CH 38

“No, well.”

Director Min is not a friend, so he’s not one to joke. He plans to kiss and hold hands and raise a child together.

It’s the atmosphere of the family, so he knows better… No, Executive Director Min is an exception. Jun-Kyung’s forgotten memories flashed back. Director Min was not welcomed in his family and was severely slapped in the face by his father, Chairman Min Chang-Heon.

“I’m going to greet them, so I think it’s better to prepare something.”

“The president doesn’t like to take anything with him.” The director’s hand tightened on the wheel.

Jun-Kyung’s eyes went straight to the tendons and blood vessels protruding out of nowhere.

“He said to not even give him a birthday present. I’m okay with it, but now there’s Junkyung.”

Executive Vice President Min was concerned that abusive language or hand gestures would come at Jun-kyung. Jun-Kyung was appalled. That was quite possible.

“Then why don’t I prepare just a present for the mother-in-law? She always took care of me.”

“That’s….that’s good.”

Executive Director Min eventually agreed. Madam took great care of her stepson without a drop of blood. Madam also provided the opportunity for them to get to know each other.

It was more difficult than Jun-Kyung thought to choose a present for the wife of the great chaebol. Clothing and accessories were not only tasteful but also expensive.

He can buy whatever he wants with Director Min’s financial resources, but there is something else that immediately comes to mind when he thinks of madam rather than expensive items.

Madam is deeply religious. She regularly visited the hermitage to offer Buddhist offerings and to mingle with monks and other Buddhists.

She often drinks various teas made by the monk himself at the hermitage, and she often ate dasik with pine nuts or dried persimmons as a side dish. With that thought in mind, Jun-Kyung bought a set of pine nuts and dried persimmons at the food store.

“Would she like that?”

Executive Director Min was skeptical. However, he agreed that Jun-kyung knew his mother better than the son himself.

Quite a bit of time has passed since Jun-Kyung stopped by the department store. He hurriedly headed home.

They arrived 15 minutes later than the promised time. When Jun-Kyung pressed the doorbell, he heard a familiar voice. It was the kitchen aunt. The kitchen aunt who opened the door remotely came to meet him right in front of the front door.

“Are you two here? Your mother is waiting for you.”

In the past, the kitchen aunt greeted Jun-Kyung warmly saying, “Assistant Ho, are you here?”. Now, she politely put her hands together and bowed her head. Jun-Kyung almost said, ‘Why are you doing this?’

Executive Director Min slightly nudged Jun-Kyung who was standing still. Jun-Kyung went inside first to greet kitchen auntie separately. While he had just taken off his shoes and put on the slippers, madam came out.

“Director Min, are you here?”

The madam Jun-Kyung saw after four months had lost half her face. Her elegant outfit was like a shroud, and her eyes were cold. After a brief eye contact with Executive Director Min, madam approached Jun-kyung with her arms wide open. Her dry hands touched his arms.

“Junkyung-ah, it’s been a while.”

“Hello, madam.”

“I’ve been waiting to see you since Executive Director Min said that he would come with you. Why are you so late?”

Even though Jun-Kyung was only 15 minutes late, madam was bitter like someone who had waited an hour.

“I’m sorry. By the way, please take this.”

“Oh. Did Junkyung bring it for me? What is this?”

“Pine nuts and dried persimmons.”

“I was going to order it separately since the pine nut fell out. There is only Jun-Kyung who remembers.”

“Actually, the payment was made by Director Hyun-Seung Min.”

Executive Director Min did not make any changes this time. They will be dropping the bomb in a while, so there is no need to care for every little details right now.

“Executive Min? Thank you so much.” A bright smile appeared on her pale face. The kitchen aunt reached out her hand to carry the present for her. Madam shook her head and said she would pick it up herself.

“Let’s go to the living room. Auntie, go and boil water first, and prepare tea.”

“Yes, I think madam is smiling after a long time.” The kitchen aunt said before she took a step to the kitchen.

“Is it? I’ve been feeling down, but seeing our executives Min and Junkyung give me strength.”

It was a sincerity that didn’t feel pretentious at all. Jun-Kyung felt apologetic for not being able to visit and the guilt of telling a big lie in the future.

“Come quickly.” While holding her gift bag, Hyun-Seung’s mother grabbed Jun-kyung’s arm and dragged him.

There were so many guests that there was a relatively open public space and a private space that prioritized privacy in the house.

Outside guests are usually greeted in the outer living room in the middle of the first floor. The living room inside is for the company’s closest confidants and friends or mainly for the family. Most of the time Jun-Kyung was outside, but sometimes he went inside.

The corridor was too long for a house under the name of a single individual. It was large enough to be mistaken for an art gallery or exhibition hall to those who did not know.

At both ends of the corridor, finished in bright marble, there were large windows for light. Despite the indirect lighting everywhere along the edge of the ceiling, it was somehow dark. Invisible shadows were scattered here and there. The sunlight alone was too much to drive out those that reproduced by feeding on the dark energy.

“Chairman, Executive Director Min and Secretary Ho are here.”

A soft voice knocked on the door close to the living room inside. Even though there was no answer, madam pointed to the sofa with a bright expression.

“Sit down and wait. The president is working right now. He will be here soon.”

At the same time, madam went to the kitchen saying that she would bring pine nuts and dried persimmons with tea. With only the two of them, even the faint vitality that remained in the living room was eaten by the shadows. The dim energy that filled without leaving any gaps colored the world in black and white.

Black and white are records of the past. A space that has retreated into the past also causes the person in it to also regress to the past.

In the last memory of this space, he appears. The memory is vivid to Jun-Kyung. Enduring the pain of poking and digging, Jun-Kyung’s forehead became moist as he squeezed and opened his hand.

It was right there on the sofa. This was the spot where the lazy guy who had gone fishing at night was lying half down and grunting. The light wrinkles left on the light-colored leather sofa are probably made by him…..

There was pressure on his wrists. The spirit that had been captured on the sofa suddenly flashed back. Jun-Kyung blinked a couple of times, and the heavy color of the living room returned. Executive Director Min gently rubbed the inside of his wrist, which he had gripped tightly with his thumb.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes…”

“You have a bad complexion. You also seem to be sweating cold. I can talk on my own If you’re not feeling well. Why don’t you go back, Jun-kyung?”

Just as Jun-Kyung was about to tell him not to worry, an angry voice flew in.

“Do you make people wait for you to come and go back without saying anything? Where did you learn that habit?”

At some point, Chairman Min Chang-Heon appeared. Jun-kyung first shook off his wrist and lowered his head deeply. Executive Director Min only nodded to the point of not being rude.

“Why are you late?”

As soon as the president sat down at the top table for one person, he asked rudely.

“I stopped by somewhere on the way.”

“Did you stop by another place on the way? Director Min must be proud of you. How good you are that you made the president wait?”

“I don’t think it’s particularly good.” Director Min stepped in.

“Then you’re saying I’m a bad guy as the president?”

All Jun-Kyung needs to do is apologize, but the president’s attitude was too twisted for his own son. Jun-Kyung knew that they were opposites to each other, but he couldn’t help just watch the fire blazing from the start.

“I’m sorry, Chairman. I asked to buy a present, so I stopped by a department store on the way. That’s why I was late. It’s not the director’s fault.”

“Who said you can open your mouth?”

The chairman turned to Jun-kyung, screaming. Junkyung lowered his head once again at the eyes full of cold disgust.

“It’s not Jun-kyung’s fault, so don’t go forward.”

Executive Director Min pulled Jun-Kyung back. Jun-Kyung was already behind him, but that wasn’t enough, so Jun-Kyung now hid it behind his back. It’s good to have a strong shield, but that made the president’s mood even more twisted.

“What kinda play are you putting on?”

“I’m sorry for ruining your mood. I had something to tell you, but I don’t think we are in the mood for a proper conversation today, so I’ll just go back. I will see you again at a time convenient for you next time.”

“This guy? What do you mean when you spend a lot of precious time saying you have something important to say? My house is not a public bathhouse where you can come and go as you please.”

A thunderbolt of cheap expressions came out from the mouth of the president of a conglomerate. The chairman stood up from his seat.

“Oh, why are you still standing?” His wife showed up with a tea tray.

At that time, Jun-kyung saw a halo behind the president’s wife. How warm and compassionate she was. Jun-Kyung thought she was the Bodhisattva.

“Junkyung-ah, sit down instead of standing, huh? Executive Director Min, too.”

Before following madam’s advice to take his place, Jun-Kyung looked into the president’s eyes. The president just coughed without mentioning anything. Jun-Kyung took it as a sign that he was free to sit and carefully draped his ass over the edge of the sofa.

A traditional teacup in the shape of a round jar with a lid was present as madam smiles.

“It’s jujube tea. Please have some. I also floated your favorite pine nuts.”

“Great.”

“Are you guys all right with the cool cinnamon punch?”

“Thank you.”

While the president was drinking hot jujube tea first, his wife held up the teacup with both hands.

“The pine cuts are savory, aren’t they? I just stir-fried it.”

“Um, it’s delicious.” Jun-Kyung answered.

“How did Executive Director Min know that the pine nuts had fallen and bought it?”

The complexion of the chairman who ate the pine nuts was distorted at once.