Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Yuyoung brought milk tea.

“I bought tea bags in Hong Kong when I flew there, so I brewed it.”

“I love tea a lot.”

“By the way, what business has brought you here? Can I see your article about us?”

“Not yet. I received the wedding invitation card from you, but I’m afraid I can’t come on that day, so I’ve brought this gift for you.”

Arum gave her the frame, which was put against the wall.

“Oh, thanks. You didn’t have to.”

She felt happy about it though she felt pressured.

“I think this is some sort of a unique connection between us,” Arum said.

When Yuyoung unwrapped the package, she noticed an abstract painting after Kadinsky’s style.

“Wow!”

Yoyoung got carried away with the painting.

“Great! I’ve been looking for this kind of painting since I felt that something is missing on the wall of the kitchen.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Arum was relieved that she brought the gift that Yuyoung wanted.

While looking at the picture, Yuyoung felt amazed. She felt she was familiar with it because she saw it somewhere at the gallery or at an apartment model house unit. It couldn’t be a more suitable picture as one that played up a modern and sophisticated atmosphere.

“Don’t you think the atmosphere of my house can be improved?” said Yuyoung, putting it against the kitchen wall.

“I think this is the right spot for this picture. Isn’t it too expensive?”

“It’s just a picture,” Arum said while sipping a cup of sweet milk tea, pretending to be as indifferent as possible.

But her heart was beating loudly.

After several days of agonizing, she hit upon that idea while browsing in Hojoon’s book on geomancy .

‘What if I choose an item that doesn’t fit the geomancy interior of her house?’

After all, it will bring about their misfortune.

That was her cunning trick.

And that was the right prescription for the potential breakup of Konsu and Yuyoung.

That was Hojoon’s original idea, something Soran Cho wanted to use in order to get divorced with her current husband.

A house where its male occupant was the type who liked to have an affair with other women. Accordingly, it was a house where the couple had no choice but to split up in.

Arum knew well how dangerous this stuff she was getting involved in.

But Konsu wanted it, and she wanted it, too.

She decided to translate that idea into action without any hesitation.

Since she was young and beautiful, Yuyoung could meet a better man than Konsu. She wouldn’t marry her groom-to-be if she knew he had an affair with another woman.

In the end, this would be a win-win for everybody.

“I think you can decorate your house like a hotel.”

Arum spit out the words that were calculated.

“Hotel?”

Yuyoung was silent for a moment.

Arum felt nervous, feeling as if her calculated trick was caught.

“Yeah, a hotel! Why didn’t I think of it in advance? Though I received some help in terms of geomancy interior design, I felt the atmosphere was kind of countrified.”

“Oh, I agree! I felt the same way,” Arum seconded.

“Well, he is too inflexible sometimes. These days many people are fitting up their houses like a cafe, a gallery or even a library. In fact, I feel more comfortable in a hotel. For flight attendants like me, we sleep at hotels more often than at home.”

“I guess so. A house like a hotel is a womans’ dream.”

That’s true, because a hotel was a place where one could take a rest comfortably.

“In some respects, I’ve decided to become a stewardess because I loved the hotel life. Why didn’t I think of sprucing up my house like a hotel beforehand? Thanks.”

‘You don’t have to thank me.’

Arum couldn’t raise her head. She felt so sorry.

***

Back in the office, Arum read Hojoon’s book <The Rule of Trash> once again.

“A hotel is the place where you stay at when you travel. You will feel good on the first night. But if you stay there for several days, you will miss your home. That’s why the interior of the hotel and your home is different. If you fit up your house in a hotel style, your husband will go outside. He will go to a place where he can take a rest. Accordingly, the couple will get estranged naturally. Just like the script line of a TV soap opera, there is no ‘cool’ man. You can make love when your heart is hot. It is the very shortcoming of the hotel interior that makes even your heart stop.”

Arum committed a perfect crime like this.

Konsu and Yuyoung will break up. Though they have one month to go before the wedding day, each of them will head for their own home. Arum felt one month was enough for their separation.

“Hey!”

Manager Kyong put her hand on Arum’s shoulders.

“Great God!”

As she committed a perfect crime, she was pretty sensitive to any little noise.

“Why are you lost in thought?”

“Oh, nothing. By the way, Kongyu Kitchen. Did you like it?” Arum just brought up any topic she wanted to at the moment.

“Not bad. Why don’t you seek some advice from Hojoon?”

“Do you think that’s the right topic for geomancy?”

“Well, it’s because we need an expert’s opinion on Kongyu Kitchen. Do you want to serialize the topic? How about the title of the series, Practical Geomancy?”

“Oh, that sounds great. I guess you can be a promoter of geomancy.”

“Do you believe in that?”

Arum felt a prick in her heart upon hearing that.

Actually, she turned into a total believer of geomancy.

“I don’t believe it. That’s just superstition.”

After she told a white lie like that, she felt her mouth dry, feeling quite nervous.

“Yeah, I know. It’s not good to believe anything blindly. And Soran Cho…”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She finally got divorced!”

“Really?”

“Didn’t you read the tabloid news about her?”

“I didn’t. I was kind of too busy these days.”

“Don’t make any excuse as a reporter. It’s not just a rumor. She got divorced. I hear her husband is dating a lover. Can you guess who?”

“I can’t.”

“She is an idol singer.”

“You must be kidding.”

“Why? He needs that kind of woman to get the media attention. That’s shocking enough to draw people’s attention. Say, if Soran’s husband meets a contractor woman and shares sincere love with her in a monthly rent house, can you believe that? I can’t.”

“If you talk like that, you’re now ignoring contractor women.”

“Are you kidding? Do you not know how women are ignored in society just because they are contractors, unmarried, or even married? In the end, women are ignored for any reason everywhere. I don’t know who that idol singer is, but I’m afraid she can’t have a stable life here in Korea. How can the family of a big business group accept her?”

Arum nodded.

“We haven’t yet prepared any article on her divorce, but if you can take an interview with Soran about her confession, I can assure you that you and I are guaranteed big promotions. If you hear anything about Soran, don’t forget to share it with me, okay?”

“You’re asking me for too much.”

“You are going to take it alone, aren’t you?”

“Yep! I’m a pretty ambitious woman!”

“Good heavens! You’re a woman of ambition! I see you have a very strong desire to win. Wonderful!”

Manager Kyong was right. But her strong desire to win was focused on Konsu, not on her promotion.

About the same time when Arum was chatting with Manager Kyong, the staff at Hojoon’s office were bustling because of the news about Soran Cho’s divorce.

“Did you hear, Soran Cho finally got divorced?”

Heemang brought that news first. Stopping their work, they quickly googled Soran on the Internet.

After they were done googling her, the male staff began to frown, hurling abuses at Soran’s husband.

“Son of a bitch! It looks like the idol girl group Princess is doomed!”

“I think that’s good for that group. Didn’t you know that the management company affiliated with Princess was owned by that business group her husband belonged to? You never know how long Princess can continue its popularity. It’s best for her to get married to a rich guy like him.”

“But this guy was a divorced man!”

“Why not?”

They kept gossiping about Soran’s divorce. The woman Soran’s husband was dating was the leader of the idol group Princess, 18 years younger than him.

Returning from an outside business meeting, Hojoon noticed his staff gathered at one place, chattering about something.

“What’s going on here?”

Heemang quickly replied, “Soran Cho reportedly got divorced.”

“What?”

Hojoon narrowed his eyes.

“Well, she hasn’t yet gotten officially divorced. But it’s on the tabloids!”

“So what?”

“She’s going to get divorced by all means.”

“I don’t think she can get divorce because he met that idol group leader just one time. You guys receive salary from me. Don’t pay any attention to that kind of stuff. Go back to work!”

His shouting silenced them in a flash.