Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The restaurant had quite a relaxed atmosphere, Yuri found it quite calming. Jae-won was a decent company too and by and by, her mind was steered away from the happenings from earlier in the day.

The paper door slid open and the servers in semi-traditional garb, similar to the proprietor’s, brought in the dishes. The large table was soon filled with beautiful dishes.

“Would you like something to drink, sir?”

“I’m all right. Yuri, how about you?”

“I’m okay as well.”

“Please enjoy your meal.” The server left the room and closed the door.

Jae-won, the gentleman, was quite an attentive host.

“Please go ahead.”

Saying so, he took a piece of savory pancake and placed it on the plate in front of Yuri. Whether it was due to her hunger, or the chef’s skills, everything was absolutely delicious. Yuri was honestly impressed.

“They do a great job here.”

“Right? The owner’s family has been running the place for three generations. I’m here pretty often. Please enjoy to your heart’s content.”

Jae-won smoothly led the conversation, occasionally recommending dishes for Yuri to try. He asked about the piece that his team was looking to buy, and she answered to the best of her knowledge. His experience in the hospitality industry had extensively trained him in table and conversation etiquette.

“How’s New York these days?”

Jae-won had spent most of his childhood in the US and was very familiar with New York City. He would still visit a few times a year, to see his brother who lived there.

On that note, the conversation naturally focused on the city. Amazingly, his brother’s apartment was very close to Roy Jean’s studio. Jae-won seemed surprised when Yuri mentioned this.

“I’ve always been curious about that building since it has such a unique exterior. I’d no idea it was his studio. On the off chance, does it also serve as a gallery? I’d love to visit.”

“That’s right. It has some of Roy’s work, as well as some pieces by his assistants. Please do drop by next time you’re in town.”

“Is your work also displayed there?”

“Just a few.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing them!” He seemed quite enthusiastic.

Soon after, Jae-won dropped her off at her hotel. She thanked him before getting out of the car. She was refreshed now and thought she owed it to this man.

“Thank you for dinner. I’m greatly indebted to you for your help today.”

“Please don’t worry about that. I really enjoyed having dinner with you. And here’s my card. Would it be possible for you to give me a call before you leave the country?”

“If you wanted to talk about the contract, the agency would be handl[7] …”

She didn’t really think she needed to involve herself as this was something the agency always handled. But before she could complete, the man interjected.

“No, it’s not about that.”

Yuri withdrew the hand that was about to take his card. She didn’t know what he wanted with her, she was somewhat uncomfortable now.

Seeing her hesitation, he added. “Don’t feel pressured. I just want us to be friends. Please, I’m starting to feel a little embarrassed here.”

Yuri reluctantly took the card from his hand. She felt obligated to the man for today, however, she made herself clear.

“I may not have a chance to call you before I go.” She didn’t want him to get the wrong signals.

“That’s okay.” He smiled gently.

She gave him a polite nod and went into the hotel without turning back.

What a long day this has been!

Yuri dropped to the floor as soon as she entered her room. She’d held it in for quite a long time.

⸙

Tae-jun buried himself deep in the seat of his car. It felt like his senses were focused on one thing, as vivid as the perception of a hunter who’d finally re-encountered a prey that had long eluded him. He could barely contain the excitement that brewed in his body ever since he’d been informed of Hye-seong Jin’s capture.

However, instead of pulling the trigger of his shotgun, the hunter clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

Jinseong Construction… It had been one of the top fifty construction firms in the country, riding on the coattails of Hotel Jinseong and the influence wielded by the mayor of Jinseong, In-bae Lee.

Since long Tae-jun had lusted after Hotel Jinseong. This was when the Seoin Group was devoting itself to its hospitality business, in an attempt to purge itself of the foul reputation from its beginnings as a weapons manufacturer. He needed to grab this hotel: a key tourist attraction, a landmark in the region.

But Myeong-je Jin, a man who had gotten his start in a local gang, was not the type of person you could talk things out with. The negotiations had gone down the drain. The only remaining option was to exercise force.

Thus, Tae-jun and Jay concocted a plan to bring Jinseong Construction to its knees, their target being the Star Road Shopping Mall project that this company was collaborating with Yuseong Corporation.

The duo quickly went about their designs like clockwork. Jay managed to win over the shop owners at the open-air market, on whose land the shopping mall was supposed to be built. Under his seemingly guileless orchestration, the shop owners refused to sell the land while a sly Tae-jun put pressure on the finance industry and successfully limited the cash flow into Jinseong’s project.

Unable to handle the debts snowballing due to the delay in construction, a desperate Jinseong Construction ended up setting fire to the market where some shop owners were still holding out in protest. Ten or so people were killed or injured. The Jinseong gang and the construction company were tried in the court of public opinion.

Jinseong Construction’s downfall followed according to Tae-jun’s plan. Mr. Jin had invested everything in Star Road Shopping Mall, including In-bae Lee’s election funds, and thus was desperate enough to sell the hotel to make up for the losses. And when he finally came to it, without hesitation, he even tossed in a woman pretending to be his daughter as part of the deal.

Tae-jun slowly opened his eyes.

At first, he thought a year would be enough. Enough time for him to satisfy whatever it was that he was feeling–possessiveness or perhaps simple lust–get tired of her and make a clean break sans regrets. He had had actresses, models, and even women from upper-class families at his side, and a year had always been enough. In some cases, it was too long even.

So, he couldn’t understand why he lusted after Yuri more intensely the more he had her. He was ill-equipped to understand the workings of his own heart which was continuing to react with such force even after four years. But one thing was clear, he hadn’t made a clean break.

After two hours or so, the car arrived at Jay’s vacation house. The house was isolated from the quiet village nearby offering a perfect setting for clandestine or indecorous business. Jin-wook and his men were waiting for him.

The men recognized Tae-jun and bowed their heads. Jin-wook, who was standing at the entrance, approached him.

“He was in Incheon, trading US dollars against Russian sailors, the Chinese, and Korean-Chinese. His bodyguard put up a fight, but we managed.”

“Is he inside?”

“Two of my guys are watching him.”

Jin-wook led him into the house.