Only the Beginning
They had been waiting for the day of the trip to finally arrive.
Every day, Sihyun and her friends buzzed with excitement in the group chat.
While they chatted, the conversation naturally drifted toward Lee Doyun, the man who had made this trip possible in the first place.
Sihyun had no easy answer to her friends’ questions.
If she said no...
Well...
At that point, wasn’t he really the kind of man born with a silver spoon in his mouth?
But she knew his family.
The chat had always been lively, but this time there was even more chatter than usual.
That was how excited everyone was about the trip.
They even teased Sihyun herself.
Time passed quickly, and before long, the day of departure arrived.
The friend who was waiting for the car Doyun had sent was curious.
“What is it? Did he send a taxi or something? Or an employee?”
Who exactly was coming to pick them up?
But then—
“…I’m losing my mind.”
The car that came to a stop in front of her was not a taxi.
It was a Rolls-Royce.
After climbing into the car, she looked around the interior. Awe escaped her without thinking. The friend who got in after her was just as stunned.
Even Suho, who climbed in last, was no different.
He took a picture of the interior and posted it to the group chat.
Chaos erupted.
***
Sihyun was just as rattled.
What the hell is this...?
She knew her brother had become successful, but this seemed to go far beyond that.
Hearing her friend mention the actual price made it feel even more real.
Just the cars alone were worth over 2 billion won...
It was real.
I really didn’t know much at all...
She had thought she understood her brother well, but that had clearly been a mistake.
Come to think of it, they did live in the same house, but they had barely ever talked.
He had been too busy, and she had been too awkward to approach him first.
Only recently had they grown closer.
She had known he worked part-time jobs...
but she hadn’t known anything about what he actually did. What kind of work it was.
Apparently it hadn’t been part-time work at all. Had he been running a business in the meantime?
She sneaked a glance at the brother sitting beside her.
He’s incredible.
He really did seem incredible.
More than anything, the fact that all these amazing things looked so natural around him made him seem even cooler.
The friend sitting in front turned around and asked in a quiet voice, “Big brother, who is that person? He looks pretty young...”
“Normally I’d have a separate chauffeur, but this one is my secretary.”
“Wow... that’s amazing.”
Secretary.
It was a word she had only ever heard in dramas.
Usually, the main characters in dramas were company chairmen or chaebol heirs.
Then again...
Just this car alone was something you’d never see in real life.
There was no need to look far for proof.
This very car was already far more expensive than our house.
Then...
Was her brother really planning to leave home, just like he had said before?
She felt disappointed.
No.
She shook her head.
What was she even thinking? Feeling a little sad was one thing. But that thought she’d just had had been a different kind of feeling altogether.
“Big brother, how many cars do you even have? I’ve checked four already...”
“I’m not sure. There are company cars too, so I don’t know the exact number.”
“Huh...? So there are so many you can’t even count them?”
“Not quite.”
“That’s seriously amazing.”
A company.
There was no doubt about it anymore: this was not the brother she had known.
While she was still trying to make sense of everything, the car arrived at the airport.
When they got out, the friends who had already arrived were waiting for them.
They opened their arms and rushed toward her.
“Sihyun! I missed you!”
“Eh? We saw each other last week.”
“Aigoo, you’re such a mood killer. Why would you say that?”
“No, I—”
As they greeted one another warmly, she noticed Suho standing awkwardly beside her friends.
She felt like she ought to take care of him. Not because she liked him, exactly... more like a sense of responsibility.
But before she could step in, her brother went over to Suho first.
“Thanks for coming out. Let’s get along well on this trip, man to man.”
“Yes, yes. Of course, hyung.”
Her brother looked after Suho.
He looked dependable.
Her brother and Suho led the way, while she and her friends followed behind, chatting as they went.
“Aren’t your bags overweight? They look like they’re over 20 kilograms each.”
“There’s no way I can lift that if it’s any heavier.”
“What if big brother had booked Jeju Air?”
“Orabuni said it was fine. And it’s not that bad. If it really looks excessive, I’m willing to cover that kind of thing.”
The luggage definitely didn’t look light.
She understood why. She’d tried to pack as lightly as possible, but for a five-day trip, there was only so much she could cut.
She went through immigration with her brother.
When they weighed the bags, they all held their breath.
The luggage was placed on the scale.
Unbelievable...
There were bags that weighed more than 20 kilograms.
There was nothing to complain about.
Even she was hovering close to 20 kilograms.
But then—
“Hey, what? All the luggage passed?”
“No way. Are we flying business class?”
“Huh? Are you kidding me? This isn’t even a budget airline.”
“...Seriously, what is big brother’s real identity? I feel like I’m going to have to uncover it on this trip.”
“Huh... then how much did he spend?”
The luggage cleared without issue.
And when they checked the tickets, they found they weren’t in economy at all, but in business class.
They had naturally assumed it would be economy.
There had been no need to ask why. It was simply a given.
Everyone was stunned.
The shock didn’t stop there.
As they moved to their seats, she chatted quietly with her friends.
“Whoa... what? Are those two secretaries coming with us too?”
“I’m losing my mind. Isn’t this too much of a shock right at the start of the trip?”
“But aren’t those two secretaries incredibly handsome?”
“Ahem. Honestly, big brother’s only someone Sihyun could handle...”
“I’m honestly shocked too...”
It was the truth.
Even after accepting that her brother was no ordinary man, she was still astonished beyond belief.
The trip had begun with one surprise after another.
***
We boarded the plane.
Because it was business class, we were able to get on earlier than everyone else.
I saw Sihyun and her friends taking pictures of the business-class cabin.
Adorable.
They kept thanking me over and over again.
Suho, on the other hand, looked like he’d lost his soul.
He must have sensed something was off from the moment he got into the car.
Especially after seeing that he wasn’t traveling with Sihyun, the friend he was closest to, but with a whole different group.
I patted his shoulder.
“You okay?”
“Y-yes? Ah, yes. Thank you, hyung.”
“No need to thank me. Sit down.”
“Yes, sir.”
He looked dazed, so I asked if he was all right.
This punk. Was this your first time flying business class or something?
Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the secretary sitting beside me helping out, I’d probably have been just as dazed as Suho.
What a relief.
It was nice having someone I could just ask things to without worrying.
Otherwise I might’ve booked business class and then stood around waiting in line like an idiot.
We arrived in Osaka, Japan.
As we got closer to Japan, the girls became even more excited, while Suho’s expression gradually turned sulkier and sulkier.
“Are you feeling sick?”
“No, hyung. I’m just nervous.”
“You’re okay, right?”
“Of course. No problem.”
“That’s a relief.”
Really, thank goodness. If he was already like this, what was I supposed to do?
This was only the beginning.
After getting off the plane, going through immigration, and collecting our bags, we stepped outside the airport.
A moment later, a car stopped in front of us.
It was a luxury vehicle, the kind that looked like it belonged to a celebrity or a company president.
The driver got out and approached us, then asked in awkward Korean, “Are you Mr. Lee Doyun?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“It’s an honor to serve you. I’m here to...”
It was a pickup service arranged by the hotel.
The girls, who had been excited just moments ago, were stunned all over again.
I told you.
It was only the beginning.
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