Everyday Life 2
I drank with Heo Min-woong and talked with him about the future investment plans for Hwaan Energy and Byungjin Industries.
Just as we were about to wrap things up, my phone rang.
Seeing who it was, I realized it was my sister.
"Excuse me for a second."
I answered the call.
"Hey, oppa. Where are you?"
"I'm out drinking."
"I just met a friend in Gangnam and said goodbye. Can I crash at your place tonight?"
"Why not just go home?"
"I’m meeting Sojin near there tomorrow afternoon."
"..."
Even though she didn’t study, she was awfully busy.
"Did you drive?"
"Yeah."
"Then swing by and pick me up on your way back."
"Where are you?"
I gave her the address.
Heo Min-woong asked, "Who was that? Sounded like a girl."
"Why? You interested if it’s a girl?"
"No, I was just wondering if you finally got a girlfriend."
I wished that were true, too.
"It was my sister. I told her to come get me."
"Oh! You said you had a younger sister, right? I heard about her from your father. If she looks like you, she must be smart."
"No."
Since she didn’t look like me, she was stupid.
A little while later, Se-na came inside.
"Oppa!"
Then she glanced at the man beside me and asked, "Who...?"
Heo Min-woong was usually a little cocky in both expression and tone. More so when he’d been drinking.
But the moment he saw Se-na, he stood up and greeted her with perfect manners.
"Hello. I'm Heo Min-woong. I'm friends with Miru, almost like a brother to him, and I do business with his father. We also play golf together from time to time."
That reminded Se-na of something.
"Oh! I know you. You're the one who sent my dad whiskey and a golf club set, right?"
"Ah, yes. That's right. That would be me."
Heo Min-woong had made the news a few times, so his name and face were fairly well known to the public.
Even so, after seeing his face and hearing his name, Se-na still hadn’t connected him with being the second son of Hwaan Group.
That was because my sister never watched the news.
"We really enjoyed the Hanwoo beef you sent for the holidays."
Heo Min-woong broke into a broad grin.
"Haha! It was nothing, really. I’ll send more next time. Anyway, I’d heard Miru had a younger sister, but I had no idea she was this beautiful."
"Oh! Really?"
"Yes. I’m the type who doesn’t say things I don’t mean."
That part was true—he didn’t usually toss out empty flattery. But the fact that he was saying it now meant he was definitely drunk.
"You came all this way, so have a drink before you go. I’ll order the most expensive bottle they have."
"What are you talking about? She drove here."
"Ah, right. Then how about the most expensive cola they have?"
"..."
Did he mean Coca-Cola, not Pepsi?
"Forget it. Let’s get moving."
We stood up and headed outside.
Out front, a red Mini Cooper Convertible was waiting.
"I’m heading out. Don’t drink and drive—call a driver and get home safely."
"Oh, wait."
Heo Min-woong quickly pulled his wallet from his inner pocket and took out everything inside. A rough estimate: about a dozen fifty-thousand-won bills, plus several checks.
He handed them all to Se-na.
"It’s not much, but take it as pocket money."
Before I could stop her, Se-na happily took it with both hands.
"Thank youuuu!"
"..."
By any honest standard, wasn’t that the sort of amount you’d at least hesitate over once?
But my sister had no conscience.
I grabbed Se-na by the wrist.
"Hold it. Leave the checks."
Se-na made a pitiful face.
"Aww, why? I’m short on allowance these days."
"..."
Why on earth was she short on allowance?
I snatched the checks from her hand.
There were six checks for one million won each.
Then again, who even carried one-hundred-thousand-won checks around anymore?
I handed them back to Heo Min-woong.
"Why are you giving that much money to a college student?"
"What do you mean? I spent that much when I was in college."
"..."
Well, yes. Because you’re a chaebol.
Maybe she was worried I’d take her cash too, because Se-na hurriedly stuffed it into her pocket.
There was roughly half a million won in cash alone. Maybe because she’d gotten pocket money, her expression and attitude changed almost immediately.
"Since you’re oppa’s friend, please just speak casually from now on."
"Haha, is that all right?"
"Of course. I’ll call you Min-woong oppa from now on."
"..."
Sure. Once you hand over pocket money, everybody’s oppa.
* * *
I sat in the passenger seat while Se-na started the navigation and drove us home.
She was already getting fairly comfortable behind the wheel.
"How’s school?"
"Fine. Not fun, though. The trip was better. Can’t you take us traveling again next vacation?"
The "us" she meant was probably Sojin and the other two.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Europe. I want to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Notre-Dame Cathedral."
"It burned down in a fire."
"Oh! Really? When?"
As I said, my sister never watched the news.
"Anyway, I want to do a full Europe trip."
"Well, that would be fun."
Of all things, I didn’t mind traveling.
There was nothing quite as lasting in life as the memories you made on a trip.
That said, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to go with them because of my schedule. And letting the kids go by themselves felt a little risky, too.
Maybe I should send a bodyguard and a guide with them?
I came home with my sister.
Se-na looked around the place with a startled expression.
"Wow! Is that the Han River over there? You really do live in a nice place, oppa."
"It’s rented."
I could buy a place and move, but I hadn’t bothered because it was too much trouble.
Besides, I spent more time in hotels than at home anyway.
"You’re back?"
When Se-na saw Sun-woo in the room, she greeted him brightly.
"Oh! Sun-woo oppa! It’s been a while."
"Oh! Se-na? What brings you here?"
Back when Sun-woo used to come by our place all the time, he and Se-na saw each other often, too.
"I said I had plans in Gangnam tomorrow, so I decided to stay over tonight."
"I see."
At my explanation, Sun-woo nodded.
The place was big and there were plenty of rooms, so having a guest over wasn’t a problem.
After washing up and taking off her makeup, Se-na put on the T-shirt and sweatpants I’d given her and flopped onto the bed.
"Ah! This is so comfortable!"
Seeing her like that made me snort softly.
When we were kids, we’d bickered constantly. After we grew up, we became strangely distant. Maybe that was why there had always been a certain awkwardness between us, even though we were siblings.
But right then, she really did feel like a little sister—easy, familiar, and somehow cute.
If I’d treated her well first, back in my first life, would we have been closer?
Regretting the past was useless. I just needed to do better from now on.
"What did you do after we left, oppa?"
"What do you think? I worked."
"With that guy?"
"Who?"
"Was his name Syd?"
"Ah. Nothing gets done without Syd."
"Is he really that amazing?"
"Yeah. He’s a genius programmer. I doubt you’ll find anyone better anywhere in the world."
"Really? Then why did you call him an idiot back then?"
"..."
Let’s leave the details out of it.
Before she could keep poking at me, I changed the subject.
"How are Mom and Dad doing?"
"Fine. When are you coming home? Mom keeps saying that if you’re in Korea, you should stay at the house for a while."
"I will."
"Come to think of it, you haven’t been to the new place yet, have you?"
"Guess not."
I’d moved my parents and never actually gone to that house myself.
"How is it?"
"It’s amazing. The best. The walking paths are great, there’s a park nearby, and they’ve got everything inside the complex."
Well, it was the biggest unit in the best apartment complex in Songdo.
"Oh, right. There’s this lady in the apartment association—I think she’s the chairwoman—and her husband’s a member of the National Assembly."
"So?"
"She doesn’t seem to get along very well with Mom."
"Hmm. Neighborhood politics?"
"I think she’s spreading weird rumors and kind of freezing her out on purpose."
"Tell me more."
"Well..."
From what she told me, this wasn’t the kind of thing I could just shrug off.
"They’re holding a meeting at our house next week, so keep that in mind."
That was important information.
I nodded.
"Good thing you told me in advance. You did well."
"Heh."
I hadn’t realized my mother was dealing with something so troublesome.
Maybe it was time for her son to step in.
After all, the important thing wasn’t being good all the time. It was making the right impact at the decisive moment.
And this was exactly that moment.
* * *
Songdo Lumian Parkview Apartment.
Someone had moved into the penthouse of the largest and most expensive apartment complex in the area.
There were only two penthouses in the entire complex. Because of the astronomical sale price, both had sat empty for years after completion, but one of them had finally been sold.
Of course, that drew the residents’ attention.
"What kind of people are they?"
"They used to run a small factory, but it looks like the husband’s business just hit it huge this time."
"I heard they’re a supplier to Hwaan Energy."
"My husband says they’re pretty famous among companies in Incheon these days."
Choi Hyeonsook, the chairwoman and resident representative, became curious.
Looks like some nouveau riche moved in from nowhere.
However much money they had, they were still on a different level from a family like hers, which had a certain standing in the neighborhood.
Still, it seemed that these nouveaux riches had plenty of money.
"Did you see their car? It was a Mercedes S-Class Maybach."
"They even have a housekeeper, a driver, and some guy who looked like a bodyguard."
"I stopped by once to deliver a misdirected package, and their display cabinet was lined with expensive liquor."
"I heard the manager came over and greeted them while they were eating as a family at the JR Blackwood Hotel."
"They’ve even got a membership at the new DreamWorld Golf Club. They said to tell them if we ever need a booking..."
Every time she listened to the residents talk, Choi Hyeonsook felt increasingly annoyed.
What, so they run a business and don’t even come by first to pay their respects to me?
This apartment complex had plenty of business owners living in it, and all of them made a point of currying favor with her.
The reason was simple: her husband was a member of the National Assembly.
Political power was formidable. With enough influence, a National Assembly member could make things that should work fail—and make impossible things happen.
And yet that household had still never come by to greet her.
What’s that supposed to mean? Doesn’t he know how to support his husband?
Up to that point, she’d only been vaguely displeased. It wasn’t as though she’d developed any real hostility.
Then the problem exploded at the residents’ meeting.
"The most important agenda item today is the installation of a smart security system for our apartment. We plan to complete the vote this month and sign the contract. By installing state-of-the-art unmanned CCTV throughout the complex, we can reduce security personnel by twenty percent and significantly cut management costs. Everyone’s in favor, right?"
There was no way anyone would oppose something pushed by her, the wife of a National Assembly member and the resident representative.
But then someone raised a hand.
It was none other than Kwon Mija, the woman who had just moved into the penthouse.
"Do you have a question?"
"Yes. I have a few things I’d like to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Here, it says the smart security system will reduce management fees. Exactly how much are they supposed to go down?"
"The installation costs will be finalized later. Other apartments that introduced smart security systems saw management fees drop by more than ten percent, so ours should be similar."
"As far as I know, unmanned systems require constant maintenance, and the entire system has to be replaced within five years, ten at most. If you consider those costs and the depreciation on the facilities, the actual savings would be, what, ten or twenty thousand won per household? Wouldn’t it be better to leave it to the security guards as things are now? I’ve only been here a short while, but everyone seems kind and hardworking."
That caused a low murmur among the residents.
"Ten or twenty thousand won per household doesn't sound like much, so maybe it’s fine."
"Come to think of it, the guard who saved my kid when he almost got hit by a car the other day was one of the security guys."
"It’s nice how they greet everyone cheerfully whenever you see them."
Really, nobody had said it outright, but the thought of firing the guards they saw every day wasn’t sitting well with anyone.
Though she was rattled inside, Choi Hyeonsook kept her face stretched into the most pleasant smile she could manage.
"You must not know because you just moved in, but the smart security system has been in the works since last year. And how good are the guards, really? On the other hand, a smart security system can provide thorough twenty-four-hour management, and it’s far cheaper to run."
"But the guards handle cleaning, parcel deliveries, recycling and trash disposal, snow removal, parking management, and other tasks, don’t they? An unmanned system can’t replace that."
"Th-that’s..."
Kwon Mija had hit the critical point.
"And you said the company would be chosen through a private contract, but shouldn’t something this large go out to bid?"
At that, Choi Hyeonsook snapped and shouted before she could stop herself.
"What are you saying?! Are you accusing me of corruption right now?"
Kwon Mija looked startled.
"Huh? Corruption? I never said that..."
It was true that the company that would install and manage the smart security system was secretly owned by her younger brother, but... that wasn’t important.
A low buzz spread among the residents.
Choi Hyeonsook hurriedly said, "A-anyway, this is all for the benefit of our prestigious Lumian Parkview Apartment. That’s all for today’s meeting."
Even if one person objected, there was no way they could stop it.
But by then, Choi Hyeonsook was already furious.
How dare she question what I’m doing?