jin pressed her forehead against the window, enjoying the cooling sensation coming from the glass.
'Ah, I'm done for! What am I going to do now? How do I look Director Kang straight in the eye, when even these simple words make me feel flutters in my stomach? Pull yourself together, Park Su-Jin, or you are going to be in deep trouble if this continues!'
~~~
That Sunday, Seo-Jun woke up at sunrise. He got dressed and left the apartment without even having breakfast. He was already used to skipping that particular meal, so there was nothing strange about it. Nevertheless, that day, the reason was something else.
As Seo-Jun reached his car, he felt his stomach aching and churning. A feeling of nausea rose in his mouth and he almost gagged right then and there.
'Sure enough, having to visit my uncle's house can have such an effect on my body. Look, even my stomach is protesting against it. Damned old man! What the hell do you want from me now?'
Gritting his teeth in order to keep himself from retching, Seo-Jun got inside the car and started the engine.
All the way to his uncle's estate, Seo-Jun kept thinking of possible reasons his family had for calling him there. After all, weren't they the ones who told him to stay clear of that place? Weren't they the very same people who threatened to disown him, if he didn't play by their rules?
Not that he wanted any of that. Even taking a penny of that money felt like a curse to him. But, why remain poor and homeless when he could get something in return for his terrible childhood?
His father's enlightenment on the deathbed shouldn't be for nothing, so the least Seo-Jun could do was thank the man for his grace and accept his uncle's conditions. Wasn't that the reason why he was sent abroad in the first place? Or why he had to leave apart from the rest of the family? He even had to push his own mother away in order to survive in that wretched household.
And for what? In the end they still did as they pleased, hunting him down and forcing him to the ends of the earth like a pack of hungry animals.
Despite all this thinking, though, Seo-Jun couldn't find an answer to his questions. Even after reaching the highway, or when he entered the private road that led to the large house, Seo-Jun still couldn't figure out why his uncle suddenly wanted to see him.
What expected him there, though, was beyond Seo-Jun's imagination. Had he known the reason beforehand, he never would have taken a step inside that house.
As soon as he entered, the butler immediately bowed and hurried to take Seo-Jun's jacket.
Seo-Jun glanced around and noticed that no one was around.
"Where's my uncle?" he asked.
"Master Kim is in his study. He is waiting for you, young master." the buttle replied with a bow.
Without saying another word, the man turned on his heels and guided Seo-Jun to the first floor. After they reached the door to the study, he stopped to knock.
"Enter." President Kim's rough voice traveled through the door.
The butler pushed the door open and bowed respectfully.
"Sir, young master Seo-Jun is here."
After speaking, the man stepped aside, allowing Seo-Jun to enter.
President Kim was sitting at a large, mahogany desk, revising some documents. Hearing the servant's words, he slowly raised his head.
A second later, he dismissed the butler with a mere wave of his hand.
"You may leave. Make sure no one will disturb us."
"As you wish, sir."
With that, the butler left the room, pulling the door closed after him.
Along with the loud click of the door closing, Seo-Jun inexplicably felt his heart tightening. He watched his uncle throwing the pen on the desk and leaning back into his chair.
The man's pair of small, beady eyes fixed themselves on Seo-Jun's face like a pair of sharp daggers, and Seo-Jun was suddenly struck by a foreboding feeling.
Sure enough, President Kim's next words provided enough reason for Seo-Jun to further hate his family. Not that he really needed more than what he already had. They also proved to him why coming there that day hadn't been a good idea.
"You have to get married.." His uncle suddenly declared.
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"Take care, Miss Park." Ji-Won said quietly.
"Mn, I will."
Su-Jin smiled and raised her hand. She waved the phone she was holding, so that Ji-Won could see the screen lighting up. The interface showed the chat application.
Ji-Won noticed with a start that it seemed to be very similar to the one from before. Even the message history was almost the same.
Sure enough, Su-Jin's next words confirmed his silent guesses.
"I sent Min-Jun a message earlier and he just replied. He'll be waiting for me outside, so you don't have to worry. You should get inside, Director Kang."
Ji-Won nodded, the corners of his lips curving into a small smile. As the sourness that almost drowned him earlier slowly receded, Ji-Won felt a sweet taste at the back of his throat. As childish as it was to feel jealous over something as trivial as a text message, Ji-Won simply couldn't deny his emotions.
Right now, though, he felt extremely relieved knowing that Su-Jin had contacted her brother, and not the person she went out on a date with.
Just as Ji-Won was grinning happily inside his head, Su-Jin's voice came from inside the car.
After she told the driver her address, she once again turned her head towards the window.
"Take care, Director Kang. I'll see you Monday at work." She said, inclining her head slightly.
"Yes, see you on Monday." Ji-Won replied quietly.
As he watched the taxi getting further and further away, Ji-Won was suddenly enlightened. The feeling of realization swept through him like an electric current, and he immediately reached for his phone. There was something that he should have definitely said to her. Whether it was already too late to do it now or not, it didn't matter. He just had to say the words, no matter the means.
He quickly searched for Su-Jin contact and opened the message interface. After typing a short text, Ji-Won gave it another read, then pressed send.
At the same time, inside the taxi, Su-Jin's phone chimed. She unlocked the screen and saw the notification for a new message. Puzzled, she clicked on the icon, only to freeze the next second.
On the screen, Ji-Won's message appeared without warning. Su-Jin blinked, dumbly thinking that the words were almost too dazzling for her to look at.
'Thank you for everything you've done for me today, Miss Park.'
After reading this line two or three times in a row, Su-Jin felt her face warming up. She placed the phone on her lap and quickly pressed the back of her hands against her cheeks. She turned her head to the side, trying to hide the bashful smile that was pulling at her lips.
Leaning forward, Su-Jin pressed her forehead against the window, enjoying the cooling sensation coming from the glass.
'Ah, I'm done for! What am I going to do now? How do I look Director Kang straight in the eye, when even these simple words make me feel flutters in my stomach? Pull yourself together, Park Su-Jin, or you are going to be in deep trouble if this continues!'
~~~
That Sunday, Seo-Jun woke up at sunrise. He got dressed and left the apartment without even having breakfast. He was already used to skipping that particular meal, so there was nothing strange about it. Nevertheless, that day, the reason was something else.
As Seo-Jun reached his car, he felt his stomach aching and churning. A feeling of nausea rose in his mouth and he almost gagged right then and there.
'Sure enough, having to visit my uncle's house can have such an effect on my body. Look, even my stomach is protesting against it. Damned old man! What the hell do you want from me now?'
Gritting his teeth in order to keep himself from retching, Seo-Jun got inside the car and started the engine.
All the way to his uncle's estate, Seo-Jun kept thinking of possible reasons his family had for calling him there. After all, weren't they the ones who told him to stay clear of that place? Weren't they the very same people who threatened to disown him, if he didn't play by their rules?
Not that he wanted any of that. Even taking a penny of that money felt like a curse to him. But, why remain poor and homeless when he could get something in return for his terrible childhood?
His father's enlightenment on the deathbed shouldn't be for nothing, so the least Seo-Jun could do was thank the man for his grace and accept his uncle's conditions. Wasn't that the reason why he was sent abroad in the first place? Or why he had to leave apart from the rest of the family? He even had to push his own mother away in order to survive in that wretched household.
And for what? In the end they still did as they pleased, hunting him down and forcing him to the ends of the earth like a pack of hungry animals.
Despite all this thinking, though, Seo-Jun couldn't find an answer to his questions. Even after reaching the highway, or when he entered the private road that led to the large house, Seo-Jun still couldn't figure out why his uncle suddenly wanted to see him.
What expected him there, though, was beyond Seo-Jun's imagination. Had he known the reason beforehand, he never would have taken a step inside that house.
As soon as he entered, the butler immediately bowed and hurried to take Seo-Jun's jacket.
Seo-Jun glanced around and noticed that no one was around.
"Where's my uncle?" he asked.
"Master Kim is in his study. He is waiting for you, young master." the buttle replied with a bow.
Without saying another word, the man turned on his heels and guided Seo-Jun to the first floor. After they reached the door to the study, he stopped to knock.
"Enter." President Kim's rough voice traveled through the door.
The butler pushed the door open and bowed respectfully.
"Sir, young master Seo-Jun is here."
After speaking, the man stepped aside, allowing Seo-Jun to enter.
President Kim was sitting at a large, mahogany desk, revising some documents. Hearing the servant's words, he slowly raised his head.
A second later, he dismissed the butler with a mere wave of his hand.
"You may leave. Make sure no one will disturb us."
"As you wish, sir."
With that, the butler left the room, pulling the door closed after him.
Along with the loud click of the door closing, Seo-Jun inexplicably felt his heart tightening. He watched his uncle throwing the pen on the desk and leaning back into his chair.
The man's pair of small, beady eyes fixed themselves on Seo-Jun's face like a pair of sharp daggers, and Seo-Jun was suddenly struck by a foreboding feeling.
Sure enough, President Kim's next words provided enough reason for Seo-Jun to further hate his family. Not that he really needed more than what he already had. They also proved to him why coming there that day hadn't been a good idea.
"You have to get married.." His uncle suddenly declared.
"Take care, Miss Park." Ji-Won said quietly."Mn, I will." Su-Jin smiled and raised her hand. She waved the phone she was holding, so that Ji-Won could see the screen lighting up. The interface showed the chat application. Ji-Won noticed with a start that it seemed to be very similar to the one from before. Even the message history was almost the same.Sure enough, Su-Jin's next words confirmed his silent guesses."I sent Min-Jun a message earlier and he just replied. He'll be waiting for me outside, so you don't have to worry. You should get inside, Director Kang." Ji-Won nodded, the corners of his lips curving into a small smile. As the sourness that almost drowned him earlier slowly receded, Ji-Won felt a sweet taste at the back of his throat. As childish as it was to feel jealous over something as trivial as a text message, Ji-Won simply couldn't deny his emotions. Right now, though, he felt extremely relieved knowing that Su-Jin had contacted her brother, and not the person she went out on a date with. Just as Ji-Won was grinning happily inside his head, Su-Jin's voice came from inside the car.After she told the driver her address, she once again turned her head towards the window. "Take care, Director Kang. I'll see you Monday at work." She said, inclining her head slightly. "Yes, see you on Monday." Ji-Won replied quietly. As he watched the taxi getting further and further away, Ji-Won was suddenly enlightened. The feeling of realization swept through him like an electric current, and he immediately reached for his phone. There was something that he should have definitely said to her. Whether it was already too late to do it now or not, it didn't matter. He just had to say the words, no matter the means.He quickly searched for Su-Jin contact and opened the message interface. After typing a short text, Ji-Won gave it another read, then pressed send. At the same time, inside the taxi, Su-Jin's phone chimed. She unlocked the screen and saw the notification for a new message. Puzzled, she clicked on the icon, only to freeze the next second. On the screen, Ji-Won's message appeared without warning. Su-Jin blinked, dumbly thinking that the words were almost too dazzling for her to look at.'Thank you for everything you've done for me today, Miss Park.'After reading this line two or three times in a row, Su-Jin felt her face warming up. She placed the phone on her lap and quickly pressed the back of her hands against her cheeks. She turned her head to the side, trying to hide the bashful smile that was pulling at her lips. Leaning forward, Su-Jin pressed her forehead against the window, enjoying the cooling sensation coming from the glass. 'Ah, I'm done for! What am I going to do now? How do I look Director Kang straight in the eye, when even these simple words make me feel flutters in my stomach? Pull yourself together, Park Su-Jin, or you are going to be in deep trouble if this continues!'~~~That Sunday, Seo-Jun woke up at sunrise. He got dressed and left the apartment without even having breakfast. He was already used to skipping that particular meal, so there was nothing strange about it. Nevertheless, that day, the reason was something else. As Seo-Jun reached his car, he felt his stomach aching and churning. A feeling of nausea rose in his mouth and he almost gagged right then and there. 'Sure enough, having to visit my uncle's house can have such an effect on my body. Look, even my stomach is protesting against it. Damned old man! What the hell do you want from me now?'Gritting his teeth in order to keep himself from retching, Seo-Jun got inside the car and started the engine. All the way to his uncle's estate, Seo-Jun kept thinking of possible reasons his family had for calling him there. After all, weren't they the ones who told him to stay clear of that place? Weren't they the very same people who threatened to disown him, if he didn't play by their rules? Not that he wanted any of that. Even taking a penny of that money felt like a curse to him. But, why remain poor and homeless when he could get something in return for his terrible childhood? His father's enlightenment on the deathbed shouldn't be for nothing, so the least Seo-Jun could do was thank the man for his grace and accept his uncle's conditions. Wasn't that the reason why he was sent abroad in the first place? Or why he had to leave apart from the rest of the family? He even had to push his own mother away in order to survive in that wretched household. And for what? In the end they still did as they pleased, hunting him down and forcing him to the ends of the earth like a pack of hungry animals.Despite all this thinking, though, Seo-Jun couldn't find an answer to his questions. Even after reaching the highway, or when he entered the private road that led to the large house, Seo-Jun still couldn't figure out why his uncle suddenly wanted to see him.What expected him there, though, was beyond Seo-Jun's imagination. Had he known the reason beforehand, he never would have taken a step inside that house. As soon as he entered, the butler immediately bowed and hurried to take Seo-Jun's jacket. Seo-Jun glanced around and noticed that no one was around."Where's my uncle?" he asked."Master Kim is in his study. He is waiting for you, young master." the buttle replied with a bow. Without saying another word, the man turned on his heels and guided Seo-Jun to the first floor. After they reached the door to the study, he stopped to knock. "Enter." President Kim's rough voice traveled through the door.The butler pushed the door open and bowed respectfully. "Sir, young master Seo-Jun is here." After speaking, the man stepped aside, allowing Seo-Jun to enter.President Kim was sitting at a large, mahogany desk, revising some documents. Hearing the servant's words, he slowly raised his head. A second later, he dismissed the butler with a mere wave of his hand. "You may leave. Make sure no one will disturb us." "As you wish, sir."With that, the butler left the room, pulling the door closed after him. Along with the loud click of the door closing, Seo-Jun inexplicably felt his heart tightening. He watched his uncle throwing the pen on the desk and leaning back into his chair.The man's pair of small, beady eyes fixed themselves on Seo-Jun's face like a pair of sharp daggers, and Seo-Jun was suddenly struck by a foreboding feeling. Sure enough, President Kim's next words provided enough reason for Seo-Jun to further hate his family. Not that he really needed more than what he already had. They also proved to him why coming there that day hadn't been a good idea."You have to get married.." His uncle suddenly declared.
