With one arm wrapped around Yi Kyung, Seung Jae stared straight ahead. His shoulders were angled, and his eyes were glacial.
The man clutching bundles of paper in both hands spoke urgently.
“Director Han! Please hear me out. I can do this! I promise I’ll make it happen. If you invest in me, I can prove it to you.”
As the man continued babbling, Seung Jae raised his free hand.
“If you look at this, you’ll see. You’ll know I’m not talking nonsense.”
Despite trembling with fear, the man inched closer because Seung Jae was beckoning him forward.
The man extended the thick stack of documents, but Seung Jae’s arm veered past it. He seized the man’s head as though he intended to crush it.
“You’re giving me that because you expect me to read it now? If you have eyes, you should at least be capable of recognizing your place.”
The more force Seung Jae exerted, the more the man’s face contorted.
“D-Director Han...”
Confronted with something he had never witnessed before, Butler Do froze and could not move.
Secretary Park had just stepped forward to calm the situation when Seung Jae looked down at the back of Yi Kyung’s neck. His face was still buried in the dark fabric of Seung Jae’s suit.
“Hah... Hah...”
Rapid breaths escaped from within his embrace.
The warm, gently spreading rose scent belonged to Yi Kyung’s pheromones. Apparently startled, he had also wrapped both hands around Seung Jae’s back and was clinging to him with all his strength.
Yi Kyung squeezed Seung Jae’s waist until his fingertips turned white. His arms could hardly restrict Seung Jae’s breathing, but the desperation with which he held on was unmistakable.
Without a word, Seung Jae released the man’s head.
Secretary Park stopped in his tracks.
Seung Jae carefully took hold of Yi Kyung’s slender shoulders and drew him back slightly to examine his complexion.
It was impossible to tell whether Yi Kyung was so pale because he had grown up sheltered from sunlight or because of his poor health. The only vivid color was the bright red of his tongue as he panted with his mouth open.
“Sit down.”
His tone somewhat calmer than before, Seung Jae turned and pulled out a chair.
Butler Do came inside as though finally recovering his senses, but there appeared to be nothing he could do.
Yi Kyung sat down. Seung Jae withdrew the long arm that had been supporting him across the chest.
When he turned, Secretary Park was dragging the man away.
“How did you even find this place?”
The man was still in shock after having his head crushed in Seung Jae’s grip. He offered no resistance as Secretary Park hauled him toward the door.
Just before they left, a low voice rang out.
“Bring him here.”
Secretary Park looked back.
Seung Jae beckoned again with his large hand.
The dark suit draped across his broad shoulders accentuated his sharply refined features. Shadows gathered over the taut vest visible between the open buttons of his jacket. With black hair grazing his forehead, Seung Jae turned his attention away from Yi Kyung.
Both of his hands were free now.
Secretary Park studied Yi Kyung’s back as he sat facing away from them. Since Yi Kyung was looking at the table with its red decorations, Secretary Park could not see his face or judge his condition.
Was he seriously ill?
Seung Jae’s patience had already been exhausted after waiting for nearly an hour.
It was rare for him to wait for anyone. Usually, the person who wanted something was the one expected to wait. People were forever trying to meet Director Han in hopes of securing an investment, and they waited regardless of how much time passed.
Seung Jae certainly had not remained here all this time to meet an insignificant man like this one. If Secretary Park took him away now, however, it was obvious that the matter would not end well.
But knowing that left him with no alternative.
Secretary Park closed the door through which he had been about to leave and turned around, still holding the man.
Butler Do said nothing. He merely watched the situation unfold, his tense eyes darting back and forth.
“D-Director Han!”
The man approached as though he had finally regained his senses, his eyes wide. When Seung Jae extended a hand, he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.
He was certain that what had just happened would be repeated.
Yet once again, his expectations proved entirely wrong.
Standing partly turned away, Seung Jae lifted a curved teapot decorated with flower petals. This time, he filled the small teacup without pouring too much.
“Drink that.”
Although Yi Kyung’s breathing had calmed, his complexion still looked poor.
No, he had looked like that in the morning as well. The fact that Seung Jae had prevented him from eating his porridge properly had bothered him, which was why he had arranged this meal.
Though someone had ruined everything.
“...”
Meanwhile, when the man felt no pain no matter how long he waited, he cautiously opened his eyes. The moment he met Seung Jae’s gaze, fear seized him again.
“I-I’ll be going, then...”
“I’ll invest.”
“I’ll be careful to ensure that this never happens again.”
“I said I’ll give you the money.”
“...Pardon?”
The man stared blankly. As though doubting his own ears, he looked at Secretary Park.
Secretary Park’s expression did not change. Perhaps Seung Jae behaved this capriciously often enough that he was accustomed to it.
Seung Jae turned and sat at the table adorned in red. Looking at Yi Kyung, who was cradling the teacup in both hands, he said,
“I’m busy, so keep it brief.”
Secretary Park expertly produced a pen from his inner pocket and handed it to him. The man hurriedly dropped his stack of papers onto the table with a heavy thump.
Seung Jae’s brow furrowed instinctively. He pulled out a napkin.
“Your name.”
“Kw-Kwon Jeong... Gu.”
The man’s voice trembled so violently that he sounded like a bleating goat.
Seung Jae, who had been about to move the pen, narrowed his eyes and looked at him.
Faced with this wholly unexpected situation, Kwon Jeong Gu swallowed dryly and forced himself to speak clearly.
“Kwon Jeong Gu.”
Seung Jae wrote his name on the napkin. Then he added the figures “9:1” and held it out.
Still unable to comprehend what was happening, Kwon Jeong Gu extended both hands and accepted it.
Seung Jae returned the pen to Secretary Park and spoke, his gaze lingering on Yi Kyung’s hands around the teacup.
“The investment-principal recovery period is one year. If the project generates the profits stated in your proposal, I take nine and you take one, Kwon Jeong Gu.”
“B-but...”
Kwon Jeong Gu stammered in bewilderment and looked down at the stack of documents. According to the proposal, natural-gas exploration would require at least three years.
Seung Jae did not appear to care. He waved one hand as though the entire matter had become tiresome.
The gesture also seemed to tell Kwon Jeong Gu to get out.
Secretary Park opened the door and stepped outside. Kwon Jeong Gu followed in a daze, holding the napkin in both hands. Butler Do emerged last, and the door closed behind him.
“Secretary Park.”
Kwon Jeong Gu held out both hands imploringly. He did not even dare grip the napkin too tightly for fear of tearing it. He looked utterly pitiful.
Nevertheless, Secretary Park spoke evenly.
“Bring that to the office tomorrow morning. We’ll draw up the paperwork then, and you’ll receive the amount you requested on the spot.”
Kwon Jeong Gu looked down at his hands, then glanced once more at the firmly closed door. Slowly, he turned away.
Despite having obtained exactly what he wanted, he walked far more slowly than when he arrived.
Butler Do watched Kwon Jeong Gu recede into the distance. After hesitating, he cautiously asked,
“Was that Director Han’s true nature we just saw?”
He had seemed entirely different from the man Butler Do had observed at home.
Butler Do had not known Seung Jae before his marriage to Yi Kyung. Until now, he had merely paid attention to the stories openly exchanged at the Seo family home.
An employee approached them. He appeared to have been waiting near the entrance and watching for an opportunity to speak.
“All the food is ready. May we bring it in now?”
Secretary Park knocked and opened the door.
Seung Jae looked toward him. Quickly understanding the signal, Secretary Park stepped aside.
The employees carrying food in both hands passed Secretary Park and Butler Do and entered the room. After swiftly filling the table, they withdrew again.
Secretary Park bowed and closed the door.
Once Seung Jae’s sharply defined features disappeared from sight, Secretary Park’s expression settled.
“He showed considerable restraint.”
His voice was so quiet that it barely reached Butler Do’s ears.
Concern entered Butler Do’s eyes.
Secretary Park checked the time. Seung Jae had postponed his schedule and remained here for more than an hour. Considering that he had also agreed to an unplanned investment, perhaps he wanted to make a good impression on Yi Kyung.
Secretary Park attempted to discern Seung Jae’s intentions, but there was no way to know what he was truly thinking.
“How do you feel?”
The low, resonant voice broke the silence.
Yi Kyung raised his head, still clutching the teacup. Heat rushed into his face when their eyes met.
Because he had nearly fallen in that sudden commotion, he had clung to Seung Jae with all his strength. Now that he had calmed down, however, the memory was embarrassing.
Perhaps falling on the floor would have been less humiliating.
“When someone asks you a question, shouldn’t you at least look at them?”
Yi Kyung raised the eyes he had unconsciously lowered.
“I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt.”
Seung Jae had caught him before he even touched the floor. Yi Kyung had not so much as scraped a knee.
An awkward tension vibrated between them.
Yi Kyung raised the teacup and moistened his lips. His throat kept going dry.
A knock sounded, and the food was brought in.
Yi Kyung stared speechlessly at the procession of delicacies. There was golden-brown Peking duck with glistening skin, scallop ceviche, and a seafood platter. So many dishes crowded the table that they completely concealed its red surface.
Once everyone left, the mingled aromas of the food filled the room.
“Is there anything you don’t eat?”
Yi Kyung quickly looked up. Remembering Seung Jae’s earlier remark, he deliberately met his eyes while answering.
“No. I eat everything.”
Their conversation continued precariously, consisting mostly of Seung Jae asking questions and Yi Kyung answering them.
When Seung Jae picked up his chopsticks, Yi Kyung followed suit. As his wrist emerged from beneath his suit sleeve, Seung Jae gestured toward it with his chin.
“If that bruises, I’ll throw Butler Do out of my house.”