Chapter 350: Meeting
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 350: Meeting
“Is something the matter?”
After I hung up the phone, Choi Jin-ah, who was munching on french fries, asked tentatively.
She seemed to have sensed that the atmosphere and the conversation were unusual.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should tell her, but then I realized that telling Choi Jin-ah might actually be for the best.
I laid out everything I had just heard.
Jin-ah’s expression turned serious instantly.
“That feels a bit ominous.”
“Right? I’m feeling pretty uneasy too.”
“Chairman Kim is essentially a giant in this industry. For someone like him to act so suddenly…”
“Sigh, I just don’t know.”
I couldn't fathom my father’s intentions.
After the last incident, I thought I’d started to understand him a little better.
But now, I had no idea what he was thinking.
“If there’s anything you need, just say the word. I’ll help you.”
Choi Jin-ah pumped her fist in a show of support.
Despite how she looked right now, she was definitely an influential person.
“Just share some of those fries with me.”
I tried to brush it off with a joke, but…
“Anything but that.”
Look at her getting all serious.
* * *
Midterms were over.
To be precise, I still had one subject left, but after this afternoon’s exam, it would truly be over.
I’d studied hard, so I was confident.
That was why I was currently at a cafe, sipping coffee with Choi I-seo.
“You’re really going to report for work?”
“He told me to.”
It was annoying, but I planned to comply for now.
The atmosphere felt strange, after all.
“How is your father’s health? Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. My big hyung said he’d look into it, but I haven't heard back. I asked my mom separately, but she just brushed it off, saying she didn't really know.”
“Hmm, that’s worrying.”
“Tell me about it. Why is he suddenly acting like this?”
“Where are you supposed to report to?”
“I don’t know, I haven't even checked. He gave me an address, though.”
“Let me see.”
Choi I-seo took my phone.
With practiced ease, she bypassed the passcode and opened my messages.
Usually, couples fight over whether or not to show each other their phones, but I kept mine completely open.
What was there to hide? I was already openly dating three women.
By now, even if she found erotic photos on my phone, she’d probably just shrug it off.
In fact, she’d probably be more surprised if there weren't any.
“…Huh?”
As she checked the address my brother had sent, I-seo’s eyes widened.
She looked back and forth between the phone and me several times as if she couldn't believe it, then snapped her head up so fast I almost heard a 'whoosh.'
“T-t-t-this is Uju Global, isn't it?”
“Huh?”
“Look at this.”
She showed me a massive, towering building on Road View.
The soaring skyscraper was enough to make anyone squint.
“I’m supposed to go there?”
“Wow… Woo-jin, it’s incredibly hard to get a job here. Someone from Gahyeon University would need a massive resume to even stand a chance.”
“No, but what am I even supposed to do there?”
If it’s 'Global,' doesn't that mean trade or something?
I figured they sent me there because I can at least speak English.
“I have no idea what they want me to do.”
It’s not like I’d ever been interested in this field. I’d just been living aimlessly, acting like an attention seeker.
“Want me to tell you?”
“You know?”
“There’s a drama about this. It’s really good.”
“…Fine, let’s watch a drama then.”
They told me to report for work right after exams, so things were going to be tight.
‘Wait, is it even right for me to show up late by myself?’
I’m going to feel so out of place.
Are they just telling me to go and watch and learn?
“Sigh, what a mess.”
“Woo-jin, I’m starting to feel a bit of a wall between us.”
“What wall? I’m just being shoved in there as a 'parachute' hire. It’s basically just a part-time job anyway.”
What would I even do there?
I’ll probably just do whatever they tell me to do.
“Ugh, how annoying. I’m sleeping over at your place tonight, I-seo.”
“I never said you could.”
“…I can’t?”
“Nope. I’m going out for drinks with my friends after the exam.”
“What? With who? Are there guys? What about me?”
At my questions, I-seo gave a little smirk.
“High school friends. Yun-ji will be there too. You can come if you want.”
“Hmm, that might be a bit awkward.”
I knew some of them, but there would probably be more faces I didn't recognize.
“Right? So—”
I-seo stopped mid-sentence, her brow furrowing. She was still holding my phone and seemed to have spotted something bothersome.
“Woo-jin, you got a message.”
“A message?”
The message on the phone I-seo handed back was from the idiots.
“What the hell are these guys talking about?!”
Startled, I immediately looked at Choi I-seo.
She was resting her chin on her hand, glaring at me.
Her gaze was full of suspicion.
“N-No, I-seo! I never said that! This is total bullshit!”
“Hooo?”
“Look! Scroll up! I never said anything like that.”
“Maybe you said it over the phone?”
“Oh, I-seo. Please. I would never.”
“Sure, sure. Going from one to two is hard, but going from three to four is easy, right?”
“Gack! I-seooo!”
I clutched my chest in mock agony, and only then did I-seo’s expression soften.
“Hehe.”
She even let out a small laugh, making it clear she hadn't actually been upset.
“I know they’re joking. I was just playing along.”
“I-seo… was joking?”
“I’m allowed to joke around too, you know.”
“Ah, right. Of course. I-seo can joke too. More importantly, as expected of Choi I-seo! Your trust in me is rock solid!”
“Actually, it’s more like—”
I-seo pointed a finger behind me.
I turned around to check outside the window, and there they were—the idiots who had just sent the messages, standing there laughing.
“If they’re standing right there doing that, isn't it obvious they’re messing with you?”
“Those sons of bitches…”
They really had nothing better to do than pull a prank like this.
Once they saw I’d spotted them, they walked inside.
The way they were grinning was incredibly irritating.
“Oops, Woo-jin! We didn't realize you were with I-seo when we sent that!”
“Hahaha! Our bad! Sorry, buddy! So sorry!”
“You two aren't even students at this school, so why are you here?”
Kang Han-gang was on a leave of absence, and Pyo Jin-ho went to a completely different university.
I knew they were both enlisting soon, but I didn't know why they were acting up here.
“We’re just taking a look around before we head off to the military.”
“Hey, Woo-jin. We enlist in November, you know? We only have a month left. I’m really struggling here.”
‘Oh, for god’s sake.’
Listen to him grumbling like some middle-aged drunk.
I wanted to snap at them, but with I-seo right there, I had to watch my mouth.
I-seo sat with her arms crossed, watching us intently.
Almost as if she were watching a show.
“Woo-jin, when are you going?”
“I’ll go when my draft notice comes. Ugh, why are you being so clingy? Get lost! I’m with I-seo right now!”
“Man, this guy chooses girls over friendship.”
“Is this all our brotherhood meant to you?”
Well, obviously.
It’s not like they aren't obsessed with girls themselves.
Vibrate!
Another message came in.
I wondered who it was this time.
Another weirdo had taken the bait.
“Did this guy break up with his girlfriend?”
“Again? He broke up again?”
It seemed it was time for Chan-woo to move on to his next girlfriend.
But it didn't end there.
“…”
“…”
“…”
In an instant, the three of us looking at the phone fell silent.
Ahn Hyun-ho, who we thought was doing fine with Lee Gyu-a, had suddenly declared his participation.
“Did they break up?”
“Should we actually set this up then?”
“With Chan-woo, Hyun-ho, and me, we’ve got the 'visuals' covered—”
“Let’s find girls from Chungsim University. Our faces are too well-known at Gahyeon.”
“Go talk about this somewhere else!”
I pushed them away in annoyance, but the two of them were already ignoring me and starting to plan the group date.
Don't they realize how selfish it is for guys enlisting in a month to go on a group date?
“Sigh, I-seo, I’m sorry. Because of these idiots.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Huh?
“It’s fine?”
“Yeah. It means you have friends other than us. I used to worry about you, but seeing you get along with them like this is nice.”
Was that what 'good friends' looked like?
Wait, are I-seo’s high school friends weird too?
‘Well, they are a bit weird.’
With Min-ji and Oh Yun-ji in the mix, they definitely weren't normal.
“What? What are you thinking about?”
I-seo pinched my nose.
She playfully shook it back and forth, and I answered with a grin.
“I-seo-mamang.”
Whack!
I got smacked right in the head.
* * *
You have to choose your friends well.
Isn't there a saying that a good friend is one’s greatest asset?
According to that, I was a good friend to others, but I had chosen poor friends for myself.
‘What on earth is this?’
The very next day.
Even though I was supposed to start at Uju Global next week, I found myself at a cafe on the weekend.
A place near the university.
It was the same cafe where Senior Ju-hee used to work.
And I was currently waiting to participate in a group blind date.
“I really chose the wrong friends.”
I let out a deep sigh of annoyance.
The idiots had come to my room yesterday, crying and making a scene, begging me to just show up once.
And so, despite having three girlfriends, I had ended up at a group blind date.
“Oh! Kim Woo-jin! Looking sharp today!”
“Man, you said you wouldn't come, but look at you. All decked out in designer gear?”
Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho were approaching from a distance.
The two of them had clearly put a lot of effort into their appearance, looking quite excited.
Han-gang was naturally handsome, but Pyo Jin-ho, likely styled by Han-gang, looked surprisingly slim despite his large frame.
Regardless, both of them had put on a bit of weight recently.
“Wow, this is my first group date.”
Jeong Chan-woo arrived, looking radiant in his well-chosen outfit.
Of course it was.
After only doing 'sea fishing,' I’m sure 'pond fishing' felt fresh to him.
He’d probably be the center of attention today.
I wondered what kind of guts Han-gang and Jin-ho had to invite him.
And finally.
“I’m here.”
Ahn Hyun-ho arrived. He’d tried to dress up, but he couldn't hide his dull skin and dark circles.
He was the main reason I’d agreed to come.
Apparently, Lee Gyu-a couldn't break her old habits and was seeing another man.
Hyun-ho had decided to go on this date with the intention of breaking up with her.
‘Did Lee Gyu-a really do that?’
From what I saw, she was trying her hardest to settle down with Hyun-ho.
‘Well, before the break, at least.’
I didn't know how things had changed after the break. She was the type to change her mind like a reed in the wind.
“Everyone’s here.”
Kang Han-gang gathered us with a grin.
“Listen, the girls haven't arrived yet. It’s all good, but let’s not hog the attention.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Jeong Chan-woo.
“I don’t really plan on doing that.”
“Shut up. If I say don't do it, don't do it. If you pick one, take her and get out. Don't go giving the other girls ideas.”
I guess they’d already given up on competing with Jeong Chan-woo.
Pyo Jin-ho and Ahn Hyun-ho nodded in agreement.
“Don't girls usually find it burdensome if a guy is too handsome?”
I offered my opinion, but…
“Spoken like a true loser.”
“Sigh, you’ve clearly never been crushed by overwhelming power.”
“You’ve never even been that handsome, so what do you know?”
Those bastards.
They jumped down my throat the moment I opened my mouth.
“Hey, Kim Woo-jin. You really dressed up today, didn't you?”
“I told you, he was totally looking forward to this. I’m telling Yoo Ah-rin immediately.”
“But Woo-jin’s face is so well-known, is it okay for him to be here?”
“It doesn't matter.”
And there was a reason I’d dressed up.
Whack!
“Ow!”
Someone smacked the back of my head.
I whipped my head around to see Yoo Ah-rin, wearing jeans and a white sweater.
“Did your brain rot from all that studying?”
“Hi, Woo-jina!”
“Sigh.”
It wasn't just Yoo Ah-rin.
Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo had joined her.
The idiots behind me looked like their world had ended, but…
I scratched the back of my head and explained.
“I invited them.”
“What?!”
“What did this guy just say?”
“You invited them? Here? To this?”
“Yeah, I invited them. I only came to make up the numbers anyway.”
Silence fell over the group.
The girls, already used to my antics, walked into the cafe.
“The cake here is delicious.”
“Hey, charge everything to Kim Woo-jin’s card. Make that bastard eat nothing but rice and kimchi for dinner tonight.”
“Ooh! Then I want a Double Strawberry Latte and an Espresso Chip Frappuccino!”
“I wonder if they have those? They seem to have some bread. Is it okay if we get some to go?”
“But aren't you curious? How Kim Woo-jin would try to pick up a girl?”
“Excuse me. May I lower my pants?”
“Ye-rin, that’s sexual harassment.”
“Pfft! But he really seems like he’d do that.”
“He tried to seduce me by recommending adult video codes—!”
The laughing women disappeared inside.
The men’s glares were now fixed on me.
“Yeah, I know.”
I know I’m a crazy bastard.
But you guys were the ones who asked for help, you shits.
“So stop staring and get inside, you assholes. Before I call the security team.”
“Look at him acting all high and mighty just because he’s rich.”
“So who is he actually dating in the end?”
“If you’re rich, I guess you can flirt with three girls at once.”
“Looks aren't everything in life.”
The moment I threatened to call the security team if they looked at us one more time, they finally shut their mouths.