Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Payday Dinners
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*Bubble, bubble.*
A man in his fifties lifted the lid of the earthenware pot, a pleased look on his face, before closing it again. Then, he diced a block of tofu into bite-sized cubes.
“I’m home!”
“Ah, my beautiful daughter is here. You worked hard.”
The shoes Lee Sun hastily kicked off clattered in the entryway. She had been captivated by the spicy, sweet, and savory aroma wafting from inside the moment she stepped through the door.
“Stir-fried octopus and cheonggukjang!”
Lee Sun scurried into the kitchen with childlike steps, and her father watched her, smiling fondly.
*Bubble, bubble.*
Opening the lid of the simmering stew, Lee Sun beamed.
“How do you always know just by the smell, my dear?”
“Dad, you’re the best!”
“It’s payday, after all. The beer’s cold, too.”
“That’s my dad. I’ll take a quick shower and be right out.”
“Alright. Want to eat while watching the news?”
“Yes!”
Lee Sun had shed her charismatic persona as JD Enter’s finance director and reverted to being a lively daughter, happy to be with her father.
Lee Sun’s father carefully placed the diced tofu into the earthenware pot and closed the lid.
-Steam is now being released.
*Pshhh.*
He reheated the stir-fried octopus one more time, then crushed a generous amount of whole sesame seeds and sprinkled them over the top.
The stir-fried octopus and kimchi were placed on the right side of the coffee table in front of the sofa, followed by a bowl of steaming white rice. Finally, the earthenware pot of cheonggukjang was set in the center-left.
*Click.*
Having finished her shower in a flash, Lee Sun sat down at the table, her face full of anticipation.
“You should at least dry your hair before you eat.”
“It’s fine if I just wrap it in a towel like this.”
To her father, his daughter’s bashful smile was the most beautiful thing in the world as he took the beer out of the fridge.
“To my daughter.”
“To my dad!”
*Clink.*
Father and daughter cheerfully drank their beer.
*Gulp, gulp.*
“Ahh! This is the life!”
“Seeing you smile like this makes me happy, too, Sun. You seemed to be having such a hard time for a while. Are things better these days?”
“Yes… Ta-da!”
Lee Sun held out her phone screen.
“I got several months of back pay. Tell me everything you want to buy.”
Unlike the excited Lee Sun, her father looked startled.
“You mean you weren’t getting paid all this time? But you’re the one who handles payments.”
“Oh, no, I’ve been getting paid since last winter. What I got today was from the winter before last.”
Her father still looked unconvinced as he studied her face.
“The industry hits a dead season in the winter with no events. The company was struggling back then, so Jae-yong oppa and I used our salaries to pay our business partners. We had to keep the company afloat, you know.”
“…You’ve really been through a lot, my dear.”
“Aww, don't make that face. We’re doing really well these days. I even gave the employees a special bonus today.”
His heart ached for his smiling daughter.
Whether she knew how her father felt or not, Lee Sun placed a thick piece of octopus on her white rice and put it in her mouth.
The spicy and sweet octopus was both firm and tender, and her smile broadened with admiration.
“Dad, your cooking is amazing.”
Lee Sun gave her father a thumbs-up.
“Seeing you enjoy it so much makes me so happy.”
“You should eat, too, Dad. But why is the rice you make so perfectly sticky? No matter how much water I use or how long I let it soak, it never tastes like this.”
“Want me to tell you the secret?”
“Huh? Is there really a trick to it?”
Lee Sun’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Try adding about half a cup of glutinous rice for every two cups of regular rice.”
“Glutinous rice? That’s cheating!”
“If we’re talking about cheating, the seasoning in the cheonggukjang is a bigger offender.”
“Pfft!”
Lee Sun laughed heartily at the simple fact.
“My dear. You might misunderstand what I’m about to say.”
“What is it?”
Lee Sun’s expression suddenly turned serious.
“I’m not saying you’re getting old or anything, but… are you not planning on getting married?”
“Why are you suddenly bringing up marriage while we’re eating? I told you, I’m going to live with you forever. So many people don’t get married these days.”
A gentle smile appeared on her father’s face at his daughter’s words. But it quickly faded back to a serious expression.
“…It’s not because of that composer guy who used to chase you around, is it?”
“Oh, Dad!”
“Alright, alright.”
Only then did the two of them begin to eat in earnest.
The news on the TV was reporting a nine-car pile-up on the highway, but Lee Sun, who was watching the screen, was smiling faintly as if lost in her own thoughts.
“…Sun, they’re showing a car crash right now.”
“Oh? Ah, I wasn’t smiling because of this… You remember that employee of mine who came here before?”
“Young Min-jun? The handsome one.”
“Yeah. I hired him, and he’s turned out to be a total lucky charm. He writes great songs, he’s a great producer, and he can even sing and dance well.”
“Yes. You’ve mentioned him several times before, my dear.”
“Have I? Anyway, he lands big contracts left and right, and whenever a problem comes up, he solves it immediately. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so incredible since I joined this industry. He’s so young, but he’s perfect.”
A strange smile formed on her father’s face as he watched his daughter, who was being uncharacteristically effusive.
“Even as a man, I found him to be a charming young man. I bet he’s surrounded by women.”
“N-no. Not really. You know Answer, the prettiest girl group at our company? He’s their chief manager, but he’s like an iron wall, you know?”
“An iron wall? You mean he’s like a block of wood?”
“‘Block of wood’ sounds a little strange, but yeah, something like that. Even though he’s much younger than me, in some ways I even respect him. He’s so mature.”
Her father beamed as he watched his daughter’s face light up.
“We’re a little short on drinks. Dad, would you like a highball?”
“A highball sounds great. I was just thinking about the ones you make the other day.”
“Just a moment. Presenting an Earl Grey highball, crafted by the face of the great JD Enter, the beautiful Finance Director Lee Sun.”
Lee Sun stood up abruptly and took a bottle of whiskey from the display case, and her father watched her with immense pride.
*My hardworking daughter, my good daughter, my striving daughter… I pray that the future you desire comes to you.*
* * *
“Noona, tell me anything you want to eat.”
“Did you get a decent paycheck?”
Choi Yoo-jun held out his phone in front of his older sister, Choi Yoo-kyung.
“Noona, you can seriously quit your job now.”
After seeing the deposit on Yoo-jun’s phone, Yoo-kyung raised her eyebrows, impressed.
“Why would they pay a road manager this much?”
“Well, there’s the incentive from the contract I brought in.”
“You mean the one Mr. Min-jun handled?”
“Of course, Hyung did most of it, but I played a part, too.”
“My little brother’s all grown up.”
“?”
His sister’s gentle tone, so different from her usual nagging, made the tip of Yoo-jun’s nose tingle.
“Wh-what’s with you all of a sudden?”
“I have a little time before work, so treat me to something good.”
“…What do you want to eat?”
Unsettled by his sister’s unfamiliar mood, Yoo-jun asked hesitantly.
“Beef.”
“Alright. I’ll treat you to Hanwoo today!”
“The thought is enough.”
Choi Yoo-kyung led him to a meat restaurant near the club where she DJed.
“I said I’d treat you to Hanwoo.”
“If you and I eat properly, it’ll cost at least 300,000 won. This place is half the price. Yukwoo or Hanwoo, it’s all pretty much the same.”
“No. Min-jun hyung said they’re different. Yukwoo is… what was it? Dairy cattle… he said if a male calf is born, they castrate it and raise it for meat.”
“You know the strangest things. This place is good. Just try it.”
“But I have a lot of money!”
“Save it. You need to get established quickly so I can quit my job.”
“Oh…”
Choi Yoo-jun looked abashed at his sister’s words.
An assorted platter of Yukwoo was brought out, and Choi Yoo-kyung placed a piece of sirloin on the charcoal grill.
*Sizzle.*
“Give it here.”
Choi Yoo-jun took the tongs and scissors from his sister’s hand.
“It’s my treat, after all.”
“Hmph.”
Choi Yoo-kyung’s quiet smile made Yoo-jun feel inexplicably anxious. It brought back bad memories from the past.
“Is something wrong?”
“No?”
“Then why are you acting like this?”
“Like what? I’m just proud of my Yoo-jun.”
Choi Yoo-jun stared blankly at the meat.
“It’s burning.”
“Ah!”
Yoo-jun quickly flipped the meat over.
*Sizzle.*
The fat melting from the marbling dripped onto the charcoal, causing small flames to flare up.
“…Everything’s been going well since I met Min-jun hyung.”
“Yes. It seems so.”
“You might not believe it, Noona, but the company is supporting me a lot. Taking English classes is part of that.”
“Who said I don’t believe you?”
“I might seem like I’m just messing around, but I’m working hard to become an A&R. I listen to a lot of music, analyze it, and try to predict trends.”
“You’ve never just messed around. You worked hard; you just had bad luck.”
As Yoo-jun kept spacing out, Yoo-kyung took the tongs and scissors back and cut the meat.
“I’ll eat well.”
“Yeah. Eat a lot.”
They both dipped a piece of meat in the seasoned oil and put it in their mouths.
While it couldn’t compare to Hanwoo, the juices that burst forth were more than enough to bring a sense of happiness.
“See? It’s delicious.”
“Yeah. It is.”
They ate in silence for a while, and it was Yoo-jun who broke it.
“I… I can’t live without you, Noona.”
“What?”
Choi Yoo-kyung asked, having heard Yoo-jun’s mumble.
“I said I can’t live without you!”
“…Pfft! Hahat.”
Choi Yoo-kyung tried to stifle her laughter.
“Without you, I’m alone. I have no one.”
Seeing her brother speak with his head down, Yoo-kyung’s eyes grew moist.
“What’s with this nonsense all of a sudden? Besides, Mr. Min-jun gets by just fine on his own, doesn’t he?”
“Just hold on a little longer. I’m really going to make it.”
“You’d better.”
Choi Yoo-kyung poured beer into both their glasses and raised hers.
“To my little brother’s success!”
Not to be outdone by his sister, Yoo-jun quickly raised his glass.
“To my pretty noona finding a good man!”
“You little brat, why are you being so serious today?”
To Yoo-jun, his pink-haired sister, nagging him as always, looked incredibly benevolent.
* * *
Every day is busy. But today is the perfect day to do something I’ve been putting off, despite wanting to do it.
The moment I saw Kim Sung-hoon hyung finally emerge, dragging his feet, I rushed him.
“What took you so long?”
“Hey. I’m a public figure, you know. I have to at least wash my face before going out.”
After washing his face, he came out wearing an expensive designer jacket and jeans.
“Don’t go around calling yourself a public figure in interviews and stuff. You’ll attract anti-fans.”
“Honestly, if I’m not a public figure when half the country knows who I am, then who is? By that logic, there’d be less than a hundred public figures in this country.”
He talks like that, but I know he’ll be careful.
“Aren’t you taking the Maybach?”
“You can’t take a Maybach to a crowded place, man. Ever heard of relative deprivation? A man ought to be humble.”
He’s an interesting person. If I had to choose whether he was shameless or sensible, I’d have to think about it for a long time.
I got into Kim Sung-hoon hyung’s SUV.
“For someone being humble, isn’t this car a bit pricey? Even if it’s domestic?”
“Hey, I can’t be seen in something less than 50 million won. You want me to get criticized for cosplaying as a commoner? This is perfect, just under 100 million. Want me to turn on the massage mode?”
The only other luxury car I’d been in was the Maybach, so I couldn’t compare, but I had to admit that this domestic SUV was incredibly comfortable.
A car like this… I could see myself wanting one.
“The massage is nice, right? Refreshing?”
He wanted to emphasize his humility by taking a domestic car, but it seemed he still wanted to show it off.
“For something built into a car, it’s nice. Seems like it would be a headache if it broke, though.”
“Why are you so negative?”
“Ah, that feels good.”
This hyung is quite talkative.
“Right? Melts the fatigue right away, doesn’t it? Even if you don’t really mean it.”
“So, what do you want to eat?”
“Let’s just get some pork belly.”
Kim Sung-hoon hyung must have looked up a place with parking beforehand, because he parked smoothly and we went inside. Many people recognized him and greeted him warmly, but he didn't seem afraid like before.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Yes, yes. I came for some pork belly, too.”
“Ah, thank you. My panic disorder has gotten much better.”
Amidst it all, it seemed some people recognized me too.
“Excuse me, aren’t you the guy from the CPR incident?”
“Yes, I’m the manager for Answer.”
“Wow! That’s so cool.”
When one table recognized me and started clapping, the applause spread to the surrounding tables and soon reached even the kitchen staff.
Almost everyone, except for a few tables, was clapping for me.
Kim Sung-hoon hyung clapped along, an amused look on his face.
“Hyung, why are you joining in?”
I tried to stop him while bowing politely to the crowd.
“Please show a lot of support for the group Answer.”
I was only on the news for a moment. Was I really this well-known?