Shattered Illusions (1)
Dining outdoors with a beautiful woman put Kim Chirok in an excellent mood. The trees of Mount Gwanak beyond the window were a balm just to look at.
He asked as they ate.
"Do you come here often?"
"Yes. It's not far from home, so I drop by now and then. From Sillim-dong you just pass Mirim Girls' High, hop on Hoam-ro, and you're here in no time."
Of course she'd get here quickly, Kim Chirok thought — she had a car. It was a far cry from his own commute: Line 1 to Gwanak Station, then a long slog the rest of the way on foot.
He smiled.
"So you must come here a lot with friends."
"Sometimes with friends. Sometimes I bring my parents and the whole family."
Hmm. So she loads her parents into that imported car of hers, drives them all the way out here, and treats them to an expensive meal.
A pang of gloom settled over him. He had never once treated his own parents to a meal like this. When would he ever buy a luxury sedan, settle them into the back seat, and bring them somewhere like this? And on top of everything, Bang Mihee had made five billion won and was moving into a Banpo apartment.
"By the way, the Banpo move must be coming up soon."
"Yes. I move next Sunday."
"Need a hand with the boxes?"
"The moving company handles everything. And I'm not moving with my parents — it's just me."
So she's going to rattle around in that huge apartment all by herself?
"Will you live there after you get married?"
"That's the plan."
If he married this woman, he realized, he'd be living in a Banpo apartment himself. He could swagger in front of his old classmates. Hell — he could swagger at the office, too.
"You ought to get married soon. It'll get lonely living alone."
"If you know a good man, put in a word for me."
"I'm right here, you know! Didn't Director Jang from the Strategic Planning Office already recommend me?"
"Heehee. I'll think about it."
"Still weighing the two candidates against each other?"
"I could say the same about you, couldn't I? Aren't you weighing me against the beauties at H Chemical?"
"Beauties at H Chemical? There are no beauties at H Chemical. In looks, they couldn't even reach the tips of your toes."
"Isn't there a daughter of a prominent Incheon family among them? A beauty whose father runs a hotel, I think?"
She was talking about Oh Ha-young from H Chemical — he was sure of it. Dragging Oh Ha-young into it, a woman he had zero interest in, soured his mood at once.
"You've got to be kidding me. I have never once thought of the women at H Chemical as friends. Why would I look at anyone else when I've got a beauty sitting right in front of me?"
"I'm a beauty?"
"I heard you were the campus queen in college. And I know you joined an airline and then got recommended into the chairman's secretariat — a real talent."
"I'm a talent? Heehee."
The compliment didn't seem to displease her. Bang Mihee, who usually wore that haughty expression and never smiled, was talking a great deal today and even laughing. Coming outdoors had been the right call.
The one flaw was that her gums showed when she laughed. The schoolteacher he'd met yesterday had smiled quietly; Bang Mihee did not. She threw her head back, legs crossed, and laughed. Looked at one way, she was a haughty beauty. Looked at another, there was something faintly vulgar about it.
But this was a woman who owned an apartment worth five billion won. She was someone the chairman of a major conglomerate regarded as a daughter. If he married Bang Mihee, they could go together every New Year to pay their respects to the chairman. Where else would he find a golden ticket like that? A future presidency at an H Group affiliate would be as good as guaranteed.
Affiliate presidents earned well, the exact figure depending on the size of the company. From what he knew, they took home anywhere from one to three billion won. That would put him in high society.
Kim Chirok poured beer into Bang Mihee's glass — just a splash, since she'd driven — and filled his own to the brim. He tapped his glass against hers.
Bang Mihee clinked back. Today, he thought, his charm was actually landing. Maybe she was leaning toward him more than the man she'd golfed with yesterday.
He took a sip of beer and studied her slowly. Bang Mihee was no classical East Asian beauty — she was unmistakably Western. Eyes, nose, mouth, all of them large. She was beautiful, but there was no softness to her, and that bothered him a little.
Still, as his mother always said, where in the world do you find a place with both good water and a fine pavilion? All things considered, she wasn't a bad prospect. And yet she had a willful streak, and he couldn't shake the worry that she might look down on his parents.
He smiled.
"You know, you're not just beautiful — you seem to have a real knack for investing."
"Me? I don't have any knack."
"I heard you overheard the chairman and his guests talking, decided it was good intelligence, and put money into stocks. Making money that way — I really admire it."
"Did Director Jang tell you that?"
"Something along those lines. Plus a bit of my own guesswork."
"Do you really think that?"
"A young woman who's made five billion won? That's the mark of an investment genius. I graduated from SNU Business School, and I feel like I should be taking lessons from you."
"I just got lucky."
Kim Chirok had not the faintest idea that the five billion had been compensation for an abortion. Had he known, he would have fainted on the spot.
"I was taught that luck is a skill, too."
"Excuse me? They teach that in business school?"
"Not in school — I learned it out in the real world. Luck is a skill."
"I don't know about luck being a skill, but the real estate's gone up a bit as well. The realtor called to say it's already risen by two hundred million since I signed the contract."
"What? The Banpo apartment went up two hundred million in a month?"
A wave of dizziness rose through his skull. His classmate Lim Jae-geun had bought a Songpa apartment and made seven hundred million in a year — and now this woman had made two hundred million in a single month. How could he not be stunned? He was an open-recruit hire at a major conglomerate, and even if he ate nothing and spent nothing, he could scrape together maybe three million won a month. This was beyond unfair. What the hell were the politicians in this country even doing?
But he couldn't just sit there cursing the country. He had to congratulate her. That was the only way he'd ever be the one she chose.
"You really do have a gift for investing. Incredible. I have so much to learn from you. I'll stay by your side for the rest of my life and learn."
He put extra weight on the words stay by your side for the rest of my life. At that, Bang Mihee lifted her chin and laughed with haughty grace — like a queen.
He found himself wishing he could play the violin. If he could, he wouldn't play God Save the King. He'd play God Save the Queen.
After the meal they stepped outside and stood watching the stream that ran through Anyang Resort. Then Kim Chirok seized her hand.
"Do you have any idea how much I like you?"
She didn't particularly try to pull away. Instead of answering, she only smiled.
"I'm sure plenty of men have been chasing you since college. Plenty of people at our group companies like you, too. If we get married, I won't interfere with your work — I'll take care of the housework, the kids, all of it. Let's get married."
Bang Mihee pulled her hand free.
"Let's just walk."
He looked at her face. It was flushed.
"You're not answering."
"At the company, Director Jang — and even President Jeong-hee — recommended you as someone with a future, someone capable. And I heard a bit about your family situation. But…"
"But?"
"Give me a little time to think."
Why does she keep asking for time to think? Is she still weighing me against Jeong Chan-young?
He grew bolder and slipped his arm through hers.
"There's a café over there. Let's grab a coffee."
Just then a woman came toward them with her head down. Kim Chirok didn't get a proper look at her — he took her for just another hiker passing by. But the woman clearly flinched when she saw the two of them, then immediately dropped her gaze. She circled around them, secretly taking photographs. She was Oh Ha-young's friend — the one he'd met in Sindorim-dong, the one who worked as an accountant at a corrugated cardboard company in Bucheon.
Judging by the hiking clothes, she'd come to hike. Oh Ha-young was nowhere in sight, so she probably hadn't come with her.
Kim Chirok and Bang Mihee went into a café beside the stream. It was on the second floor, with a full view of the valley. For a mountain stream, the water at Anyang Resort ran fairly strong. He ordered two coffees.
He was about to start a conversation, but Bang Mihee kept her head down, staring at her smartphone.
Is she reading a text from Jeong Chan-young? Why won't she even look up?
He urged her to drink.
"Have some coffee."
"Ah — right."
"Who texted you?"
Bang Mihee let out a faint sigh.
"Is something wrong?"
"A text from a senior of mine. She was a year ahead of me in the dance program — a really pretty girl. She says she's getting married."
"If she's getting married, that's something to celebrate."
"She was venting to me. She'd already been involved with a married man…"
"What? So she's marrying the married man?"
"No — she broke it off with him, and she's marrying someone new."
"Is that all. If he was married, she should have cut it off immediately. The new one isn't married too, is he?"
"The new one is single. Good job, good education — a real catch, apparently."
"Then she should marry him right away."
"But she's really worried. She's afraid the cohabitation with the married man might come out later."
"She should just keep it a secret and get married."
"On top of that, she had an abortion from the relationship with the married man."
"S-she did?"
"From what I heard, the married man got drunk and forced himself on her."
"If it happened without any real affection, it's not a problem. Tell her to get married. If the groom never finds out, it doesn't matter. Tell her to get married. And if the married man keeps pestering her, report him to the police."
"She'll do that, of course — but she still feels guilty, so she's hesitating."
"Your senior sounds like a person of real character. A woman's past before marriage vanishes the moment she walks down the aisle."
"Is that so?"
"Even if it came out, any man who made an issue of something that happened before the wedding isn't a real man."
Kim Chirok did not notice the smile that spread across Bang Mihee's lips as she heard this.
She spoke with a bright expression.
"I like that this café is on the second floor. The view of the stream is lovely."
"We picked a good spot."
"They serve draft beer here, too."
"Shall we have a round? Oh — wait. You drove, didn't you?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll just call a designated driver."
What? Call a designated driver? Oh Ha-young at H Chemical gets wasted and calls one too — and now this woman does the same. Rich women, calling designated drivers like it's nothing.
It was something he couldn't even imagine doing himself. But today was a day to humor Bang Mihee. Fortunately she'd been talkative and even smiling. The mood so far was good. If he played it right, he might actually be the one she chose — no need to throw cold water on things.
He smiled with his eyes.
"W-well then. Two drafts."
Bang Mihee said that since she'd ordered the beer, she would pay for it. She even added a fruit platter. She seemed like a completely different person today. At the office she barely spoke, always haughty — but not today. She beamed, raised her glass, and even called for a Bravo.
Is it because this café overlooks the stream and the atmosphere is nice? They say women are weak to atmosphere — looks like that's true.
So he drank beer happily with Bang Mihee. The beer left his head pleasantly fuzzy. Through the haze of alcohol, her face looked even more sensual.
She clearly wasn't satisfied with yesterday's meeting with Jeong Chan-young.
Hope stirred in him — if he played this right, he might actually be the one she chose. He sat there grinning like a fool, ridiculously pleased with himself.
Completely unaware of Oh Ha-young's friend, sitting with her back turned in a far corner of the café, quietly drinking her coffee.