#154

Side Story Episode 5

Shortly after, Jung-hyun made it clear that he did not intend to manage Myeong-jeong himself.

While ownership of Myeong-jeong would remain with the Kwon family, including Jung-hyun, he chose a system of appointing a professional CEO.

In the process, Jung-hyun had to report to the office every single day for meetings. This was because the stubborn board of directors, some of whom had been there since the previous generation, opposed the appointment of a professional manager.

Starting with a relay of meetings that lasted for days with executives and lawyers, he also frequently traveled to provincial factories and clients to settle the minor issues that had arisen following his father’s absence.

He would head to the office early in the morning, and after leaving work, he would spend his time on the phone with lawyers without even a moment to leisurely wash up and rest, until it was suddenly time for bed again.

Ho-jae felt as if Jung-hyun had been snatched away by Myeong-jeong the moment they arrived in Korea.

He had intentionally avoided going to the house in Suwon and stayed with him at the residence hotel, yet the only times he saw his face were in the morning while helping him get ready for work and at night when Jung-hyun returned home, finished all his tasks, and went to bed.

Startled by the sound of shoes being put on, Ho-jae checked the time. He had lost track of time while preparing breakfast.

At the entrance of the hotel room, he saw Jung-hyun, perfectly dressed and ready, putting on his shoes. Ho-jae quickly plated the food he was making and approached him.

“Hyung, eat at least one bite before you go to work.”

“I don’t want to. My stomach feels unsettled.”

“Just one bite, please.”

Ho-jae held out a small piece of rice wrapped in seasoned seaweed. Thinking of nutrition, he had made bite-sized breakfast rolls filled with oil-drained tuna and rinsed aged kimchi.

Jung-hyun seemed to conflict for a moment, then opened his mouth with an “Ah.” Ho-jae quickly popped a piece of kimbap into those pretty lips. Seeing Jung-hyun’s eyebrows lift slightly, as if it tasted good, Ho-jae’s lips curled up instinctively with pride.

“It’s delicious, right? My dad used to make this for me often when I was little.”

Jung-hyun, still chewing, nodded instead of answering.

“Have one more.”

As soon as he confirmed Jung-hyun had finished chewing, Ho-jae offered another, which he accepted obediently. He’s cute. Just like a baby bird, Ho-jae thought to himself. He knew that if he said it out loud, Jung-hyun would never again accept food from his hand.

When Ho-jae pushed a third piece forward, Jung-hyun took off his shoes and stepped back inside, saying that since he was eating anyway, they might as well do it at the table.

Relieved, Ho-jae quickly set the table, scooping out a ladle of beef and radish soup he had simmered with plenty of beef and radish. It was a soup Jung-hyun liked. As expected, Jung-hyun picked up his spoon and began to eat quietly.

Since the house they previously lived in had already been put on the market and Jung-hyun had no intention of staying at the family estate, he had rented a large suite with a kitchen for their stay in Seoul.

It was only natural that Shin Ho-jae, who had nothing special to do other than exercise for rehabilitation, took charge of the kitchen. A few days ago, he had stopped by the house in Suwon solely to bring back aged kimchi made by his mother.

His mother, who had been bewildered that her son hadn’t shown his face once since returning to Korea, quickly softened her heart upon seeing the ultrasound photos Ho-jae presented. She packed so many side dishes, like stir-fried shredded squid and stir-fried anchovies, that he had to take a taxi on the way back.

Seeing this, Jung-hyun was quite distressed. He even scolded Ho-jae, asking if he had any sense, bringing back side dishes before he had even formally introduced himself to the family. No matter how much Ho-jae told him that his mother and Yeon-jae were overjoyed at the news that Jung-hyun was becoming family, Jung-hyun didn’t seem to believe it. Regardless, thanks to Shin Ho-jae’s efforts, the hotel refrigerator was now filled with ingredients comparable to a regular household.

“Ho-jae, you eat too. It’s delicious.”

“I snacked a lot while making it. Please, eat more.”

Ho-jae smiled triumphantly to himself as he watched Jung-hyun eat well. He felt that Jung-hyun seemed burdened when served a proper full breakfast, so he had switched the menu to rice wrapped in seasoned seaweed, and it was a good choice. Since they were bite-sized, Jung-hyun ate them without even realizing how many he was consuming.

“Thank you. It was really delicious.”

By the time Jung-hyun put down his chopsticks, he had eaten nearly a bowl’s worth of kimbap.

At first, Jung-hyun had expressed reluctance, saying he hadn’t come to Seoul just to have Ho-jae look after him, but now that he realized Shin Ho-jae cooked purely for his own satisfaction, he began to say thank you first. As Ho-jae cleared the empty plates, he urged,

“Don’t stay in meetings past lunchtime today. Make sure to eat something proper.”

Jung-hyun nodded, saying he would, but Ho-jae didn’t trust him at all. He knew that yesterday and the day before, Jung-hyun had just gotten by on drinks for lunch, claiming he was too busy.

It was only natural to worry about his health. Especially since he wasn’t alone in his body, yet he had to work day and night like this.

“Or should I go to the company for lunch? Do you want to eat together?”

“Hmm.”

Jung-hyun shook his head instead of answering while drinking the water Ho-jae had poured for him. Placing the empty glass on the table, he finished his thought.

“Things are noisy all around right now because of the company issues. If you get caught up in it too, I don’t think I can handle it. I’m sorry.”

As Jung-hyun spoke while lightly touching his chest, Ho-jae nodded slowly.

As Kwon Jung-hyun convened the board of directors, the media began to focus on Myeong-jeong and Kwon Jung-hyun.

The relief pitcher who appeared at Myeong-jeong Group, whose stock price had plummeted due to the Kwon Ki-hyuk incident. Between Jung-hyun’s Omega trait, the contents of the will, and the achievements he made while running the MJ Sports team, it was rare to spend a single day these days without seeing Jung-hyun’s name upon opening the internet.

If he, whose face was known, were to linger around the Myeong-jeong headquarters at a time like this, rumors would spread in an instant. While it didn’t matter to him, he wanted to avoid anything that would cause Jung-hyun to have to work overtime.

Ho-jae hugged his waist tightly and gave a quick peck near his lips.

“You’re late.”

Despite saying that, Jung-hyun held Ho-jae’s face with both hands as if he couldn’t help himself and pressed his lips firmly against his. Then, saying he was truly late, he hurried to brush his teeth and put his shoes back on.

“You’ll be late today too, right?”

“I think so…”

Jung-hyun glanced at Ho-jae’s face and remembered something.

“Ah… is today the day we’re meeting Du-min and Min-chul?”

The dinner appointment for today to meet Du-min and Min-chul had been set as soon as the decision to return to Korea was made. Du-min, in particular, had been looking forward to meeting Jung-hyun.

“It’s okay. I’ll talk to them.”

“I’ll go if I can, depending on how it goes.”

“You don’t have to push yourself.”

“I won’t. My body isn’t in a state to do that anyway.”

“…Are you really okay? Maybe you should just rest at home.”

“I thought we finished that conversation last time.”

“……”

Jung-hyun raised his wrist to check the time once more. Ho-jae pretended to adjust his tie while checking if it was choking him too much.

“You look sexy in that apron.”

Jung-hyun, who had been quietly looking up at him, spoke with one corner of his mouth lifted. Ho-jae was wearing a plain white apron over a comfortable t-shirt and training pants since he had been preparing breakfast.

Not expecting to hear such a thing, Ho-jae blinked rapidly with a dazed expression.

“Shall we try it with the apron on next time?”

“…What? Me?”

“Yeah. You. I’m really late. I’m going.”

“…Have a good day.”

With a click, the door closed.

Ho-jae let out an unconscious sigh and slowly walked back to the kitchen. After finishing the remaining soup and kimbap ingredients and doing the dishes, he remembered Jung-hyun’s words while taking off the apron and stepped in front of the mirror.

“Is this kind of thing sexy…?”

Shin Ho-jae glanced at the mirror and turned his body this way and that. It was just an ordinary white cotton apron provided by the hotel.

If he had said he looked sexy while exercising, he would have understood, but since it was the first time he’d ever heard such a thing, he was simply bewildered. Scratching the back of his neck, Ho-jae untied the apron and began preparing to go out himself.

Since he was heading to Suwon to meet Du-min and Min-chul, he planned to stop by the house briefly to see his mother.

Not long ago, while packing aged kimchi for her pestering son, she had expressed regret that he wasn’t staying at the house in Suwon, but this time too, between his exercise time and the appointment afterward, there wasn’t much time, so it would be a short visit.

He felt like an unfilial son, but Ho-jae couldn’t help it. If he went to Suwon, he really wouldn’t be able to see the already busy Jung-hyun.

There was far too little time to wrap up the affairs regarding Myeong-jeong and finish the groundwork for the sports entertainment company Jung-hyun had mentioned.

He wished there was something he could do to help, but unfortunately, as a former athlete, the only thing he could do was provide a pre-contract for the sports entertainment company Jung-hyun was creating.

Of course, Jung-hyun had explained how much of an effect it would have just by having an athlete like Shin Ho-jae become the face of a new company, but as long as it didn’t lighten Jung-hyun’s workload right now, it wasn’t particularly satisfying for Shin Ho-jae.

He had a strong feeling that when the June training began, he would be the only one crossing over to the US. Shin Ho-jae sighed unconsciously.

“I mean, you have nothing to do once the CEO goes to work anyway. Why are you pretending to be so busy? Does it make sense that you’re this late coming to see us?”

“Just drink!”

Yuk Du-min, who had dyed his hair rainbow colors since they last met, shouted loudly. At a late dinner hour, the three met at a galbi restaurant in Suwon. It was an old-fashioned garden with round steel tables filling the wide outdoor space and three-colored ice cream served as dessert. Seasoned galbi was cooking deliciously on the grill.

Under the pressure of the other two, Shin Ho-jae downed the soju without a word. A sound of satisfaction escaped him.

He wasn’t usually one to drink often, but since sharing wine with Jung-hyun back then, he hadn’t had any reason to drink. It was because Jung-hyun didn’t want him to. Chewing on a fully cooked piece of galbi as a side dish, Ho-jae suddenly chuckled.

“What.”

“Nothing, I just think my hyung is really amazing.”

Du-min and Min-chul looked at Ho-jae with expressions that said, What is it now? They looked utterly exhausted by Shin Ho-jae’s constant bragging about his lover.

“He loved alcohol and cigarettes so much, but he quit everything immediately once he got pregnant. Is that even possible? My dad couldn’t quit his whole life. No, I’m not trying to badmouth my dad, I’m just saying it’s that impressive. I think he’s a truly cool person.”

“Our Ho-jae-Ho-jae is starting again. Cheol, I have a thought today. I wonder if Ho-jae-Ho-jae felt this way while looking at us… is this what they call mirror therapy?”

“No, you don’t think so?”

“Ugh, of course I do! Since when was the CEO not cool? That’s why his face is on TV every day, isn’t it?”

While placing meat and garlic on a lettuce leaf, Du-min gestured with his chin toward something. Turning his head, Ho-jae saw a large wall-mounted TV.

─…Director Kwon Jung-hyun of Myeong-jeong Group reaffirmed his intention at this afternoon’s shareholders’ meeting to entrust the group’s management to a professional CEO. Shareholders supported Director Kwon Jung-hyun’s remarks, pointing out the problems of owner-management…

On the screen, footage of Jung-hyun speaking was being used as a reference. Ho-jae found himself staring at the screen, completely entranced.

– Puck Drop