Rooftop Smoke and Twisted Desires
I arrived at the office early and, as usual, was smoking a cigarette up on the rooftop. Before long, Jeongsook joined me. Since I had cleared my afternoon the day before for Jo Sujeong, Changguk's wife, and handed all the work over to her, I quickly received her report on whether anything unusual had happened.
Aside from a few issues tied to the new business, there was nothing that required my attention. The moment we finished talking about company matters, Jeongsook pounced, exactly as I had expected, asking about Suyeon. With business out of the way, she was clearly ready to satisfy her own curiosity.
I knew this was coming. Without adding any extra commentary, I gave her a rough outline of the past and told her about meeting Suyeon and her lover yesterday. Then I showed Jeongsook the photo the three of us had taken together. The instant she saw it, her eyes widened like saucers and her jaw dropped straight to the floor.
"Oh my, oh my. So we're not the only ones living strangely after all! Why does knowing there are other people like us feel so thrilling?"
It was clear she now understood that not only me, but Jeongsook and Yeojeong unni as well had all fallen under Changhee's inexplicable charm.
"Exactly. It hit me all over again how pointless it is to view the world in black and white."
"Anyway, this Cha Suyeon, the vice president—she gives off a pretty cool vibe. I like that. I was worried sick there might be lingering resentment from your messy history with her."
"What were you worried about? That it might affect our company?"
"Of course. According to my dad, she's only been back in Korea for a year, but her company is already drawing serious attention in the industry. Some say she just stuck a spoon into her mother's company, but after I looked her up online, she clearly has real talent. For the sake of our future, it's definitely a company we need to handle with care."
"Understood. I'll pay closer attention too. Since we've already placed someone there, it's only right to be extra vigilant."
"Oh, right—she got hired, didn't she? That's such a relief. I heard it's even harder to get a job there these days, so landing it in one go is really fortunate."
"Is that your way of saying it's finally time for you to ask me for that favor?"
"Oh dear, you little brat. I was speaking from the heart, but that's where your mind went? Hehe... Is this that philosophy of yours about never living with debts? Hehe..."
"Yes. So while we're on the subject, tell me what the favor is."
Jeongsook cut herself off and flashed a meaningful smile.
"If it's a request you think you can't grant, don't even bring it up."
"Hmm... I was thinking it might be something like that, hehe... But I don't believe it's a favor you couldn't possibly accept, hehe..."
"Then hurry up and say it. I need to go downstairs and work."
Suddenly Jeongsook bowed at the waist just like she had yesterday. I grinned while still holding my cigarette.
"Seeing you've gone straight into maid mode, this must be quite the request, hehe... All right, maid. Speak."
Since we had come this far, I slipped into 'master' mode as well and played along.
"This lowly maid dares to speak, yet I beg for the honor of burying my face between my master's legs. I will serve with everything I have."
I had been about to take another drag but stopped and simply stared at Jeongsook. She was smiling, yet she kept both hands neatly at her navel and maintained a surprisingly serious posture. I had no idea what to say and could only make a blank face.
"I have already received permission from Master Changhee, so please do not overthink it. Share your love freely, Master."
If she had asked Changhee for permission, that meant she had contacted her yesterday. Yet Changhee had said nothing to me that morning. After I helped get her sister-in-law hired, we had shared a deep, grateful kiss, enjoyed some intimate caressing, and fallen asleep. Even that morning we had exchanged a pleasant kiss before I left for work. She had not mentioned a single word about Jeongsook until now.
"It has been arranged that this weekend my sister and I may serve Master's Master, so please allow us to attend to her, Master."
"You crazy bitches, hehe..."
The curse slipped out before I could stop it. Yet I was smiling. Perhaps because of 'Changnyeo' I had unknowingly become corrupted; I was already enjoying this surreal situation. So I gave my permission without hesitation.
Back in the office, I sent Changhee a text message.
I had not sent it out of genuine anger. After giving Jeongsook permission, a strangely twisted lust had suddenly surged inside me. If she were beside me right now, I felt as if I would strip her naked on the spot and devour her with kisses. To calm that impulse, I lit another cigarette.
A little after three in the afternoon, a text arrived from Kim Minjun asking if I could talk. Jeongsook was out on business, so I was alone in the president's office. I called him immediately. He answered before the first ring could even finish.
"I finally ate her yesterday, haha..." That was his opening line. True to form, he never let a target he had set his eyes on slip away.
"It's not like she's a chrysanthemum preserved in a vase, yet you devoured her remarkably fast, hehe..."
"I'm a bit impatient, you know. I can't do anything about the men who tasted her before me, but I'm thinking of making sure I'm the only one who gets to eat her from now on, haha..."
"Really? That much?"
"Hmm... She was good. No, honestly, she was pretty damn good. If I were scoring her, I'd easily give her an A, hehe... Her technique wasn't bad either... But more than anything, I loved how well she listened and how tightly she clung to me. You know what I mean, right? Haha..."
Of course I knew. Even though we had not dated long, I had seen and heard plenty about him. He clung firmly to the feudal belief that a 'woman' must be obedient, and the length of his relationships was often decided by how well they followed that rule. There had been a time when he dated women who were not as submissive as I was, but after we broke up he became known for strictly upholding his principles. Rumors even claimed he collected various chastity devices to lock onto his lovers.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what you mean."
I played innocent. He fired back at once.
"No, you know exactly what I'm talking about, hehe..."
"I can guess more or less, but I wasn't sure whether my guess was correct, that's all."
"Your guess is probably right, hehe..."
The fact that Kim Minjun spoke of 'monopolizing' her meant Gukhwa had caught his interest far more than I expected. And if she had caught his interest, it also meant that while they dated he would not see anyone else and would instead look after her that much in return. Sometimes that kind of relationship even led to living together. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"I get the feeling you're hiding something from me. But I won't pry. On the contrary, I'm even thinking of digging up the answers to the things you're curious about and telling you one by one. Are you going to claim you don't understand this either?"
As expected, his intuition was formidable. I had no desire to turn into an enemy someone who opened his heart so readily that he would come running the moment I asked for help after a long silence. There was no sharp solution for dealing with Gukhwa at the moment anyway, and since she had entered his grasp of her own free will, there was nothing I could do to stop it. The best course was to let him proceed in his own way for now.
"No, I understand perfectly. And I'm grateful you aren't pressing for more. It's difficult to explain right now, but I'll have a chance to tell you everything later, oppa. Until then, I'll leave Gukhwa in your care."
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear. For the Gukhwa situation, just trust me. As long as she's in my arms, she won't fly away, so you can focus on your work with peace of mind, hehe... Tell that friend of yours you still haven't found her. And if you do locate Gukhwa, ask what she wants to do. Depending on her wishes, there may be more ways I can help, haha..."
"One thing is certain. Don't hurt her. I want to get her back completely intact."
The words left my mouth too hastily the moment he finished speaking, and I immediately regretted them. His chuckling laughter sounded like a gentle scolding for my impatience. He had now realized that 'Gukhwa' was far more closely connected to me than he had first assumed. Not some made-up friend, but someone directly and indirectly tied to me.
"Hehe... Understood. Don't worry. I'll take good care of her. Meeting up together once in a while wouldn't be bad—what do you think? Yeah, all right. Contact me when you have time. If I come across any good information, I'll reach out immediately."
I thanked him and ended the call. An inexplicable sense of defeat washed over me, and I bit my lip hard. I picked up the pocket holding my cigarettes and lighter and headed back to the rooftop. As I smoked, I agonized over what I should do next. But just as I feared, there was no clear answer. From what I had gathered in my conversation with Kim Minjun, even if I gave her every month what Lee Changguk had been providing, Gukhwa would not change her mind. I could not help feeling discouraged. If this was not a problem money could solve, what method on earth should I use?