By Zephyria When Lee-eum opened his eyes, he could vaguely see someone. Lee-eum, getting up from his spot, frowned as he felt the muscle aches all over his body. It was Sunday, so the alarm didn’t go off, and Choi Won-joon was sound asleep next to him, oblivious to the world.
Trying to clear his head, he went into the bathroom to wash his face, only to find clear, blotchy marks all over his neck and body. His nipples were so swollen from being sucked and bitten that even the slightest touch of clothing was painful. Cursing, he came out to find Choi Won-joon sitting up, stretching his arms with a tousled face.
“Come here. Give me a hug.”
Pretending not to hear, Lee-eum tried to leave, but Won-joon quickly grabbed his waist, dragged him to the bed, and laid him down. When Lee-eum begged him to let go, Won-joon buried his face in his chest and mumbled.
“Where’s my teddy bear t-shirt? I was looking for it yesterday.”
“……”
“Did you throw it away?”
Remembering throwing Choi Won-joon’s shirt in the trash, Lee-eum feigned ignorance. In response, Won-joon wrapped his long limbs around him like vines.
“Buy Young-shik new clothes, okay?”
Disgusted by the unfitting tone, Lee-eum pushed him away, but Won-joon clung to him like a leech, refusing to let go. Lee-eum had no choice but to grab Choi Won-joon’s hair and pull him off. “Argh,” he groaned, barely managing to separate only his upper body before quickly getting out of his embrace and getting off the bed. Won-joon rubbed his disheveled hair and grumbled.
“My Darling, you’re so mean. Always grabbing your wife’s hair.”
Ha, Darling? Who’s your wife? Not wanting to argue further, Lee-eum went outside and was making coffee in the kitchen when Choi Won-joon somehow came up behind him and hovered around.
“Admit it. You liked it yesterday too. Don’t you think we’re a better match than we thought?”
“Be quiet and get out. And take those paintings with you while you’re at it. Put the furniture back where it was.”
Instead of answering, Choi Won-joon turned Kim Lee-eum around and cupped his cheeks, making his lips pout like a goldfish. “Heuji meurageu.” When Lee-eum frowned, Won-joon kissed him on the cheek as if to provoke him, and then tried to bite his cheek.
Annoyed that he was acting crazy from the morning, Lee-eum pushed him away, but suddenly the doorbell rang. Lee-eum was startled without realizing it and turned his head. His parents had stayed at the hotel, so he wondered if they had stopped by on their way down. If he got caught today, Choi Won-joon might not just get hit with a chair, but could even be killed by his father.
With a nervous heart, Lee-eum approached the door and breathed a sigh of relief when Director Lee’s face appeared on the screen. He went out and opened the door, and Director Lee politely greeted him and handed him a lunch box.
Feeling sorry that he only ever dropped off lunch boxes, Lee-eum told him to come in for a bit, but Director Lee disappeared without looking back, saying he had an appointment. Well, he probably wouldn’t want to be stuck with his boss on his day off. Especially if the boss was a crazy bastard.
Lee-eum put the lunch box on the table and looked at Choi Won-joon.
“Don’t ask Director Lee to bring lunch boxes anymore. It’s not even work hours. No matter how much of a secretary he is, it’s abuse of power to make him do things like this.”
“I pay him enough for it.”
Lee-eum scoffed at the arrogant tone.
“Is money everything? You have to use people moderately. You make him take care of all the dirty work and clean up after the President’s messes, and then you didn’t even want to pay him? The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. ‘I pay him enough’? How much do you even pay him to say that? Are you giving him hundreds of millions?”
It was meant to be sarcastic, but Choi Won-joon readily nodded. Lee-eum was momentarily flustered and lost for words.
“You really give him hundreds of millions…?”
“Yeah. He probably takes home more than the executives.”
“……”
“And I give him generous bonuses too. It’s only natural to get paid for the work you do.”
“……”
“Do you know where Director Lee lives?”
“Where does he live…?”
“Digniel.”
Lee-eum couldn’t close his gaping mouth, and Won-joon nonchalantly opened the lunch box and handed Lee-eum chopsticks and a spoon. He even poured him a glass of water and smiled, telling him to eat.
“Why are you making that face?”
“It’s nothing…”
He almost asked if there were any positions left at the company. It wasn’t something he needed to worry about. He thought he was a bad guy abusing his power, but he was a damn good CEO. On the other hand, he was curious about what kind of work he handled to get paid that much.
Director Lee probably knew all of Choi Won-joon’s shady dealings. Should he coax him and find out about Choi Won-joon’s crimes and get him arrested now? Would that make his life a little easier? But what if he blabbed to the whole neighborhood that he slept with him? But sleeping together isn’t a crime, is it?
While he was distracted, Choi Won-joon picked the beans out of his rice.
“Give them to me if you’re not going to eat the beans.”
“Are you going to eat them, Darling?”
“I like beans.”
“Do you like beans, or do you like me?”
Lee-eum burst out laughing at the childish question that even his nephews wouldn’t ask. Choi Won-joon didn’t eat his rice and just stared at him, so Lee-eum lowered the corners of his mouth, feeling embarrassed. Then, he smiled belatedly.
“Thank you. For smiling.”
Lee-eum looked up at Choi Won-joon, taken aback by the unexpected words. What’s wrong with this guy? Feeling inexplicably hot, he got up and turned on the air conditioner. He grumbled that it was already sweltering in the morning and returned to the table, only to find that Choi Won-joon had made a heart out of beans on top of his rice.
❖ ❖ ❖
Kim Chun-sam, after leaving the hotel, sent his wife to their eldest son, Kim Malk-eum, and headed somewhere. The place he arrived at was Choi Seung-gil’s house, which had high walls and strict security from the entrance. Seeing that, Kim Chun-sam clicked his tongue, saying that he must have done a lot of bad things to be so afraid.
“How may I help you?”
“I’m Kim Chun-sam. I’d like to see the Chairman of this house for a moment. Please let him know.”
After the employee radioed inside, the gate opened wide a little later. The person who came out to greet him was surprisingly Choi Seung-gil’s wife, Lee Mi-ran. Madam Lee’s face lit up when she saw Kim Chun-sam, and she greeted him warmly.
“Oh, in-law. Welcome. What brings you to our house?”
The word “in-law” grated on his nerves, but he couldn’t afford to argue here, so he just ignored it.
“I apologize for the intrusion so early in the morning. I came to see Seung-gil, or rather, Chairman Choi, before leaving to discuss something important.”
“Oh, you came at the right time. Where’s your wife? You should have brought her with you.”
Kim Chun-sam was speechless at Madam Lee’s brazen use of the term “wife.” He had felt it before, but there was a reason why Choi Seung-gil was so tightly controlled by his wife. She was an extraordinary woman who knew how to handle people with a gentle smile.
Following her inside, Chairman Choi was already out in front of the entrance. He greeted Kim Chun-sam with a distorted face, and the two exchanged sharp glances, disliking each other.
“What brings you here? The esteemed police officer.”
“I came to talk to you about something, so spare me some time. It won’t take long, so don’t worry.”
Chairman Choi told him to follow him and went up to the study on the second floor, instructing him not to bring anyone in, as he didn’t need tea. The two sat facing each other in the study, and Choi Seung-gil was the first to speak.
“Let’s hear it. What do you have to say?”
“Have you heard the news that my son broke up with your son?”
“I have.”
“What do you think? Does it seem real?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“I don’t think so. I think they’re still seeing each other.”
Chairman Choi kept his mouth shut. He knew that Choi Won-joon and Kim Yi-eum hadn’t broken up. He wanted to interfere, but his wife, Madam Lee, was so strongly supporting their relationship that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“So? What are you getting at?”
“Listen carefully. I’ll tell you how to do it, and you just follow my instructions.”
“Why should I do what you tell me?”
“Or would you rather accept my son? Would you be okay with a police officer becoming your son-in-law in this house?”
When Chairman Choi frowned, Kim Chun-sam revealed his plan. Chairman Choi’s face changed with each passing moment as he listened. Then, he laughed with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.
“You don’t know my son. He doesn’t care about that kind of thing. He’d probably be even more excited about it.”
Kim Chun-sam replied.
“I suppose so. If he’s anything like you, he’d be incredibly shameless. But my son is different. He has a strong sense of pride in his profession. He’s also sensitive to what others think.”
“Are you saying it’s okay for your son to get hurt?”
“There’s no other way, is there? Or you can suggest a better way.”
Chairman Choi pondered for a long time before nodding. Kim Chun-sam extended his thick hand, and Chairman Choi took it without hesitation. The two became like Liu Bei and Guan Yu, swearing an oath of brotherhood, but quickly shook off each other’s hands and stood up.
When they came downstairs, Madam Lee was smiling.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t even have tea before leaving.”
“It’s alright. We’ve finished our conversation, so I’ll be going.”
Kim Chun-sam didn’t look back, and Madam Lee escorted him outside. Then, she stopped Kim Chun-sam as he was about to get into the car and handed him a shopping bag.
“Here, in-law. Take this with you.”
“It’s alright. I’ll decline.”
“It’s nothing much. It’s lemon preserves made by our housekeeper. It tastes good. It’ll be refreshing if you drink a glass of it during the hot summer.”
Madam Lee had no intention of backing down, and Kim Chun-sam didn’t want to argue any further. It would be different if it were something expensive, but lemon preserves should be fine.
“Then take care. Let’s meet again next time.”
Madam Lee handed over the shopping bag, bowed politely, and went inside.
Chairman Choi was playing Go in the master bedroom, so Madam Lee lightly climbed the stairs and headed to the study on the second floor. After checking her surroundings, she opened the study door and went inside. Then, she bent down as much as possible and groped under the sofa. Soon, she pulled out a cell phone. The cell phone was recording, and Madam Lee pressed the stop button and elegantly left the study, humming a tune.