This Place Makes a Great Appetizer (2)
To bring Cha Eun-yu to his knees at her feet, she had waited a full seven years.
For today's meeting, Han Se-ah had spent a month under the care of Korea's finest dermatologist and hunted down the very best hair designer and makeup artist money could buy. The finished result was satisfaction itself.
Absolutely perfect.
Even to her own eyes, she could not possibly look more beautiful. Even Cha Eun-yu, who spent his days opposite the most dazzling actresses in the industry, would surely lose himself staring at her.
Gazing into the mirror, Han Se-ah flushed as she imagined a burning night with him.
"I'll give you a night you'll never forget. Heh-heh-heh."
Cha Eun-yu would have recoiled in horror if he'd heard her. But in a world where Han Se-ah held all the cards, the possibility that Cha Eun-yu — little more than a slave to money — might refuse her did not even exist as an option.
She arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early, and Cha Eun-yu, who had gotten there first, rose to greet her.
"Heh-heh. You got here early?"
"Yes. I couldn't possibly keep a woman this beautiful waiting. Though it seems we're the only guests."
Pleased by his solicitous manner, Han Se-ah preened as she answered.
"Heh-heh. After that recent incident, I figured other people's eyes might make you uncomfortable, so I took care of a few things. Since I'm treating you to dinner, it ought to be comfortable, don't you think?"
"Ah... this place is famous for being impossible to book. Buying out every seat must have cost a fortune."
"Heh-heh. How much could that kind of money even amount to? Thanks to you, Mr. Cha Eun-yu, our company's stock has risen so much. Grandfather even told me to make sure you were treated well."
Of course, the claim that Chairman Han had given her any such instruction was a lie. She had brought up the chairman on purpose, to let Cha Eun-yu know that a giant like Chairman Han stood behind her.
Cha Eun-yu paused for a beat, then thanked her with an awkward smile.
"Please tell the Chairman I appreciate it."
"I will. Heh-heh."
Whether from the tension of having Cha Eun-yu right in front of her, her throat had gone dry. She reached for the water the waiter had poured — and then noticed. Four place settings on the table.
There must have been some mix-up with the reservation.
Honestly, Deputy General Manager Song can't even get something this simple right. The man is far too sloppy.
Han Se-ah raised her hand with elegant poise and summoned the waiter.
"I reserved for two. Why are there four place settings?"
The elderly waiter answered with stubborn literalness, as if such a thing were impossible.
"The reservation is for four people, ma'am."
"What are you talking about? I'm the one who made the reservation. I clearly told them to book for two."
Irritation surged, but she did her best to speak smoothly. Of course, she packed the tone with enough snap for him to notice.
Then the restaurant door opened, and the waiter's gaze turned that way.
He's looking somewhere else while I'm talking to him? What kind of service is this? I came here on purpose because it's Michelin three-star, and they don't even have the basics down.
But Han Se-ah swallowed her fury, etching the word patience into her heart dozens — hundreds — of times.
Huuu— do you know what it took to arrange this meeting today? I have to endure.
If Cha Eun-yu hadn't been sitting there, harsh words would already have flown. But one's true nature cannot be hidden. Unlike the composure she was reaching for, a voice honed to an edge burst out of her.
"Excuse me! I'm talking to you right now. This is—"
"Ah, the other two guests have arrived."
"What? What are you talking about!"
Han Se-ah turned her head in the direction the waiter indicated, and her expression twisted. Kang Minhyuk and a foreign woman with the face of a goddess were walking toward her.
On a day as important as this. Interlopers!
Someone had clearly sent Kang Minhyuk to make a fool of her. Who on earth could it be? The person secretly helping Kang Minhyuk and raking her nerves. The name that rose in Han Se-ah's mind. There was only one.
Chairwoman Heo Ji-hye, that insane old hag!
Han Se-ah ground her teeth and roared in fury.
"What? Why are you here?"
Coming at me with a naked "you" right out of the gate. That's a bit hurtful, honestly. And this from someone I once shared a bed with.
"I heard Mr. Cha Eun-yu was meeting you, so I thought we might have a meal together. It's been a while."
Han Se-ah lifted one corner of her mouth and sneered.
"How do you even know Cha Eun-yu?"
"Ah... you didn't know? We're pretty close, actually. I'm the one who asked him to do the Iljin Group commercial."
"What are you talking about? Team Leader Lee Jungwan is the one who recruited Cha Eun-yu as the model. Isn't that right?"
Han Se-ah turned to Cha Eun-yu, demanding an explanation, and he tilted his head as if he'd never heard the name.
"Team Leader Lee Jungwan? Who's that?"
"What?"
"Minhyuk hyung asked me so earnestly, I really had no choice but to accept."
"Hy-hyung? Ha!"
Sensing that something was going badly off-script, Han Se-ah set Cha Eun-yu aside and glared at me.
"Even so. You came here to eat with me? You've actually lost your mind, haven't you?"
"The only person here who makes me uncomfortable is you. If you hate it that much, you're welcome to leave."
Cha Eun-yu immediately stood and offered Amy a seat.
"Please, sit here."
"Sit? Who said you could sit? I'm the one who reserved this place! Get out of here right now!"
I ignored Han Se-ah's tantrum, pulled out a chair, and sat. Then I turned to the waiter.
"Please bring out the food we ordered."
"Yes, sir. Right away."
"Have you actually gone insane? Didn't you hear me tell you to get lost?"
"Now, now. Such harsh words from such a pretty face. There are other guests here. Do observe some etiquette, Ms. Han Se-ah. Before you get thrown out of the restaurant."
"Ha! Who do you think you're ordering around? I'm Han Se-ah! The grand.daugh.ter of Iljin Group!"
I snorted a laugh and answered.
"Still can't read the room? Don't you know whose courtesy you're sitting here on?"
"What?"
"Didn't Song Jiho tell you? You can't reserve every seat here."
"What is that even supposed to..."
The realization seemed to catch up with her. At first they'd told her the place was fully booked, that it would be difficult — that even a chaebol family's child would have a hard time buying out every seat. So how had Kang Minhyuk...?
She was looking at me as if she expected an explanation, so I gave her one, calmly.
"Today's reservations came to about a hundred and fifty people, I think? I slipped each of them an extra two million won and even rebooked them for other dates."
The one who let out a gasp of admiration was Cha Eun-yu.
"Wow! I heard year-end reservations here are hell, but there was a method like that. I should use that myself when I'm in a pinch."
Han Se-ah snorted, her face a mask of disbelief.
"Everyone knows you don't have a penny to your name. What money did you have to throw around that kind of cash?"
"Still looking down on people, I see. Well. You've even picked up a rich grandfather, so I suppose nothing gets in your way. You worked hard hiding your true nature while you were at the company — eat plenty of the good stuff. You'll be having a rough time soon enough."
A snicker. Han Se-ah lifted one corner of her mouth and sneered at me.
"The one who'll have a hard time isn't me. It's you. You'll be getting fired from Iljin Group soon, you know."
"Well. I wonder if that's even possible."
Before I knew it, Cha Eun-yu had finished introducing himself to Amy and was interpreting our conversation for her. Come to think of it, I'd forgotten Han Se-ah couldn't speak English.
Even if Amy wanted to jump in, there wouldn't be much she could do.
I smiled blandly to myself and asked Han Se-ah,
"Are you going to keep standing there? The food's coming. Sit down already."
While we'd been arguing, the appetizer arrived. Seeing that, Han Se-ah dropped into her seat. She'd realized, it seemed, that walking out now would mean losing.
Four servers set a plate before each of us with elegant movements, and the waiter who seemed to be the manager explained the appetizer and the wine that accompanied it. Chewy, almost glutinous bread, crowned with toasted black raspberry meringue and an artful scatter of herbs. A pairing of sparkling rosé, and a full course designed to whet the appetite. The pink filling about a third of the glass complemented the dainty appetizer beautifully.
I looked at Han Se-ah, who was boiling with rage, and smiled brightly.
"Here. You probably never even dared set foot in a place like this, always watching the chaebol family's faces. The food here's pretty decent."
"Who says I couldn't come!"
But then, taking in the cutlery spread across the table, her expression turned awkward — which one was she supposed to use? I'd asked them to set the table in the traditional European style, since we had important guests from abroad. Of course, I'd given Cha Eun-yu a heads-up beforehand, in case he might be caught off guard.
Unlike Amy, who picked up the appetizer fork and knife with easy familiarity, Han Se-ah hesitated, fumbling, then reached for the wine. Seeing that, Amy let out a little pfft of laughter.
That was the first time I witnessed it. A war of nerves between women. Even without a shared language, you could crush someone with nothing but a look, a gesture, a laugh. I was beginning to understand why Amy had been so confident.
At that unpleasant laugh that seemed to mock her, Han Se-ah picked up the fork at the far end, going by feel — and Amy smiled even more brightly and spoke to Cha Eun-yu. He interpreted it for Han Se-ah.
"Does it take half a day just to pick out a fork?"
"What did you just say?"
"Ah, that wasn't me — Amy said..."
An icy glare. Han Se-ah's gaze landed on Amy, cold as a blade. But Amy, looking not the least bit frightened, sliced her appetizer into bite-sized pieces with an aristocratic expression and, of course, added one more remark. Cha Eun-yu relayed that too.
"I heard she was the granddaughter of some great Korean chaebol family, so I had expectations, but she's a complete amateur... she says."
Cha Eun-yu trailed off, glancing at Han Se-ah's face.
"I understand everything even without the translation."
"It's interpretation, not translation..."
"That's what I mean! I already know, so stop repeating it!"
"Ah, I just thought... the tone was so sarcastic I figured you'd be upset, but you were sitting there so quietly I assumed you didn't understand."
Wow. I knew Cha Eun-yu was a bit of an oddball, but I didn't know he was the type to say things that bluntly. A jab like that would pack quite a punch. Of course, Han Se-ah pretended it didn't bother her in the slightest.
Having been scolded by Han Se-ah, Cha Eun-yu started talking with Amy outright. Most of it was trivial — how did you two meet? What's your relationship? — but to Han Se-ah, whose nerves were already drawn taut, the sight of Cha Eun-yu chatting cheerfully with another woman, and in a language she couldn't understand no less, would have been a thorn in her eye. On top of that, Amy's air of breeding would have her wondering who this woman was, and what she was to me.
While Han Se-ah sawed at her food with irritated knife-work, Amy, who'd been whispering with Cha Eun-yu, asked me,
"She really can't understand what I'm saying, right?"
"That's right. She wouldn't."
Amy grinned, looked Han Se-ah straight in the eye, and mixed English with broken Korean.
"Hey~ Desire ah-jum-ma!"
At Amy's words, Han Se-ah's eyebrows twitched.
"What? Auntie?"
"Mini, mine. Don't touch him. If you do that, you'll die."
Amy even drew a finger across her throat as she enunciated each word. Even if you couldn't speak a word of English, there was no way you wouldn't understand that.
I never imagined we'd be having this kind of elementary-school-level exchange. How did she even find out about the phrase "Desire Auntie"? I looked at Cha Eun-yu with a questioning gaze, and he smiled, thoroughly pleased with himself.
Sure enough, Han Se-ah couldn't hold back and declared war on Amy.
"You'll kill me? Go ahead and try if you think you can!"
When Cha Eun-yu interpreted Han Se-ah's words, Amy snorted a laugh and replied as if it were ridiculous.
"'Go ahead and try'? Kids who say that aren't scary at all. You have no idea how many of your type I've seen. I looked into you, and you don't even have a single dollar to your name. What exactly are you swaggering around on? ...Amy wants me to tell you that. But Ms. Han Se-ah, do you really not have a single dollar?"
At Cha Eun-yu's question, Han Se-ah trembled her lips in humiliation, her grip tightening on the knife and fork. Amy had apparently struck a true nerve.
I answered dryly.
"Of course she doesn't. When she left our house, she threw away everything she had. Her meager salary would have been blown within a day of hitting her account, and the designer clothes and handbags would have been swiped on the company card."
Clang.
At that bullseye of a remark, Han Se-ah dropped her fork and knife onto the plate. She shot up from her seat and glared at me as if to run me through. Consumed by rage, she spoke in a trembling voice, squeezing the words out as the corners of her mouth quivered.
"Hmph! Fine. Mock me all you want while you can still laugh. Once this Healthy business succeeds, I'll make you feel in your bones just how terrifying a chaebol can be."
Bang, bang!
I called after the back of Han Se-ah's head as she stormed off, her high heels looking ready to split the floor.
"Sorry to dash those grand ambitions, but that's not going to happen. I'll always be running one step ahead of you. To beat me, you'd need to at least be the owner of Iljin Group."
Han Se-ah paused for a moment, then opened the door as if she meant to smash it off its hinges and left the restaurant.
Having poured out everything I'd been holding inside, I felt thoroughly, deeply refreshed. I put a piece of the sliced appetizer in my mouth. The cool black raspberry meringue soothed my heated mouth, and the fragrant herbs added a lift of freshness. On top of that, the clean, popping carbonation of the sparkling rosé.
"This place really does make a great appetizer."
Outwardly I put on a cheerful face, but inwardly I steeled my resolve. This was, in a sense, the last supper before going to war. Soon enough, I would have to enter combat readiness for the perfect revenge.
The frustration I felt — you should get a taste of it too.