TOIGC 62

Chapter 62 …

I Am the Luxury (1)

“I… I memorized it all…”

Seeing Cho Chung-woo with dark circles dragging down to his lips, Yoongi let out an exclamation of admiration and started clapping.

“That’s truly incredible. I only got through about a quarter of it myself.”

In truth, Yoongi hadn’t gotten through it simply because he had too many other things on his plate. But since he had hired Chung-woo specifically for that purpose, Chung-woo’s current report left him thoroughly satisfied.

“W-what… what should I do now?”

Looking at Chung-woo, who was so exhausted he could barely string a sentence together, Yoongi felt a twinge of pity and offered a gentle smile.

“First off, go sleep on the living room sofa for about two hours. We can talk about work after that.” “S-shouldn’t you… check my work first?” “Nope. I trust you.”

The moment the words left Yoongi’s mouth, Chung-woo slumped forward onto the study table and knocked right out.

“If he sleeps sitting in that chair, his lower back’s going to kill him later.” “Think you could help me move him, Uncle?” “If I tried, I’d probably end up flat on my face…”

Given that Choi Chulkyu’s physique leaned toward the slender side and was about as far from a powerhouse as the opposite end of the universe, Yoongi let out a wry smile and stood up.

“Heave-ho!”

Chung-woo ended up scooped into Yoongi’s arms in a textbook princess carry, though he was so dead to the world he didn’t even notice and just kept right on sleeping.

If Merrill ever saw me right now, she’d lose her mind.

Ever since his first encounter with Geuster, Yoongi had met with Merrill two more times. Each visit had consisted of little more than playing the violin and sipping a few cups of tea. But if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that Merrill’s mischievous, tomboyish streak grew more pronounced with every single visit. It was stronger the second time than the first, and stronger the third time than the second.

Come to think of it, isn’t she about due for another visit around now?

Just as a strange sense of foreboding hit him and he went to deposit Chung-woo onto the living room sofa, Yoongi locked eyes with Merrill standing right in the entryway.

“Eek!!!!!Y!”

The one who screamed wasn’t Yoongi—it was Merrill. Even though English was her native tongue, a shriek born of pure shock was apparently a universal language. It was a remarkably loud scream, but Chung-woo didn’t even stir, allowing Yoongi to safely lower him onto the sofa.

“Look who’s here.”

Though slightly thrown off guard internally, Yoongi didn’t let it show for a second and smoothly took the conversational lead.

“That’s a treatment I’ve never even gotten!”

Merrill was only able to make such a racket because the house was currently empty. It being summer, the housekeepers were off on vacation, and his parents were out. While Choi Chulkyu was in the conference room, he hadn’t stepped out yet, and since Chung-woo was fast asleep, he didn’t factor into Merrill’s volume. Consequently, Merrill stood there with a pouty expression, looking at Yoongi as if to say, How could you do that?

Yoongi immediately took action.

“Up we go.” “Eep!”

When Yoongi scooped her up in the exact same style he had just used for Chung-woo, Merrill let out a low squeak and her face flushed bright red. At the same time, she swatted playfully at Yoongi’s chest with both hands and let out another slightly louder squawk.

“Put me down! It’s embarrassing!”

However, reading the look on Merrill’s face as You better not actually drop me. If you really let go, I’ll sulk, Yoongi simply leaned into the moment with exaggerated movements to give her a little rush of speed.

“Kyaaaah!”

Merrill’s soft shrieks kept coming. Yet it was entirely clear that she was loving every second of it—at least until Choi Chulkyu stepped out of the conference room.

…!?

The moment Merrill locked eyes with Chulkyu, she froze solid like an icicle, and Yoongi instinctively realized it was time to put her down.

“Who’s…?”

Chulkyu had heard about Merrill in conversation, but since he’d never laid eyes on her in person, he asked just to be sure. Yoongi gently laid the frozen Merrill down vertically on a single-seater sofa and introduced her.

“Remember I told you about her? This is Merrill.” “Ah, Geuster’s granddaughter?” “Yep, that Merrill.”

After observing Merrill for a moment, Chulkyu nodded.

“Well, that explains it. Now I finally get why you’ve had zero interest in girls. With a girl like that around, you wouldn’t have eyes for anyone else.”

Not really, Yoongi thought to himself, though he kept it strictly to himself. He did, however, catch a brief, pleased spark in Merrill’s eyes.

Looks like Merrill’s going to warm up to my uncle a bit faster than expected. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one.

Having met her three times already, Yoongi knew Merrill inside and out, so he figured it was about time to nudge Chulkyu out the door.

“Uncle, I’m sorry to ask, but could you drop the brother-in-law off at his house? I’ll help carry him to the car.”

Chulkyu caught the subtext behind Yoongi’s request and nodded knowingly.

“Got it. See you next time, Miss Merrill.”

While Merrill was still stiff as a board, Chung-woo was hoisted back into Yoongi’s arms and loaded into the car. Chulkyu stepped on the gas, entertaining the absurd thought that Yoongi’s really growing up into a fine young man. Of course, a few moments down the road, the realization that Right, Yoongi’s only a middle school freshman hit him, prompting a self-deprecating chuckle at his own idiocy.

“Merrill?”

At Yoongi’s voice after closing the front door, Merrill cautiously began looking around the empty house.

“There’s nobody home right now.”

Never in his wildest dreams had Yoongi imagined he’d actually get to use a line he’d only ever wanted to hear back in his construction days, and a quiet snort escaped him before he could stop it.

“Yoon!!!”

Certain that the coast was truly clear, Merrill lunged at Yoongi and wrapped both arms tightly around his neck.

“Did you come all this way just to listen to some violin?”

As Yoongi wrapped both hands around her waist, Merrill blushed slightly and shook her head.

“Well, I mean, that’s what I told Grandpa…”

Yoongi didn’t ruin the mood with unromantic remarks like, Won’t you get in trouble with your grandfather? Instead, he chose the path of total confidence.

“Good to see you.”

It was a short phrase, but delivered with a soft smile, it was sweet enough to melt right into Merrill’s ears like candy.

If it weren’t for Grandpa, I probably would’ve had a much harder time figuring out Merrill’s personality.

Truth be told, even a regression genius like Yoongi couldn’t read a person’s inner psyche the second he laid eyes on them. But Choi Deokbae had kept him briefed on Merrill’s behavior outside of their visits every single time she dropped by, preventing Yoongi from ever getting played or thrown off balance. And because Yoongi treated her with a cool confidence totally unlike the people around her who always seemed nervous or overly accommodating, Merrill found him utterly captivating, holding onto her unabashed crush even years later.

The violin lessons were nothing more than an excuse. Back when they were younger, maybe, but at their current age, Yoongi’s violin skills were woefully inadequate compared to actual prodigies.

“You didn’t find yourself another girl while I was gone, did you?” “Merrill, I’m only fourteen in Korean age. In American age, I’m twelve—no, thirteen.” “People date at that age in America, you know.” “What about you, then? Are you dating guys in America?” “What kind of person do you take me for?!”

Just as Merrill started to flare up in annoyance, Yoongi reached out and gently patted her head.

“Same goes for me. With you around, how could I have eyes for anyone else?”

The flushed look on Merrill’s face was genuinely breathtaking, giving Yoongi plenty of reason to feel a real flutter of attraction. When they first met, Yoongi had only been ten, making them feel more like an older sister and younger brother. But now, four years later, they looked every bit like a pair of high school sweethearts.

Do kids in America really grow up this fast?

Astonished by Yoongi’s steady growth, yet thoroughly pleased with how well-matched they looked side by side, Merrill settled comfortably onto the sofa.

“It’s so hot. Give me something cold to drink!”

The stifling heat and humidity of late August in Korea were enough to sap anyone’s energy, and sure enough, Merrill’s clothes were visibly damp with sweat.

Back in the day, the white guys I worked with on construction sites had awful body odor, but Merrill doesn’t smell like that at all.

As Yoongi stood there sniffing the air while reminiscing about the past, Merrill suddenly caught on to what he was doing. Her face flamed red and she slammed a fist directly into Yoongi’s stomach.

“Oof!”

It didn’t hurt in the least, and Merrill hadn’t hit him hard either, but Yoongi deliberately slumped over and dropped to the floor. Merrill panicked and rushed to lean over him.

“A-are you okay? I-I didn’t even hit you that hard… Oh, seriously!”

Realizing that Yoongi’s nose was twitching right against her shoulder, Merrill gave him a few more playful swats. Yoongi let out a soft snicker, stood up, grabbed a cola from the fridge, and brought it back over to her.

“You expect me to drink cola? The number one enemy of flat stomachs?” “Isn’t ice-cold cola the absolute best thing in summer?” “Not for me, it isn’t. Just give me some iced green tea if you have it.” “Man, your life is tough.” “Modeling isn’t a walk in the park, you know.” “Oh, that’s right. You mentioned you started modeling.” “Ugh, why does Grandpa always make me do these things… Having a grandfather with too many connections is a curse.” “Maybe he figured that getting used to the public eye would help you be less shy around strangers?” “I know that’s the logic, but honestly, I’m not even sure if it’s working…” “Still, I think it’s pretty nice having a model for a girlfriend.”

At the explicit use of the word girlfriend, Merrill flashed him a feigned glare.

“Shut up! Just go bring me that green tea already. I’m dying of thirst.” “All right, all right.”

With practiced skill, Yoongi brewed a glass of iced green tea and handed it over. Merrill downed the ice-cold drink in one go, let out a satisfied Aah, and thrust the empty glass right back at him.

“Another round!” “Funny, you didn’t chug it like that earlier.” “I was genuinely dying of thirst before.”

As they each took another sip of their green tea, Merrill pressed her condensation-covered glass against her cheek and asked, “Are you busy these days?” “Why?” “I finally begged Grandpa to let me come visit all by myself this time, and it’s going to be boring if you’re too tied up. I can stay for a full week this time.” “Where are you planning to stay for a whole week?”

At Yoongi’s feigned innocence, Merrill narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to make your girlfriend sleep on the streets?” “Hmm, if you put it that way, does that mean you want to sleep in my room? You look all sweet and innocent on the outside, Merrill, but you’re quite something underneath.” “Hey!!!”

At Merrill’s shrill shriek, Yoongi chuckled before turning serious again.

“Well, I’d be happy to. But I don’t think I’ll be the one sleeping on the floor.” “What? You don’t mean…”

At her flustered reply, Yoongi lightly flicked her forehead.

“Get your mind out of the gutter! I don’t mean we’re sharing a bed; it’s just that I have to head out of town for a bit.” “I knew that!”

As soon as she answered, Merrill recalled the tail end of Yoongi’s sentence and let out a small Oh!, her eyes welling up with sudden tears.

“Wait, what? I came all this way to see you, and you’re leaving?” “Something came up that requires a quick trip to Europe and America. About a week or two?” “Why on earth do you have to go all the way over there…?”

Hearing the genuine disappointment dripping from Merrill’s voice, Yoongi answered with a heavy dose of apologetic charm.

“We need to source luxury brands for the department store opening soon. The ultra-high-end houses keep turning us down, so I’m planning to go knock on their doors myself. Say, by any chance, do you want to come…”

Before Yoongi could even finish his sentence, Merrill blurted out: “What? Luxury brands? Well, in that case—I can help!”