Franchise
Franchise
We hadn't been driving for very long.
Cheongdam-dong was part of Gangnam's administrative district, so it was basically right on our doorstep.
So that was why she'd bought a building there.
Since she was doing it anyway, it made sense to put the main store somewhere close by but with symbolic weight.
"But the Burberry building right next door is way too eye-catching."
"It's a little unfortunate... but we can't exactly buy that building."
The building that greeted us looked a bit different from what I'd imagined.
It seemed a little shabby, hidden as it was by the dazzling, brightly lit Burberry building.
"You're not planning to use it as is, are you?"
"Of course not! We're going to remodel everything — inside and out — top to bottom!"
Director declared with a firm nod, full of confidence in the remodeling.
I looked at her with a wry smile, and A-ra wore the same wry smile.
Was there a way to make it stand out more than that Burberry building?
I wasn't sure what Burberry sold, but if someone had come all the way to Cheongdam-dong,
they'd probably want to go into the Burberry store rather than the building Director had bought.
"It doesn't really look like remodeling alone will solve this, though."
"A-ra-ya, I told you, unnie has a plan, okay?"
"Just a minute ago you said you were going to do an exposed concrete structure. What kind of plan is that."
It seemed Director didn't exactly have an aesthetic sense.
An exposed concrete building was a bit much for Cheongdam-dong, packed as it was with flashy buildings.
Maybe going with glass or mirrors for the building would be a better idea.
The more I thought about it, the more appealing it seemed.
A glass mirror building.
"Director, how about we just make it a glass building?"
"Glass?! Do you have any idea how expensive that is?!"
"I wouldn't know, of course."
Director jumped in surprise and then even started hiccuping.
No matter how expensive it was, could it really cost as much as the building itself?
"Seong-hwan-a. You can't have a building like that unless it's designed that way from the construction phase. Even then, it easily breaks past a hundred billion won."
"A... a hundred billion won?"
"Yeah, a hundred billion or so is an amount even I would have to think hard about, you know."
No, wasn't the fact that an individual could even consider and execute something like that even more absurd....
Just how much was my wife's fortune, exactly?
From what I'd heard, she was ranked among Korea's wealthiest individuals...
It was honestly a relief she had someone separate managing her assets.
"So what kind of approach were you planning to take?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure. Maybe hold a design contest with the agency staff?"
"A contest? Director, you're going to put up another weird prize, aren't you?"
"N...no..."
Two years ago.
Just think about the prizes Director put up at that party.
A Mercedes-Benz S-Class and ten million won in department store gift certificates — no matter how you looked at it, that was crossing a line.
It was kind of funny that I, of all people, was saying this as the winner, but my coworkers who got the other prizes must have felt incredibly shortchanged.
What kind of contest gave third place a Jeju Island travel voucher, and second place ten million won in department store gift certificates?
The gap was way too extreme.
"M... maybe something modest, around three million won?"
"Hmm... well, that would be fine."
"Our husband has completely become the voice of restraint, hasn't he?"
A-ra beamed and gently stroked my head.
It was a little embarrassing outside, but since it was daytime, there weren't as many people around as I'd expected.
"Well, contest aside... the design coordinator and interior coordinator from Japan are scheduled to visit soon."
Then she started gazing at the building, her eyes sparkling.
Building an entertainment agency had been her dream, but apparently, building a cosmetics company was a dream too.
"By the way, what's your target audience for this?"
Cosmetics were the kind of product where you set a target audience and marketed accordingly.
Men and women, age groups, whether their skin was dry or oily, and so on....
"Women's cosmetics, of course. The market isn't as big as men's cosmetics, but it's steadily growing, isn't it?"
"Going after men would be a much better way to make money, though."
"Oh, come on. I'm a woman who's after romance, not money, you know?"
Well....
I thought that was something we'd have to keep an eye on going forward.
***
"Are you listening, son?"
"Huh? Oh... I dozed off a little."
I'd come to the orphanage to have a meal with Mom for the first time in a while,
and apparently, flopping down on the sofa just to rest for a moment had been a mistake.
My eyes had closed within three minutes of arriving, and I had no memory of anything after that.
I'd arrived at 10 a.m.... so I'd already slept for three hours.
The building was already different from the orphanage I'd lived in,
but just having Mom nearby seemed to give me a sense of refuge.
I guess I still had a long way to go before I could truly leave my mother's embrace.
"You were sleeping so soundly I didn't wake you... are you not getting enough sleep, by any chance?"
"No. It's nothing like that."
"Heh... As I thought, A-ra just won't leave you alone at night, is that it?"
At Mom's indelicate remark, I broke into a coughing fit.
My mom really didn't have anything she wouldn't say to her son.
"Are you okay? Do you feel a cold coming on?"
"No... cough... it's because of you, Mom."
Mom, who had been rubbing my back as if worried I'd caught a cold, smiled and stroked my head.
Then she lightly placed her hand on my forehead to check for a fever.
There was no way I had a fever.
A laugh slipped out and I chuckled.
"My son, you actually do have a fever?"
"Huh?"
"Hang on, Mom will go get the thermometer."
Mom sprang up from her seat and headed somewhere.
Just in case, I brought my hand to my forehead, and I could definitely feel it was slightly warm — a fever was rising.
Had Mom pressing her cheek to mine earlier been to take my temperature too?
While I was thinking that, Mom came slowly down the stairs.
Then she poked the thermometer into my ear.
"38.2 degrees?! Son, are you really sure nothing hurts?"
"I feel completely fine..."
"This won't do. Let's go to the hospital with Mom right now."
"I'm... I'm really okay..."
Why was it that whenever I had even a slight fever or cough, every woman around me tried to drag me to the hospital?
I came to eat lunch today?!
*
Still, this time, even though I went to the hospital, I didn't get hospitalized or anything.
It was just a simple cold, so I only got an injection in my rear and a prescription for medicine.
I hadn't noticed it when we first came out of the pharmacy, but at some point, I found myself gripping Mom's hand tightly.
Childhood memories surfaced, and it felt nice to keep holding on.
"Mom, let's go eat now."
"That's right. I was supposed to have a meal with my son today."
Only now seeming to remember, she tugged my hand and started walking slowly.
Walking outside holding hands, not with my wife, but with Mom — it wasn't bad either.
"By the way, where are we going?"
Walking along just dangling from Mom's hand without knowing where we were headed, the thought suddenly struck me.
Whether I grew older or not, the moment I held Mom's hand, I turned back into an innocent little boy....
At this rate, I was no different from a little kid, not an adult.
"Mm... before, I went to a Japanese-style tonkatsu place with Mom's friends, remember? How about that?"
"I'm fine anywhere."
"Then off to the tonkatsu place we go~"
I couldn't tell if she was in a good mood or a bad one.
Mom, who had been pouting her lips while holding my medicine bag, flagged down a taxi like she was hitchhiking.
"Here, here, get in first."
"O... okay. But if we were going to take a taxi, I should've just brought the car...."
Before I could even finish my sentence, Mom shoved me into the back door of the taxi.
Then she got in beside me and told the taxi driver our destination.
That place was quite famous, having been featured on TV before as a great restaurant.
I felt happy seeing that my mom was now properly enjoying cultural life and taking pleasure in living.
"Mom, if you have time, would you like to go see a movie with me?"
"Oh my, what's gotten into my son, asking me on a date?"
Mom clapped her hands and beamed, clearly pleased.
Seeing that, I felt glad that she liked it, but at the same time, I also felt sorry.
The guilt of not having been able to spend much time with Mom....
Along with the guilt of having received boundless love but not being able to give it back in equal measure.
She hadn't given birth to me, but wasn't she the mom who had given me a life?
If it weren't for Mom, I would have been found dead inside a cold, dark baby box.
"Mom, that new one that came out, what was it... son?"
Just as Mom was about to tell me which movie she wanted to see,
I threw myself into Mom's arms.
Mom seemed flustered for a moment, but even so, she gently stroked my head.
***
"That was delicious~"
After finishing off the tonkatsu, curry, and the rest, we came outside
and after walking through a modest park, we were now sitting on a bench, drinking beverages.
Mom had started sharing her review of the tonkatsu and curry, even though it'd been an hour since we ate,
and I was listening and giving her reactions.
"Next time, shall I fry some up for you myself?"
"Really? My son knows how to fry tonkatsu too?"
I could do practically everything else, so how could I not fry tonkatsu?
Now that I thought about it, Mom's cooking skills felt exactly average.
Of course, average by women's standards.
Since women didn't tend to cook well.
"You know how to fry frozen foods too, right, Mom?"
"Even Minji knows how to do that."
"I taught Minji! So at least she wouldn't go around starving!"
No, teaching her only how to fry things made it seem like she would end up starving....
As if to prove my point, hadn't Minji nearly starved for close to three months?
Well, I wasn't blaming Mom.
Mom had thought Minji was living diligently.
Hmm.... Fried food, huh....
Should I try making it properly for once...?