Chapter 116: Eldest Son and Youngest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116: Eldest Son and Youngest
“How do you know I dated Oh Yun-ji?”
The words fell heavily into the hotel room. My Big Hyung knew well that my future response would depend entirely on his answer.
Yet, as if it didn't matter at all.
His expression remained as indifferent as ever.
“Oh Yun-ji.”
The way her name rolled off his tongue so familiarly was subtly irritating, but for now, I listened.
“Do you really think it’s okay for you to date a girl like that?”
“……What?”
“I did some digging, just in case. I assume you know where her father is?”
I had never felt my blood boil like this before. My heart pounded violently, and at the same time, I felt a surging impulse to shut that mouth of his.
“You did a background check on her?”
“She was a woman who might have become family. It was a necessary step.”
“You son of a……!”
“Even as you get angry.”
Big Hyung looked at me with cold eyes. His gaze was filled with a faint sense of loathing.
“You’re doing just fine dating other women right now.”
“…….”
“Woo-jin, was Oh Yun-ji really that precious to you?”
“……!”
I was struck dumb.
I knew exactly what he meant, and I knew that no matter what I said about Oh Yun-ji, it would ultimately lack any persuasive power.
How much I had suffered?
How I had lived like a living corpse during the break after the first semester? No matter how long-windedly I explained those times.
In the end, it would just be dismissed as the past.
“I won’t mess with you as much as possible while you’re in college.”
“…….”
“You said it yourself, right? I’m cutting off your support starting now. I heard you applied for the dormitory; good for you. At least you won’t freeze to death on the streets.”
“Fuck…….”
I wanted to hurl an insult at him, but I remained speechless. Big Hyung’s blunt, mechanical words felt like he was just conducting business.
“Experience everything you can out there. After that, if you truly think you don’t need our family’s help…… then live however you want.”
My clenched fists trembled, having nowhere to strike. In the end, there was nothing I could say to properly refute his words.
Because I knew all too well that, contrary to my claims of missing Yun-ji, my actions had been nothing short of loose.
“Yun-ji…….”
But as if making one last desperate struggle.
I looked at Big Hyung and squeezed out a plea.
“Where is Yun-ji?”
I wanted to know that much.
I was worried that something might have happened to her after she suddenly vanished.
I was afraid she was being mistreated somewhere because of me and my family.
Big Hyung, who had been staring at me, let out a small breath and opened his mouth.
What surprised me a little was.
His final words didn't feel like an official report like before.
He looked like a brother who was truly worried about his younger sibling.
“I heard she’s starting a business with Kim Un.”
“She’s starting a business with Little Hyung?”
What the hell did that mean?
I looked at Big Hyung with bewildered eyes, but he simply turned away, saying he had nothing more to tell me, and stared out at the scenery through the window.
“Phew, if you’re not going to eat this, I’m taking it.”
Annoyed by his lack of response, I grabbed a pillow and threw it at the back of his head. It hit him with a thud.
“……Kim Woo-jin.”
“Stop acting cool! It’s shitty!”
“Sigh, I wonder when you’ll grow up.”
“Mind your own business! How old are you, and you don't even have a woman around you!”
“……The woman who just left is the person who will become your sister-in-law.”
What?
“Mother knows about it, too.”
“Holy shit?”
That lady was actually my future sister-in-law?
“Just go. Being with you just makes me talk too much.”
As Big Hyung gestured for me to leave in annoyance, I huffed and puffed while pushing the cart out.
Outside, I locked eyes with the female secretary who had been waiting, and I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
“Hello.”
“Greeting me again?”
To think that Hyung was actually dating someone. She was a beautiful woman, but still, taking down my brother couldn't have been easy.
“Um, please make sure to fix your clothes. Don't just walk around comfortably like that.”
Recalling the previous incident, I said a word out of concern, and the secretary beamed.
It seemed she realized that I wasn't speaking as the Chairman’s son or the Vice Chairman’s brother.
But simply as a younger brother-in-law giving advice to his sister-in-law.
“I was curious to see how the Young Master would react. I wondered if you were truly someone who acted without any principles toward any woman. But it seems that’s not the case.”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
“Of course. I don’t know what he said to you, but I support you, Young Master. You’re a college student; you should date and sleep with various women.”
“Wait, did Hyung-su say that?”
When I asked with wide eyes, my sister-in-law chuckled and replied.
“That’s what he said.”
“That motherfucker?!”
Then why did he give me such a hard time?
“I thought Big Hyung wasn't very interested in women?”
“Women were very interested in him.”
“Hah, if you ever want to hit him, just tell me.”
At my words, my sister-in-law smiled and continued.
“Anyway. Trying out various experiences like that to find a good woman is a method in its own right.”
“…….”
“Just like how he chose me in the end.”
Seeing my sister-in-law appeal that she was a 'good woman,' I let out a hollow laugh.
It seemed he had certainly met a good woman.
I nodded in understanding, and before leaving, I let out a deep sigh and looked at her.
“Um, please take good care of my brother.”
Perhaps she hadn't expected me to say such a thing; she stared blankly for a moment before nodding with a bright smile.
“Of course.”
* * *
“This brat is definitely sulking at me.”
Kim Woo-jin had been called back not long after returning from Room 1007.
Watching his retreating back as he huffed while carrying the cheese snacks, Yoo Ah-rin felt a sense of complexity.
Do they know each other?
Kim Woo-jin felt different after being dragged to Room 1007. It felt like the distance between them had increased.
It was unexpected that he ordered room service again, but she didn't follow him this time.
She was standing with her arms crossed, pondering various things about Kim Woo-jin, when.
“Hey, come here!”
Department Head Lee Chan-song suddenly called out.
Complaining that his tone already sounded disgusting, Yoo Ah-rin approached the manager, only to find a strange sort of written pledge.
“Sign this.”
“What is this? A pledge?”
“Ah, just do it. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
As Yoo Ah-rin read it blankly, her expression immediately soured.
“What is this? ‘There was no contact of any kind with the Department Head’? ‘No sexual remarks were made’?”
“It’s a pledge! I’m getting this in advance because you kids might try to pull some bullshit after the part-time job is over.”
“Hah.”
It was beyond absurd; it was pathetic.
He was probably making her do this because it actually held some legal weight, right?
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to sue you. I have no reason to waste my time on you, Manager.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to sign it.”
“Ah, if you’re so confident, you shouldn't need to get something like this?!”
“Sigh, why are kids these days so frustrating?”
While Department Head Lee Chan-song was getting annoyed.
Clack, clack.
The sound of footsteps echoed from outside.
Thinking Kim Woo-jin had returned, Yoo Ah-rin tried to hurry out of the office.
But instead, the person from outside entered the office.
“Miss Yoo Ah-rin?”
Tall.
His hair was swept back entirely, but rather than looking dated, he exuded a weight and dignity that surpassed his age.
His low, deep voice made her entire body tense up.
Even though it was the first time she had seen him.
They look alike?
The thought that he resembled Kim Woo-jin crossed her mind.
He had called for Yoo Ah-rin, but the reaction came from the side.
“V-V-Vice Chairman!”
Department Head Lee Chan-song immediately stood up from his chair and bowed at a 90-degree angle.
Vice Chairman?
Wasn't he the culprit who had put the entire hotel on high alert? Yoo Ah-rin, who wasn't used to such experiences yet, stared blankly at the Vice Chairman.
However, the Vice Chairman’s gaze was fixed on the bizarre pledge on the desk.
“Hmm.”
After reading the whole thing, the Vice Chairman picked it up without a word.
Department Head Lee Chan-song felt a dizzying sensation and bit his lip hard, but the Vice Chairman didn't pay him any mind and called for Yoo Ah-rin.
“Shall we talk for a moment?”
“M-Me?”
“Yes.”
With that, the Vice Chairman walked out. Leaving behind the manager, whose face had turned completely pale, Yoo Ah-rin followed him.
They went all the way outside the hotel building; seeing as his pace was quite fast, it felt like he was worried about being caught by someone.
In front of a bench outside the hotel...
Since it was still early morning, there were almost no people, and because it was dark, it was hard to recognize the Vice Chairman.
Perhaps the topic was something that would end quickly, as they didn't bother to sit down.
“You know Kim Woo-jin, right?”
“Ah, yes, I do?”
“Are you dating?”
“What? No, we’re not?!”
She denied it vehemently, wondering where that came from, but Vice Chairman Kim Jae-un showed an even more perplexed reaction.
“……Then?”
“We’re friends, for now.”
“Hmm, for now?”
Kim Jae-un furrowed his brows and looked at Yoo Ah-rin with a strange gaze.
“By any chance, have you had a relationship with Kim Woo-jin?”
“……A relationship?”
“I’m asking if you’ve had sexual intercourse.”
“Ah, no…… not yet.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly after saying it herself, but Kim Jae-un simply tilted his head bluntly.
The Vice Chairman was confused!
“Could you say something? Anything.”
“But what is this even for?”
"That's right."
Since Yoo Ah-rin had a somewhat unique voice, Kim Jae-un was certain.
“Weren't you the one moaning in the background when I was on the phone with Kim Woo-jin back then?”
“…….”
While Yoo Ah-rin was wondering what on earth the Vice Chairman was talking about.
“Aaaaah?! When he said he was on the phone with his Big Hyung!”
Only then did she remember the time at the PC Bang when she had teased Kim Woo-jin by making moaning sounds while he was on the phone with his brother.
Wait.
If that’s the case.
“……Are you Woo-jin’s Big Hyung?”
When she asked in a fluster, he gave a small nod.
“Wow, this is embarrassing.”
Yoo Ah-rin scratched her cheek, stared blankly at Kim Jae-un, and then bowed again.
“I’m Yoo Ah-rin. I’m Kim Woo-jin’s friend.”
“Kim Jae-un. I’m Kim Woo-jin’s Big Hyung.”
“Wow, Kim Woo-jin was a Diamond Spoon? What a crazy guy. He hid that? And then he acted all high and mighty for buying me a Chocomong at the convenience store earlier? I even bought him one yesterday!”
Seeing Yoo Ah-rin let out a hollow laugh, Kim Jae-un thought her reaction wasn't bad.
Most of the women who had approached him were interested in the company and his wealth.
Therefore, Kim Jae-un knew all too well the look of eyes filled with greed.
But Yoo Ah-rin didn't seem particularly interested in those things. Or perhaps it was because she was still a college student and it didn't quite feel real to her.
“However, Kim Woo-jin has nothing to inherit separately. He’s given it all up. He’ll be paying for his own living expenses from now on, too.”
Kim Jae-un said it bluntly just in case.
“Pfft! He gave that up? Kim Woo-jin, you idiot!”
Instead, she clapped and laughed, saying it was actually better.
Just like Oh Yun-ji…….
Thinking that he had met good women, Kim Jae-un let out a faint smile and reached out his hand for a handshake.
“The reason I sought you out isn't much.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know how your relationship will end, but…… please take good care of Woo-jin.”
“Aha!”
At those words, Yoo Ah-rin smiled brightly and replied with confidence.
“Don’t worry. I’m a bit concerned because that jerk has so many women around him, but I’ll treat him well.”
So many women.
After a moment of thought, Kim Jae-un, who was already moving one step ahead.
“It would be better for you to know in advance.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know someone named Oh Yun-ji?”
He began to tell Yoo Ah-rin the story of Oh Yun-ji.