Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Let's Meet
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'Let's meet.'
Who was Representative Yoon again?
She was the enigmatic figure who only showed up briefly on the day of my artist exhibition, bought some pieces, and vanished.
Sure, we'd exchanged a few words when she purchased the works, but she'd never asked to meet one-on-one like this.
Maybe that's why I felt so uneasy.
This reply was completely out of left field.
'Is this... about appearing on that show?'
No way she'd demand refunds on all the pieces she'd bought so far, right? The situation terrified me to my core.
Should I talk it over with Jungeun?
While I agonized, the bus pulled up near the studio, and Daeun and I got off, heading inside.
Even then, I was still in a total panic.
'This is driving me insane.'
What should I even reply?
No, should I reply at all?
If she tells me not to do the show, what then?
I stared at Daeun waddling toward the studio, lost in thought.
'I have to keep my promise to Daeun!'
No backing out of the show.
I'd promised her I'd get famous, no matter what.
But I couldn't afford refunds either.
One or two pieces? Maybe. But Representative Yoon had bought a bunch.
One line—"Let's meet"—and my head was throbbing.
Clutching my pounding skull, I finally made it to the studio.
"Daddy, then Daeun draw picture!"
"Yeah, want Daddy to set it up?"
"No! Daeun do it herself!"
"Alright, alright. Go draw, sweetie. Daddy's got some work to do."
"Okay! Got it!"
Daeun scampered off to paint, and I sat at the central table in the studio, pulling out my phone.
Tap tap.
I opened my email and checked Representative Yoon's message again.
[Let's meet.]
I could sense her resolve in those three words.
No avoiding this—I had to go.
I had no idea what she'd say, but it was the right call.
Dodging wouldn't help, and besides, she meant a lot to me.
Tap tap tap.
I started typing a reply, keeping my tangled emotions hidden and as concise as possible.
[Let me know a time that works for you, Representative Yoon. I'll make it work. Please share the time and place.]
Squeeze!
I hit send, and almost instantly—like she'd been waiting—a response came back.
[Tomorrow, 12 PM, XX Hotel, 11th floor, XX Restaurant.]
Just the bare essentials. I pondered for a second, then closed my phone.
'Yeah, I should go alone tomorrow.'
It was a meeting with Representative Yoon, after all.
Sensitive topics might come up, so unless something major happened, I'd go solo.
But then, something totally unexpected hit my inbox.
Ding!
[Bring your daughter.]
Never saw that coming from Representative Yoon.
Did she doubt my story? Probably not.
The accident had made the news, and a quick search would confirm Daeun's existence.
Whatever her reasons for summoning us both, I'd find out tomorrow.
I glanced over at Daeun and asked,
"Daeun, having fun drawing?"
"Yeah! Super duper fun!"
Her enthusiastic reply made me smile as I asked,
"Hey, Daeun! Wanna go eat something super yummy for lunch tomorrow?"
She stopped painting and looked up at me.
"Yummy stuff?"
"Yeah, the really really tasty kind."
The XX Hotel's XX Restaurant was famous for being pricey and delicious.
Without a second thought, she declared,
"Love yummy stuff! Daeun go!"
Decision made.
"Alright, let's go together."
And just like that, I'd hastily scheduled a meeting with Representative Yoon.
I dug out the suit from years ago, buried deep in the closet corner.
Thankfully, Hyorin had ironed it perfectly, so it was good to go with minimal fuss.
Time had faded it a bit, sure, but it still looked decent enough—clean and sharp.
I stood before the mirror, adjusting my outfit this way and that, when Daeun wandered over to stare.
Under her gaze, I grinned awkwardly and asked,
"Does Daddy look weird?"
"Um......"
She went silent at my question.
What was she thinking so hard about? After an eternity, she finally said,
"Daddy not Daddy."
She'd struggled to express that it looked awkward and mismatched, landing on "Daddy doesn't look like Daddy."
How was even her word choice this adorable?
"You mean it's awkward, right?"
"Yeah! Right!"
Fair enough. I usually dressed casual, so suddenly suiting up must've thrown her.
But you can't meet Representative Yoon in jeans.
"Daddy feels awkward too. Haven't worn this in forever."
"Yeah, wore this clothes long time ago."
"Right, every time Daddy had an exhibition, he'd suit up like this."
"Then Daeun gotta wear that too."
"No, Daeun needs something even better and cooler."
"Even more awesome clothes?"
"Yeah, super exciting, huh?"
"Yeah!"
Her thinking she needed a suit too was so kid-like.
"But today, this is what Daddy has to wear."
"Why?"
"Well, I'm meeting someone as important as exhibition VIPs."
"Important person?"
Come to think of it, I'd only mentioned lunch, not who we were seeing.
Smiling, I explained.
"Today's important person is someone really precious to Daddy."
"More than Daeun?"
No way she tops Daeun.
"Nope, everyone matters to Daddy. She's one of them."
"Oh! Right! Everybody precious!"
Heh!
She beamed at "everybody's precious," then asked more.
"But why that important person precious?"
"Well, she's the one who made it possible for Daddy to keep painting."
The kind of person who lets you forget artists starve.
Sure, paintings sold without her, but steady bulk buys made a huge difference.
Folks even envied me for having her as a buyer.
"Then person who buy Daddy paintings precious to Daeun too."
"Well......"
Not exactly, but if she wanted to see it that way...
Seems she did.
"It's okay to think of her as precious to Daeun too."
"Yeah."
"Wanna think she's precious to Daeun!"
Uh, if she insists.
"That's up to you, sweetie."
"Yay!"
I'd just said okay if she felt that way, but her excitement was off the charts.
Whatever, if it makes her happy.
"Then wanna go meet this precious person with Daddy?"
She grinned wide and nodded.
"Yeah!"
We arrived at XX Hotel, where I was set to meet Representative Yoon.
As Seoul's top hotel, the entrance oozed old-world elegance.
'Does Representative Yoon eat here every day?'
She'd picked this spot so casually, it seemed plausible.
With that kind of money, pricey hotel meals probably felt normal.
"Come on in."
"Yeah!"
I took Daeun's hand and stepped inside.
Ding!
We headed straight to the 11th-floor XX Restaurant.
The uniformed server greeted us.
"Reservation? Your name, please, and I'll show you to your table."
Name? All I knew was Representative Yoon.
Wary it'd flop, I said,
"Uh, the reservation's under Representative Yoon..."
"Ah, Representative Yoon's party. We were expecting you. Right this way."
She got it instantly.
'Even here, they just call her Representative Yoon?'
Relieved it worked, I followed the server.
Soft music played.
Subtle food aromas set a refined mood.
Daeun even shrank under the vibe, shoulders hunched.
I rested a hand on her shoulder and whispered,
"No need to tense up, Daeun."
"Yeah."
"It's just a restaurant. We're here to eat."
Sure, the prices were insane, but that wasn't the point now.
Tensing up could ruin the meal—maybe even cause indigestion.
Better to eat relaxed.
"Yeah. Got it."
My words hit home; her shoulders loosened.
Good enough.
Can't fully unwind, but this'd let her enjoy the food.
We crossed the restaurant behind the server, reaching a door marked "Chrysanthemum."
Knock knock.
"Your guests have arrived."
A thin, feminine voice replied from within.
"Come in."
Gulp.
I'd met countless people, but that voice never got less eerie.
It felt devoid of emotion—like a robot speaking, thick with unease.
"Enjoy your time."
The server left.
I steadied my breath, took Daeun's hand, and opened the door.
Slide.
There sat Representative Yoon, unchanged as ever.
Long straight black hair, ghostly pale skin, inscrutable eyes—and a face so young, almost girlish.
"Welcome."
Blonde American.
That was Representative Yoon.
Daeun stared at me, eyes trembling.
Probably shocked she was a foreigner.
Daeun's shoulders, just relaxed, curled up again.
Fidgeting visibly, tense as could be.
I'd prepped her for this, but now...
'Yeah.'
I started to reassure her, but her unexpected move made me burst out laughing—forgetting Representative Yoon was even there.
"Ba, bai!"