Cafe Commotion (1)
"Honestly, this woman...!"
In the end, Hwang Myeonghui exploded.
Junghye? Truthfully, she didn't even know what the woman did for a living. She'd heard her son belonged to some guild called Baekho or whatever, but she couldn't have cared less. They weren't even close. The woman kept texting that she wanted to meet up, so she'd said fine and set a date — and now this.
What? Bring her son along too?
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Baek Ajin, who happened to be visiting, asked. Ever since the family moved to YooBaek City, she had been dropping in on her parents often. They were neighbors anyway, and living in the same penthouse made hopping over easy.
"Oh, it's one of my old classmates... She keeps..."
Hwang Myeonghui gave her daughter a brief rundown of what had happened.
Oh ho?
The corners of Baek Ajin's mouth curled upward. One look, and she had the whole situation sized up.
"Mom."
"Yes?"
"Do you know what Baekho is?"
"No idea. Is it a big deal?"
"...Mom, you watched the qualifiers, didn't you? It's one of the biggest guilds in the country! How do you never remember no matter how many times I tell you?"
It was exasperating. She'd even sat her mother down and explained the Big Three guilds once.
"Oh, come on, you know me. Players, guilds, all that — I can't make heads or tails of any of it. And I don't particularly want to."
"Good grief."
Baek Ajin heaved a long, deep sigh.
Then again, her mother, Madam Hwang Myeonghui, was sweet to a fault. No — sweet wasn't quite the word. Pure-hearted, maybe? That was why she'd agree to a meetup this transparent and even set a date for it.
"Mom. Just tell her I'll go instead."
"Huh? But Junghye wants to see her son..."
"Do you still not get who my brother is? He's a busy man. Attending a gathering like that would be a drain on national power — downright against the national interest."
"Is that so?"
Then he absolutely mustn't! Persuaded by her daughter, Hwang Myeonghui nodded along — and deep down, her heart swelled. Son or daughter alike, they'd both grown into such remarkable people!
A large cafe in Gangnam. Between the steep drink prices and the impeccably trained staff, only the reasonably famous ever set foot inside. It was there that Junghye had invited Hwang Myeonghui.
"Oh, over here!"
Junghye raised her hand, and soon enough she spotted Hwang Myeonghui — with Baek Ajin following in behind her.
Huh? Not the son, but the daughter? And her looks were anything but ordinary. She was the sort of beautiful that belonged on television — pretty with an unmistakable air of refinement. No matter how she looked at her, nothing about the girl screamed humble origins.
And those clothes, too. Nothing like last time.
She always dressed that elegantly?
The woman's whole aura had transformed. By the time Junghye came back to her senses, Hwang Myeonghui was already standing right in front of her.
"Ahem, ahem."
Junghye cleared her throat, and—
"Hello. My name is Baek Ajin."
After greeting her with perfect courtesy, Baek Ajin took the seat across from her.
"I've heard so much about you, Aunt Junghye."
"Aha, hahaha! They said Myeonghui's daughter was a beauty — and they weren't kidding!"
Come to think of it... maybe the Rainbow Snail hadn't appeared for the son at all, but for the daughter! That was what Junghye concluded. Perhaps some wealthy young man had fallen head over heels for the girl's beauty and laid the pricey snail at her feet.
No, even that's a stretch. Rainbow Snails cost a fortune.
Either way... my son doesn't kneel before anyone, either!
While the three women traded pleasantries and small talk...
"Mom?"
A man raised his hand from across the cafe. Tall and powerfully built, with a tiger badge pinned to his chest — the mark of Baekho, one of the great guilds!
A stir ran through the cafe. The room grew a touch louder, and every gaze converged on the man!
Such was the prestige major guilds commanded in present-day South Korea. No one cheered outright, but a hushed "Wow, look over there. I think he's with Baekho" was par for the course.
"Yes, son. Over here."
Junghye beckoned her son over with practiced elegance — and her shoulders squared with pride.
How about that! This is my son!
And so the four of them gathered as arranged, and the conversation began.
Junghye's repertoire never changed. First came the inquiries after everyone's well-being; then, inevitably, talk of the children.
"By the way, I hear your son's a player too. If there's anything he doesn't know, have him ask mine."
"Haha, that's quite all right. I can't say I raised him especially well, but somehow the boy has a knack for finding his own meal ticket."
"Oh, come on! Even so. Do you have any idea how much connections matter these days? However talented the kids may be, they can only spread their wings if their parents back them up from behind! That's terribly important, you know?"
Neither Hwang Myeonghui nor Baek Ajin mentioned that the son in question was Baek Jinwoo. Neither felt any particular need to.
Truth be told, Baek Ajin was bored. And irritated, too. Even the Baekho guild master and his vice groveled before her brother — and this was just some Baekho rookie, seated at the table while his mother carried on bragging like this? Worse, Park Junghye hadn't even asked what Baek Ajin did for a living. With the girl sitting right in front of her, no less.
The tipping point came the moment the talk turned to the Rainbow Snail.
"Oh, Myeonghui, you know that snail you showed me last time?"
"Mm? Would you like to see it again?"
Squirm, squirm. The adorable snail inched its way along Hwang Myeonghui's forearm. They traded a few words about it, and before long Junghye began to quietly show her true colors.
"By the way, do you have any idea what this is worth? I seem to recall you saying you had no clue last time."
"I don't, no. Not that it matters — I have no intention of selling. It was a gift."
"...Is that so?"
Lips pursing ever so slightly, Junghye made her play.
"You wouldn't sell it even if someone offered you ten billion won?"
"...Ten billion?"
Hwang Myeonghui's mouth fell slightly open.
Funnily enough, her claim of ignorance about the snail's value was the honest truth. The Rainbow Snail's estimated worth stood at a minimum of fifty billion won — the very price Daesung was buying them up at — and its value was projected to climb past one hundred billion before long. And here she was, gaping at a mere ten billion.
"Auntie."
That was when Baek Ajin, who had been listening, decided to step in. She first downed her iced americano in great gulps.
"This joke of yours has gone too far. Ten billion? That's not even two hundred billion."
"T-two hundred billion?"
Hwang Myeonghui's mouth fell open wider as she turned to her daughter. Was this snail truly worth that much?
"Oh my, what on earth are you saying? Now that's just plain ignorance."
Junghye was dumbfounded. Not even fifty billion — but two hundred? She wasn't a child playing pretend.
"Ignorance, you say?"
An irritated Baek Ajin shot back flatly.
"Daesung alone would pay fifty billion for it on the spot. Isn't lowballing it at ten billion the real ignorance here?"
"...!"
Junghye flinched. Well, look at this girl. She actually knows what that summon is worth?
"Haha, I believe my mother simply doesn't know much about it. It performs so well, you see."
In the end, Junghye's son stepped in to smooth things over — but Baek Ajin's reins had long since come undone.
"Well, ten billion is hardly pocket change. Nobody just blurts out a figure like that without doing their homework first."
"Hey, young lady, that's quite the disrespectful way to talk?"
What? Lowballing? Blurting out? She should know her place. How does someone so young have such rotten manners?
"Disrespectful, you say?"
Pfft. Baek Ajin laughed.
Hwang Myeonghui sat there flustered, utterly at a loss. Never once had she seen her ever-courteous daughter like this.
"If your son is in Baekho, he must be a capable young man. And you dragged him out here, ate up his precious time, and all you have to talk about is bragging on your children? That might fly if you were actually close to my mother. But isn't this all just a little too transparent?"
"What?"
Junghye choked mid-breath — but she had no rebuttal. Every last word rang true.
"Isn't that going a bit far?"
Junghye's son stepped in, but Baek Ajin yielded not an inch.
"If you want to make something of yourself, you'd best learn to manage your mother. The world is wide, and talented people are a dime a dozen. Your mother could stand to learn some humility."
"..."
The air turned glacial in an instant.
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"I merely stated a fact. Responsibility for what?"
Baek Ajin sprang to her feet.
"Mom, let's go. Raise your standards too — stop meeting up with every random person who asks."
"Wh-what?"
As the flustered Hwang Myeonghui rose to follow...
"Sit. Down."
BANG! Junghye's son, done holding back, slammed his fist onto the table. He struck it so hard that the cups toppled over, coffee and ice cascading everywhere.
The chattering cafe fell silent. Patrons stirred, staring in their direction.
Wow, this guy. What an absolute thug.
Just as Baek Ajin clicked her tongue...
Jingle! The cafe door swung open, and a group walked in.
Coincidence truly was a wondrous thing. Of all moments, of all places — that group had to walk into that very Gangnam cafe.
There were three of them: one Baekho executive, Hwang Juwon — vice guild master of Ilwol — and Hong Ari, guild master of Arirang.
The so-called Big Three guilds met on a fixed schedule each month to keep in touch. This month's gathering was hosted by Arirang, and Hong Ari had treated every attending executive to a lavish meal — after which the party moved on to a cafe for round two. With every one of them a recognizable face, their search for an upscale cafe had led them here.
"Heheh, did we walk into the wrong place? What's with the mood in here?"
The cafe was so quiet that Hwang Juwon chuckled.
"You're right. Shall we try somewhere else?"
Just as Hong Ari turned to head back out the door...
"One moment."
The Baekho executive, having swiftly scanned the room, found the source: the woman standing over there, the male player trembling with his fist planted on the table — and the Baekho badge pinned to that chest.
That kid. He knew him well. One of the new intake — he'd seen him coming and going. Among this batch of rookies, the fellow was about average.
Then why is he acting like that? Starting a scene while wearing the guild badge? That reflected directly on Baekho's honor. He couldn't just let it slide.
A stir rippled through the cafe once more.
"Look over there. It's Hwang Juwon."
"Whoa — the national team's Hwang Juwon? Wow, he really is a silver fox. Isn't he past fifty?"
"Hong Ari's here too. And there's another player wearing a Baekho badge?"
"What is this, Player Day?"
"Hong Ari is gorgeous."
As the crowd's attention scattered...
Hm?
That was when Hong Ari's gaze landed on Baek Ajin.
...Baek Jinwoo's younger sister?
She had been training at YooBaek of late, so Hong Ari had crossed paths with Baek Ajin plenty of times and knew her well. And with things like this, she couldn't simply walk past either. One glance was enough to see the situation was a mess.
Baek Jinwoo was her master. As his disciple, she had a duty to uphold.
Then again, this is beyond absurd. How could some Baekho player dare intimidate Baek Jinwoo's sister? You would have to be out of your mind to try. Ever since the gang incident, laying a hand on Baek Jinwoo's family had become taboo. The memory was still vivid — those criminals sobbing, tears and snot streaming down their faces, begging to be allowed to turn themselves in.
"Do you know her?"
When the Baekho executive asked, Hong Ari nodded.
"She's Player Baek Jinwoo's younger sister."
"Pardon?"
The executive went pale at once. Is that rookie bastard out of his damn mind?
"Heheh?"
Hwang Juwon let out a startled laugh of his own.
By now, none of them could simply look away. They had to at least see what was going on.
Thud, thud.
In the end, Hong Ari and the Baekho executive made their way toward the source of it all, while Hwang Juwon chuckled and settled into a seat near the counter. It looked entertaining from a glance — he figured he would watch from a distance.
As they drew near, Baek Ajin inclined her head in a polite greeting.
Junghye's son, startled stiff, shot to his feet and bowed with every ounce of courtesy he could muster.