IOB Ch 2

I pulled myself together, feeling like I might get swept away by Woo Seonrim. I had no intention of tying Woo Seonrim down just for myself. To monopolize Woo Seonrim’s music. That was close to a sin. I wanted to persuade Woo Seonrim one way or another and show him to the world.

It felt as if studying business, which I had no interest in, and taking on the position of executive director at an agency was all God’s plan for this day. Even though I didn’t have a shred of faith. That’s how much of a sense of mission I had to bring out Woo Seonrim’s talent.

“Is a concert too much of a burden? You can just release an album.”

“No. I’m fine with just Director Choi Yisak.”

“What are you saying…… Hey, you don’t have to do media appearances if you don’t feel like it. Still don’t want to?”

“Umm, yes.”

“……”

“Just call me privately whenever you have time, Director Choi Yisak.”

My forehead throbbed. Though his tone and gaze were hazy, Woo Seonrim seemed to have no intention of bending his will.

“What do you think, Director Choi Yisak?”

Sshk, sshk, it sounds like sandpaper scraping, and I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.

“Just call me Director. My head hurts.”

“Yes, Director. My tongue was getting twisted anyway.”

It would probably be difficult to persuade Woo Seonrim right now. I frowned and sank into thought.

I’m busy with company work, so I can’t come to this remote place every time to coax Woo Seonrim. Even if I offer a huge sum of money that would completely break his will to refuse, would that stoic face change? ……It probably wouldn’t. It was obvious just by looking at him that he was a guy with no greed for money.

Desire for fame, desire for wealth, passion for music. Woo Seonrim was a human being who lacked all three. Because he has no greed, he is not tempted. In a truly ironic twist, he was born with talent.

“But how did you know my address?”

Woo Seonrim’s low voice echoed. I looked at Woo Seonrim with as brazen an expression as possible.

“I asked around.”

“Isn’t that a crime?”

“What can I do. Since you, Mr. Seonrim, kept ignoring our calls.”

“Director, are you perhaps a dangerous person?”

The question was asked in a tone of pure curiosity, and I was once again drained of energy. Are all twenty-six-year-olds this childish? Was I like this? I don’t think so.

“You’re quick on the uptake, aren’t you? Now that you know, don’t even think about running away. And make sure you answer my calls.”

“I can’t answer the phone if I’m working part-time.”

“What kind of part-time job do you do?”

“This and that. I have to go to my part-time job now too.”

“Weren’t you coming from work? What kind of part-time job do you do all day long?”

“I usually do.”

“If you had put that passion and effort into music, you’d be living in Tower Palace, not a semi-basement. Are you a fool, Mr. Seonrim?”

“What’s Tower Palace?”

“……Were you really a fool?”

“Ah, but I really have to go now. I need to stop by home and change clothes too.”

Woo Seonrim bowed his head to a dazed me and then ran off with his long legs. I stared at Woo Seonrim’s back as he quickly entered his house, frozen for a moment, and then let out a hollow laugh.

“Heh.”

In that time, Woo Seonrim shot out of the house again like a bullet.

“Goodbye.”

After offering a simple farewell nonchalantly, Woo Seonrim passed by my side. I didn’t feel like grabbing that nimble guy right now. The back of my neck throbbed as things didn’t go as expected.

I thought if I came to persuade him in person, he would at least show a sign of contemplation. Why is he playing so hard to get when he’s living in a semi-basement and working part-time jobs.

I was so annoyed that I smoked one more cigarette before returning to Seoul.

۶ৎ

After a long time, I was forcibly dragged to Sunday service.

“Lord, who is worthy to receive glory. We thank you for protecting us this past week and guiding us in the Holy Spirit……”

I put my hands together and pretended to listen intently to the pastor’s words, but all my attention was focused on my phone’s text messages. I’m meeting Woo Seonrim at my house today. It had been a week since we ran into each other in front of his house.

What I’ve learned from exchanging messages during that time is that Woo Seonrim is a really strange guy. A 20-something who only communicates through text messages in this day and age. He doesn’t use any social media at all.

I was becoming more and more curious about how Woo Seonrim had lived for the past 12 years. Though I feel like he wouldn’t answer even if I asked. No, that guy has never given me the answers I wanted in the first place.

For a week, I repeatedly urged Woo Seonrim to quit all his part-time jobs. I also said I would pay him handsomely for his performances. I offered an amount he could never touch with part-time jobs, but Woo Seonrim was indifferent.

‘I don’t know. I get bored of things easily.’

You won’t get bored of money, though. Money doesn’t betray you. Even saying that couldn’t change Woo Seonrim’s attitude. Is it because he hasn’t gotten a proper taste of money yet? I’m getting pissed off. It felt like I was the one desperate to give him money. Even when I offered to be his sponsor, he was a pain in the ass……

At least once a week. The schedule is freely adjustable. He will stay at my house for half a day and play for me. On these terms, I said I would deposit 20 million won into his bank account every month, and if he wanted, I would find him a new house too. If he just showed enthusiasm for the piano, I was even thinking of giving him a bonus living allowance out of a fond heart.

The guys I know who have sponsors don’t get this kind of treatment. Why only me……

However, there is a truth that applies to all relationships. The one who is more desperate is the weaker one. Woo Seonrim is not interested in money, but I am very interested in Woo Seonrim’s performance. If this sponsorship relationship were to break, the one who would be disappointed would clearly be me.

Besides, I had a bigger goal. To slowly stimulate and persuade Woo Seonrim each time, and eventually debut him from my company.

Today is the starting point of that grand plan.

I sent a text to Woo Seonrim as soon as I opened my eyes this morning. It was a text I sent a whopping 5 hours ago, but the ‘read’ mark still hadn’t appeared.

[Mr. Seonrim? You didn’t forget our appointment today, did you. The driver will come to pick you up in the evening, so be out on time.]

I even mixed in an appropriate level of politeness for someone 4 years younger and sent it sweetly. I began to suspect that he might have really forgotten his appointment with me. If he’s gone off to do something else, I’ll have to tell Driver Kim to grab him by the scruff of his neck and drag him here.

Scrolling up a little, I saw the simple conversation I had exchanged with Woo Seonrim over the past week. The guy who was lanky and always had a ghostly expression on his face surprisingly had a normal texting style.

[Woo Seonrim: Yes^^]

He even knows how to use emoticons.

[Woo Seonrim: Director but what shong should I play?]

He even makes typos in the middle.

[Woo Seonrim: Gd nite]

Even abbreviations. But it was strangely not the way his peers talk, making Woo Seonrim a truly unpredictable being.

Ah, my head hurts. I clutched my heated forehead with my hand. This is how it’s been lately, just thinking about Woo Seonrim. Should I have taken a painkiller before coming out? It was a relief, at least, that the service was drawing to a close in a passionate atmosphere.

“Yes, amen, amen……”

I muttered roughly, glancing at the church member sitting next to me. I wanted to escape this place as soon as possible. It was even more boring coming after a long time.

The last time I came to church was two months ago. It was something unimaginable when President Choi was in good health.

The old man, who seemed like he would be healthy forever, couldn’t beat the odds once he passed seventy, and was recently diagnosed with liver cancer. They say liver cancer comes silently and wrecks a person. Thanks to President Choi cherishing his body so much and getting frequent check-ups, it was discovered relatively early.

Still, whether it was because going in and out of the hospital at his age was tiring, President Choi, who had reigned like an emperor in the family, was quiet these days. The group succession process was already underway, so naturally, President Choi’s power waned and my eldest brother’s position became solidified. To be honest, I didn’t care about this kind of male politics, I was just glad I didn’t have to be forced to go to church, dragged by the hand of President Choi.

But my good days ended quickly because my stepmother snitched on me to President Choi. For crying out loud, Mrs. Jeong is something else. To still be wary of me. It seems she’s worried I might get in the way of her precious son’s career path. Even though I’ve told her countless times that I have no interest in management rights.

Anyway, this morning. Secretary Yoon, who is called President Choi’s direct subordinate but is read as his right-hand man from his gangster days, came to find me himself and dragged me to church. I knew I wouldn’t even be able to collect my bones if I defied Secretary Yoon, so I was dragged away quietly.

This is my rank in the family. A situation where I can’t even win against President Choi’s secretary. What can I do when I have no one to lean on? My mother died a long, long time ago, and well, even when she was alive, she was treated like a live-in helper. Be grateful that they took in and raised the child of a woman of no standing, I’ve heard that so much it’s stuck in my ears.

Yes, thanks to that, I’m decked out in luxury goods from head to toe, so I should think of it happily…… but I couldn’t. Suddenly, I feel like shit. As soon as the service ended, I stood up abruptly and quickly went outside. I was afraid I might run into my stepmother.

“Hey, Yisak.”

But life never goes as planned.

“Ah, Mother. It’s been a while.”

I forced my crumpled face to straighten and looked back. There was another unwelcome face next to my stepmother. My third brother, Choi Dowon.

Originally, Choi Dowon was in the same boat as me. A thorn in the side. An illegitimate child living off the family. However, after President Choi’s legal wife died and Mrs. Jeong Jihye newly took the position of wife, the situation completely changed. In the end, I was the only one left in our family with no connections.

Come to think of it, it’s amazing that I wasn’t kicked out in the middle and even managed to get a director position at an affiliate company. Is it a relief that President Choi is an old man who is very obsessed with his bloodline?

“Yisak. What have you been up to that you haven’t been in touch? You haven’t come to the main house either.”

Choi Dowon came up to me and patted my shoulder. We’re only two years apart, but he always tries to act like a big brother to me. He’s much smaller than me, what a pain in the ass. He doesn’t even look like he’d be a handful.

“I have been busy. The company’s been crazy lately.”

I managed my expression while suppressing my irritation. We were at church, so there were many eyes around.

“Yeah, what was it. The one that was making a fuss about suing for contract fraud or something, that was your agency, right?”

This son of a bitch.

“Looks like you have the leisure to keep up with entertainment news. I was worried because I heard the airline is in serious deficit.”

“It’s gotten a bit better now.”

Mrs. Jeong, who had been standing elegantly by the side in silence, interjected softly.

“Yisak, you haven’t come to visit your father for a while, have you? Your father misses our youngest.”

I’m sure he does. If we were at the main house, a sarcastic tone might have slipped out without me realizing. The center of power was already shifting to my eldest brother, so I didn’t want to bother trying to look good to my stepmother and Choi Dowon.

I have to be good to my eldest brother, though. Respectfully. As long as I don’t cause him any harm, my eldest brother usually doesn’t bother me. Well, it also seems like he just doesn’t want to get involved.

Living in this house for 30 years, the only thing that improves is your survival skills. You naturally see who you should stick to now.

When I was 18, I was drunk on emotion and recklessly rebelled and charged at even President Choi. But that was only possible because I was at that truly immature age. A time when my will to live hit rock bottom. I thought it would be the same whether I died this way or that. Whether I jumped off a rooftop and killed myself, or was beaten to death by President Choi, or was kicked out and starved to death.

Not now. To survive, I have to make an effort. Even more so if I want to casually deposit sponsorship money in the tens of thousands per month into Woo Seonrim’s bank account.

I smiled with my eyes and said.

“I’ll visit Father soon.”

When on earth will President Choi die. He’s so lucky to have his liver cancer discovered early. It pisses me off.

“Do that. The youngest should come and act cute and all. Since we don’t have a daughter in our house, your father really regrets that. Everyone is too blunt, you know.”

“I’ll go and put on a proper show of cuteness for you, Mother. The youngest has to step up at times like these.”

As I replied with a soft smile, the corners of my stepmother’s eyes crinkled.

“Be sure to come to the main house soon, too. I’ll make the soy-marinated crab that Yisak likes.”

What soy-marinated crab? I got food poisoning from that and haven’t touched it in 5 years.

Just then, the phone in my left hand vibrated. I glanced down at the screen and the three words ‘Woo Seonrim’ were imprinted on my eyes. This guy is finally replying.

My heart grew impatient with the thought of quickly checking the message and contacting him. This was not the time to be held up by Choi Dowon and my stepmother. It wasn’t a relationship where any meaningful conversation would be exchanged anyway.

“Mother, Hyung. I have an appointment next, so I’ll be going now.”

“Are you that busy? Why don’t we have dinner since we’ve met. I heard you came with Secretary Yoon.”

“I should go alone when I leave. How could I make Secretary Yoon act as a driver again. And it’s true that I have something really important.”

I wanted to hurry home and get ready to welcome Woo Seonrim. Nothing is more important than this today. My stepmother probably doesn’t sincerely want to have dinner with me either. Why would we both get indigestion while eating an expensive meal. It’s just something she says out of courtesy to pretend to be a harmonious family.

“Alright, I understand. Don’t forget to eat your meals even if you’re busy. See you next time.”

My stepmother also retreated cleanly and smiled. It was a moderate conversation and a moderate conclusion. If we face each other any longer here, we’ll both just get upset.

It wasn’t that I had any personal ill feelings towards my stepmother. My eldest brother and Choi Geonyoung had never once called my stepmother ‘Mother’ to this day. Even though it’s been nearly 10 years since she remarried President Choi.

Unlike my brothers who were the children of the legal wife, I understood my stepmother’s situation and position to some extent. She must have been anxious all along, trying to protect her son and survive in the Choi family. But we would probably never be close enough to share our feelings and be comfortable with each other.

I left my stepmother and Choi Dowon behind and quickly exited the church building, heading for the parking lot. My breathing became much easier once I was free from the suffocating gazes. And I immediately opened the phone’s text message box that had been on my mind.

[Woo Seonrim: Yes I understand]

It was Woo Seonrim’s reply, received after a whopping several hours. It’s so ordinary it’s anticlimactic. I’m the one giving him money, but he doesn’t even check his texts promptly and his replies are insincere. I felt that grumpy thought, but my mood quickly improved again. Everything was fine. Because I would soon be hearing the performance of my ideal that I had been searching for for so long.

Ah, but what if I get an erection during the performance like last time.

It will most likely happen. I was worried that Woo Seonrim might misunderstand when he saw my swollen groin. It was absolutely not a sponsorship with that kind of ulterior motive, but I do think it’s a situation that could easily be misunderstood. I felt I should be careful not to create a mutually awkward and uncomfortable situation.

Well, if Woo Seonrim misunderstands…… I can just explain it away. It might be a little embarrassing for me, though. I scratched the back of my head and sent a reply to Woo Seonrim.

[Mr. Seonrim]

[From now on reply a little faster]

After that, as I was typing ‘I’m going to suffocate waiting’, the ‘read’ mark disappeared and a text came right away.

[Woo Seonrim: Part-time job in the morning]

[Are you going to buy a building with your part-time job? Your bones will wear out]

Why is he doing that damn part-time job when I’m offering to deposit 20 million won. He should focus on music in that time. I suppressed the urge to grumble and got into the parked car.

[Woo Seonrim: Is there anything I need to bring?]

[Just bring yourself]

[Woo Seonrim: Yes^^]

My house had a performance room that was thoroughly soundproofed. I spent quite a bit of money to get a grand piano, but I had only played it myself a few times. Because I could feel that my hands were stiff, and I really didn’t like my own performance.

What the body learns in childhood comes back quickly, so with a little practice, the feel would return. But I had already become more accustomed to the position of an appreciator rather than a performer. I didn’t have time because of the company, and it was more enjoyable to search for good performance pieces than to spend my limited time cultivating my own playing skills.

I wonder what piece Woo Seonrim will play today. Just imagining the sound his fingers would create made my body heat up.

Then, for the first time in a long time, I realized something new.

That I truly love music.

I guess because I’ve poured all my love, passion, and desires into music, I have no surplus to give to humans. If so, does that mean today is the day I meet the love of my ideal? Thump-thump, a pleasant feeling of excitement was already beginning to well up.

۶ৎ

Drrr, I rolled the lollipop in my mouth and got on the elevator. The artificial strawberry milk flavor coated my tongue.

It’s been two years since I moved out of the main house and became independent in a high-end officetel in Cheongdam-dong. The 70-pyeong house, obtained as a reward for hard work, is covered in my taste, from the entrance to every little thing. I also achieved my primary goal of making one room a soundproof booth when I became independent.

When I first returned to Korea after finishing my studies in the United States, I started my social life as an executive at a hotel company, following President Choi’s wishes. No one could say anything even if a green-as-grass young man took an executive position. The chairman’s son. That title was more powerful than I had expected.

Only after I started my social life could I feel the power my last name held. Because I was always mistreated at home, as if being born the youngest and an illegitimate child was a sin. But the people at the company treated me preciously. Everyone was on pins and needles not to offend my sensibilities.

I was one of those guys born with a golden spoon in his mouth, as they say. Even if that golden spoon had some filth on it and was a bit rusty. In any case, I was also President Choi’s blood.

It was famous in Jaeyu Group that President Choi had a peculiar way of taking care of his blood relatives. To the extent that he would arrange a department head position at an affiliate for even his incompetent sixth cousins.

Guys like us have great loyalty. President Choi always said that. Something about gangsters having a surprisingly excellent sense of chivalry.

In my opinion, President Choi is just an old-fashioned man who wants to build a huge castle made of his own bloodline. Besides, he has a string of four sons under him. It’s truly disgusting.

Even while despising President Choi like that, I did not refuse the benefits I enjoyed as his son. When I was young, I thought it was against my principles, but as I got older, my thoughts gradually changed.

Fuck! How many times have I been beaten by President Choi. How my mother died.

Feeling that my life so far had been unfair, I changed my mind to suck President Choi’s blood as much as possible. The stocks and real estate that President Choi had transferred to my name in advance. The connections that President Choi had built up in advance. I will use everything to live a dissolute life, befitting a second-generation chaebol from a gangster background.

That dissoluteness, I’ll finally commit it properly starting today.

Buying Woo Seonrim’s music with money. There was nothing more exciting and thrilling for me. From now on, I will work hard to pour money into Woo Seonrim’s bank account and extract music. I’m doing something worthy of a chaebol’s son for the first time in a long time.

I crunched on the shrunken lollipop as I entered the house. I ate it because my mouth was bored from not smoking, but it’s too sweet.

“I should put on a patch……”

I had bought a bunch of nicotine patches, trying to quit smoking. Where did I stash them.

Seeing the heavy-drinking President Choi get liver cancer made me feel guilty for some reason, so I was trying to cut down on smoking. Of course, it didn’t go well. I kept repeating the three-day resolution from the beginning of the year and was just about to postpone quitting to next year’s goal.

‘Because I hate the smell of cigarettes.’

That’s what Woo Seonrim said.

Well, if Woo Seonrim doesn’t like it, I shouldn’t smoke. Because it would be a big problem if the smell of cigarettes disturbed his concentration and affected his performance. I let go of the cigarette that was so hard to put down with just one word from Woo Seonrim.

Wouldn’t this be enough to be called a fan? Woo Seonrim’s first fan. It’s a pretty sweet title. It seems better than President Choi’s youngest son. I liked it.

Thinking of a fan naturally brought Han Yeseo to mind. I haven’t told Han Yeseo about my sponsorship relationship with Woo Seonrim yet. I plan to tell her after I’ve drawn out Woo Seonrim’s will to debut to some extent.

For the time being, it means I’m monopolizing Woo Seonrim’s performance.

The nerves that were getting sharp due to lack of nicotine immediately dulled. For the first time in a long time, a genuinely happy smile escaped me. I should check the performance room one more time. The piano tuning was already perfectly done yesterday by a tuner I called.

Just then, I got a call from Driver Kim.

— Director. I’ve picked up Mr. Woo Seonrim.

“How long will it take to arrive?”

—The roads are a bit congested. I think it might take about an hour and a half.

“Oh, oh, that’s perfect. When you get here, Jinwoo, tell the front desk to send Woo Seonrim up.”

— Yes, I understand.

“So, how does Woo Seonrim look?”

— ……Pardon?

“Will his condition be okay today? What do you think, Jinwoo?”

— Well, uh…… He’s exactly the same as I saw him a week ago…… sir.

“That’s a relief. Ah, ask him if he’s had dinner.”

I could faintly hear Woo Seonrim’s voice over the phone.

— He says he hasn’t eaten.

“I’ll have to feed him first. Alright.”

It would be a waste of time to go out to eat and come back, so I should just cook something simple myself. I was about to hang up, carefully reviewing the ingredients in my refrigerator, when Driver Kim hesitated and said.

— Sir, Director……

“What is it?”

— Should I understand that this schedule is unofficial?

“What are you talking about?”

— Sometimes the second young master asks about your schedule, Director.

Choi Geonyoung has always been very interested in what his younger brothers are up to. He was different from my eldest brother, who had never shown any personal interest in his half-brothers. He was so nosy it was sometimes annoying.

— And the Madam also asks from time to time.

Although Kim Jinwoo has been working as my driver for over two years, strictly speaking, he was more of a man of the Choi family than my own man. The person who first hired Driver Kim was President Choi, and the person who pays him is also President Choi. He was probably assigned to me for the purpose of keeping an eye on me. That’s why when I was doing something that would be annoying if it reached President Choi’s ears, I moved on my own without calling Driver Kim.

But today, there’s no particular need for that……

I belatedly realized why Driver Kim was feeling awkward.

“It’s not like that, Jinwoo. I think you’ve misunderstood.”

Today was the first time I had invited someone other than family to my home. On top of that, he had seen me go to the front of Woo Seonrim’s house and get into a squabble. I spoke clearly and distinctly.

“He’s not my lover.”

— Yes. I understand. Then I’ll delete the navigation history……

“Ah, no. I think the misunderstanding has jumped to a different place now? You don’t think he and I are sleeping together, do you?”

— Are you…… not?

“Jinwoo, you’re very open-minded, aren’t you? Woo Seonrim is a man.”

Of course, inviting him directly to my home is something that could be misunderstood by others. I was so excited at the thought of listening to Woo Seonrim’s performance that I hadn’t considered that part.

But I didn’t want to take Woo Seonrim to another practice room. I also didn’t like the idea of staying for a long time in a space where many people come and go. I have an excellent soundproof performance room at home, so why should I go to an inconvenient place? Home would be much better for enjoying the performance to the fullest.

Above all, I myself was blameless. If there’s a misunderstanding, I can just clear it up, that’s what I think. If I explain the full story to the person who misunderstood my relationship with Woo Seonrim and let them listen to his performance, the misunderstanding will be dispelled immediately. Because his skill is such that it’s worth asking him to come to my home to play.

No.

Even if they misunderstand, what can they do? Choi Geonyoung also hangs around with both men and women. President Choi, who is receiving chemotherapy, will just have his blood pressure rise and that’ll be the end of it. I can clearly see him screaming his head off about when I’m going to show him a grandchild.

But in any case, the real power in the family will pass to my eldest brother. My eldest brother didn’t care about that kind of private life. He was just cautious about not getting embroiled in scandals.

Besides…… if I’m misunderstood as having a male lover, will those annoying blind dates become a little less frequent?

That’s good.

My eyes suddenly flashed open.

“Jinwoo, still…… if Mother or my brother asks, just answer honestly. That Choi Yisak is sponsoring an artist named Woo Seonrim these days. How they think of it is their business. Anyway, I don’t want to make you lie, Jinwoo.”

— Director……

“But it’s surprising that you thought of lying to Mother for my sake. I’m touched, Jinwoo. Have you grown fond of me?”

— You grow fond of someone in two years. And you are a good person, Director.

I’ve secretly ditched Driver Kim several times because I couldn’t trust him. And I’ll continue to do so in the future…… My conscience pricks me a little.

“That’s enough flattery. Drive safely.”

— Yes. I’ll contact you again when I arrive.

I hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and then headed straight for the kitchen. I planned to move diligently and quickly make a meal before Woo Seonrim arrived.

I can’t make him perform on an empty stomach. I’m going to tie him to the piano for a few hours. It would be a big problem if his blood sugar dropped and he fainted. I should feed him well and make him perform in top condition.

Come to think of it, Woo Seonrim seems to be the skinny type. He looks huge because he’s so tall, but his overall line was slender. Is he perhaps not eating well? Is he just making do with triangle kimbap for his meals?

A performer needs stamina. To play a piece that’s tens of minutes long without a break while maintaining tension, you have to build up your stamina in your daily life. But if you gain too much weight, it puts a strain on your back, so it would be good to gain a moderate amount. If I get him a personal trainer, will he quit that damn part-time job and work out……

I boiled pasta noodles while constantly worrying about Woo Seonrim. It had been a long time since I cooked for someone. So long that I can’t even remember when the last time was.