The Blind Date (1)

Kim Chirok was in a good mood. Bang Mihee had written back with a yes.

So he sent another text, proposing they meet at eleven on Sunday morning at Anyang Resort — in front of the artificial waterfall.

Anyang Resort struck him as a better choice than the back roads behind Seoul National University. On the SNU campus there was always the chance of running into someone he knew — a former professor, even. Anyang Resort would be crowded, true, but the odds of a familiar face seemed far slimmer. And with so many restaurants nearby, it would be an easy place to have a meal.

If we meet this time, am I going to have to pick up the check again? Ah, well. Fine. You open your wallet when you're seeing a beautiful woman.

Japanese women, at least, would chip in for snacks and the little things. Bang Mihee, though — even draped in designer labels — did not strike him as the type ever to reach for her own money. If anyone spent freely, it was probably Oh Ha-young over at H Chemical.

After he sent the text, Bang Mihee wrote back.

So she had something in the morning, he thought.

And then another thought crept in, unwelcome: what if he ran into Oh Ha-young at Anyang Resort? That would be a disaster. There was no telling what a woman that aggressive might do.

There's no way I'd run into Oh Ha-young. She lives in Incheon.

Oh Ha-young was the last person on earth he thought of as a girlfriend. They had eaten together twice as colleagues, and he had no desire to see her beyond that.

The next day, Chirok was busy at the office. H Logics, an affiliate, was issuing overseas convertible bonds in Hong Kong, and he had been buried in putting together the English IR materials.

He worked with his head down. When he finally looked up, lunch hour had already come and gone.

Did Deputy Song dump all the work on me and go off to eat by himself? What a disloyal bastard.

Chirok headed for the elevators, intending to go down to the cafeteria alone. Lunch had just ended, and the hallway in front of the elevators was empty — except for Jeong Chan-young, whom he ran into there.

Jeong Chan-young spoke first.

"Oh, Chirok. Heading to lunch? Looks like you've got a lot on your plate."

"You going to eat too?"

"Nah, I've got to head out. I'm escorting a VIP in from overseas over to the Pangyo lab. I'll be eating with him."

"So you'll be eating well at some fancy restaurant, then."

"We should get together sometime. You don't play golf, do you?"

Kim Chirok did not even know how golf was played. He had never so much as set foot in a driving range.

"I don't play."

"I'm teeing off this Saturday at a course in Yongin."

"Going with the old classmates?"

"Nope. I'm going with this one."

He held up a pinky finger — the old shorthand for a girlfriend.

"So you're going with your girlfriend, then."

"This Saturday it's Jae-geun and his wife. You need four for a proper group."

"Oh — so Lim Jae-geun's coming too?"

"Jae-geun's a solid golfer. He's not a single-digit handicap yet, but he shoots in the low nineties. He's a lawyer, so he probably plays a lot of client-entertainment rounds."

Chirok had no idea what a score in the low nineties even meant. But the image of them out on those wide green fairways — Lim Jae-geun and his wife, Jeong Chan-young and his girlfriend — did have a certain glamour to it, he had to admit. A sharp, ugly envy rose in him toward these old classmates from the Gangnam 8th School District, living lives like that.

And then Director Jang's words flashed through his mind.

Director Jang had been perfectly clear: Jeong Chan-young was circling Bang Mihee. What he had meant, of course, was that Chirok ought to move before a rival appeared and snatch her up himself.

What if Jeong Chan-young and Bang Mihee are going golfing together? She was definite about already having plans on Saturday. That's why she asked to make it Sunday.

The moment the thought formed, jealousy flared in his gut.

Back in school I took your beatings. I let you freeze me out. But we're not in school anymore — and I am not going to let you take a woman from me.

He glared at Jeong Chan-young. Jeong Chan-young only smiled.

"Ah, sorry — talking golf to a guy who doesn't play. You should learn, though. We'll hit a round together. Anyway, see you later."

Chirok did not see Bang Mihee in the cafeteria. She had likely taken a seat in the executives' section, dined with that haughty air of hers, and left before he arrived. It was the tail end of lunch; the room was nearly empty. Eating alone, it occurred to him that he was a truly lonely man.

At that same hour, two people were drinking coffee in President Jeong-hee's office: President Jeong-hee herself, and Director Jang.

President Jeong-hee spoke first.

"How are things between Bang Mihee and Kim Chirok these days?"

"It's still the early stage of a flirtation, but there's no question the two of them are well disposed toward each other."

"I hope it works out."

"I showed Bang Mihee his personnel file and his family registry in full. I even gave her the Seoul National University GPA he submitted when he joined the company."

"Good. That way it stands as proof that this is someone the company is actively recommending."

"It would help if you called the two of them in at some point, President, and formally recommended the marriage yourself."

"If they marry, I fully intend to officiate the ceremony."

"That's very generous of you."

"When I spoke to Bang Mihee, I told her I was advising her as a fellow woman. I said that a woman's happiness lies not in stretching out a relationship with the Chairman, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but in meeting a promising man and building a home."

"Well done."

"I also told her we would buy her a house in Gangnam and set up a corporation for her."

"Did she ask for anything else?"

"At first she asked for an entire affiliate company."

"I'm sorry — she asked for what?"

"I told her that would only look strange to the outside world, and that the relationship with the Chairman might well become public."

"That path would ruin a woman's entire life."

"I told her the better course was to meet a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠decent bachelor from the group and help him rise."

"Well handled. If Kim Chirok ends up president of an affiliate someday, she'd be a company president's wife. Nothing wrong with that. Heh heh heh."

"Unless he commits some serious blunder, the company intends to make Kim Chirok a CEO."

"Bang Mihee already has the Banpo apartment, so she'll be comfortable enough. Running a corporation of her own will bring in considerable income as well. And Kim Chirok's rank will only keep rising — they shouldn't have any trouble living as upper-class."

"I'd like to see Bang Mihee and Kim Chirok spending time together, while the feelings are still good."

"There is one problem. Jeong Chan-young in Team 1 of the Strategic Planning Office keeps approaching her."

"That will have to be stopped. Jeong Chan-young's father is the president of an affiliate. If he ever learned of Bang Mihee's relationship with the Chairman, it would be a disaster. And he is in a position to hear that kind of rumor."

"Exactly. If the Chairman let something slip over drinks with the affiliate presidents, it would be a catastrophe."

"Which is why I wanted a publicly recruited employee — someone from a modest family, but bright, and good-looking."

They fell silent. They sipped their coffee and said nothing. Jeong Chan-young's appearance on the scene had clearly given them a headache; neither seemed able to find the next sentence.

After a long pause, Director Jang smiled a sly little smile.

"I have a feeling that even if President Jeong — the father — found out later, he might simply accept it."

"That's absurd. How does anyone 'accept' a matter like that and move on?"

"And who is President Jeong? A man who climbed to the very top with nothing but a commercial high school diploma. He married a maid from the late Chairman's household."

"That's true, but—"

"When it comes to getting ahead, he is not a man who troubles himself with means and methods. If Bang Mihee has a home in Gangnam, a company of her own, and the Chairman's special favor, he won't make an issue of it. He'll support the marriage."

"Good heavens. Director Jang — if it were your son, would you understand and support it?"

"I wouldn't, no. But President Jeong very well might."

"Even so, we have to stop it. I still believe a marriage between Kim Chirok and Bang Mihee is the best solution we have."

"I agree. In that case, we'll need to find a way to split Jeong Chan-young and Bang Mihee apart."

"What if we simply told him she's already promised to Kim Chirok?"

"We could. The problem is Bang Mihee. If she prefers Jeong Chan-young to Kim Chirok, that becomes a problem of its own."

"Shall we transfer Jeong Chan-young to an overseas branch?"

"She still seems to be weighing the two of them. Let's watch a little longer."

"Very well. We'll wait a little longer. But if President Jeong is that kind of man... my head is spinning, I have to say."

"President Jeong is not a man who concerns himself with the process, so long as the objective is achieved."

"Which is precisely why my head is spinning even more."

"It's also why he has built H Construction into the rock-solid company it is today. It's why the Chairman trusts him as much as he does, isn't it?"

"I understand. I'd like to be alone."

"Then I'll take my leave."

Director Jang bowed and quietly left President Jeong-hee's office.

Alone, President Jeong-hee sat and took a sip of mineral water, muttering to herself.

Director Jang, for his part, returned to his own office in the Strategic Planning Office and turned the matter over in his mind.

President Jeong over at Construction still doesn't know how deep the Chairman's relationship with Bang Mihee really went. He'll just think she was a secretary the Chairman was fond of, and push the marriage hard.

Even if President Jeong found out later, Director Jang believed the man would let it go. He was the sort who would do that and worse for his son's advancement.

But Jeong Chan-young himself — how would he take it? Would he, like his father, look the other way for the sake of getting ahead, knowing and pretending not to know? There was no way to tell. Not yet.

It would be better if Bang Mihee chose Kim Chirok. For Chirok, landing her means a wife with a Banpo apartment and a corporation to her name. And even if he found out about the Chairman, we could tell him it's fake news and he'd let it go. He's a naive man, after all.

Director Jang fully intended, if it ever came to that, to tell Chirok that believing fake news and doubting one's own wife was not how a man ought to carry himself. That, he thought, would be enough to make him drop it.

Between the swaggering Jeong Chan-young and Kim Chirok — who had no backing of any kind — Director Jang knew which pairing he preferred. He wanted Bang Mihee to end up with Chirok.

Evening came.

After work, Chirok went to his Japanese academy and studied hard. He had reached a considerable level by now — high enough to read novels.

The instructor smiled at him.

"Mr. Kim! The speed at which you're picking up Japanese is honestly astonishing. It's remarkable. I think you're already better than some of our actual majors."

"There are still plenty of words I don't know. Kanji especially — the way the same character can be read two different ways makes it hard."

"Even so, you're doing very well. There's a JLPT exam next month — you should consider sitting for it."

"I've been thinking about it, but I'm not sure I'd do well."

The instructor hesitated a moment, then said, "And how do you usually spend your weekends, Mr. Kim?"

"I read, go hiking, meet up with friends — that sort of thing."

She looked as if she had something more to say, then thought better of it. There were other students present; it seemed she couldn't speak freely.

Chirok came home and ate a late dinner.

His mother asked, "Your aunt called again. You're really not going to meet that girl? The one teaching middle school in Gwangmyeong."

"What's the point of even meeting her? I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't have money for a place of my own as it is."

"Is this because of that woman from your company? The one you met last time?"

"That's not it."

There was a touch of irritation in his voice, and his mother let the subject drop.

After dinner, though, the moment he went into his room, the phone rang. It was his aunt in Gwangmyeong.

Kim Chirok was, at present, involved with the dazzling Bang Mihee. He had not the slightest interest in sitting down to a blind date with a schoolteacher from some out-of-the-way school.