I Like You, Han Taeho
Han Taeho liked it. Having spent so much time close to Kim Dongsu, he'd witnessed the man's downfall firsthand. At first, he'd brushed it off lightly.
'No matter how much that Hwang In-su picked a fight, there's no way Dongsu hyung would lose.'
But as the battle dragged on, something felt off. The police, who should have handled Kim Dongsu appropriately, and the media—they wouldn't let up. Instead, they started piling on like they wanted to bury him for good.
'This is... weird.'
That's when Han Taeho got a call from his father with news he hadn't even considered.
"You didn't get mixed up in anything shady with Kim Dongsu, did you?"
"Huh?"
What threw him was how his father referred to Kim Dongsu. Normally, his dad never called the man by name so casually.
"I mean, you're not tangled up with him anymore, right?"
"...I hung out with him a lot before, but nothing since that last party. Dongsu hyung basically ditched me after that."
That party. Kim Dongsu had abandoned him because of Shin Jaewoo. He stopped summoning Han Taeho like before. That's why Han Taeho had latched onto Shin Jaewoo instead.
"And... you know how busy I've been lately, Dad."
"Because of... that hyung of yours?"
"Yeah."
As Han Taeho answered, his father—President Han—let out a sigh.
"Phew."
It was a sigh of relief.
"Better this way. Stay away from Kim Dongsu from now on... if you can."
"Huh?"
"Things look serious."
Han Taeho had sensed it from the news himself. But he figured it was just a temporary setback. Once public opinion cooled, Kim Dongsu would reclaim his kingdom.
But President Han shook his head at that notion.
"This time, it won't be that easy."
"What's... going on?"
"Looks like someone bigger is backing Hwang. Someone even above Kim Dongsu."
A bigger fish had entered the fray. Suddenly, everything clicked for Han Taeho.
'Ah, that's why...'
It had seemed suspicious. Kim Dongsu, powerless and taking hits like this—it didn't match the man Han Taeho knew.
Then it hit him. One name flashed in his mind.
-You know a guy named Kim Mincheol from Nimo Entertainment?
It was the question Shin Jaewoo had asked when he'd cleaned up Heo Sanggi at Lumière Seoul. Shin Jaewoo had liked how Han Taeho handled it and seemed ready to assign him another task.
'That was Kim Mincheol. And when he heard Dongsu hyung was behind him, he backed off, right?'
That's what he'd thought at the time. But hindsight revealed more.
'Hyung didn't look like he was giving up. Yeah, definitely. He didn't quit...'
He'd just put it on hold. To dig deeper. The realization sent chills down Han Taeho's spine.
This meant Shin Jaewoo had targeted Kim Dongsu just to take down one Kim Mincheol.
'Gasp! Does that even make sense?'
Kim Dongsu was a heavyweight. Why else would a top financial institution like Panta Bank treat him as a top VIP? The man had money and influence in spades.
And yet, Shin Jaewoo had struck at him over some underling named Kim Mincheol?
'And Dongsu hyung couldn't even fight back once?'
Real goosebumps prickled Han Taeho's skin. Oblivious to it all, he'd handed Kim Hyeju to Kim Dongsu and tried to take on Shin Jaewoo.
'Gulp.'
Maybe he should thank Kim Dongsu for beating and humiliating him back then. Otherwise, he never would've jumped ship to Shin Jaewoo's side. He might be sinking with that leaky boat right now as Kim Dongsu went down.
"...Phew. Who the hell is behind this? Anyway, you're totally done with Kim Dongsu, right?"
"Y-yeah..."
Of course. He already had a pretty good idea who it was. Still just a hunch, though. Pure speculation.
Han Taeho fired off a KakaoTalk to Shin Jaewoo right away. And soon, he was on the phone with him.
"So, about that... was it you, hyung?"
He blurted out the question burning inside him. No immediate answer from the other end. A pause, like he was thinking it over. And that was answer enough.
'It's hyung!'
If it wasn't Shin Jaewoo, he'd have denied it outright. The lack of denial confirmed it.
'Fuck!'
Shin Jaewoo was an even bigger deal than he'd imagined. The man finally spoke.
-Even if Kim Dongsu avoids prison, he won't wield power like before. Prison's probably inevitable anyway.
His voice was firm.
-He has more enemies than I thought.
That tracked. Kim Dongsu's strength had kept them at bay. Without it, plenty would've bitten him already. Even Han Taeho's own father.
'As soon as Kim Dongsu started crumbling, he told me to cut ties without looking back...'
Classic Kim Dongsu.
"It really was you, hyung."
But that didn't matter now. The key was what Shin Jaewoo had revealed.
'Definitely hyung.'
Shin Jaewoo had taken down Kim Dongsu. And won.
-I won't deny it.
'Gulp.'
Han Taeho accepted it. Then Shin Jaewoo continued.
-Oh, speaking of which—that thing I mentioned before... can you handle it?
Like he'd just remembered.
"K-Kim Mincheol, that bastard?"
-Yeah.
"I'll do it. Without Kim Dongsu backing him, a punk like Kim Mincheol is no match for me, hyung."
No worries about Kim Dongsu interfering. He'd lost his power this time. Even if he bounced back, not with the same force.
'Perfect.'
Han Taeho was already under Shin Jaewoo's wing. Shaking up Nimo Entertainment would be a clean break from Kim Dongsu.
"I'll prep the details. I know all that dirty shit he pulled..."
Time to rattle Kim Mincheol—and the whole Kim family.
-Do good. Call if you need backup.
Shin Jaewoo said it casually. The call ended.
Han Taeho bit his lip hard. Then headed back to his father's study. If he wanted to hit Nimo Entertainment, borrowing his dad's influence was smarter.
'Time for our family to stop playing servant to the Kims and switch to the Shins.'
He'd show Shin Jaewoo undeniable loyalty.
After hanging up, Shin Jaewoo checked today's chef menu. He'd been about to start when Han Taeho's text came in.
'Let's see.'
He skimmed Nyanbyeol's replay. And found it. Thumbnails of plated dishes.
The menu wasn't anything fancy. Tteokbokki, pasta—stuff women liked. Japchae, traditional jeon pancakes.
As he scrolled, the kitchen bustled.
Chop chop.
Knife sounds rang out.
Whoosh.
Water ran, and
"Hng. Hng."
her occasional hums drifted over. Before he knew it, Shin Jaewoo's eyes had shifted from the replay to Moon Sojeong.
'Pretty.'
Watching a woman prep food from the sofa? Better view than expected.
"...Need any help? Grandma ran a restaurant, so I can assist decently."
"Then... wash these, please."
She handed him a pile of veggies.
"Sure. What're you making?"
Shin Jaewoo finally got up and joined her in the kitchen. He started rinsing carrots at the sink. No empty words—his time helping at grandma's restaurant made him handy at this.
As he carefully washed, she spoke up.
"Hmm. Korean food okay?"
"Love it."
"Bulgogi for you. And... soup's a must, so how about tuna kimchi jjigae with what we've got?"
"Even better."
"Spam too."
"Now that's perfect."
Short exchanges as she prepped. He started with veggies, then helped more.
She glanced at him slyly.
'Oppa’s... better at this than I thought.'
Handsome face, talented (rich), and helps with cooking.
'Is it okay to be this perfect?'
Her heart raced more. And it wasn't just that.
"Hmm, delicious? You're surprisingly good at this."
His reactions while eating washed away her efforts' fatigue. So she let it slip.
"Oppa."
"Yeah."
"I like you."