A Rod Without a Hook
The reason Tae-hyun stopped in his tracks was the pond in front of him. It was an artificial pond so massive that he momentarily mistook it for a lake!
Why on earth would anyone build something like this inside a villa estate? It was beautiful and scenic, sure, but it felt completely unnecessary to have it here!
And by the edge of that pond, someone had already arrived before him.
"Excuse me, elder. Is it alright to fish here?"
"...?"
Chairman Yoo turned his head. Standing behind him was a young man he had never seen before.
With a fierce countenance and a towering, massive frame, there was something strangely familiar about him, as if he had seen him somewhere before!
Where have I seen this fellow? Chairman Yoo tilted his head in thought. He was certain he had never met the boy, yet he didn't feel like a stranger at all. Besides, this was a place only invited guests could enter.
"Do you not know who I am?"
"Uh... are you wearing a nametag on your clothes, elder?"
"..."
For a moment, Chairman Yoo thought Tae-hyun was mocking him. But the boy looked entirely sincere. Tae-hyun was actually scanning his clothes to see if there was a business card pinned somewhere!
"...I am perfectly fine to fish here."
"Why? Is it because you have nothing to lose even if you get caught and kicked out? You didn't sneak in here, did you?"
This punk... Chairman Yoo felt a sudden surge of irritation, but he quickly regained his composure. His opponent was a green youth. He couldn't afford to lose his dignity.
"Because I am close friends with the owner of this villa!"
"Ah, I see. If you had snuck in, I was going to help you slip out quietly. Getting caught trespassing in a place like this usually doesn't end well, you know."
Hearing Tae-hyun's words, Chairman Yoo's heart softened slightly. Usually, the more successful a person was, the colder they were to the weak, but Tae-hyun was genuinely showing concern for an old man he had just met. It was a rare trait among the wealthy and successful!
"You don't need to worry about that."
Having said it, Chairman Yoo felt a bit strange. To think there was someone who would treat him—the man hailed as the king of the business world—as some 'old man who snuck into someone else's villa.' Just who on earth was this kid?
"By the way, how did you get in here?"
"I came with my father. It's his friend's birthday."
"And you don't even know who that friend is?"
"Ah. I didn't ask. Now that I think about it, it is a bit strange."
"What is?"
"My father doesn't have that many friends. And certainly none who own a villa like this."
"Couldn't he have made a new friend?"
"Nah, my dad's personality isn't exactly suited for making new friends."
A ruthless diss! Chairman Yoo was dumbfounded. However, this gave him a clear idea of who the boy was.
This kid is Kim Tae-san's son!
Once he realized it, he wondered how he hadn't recognized him sooner; Tae-hyun resembled Kim Tae-san to an uncanny degree. The fierce countenance, the massive build, and the subtle warmth hidden beneath it all.
"...The person whose birthday it is today is Chairman Yu Seong-su."
It was a bit embarrassing to refer to his own birthday like that, but Chairman Yoo put on a shameless front and spoke. He was curious. How would Tae-hyun react upon hearing the identity of the villa's owner?
"Who is Chairman Yu Seong-su?"
"...You don't even know the chairman of Yusung Group?!"
"Ah... Yusung Group. I saw them on the news."
"Exactly! Yusung Group isn't a conglomerate you can easily forget!"
"The one that got fined recently..."
"Th-that wasn't the chairman's fault, it was the fault of the president under him..."
Chairman Yoo realized once again. This punk was definitely Kim Tae-san's son!
"Is that so? But since the chairman appointed the president, shouldn't the chairman take some responsibility too?"
An undeniable, painful truth! Hit by a barrage of pure facts, Chairman Yoo staggered.
"Anyway, I can clearly see that you're close with... what was his name, Yu Seong-su? Chairman Yu Seong-su."
"Wh-why?"
Chairman Yoo stammered. Did this kid notice something?
"You're taking Yusung Group's side, insisting it wasn't the chairman's fault, and claiming you didn't sneak into this villa... It's only natural."
Chairman Yoo nodded. No wonder Kim Tae-san boasts about his son so much. The boy might look careless, but he had sharp eyes.
"But elder, why are you up here? Shouldn't you go down there and networ—I mean, greet the other guests?"
"They're all people I've seen to the point of exhaustion anyway. They just come every day and say the exact same things."
Saying so, Chairman Yoo tilted his fishing rod. The reason he was here instead of the building below was for the fishing. Hearing things like 'Congratulations' or 'May you live a long life' from people he was sick of seeing brought absolutely no joy to Chairman Yoo. The only things he was looking forward to today were the congratulations from his precious granddaughter, whom he loved more than life itself, and his newly made friend, Kim Tae-san!
"If you hate hearing the same things, I guess you aren't very close with the people down there?"
"...!"
Tae-hyun had said it without much thought, but Chairman Yoo felt as if he had been stabbed in a sore spot. He met and spoke with the people down there often, but he had never once considered them true friends.
This kid... is sharper than he looks.
*Thud.*
"...?"
Tae-hyun plonked himself down right next to Chairman Yoo.
"Why are you sitting here?"
"Just to watch you fish, elder."
"Oh. Do you like fishing?"
"No?"
"..."
Chairman Yoo's eyebrow twitched!
"I had to fish endlessly in Pan-On 1 to gather crafting materials, and I haven't touched a rod since. I thought I was going to die of boredom back then."
In Pan-On 1, Tae-hyun had to run here and there all by himself to gather materials suitable for a blacksmith. The sheer effort he put in was beyond anyone's imagination. Of course, he did counter-attack other guilds and PKers to extort items from them... but still, Tae-hyun had to obtain most of them himself!
"Pan-On? Ah. Pandemonium Online..."
"You know about it, elder?"
"Ahem. I've heard of the name. I've been thinking about giving it a try, but..."
Since Yu Ji-su was playing it and Kim Tae-san had recommended it, Chairman Yoo was hesitating. If not for his hesitation over playing a kids' game at my age, he would have picked it up already!
"Give it a try. It's fun. Even the fishing you do will probably be more exciting over there."
"I've already heard that before."
"Well, hear it one more time."
"..."
"If you ever need help, you can let me know."
"I take it your level is high?"
"...My level isn't high, but I'm good."
Even Tae-hyun felt his words lacked persuasion. Perhaps misunderstanding Tae-hyun's words, Chairman Yoo nodded.
"Indeed, immersing yourself too much in a game isn't good. Moderation is always best."
It seemed Chairman Yoo was misunderstanding something, but Tae-hyun decided to leave the misunderstanding as it was.
"I'm worried because my granddaughter seems far too absorbed in Pan-On lately."
"I'm sure she knows what she's doing. If you try to micromanage young people's hobbies, they'll only end up hating you."
"Th-this punk..."
As expected of Kim Tae-san's son, he was parroting the exact same things Kim Tae-san had said.
"Anyway, give it a try, and if you need help, just send me a whisper."
"I don't need your help!"
"True, you probably have friends of your own. Oh, by the way, if you're planning to add your granddaughter as a friend, make sure to change your name first."
"...!"
His inner thoughts exposed, Chairman Yoo stared at Tae-hyun. How did this kid know? Chairman Yoo had indeed planned to start Pan-On, go up to Yu Ji-su, and say, "It is your grandfather, hoho! Will you accept my friend request?"
"No one likes having their family find out their game ID, you know. If you don't want to get rejected, just play under a different name."
"M-my granddaughter wouldn't do such a thing..."
"Well, feel free to test your luck then."
"Ugh!"
Sadly, he couldn't firmly refute Tae-hyun's words. Lately, Chairman Yoo's granddaughter had indeed changed quite a lot compared to before.
"Why don't you head back down now? Why are you still lingering here?"
Having his sore spots repeatedly poked by Tae-hyun, Chairman Yoo forgot his age and snapped. The boy was clearly decent, but continuing to talk to him made him feel strangely dragged into his pace!
"I like watching you fish, elder."
"Ahem. Ahem. Didn't you say you don't really like fishing?"
Chairman Yoo cleared his throat. Still, hearing 'I like watching you fish' didn't feel bad at all. Fishing was Chairman Yoo's most cherished hobby! It wasn't about catching the fish. The act of casting the line over the water's surface and waiting was Chairman Yoo's true pleasure. Hearing someone appreciate that made him feel slightly proud.
"I don't really like fishing, but what you're doing doesn't really feel like fishing."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You haven't caught a single thing since earlier."
Snap!
Chairman Yoo glared at Tae-hyun in a fit of pique. How dare this punk speak so recklessly without even understanding the aesthetics of my fishing?
"Do you think you could catch one?"
"Come on, why are you being so childish? It's fine not to catch anything, elder. I understand. There are days when they bite, and days when they don't, right?"
Saying everything he wanted to say and then acting so slippery made him even more detestable. Chairman Yoo thrust the fishing rod toward Tae-hyun.
"Try it then!"
"Huh? Why should I? I don't even like fishing."
Tae-hyun was a natural-born teaser! But Chairman Yoo was no pushover either.
"If you can catch even a single fish from this pond, I will grant you one thing you want. How about it?"
"Oh, a bet? Now that does pique my interest..."
"In return, if you fail to catch one, you must grant me one thing I want."
"Sounds fair. But as long as I catch it, any method is fine, right?"
"Sure."
Chairman Yoo nodded without much thought. In truth, he had proposed this bet because he was absolutely confident.
Go ahead and try to catch one if you can, you punk!
The fishing rod Chairman Yoo had been casting into the pond was actually a half-finished rod with neither bait nor a hook. It was impossible to catch a fish with it. The only reason Chairman Yoo had been holding it was to quietly gaze at the water's surface and meditate!
To think this kid had belittled it by saying, 'You haven't caught a single fish since earlier'!
Enjoy a taste of your own medicine.
Chairman Yoo looked at Tae-hyun with anticipation. Though they had met only recently, he had a rough grasp of what kind of person Tae-hyun was. Just like Kim Tae-san's son, he was a strong-willed boy of great caliber. That was the impression Chairman Yoo had of him.
Kim Tae-san raised his son well.
He was certainly an extraordinary fellow, but that also meant he was highly likely to be even more frustrated by such a failure. Those who were confident in their own abilities were often the ones who couldn't tolerate defeat!
Now, go ahead and try to catch one, then admit your defeat!
For the first time in a while, Chairman Yoo felt his heart flutter with excitement.
Tae-hyun took the fishing rod and stood up.
"...?"
Did he notice the secret of this rod? Well, even if he did, there's nothing he can do.
The fool was the one who accepted the bet before realizing it. Both Chairman Yoo and Tae-hyun knew that well. However, Tae-hyun hadn't stood up to complain.
*Clack.*
"???"
Tae-hyun didn't even cast the line; he simply laid the rod down on the ground. Then, he waded splash-splash into the pond. And then...
*Splash!*
"?!?!?!?!"
Tae-hyun swiftly snatched a fish out of the water with his bare hands!
"Hey!!"
For the first time in a long while, Chairman Yoo felt his composure completely shatter. Regardless of his reaction, Tae-hyun walked out of the water, holding the flopping fish in his hand.
"I caught it."
"Who on earth catches a fish like that?!"
"That's why I clearly asked you beforehand. As long as I catch it, any method is fine, right?"
"...!"
Chairman Yoo realized. Tae-hyun hadn't discovered the secret of the rod late. He had known from the very beginning!
"You... knew?"
Tae-hyun smirked as he replied, "Of course I knew. Did you really think I didn't? Is that why you proposed the bet in the first place?"
Chairman Yoo's face flushed red with embarrassment.