The Dream and the Morning Routine
"...I guess I'll just have to erase it."
It felt like he was being a bit too harsh again. He had been so forceful that the female lawyer, who had seemed to think she held the upper hand, felt her grip on his hand loosen, only for her to squeeze it tightly once more.
"What are you talking about? E-erase..."
"Exactly what I said. I'll just have to erase it, won't I?"
"..."
In the dream, he seemed to be taking those words quite seriously, but in reality, he felt an inexplicable sense that everything that woman was saying was a lie. He had tried with all his might to convey that while he was asleep, but as dreams always go, there was no way for that to get through.
"Everything you're saying right now... I'm recording all of this..."
"Yeah. I knew you'd record it. That's why I hate you. You always try to keep everything as evidence."
"...I said I would, I haven't recorded it yet."
"From now on..." he said. "I have many people I need to be responsible for. A woman who helped me with all her might so I could succeed, someone who, despite her prickly personality, likes me a lot deep down, someone who cleared my name... and helped me reach this position. Someone who compensated for my shortcomings."
"And... someone who risked her life to save me. Someone who almost died because of it. I have to be responsible for those people. I have to. But here..."
"..."
"...I don't want to take on any more risks."
The version of himself in the dream, speaking so calmly, felt disconnected from the version of himself in reality. He didn't think he was the type to speak so seriously. While dreaming, the real-life Suhyun even thought he should learn from his dream-self. He had such a strong desire to change himself, and he believed that possessing that kind of gravity was the first step toward becoming a true adult.
"...Risks,"
"Right. The other women are peaceful. Honestly, being with them feels healing. But you? You were only good at first impressions. That's the kind of person Lawyer Ju is. Good at first, but the more you get to know her, the more unpleasant she becomes. It feels like you're always plotting something, and honestly... I don't think you're a good person. It's the same even now."
— Dreams always end and vanish just when they're getting good. What remains is the preparation for work after waking up. It was the same this time. The dream ended while they were talking about something. He thought that if he had stayed a little longer, he might have heard something else. His dream-self seemed to have more to say, and the words 'accusation, lawyer, pregnancy, law firm' felt strange, even though they weren't things related to him.
Of course, since he had just woken up, his brain hadn't even finished booting up enough to judge this as just a dream—a meaningless, random dream not worth worrying about. However,
"..."
What the hell is this?
He didn't even know what time it was, thinking about whether he should sleep in a little, when the strange sensation between his legs caused him to slowly sit up and look at the source of the problem. And there, he saw:
"Ugh, wake up, sir... are you up?"
"...Seo Jia, I didn't give you permission for this..."
In his dream, a woman he didn't know was clinging to him claiming she was pregnant, and when he woke up, his ex-wife was busy serving him orally. No, when did it get this big again?
Jia slowly pulled her mouth away from his manhood, smiling faintly as she wiped her lips with her hand. Eunbyul, who had been watching with a blank expression, narrowed her brows as she stared intently at her boss's member, then widened her eyes in observation.
"...I'd appreciate it if you stopped staring."
"Ah, yes! No, it's just... it was just. It's so fascinating..."
"..."
"And... since the Senior saw me too..."
Eunbyul, who had woken up earlier, and Jia, who had woken up early that day, explained that they had each showered in the bathroom and were lying next to him for a while, looking at their phones, when the conversation started.
"They taught me that... you like it when I do this in the morning..."
"Hey."
"..."
Jia hesitated for a moment, looking away, then said, "...It's true that you like it..."
"No, that was in the past. We are strictly divorced now,"
"We're divorced, but you do that to me every night..."
No, you bitch, you're the one who asked for it!
"...But you enjoyed it while doing it."
...Yeah, I'll say it now, but Seo Jia is definitely good in bed... I don't know about Eunbyul yet since I haven't rolled around with her, but yeah... she did beg for sex three times a day. Still, that doesn't mean it's entirely good. I liked it before, but now we're in a relationship worse than strangers—
"Did you like it?"
Why are you chiming in?
"...Men just feel good as long as they put it in."
"Then would you like it if you did it with me, Senior?"
"..."
And from the side, Jia added, "You do like it, right? Hehe, I'm a bit... good at squeezing it, aren't I?"
"...Everyone, just get lost, seriously..."
He couldn't hold out being attacked from both sides. He just had to shower quickly.
Eunbyul got into the car first, and as he followed, the driver, seemingly very curious, finally asked.
"Um, Senior Managing Director, why are you with your secretary..."
"..."
He had nothing to say. How was he supposed to explain this? They eat together, she touches his parts, and in the morning, she shows him how she performs oral...
"I moved in next door to the General Manager, driver."
"Ah...! No, there were no listings available, and in such an expensive place..."
"The company pays a high salary. With a bit of a loan... I guess I'm just a slave to the company from now on."
"Haha, ah. I see. I didn't know."
Yeah. This is why I like this slippery girl. When words get stuck in my throat, she turns the microphone toward herself and handles it skillfully. I'm learning from her.
Thinking that, he arrived at the company, bowed as usual, and took the elevator up.
"Now... what do I have to do today?"
"Ah, I should have come to work early, but thinking about coming with you..."
"What does it matter? It's good to just take it easy for a day."
That wasn't something the man who was soon to be the owner of this company should say. But he was firm.
"I don't understand people who think about burying their bones in this company. Someday you'll be fired, the company will go under, and we'll die. You have to remember that."
"But that's not something the General Manager should be saying."
"Well, that's true, but anyway, you should..."
"Secretary Eun."
"...Yes. Secretary Eun, you especially need to keep these words in your heart while you work. Looking at you, aren't you going to collapse from overwork someday?"
"I've always lived like this. And... so that the General Manager can shine. Yes. I have to do that!"
Sigh. It doesn't get through. If she starts something, I have to move... No, it's not like that causes a loss, but still.
Meanwhile,
"General Manager. By the way, we're supposed to meet the Chairman today..."
"Ah, right."
"...But did you set a time for that?"
No, there was just a word to come up after arriving at work. He picked up the extension phone and called the Chairman's secretariat, and since the Chief Secretary had arrived early, he was the one who answered.
"Yes. This is the Chief Secretary."
"Ah, Chief. Hello. This is Han Suhyun."
"....Ah! Yes, hello. What brings you to call..."
Since his father was the Chairman, there was no reason to call the secretariat. He said he called because he tried calling extension 006000 and no one answered, so he thought he wasn't at his desk. 006000 was the phone number for the Chairman's office.
He heard the sound of papers being flipped over the phone. As if checking the schedule,
"Ah. He went in because there is a meeting of the presidents today."
"...Isn't that tomorrow?"
"Yes, that's true, but... uh... I just arrived at work and am looking at it now, I apologize."
"It's fine. Take your time."
Then, after a few more pages were flipped,
"Ah, they said it was moved up to today. It seems the Chairman called for it because he had something urgent to discuss."
"Hmm... That's not his style when it comes to meetings. Anyway, I understand. I have another call coming in."
His father wasn't the type to hold meetings often. Why? There was a reason for that. The previous Chairman, his grandfather, was a meeting addict. At that time, to his father, who had joined Doowon Electronics at twenty-three without going to the military,
"Juwon, attend all executive meetings from now on."
Back then, there were no such things as parachute managing directors. He didn't even start as a regular employee. He entered as a non-regular intern. But he was told to attend executive meetings. And because of the era, there was something called a marathon meeting, which was a story his father never failed to mention when he occasionally talked about the old days.
It was said that at 5 PM, executives would arrive at the headquarters building in Yeoksam 1-dong, and they would hold relay meetings from 6 PM, when regular employees were leaving, until 2 AM. His father had even declared that as soon as he succeeded to the chairmanship, he would reduce meetings to one-tenth.
Usually, if he had instructions, he would call the relevant executive to his office, say a few words, and send them off. But what could he possibly have to say? Thinking that, he saw the phone ringing continuously and, realizing his mistake, picked up the receiver again.
"Ah, General Manager. This is Kim Seok."
"Ah! Hello. President."