By Zephyria 
“….”
Feeling drained, Yeon-rok looked down at his short-sleeved pajamas, which he could have worn for at least another three years, but he had no choice but to let them go. With a sullen heart, he returned to the indoor garden and looked around, only to find one of the plants withering and dying. It was in the spot where the fire had broken out, so he felt guilty again, but he also had this thought.
‘Should I try growing a plant?’
Even if he couldn’t raise a puppy, he should be able to easily grow a small pot of plants. Feeling like going out for the first time in a while, Yeon-rok casually put on a cap and went outside. As soon as he opened the entrance door, two bodyguards approached him. And they asked politely.
“Where are you headed?”
Sometimes it felt more like surveillance than protection.
“I’m going to buy some plants.”
“In that case, how about traveling by car? It’s very cold today.”
After thinking for a moment, Yeon-rok nodded. A car would be more comfortable than the subway or bus. He awkwardly got into the car driven by the chauffeur. It felt strange. He felt like a real young master.
Arriving at the flower market, Yeon-rok first headed to the ATM. Usually, merchants preferred cash or bank transfer payments, and he didn’t have any cash on hand, so he wanted to withdraw some money for emergencies. Yeon-rok inserted his card into the ATM and entered the withdrawal amount. But the sound of the machine counting the cash suddenly stopped.
“…What?”
Yeon-rok waited. But the money didn’t come out. Neither did his card. Soon, a message in bold letters appeared on the screen: ‘An error has occurred.’
“No! My card! My money!”
Yeon-rok was annoyed. It wasn’t the first time an ATM had eaten his card or money, so Yeon-rok called the driver first. He said he would be there soon since he was nearby, but he was late. When he called again, he said the traffic was heavy. So Yeon-rok waited in the cold for an hour until he got his card and money back.
The repair technician kept saying he would be there soon, so he couldn’t go inside anywhere. Then, feeling thirsty, he put a bill into the vending machine to buy a drink. This time, the machine happily ate his money.
“Yeah, I knew this would happen, so I’m the idiot for putting money in…”
He gave up since it wasn’t much money and turned around, only to bump into someone carrying a heavy flowerpot. He was sure he had bruised himself from bumping into the cart, but the other person didn’t apologize and just pulled the cart away. A bodyguard, who had been watching Yeon-rok from a distance, stiffened his face when he saw this and hurriedly approached him.
“I’ll stay close by since there are a lot of people.”
His voice was full of wariness. Yeon-rok nodded obediently.
“…Yes, please do.”
The bodyguards were wearing plain clothes, but their stature and stiff atmosphere inevitably drew attention. It was uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do.
On his way to buy plants, Yeon-rok stepped in muddy water three times, had his foot stepped on by a passerby once, and somehow his clothes were torn, probably caught on a tree branch. Just as he was passing by, a flowerpot he hadn’t even touched suddenly fell over and broke, so he unfairly had to pay for it, and the plants he had researched to grow were either unavailable, sold out, or too expensive.
After wandering around, exhausted, he ended up paying an exorbitant price for a pothos, which was said to be suitable for beginners, and the bodyguards glanced at him with eyes that seemed to say, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’
‘What is it? Why am I so unlucky today?’
He was usually unlucky, but today was particularly unlucky for Yeon-rok. Or, to be precise, he had felt terribly unlucky ever since the indoor garden fire. He had embarrassingly fallen on top of Choi Hwan, and Moon Kyeon-woo had torn his clothes.
It was best not to wander around outside at times like this, so he quickly got into the car to go home. But before the bodyguard started the car, he checked a text message on his phone and said in a polite voice.
“Lee Yeon-rok-nim, Yeom Cheon-ho-nim has just proposed that you join him for today’s afternoon schedule.”
“…Today?”
On a day like today, when he was so unlucky?
“Yes, if your schedule is okay, shall we head there right away?”
His schedule was fine, but on a day like this when he was dressed so casually…? But knowing that Yeom Cheon-ho was really busy, and that he needed to be in contact with him to recover his condition, Yeon-rok nodded.
After carefully placing the pothos he had been holding in his arms on the seat, Yeon-rok got out of the car and looked up with wide eyes. The HM Capital Building, which Yeom Cheon-ho managed, was a large, tall, and gleaming building. Many people were busily entering and exiting the entrance every minute and second, which gave an idea of how large this company was.
‘Honestly, I thought it might be a gang since it’s a financial company.’
He still couldn’t forget the men in suits who had lined up and waited in front of his house, saying they would help him move…
But seeing people coming and going like this, it didn’t seem to be a gang company. He felt the pressure of being his Name partner anew and scanned his outfit. He was glad that he had worn the clothes he had bought in preparation for the last appointment. He wished he had been given more time, but since Yeom Cheon-ho was busy, he had no choice but to come right away.
“Lee Yeon-rok-nim!”
Kim Jeong-seong came towards Yeon-rok with a bright face. He looked even happier that the appointment, which had been unilaterally canceled last time, had been rescheduled.
“I will guide you to Yeom Cheon-ho-nim. Please come this way.”
Yeon-rok moved his somewhat stiff limbs and followed Kim Jeong-seong. He crossed the well-decorated lobby and took the elevator, which gleamed with gold. When the number changed to double digits, Yeon-rok swallowed hard, feeling nervous. Finally, the door opened. Kim Jeong-seong led Yeon-rok to a place that looked like a reception room.
“Please rest here and wait for a moment.”
He carefully put out drinks and snacks and then disappeared in a hurry. Yeon-rok, sitting stiffly and only rolling his eyes, relaxed a little. There were plenty of delicious snacks in front of him, but he only took a sip of his drink. He was too nervous to even touch the snacks.
After waiting for about ten minutes, Yeon-rok was smacking his lips and looking at the now-empty snack tray when the door to the reception room opened. Yeon-rok, who had been waiting anxiously, raised his head sharply.
“Yeon-rok-ssi.”
A large man smiled and called his name. Yeon-rok-ssi! Yeon-rok, who had never been called in such a ticklish way, screamed inwardly.
“H-Hello. CEO-nim.”
Yeom Cheon-ho strode towards Yeon-rok, who greeted him stiffly. Yeon-rok felt a refreshing scent that he couldn’t quite place. A man who wore perfume like this was also a type of person who was completely unfamiliar to Yeon-rok. He was much more used to people who moved their bodies until they smelled of sweat. Yeom Cheon-ho leaned forward and looked closely at Yeon-rok’s face, then raised the corners of his lips.
“I heard you started a fire in the garden?”
“I didn’t!”
Even while suspecting that the fire had been caused by his bad luck, Yeon-rok instinctively denied it. Yeom Cheon-ho laughed heartily and naturally sat down next to Yeon-rok, answering.
“I’m just kidding. I heard it from General manager Kim. He said it was probably due to faulty equipment. So, as an apology, I’m going to treat Yeon-rok-ssi today.”
It was really embarrassing to have someone older than him call him Yeon-rok-ssi, Yeon-rok-ssi. Because of this, Yeon-rok found this person overwhelmingly more difficult to deal with than Choi Hwan, who was a celebrity, or Moon Kyeon-woo, who often ignored him.
Yeon-rok shook his head and then nodded. Looking at Yeom Cheon-ho’s smiling face, he soon realized that the apology was just a light excuse for today’s schedule.
“Have you eaten?”
“No, not yet…”
“That’s good. I haven’t had lunch yet either… Let’s have a delicious meal and spend some time together. Is that okay?”
Just as Yeon-rok was nodding at the rather welcome news, there was a knock, and the door to the reception room opened again. As soon as a woman dressed neatly in a suit entered, she bowed deeply. Yeon-rok, who had turned his head away from Yeom Cheon-ho, paused.
“Hello, my name is Min So-yul, and I will be accompanying you two today.”
The woman, who was raising her upper body again with a smiling face, also paused. Her pupils were shaking. Yeon-rok’s eyes, seeing a familiar face, were also shaking violently.
Why is my ex-girlfriend here?
She was even Lee Yeon-rok’s first love and first girlfriend. Yeon-rok’s face turned white and then red as he recalled a past he wanted to forget. His mind was blank at the completely unexpected encounter.