The Grateful Swallow - 3
Clink. Clink.
I had no appetite, so I just stirred the broth around my bowl. The bean sprout soup looked refreshingly spicy and clear — the kind of hangover cure I wanted to gulp down right then and there. But I was pretty sure I'd choke on it if I tried.
"Wow! So Sua's going to be an idol now??"
"I-I'm just a trainee… To become an idol you have to get picked for a debut team… and even if you do, nobody knows when you'll actually debut… Nothing's decided yet…"
"Still, that's amazing! Sol thinks it's super, super amazing!"
"…Unnie, why do you keep calling yourself by name…?"
"Huh?? Sol does?"
"You're doing it right now."
"Uuung… Sol's talked like this since she was little, though? Does it sound weird to Sua too…?"
"A little…"
"No, it's cute."
"Heehee~"
I threw in a compliment just in case she got hurt. How could anyone not find that adorable? When I stroked her hair, she pushed her head up against my hand, asking for more.
"What time did you get in last night?"
"Huh??"
"I heard the door slam really late. Or really early, I guess. Around five."
"You a stalker?"
"I just woke up early to go jogging. I was the only one late for dinner yesterday. So I decided to start getting up a little earlier from today."
"Haha…"
Incredible. If Lee Naye had been the one who regressed instead of me, she'd already be the CEO of some major conglomerate by now. Of course, that wasn't impossible for me either — but I'd regressed because I wanted an ordinary life.
"Mom, why aren't you eating?"
"Oh, I think I drank too much last night… I don't have any appetite…"
"Then what about Sunwoo o… oppa…? My mom's cooking is really good…"
"I'm not not eating because it tastes bad! I was just about to start!"
I dumped rice into the bean sprout soup, slurped it down roughly, and stood up from the table. No — I flat-out claimed I had somewhere to be and left the house. After what had happened not yesterday but in the early hours of this morning, things felt awkwardly uncomfortable.
But what was I supposed to do until evening?
"……"
"What?"
"Why are you coming here first thing in the morning to make a scene, Customer?"
"Asking for some jjamppong is making a scene?"
"Then is barging into someone else's place of business and ordering jjamppong normal?!"
"Petty bastard."
"You keep blanking out on me, don't you. I'm two whole years older than you! Hyung!!"
"We settled the titles ages ago. I don't use formal speech with thugs."
"Aigoo…! This little…!! Go hang out with your own friends!!"
"They're all busy."
Mun Seong-hyeon, Park Daeseok, Shin Jinwoo. I was still on good terms with my closest friends from middle school. We didn't meet up often since they were busy, but we kept in steady contact.
"Hey, Ganggan."
"Gangsan!! It's Geum Gangsan!!!!"
"Ganggan, you still doing thug stuff these days?"
"…Did you seriously come here looking for a scrap? Want to go a round for old times' sake? Back then I wasn't—! Whoosh! Whoosh! See that? See this fist? Too fast for you to even see, huh?!"
"You know any bars? Somewhere with young, pretty women."
Startled me. I genuinely thought he was about to throw a punch. The flying hand curved mid-trajectory, landed behind my neck, and Geum Gangsan threw an arm around my shoulders, sliding in tight beside me.
"You little punk~"
"What?"
"So you are a man after all, huh? Heh heh heh~"
"Shut up. Do you know a place or not."
"Too many! But at our age, you don't pay for it~ Just hit a club and they pour out of the woodwork~ Boom-chik! Doo-boom-chik! You here alone~? Heh heh heh heh~~"
"……"
If I'd been a woman, I would've thrown an elbow without looking back. But I needed this guy's help right now, so I let it slide.
"Then please come in, Customer~~ Come again next time~~"
The conversation wrapped up nicely. I even scored a free bowl of jjamppong.
By now everyone would have left for work or practice, so I figured I'd head home and sleep — but then something else came up.
"Boss~~~ Over here~~~"
The one who called me back just as I was heading home was the real estate agent.
"What's going on? You said it would take three days."
"A truly rare listing just came up, so I wanted to show you right away! I'll take you there myself. Please get in."
Even with some traffic, it only took about ten minutes from Hyehwa Station. We arrived at a high-end residential complex lined with tall walls.
"As you know, Boss, Seongbuk-dong isn't a neighborhood you can just move into even if you have money. It's a place for people who want to live quietly, whether property values go up or down. And wouldn't you know it! Amazingly, this house hit the market just this morning."
"This one?"
A much wider front road than most places. Clean, high dark-gray walls that hadn't aged at all. And a large garage door to boot. I liked it already.
"Built exactly one year ago. The lot alone is 550 pyeong, and the total floor area including the garage is a full 350 pyeong. The second basement level has a six-car garage — just what you wanted — plus a wine cellar and a maid's room. The first and second floors have six bedrooms total and eight bathrooms. The master bathroom has a sauna where you can sweat it all out, and the back garden has a swimming pool for cool summer dips. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better house to live in~ Hahahahaha."
"Hmm… Hard to get a feel for it from the description alone. Can we go inside?"
"Of course. I'll show you around."
As expected of a new build, the exterior was spotless, and both the small front garden and the spacious rear garden were meticulously maintained. The interior was exactly as described — in a word, a house without a single flaw.
Of course, that didn't mean there were no concerns.
"It's not going to turn into a jungle if I leave it alone, is it…?"
"Why worry about something like that~ Garden maintenance, you just hire a service, and for the house itself, you'll be bringing in a live-in housekeeper anyway, won't you?"
"…I was only planning to park the cars."
"Pardon??"
"Never mind. So what's the price?"
"It's a new build in a great location with literally nothing that needs fixing, so it's a bit pricier than the neighboring houses."
"Okay."
"It's listed at 16.8 billion for now… but if I work the middle a bit, I think we could get it down to 15 billion…"
Whoa… that was steep. Buying this house would nearly wipe out my cash reserves. Even assuming I paid full price, I'd only have about 3.4 billion left. Ideally I needed around 20 billion sitting in the bank so I could live comfortably for life even if every stock I owned tanked…
"Boss??"
"Yes?"
"If the price is a burden, shall I look into other houses for you?"
"No. Let's do the contract."
"Aigoo! An excellent choice, Boss!!"
We settled on 16 billion after knocking 800 million off. In two days, I'd spent roughly 35 billion. Not 35 million — 35 billion. To restore some peace of mind to my empty bank account, I was going to have to sell off a few stocks.
"Alright. Now I can finally go sleep."
I went home and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I was somewhere else.
"Would you happen to be Representative Cha Sunwoo…?"
"Yes."
"Aigoo! Welcome! Please, have a seat over here!"
Sofas arranged in a U-shape with a long table in the center. Untouched bottles of liquor and heaps of side dishes filled the table. The man greeting me was the salon director, who'd arranged this meeting to renew the lease with the previous building owner. Sitting beside him, staring at me with wide, startled eyes, was Yun Jiyeon. No other employees in sight — so this wasn't a company dinner. Just a private hospitality session.
"I never imagined someone so young would be the building owner~ Hahaha."
"Is that a problem?"
"Ah, not at all! Problem? I just mean I'm envious and impressed! Hahaha… What are you doing, Yun Jiyeon…!"
"Pardon??"
"Hurry up and greet him, and pour him a drink..!!"
"Ah… yes…"
At the director's prodding, Yun Jiyeon — who hadn't even managed to sit down — squeezed through the narrow gap between the sofa and the table and came around to my side on the inner seat.
"I'm Yun Jiyeon. I work under the director…"
Glug, glug, glug—
She gave a slight bow, filled my glass as she introduced herself, then tried to retreat back to the far end of the sofa. The director wouldn't allow it.
"Jiyeon, you sit right there and make sure the representative's glass never runs empty."
"Director…"
She looked at him with pleading eyes, but all she got back was a silent threat — lips clamped tight, face twisted into a snarl. In the end, Yun Jiyeon sat down beside me, and the director hastily filled his own glass and proposed a toast.
"It's an honor to meet you."
"Likewise."
"Jiyeon, what are you doing..!"
"Ah… it's an honor, Representative…"
Clink—
We tapped glasses and I knocked back the strong whiskey in one go. Yun Jiyeon only touched the rim to her lips and tried to set it down, but at the director's crumpling expression she lifted the glass again.
"Ugh…!"
"You okay?"
"Pardon?? Ah… yes…"
"If you're uncomfortable, you can step out."
"Ah, no! I'm fine…"
She wasn't fine. But she had no choice but to stay. Her livelihood was on the line. No — if it were only her own livelihood, she wouldn't have shown up at all. But she had a daughter to protect, so she was here, and she couldn't leave.
"Ah… does our Ms. Yun not meet your standards, by any chance…?"
"Not at all. I've never seen a beauty like her. My heart's racing."
"Hahaha~ As expected, the boss has excellent taste! Our Ms. Yun may be a bit older, but she's in her mid-thirties and at her absolute peak…"
"Drink."
"Pardon??"
"Shut your mouth and just drink."
"Ah! Yes!! Let me pour you one, Representative!"
One drink became two, and empty bottles began to accumulate on the table one by one.
"Whew… ahem! Representative, so regarding the lease, if we just continue under the same terms as the previous contract…"
"Drink."
"Pardon??"
"Your glass is empty."
"Ah! Jiyeon! I told you to take good care of the representative…"
"You pour it. Who do you think you are, ordering her around?"
"Wh…? Ah, yes! Let me pour you one!"
The moment the glass was filled, I dumped it into the ice bucket.
"I don't feel like drinking anything Director Park pours."
"Haha… of course, compared to me…"
"But am I the only one having fun here?"
"Pardon??"
"Is there anyone outside? Come in for a second."
"Aigoo! You called for me!"
Before the words were even finished, Geum Gangsan flung the door open and strode in.
"Bring in some girls."
"Right away!"
"S-Sunwoo… I mean, Representative..!"
She tugged lightly on my arm, her face full of worry. I gave her a smile that said it was fine. A moment later, Geum Gangsan returned with two women in their twenties.
"You two, take care of that gentleman."
"Yes."
"Aigoo~ Thank you, Representative!"
"Oppa, you've already had a lot — you okay?"
"What do you take me for! Don't worry about that and just keep the drinks coming~"
"Aww..! I just sat down, oppa!"
"Aigoo, so firm~ And this part's nice and chewy, huh?"
"Ahhn..! If you're going to grab me like that, just take us to the second round already..!"
"Don't you worry~ We're going to the second round, heh heh heh."
He played dirty as hell. The second the women sat on either side of him, both hands went to work. He didn't even need a free hand for his glass — they were feeding him drinks from the side.
"Khh~!!! Now that's good liquor~"
"……"
"Aigoo, I'm so sorry… Jiyeon!!"
"Pardon??"
"What are you still sitting there like that for?! You're old enough to know how this works. Tsk!! Hurry up and loosen the representative up~"
Misreading the contempt in my eyes, the director issued a completely unnecessary order. I tapped the back of Yun Jiyeon's hand to tell her it was fine. Meanwhile, the director — who'd been greedily knocking back every drink offered — started playing even dirtier.
"Kyaa!!"
"Oppa!!"
"Aigoo, look at these delicious things hanging right here… mmph!!!"
"Eut..!"
"Aww, seriously..! What a creep..!! Hnn..!"
He yanked down the dress of the woman on his left and sucked on her fully exposed breasts, while his right hand shoved into the panties of the woman on his right. It was genuinely filthy — and erotic. So I crossed my legs. I didn't want Yun Jiyeon, sitting right beside me, to notice.
"Haueuk..! Haa..!"
"Eung..! Heung!! Euut..!"
"Heok..! Heok..! Heok..!"
That director alone must have put away at least three and a half bottles of whiskey. He'd genuinely turned into a dog. The women's dresses were already completely stripped off, and the unleashed mutt was peeling off his own clothes one piece at a time.
Time to put a leash on that son of a bitch.
"Go bring her."
"—Got it."
The call was short, and so was the wait. Right around the time the director had stripped completely naked, the door opened. He looked exactly like an enraged wild boar.
"You..!! You crazy bastard!!!!!!"
"H-Honey…? Honey!! It's not what— this isn't…"
CRACK!!!!
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!
The microphone came down hard on the crown of the director's head, and the room filled with a piercing screech of feedback.
"I'm divorcing you, you son of a bitch. Give back the car my dad bought you. And don't you ever even think about setting foot in my house again!!!!"
"H-Honey!! It's all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!!!!"
"One moment, Director."
"R-Representative! About the contract, we can discuss it again tomorrow…"
"There will be no renewal. Consider that final."
"What…?"
"What are you waiting for? Go catch your rich wife."
"Ah..! Honey!!! Honey!!!!!"
The director's wife came from a fairly well-off family. Not billionaires, but far more affluent than anything the director himself possessed. So I took that away from him.
"Haa..! You never said it would go this far!"
"Oppa! This is a breach of contract!"
"Sorry~ I'll pay you extra for it. Right, Customer?"
"I'll give you double the agreed amount. You worked hard today."
"Well, in that case…"
"But oppa, you're not going for a second round? From the looks of it earlier, things between your legs seemed pretty uncomfortable. I'll do you for free~"
"Haha… I'll pass."
"Tch.. Too bad…"
"Quit the nonsense and put your clothes on already!"
"Fine!"
Geum Gangsan led the women out, leaving only Yun Jiyeon and me in the room.
"What… what just happened…?"
"I was born hating guys like that. People who treat those weaker than them however they please. I saw it that day at the salon."
"Ah…"
"But what do we do now?"
"Pardon??"
"Because of me, it looks like you're about to be unemployed…"
"Haa…"
She let out a deep sigh. If the lease wasn't renewed, Yun Jiyeon would literally be out of a job.
"Ahh~~ That felt good!!"
"Pardon??"
"Watching that bastard get what he deserved felt so good!! What a terrible person..!! Serves him right!!!!"
"Haha.."
She must have built up quite a lot of resentment toward the director.
"Thank you…"
"For what?"
"For everything… This might sound strange, but… it felt like someone was protecting me… and that felt nice… Until now, everyone just used me… or tried to do something to me…"
"Haha… I don't feel like I really did much…"
"You protected me yesterday too."
"Pardon??"
"In front of the convenience store… and in the bed…"
I had no idea what she was talking about. And I had no idea what was happening. Why was Yun Jiyeon's hand sliding up the inside of my thigh?
"What you said to me earlier… did you mean it…?"
"Wh-what…?"
"That your heart was racing because I'm beautiful…"
"Haha… I did mean it, but… how far is this hand going to… ugh..!"
"If you're really okay with an ajumma like me… I'll take care of it for you… You can't walk out of here like this, can you…"
I could have resisted. I could have pulled her hand away, or pushed her aside. But I did nothing. I simply uncrossed my legs.
"Jjuup..! Jjeup..! Jjeup..!!"
"Ohh..!!"