I 02

Chapter 02

*- Dear, why aren’t you answering? Everyone’s asking when you’re coming. Hm?*

At Okchun’s urging, Chayun finally opened her mouth with a look of resignation.

“…I’ll go.”

*- Good. Even if you’re busy, put it off for a while and come. You have to see off the chairman, after all. Even though you’re out of the house now, you’re still part of the Hyeonhamwon family, aren’t you?*

It had been a long time since she’d heard those words.

Hyeonhamwon family.

Her grandmother probably didn’t know how hard Chayun had struggled to escape that label. Being part of the “Hyeonhamwon family” was her grandmother’s pride.

But that wasn’t the only reason Chayun hesitated.

Gu Gyobeom.

Just thinking those three letters made one side of her chest tingle.

The grandson of Chairman Gu Daehan, and for her, a senior from middle school, high school, and even university.

And… her first love.

Chayun absentmindedly smoothed her hair and cleared her throat.

“I’m cleaning up the café right now. I’ll go tomorrow morning.”

*- Good. Come as early as you can. Got it? Oh, and don’t come to the main house—come straight to Cheongwangsa.*

Cheongwangsa was a massive temple sponsored by the Guseong Group, one that Chairman Gu had invested particular effort in.

The Guseong Group had grown from an organized crime syndicate.

The process of becoming the corporation it was today had been rough and bloody.

In his lifetime, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to praying for the souls of the dead. Not out of deep religious faith, but rather out of a somewhat selfish motive—that washing away his sins in this way would benefit his future endeavors.

Whatever his true intentions, his actions proved quite effective. The Guseong Group, once called the “King of the Underworld,” succeeded in expanding its power into the light.

Chairman Gu then poured even more effort into Cheongwangsa. What had once been a small temple grew into one of the largest temples in South Korea and became a symbol of the Guseong Group.

Only those who served Chairman Gu up close or worked at Hyeonhamwon—the main house of the Guseong Group—and were called “family” could enter Cheongwangsa. This fact became a source of pride for the “family.”

Of course, that didn’t apply to Chayun at all.

“…Alright.”

*- Good. Drive carefully, and don’t get distracted and trip over anything.*

Her mind had been spinning at the thought of seeing Gyobeom, but at her grandmother’s words, she cracked a small smile.

“I’m not a little kid, you know.”

*- To this grandma’s eyes, you’re still a kid. Sigh, why don’t you bring home a fine, sturdy man who’ll look after our little darling? Then this grandma would worry a lot less.*

“Don’t worry. I’m fine on my own.”

*- Fine, my foot. Who knows when this grandma might be gone.*

“Don’t say things like that.”

*- Come to think of it, the young master might end up bringing a bride home first.*

Chayun froze. Her grip on the phone tightened without her realizing it.

“Sunbae is… getting married?”

The end of her voice trembled slightly, but Okchun seemed not to notice.

*- It’s just this grandma’s thought. If the young master starts a family, the vice chairman—no, I should call him chairman now, yes, anyway—the chairman would feel more secure, wouldn’t he?*

*That’s right… Sunbae is an only son.*

Once the vice chairman became chairman, Gyobeom would become the sole heir. It made sense for him to form ties with a powerful family as soon as possible to solidify his position.

She knew it made sense… so why did one side of her chest feel so cold?

She’d thought she had almost forgotten.

But it seemed fragments of her feelings from her crush on him still remained in her heart, poking at her here and there.

*- When the young master’s ceremony happens, we’ll be busy preparing, so when that time comes, Chayun, you’ll have to come help often too. Got it? The young master has always been fond of you.*

At those words, Chayun bit her lower lip.

*Fond of me, my foot. Grandma doesn’t know anything and always takes sunbae’s side.*

If she knew what Gyobeom had said about her, she wouldn’t be saying things like that.

Besides, she didn’t want to say yes to helping with Gyobeom’s wedding preparations.

*- Chayun, are you listening to this grandma? Hm?*

“…Yes. I’ll come to Cheongwangsa early tomorrow morning.”

After hanging up, Chayun finished cleaning the café, turned off the lights one last time, and stepped out.

After fastening her seatbelt and starting the car, she passed through the narrow alley and smoothly merged onto the road.

She put on her blinker and turned the wheel left. She pressed the accelerator, then moved her foot to the brake.

She was moving almost unconsciously. If these motions weren’t so ingrained in her, she might have had an accident.

Right now, Chayun’s mind was filled with one person.

A man of large build and even larger presence.

“…Ha. How stupid. He probably won’t even remember.”

*It’s always me who cares. It’s obvious that Gyobeom won’t remember someone like me, or the time we spent together.*

And she knew that better than anyone.

Just thinking about spending three days in the same space as him made her heart flutter restlessly.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

*Let’s take it easy. We’re not connected anymore.*

But even after arriving home, she couldn’t shake him off.

As soon as his sharply chiseled features floated vividly above her closed eyes, her mind grew dizzy.

In the end, she tossed and turned until dawn, unable to fall asleep.

*When can I ever forget that bad sunbae…?*

—

*** * ***

It was a dark blue day. It was hard to tell whether it would rain or snow—in any case, it felt like the sky would pour down something.

Black sedans arrived in a row at the wide clearing at the temple’s entrance.

*Thud.* The men who got out were all dressed in black suits, white shirts, and black ties. Their expressions were universally grim, and though their heights varied, they all had sturdy builds.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, hyungnim.”

The man who had been about to lead the way smacked the back of the head of the man who had called him hyungnim.

“You bastard. Do you think it’s the 1980s? We’ve been corporatized for ages and you’re still calling me hyungnim?”

“I-I’m sorry, Director.”

“These places have cops mixed in, you idiot. Calling me hyungnim and acting like a gangster will just draw unwanted attention, so be careful. Got it?”

“Yes, Director! I’ll keep that in mind!”

“Keep your voice down, you idiot. My eardrums are about to burst.”

After scolding him, Yongcheol picked at his ear with his pinky and looked around.

Then his gaze landed on a small white SUV parked in the corner. It stood out among all the big black cars.

“What’s that? Why is something like that parked here?”

“I’m not sure, Director. Should I go find out?”

“Forget it. Probably something the temple uses. Clearly they bought it as camouflage to look humble. As if they can hide the sky with their tongues—everyone knows this temple is loaded. Tch, let’s go!”

Yongcheol took the lead, and the men in black suits followed in a line.

Passing through the wooden gate, they arrived at the courtyard in front of the main hall.

Everywhere, men in black suits with hemp armbands on their left arms were watching their surroundings with sharp eyes, on guard.

“Shit. Hey, look at all those wreaths. If you lined them up, they’d reach Daejeon. Old man Gu is walking a flower path even in death.”

“Director, you should watch your words now. There are Guseong people everywhere. If someone hears…”

At that, the man muttered a low curse and scanned the area with snake-like eyes.

“Gu Gwangpyo.”

“He’s inside receiving mourners.”

“That bastard’s going to become chairman.”

“I hear all preparations have already been made.”

“Well, of course. He didn’t get knifed to death—he died of old age, so he would have had time to prepare.”

*Some people had to claw their way up here with blood and sweat. Others become chairman in their 50s thanks to a good father. Tch.*

“Gu Gwangpyo’s son is an only child too, right?”

“Yes, Director.”

“What’s he up to now?”

“He’s been promoted to Managing Director.”

“Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, generation after generation. Lucky bastards. Sigh, let’s go in. At least I need to show my face so something might come my way.”

“Um… Director.”

The man accompanying him hesitated before speaking.

“Would you like to gargle something over there?”

“Huh?”

“The smell of alcohol is quite strong. Gu Gwangpyo’s nickname is ‘the germophobe,’ isn’t it? If you give him any excuse to nitpick, it could hurt future business dealings.”

In this world, once you fell out of favor with the Guseong Group, it was impossible to recover. No, it would be a blessing just to not disappear from this world entirely.

“Ah, what a pain. Give it here!”

Snatching the mouthwash being handed to him, the man made a sour face and headed toward an empty area.

Yongcheol moved away from the crowded main hall and headed toward the left side, where the temple buildings were clustered together.

The further he walked, the stronger the smell of food became.

“Whoa, that smells amazing. They say the food at the Guseong main house is to die for. Are they trying to show that even funeral food is top-notch? One day, I’ll definitely get invited to that smug house and eat some ancestral rite food.”

Sniffing the air, Yongcheol headed to a corner of a small temple building.

He casually threw the cap of the mouthwash he’d unscrewed on the ground, put the pale green liquid in his mouth, and swished it around.

*Damn, this is bitter,* he thought.

Just then—

“I’ll go dump it over there!”

A woman’s clear voice rang out.

Yongcheol’s head naturally turned in that direction.

A woman who looked to be in her twenties was grunting as she carried a large stainless steel pot, struggling to dump the hot water inside onto the ground.

The nape of her neck, revealed beneath her neatly tied hair, was white and clean. The line from her forehead to her nose was neat, and the light brown eyes beneath her long lashes were as clear and clean as her voice.

Her wrists and fingers, visible beneath the rolled-up sleeves of her black hanbok, were white and slender.

Her body, hidden beneath the voluminous hanbok, must also be that white and fair. Her waist would be supple too. The line of her chest, revealed as she tied the garment’s straps and skirt with long cords to keep them from getting in the way while she worked, had a fair amount of curve to it.

In an instant, lust boiled up inside his dull body.

*Whoa. It’s been a while since I’ve seen something that gets me hard.*