Chairman Jang vs. Chairman Choi (2)

But after a short while had passed, Chairman Choi dropped to his knees with a thud and began to beg.

"Hyung-nim, come on, just tell me! There, happy now, you rotten bastard?"

"Hahahaha!!"

Chairman Jang roared with laughter, then called for Butler Kang and asked him to bring two soju glasses and a single wine glass. After that, he retrieved a bottle of wine that had been lovingly hidden away in his safe.

The moment Chairman Choi laid eyes on the wine Chairman Jang had produced, he was struck speechless with sheer disbelief.

"Hey, you scoundrel Jang! Is THAT your 'tonic'? Pulling out some cheap bottom-shelf wine like this. You're trying to make me collapse from pure rage right now, aren't you?"

"Now, now! If hyung-nim says it's a tonic, then a tonic it is. Where do you get off whining about it? Are you still judging things by their looks alone? If you don't want to drink it, then don't."

Faced with the razor-sharp force of Chairman Jang's momentum, Chairman Choi immediately tucked his tail between his legs.

"Fine, fine. I'll trust your word for once, then."

"Say that again, little brother. So you talk out of both sides of your mouth even to your elder brother, hm? Seems you don't want a taste of this tonic after all."

"Hyung-nim, forgive this humble brother's rudeness. There, happy now?"

"For the record, this elixir is unbelievably expensive. And today, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your hyung here is going to give you a wonderful present."

"Spare me the sales pitch and just hand it over already. Let me have a taste."

Chairman Jang opened the wine and poured it liberally into the soju glass. Twice he poured, until the wine glass was filled to the brim.

"There. Have your first sip."

The instant Chairman Choi brought the wine Chairman Jang handed him to his lips and let it linger on his tongue, he nearly jumped out of his skin. In seventy years of life, he had never tasted a wine this extraordinary. It clung to the palate with every swirl, so astonishing that words simply couldn't capture it. In a word, it was dazzlingly, head-spinningly delicious.

"Wow, this wine is to die for! I've never had anything like it. But why only two soju glasses? Can't you just fill a whole glass for me?"

"Are you out of your mind? Do you know how much this stuff costs? Didn't I tell you — it's worth 300 billion won? Now listen to me first. The taste is one thing, but the effects are exactly what someone like us needs! Two soju glasses will let you play a full match for an entire day, so drinking more than that is pointless. Just wait a little — the signal will come."

"Strange, though. You look a lot better than you did two days ago, don't you? Your voice sounds years younger too. If you really played your match through this morning, your body should be in tatters, shouldn't it?"

"That's why it's a tonic, isn't it? Stay on my good side, and I'll let you have a taste now and then."

"Done, you rascal! Anyway, Director Lee said he'd secure it in ten days! On the condition that he gets to handle 500 billion won of it."

"Is that so? Director Lee certainly knows how to sell. But hey — hasn't the signal come yet?"

"How long has it been since I drank it? It's barely been thirty minutes… huh?!"

"Well? There's your signal, isn't it, you rascal?"

A moment later, Chairman Choi bowed his head and looked down in disbelief. He could feel a dull heaviness settling into his lower half. It was unmistakable — harder and larger than in his prime.

Suddenly, his heart began to race. He needed to get up and leave. Now.

Chairman Jang read his old friend's inner turmoil like a mind reader.

"No need to rush. The effects last a full 24 hours, remember? Take your time. Just make a phone call — tell her to change into her match kit and get ready to work out."

But Chairman Choi simply could not calm himself. He dialed his young lover, then bolted out the door without so much as a word of farewell. Chairman Jang only threw his head back and laughed heartily, watching him go as if he understood it all perfectly.

Chairman Choi was in a hurry. It seemed the scoundrel Jang had been telling the truth. His own equipment had swelled beyond all control. Not even Viagra could leave a man this vigorously alive.

Why were there so many speed zones in this town? In his impatience, he ordered his driver to ignore every signal and gun it. A stack of speeding tickets was probably already on its way.

When he arrived at his young lover's home, she had already changed into her match kit to perfection, fully prepared and waiting. Chairman Choi quickly showered and charged onto the field himself.

Soon, the long-awaited first half began.

"Oh my~ oh my~ what's gotten into you!! Today I'm… I'm really going to lose it~ ah~ ah~"

The first-half match, which lasted roughly two hours, ended in a flawless victory for Chairman Choi. His opponent lay completely knocked out, sprawled across the field.

But this was only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the first half. After dinner, the second half had to be played.

Once she came to her senses, the opposing player fidgeted impatiently, insisting they get on with the second half as soon as possible — it had been so long since she'd felt this satisfied. Citing how precious time was, she proposed they just boil up some ramyeon and eat quickly.

But Chairman Choi was utterly relaxed. There was plenty of time left. He couldn't fathom why she was rushing him when there was not the slightest reason to hurry. The second half wasn't even the real problem. From an all-night marathon until morning — death match included, all the way to the penalty shootout — there was still a very long way to go.

After a quick ramyeon dinner and a short rest, Chairman Choi slowly made his way back onto the field. The second half was about to begin.

After wrapping up his conversation at the Sinabro Production office, Young-hoon returned to his studio apartment in Ilsan around six o'clock. The moment he opened the door and stepped inside, his phone rang. He checked the screen — it was his cousin Hee-joo.

Young-hoon had been thinking that Hee-joo had been acting strange lately. Whether it was because his brother-in-law had taken to enjoying a drink, his cousin had never been much of a drinker in the past — yet these days she seemed to out-drink her own husband. Whether it was the taste that kept her going, or something else entirely, he couldn't quite tell.

Young-hoon headed over to his cousin's place carrying two bottles of wine. He opened the door and stepped inside, and Hee-joo greeted him with wildly enthusiastic warmth — all while staring daggers at his two full hands.

Young-hoon handed over the wine he'd brought and fired off a pointed remark.

"There, I brought them! Two bottles ought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to do it, right?"

"Hoho, look at this one. Who ever asked you to bring wine? Well, no helping it now. Can't let good wine go to waste — better drink it up quick. Hohohoho~"

"You're an absolute riot, Noona. Bro-in-law, I'm here!"

Ki-jin, who had been sprawled across the living room sofa, spotted Young-hoon and dragged himself upright, inch by painful inch. Then he greeted his brother-in-law with a voice drained of all strength.

"Hey, brother-in-law. You made it."

"But bro, what's with your face? You look gaunt, like you haven't slept in days. Did Noona keep you up all night tormenting you?"

"What? No! What kind of talk is that? I was still going strong until the early hours this morning. I made several trips to the moon and back last night, you know. But then I took a phone call this morning, and ever since… Some guy claiming to be a client has been calling every thirty minutes to harass me. Keeps demanding things, and I have no idea what he's even asking for."

"Oh no, bro. That's a seed I planted. Remember what I said the day before yesterday? The moment that tonic passed into Chairman Jang's hands, someone was going to give the recipient a world of torment."

"Right — you said it would come from one of Chairman Jang's friends."

"That's the one. A man who stands shoulder to shoulder with Chairman Jang — Chairman Choi. You'll be meeting him sooner or later too, bro."

"So he's someone else who needs the tonic, then?"

"Absolutely."

Young-hoon decided he would need to set aside time to meet this Chairman Choi in person, once more for his brother-in-law's sake.

Once Hee-joo laid out dinner on the table, Young-hoon and Ki-jin began grilling the meat together. By the time the meat was properly browned, the drinking party was in full swing.

"Young-hoon, that wine of yours seems to have quite an addictive quality to it. Maybe it's just because it tastes so good, but I keep finding myself craving it, you know?"

"An addictive effect too? That's a newly discovered one, huh? Does it come and go?"

"I told you before, my skin's gotten smoother and bouncier. And that's not all — my makeup goes on so much better now! And, well, it's a little embarrassing to say in detail… but things feel… different."

"Different how? What do you mean?"

"You know that thing. When you're, uh, bonking your brother-in-law? The feeling is definitely better now."

"That's not just because Bro's stamina has improved?"

"Hey, I've been living skin-to-skin with your brother-in-law for thirteen years now. You think I wouldn't know? Ever since I had that wine last time, my body has honestly changed."

"So it's not just good for men, then?"

"Exactly! Seems to be great for women too."

"Well, you ARE an excellent test subject, Noona. If you notice any other effects, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you'll report back, right?"

"You bet. I'll take full responsibility for that."

The three of them carried on, drinking and trading stories back and forth. Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, Young-hoon turned to Ki-jin.

"Oh, right! Bro, I met Chairman Jang yesterday."

"Oh? Where?"

"There was an event yesterday and I attended, and I ran into him there by chance."

"Is that so? It's good for you two to see each other often."

"Well, as payment for the tonic, Chairman Jang's offering me an officetel in Gangnam. Says I'll be able to move in around next week. So I might be relocating to Gangnam."

At those words, Hee-joo threw her hands up in delighted celebration.

"That's our Young-hoon, making it big. Getting a whole officetel just for a few bottles of wine."

"But… then I won't get to mooch your cooking anymore, Noona. What about that? Why don't you two move too? Bro, didn't you say you're getting a big performance bonus this time?"

In that instant, Hee-joo shot Ki-jin a savage glare.

"Honestly, it's a scandal! If the tax office ever catches wind of it, there won't be a drop left!"

Under that scorching gaze, Ki-jin hemmed and hawed before finally coming clean.

"I'm set to get two percent."

"Hold on. Two percent is six billion won! Honey, we're moving to Gangnam too. Young-hoon's moving there as well — being close by is the only way I can squeeze out even an extra glass of wine."

"I suppose so, then. You go ahead and look into it. But listen — this bonus is because of my brother-in-law here! So I promised him half of it."

"A bit of a shame, but that's your call to make."

"Actually, Bro, I've been thinking about what you said the other day. Do I really have the right to take money you worked so hard to earn? So I'm going to decline."

"Now, now, none of that nonsense. When it's offered, take it. I'll hand it over once the bonus lands."

Having declared himself so grandly, Ki-jin slipped into a brief daydream. There was one thing he hadn't told his wife yet. The funds Chairman Choi would be entrusting to him going forward. That absolutely must not be discovered.

Let's see here. If I get to handle Chairman Choi's 500 billion won, that's ten billion for me. Hehehehehe.

Utterly unaware of this, Hee-joo took a long gulp of wine and remarked in wonder.

"You know, Young-hoon, I had no idea this wine was so expensive?"

"It's fine. You're my test subject, Noona, after all. Don't worry about it — drink up. Hehehe."

Before long, the merry drinking party drew to a close, and it was time for Young-hoon to head home. He stole a discreet glance around and concluded that the moment he left, Noona and his brother-in-law would be at it like rabbits. Sparks were already flying between the two of them.