After leaving the room, Yeonwoo set the tray down and bit her lip, which was trembling so hard her teeth rattled. She had tried to steel herself against the fear etched into her heart, but she couldn’t even bring herself to look directly at Cha Yoonseok; her hands were too busy shaking.
“I suppose they’ll start eating now? I should get going.”
The staff of the main building became busy, loading the tray with wine and side dishes to accompany the meal.
The staff, unaware of her history, merely viewed him as a guest of Seongheon. They didn’t think he was the type of man to associate with Seongheon, but they didn’t dare voice such thoughts aloud.
“But seriously, isn’t it strange? He carries himself like some filthy gangster. I thought a bouncer from a cabaret had walked in.”
Only one person, Eun-ja, evaluated Cha Yoonseok with a cheerful, cutting voice.
“Quiet. What kind of way is that to talk about a guest who went through the trouble of coming here? It’s vulgar.”
“Oh, sister. You talk about vulgarity, but he’s even more so than I am, isn’t he? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone more coarse than myself.”
Eun-ja wagged her tongue as she plated the japchae. She continued to speak even as she arranged it neatly on the tray.
“I can hear our Managing Director’s reputation dropping from all the way here. Goodness.”
“He’s doing big work; can he really only meet people who suit his taste? That’s impossible.”
Unintentionally, Manager Moon agreed with Eun-ja.
“That’s exactly it. It must be such a hardship for our Managing Director to have to share a table with a man like that. It’s hard to make money, truly.”
“Don’t you see my hardship, having to rub shoulders with you every day?”
“Even if you say that, sister, you like me.”
“Sure. Keep packing your trash into a bundle and stuffing it into your mouth until your trap bursts.”
“You’re getting better at cursing, too. Even at that age, you’re still learning things, sister. You’re truly boundless.”
Hah. Arguing with Eun-ja was a chore in itself. Raising his eyebrows as if giving up, Manager Moon looked at Yeonwoo.
Having no idea that Yeonwoo was the very person avoiding him, Manager Moon gave her a task.
“Newbie. You take this inside now. You do it.”
“Yes.”
Yeonwoo accepted the tray with both hands. When her fingertips began to tremble, Manager Moon glanced at her and looked up.
“Is it heavy?”
“No. It’s not.”
Yeonwoo turned and headed toward the room. She swallowed dryly several times while walking down the short hallway.
Just the thought of Cha Yoonseok being inside made her breathless. Could she manage not to make a mistake? As she clung to that thought, she remembered Seongheon.
A little while ago, in front of the trash disposal area—
‘I’ll be going ahead, Managing Director.’
When she heard the news that Cha Yoonseok had arrived, she felt as if tears would burst forth.
‘Let’s not run away, Ji Yeonwoo-ssi.’
He had said something unexpected.
Yeonwoo’s devastated expression shifted. It looked as if tears were about to fall at any moment.
‘I know. I know, but try facing it.’
‘…….’
‘I am by your side, Ji Yeonwoo-ssi, so I am telling you that you don’t have to be afraid.’
Standing before the closed door, she blankly recalled what had happened earlier. She held the tray, closed her eyes, opened them, and bit her lip hard at the sound of Cha Yoonseok’s laughter leaking through the wood.
Putting strength into her fingertips, Yeonwoo knocked and pushed the door open.
Seongheon and Cha Yoonseok looked at her at the same time, and Yeonwoo stepped inside.
Instinctively, Yeonwoo carried the tray toward Seongheon. As she set down the dishes one by one, Cha Yoonseok watched her with a strange, predatory gaze.
“Yeonwoo. Have you been well?”
He used a tone as affectionate as if he were asking for the first time.
When Yeonwoo laid out the food without a word, Cha Yoonseok let out a loud laugh and pointed at her.
“She’s like this. She makes people feel awkward. Yeonwoo, if someone asks after you, you should smile prettily. You’re still so shy.”
“…….”
“Do you like working here? Is it doable? Yeonwoo, it’s hard for me to work because you’re not there. There isn’t an employee who understands me as well as you do.”
At the end of his sentence, Cha Yoonseok looked at Seongheon.
“Managing Director. Our Yeonwoo is a person I absolutely need, yet she’s stuck here just carrying plates. My heart aches.”
“Is that so?”
Seongheon poured himself a drink.
“Yeonwoo. Let’s go to Seoul together. Huh? I’ll raise your salary. I’ll raise it a lot. I’ll get permission from the Managing Director, so come with me.”
Cha Yoonseok took the bottle and offered it to Yeonwoo. When he held out his glass for her to fill, she stared at it quietly.
“You’re just going to leave without even giving me a drink? I’m hurt. It’s not like we’re strangers, and I’m welcoming you like this.”
“…….”
“Give me a drink before you go. Yeonwoo.”
Seongheon, who had drained his glass without even a toast, set his gaze on Yeonwoo.
“You may leave now.”
“Yes, Managing Director.”
Yeonwoo rose with the tray. Cha Yoonseok, feeling awkward for one reason or another, set down his empty glass.
“Oh, and.”
Seongheon spoke to Yeonwoo as she turned to leave.
“From now on, tell Manager Moon to assist personally. He is a valued guest.”
“Yes, Managing Director.”
As Yeonwoo closed the door politely and stepped out, Cha Yoonseok smacked his lips as if regretful.
“Ha, women, anyway.”
As Seongheon drained his second glass alone, Cha Yoonseok quickly grabbed the bottle.
“I will pour you one, Hyung-nim! No, Managing Director!”
Pouring the drink with a posture of exaggerated deference, Cha Yoonseok knelt.
“Could I just call you Hyung-nim from now on? The word ‘Hyung-nim’ keeps sticking to my lips; it feels like destiny.”
Seongheon, who accepted the drink without pouring one back, drained the third glass.
When there was no answer to his question, Cha Yoonseok cursed viciously under his breath and unbent his knees.
Cha Yoonseok was busy trying to lead the conversation, mixing in pretentious knowledge and shallow jokes. Manager Moon came in from time to time to check on the drinks and side dishes, and before he knew it, about two hours had passed.
*
Having finished her busy work and hurrying to leave, Eun-ja looked at the boxes piled up by the doorway.
“Sister, what’s this?”
Manager Moon glanced at them and waved a hand.
“Leave it. A guest brought it, so we need to pack it up and send it back.”
“Goodness. He brought so much stuff that won’t even be accepted. What is all this?”
Curious, Eun-ja fiddled with the wrapping cloth.
“I told you to leave it alone.”
“Will it wear out if I touch it? I just touched it because the cloth was pretty.”
Eun-ja held up a business card that had slipped out of the cloth. But since she couldn’t read well, she merely flipped it over, disinterested.
Manager Moon watched, worried that Eun-ja, a walking bomb, might thoughtlessly scatter the bundled packages. Seeing her flipping the card, he approached with quick steps.
“Where did you pull that out from again? Won’t you put it back?”
“I didn’t pull anything out. It just slipped out.”
As Eun-ja made her excuse, Manager Moon reached out.
“You really never listen. Give it here. Where did you pull…”
Manager Moon, who had subconsciously glanced at the company name on the card, trailed off. Then, an aggrieved Eun-ja grumbled.
“It’s dirty and spiteful, I can’t live like this. It slipped out from inside here, so you put it back, sister. Is the cloth going to tear?”
“……This son of a bitch.”
“Oh my, sister! That’s really too much!”
As a coarse curse suddenly erupted from Manager Moon’s lips, Eun-ja jumped up.
“What kind of cursing is that! I’m at my age, and you call me a son of a bitch!”
“What a godforsaken bastard this is. Where does he think he’s crawling into?”
Eun-ja wore a sulky expression. Looking closely, it seemed the curse wasn’t directed at her, but at the owner of the business card.
“Sister. What kind of deep grudge do you have to curse like that? Didn’t you tell me not to say vulgar things to the guest earlier?”
Manager Moon shot an angry glare toward the room where Seongheon and Cha Yoonseok were sitting. After offering up a few more vicious curses, she trembled, clutching the business card.
“It’s him. It’s definitely him.”
“Him? What?”
As Eun-ja raised her eyebrows, Manager Moon stared at her.
“The bastard who should be beaten to a pulp with a hammer, not a dried pollack head, has crawled into Domyeongjae on his own two feet.”
“Beaten to a pulp with a hammer?”
“That, that bastard who should be dipped in a soy sauce jar and pickled. A bastard who wouldn’t be good enough even if he were ground in a millstone for meju.”
“……At this rate, he must be an enemy of our sister’s family.”
“A bastard who should be rubbed with chili powder and dried. A bastard who should be thrown into boiling gomtang and boiled away.”
What on earth was going on? Eun-ja wore a stunned expression.
Manager Moon, who was so angry that she dragged out every curse imaginable, was a sight even Eun-ja, who had worked there for decades, had never seen before. Her curses were crisp, potent bowls of vitriol the likes of which she had never heard.
*
They had drunk a large amount of alcohol. Unlike Seongheon, who still sat with his back straight, Cha Yoonseok’s body leaned heavily toward the table.
Cha Yoonseok had never done legitimate business, nor did he have much history of drinking in refined settings. His slurred speech and loose demeanor became raw and ugly.
“Vice President Cha Yoonseok.”
“Yes, Hyung-nim.”
Seongheon had never granted permission, but at some point, Cha Yoonseok had started calling him “Hyung-nim.”
“What do you think of Ji Yeonwoo-ssi?”
Huh? Cha Yoonseok lifted his heavy eyelids. As Seongheon mentioned Yeonwoo’s name first, he laughed loudly, as if pleased.
“Yeonwoo? Yeonwoo is pretty. She’s pretty, isn’t she? Her looks alone… you know? That face, it just pulls you in and lets you go.”
He rambled on, somewhat far from the question. Seongheon closed his eyes slowly and opened them. Blue veins stood out clearly on the back of his hand as he gripped the glass, but there was no way Cha Yoonseok could have known.
“Actually, she’s a bit afraid of me. That’s how women are. They end up prostrating before men with power and strength. You know that well, too, Hyung-nim.”
“…….”
“I like her expression when she’s scared. Flustered. Not knowing what to do. Being uncomfortable. It makes me feel like I’m becoming her entire world.”
He seemed to believe that it was acceptable to speak carelessly about women. He felt not even a shred of the danger in his words.
Seongheon, who had listened calmly, picked up the bottle.
“Ji Yeonwoo-ssi has a habit of positioning herself as the inferior party.”
“Ah, that’s right. That’s correct. Our Hyung-nim knows well, too. As expected, you’re someone who understands women well.”
“The moment someone positions themselves as the inferior, the other party automatically becomes the superior.”
Suddenly, the flow of the conversation shifted.
Seongheon continued to speak as he filled his glass.
“If there is an inferior who positions themselves as such, there is a superior who is born. A human who becomes superior in an instant through such a route will inevitably struggle to inform others of their own attributes, utility, or the essence of their rank.”
“…….”
“That is exactly ‘gapjil’ (abuse of power).”
Huh? Gapjil? Cha Yoonseok blinked his leaden eyes.
Seongheon drained the liquor and emptied the glass. Then he set it down with a sharp *clack*.
“That’s gapjil. The thing you believe you’re best at.”
“Yes?”
Cha Yoonseok wore a face that didn’t understand in the slightest.
Seongheon continued in a calm voice.
“What a relief it is. I realized that it wouldn’t take much effort to crush Cha Yoonseok’s life. The life you’ve lived is just that pathetic.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hyung-nim.”
“Fine. Then I’ll speak plainly.”
Seongheon wiped his mouth with a napkin and dropped it. Then, he laced his fingers together and leaned his body closer to the table.
“Listen well to what I’m about to say from now on. Cha Yoonseok-ssi.”
“What on earth…”
For the first time, Seongheon flashed a faint smile at Cha Yoonseok. It was a mockery, and it was a display of utter contempt.
“From now on, I intend to infringe upon your personality and your rights. Deeply, and persistently.”
“…….”
“Until your very teeth chatter.”
The curtain had risen.