Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Flex Time (4)
“Rings or necklaces are usually gifts for lovers, so maybe that’s not appropriate. But what about a bracelet? I saw a four-leaf clover pendant at Tiffany’s—it’s really pretty.”
A four-leaf clover pendant…
Since it’s supposed to bring luck, that might actually work.
“Show me the products my sister mentioned.”
“Sure.”
“Also, earrings!”
Her sister quickly added.
After Manager Kim left, I shot my sister a glare.
“You just want it for yourself, right?”
“Hehe. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to get one for me too.”
“Ugh~.”
I pinched her cheek hard. Still, she giggled happily.
The bracelet and earrings Manager Kim brought were decent enough.
Not too flashy, but not careless either.
And the price was reasonable.
“I’ll take three sets of this.”
“Okay, got it.”
“One set is for someone else?”
“I have someone in mind. For use.”
Even though I said that, honestly, there wasn’t anyone in particular to give it to.
The goal was just to reduce the balance number to zero.
[Condition of using 500 million KRW fulfilled.]
The number “0 won” disappeared from the display, replaced by the next condition.
[Meet and interact with three people of the opposite sex.]
[ 0 / 3 ]
It’s 11:30 now.
The real mission starts from here.
The junior my sister introduced turned out better than expected.
Calm and sophisticated, she was the type of stereotypical beauty you’d imagine as a “stewardess.”
What I liked most was that, since I was busy, she politely had just a meal and left.
“My junior is pretty, right?”
“Yeah, she is.”
“When are you planning the after-meeting?”
“I’m busy this week, so maybe next weekend.”
“Make sure to contact her before the meeting. If there’s no after-meeting request, women get upset all day.”
“Got it. Don’t worry about that, just focus on preparing what I asked.”
“What? Auction? I’m always ready for that! Hehe. Then~ I’m off. Good work.”
“Okay.”
I sent my sister off in the limousine the department store prepared, then headed straight to the next meeting place, Noble Hotel.
With time left until the appointment, I had a cup of tea at the lounge cafe, recalling my sister’s reminder.
“‘Make the after-meeting request immediately,’ she said, right?”
I took out my phone, and a message appeared on the lock screen.
[Meet and interact with three people of the opposite sex.]
[ 1 / 3 ]
The number changed exactly ten minutes after meeting the matchmaker.
That means you have to be with the person for at least ten minutes for it to count.
I’d checked it earlier during lunch and coffee, but it was still amazing.
Even though transaction histories come to my phone immediately, how do they know I met someone of the opposite sex?
It was a question I couldn’t solve anyway.
I cleared my mind and sent the after-meeting request text.
Told her I enjoyed today, and asked if we could meet again in two weeks. She quickly replied, “Sure.”
‘Her texts are straightforward and nice.’
She didn’t seem like the type to exhaust people, so meeting lightly would be fine. For now, I wanted to enjoy the freedom of being single.
Watching busy people pass by while enjoying the aroma of coffee, it was already 20 minutes before the appointment.
I got a message from Attorney Jeong Ji-hyun.
“Yes, I’m at the lounge cafe now.”
“Yes.”
After hanging up, Attorney Jeong Ji-hyun appeared in an unusually striking outfit today.
Bright violet-purple pantsuit and an even sharper bob cut than usual.
I even felt like brushing my fingers against her hair could draw blood.
“Your fashion is intense today.”
“Hoho. I can’t let anyone I meet today overpower me.”
Her serious expression looked like she was heading into battle.
“Uh? What do you mean by…”
“Some things just matter. Your business should go well, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
So the client turned out to be rather meticulous.
Even with her busy work, she treated my task as if it were her own. I decided to express my gratitude immediately.
“This.”
I handed her a small paper bag with the Tiffany logo.
“What is this?”
“A bribe.”
“Huh?”
Attorney Jeong’s eyes widened in surprise, her expression almost hamster-like and cute.
“I’m grateful for your help every time. Since I was shopping, I bought one for you. Go ahead and open it.”
“Oh…”
She carefully pulled the jewelry box out of the bag and opened it, then her face lit up with a bright smile.
“Oh! It’s so pretty.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Can I try it on?”
“Of course.”
I’d hesitated before buying it. I didn’t know if she liked accessories.
Apparently, my sister was right: there’s no woman who dislikes pretty things.
Even the normally formal Attorney Jeong blushed as she put on the bracelet and earrings.
‘It’s just compressed stones, why is she so happy?’
She shyly asked me after putting them on.
“Does it look okay?”
“Yes. It suits you well.”
Attorney Jeong suddenly waved her hand at her face.
The bracelet swung, the pendant stones sparkling beautifully.
Her expressions were always varied and charming, the more I saw.
‘Ten minutes must have passed by now.’
I checked my phone lock screen.
[Meet and interact with three people of the opposite sex.]
[ 2 / 3 ]
Luckily, the number had changed from 1 to 2.
‘Hoohoo. Just one more to go.’
Today’s mission depends on the person Attorney Jeong introduces to me.
‘I hope it’s a woman.’
Whether I was still tired from yesterday’s drinking or from sleeping in a different place, I hadn’t fully recovered.
I was eager to finish the mission and go home.
“About ten minutes to the appointment, right? Will the person we’re meeting come here?”
Attorney Jeong suddenly stood up.
“Oh, time flew! We need to move immediately. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I followed her into the elevator.
It stopped at the top floor, the same as the President Room I stayed in yesterday.
Using the emergency stairs, we went one floor higher, and a pure white hallway appeared, completely different from the hotel corridor.
The floor and walls were white marble, glittering, and the ceiling glowed as if lit entirely—like a path to heaven.
“This….”
“This is where the Noble Hotel’s CEO office is.”
“Wait? Why here?”
“The person I’m introducing today is the hotel CEO.”
Ah, so the wine distributor Attorney Jeong mentioned was the Noble Hotel CEO.
‘This means I really owe Attorney Jeong.’
The bribe I prepared suddenly felt trivial.
No wonder. My final target client is the subsidiary of Noble Hotel, Noble L&F.
Noble Hotel and Noblesse Department Store are both EG Group affiliates, leading in lodging and retail, respectively.
Their wine sales account for 70% of domestic wine sales.
Noble L&F imports all the wine sold in these affiliates.
According to market research, wine accounts for 200 billion KRW of Noble L&F’s annual sales alone.
If the negotiation goes well today, the spoilage detection kit could bring huge revenue immediately after production.
‘No wonder Im & Jeong is called Korea’s top law firm.’
Arranging a meeting with the leader of a top Korean company isn’t easy even for executives.
But a single lawyer has enough influence to propose business directly to the Noble Hotel CEO.
I need to raise my evaluation of Attorney Jeong.
At the end of the hallway, Attorney Jeong opened a huge door, revealing a vast space.
The front desk staff stood up, acknowledging her.
“Hello, Attorney Jeong.”
“Where’s the CEO?”
“He’s in the office. Shall I guide you?”
“No, just contact him, please.”
The familiar, casual tone made it seem like she comes here often.
After contacting the CEO via intercom, she turned to me and said “Let’s go,” then led the way.
‘She really changes attitude when focusing on work. Impressive.’
Her professionalism was clear.
We entered the CEO’s office. The room seemed at least twice the size of my house, with ceilings over three meters.
Huge windows on the right offered a sweeping view of Seoul.
The view was so overwhelming I was momentarily stunned.
‘Wow~ The city view from Noble Hotel is as amazing as they say.’
Even from the President Room, the view would have been the same.
But I barely woke up in time for the appointment and had no time to appreciate it.
“Right on time.”
A soft voice that wrapped around my ear.
‘A woman!’
Thinking I might finish the mission quickly and go home, I smiled and turned toward the voice.
But the face was strangely familiar.
Since Kang Min-hyuk left the company with Woo Jeong-hwan, someone had been following him.
It was Han Se-a’s secretary, Manager Oh Seung-won.
He kept a distance, tracking Kang Min-hyuk’s movements and reporting them via real-time messages.
After Kang Min-hyuk and his companion moved to a guest room,
Within five minutes, he confirmed the manager had left and sent a message immediately.
Even past midnight, messages came promptly. Does this woman not sleep?
‘It’s a weekend, and the floor has only expensive rooms. Must be costly.’
Oh Seung-won followed orders silently, knowing speaking up could be dangerous.
Following orders, he still couldn’t understand why it was necessary.
It felt like spying on a husband whose wife was cheating.
He found an empty 46th-floor room. Luckily, one had been canceled.
“Royal Suite? Any cheaper room?”
“Sorry, this floor is suite-only. There are cheaper rooms below.”
“No, this one please.”
“Yes, 3.5 million KRW.”
He knew Noble Hotel was expensive, but 3.5 million for one night… outrageous.
His corporate card was maxed out from Han Se-a’s shopping. He reluctantly paid with his own card.
“Room 1 on the same floor?”
“President Room?”
“Yes. How much is that?”
“Weekdays 20 million KRW, Friday–Sunday 25 million KRW.”
Wow, a third of an assistant manager’s annual salary for one night.
Where did Kang Min-hyuk get money to rent such expensive rooms?
Could he be Han Se-a’s secret lover? But they had no connection.
‘I need to research Kang Min-hyuk more.’
Using company info overnight, he gathered detailed data on Kang Min-hyuk.
Next day, he still followed him and reported everything to Han Se-a.
Around 2:20 PM, he saw Kang Min-hyuk go to the hotel room with a very stylish woman and reported it.
Strangely, messages didn’t arrive promptly as before.
“What’s happening?”
Confused, he took the elevator to the 46th floor. His instincts told him not to lose Kang Min-hyuk.
But when he arrived, Kang Min-hyuk was nowhere to be seen.
‘Damn, we’re screwed!’