CI 1.3

What? Hee-yeon? Yeo-il doubted his ears for a moment, but looking at the business card he handed him, Boss Won’s name really was ‘Hee-yeon.’ The imbalance between his delicate name, flashy shirt, and heavy tattoos was mind-boggling.

As Yeo-il stared at Hee-yeon’s business card with an incredulous expression, a flustered Attorney Bae stepped in.

“Ahem, ahem. Attorney Son, what are you doing? You should give Boss Won your card too. Please understand, Boss Won. Our Attorney Son is very smart but still lacks experience. He’s young! As they say these days, he’s an MZ, from the MZ generation.”

“Ah, MZ.”

Boss Won pronounced “Z” with distinct emphasis while carefully examining the business card that Yeo-il reluctantly handed him. The fresh card he had just received yesterday neatly listed Yeo-il’s mobile and office phone numbers, email, and even his university.

“Indeed. Even your business card is pretty.”

Having secured Yeo-il’s personal information, he smiled with satisfaction, his dimples showing. When Yeo-il remained silent with his small lips tightly pressed together, Attorney Bae stepped in again.

“By the way, Boss Won. Did you want to have lunch with our office staff?”

“That’s why I came, but now that I’m here, I just remembered that today is that Chamber of Commerce luncheon. I’m such a blockhead, always forgetting things.”

“Haha… Yes. You were invited too, weren’t you?”

“Some invitation paper or whatever did arrive, but being a country bumpkin, I break out in hives whenever I go to such proper gatherings. But you should go, Attorney Bae? You can’t miss it as a former judge. And our Manager Kim. Still on that diet?”

Just as Yeo-il realized that the gangster was steering the conversation in a strange direction, he pointed at him with his thick, elongated finger.

“What can we do then? I guess I’ll just have to have a private meeting with Attorney Son today!”

What the hell?

Yeo-il couldn’t hide his trembling pupils. It was an illogical conclusion by any measure, but the perceptive Attorney Bae, having understood the building owner’s intentions, quickly agreed.

“That would be perfect! I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t even treated Attorney Son to a proper meal, so I’ll entrust him to you, Boss Won.”

“Oh my, we’re all just trying to make a living, so why be so formal? I should treat him to something so delicious that I might collapse from enjoyment.”

Just looking at each other was uncomfortable enough, let alone having a meal together. Since he couldn’t honestly tell everyone in the office, “I had a one-night stand with this person a few days ago and I’ve been ignoring his messages, so this is awkward,” Yeo-il hesitantly responded.

“Um, after I finish my morning work…”

“Hmm? That would make me feel bad.”

“That’s right! Attorney Son. You can take your time with work. Get some fresh air when Boss Won offers to take you out. Boss Won really knows this town inside out.”

“I wouldn’t say inside out, but I do know some good restaurants.”

Attorney Bae asked Yeo-il with a beaming smile.

“What do you think? Does our attorney like freshwater snail stew?”

That darned freshwater snail stew. Yeo-il left the office with Boss Won, feeling like he was being dragged to his execution. In his mind, he was running his final hope circuit.

‘Didn’t he say earlier that he received an invitation to the Chamber of Commerce luncheon? There’s no way they would invite a gangster. Maybe his occupation is normal, and he just has strange speech and clothing…’

However, Yeo-il’s hope was shattered by the booming voice that greeted them as they exited the building.

“Welcome, boss!”

A man was bowing at a 90-degree angle to Boss Won in front of a large, black Benz sedan. He had a stocky build with both muscle and belly fat, a buzz cut, and a long scar on his cheek.

‘Wow. Damn. These guys are unmistakably gangsters.’

While Boss Won himself didn’t have a comforting appearance, seeing his typical gangster-type henchman made Yeo-il even more terrified. Noticing Yeo-il’s already pale face turning ashen, Boss Won clicked his tongue and restrained his henchman.

“Why are you overreacting, Hong-sik? Take it easy, easy.”

“Sorry, boss!”

“This guy… are you listening to me through your asshole?”

Boss Won sighed briefly, opened the car door, and gestured to Yeo-il.

“He’s actually quite nice once you get to know him… Come on, Mr. Attorney, get in. We have a long way to go.”

A long way? He was worried about how far he was being taken, but for now, he had no choice but to follow instructions.

‘Surely they’re not trying to kidnap me in broad daylight… Right. I can’t keep avoiding this forever.’

Even if it was a mistake made while drunk, it was still something Yeo-il had done, so he needed to resolve it. With a determined face, he got into the large, black sedan.

The car diligently rolled toward some unknown country road. Boss Won seemed excited just by the fact that he was sitting in the back seat next to Yeo-il. After humming an unidentifiable tune for a while, he suddenly exclaimed with a regional accent.

“The weather is soooo nice!”

“It’s supposed to rain this afternoon, boss.”

Hong-sik seemed to be the type who was respectful but couldn’t tell a lie. As he said, the sky outside was full of dark clouds, and the road was shrouded in fog. Boss Won frowned as if displeased by his subordinate’s correction.

“Hong-sik. When will you ever develop some tact?”

“I’m sorry, boss.”

Having silenced Hong-sik, Boss Won now stared directly at Yeo-il’s profile.

“The weather is nice, and the attorney is also good-looking. Wow. Your beauty is extraordinary.”

In fact, it seemed he had wanted to compliment Yeo-il’s face rather than the weather from the beginning. After staring at Yeo-il’s face, which wouldn’t even give him a glance, he eventually began his interrogation.

“How old are you, Mr. Attorney?”

“…Twenty-six.”

Finding something amusing, Boss Won started chuckling to himself.

“Eing, I’m thirty-six. Barely avoided being a full zodiac cycle apart. Right?”

Yeo-il was surprised that Boss Won was older than he thought. While his speech pattern was like someone in their 50s, if he just kept his mouth shut, he didn’t look that old. He would have believed if someone said he was around his age, but seeing that he had henchmen and was called “Boss,” he had guessed he was at least over thirty.

“But at twenty-six, what’s your zodiac sign? Let’s see, ttolgi, ttaengi, hochi, saechomi^[1]…”

As he recited something unintelligible like a chant, Hong-sik, unable to contain himself, interrupted again.

“Boss. Young people these days don’t know about that.”

“What? Is that true? Mr. Attorney, you don’t know ttolgi, ttaengi, hochi, saechomi?”

When Yeo-il made a completely bewildered expression, Boss Won fell into great confusion.

“Well then, how do MZs count zodiac signs? What’s your sign, Mr. Attorney?”

“I’m a rabbit.”

“Rabbit! Wow, even your zodiac sign is pretty.”

After giving this nutritionally empty compliment, Boss Won mumbled to himself seriously, “He is young,” and “But if he hasn’t gone around a full cycle, aren’t we the same generation?” His attitude was like analyzing the broth when no one was offering him rice cake.

He thought he might have come to his senses since he wasn’t calling him “baby” and was using formal speech, but this man had clearly come with the purpose of hitting on Yeo-il.

Things had become quite troublesome. While Yeo-il was sinking deeper into his worries, the car arrived at a traditional Korean restaurant in a quiet location. It was an antique place with bonsai trees, a pond, and even fake waterwheel decorations in the garden.

The restaurant owner, dressed in modified hanbok, welcomed Boss Won and guided them to a secluded inner room. Hot towels and bright yellow pumpkin porridge for appetizers were promptly placed on the table.

‘Even if he talks nonsense, I’ll ignore it and quickly eat first. As soon as I finish, I’ll just state my conclusion and leave.’

Yeo-il ate the pumpkin porridge with his head bowed low. It had a texture with slight grains of rice, and was sweet with just the right amount of salt. Just as his eyes widened and he took a few more spoonfuls,

“Hey, about that.”

Ignore him. Ignore. Yeo-il steeled himself and pushed a spoonful into his mouth. Regardless, Boss Won asked his question with a fresh, radiant smile as if it had been painted on.

“Is today day one for us, or was last Sunday day one?”

Pfft. Despite his firm resolve, Yeo-il half-spat out the pumpkin porridge he had in his mouth.

“What? What did you, cough, what did you say? cough, cough“

“Eing, why are you like this. Are you okay?”

Even while choking and coughing, Yeo-il fumbled for a napkin to wipe the porridge grains that had escaped his lips. But Boss Won was faster.

He extended his hand, large as a pot lid, toward Yeo-il, and with his fingertips, picked up the grain stuck to his lips. And then, oh Lord. Boss Won popped the grain Yeo-il had spat out into his own mouth.

“What, what are you doing!”

Horrified, Yeo-il shouted, but Boss Won just smiled faintly.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, just now, that grain, it’s dirty…”

“Ah, it’s fine. I won’t die. What’s the problem between us?”

“What do you mean ‘between us’!”

Just as Yeo-il was raising his voice, the door to the inner room slid open. The owner came in with a tray as big as a door panel, arranged side dishes on the table, and then brought in bubbling stone pot rice and a pot containing stew.

The owner lit the gas burner with a click and stirred the red stew broth with a ladle. After finishing the setup, they left the room with words that could have been well-wishes or curses directed at Boss Won and Yeo-il.

“Eat when it boils. My, how can people be this good-looking. I’ll make sure no one comes near here until you call, so you two enjoy your meal and have a cozy~ conversation. Hmm?”

Oh, goodness. While Yeo-il was at a loss for words, Boss Won deftly scraped rice from his stone pot into a bowl and poured water into the stone pot where only the scorched rice remained.

As the water in the stone pot bubbled, the savory aroma of scorched rice rose, and the bowl was filled with glossy grains of rice. Each of the many side dishes on the table looked neat and appetizing.

A meal with rice, side dishes, and stew. Yeo-il suddenly realized it had been a very long time since he had eaten such a properly prepared meal. He had been surviving on cheap sandwiches, kimbap, and ramen for months now.

Thinking about when it had started, the beginning point of his chaotic diet was clear. Since it wasn’t a pleasant memory, Yeo-il erased the thought and gripped his spoon.

‘Right, whether it’s thinking or rejecting, let’s eat first.’

The stew in the middle of the table began to boil bubbling. As if he had been waiting, Boss Won took the plate and served Yeo-il stew with an even distribution of shrimp, zucchini, and tofu.

“Try it quickly. Hmm? This is freshwater snail stew.”

Why is this man so obsessed with freshwater snail stew? Did he patent it? Does he have shares in this restaurant? The moment Yeo-il reluctantly picked up his spoon and tasted the stew, his furrowed brow smoothed out. His appetite was so stimulated that he pulled his chair closer to the table and began eating in earnest.

“That’s right. Delicious, isn’t it? Eat a lot. Our baby is so skinny like a skewer, when we were pounding rice cakes^[2], your bones were clattering.”

Yeo-il had endured when he picked food off his face or mentioned “day one” and “baby,” but now this rude man was openly sexually harassing him. He wanted to snap at him about what he was doing, but no matter what, he was the building owner and he was just a junior lawyer who had started work today, so he tried to endure it for now. But then.

“When you look at me like that, my cock gets hard.”

Ugh, damn it. At this clearly line-crossing remark, Yeo-il unconsciously readjusted his grip on his chopsticks and raised the pointed end as if to stab Boss Won. He was secretly worried that after his outburst, he might get angry about his rudeness, but Boss Won waved his hand dismissively, giggling as if his impulsive action was cute.

“Oh, it’s a joke, just a joke. Hurry up and eat, Mr. Attorney.”

He wanted to flip the table, but the food wasn’t at fault. Yeo-il, who had lacked appetite for months, ate heartily.

He scraped clean the bowl of rice and the scorched rice boiled in the stone pot, and most of the side dish plates were emptied. With his stomach full, he felt embarrassed that he had eaten so well in this situation.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Yeo-il cleared his throat and drank the plum tea that had been placed in the corner of the table as dessert. Looking around, he glanced outside the window to see a serene garden spread out, and beyond it, the waves of a green, pointed barley field.

‘This really is the countryside.’

Even looking at the beautiful scenery, all he felt was indifference. His heart had become so dried up and twisted that he had become quite unlikable, he thought. It was then.

“Can I hold your hand?”

Startled by Boss Won’s languid voice, Yeo-il hurriedly hid both hands under the table. Boss Won looked genuinely disappointed.

“Come on, why are you like that? Did I say I would break your wrist? We have matched our stomachs but I can’t even hold your hand?”

Judging by the fact that he’d ignored his calls until now and by his attitude today, he should be able to guess Yeo-il’s feelings, more or less. Boss Won seemed less oblivious and more brazenly shameless.

It was time to speak the words of rejection as planned. Yeo-il’s goal was to calmly hit the mark. He couldn’t be too abrasive for fear of what harsh treatment he might receive, nor could he be too disrespectful to the office building owner, so it was difficult to cross the line.