050
050
"I'll be down now."
The foreign car dealer had called.
It was a notification that the car he had decided to lease had arrived at the hotel.
Lee Hyunwoo stood up from his seat immediately, filled with excitement.
"Oh...."
The hotel's main entrance.
The beast that looked killer in the photos was standing right in front of him.
The sports car looked even more stunning in person than it did in the pictures.
Should he call it an aura of presence?
The sports car was practically radiating an atmosphere that screamed, "I have a lot of money."
It was a charm that could make even Lee Hyunwoo, who was car-illiterate, fall head over heels.
"Thank you once again for your purchase, customer. As requested, this vehicle comes with full options, and I've taken the liberty of upgrading the wheels and tires to the most expensive model available. Thank you."
Just how many times does this guy intend to bow before he's satisfied?
The salesman bowed to Lee Hyunwoo again and handed him the keys.
Lee Hyunwoo smiled and nodded.
"Good work."
"Yes. I'll send you a text message a month in advance regarding the regular inspection date and insurance premium payment details, so please keep that in mind. I'll be going now. Please feel free to call if you have any questions. I wish you nothing but happiness."
The current time is 9:30.
There are 2 hours and 30 minutes left until Bom Yeoreum's broadcast.
Is the drive 2 hours and 30 minutes away?
He was so excited and looking forward to it.
"Heup, haa.... Nice."
Lee Hyunwoo got into the car and took a deep breath.
The scent of a new car filled his nose.
Isn't this the smell of success?
"Oh my, you said you were going to buy a car, but you bought a foreign car?"
Lee Hyunwoo was testing out various features of the vehicle, opening the glove box and turning on the navigation and dashcam.
He also rolled down the window, and just then, the hotel receptionist, Moon Hyeji, happened to be walking toward the parking lot.
Lee Hyunwoo, with his window down, made direct eye contact with Moon Hyeji.
A smile formed on her lips, and she approached Lee Hyunwoo with a pleased expression.
"This is a sports car, right? I don't know much about cars, but it looks like a sports car just by looking at it."
"Yes. That's right."
Lee Hyunwoo treated Moon Hyeji with a smile.
To be honest, he didn't have much interest in Moon Hyeji.
But there was no reason to refuse when the woman was showing interest.
Besides, Moon Hyeji was a beauty.
A beauty worthy of being chosen as the face of the hotel, the receptionist.
She might be lacking compared to the top-tier streamers, but among ordinary people, she possessed top-tier looks.
"Wow, I'm so curious about what it feels like to ride in a car like this. The ride quality must be amazing, right?"
Why do women always talk in circles?
If she wanted to go for a drive together, she could just say so directly.
In his short time, Lee Hyunwoo had experienced many women and now knew the reason.
The reason women talk in circles can be explained in one word.
Pride.
To explain it a bit more, it's about not stating what they want clearly, but beating around the bush so the other person makes the suggestion first.
It's about winning the initiative and the battle of wills to satisfy their own pride.
Every woman possessed this tendency to some degree.
From Lee Hyunwoo's perspective, it was just a pathetic little ploy.
If a woman wants to talk in circles, fine.
Lee Hyunwoo could also beat around the bush and take advantage of it.
"I suppose so? I haven't even test-driven it yet, so I don't know. I'm planning to go for a drive in a little while."
"Really? Night drives are nice. Must be nice. I get off work soon, too. Around 10 o'clock...."
Moon Hyeji didn't go so far as to ask him to take her along.
She probably thought she had revealed her feelings quite a bit and had made many concessions in her own mind.
Lee Hyunwoo smiled brightly.
"What a shame. I have prior plans."
"Yes...?"
Moon Hyeji's expression stiffened.
She understood that Lee Hyunwoo had rejected her point-blank.
And with the excuse of a prior plan for a drive, he had chosen another woman over her.
As someone who was quite confident in her own beauty, she couldn't help but feel offended.
"I'm a bit busy until Monday. How about Tuesday?"
"Tuesday? Well. I don't know. I'm not sure if I'll have time."
Moon Hyeji, feeling offended, played hard to get for no reason.
However, she didn't refuse outright.
"Then we can just push it back further. Come find me when you have time later. You know my room, right? I'll be waiting. I'll head up first then."
Lee Hyunwoo naturally invited Moon Hyeji to his room.
By utilizing a woman's indirect speech and power struggles, he could easily gain an advantage like this.
It was a victory created by the leisure of someone who has it all.
If Lee Hyunwoo hadn't handled it with ease and had let himself be dragged around, he would have had to drive her around, buy her gifts, and cater to her mood before he could finally get laid.
But if he called her to his room right away like this?
She would come prepared before entering the hotel room, so it would be easy to get laid.
Even if she got offended and didn't contact him, it wasn't a loss.
To Lee Hyunwoo, Moon Hyeji was just a bonus.
She was a woman he could take or leave, so if she contacted him, great, and if she didn't, then she didn't.
30 minutes before Bom Yeoreum's broadcast ended.
Lee Hyunwoo, who had been watching her broadcast, came out of the hotel.
Vroom, vroooom!
The intense exhaust sound of the sports car filled the hotel parking lot.
"Oh...."
He felt the heavy vibration traveling through the steering wheel.
Or maybe his hands were shaking from excitement.
Lee Hyunwoo pressed the accelerator carefully.
The black sports car smoothly exited the parking lot.
Lee Hyunwoo was quite a good driver.
It was because of his work.
Since it was an environment where there was no distinction between "my work" and "your work," it was common for office staff to go out to the field or do delivery driving.
The driving skills he learned back then were being displayed without restraint.
"Ahahahat!"
Laughter came out on its own.
To be honest, the driving stability and the vibrations he felt seemed worse than a regular sedan.
But if he had evaluated the ride quality based on such things, Lee Hyunwoo wouldn't have bought a sports car.
The true ride quality of this car was manifested on the road.
Should he call it the Miracle of Moses?
As the sleek sports car passed by, the surrounding cars moved out of the way on their own.
It looked as if they were acknowledging the difference in class and yielding the road.
In reality, they were probably just playing it safe, worried about getting into an accident with an expensive car, but still.
"Yeah. That's how you should move aside. I'm going first."
Vruuuuuum-!
Lee Hyunwoo enjoyed the feeling of driving a sports car to his heart's content.
The black sports car sped down the road.
Maybe he got too carried away.
He covered a 30-minute distance in just 15 minutes.
Thanks to the high speed and the cars yielding the road.
Arriving early was good, but he had no choice but to wait because of it.
"Still, she lives in a pretty nice place."
Lee Hyunwoo, who had gotten out of the car, looked around Bom Yeoreum's house and the surrounding scenery.
Bom Yeoreum, who said herself that she became the head of the household because their family situation had become difficult.
But for someone in that situation, the neighborhood was nice.
And the house she lived in was an expensive villa.
Does that mean they were incredibly wealthy before the family went bankrupt?
There's a saying that even a rich family lasts for three years after going bankrupt.
'Well, I'll find out about that slowly.'
He had plenty of time anyway.
As long as Bom Yeoreum was streaming and Lee Hyunwoo was sponsoring her, there would be countless times to talk and meet.
"...right? You're going out now?"
"I agreed to meet during the broadcast earlier! Stop following me!"
4th floor.
The sensor light in the villa hallway turned on.
And the sound of footsteps for two people could be heard.
Followed by a man's voice and Bom Yeoreum's voice.
"No, does it make sense for the two of you to meet at this hour?"
"Then what? My broadcast ends at twelve. When should we meet? Ah, you're not my dad. If you're going to say weird things, go eat chicken and sleep!"
"Noona!"
The sound of footsteps running down the stairs and the voices grew louder.
Soon, Bom Yeoreum, who had come down in her broadcast attire, and her younger brother, Lee Jihoon, who was following her, came into view.
"Ah! Chairman-nim! Ni, nice to meet you."
"Chairman-nim.... Hello."
Bom Yeoreum, who was happy yet nervous to see Lee Hyunwoo standing at the entrance of the luxury villa.
And Lee Jihoon, who bowed his head with a sour face to greet him.
Seeing the contrasting expressions and gestures of the two, Lee Hyunwoo roughly grasped how things were going.
Lee Jihoon was worried about his sister meeting another man alone at such a late hour.
And it was clear that Bom Yeoreum was in a position where she absolutely had to keep her promise to Lee Hyunwoo, her biggest financial backer.
"It's my first time seeing you in person. Right? I'm used to seeing you on screen and it feels familiar, but since it's your first time seeing me, it might be awkward. Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Hyunwoo."
"Ye, yes! I'm Lee Yuna!"
"Lee Jihoon."
The kid who was so affectionate when chatting was reacting with distaste.
Lee Hyunwoo tried to understand the high school boy.
He didn't know the circumstances, but they were living alone, just the two of them.
If his sister suddenly said she was meeting another man at night, he would feel like she was being taken away.
Lee Hyunwoo accepted Lee Jihoon's complaining with the magnanimity of an adult man.
"Jihoon. I don't know if you heard, but I bought a car today. I just suggested to Yuna that we go for a drive to celebrate the new car. But since it's a 2-seater, I can't take you, Jihoon. Let's eat together as a trio next time. Would it be okay if I take your sister out just the two of us today?"
At Lee Hyunwoo's gentle words, Lee Jihoon's expression softened significantly.
If he's a high school student, he's at an age where he knows everything there is to know.
He knew that in their siblings' situation, if Lee Hyunwoo wanted to see her, she had to go out even if it was late at night.
Because if she didn't, Bom Yeoreum wouldn't be able to earn any more money.
But at the same time, the teens were also a period where emotions took precedence.
Earning money is important, but emotions and pride are also important.
In Lee Jihoon's eyes, it looked like his sister was being sold off.
What's the big deal about money?
If only Mom and Dad would return, they wouldn't have to be swayed by money again.
He tried to hold his sister back with that mindset.
But when he actually met Lee Hyunwoo, the guy seemed decent enough.
He had become a ray of hope for the siblings going through difficult times.
They had also talked a lot through chat.
As such a person continued with gentle persuasion, Lee Jihoon started to think that maybe Lee Hyunwoo was okay.
He really was in his 20s, just as he had revealed.
And he didn't seem like a weird whale, like the ones in the news or articles.
Besides, how much help had he been to Bom Yeoreum while staying in her broadcast.
"Yes.... I understand."
Lee Jihoon agreed.
At that, Lee Hyunwoo took out his wallet.
A stack of 50,000 won bills tucked into his wallet.
Lee Hyunwoo pulled out roughly five or six bills and handed them to Lee Jihoon.
"Have you eaten? Order something delicious with this. Alright, I'll be going. Yuna. Get in the passenger seat."
"Thank you."
"Ye, yes! Chairman-nim!"