Chapter 171
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Flower Dream
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The sheets were so luxurious and soft that they could put even an insomniac straight to sleep. But to me, they felt like nothing less than a bed of nails.
I could sense the killing intent. Killing intent.
Wondering if it was just my imagination, I glanced forward, only to keep locking eyes with the driver glaring at me through the rearview mirror. Each time, I flinched involuntarily and averted my gaze. It was like being forced to take in the sights.
“……”
Well, that alone kept things plenty interesting.
Not just inside the car, but the view outside was the same.
'Everyone's smartly getting out of the way.'
Was it because I still didn't drive? It wasn't even a foreign luxury car. Yet I could see people subtly widening the berth whenever they spotted this vehicle.
As expected, Chairman Han Se-ryong's car was on another level.
'A sight I'll never experience in my lifetime.'
Even if I mustered up the resolve to buy a shiny new car, I'd never get treatment like this. Unless someone rear-ended me without a care.
Just like this, cars were shrinking away all on their own, without anyone telling them to.
Finally, the driver—who had started staring straight ahead—opened his mouth.
“Mr. Kim Hyunwoo.”
“Yes?”
“If you want to become a big shot like the Chairman, you can't keep dodging eye contact with the likes of me.”
“...Yes?”
I faltered a little.
The likes of him...? That phrasing felt a bit much.
“What's wrong with being a driver?”
“What's wrong? I'm just one driver, someone who could be replaced at any moment—separate from the Chairman, who holds the fate of Korea in his hands.”
“I heard you've been doing this job for a long time, though...”
He seemed so negative about it that I tried to say something positive in response.
Maybe my intent didn't land.
Or perhaps...
“That's only because I haven't made any mistakes yet. Put another way, it means I'd be cut without mercy if I did. Sure, after all these years, there might be a bit of leeway.”
“……”
Uncomfortable, I clammed up. The driver let out a small chuckle.
“What I just said doesn't just apply to the Chairman. Even Miss Han Aebom, whom I've served since she was five, would cut me loose without hesitation if I made a mistake she couldn't overlook.”
“Would she?”
I already knew the answer as I asked.
Han Aebom was exactly the type. She might regret it or feel sad behind closed doors. But when it came to firing someone, she'd do it cleanly, like wielding a blade.
“You already know the answer, yet here you are denying it. Seems like everyone's in that mood these days.”
“That mood?”
“They say even a temple dog learns to recite poetry after three years. After driving the Chairman for nearly twenty years, I've picked up a thing or two just from overhearing his calls. From that perspective, people these days have this habit of turning away from uncomfortable or unpleasant truths.”
“……!”
I knew exactly what he meant.
“It's not just the young ones. With the internet and SNS putting everything on display for others, becoming sensitive to those gazes is a natural step—even the Chairman has said so several times.”
Indeed...
In the old days, even the most explosive news would just lead to neighbors huddled together grumbling about it.
These days, you could head straight to the article, video, or broadcaster's site and vent your frustrations directly.
“That's why everyone only makes noise when things are good, only talks about the positives. Trying to keep everything nice and rosy is making people weaker and more cowardly, or so he says. And it doesn't sound wrong. These days, guys are too scared to even confess to a girl. Pathetic, if you ask me.”
“……”
I could see both sides, but part of me leaned toward the driver's view.
After all, more and more people were finding peace of mind by never even attempting something out of fear it might fail.
“That's why the Chairman said...”
“……”
“In a world like this, the ones who succeed will be those with ironclad conviction, the courage to not fear failure, and finally, the 'luck' to carry them to victory.”
For the first time, the driver's eyes held no killing intent—only expectation as he looked at me.
“I hope you become that kind of person, Mr. Hyunwoo, and bring some life back to this Korea of ours.”
“……”
I had no idea why he was saying this.
Scratching my cheek lightly, I smiled.
“But... isn't that just the Chairman describing himself?”
At my words, the driver burst into laughter as he opened the rear door for me.
[Flower Dream]
Staring at the faded sign that looked straight out of the '90s, all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.
Birds of a feather flock together, huh. Even the driver wasn't your average thinker.
Let's be frank: how many people in the world would refer to themselves as 'the likes of me' in front of someone else?
And the implication of those words.
The driver had outright told me: 'People aren't equal.'
Lately, I found myself agreeing more and more.
Free democracy didn't make everyone equal. Not even before the law.
“Hoo!”
Letting out a deep sigh, I slowly stepped into the shop.
All the while thinking:
'I'll handle this side of things myself.'
I wonder what was going on back at the studio apartment right now.
* * *
The moment Kim Hyunwoo was summoned by Han Se-ryong,
Han Aebom called Oh Hana and Yoon Sua over.
“I have something to say.”
“What's up, bro? Ow!”
“Yeah, what is it, Aebom?”
Oh Hana rubbed her head where she'd been flicked, while Yoon Sua—lost in thoughts of tomorrow's menu—turned to Han Aebom. Han Aebom met their gazes.
And dropped the bomb casually.
“Today, Hyunwoo was called to see my grandfather.”
“Yeah, and?”
“He'll probably end up playing around with the women who work there. Might even spend the night. No, given Grandpa's personality, it's almost certain.”
A strange silence fell briefly.
Well, only for Oh Hana. Yoon Sua just nodded calmly, much like Han Aebom—like she was simply taking it in stride.
“W-Wait a sec... Hold on, hold on. What did I just hear? You call that talking, sis? To me, it sounds like straight-up crazy bullshit no matter how I slice it.”
“To grow properly, you have to hear at least a few people call you crazy.”
“No, no no no! That's not the point! The whole foundation is messed up! Doesn't that bother you at all, sis? That Oppa—no, fuck... Oppa's off at some bar right now? And rolling around with bar girls? And you're saying it like it's no big deal? What the hell is this?”
Oh Hana was more worked up than I'd ever seen her.
She hadn't even gotten this heated telling Kim Hyunwoo about her brother Oh Hanam. It was that hard for her mind to process.
What was even creepier was how composed Han Aebom and Yoon Sua remained amid it all.
“S-Su, Sua sis, why are you so calm too? You like Oppa! You can't just stay chill!”
For the first time, Oh Hana—who always showed Yoon Sua only her soft, respectful side—raised her voice in a shout.
Yoon Sua looked troubled.
“Sorry, Hana... Honestly, as long as Hyunwoo likes it, I don't care what he does.”
“Crazy...”
Oh Hana couldn't hide her bewilderment.
“What, is this some hidden camera? Like a lesson to snap me—the one you all thought was the craziest—back to reality?”
“Why don't you calm down a bit?”
“How am I supposed to calm down? How?!”
Oh Hana was practically jumping in place when she met Han Aebom's eyes and froze. After all her fussing, Han Aebom's gaze hadn't wavered a bit.
“First off, does it make sense that we're all proudly clinging to one man named Kim Hyunwoo?”
“Th-That's... different!”
Han Aebom's eyes grew icy.
“Sure, nitpick the details and it'll seem different. But zoom out, and it's all abnormal. And if 'normal' means fitting others' standards, then my family—I've never lived normally, not once.”
“……”
“In the end, if you're prepared to take responsibility for your words and actions, you can pull off crazy shit too.”
“I'm losing it, fuck. Why are you doing this, sis? Doesn't it bother you at all?”
Oh Hana was convinced.
Han Aebom would crack at this question. But she was wrong.
“Nah, it doesn't bother me. Or more precisely, it bugs me a little. But that's nothing I can't brush off. Wasn't it the same when you started dating Hyunwoo—or when he openly dated the women here?”
“……!”
Oh Hana's eyes widened, her mouth flapping wordlessly. It was true. And Han Aebom wasn't the type to lie—not after all these months Oh Hana had observed her.
In a way, she was even more... the do-it-if-she-said-it type than Oh Hana herself.
Yeah, if she had to compare, she was in the same league as her brother Oh Hanam.
“If anything, I didn't mind back then.”
“What does that...”
“Men are weak to women. Having as much experience as possible? Sounded fine to me. Ah, of course, if I were just casually dating Hyunwoo and we'd break up later, it'd bother me a lot. That'd just feel... really shitty.”
“No, what the...”
Oh Hana could only repeat herself.
It made no sense to her.
“But I've made up my mind properly now. And once you've truly made it up... you learn to floor the accelerator even if it leads off a cliff. If you can't stomach that, just live like everyone else—a coward, a loser.”
“No, I mean! What does that even mean? Fuck, seriously!”
She growled with curses, but Han Aebom didn't budge.
That was when Oh Hana knew for sure.
No lie—this woman wouldn't blink even if someone held a knife to her throat right now.
“Sis, you're... a real monster, huh?”
“You think ordinary people can stand on top of someone's head?”
“……”
“Hana, I told you before, right? Girlfriends aren't what's important.”
Suddenly, words from long ago flashed vividly in Oh Hana's mind.
'If he meets other women, I might get jealous. But I have no intention of opposing it.'
That was exactly it.
Oh Hana got goosebumps. It wasn't just talk?
“...So, what is important, then?”
By now, even anger or shock had faded. Curiosity took over instead.
What would come out of this madwoman's mouth?
And the moment Han Aebom spoke, Oh Hana's mind locked her in as utterly insane.
“Marriage. More precisely, the position of matriarch who seizes real power in the household.”
“……!”
“I figured I could handle him bringing home some unexpected kid to some degree. But recently, having sex with a totally wasted Hyunwoo sealed it for me.”
Han Aebom smiled brightly.
“Ah, this guy... I can control contraception exactly how I want with him.”