SMW 65

• Seowoo: Rain on a hot summer day.

“Executive Director Nam, you’re late.”

This place, reminiscent of a high-end bar, was a club operated strictly on a membership basis. Normally, one could enter immediately upon identity verification, but since today was a special gathering, the entry authorization process was rigorous.

“By principle, entry is not permitted after the cutoff time.”

“I am aware. However…”

“However, the Vice Chairman has specially lifted the time limit for today.”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re in luck, Executive Director Nam.”

The manager guided him with a smile.

As he walked through the maze-like corridors, Nam Seo-woo’s mind grew more conflicted. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that the Vice Chairman, who never broke a rule under any circumstances, had changed his mind. His luck had been poor since yesterday. Thinking it was an opportunity, he had pushed himself to go down to the provinces, only to nearly suffer greater losses due to an unexpected disaster. The area around his mouth, where the man beside Han Yeo-reum had gripped him, still throbbed. In the end, finger marks had remained, forcing him to cover them with makeup. In such a state, this current opportunity didn’t feel entirely welcome.

“Executive Director Nam? Is something bothering you?”

“What?”

At his blank reaction for the second time, the manager’s expression shifted subtly. Following the manager’s gaze, Nam Seo-woo realized he was fidgeting with his jaw. He quickly lowered his hand and flashed a bright smile.

“It’s nothing. Is this the place?”

“Yes. Since we notified them in advance, everyone should be waiting inside.”

‘Waiting.’ That was the scary part. It was likely just the manager’s sweet talk, but in this world, there was nothing more foolish than being certain of something. Nam Seo-woo straightened his clothes and squared his shoulders. From this point on, no mistakes could be tolerated. Only after equipping himself with a soft smile did Nam Seo-woo signal the manager.

The moment the door finally opened and he stepped inside, a loud roar of chatter and the pungent scent of strong whiskey hit him. As expected, it was just the manager’s lip service. Contrary to his worries about people ‘waiting,’ not a single person spared him a glance until he reached the table. It could have been humiliating, but for today, Nam Seo-woo felt a deep sense of relief. He hoped the day would pass without any incident.

“Mr. Nam Seo-woo, you’re late.”

Nam Seo-woo flinched at a voice that was distinctly different from the kind manager’s—an oppressive yet noble tone. The room, which had been noisy until then, fell silent in an instant. It was inevitable. Everything here, from the liquor and appetizers to the people, was exorbitantly expensive. Among them, the one with the highest value was Vice Chairman Baek Han.

Sitting at the head of a table as long as the corridor, he was the heir to the Yuseon Group, a conglomerate that had not relinquished its top spot in the business world for nearly a century. Not all chaebols were the same just because they had a lot of money.

“I apologize. I went to the provinces for business and got stranded by the typhoon.”

“My, you should have avoided a typhoon that was so clearly forecasted.”

“There are some things that cannot be avoided even when they are clearly known.”

“Is that so?”

Vice Chairman Baek Han twisted his lips as if he found the comment amusing. The sight overlapped with someone else’s, making his jaw throb.

“Please, sit. You must have had a hard time traveling such a long distance, so have a drink first.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

After greeting Baek Han politely, Nam Seo-woo took his seat. There was no need to awkwardly push through the middle of the long table. There was one seat left at the very end. That was the position of Nam Seo-woo, the son of a Yuseon Group subsidiary president.

“You’ve got guts. To even think of entering midway.”

There were no servers. It was because Vice Chairman Baek Han disliked such things. Instead, a man in a similar position sitting right next to him whispered while filling Nam Seo-woo’s glass with ice and whiskey.

“I came prepared for the possibility that I wouldn’t be let in, so I was lucky.”

“No one knows if that’s luck or misfortune.”

The man eventually warned him in a raspy voice, as if his airway were constricted. The words were vague, but the unauthorized copysituation made [visit our site]the true meaning impossible to miss. It seemed the Crown Prince was in a terrible mood. He couldn’t see the face clearly due to the lighting, but the atmosphere alone created an overwhelming pressure. The noise that had sounded merely loud upon entering now carried a distinct tension.

Over that, the only voice with power overlapped.

“Which part of the provinces did you visit?”

The Vice Chairman’s interest reached further than usual today. Normally, this would be impossible. Of course, he remembered the names of the attendees. Other information would also be stored in that Crown Prince’s head. However, that didn’t necessarily translate to interest. In this place, one had to secure their own piece of the pie.

Yet, no matter how hard one tried, only the chosen few could occupy the seat next to the Crown Prince. For most, their birth had already determined that position.

Therefore, this inexplicable interest should perhaps be viewed as an opportunity.

“I went south. I have a junior I know living in the countryside.”

“Are you saying you pushed through a typhoon to meet a junior in the boonies?”

“He is a junior I cherish quite a bit. You’ve said yourself, Vice Chairman, that talent should always be valued.”

“It is valuable. Whether it’s a company or a country, success and failure ultimately depend on people.”

The Vice Chairman, momentarily lost in thought while swirling his whiskey glass, leaned forward and tilted his head slightly.

“What is the name of this cherished junior?”

“…Han Yeo-reum.”

“Yeo-reum, huh. A name that makes one miss winter.”

“…”

“Someone told me. That when winter comes, they always miss summer.”

“Ah, hahaha. That’s true. One craves warmth in the winter.”

Following Nam Seo-woo, the people around them laughed like comedians. Amidst them, there was only one man who did not laugh.

“But wouldn’t spring be better for that? I hate summer.”

The laughter cut off abruptly. This time, everyone began nodding their heads like bobbleheads.

“Right. Summer is too hot, and during the rainy season, it’s so humid and sticky. Who said such a foolish thing?”

“My cousin.”

“…”

The voice of someone who had tried to raise their volume to seize the opportunity quickly vanished. The man’s cousin—most people here, including Nam Seo-woo, were likely counting the bloodlines of the Baek family one by one.

“Who do you think it is, Executive Director Nam?”

And the one Baek Han singled out was Nam Seo-woo. What on earth was happening? This sudden interest was bewildering, yet it stirred a creeping hope in his chest. It was rare for one of the many sons of subsidiary presidents to have a private conversation with the Vice Chairman.

Nam Seo-woo touched his jaw. The mark on the still-throbbing spot reminded him of someone.

Come to think of it, that person wasn’t an easy target either. It might be worth a gamble.

“Now that you mention it, I stayed at my junior’s house for a while because I was stranded by the typhoon, and there I met a friend who looks like your cousin, Vice Chairman.”

At Nam Seo-woo’s words, the Vice Chairman’s gaze returned to him.

“Looks like my cousin?”

“Yes. I mean Baek Seol-ha. They look so similar that I mistook them at first, but the name was different.”

“What was the name?”

“Um. Choi… Seol, I believe.”

For a moment, the Vice Chairman’s eyes narrowed. Then, curling his lips, he spoke to the man sitting right next to him.

“Switch seats.”

“Pardon?”

Ignoring the bewildered reaction of the man beside him, the Vice Chairman gestured with his chin toward Nam Seo-woo.

“Mr. Nam Seo-woo. Come over to the seat next to me for a moment and let’s talk.”

It seemed it had been luck after all.

• Seowoo: Rain on a hot summer day.

“The car? Of course I sold it for him.”

At Noona Hae-sook’s attitude, as if she were asking something completely obvious, the pole that had barely reached the stem of a persimmon hanging from the tree slipped away.

Ow, my arm.

“But why did no one tell me?”

“It’s not your car, so why would I report every little thing to you?”

“Wow. Noona, are you really doing this to me?”

“The owner of the car didn’t want you to know.”

The sense of betrayal doubled. His already numb arm throbbed even more.

“That guy said that? That he doesn’t want me to know?”

“He said he felt like he’d get scolded if you knew, so he asked to keep it a secret for a while.”

My heart softens again at those words.

“Hah, really! Who’s going to scold him? Like he said, he’s selling his own car, so what is there for me to say?”

“You’re nosy. Even if you wouldn’t scold him, you would’ve nagged him.”

Is my health failing lately? Why does my chest sting so much?

“That’s because I’m worried. Anyway, when did you two get so close behind my back?”

Since he spent most of his day with Choi Seol, this was a part visit our sitehe couldn’t understand. Did the two [stolen content]of [Read on Read BL Novels]them have secret midnight rendezvous without me?

“I don’t know about being close, and we’ve never met in secret. You just don’t know because you sleep like a log until late.”

So it wasn’t midnight, but early morning. Feeling awkward, I gripped the pole again. I pushed the pole toward the persimmon stem, but it wouldn’t catch.

“This really isn’t reaching.”

“It’s because you have no knack for it. Give it here.”

Noona took the pole from my hand and, with one motion, hooked it onto the persimmon tree stem and twisted. Two persimmons immediately popped into the bag attached to the end of the pole.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and go catch them.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

I quickly ran with the basket and reached into the bag at the end of the pole. Beautifully orange persimmons revealed themselves.

“These are still firm.”

“If you want to put them in a jar and eat them throughout the winter, this level of firmness is perfect. Later, when they soften, we can make persimmon vinegar.”

“I remember eating the frozen soft persimmons [visit our site]Grandma unauthorized copyused visit our siteto keep in the winter; they tasted just like ice cream, it was delicious.”

“It’s also honey-sweet if you dip grilled garaetteok in them.”

Sss. I licked my lips at Noona’s words while looking at the persimmons.

“I should try making that in the winter. Choi Seol actually eats things like this quite well.”

“The pretty bachelor? That’s unexpected.”

“Right? You’d think he wouldn’t eat this kind of stuff, right? But he’s surprisingly not picky. He eats the wild greens and fish soup the grandmothers give him quite well.”

“Oh, he looks like the type to cut steak at a restaurant, but it’s good that he eats everything. Is that why his body is so… desirable?”

“If you put it that way, I eat everything well too!”

“You just have no conscience in either body or mind.”

“…!”

I glared at Noona with all my might. Regardless of what I did, Noona massaged her shoulder and handed the pole back.

“Take it. I showed you how, so you can do it now, right?”

Instead of taking the pole, I took a step back.

“Can’t you just do it, Noona? I’ll work hard running around and picking up the persimmons.”

“Tsk, where did you learn to be so lazy? If I were going to do that, why would I pay a part-time fee to hire a guy?”

That’s right. I was working as a paid part-timer.