A Woman's Obsession (2)
Kim Chirok cut straight to the point with Manager Lee.
"Manager! You keep trying to pair me up with Oh Ha-young. Are you actually serious about that?"
"Heh heh. Trust me, I know perfectly well that Oh Ha-young isn't a match for you."
"Then why do you keep bringing her up?"
"Her looks and her education don't measure up to yours, that's for sure. And her personality's a problem on top of that — she's got a history of school violence."
"I hate people who go around bullying others just because their family has money. No. I despise them."
As he said it, Kim Chirok thought of Lim Jae-geun, the prosecutor's son who had tormented him. His classmates had even snickered among themselves, calling Chirok Lim Jae-geun's personal punching bag. That trauma had left him with a deep aversion to anyone with a school-violence past. He loathed, viscerally, people who used money and power to make others suffer.
Manager Lee pressed on.
"But think about it. You can't just ignore financial power."
"Even so, there are lines a person has to hold."
"Every time I go home I have to ask my wife for money. It's enough to give a man a nervous breakdown. So even if her looks and her education fall short, try marrying someone who has money."
"I beg your pardon?"
"That's sincere advice from someone who's been around."
"So you're a materialist yourself, Manager."
"Ah—no, no. I'm not saying you should date Oh Ha-young. I'm saying if you're going to marry anyway, marry a girl from a well-off family like hers."
"I understand what you're saying, Manager."
"If you don't like Oh Ha-young, look for a good woman at group headquarters. Plenty of high-caliber women there. Just don't go to a matchmaking agency."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Matchmaking agencies look at how rich the parents are."
"The parents' wealth?"
"And even if you graduated from a good school, they rank licensed professionals above conglomerate employees."
At that, Kim Chirok let out a faint sigh. He couldn't even dream of marriage, and yet Lim Jae-geun, the prosecutor's son, was already married. Lim Jae-geun had formidable family money and a professional license to go with it — even though he had been a far worse student than Chirok ever was.
After hanging up with Manager Lee, a stale taste lingered in Chirok's mouth. He went to the pantry and poured himself a cup of coffee, and as he drank it he found himself regretting that he had never become a licensed professional.
I should've become a doctor or a lawyer.
Doctors and lawyers spent longer in training, of course. But even a professional, no matter how well he earned, eventually hit a ceiling. You could never catch the people who actually ran large companies. Perhaps that was why Chirok had chosen business administration in the first place.
Unless you were born the son of a family that already ran a major enterprise, or at least had enough seed money to start one of your own, ending up a salaryman like this amounted to nothing. He felt the social standing was lower than that of the licensed professions. Of course, if he someday rose all the way to President of a chaebol group, the money would follow — but that was not now. The lives of the seniors ahead of him, the Managers and Department Heads, seemed nothing but strained. Even at a conglomerate, this was how it was.
Kim Chirok sighed again.
The Team Leader happened to be passing and caught the sound of it.
"What's with all the sighing, Kim Chirok? Is it because the country's a mess?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
"The sigh was so loud I thought something had happened."
With that, the Team Leader went back to his desk.
Saturday arrived. Kim Chirok dressed casually and headed to Sindorim Station.
Oh Ha-young was already waiting at Pascucci. She shot her hand up the moment she saw him — but she hadn't come alone today. She had brought an unattractive friend along with her.
Kim Chirok sat down.
"Sorry I'm late."
"No, we just got here too."
Then Oh Ha-young introduced him to her friend, puffing herself up with a thoroughly proud look.
"This is the Kim Chirok I told you about. An elite who joined our group through open recruitment. He works at the Strategic Planning Office at group headquarters now."
The friend's eyes went wide as she looked him over. Then she smiled, a little giddy.
"Oh my! He's really handsome. Ha-young, you've got good taste."
Oh Ha-young grinned.
"She lives around here. When I mentioned I was meeting the guy I'm dating today, she tagged along."
The guy she's dating? Hadn't they just met as fellow employees of H Chemical?
Kim Chirok wanted to say that he was not, in fact, the guy she was dating. Saying so in front of her friend, however, was painfully awkward. He managed only a stiff smile.
The friend glanced at him from the side.
"I knew Ha-young had high standards, but now I see why. I had no idea she had such a good-looking man at her side."
At her side? So I'm Oh Ha-young's bodyguard now?
Once again, Kim Chirok offered nothing but an awkward smile.
Oh Ha-young gathered up her bag.
"Shall we go eat? How about Vietnamese shabu-shabu?"
"Sure. Sounds good."
"Last time you treated us to sashimi at Yeonan Pier, but today's on me."
"Thank you."
The friend gushed all over again.
"A handsome friend who even treats her to sashimi. How wonderful."
She looked at Kim Chirok with genuine envy.
They went to the shabu-shabu restaurant. Oh Ha-young ordered the ingredients with a grand flourish — but setting the table and putting everything into the pot was left entirely to her friend and to Kim Chirok. Oh Ha-young did not even consider doing any of it herself.
Born a rich man's daughter, so she won't touch this kind of work. I wonder how she even does her job at the company.
Oh Ha-young ordered beer as well.
Kim Chirok turned to her friend.
"What do you do for work?"
"I work at a small company in Bucheon. A corrugated cardboard company. I handle the books."
"That's demanding work."
"Not really. If you know how to use accounting software, even a high school graduate can do the job."
Oh Ha-young laughed.
"She's not a high school graduate — she went to junior college."
The friend looked embarrassed.
"I heard you graduated from Seoul National University, Mr. Kim."
Kim Chirok smiled.
"Once you're out in the real world, your alma mater doesn't matter all that much. What matters is doing the job well."
"That's so true, isn't it?"
"It is."
He almost added that connections were what really counted, then thought better of it and let the words die.
While all three of them were absorbed in the meal, a new party sat down at the next table — three women, and fairly attractive ones. They looked back and forth between Kim Chirok, Oh Ha-young, and Oh Ha-young's friend, faint smiles playing on their faces, as if wondering what a good-looking man was doing having dinner with two women who didn't match him at all.
Kim Chirok felt a flicker of embarrassment. If his old classmates Lim Jae-geun or Jeong Chan-young ever saw this, they would mock him even more.
Oh Ha-young's expression was bright today. She seemed simply happy to be spending a pleasant evening with the elite employee she had set her sights on. She could hold her liquor, too — remarkably well.
Any man who ended up living with this woman would need to be a very heavy drinker.
The friend at the next seat, meanwhile, kept taking photographs. Oh Ha-young did not take any selfies of her own today, not with her friend there to do it. Kim Chirok even began to suspect that the friend had been brought along for that exact purpose.
Oh Ha-young fished a piece of meat from the pot, dipped it in seasoned soy sauce, and ate with obvious pleasure.
"Do you know what Manager Lee from the Planning Office said?"
She meant Manager Lee of the H Chemical Planning Office, the one who had worked alongside Kim Chirok.
"What did Manager Lee say?"
"He said Kim Chirok is a promising talent with a bright future. And that I clearly have an eye for people."
Oh Ha-young's friend chimed in from the side.
"You really do have an eye for people. Do you know how many guys liked you? But you went and dated Kim Chirok. And from where I'm sitting, he really is a wonderful man."
Kim Chirok felt a sour taste rising. He had the distinct impression that the two of them were toying with him.
He set his chopsticks down on the table.
"If there are plenty of men who like you, pick one you like and get married. If you wait too long, your parents will worry, won't they?"
The friend beside him looked startled.
"Oh my! With a capable, handsome man sitting right in front of you, who else would you even pick?"
"I'm sorry — what do you mean?"
"Who else? Kim Chirok, of course."
"Haha. I'll take that as a joke."
The friend pouted at that, and Oh Ha-young's expression soured as well.
Oh Ha-young ordered another bottle. The friend quickly picked up a plate and went to fetch more meat and vegetables for the pot. She handled all of these menial tasks herself. Oh Ha-young did not so much as shift in her seat.
The meal was a generous one. When it was over, Oh Ha-young paid. Kim Chirok had covered the sashimi last time, so today's bill was hers.
She waved the card she had just used, holding it up for them to see.
"This is the card my dad gave me. He told me to use it when I hang out with friends."
Kim Chirok gave a wry smile. So this was the kind of perk you got when you had a wealthy father. Oh Ha-young seemed to spend her company salary as pocket money and still dip into her father's card on top of that. He doubted she was putting most of her paycheck into a savings account the way he did.
Oh Ha-young's friend spoke up.
"That was delicious. You got the meal, so I'll get the second round. Want to hit karaoke?"
Kim Chirok recoiled.
"Let's skip karaoke. I have things to do at home. How about a cup of coffee instead?"
"Then how about a beer hall? We should at least have a nightcap."
So the three of them went to a beer hall. The friend ordered draft beer.
"Ha-young! It's a good day, so drink up. I'll cover the drinks. I owed you plenty back in school, remember?"
Kim Chirok wanted nothing more than to go home. The two women, however, chattered on about whatever had them so pleased, and they seemed to be drinking far too much.
How much time had passed? Kim Chirok checked his watch and found that it was already approaching ten o'clock.
"Let's stop drinking and head out. It's almost ten. You'll need to get moving if you're going to make it back to Incheon."
But Oh Ha-young, her words already slurring, insisted they have one more bottle. Kim Chirok decided this had gone far enough. He took hold of her sleeve and pulled.
At that moment, Kim Chirok did not notice that Oh Ha-young's friend was photographing the scene.