Chapter 155: White Christmas (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: White Christmas (7)
The party preparations, which had gone on all afternoon, were finally complete.
We wrapped the tree in strings of fairy lights, pulled it out from the corner of the warehouse where it had been stashed all year, and hung ornaments on its branches. A lovely tablecloth was spread over the rustic wooden dining table, changing the whole atmosphere.
The food was also a world away from our usual fare.
The familiar Korean dishes were gone, replaced by Western cuisine I’d never seen before.
And yet, the taste was just as fantastic.
“Jeong… Ma’am, you’re amazing at Western food, too.”
“Hoho, I’m just glad you’re enjoying it.”
As I savored her cooking, which was every bit as good as her Korean food, I was certain I could eat her meals for the rest of my life and never get tired of them. Just then, Shin Yu-jeong shared a rather surprising piece of information.
“My mom has pretty much every cooking license there is.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. When she was attending a culinary academy, her instructor came all the way to our house to ask her to start a business with him.”
For a culinary instructor to beg her to be his business partner… just how good was she?
Amazed by this newfound piece of her past, I carefully popped the champagne we’d picked out at the wine shop.
Pop-!
After the loud noise, I hastily wiped the champagne that trickled down the bottle and poured it into our wine glasses.
“Alright, a toast!”
Clink-!
Following Jeong-hee’s lead, we touched our glasses together and took small sips of the champagne.
Mmm.
I definitely preferred champagne, with its pleasant sweetness, over the dry, sour taste of red wine.
“Do-jin picked out a great champagne.”
“He did. This is quite good, isn’t it?”
It seemed to suit their tastes as well.
The mood was lively, and just as we were settling into the cheerful party atmosphere, I brought out the final gift to elevate the evening even further, handing one to each of them.
“Oh, it’s perfume…?”
“What? Mine is perfume, too.”
The gifts I’d bought at the department store were perfumes.
I had agonized over what to get, but nothing else really came to mind.
Honestly, I’d wanted to get them necklaces or bracelets, but giving them to two people at once—not just one—might have looked a bit strange, so I opted for something a little less serious.
Of course, the price was anything but light. It was expensive enough to make me think I might as well have just bought the jewelry…
“I picked out scents that I thought would suit you both.”
“Heeh… really?”
“Shall we see just how good our Do-jin’s taste is?”
With that, they both lightly spritzed the perfume on their wrists and took a sniff.
Two different fragrances, one from the front and one from the side, wafted to the tip of my nose.
From Jeong-hee came a sticky, sweet scent like honey, while Yu-jeong’s was refreshing and cool.
The memory of my first time having sex with them had been the biggest factor in choosing their perfumes.
When I first saw and touched Jeong-hee’s and Yu-jeong’s bodies, they had felt similar to these scents.
One was incredibly sticky, while the other was cool and smooth.
And though it wasn't intentional, when the two scents mingled, they created a completely different aroma.
Inhaling it made the thirst for the moment that was drawing ever closer all the more intense.
It made me wonder what it would be like to have them both, so similar yet so different, layered together in one bed.
“I can’t remember the last time I received a Christmas present…”
“…Didn’t I get you a gift last year, Mom?”
“Listen to this girl. My one and only daughter is this indifferent to her own mother.”
“You always have to bad-mouth me in front of him.”
“It’s better than doing it in front of a stranger, isn’t it?”
“…I guess?”
Watching the mother and daughter bicker playfully, I suppressed my burning thirst.
That’s right.
Things are already moving at a good pace, in the best possible direction. Let’s not get impatient.
If I keep this up, by next Christmas, we might be gathered on a bed instead of around a dining table.
For today, I should be content with feeling the warmth I haven't felt from family in years.
No, but seriously, could you please stop touching my thigh from the side and rubbing your leg against my calf from the front…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Christmas, when the festive red atmosphere finally reaches its peak.
On this day, Gangnam is the number one area for single people to avoid.
That’s because around this time of year, a massive Christmas tree is set up in the central plaza in the heart of Gangnam.
What’s the big deal about a tree, you ask?
The problem is that every couple in the country makes a pilgrimage here to see it.
I was waiting for her quietly amidst the throngs of people taking pictures and wandering around.
From a distance, a familiar yet unfamiliar face approached, her cheeks flushed red.
She wore a long, dark gray coat, under which were calf-high boots, a miniskirt that boldly revealed her thighs, and a tight-fitting knit sweater that showcased every curve of her body.
I never knew.
I never knew her figure was this good.
No… to be precise, I knew she had a good body, but I had no idea it was this good.
Clicking her heels at a fast pace, she walked up to me and asked with a flustered expression.
“H-Have you been waiting long?”
How many minutes had I waited?
I had no idea.
But I felt like I could wait up to an hour in the cold for a woman like this, so I shook my head.
“…No, I just got here myself.”
“Hah, that’s a relief. I was so worried you’d been waiting for a long time, Mr. Do-jin…”
Yoon Ji-an placed a hand on her prominent chest and let out a sigh of relief.
I offered her a compliment.
“You look incredibly beautiful today.”
“Ah…! W-Well, a friend recommended this outfit, so I tried it on… D-Do you like it?”
She twirled her shoulder-length bob around her finger and asked me tentatively. I gave her a thumbs-up.
“It’s the best. You’re the prettiest woman here, Ji-an.”
Perhaps she had no immunity to compliments about her looks, or maybe I was being too direct and cringey.
Her face turned beet red as she ducked her head, fanning her face with her hand.
I caught her fluttering hand in mid-air and pulled it down. As her surprised face lifted, our eyes met, and I spoke.
“Shall we go?”
“…Y-Yes.”
I took her hand, and we strolled down the street.
As we did, countless gazes from men and women alike flickered over us.
I could understand why.
Even I, the one holding her hand, couldn't help but glance over at her from time to time.
Our eyes met, and she asked me.
“Have you thought about what kind of car you’d like?”
“Um… I’m not sure.”
The reason she was asking about cars was that the first stop on our date today was a car dealership.
This involved a bit of self-interest on my part.
Buying a car on the 25th that I needed by the 31st was absolute madness.
Unless it was a very common model, getting a car in just six days was impossible.
But when the power of the Hunter Association was added to the equation, the ‘im’ in ‘impossible’ conveniently disappeared.
So, I had swallowed my pride and asked her for a favor, which she had readily accepted.
I’d even told her we could meet another day if she wasn’t comfortable with it, but she said it was fine.
I was simply grateful for her consideration.
Choosing Gangnam as our date spot was also related to this.
Showrooms for all the famous domestic and international car brands were located here.
In other words, we could see every car from any brand we wanted, all within Gangnam.
“Let’s start with the closest one.”
“Yes, let’s.”
As it happened, there was a showroom for the foreign brand ‘B’ right across the street, so we crossed at the crosswalk and went inside.
A dealer in a neat suit greeted us.
“Welcome.”
I couldn't tell if he smelled money on us or if he was just this friendly to everyone.
He led us all around the showroom, and for any car that caught our interest, he offered a detailed explanation and a chance to sit inside.
But that led to a problem.
“After hearing all this, they all seem great…”
I’d always lived with the mindset that a car just needs to run, so with every explanation the dealer gave, my easily-swayed ears would perk up, and the car I wanted would change.
There was one good solution for a situation like this.
“Ji-an?”
“Yes…?”
“Could you pick one for me? Tell me which car you think suits me.”
“M-Me?”
“Yes.”
Passing the decision off to someone else was the best way to go.
Her face grew even redder.
She mumbled something, and I leaned in to listen.
“T-To entrust such an important decision to me, this must mean…”
…is what she was muttering.
I had only passed it on because I couldn't be bothered to choose, but she seemed to have read a great deal of meaning into it.
After a long moment of her heart fluttering with excitement, she lifted her head with a determined expression, looked at the dealer, and handed him a business card.
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Yoon Ji-an, from the Hunter Association’s Inspection Department.”
“Ah, my goodness… You’re from the Hunter Association.”
A flicker of surprise crossed the dealer’s face.
But she wasn’t done.
“And this is the business card of the person sponsoring the gentleman next to me.”
She smoothly produced Director Kim Seong-tae’s business card, which she must have prepared in advance, and pressured the dealer.
It didn’t seem like he was trying to scam us or anything…
“D-Director of the Hunter Association…”
Faced with one business card after another, his face gradually turned pale.
“We need a car for the 31st.”
“The 3-31st? But that’s very short notice…”
“Would it be possible for you to compile a list of available models and single out the best among them?”
The dealer’s expression shifted rapidly.
He seemed to be in deep thought.
“I know it’s a difficult request. However, I can promise you one thing for certain.”
“Which is…?”
As the dealer leaned in with a piqued expression, she held up three fingers and delivered the final blow.
“The moment you accomplish this difficult task, you won’t be getting one new client, but three.”
In other words, she was declaring that not only I, but also she and Director Kim Seong-tae would buy our next cars here, through him, when the time came.
With an offer like that, the answer was obvious.
“P-Please, have a seat and wait for just a moment. I’ll get that list for you right away.”
It was a gamble worth taking.
While he scurried away, we sat at a table on one side and leisurely drank coffee.
Then, a question popped into my head, and I asked her.
“But did Director Kim Seong-tae really say he’d buy his next car here?”
“No. The Director never said anything of the sort.”
…What.
“Then what are you going to do later…”
She just shrugged and replied.
“Who knows? The Director was the one who told me to provide you with every convenience, by any means necessary. I’m sure he’ll figure something out.”
“……?”
Yoon Ji-an feigned ignorance, sipping her coffee with a prim expression.
Slurp-
“Mm, the coffee here is quite good.”
This woman.
She was more audacious than I thought…