Chapter 22

Usually, Kang Ji Seok would often act dense but there are times when he is tenacious like this. And most of it would usually be related to Shin Woo Seo.

Thinking like that, without realizing it, I was about to raise my guard. However, with his relationship with Woo Seo, it was obvious that a keen Ji Seok would not him hand over if I appeared wary of this strange quality.1

I kept my eyes fixed on the TV that I still wasn’t properly watching and changed the channel over and over again.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll stop. These days, he seems to be having a hard time even working part-time, so I tried to make it so that he won’t have to pay a monthly rent.”

“…”

After talking as if there was nothing to be desired even if we don’t live together, Ji Seok finally rolled his eyes and thought about it.

Among the stories about Woo Seo that Ji Seok frequently talked about, was that he looked tired every day because he had recently started working part-time.

In fact, that was also intentional.

Not knowing that Woo Seo has a ring on his hand, Ji Seok knew that he was working part-time for several hours from evening to night because I told him to spend his time with me like that.

On the day we secretly decided to sleep together every day because of the ring, I told Woo Seo that I would not stay out to avoid causing unnecessary worries as I lived with my younger siblings. I also added, in order to sleep with him on time, we should do all the things we’d need to do early in the morning. As a result, it was only about three or four hours before midnight when it was time for us to go our separate ways, and after that, even if we wanted to sleep more, we went back to our respective homes.

Of course, we couldn’t sleep because we were away from each other so we would stay up all day. Of course, there was no day when the fatigue in our faces would disappear when each person worked in such a state.

When I faced Woo Seo’s tired face every day, I couldn’t help but worry about him because of Kang Ji Seok’s personality. As proof, recently when Ji Seok sighed worriedly, stories all about Woo Seo gushed out. If I could, I wanted to ask him to either work part-time or stop working instead, but even if he didn’t say anything, he must’ve been short of living expenses, so I couldn’t ask him to do so recklessly.

Probably by the time he received my suggestion, floating in Ji Seok’s head was Woo Seo’s tired face. Knowing that he would nod anyway, I turned back to the news [on the screen] that had already ended, waiting for him to answer back.

I didn’t want to give Ji Yeon a house and to get Ji Seok to follow my plan simply to live with Woo Seo. Rather, it would be easier to persuade Woo Seo in person to create a space for two people, whether it’s in his studio or new home.

However, that won’t change Woo Seo’s heart.

Someone who desperately needs to hide everything. Someone who can say everything without hesitation.

If a person stayed in a space where two people are together, they have no choice but to compare the two even if they didn’t want to.

When you are with the former person, you feel uncomfortable and mentally exhausted because there is a lot to hide. Conversely, if you are with the latter person, you can confide anything in, you will find stability in your mind and rely on them without realizing it. This becomes more evident more quickly the more the former and the latter are in the same space.

Even if you like the former person.

I had to make the guy who only looked at Ji Seok depend on me. To do so, it was necessary to lay the groundwork so that different variables could occur in Woo Seo’s emotions.

Three people living together was the most basic foundation for it.

++++++++++

Woo Seo agreed to live together without having to wheedle him for a long time. If we didn’t live together, the cost of the hotels and dinners would be out of my pocket every day, as usual, so he had no choice but to live in the house for me. Things were resolved quickly thanks to the intentional burdens I made him feel up until now.

The day Woo Seo moved in.

I wanted to go home early if I was able to, but I couldn’t. Ji Seok still thought I was coming in after sleeping with the ring’s partner from evening to night. Of course, it would be strange if Woo Seo got home from work early and still seemed healthy.

So I made another appointment for dinner that evening.

“Over here, Ji Geon-ah.”

Han Mina*, who was at the bar in advance, waved her hand welcomely. It had been nearly two weeks since she had returned from studying abroad for six years, but I was busy with the ring and Woo Seo’s “work”, so I was only able to make time now.

As soon as I sat down next to her, winking at her in a silent greeting, a disgruntled voice struck my ear.

“Ya, how can you not change at all? Three years ago and now, your face is blowing the same cold air.”2

I chuckled while listening to Mina’s rough voice. I would rather scoff at it than pout my mouth.3

Six years ago, Mina went to study abroad, but it was three years ago when we reunited when I went around to various conferences and seminars abroad before establishing the current company. Meeting after a long time, Han Mina was still cheerful, but I had changed a lot. I still remember the day when she asked me what the hell happened all day with a puzzled expression on her face.

Since that day, we had frequent exchanges by e-mail or phone. Han Mina may have been worried about me, so I paid attention to her but I was just using her to easily collect information from overseas. Of course, Han Mina also knew this face and was not particularly offended by it. Since she was also a person who aimed to build a company, she seemed to fully understand her use to that degree.

Sitting side by side at the bar, we drank a few glasses of whiskey. We both drank so much that if we were like everyone else, our eyes would have already been drooping, but we were fine.

Most of the conversations were led by Han Mina. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, but I came here just to pass the time, so I checked the time occasionally and responded half-heartedly.

Looking up, I looked at the time, it was already midnight.

‘It’s time for Ji Seok to sleep soon.’

Usually, Ji Seok falls asleep at midnight at the latest. After that, Woo Seo will be quietly studying in his room, waiting for me.

Thinking of Woo Seo waiting for me while sitting at his desk studying like a model student made me feel pretty good.

“So they…”

Mina, who was talking away, stopped talking. Then she suddenly squinted her eyes.

“Kang Ji Geon, you seem a bit strange.”

“What?”

Mina tilted her head and openly scrutinized my face.

“I felt like I was talking to a lump of stone without any facial expressions, but the mood just now was a little weird. What were you thinking about?”

Han Mina has a sharp side, too.

Raising the corners of my lips slightly, I brought the glass of whiskey to my mouth which I didn’t how many cups it had been.

“Thinking about [what’s] mine.”

Looking down at the red ring on my left ring finger, I drank half the whiskey at once.

Han Mina seemed to have been surprised by my answer. Not only were her eyes wide open, but they also constantly sparkling.

“What’s that, you seem to be doing well with your lover now? What kind of person are they?”

“They’re not my lover.”

“What?”

Mina turned her head around.

“You’re not talking about an object. If they’re not a lover, what are they?”

When asked again, I didn’t need to give an additional ambiguous explanation about “what’s mine”. Mina kept curiously asking persistently, but what came out of my mouth was not information about Shin Woo Seo, but something else.

“Are you preparing to join Tyler Company?”

“That’s right.”

Typer Company is a large U.S.-based application development company recognized worldwide. The company’s Korean branch is also well-known as an IT powerhouse, and Han Mina was preparing to join the company based on her study abroad experience.

She didn’t say much but Mina’s eyes were bent slyly.4

“What? By any chance, do I owe it to you, my friend?”

Mina shook the whiskey glass, confidently saying, “Leave the bill of today’s drink to me.”

Instead of an empty glass, I drank the newly received whiskey from the bartender and opened my mouth.

“Tyler company’s Korean branch development director will participate in the AI showcase in Cheonan5 in two days. They’re going to come without notice, so it won’t be revealed publicly so get familiar with them in advance.”

I put down the finished whiskey glass and stood up.

“I’m a gentleman interested in finance and AI, so if you lay the groundwork for ideas or applications related to that area, you’ll get a response. It depends on the quality of the excuse, so it’s up to you to take care of it.”6

“What happened? Give me all the sources.”

Mina followed and took out a card. I nodded and held out my card, swiping away Mina’s hand who was about to hand her card to the approaching employee.

Mina frowned as she watched the waiter head to the counter.

“I have to pay for the sources. It feels like I’m in debt.”

She was confident enough to pass the entrance exam and interview for the job but she wanted to make an impression on the executives of Tyler Company’s Korean branch in advance. However, there was no way that they would let her enter the company without any justification. Han Mina knew that the larger the company is, the more unexpected it was for employees to receive good attention from an executive. My information, which may be the beginning of such a glance, was quite valuable to her, who wants to enter the U.S. headquarters, which started with the Korean branch and was said to be difficult to join.

I looked down at Han Mina with a troubled expression and made another suggestion.

“How about something else instead of a drink?”

“What else? As long as it’s not grand and difficult.”

Mina’s sparkling eyes looked up as if to say something.

“You haven’t been to the college for a long time.”