NFS 1.15

Only when Secretary Choi called out “CEO” in a louder voice did Seo Ahn-jae raise his expressionless face. Though it would be natural to feel uncomfortable with everyone’s eyes on him, he showed absolutely zero unease right then. His every small gesture naturally revealed that he was never one to care about what others thought about him his whole life.

“There’s nothing wrong with corporate PR to increase the company’s value before going public. But it’s not the most cost-effective method, is it?”

He accurately pinpointed the PR team’s proposal despite seemingly not listening to the meeting at all. Some lowered their eyes to hide their surprise. Others nervously went back and reviewed their proposals. If Seo Ahn-jae were to ask what the most efficient method was, they’d have to come up with an answer. But the strong-willed PR team leader asked the entire room directly.

“What is the most cost-effective method?

“Me.”

While others’ eyes widened in surprise at Seo Ahn-jae’s answer, only the PR team leader’s eyes sparkled. Honestly, nothing could promote the company better than Seo Ahn-jae himself. Though his prominence might later create owner risk, with that face, even risks could become promotional opportunities. If Seo Ahn-jae stepped forward, it would only be a matter of time before even gaming-illiterate 80-year-old grandmothers would know Million’s name. Still, the PR team leader checked first.

“But you’ve always disliked media contact, haven’t you?”

“I don’t dislike it. There just wasn’t a need before this. Schedule interviews one by one, within limits that won’t waste my time. Choose the most effective ones.”

“Yes.” The PR team leader nodded emphatically.

“We’ll start with one or two print interviews, then move straight to TV. There’s a good major program that could make us instantly notable and recognized. It has very high ratings too.”

The PR team leader seemed delighted, their mind already full of ways to utilize Seo Ahn-jae as a product. After the meeting ended and the excited PR team left, Secretary Choi paused while tidying up, noticing Seo Ahn-jae still in the room. He was again staring at one spot, appearing lost in thought. This time too, he was looking at the closed door. Seeing this unusual behavior, Secretary Choi asked without thinking, “Is something wrong?”

Seo Ahn-jae only raised his eyes to look at him. His gaze was cold and harsh. Though Secretary Choi felt like he’d committed a crime of privacy invasion with just that one question, he tensed his jaw to hide it. Still finding it difficult to meet the other man’s gaze, he glanced away when the answer came.

“It’s not bad for me. If people associate Million with Seo Ahn-jae, even if someone tries to take over Million, they won’t be able to push me out.”

Though not the answer Secretary Choi was curious about, he found it to be rather intriguing. Seo Ahn-jae was right about that. Once people recognize the ‘company=owner’ equation, external forces would find it harder to remove him. And Seo Ahn-jae was the perfect person to imprint this equation in people’s minds.

Even though there was no obvious threat yet, he was preparing for after going public? Secretary Choi marveled, wondering if Seo Ahn-jae’s previous avoidance of exposure was calculated for this perfect timing. As if he’d planned his own launch meticulously as if it were just another product launch.

“Though it could be poison for the company.”

This detached comment was added. It wasn’t wrong—if something happened to Seo Ahn-jae, Million would be affected too. But Secretary Choi thought that if it was poison like Seo Ahn-jae, it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, he just needed the company to stay afloat and keep paying his salary.

“You’ll be busier from now on.”

As he made this courteous remark before leaving, he noticed Seo Ahn-jae fixing his gaze on the door again. Why does he keep staring at that door like that? Did something happen in front of that door?

 ***

‘The Heukseok-dong owner called the Garosu-gil owner this morning. Said to be at the store today because Team Leader’s coming. It’s good for you, right? Just drop by briefly. For the sake of the Heukseok-dong owner who made the introduction. I’m telling you it’ll be good for you!’

Another call from Manager Park. Being outside at the moment, Joo Seung-ha suppressed the urge to say something and blamed himself for answering. He reluctantly headed to the store Manager Park mentioned, but without any high expectations. Empty wagons make the most noise, after all. Sure enough, while the business card led to a large multi-story boutique, the pet supplies section was just a small display stand in a corner.

A few harnesses and clothes, and only one TV-advertised brand of pet food on display. It clearly showed no real intention to sell pet supplies. What little they had was all for large dogs. Though he hadn’t expected much in the first place from Manager Park’s introduction, it would be surprising if they sold even one bag of food in this state.

“Can I help you, sir?”

At the staff’s friendly voice, Joo Seung-ha shook his head and mentioned the Heukseok-dong shop that had made the introduction.

“I’m here through their referral.”

When Joo Seung-ha offered his business card, the employee made a long “ah—” sound and studied him closely. Just as he wondered why, the employee made a phone call and explained,

“The owner will come down right away. His residence is on the top floor.”

After thanking them, Joo Seung-ha looked at the display again, but the employee kept right on staring openly at his face.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that you’re so handsome. I thought you were a celebrity at first.”

Though the employee meant it as a compliment, it only went on to worsen Joo Seung-ha’s mood. While he was used to people paying attention to his looks, this employee’s gaze was particularly bothersome. It wasn’t at all the kind of look you should give a salesperson. When Joo Seung-ha met their gaze without smiling, the employee finally cleared their throat and turned away.

What’s this about? He grumbled internally when shortly after, the store’s door opened and a tall man walked into the room. His hair was messy as if he’d just woken up, and behind his semi-rimless glasses, his face wore an annoyed expression as he crossed the store. However, his attire—a designer logo shirt, ankle-length pants, and slippers—wasn’t your normal just-gotten-out-of-bed wear.

The tall man in typical wealthy fashion-conscious attire looked around the store before turning to Joo Seung-ha at the employee’s word. Joo Seung-ha noticed his eyes widen briefly in surprise. But he quickly returned to his frowning expression and approached Joo Seung-ha, who offered a greeting out of sales habit.

“Hello. I’m Joo Seung-ha from XX.”

He bowed and offered his business card, but the man barely glanced at it before turning away with a single word, “Come.”

“Where?” When Joo Seung-ha hesitated to follow, the man turned back with narrowed eyes.

“We need to talk, don’t we?”

Though puzzled again, Joo Seung-ha followed him since they did need to talk. Fortunately, they didn’t go far. The owner entered a café just across the street. He sat at a window seat and immediately called out his order to the counter staff, “Make it cold with two shots.”

Then, pressing his forehead as if nursing a headache, he told Joo Seung-ha, “Order whatever you want.”

After briefly observing his apparently hungover state, Joo Seung-ha approached the counter to order a cold drink and took out his card. But the staff member shook their head.

“President Kang will pay.”

Though the staff seemed used to this routine with visitors, Joo Seung-ha couldn’t accept it. Even if there was nothing to sell, accepting treats wasn’t proper for a salesperson.

“Please use my card.”

“But President Kang always pays…”

“I’ll pay for mine.”

When Joo Seung-ha kept holding out his card, the staff glanced at President Kang. An irritated voice came out, “Just let me pay. It’s nothing, really.”

Without looking back at him, Joo Seung-ha told the staff once more, “Please let me pay for mine at least.”

The staff finally took the card and charged only Joo Seung-ha’s drink. When Joo Seung-ha finished paying and sat down, President Kang continued pressing his forehead while staring at him intently. First the employee, now the owner. Though Joo Seung-ha usually tried to end first meetings with clients pleasantly, he forced out some friendliness and spoke first.

“I noticed only one type of dry food was displayed in-store. Adding wet food, freeze-dried, or cold-pressed options might work well too.”

Joo Seung-ha took out a pamphlet from his bag and placed it on the table. But the other party kept staring at Joo Seung-ha’s face without looking at the pamphlet. Joo Seung-ha was explaining briefly when their eyes met. The man glanced away and spoke in an irritated tone.

“Well, you didn’t come just to sell me pet food, did you?”

No, I came only to sell pet food. Bewildered, Joo Seung-ha answered honestly, “I’m a pet food sales representative. I have nothing else to sell.”

“And I have nothing to buy.”

He cut him off firmly, sighed, and roughly swept back his hair. If he has nothing to buy, then there’s no reason for me to be here. Joo Seung-ha briefly considered getting up, though he felt bad about the drink he’d just ordered. Just then, President Kang’s small grumble reached his ears.

“I’m sure you’ve heard, but I’m not interested in you. I only came out because they kept telling me how handsome you are and insisted I meet you…”

He trailed off, scanning Joo Seung-ha from head to toe again.

“It’s not that I think you’re bad. But I haven’t been single for very long, and honestly, haa, I’m not really ready to meet someone yet.”

President Kang sighed deeply again and gulped down the iced Americano the employee had prepared like water. The drink Joo Seung-ha had ordered was placed in front of him, but he didn’t even notice it. So, it’s a blind date? Only after finally sorting out his dazed thoughts did a burst of infuriated annoyance surge up.

“The president from Heukseok-dong keeps trying to set me up with anyone since I’m such a mess, but if that’s the case, I could just go to a club and grab anyone…” He trailed off. “What are you doing?”

President Kang, looking tired, was speaking when he noticed Joo Seung-ha getting up from his seat. Joo Seung-ha hadn’t even touched his expensive drink, but he tidied up his things without regret and slung his bag over his shoulder.

“Since you don’t need anything, I’ll be going now. Thank you for your time.”

As Joo Seung-ha turned away, he heard a voice calling, “Hey,” but he ignored it and left the cafe. As summer was approaching, the midday sun was quite intense. Walking to the parking lot, Joo Seung-ha thought about the cold drink he hadn’t even taken a sip of. Damn it, what a waste.

***

Thursday, 10 p.m. The second chauffeur call came in.

‘Xxx Bar. Wait inside.’

The message contained only the business name and the condition to wait inside. Joo Seung-ha looked at the message Seo Ahn-jae had sent and got up. He was less annoyed than when he’d received the first call, but tension filled him instead. For the past few days, he had tried not to think about Seo Ahn-jae, but whenever he relaxed, the other man’s voice came to mind.

It wasn’t that his words brought back old feelings, but he hated the fact that he was even paying attention to any of that. ‘Do you like being hurt?’ He also hated himself for still not being able to dismiss that question as complete bullshit. The store Seo Ahn-jae had mentioned seemed to operate on a reservation system, since he was stopped by an employee at the entrance.

“I’m the designated driver.”

Even after revealing his identity, the employee shook his head.

“You still can’t go in. If you wait in the parking lot on the first floor, I’ll let the customer know.”

Joo Seung-ha considered calling Seo Ahn-jae directly but eventually gave up. He was just a driver, so there was no need to contact the customer personally.

“The customer’s name is Seo Ahn-jae. The phone number is…”

Joo Seung-ha was about to take out his smartphone to tell him the number when the employee recognized the name.

“Million’s CEO Seo? Ah, if it’s him, you should have said so sooner. Come in.”

The employee led the way, but when Joo Seung-ha didn’t move, he looked back, puzzled.

“Come on in. We’ve been informed about you by CEO Seo in advance.”

What did he just say? Joo Seung-ha suppressed the question he wanted to ask and reluctantly followed. The interior of the bar, which he had difficulty entering, was dark, and soft jazz flowed out. Some people were standing and playing simple games, but most were sitting at tables scattered throughout the hall, drinking and talking. If it weren’t for the dim lighting, it would look more like a restaurant with a good atmosphere than a bar. The employee led Joo Seung-ha across the wide hall to a long bar.

“You can order anything you want.”

“Even alcohol?”

“Yes.”

Joo Seung-ha stared at the employee, who had answered immediately. Only then did the employee realize something and smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, you came as a designated driver, right? Then you should stick to non-alcoholic drinks. We also serve light meals, so order whatever you like. It’s already been taken care of, so don’t worry about the bill.”

It was already paid for even though he hadn’t eaten anything yet. What exactly did Seo Ahn-jae say in advance? Joo Seung-ha suppressed the question he wanted to ask again and looked around the interior.

“When will CEO Seo be out?”

“He’s still in the room talking with his party.”

In the end, it meant more waiting again. The employee seemed busy and left, and the bartender standing behind the bar smiled at Joo Seung-ha.

“Would you like to order something?”

“No thanks,” he replied, intending to go outside to wait there. But a small commotion at the end of the bar caught his attention.

“Sir, sir!”

An employee was trying to lift a man who had collapsed face-first on the bar. Even in a fancy bar, there are drunks everywhere, Joo Seung-ha thought, ignoring whatever was going on and taking a step, but a loud ‘thud!’ made him turn his head again. This time, even those inside turned their heads to look.

It seemed the drunk had finally fallen to the floor. What made Joo Seung-ha pause was his face. It was President Kang, whom he had met on Garosu-gil just a few days ago. While Joo Seung-ha unconsciously approached to confirm if it was really him, the employee who had been shaking him tried to lift him up with a flustered expression.

“Sir, are you okay? Sir.”

“Contact his family or friends with his phone.”

A senior employee came running and said this, but the bartender shook his head with a bewildered expression on his face.

“This customer doesn’t have a phone. He said he deliberately threw it away because he thought he might call his ex.”

“Haa, what is this? We don’t even know this customer’s address?”

As the employees struggled to lift the unconscious President Kang, Joo Seung-ha reluctantly intervened.

“He’s the owner of a select shop in Garosu-gil.”

“Oh? Do you know this customer? Are you with him?”

“No,” he was about to answer, but the bartender immediately cut him off.

“Ah, this person is a chauffeur.”

The senior employee looked at Joo Seung-ha with a relieved expression.

“Did you come to pick up this customer? That’s great.”

“No,” Joo Seung-ha shook his head firmly this time, but with all eyes on them, the senior employee gestured for him to follow while supporting President Kang. When Joo Seung-ha didn’t follow, the employee mouthed ‘hurry up,’ forcing him to follow them outside.

“You know this customer’s address, right?”

The senior employee pointed to President Kang, who could barely walk on his own.

“Yes, but I hardly know him.”

“Well, that doesn’t matter. I have a favor to ask.”

Caught off guard, Joo Seung-ha couldn’t immediately ask ‘what?’ The senior employee practically pushed the stumbling President Kang toward Joo Seung-ha while quickly continuing, “I’ll call a taxi, just wait and make sure he gets in it.”

“Wait!”

Though Joo Seung-ha tried to protest belatedly, the senior employee disappeared into the establishment quickly like an enemy fleeing after dropping a bomb. Yet Joo Seung-ha couldn’t push away the drunk man leaning his entire weight on him to chase after them. Ha, damn it. Joo Seung-ha cursed internally while supporting the stumbling President Kang.

“Sir, President Kang!”

But he could barely open his eyes and kept trying to lean on Joo Seung-ha.

“Ah, please get it together…”

“For me…love is everything.”

The whispered mumble touched his skin. Though accompanied by the unpleasant smell of alcohol, Joo Seung-ha froze momentarily at that voice. He wasn’t feeling pity for the sad man. However, it just suddenly reminded him of his past self, like finding an old memory while organizing drawers after years of neglect. Back then, he too had said love was everything. That without love, he’d be just an empty shell.

“You are…you’re everything to me…you’re still everything to me.”

The tall President Kang mumbled again while leaning as if to embrace Joo Seung-ha. Though his weight was heavy, Joo Seung-ha couldn’t push him away coldly. Just put him in a taxi when the time comes. He only turned his eyes to the street. The drunk’s mumbling had turned into unintelligible murmurs.

Yet strangely, Joo Seung-ha felt he could understand every word. Though it became burdensome as President Kang seemed to put his full weight on Joo Seung-ha, he thought he just needed to endure a bit longer. Then suddenly that weight disappeared. Before Joo Seung-ha could process what was happening, President Kang’s body was grabbed by someone’s hands and shoved hard to the ground.

President Kang fell to the floor for the second time, again with a thud. He groaned in pain, seemingly hurt quite badly. Joo Seung-ha turned in shock to see who had pushed him. Seo Ahn-jae stood there clothes completely askew, looking at Joo Seung-ha.

“Who is he?”

“A client…no, someone I met through work. How could you throw someone to the ground like that?”

When Joo Seung-ha tried to go to the fallen President Kang, Seo Ahn-jae grabbed his arm and asked again dryly, “Is that all?”

What else could there be? When Joo Seung-ha showed his confusion, Seo Ahn-jae suddenly kicked President Kang’s body hard with his shoe. Ugh, President Kang curled up like a shrimp in pain.

“What are you doing?!”

Though Joo Seung-ha cried out with wide eyes in shock, Seo Ahn-jae stared at his face and said calmly, “If you’re not close, why worry?”

Joo Seung-ha looked up at him in utter disbelief. You kicked him to see how much I’d worry? He wanted to say that anyone would worry about someone being kicked like that, regardless of knowing them or not, but couldn’t when he saw the look in Seo Ahn-jae’s eyes. Though his voice was normal, his eyes had turned frightening again. For a moment, Joo Seung-ha recalled Seo Ahn-jae subduing and looking down at him in the office. Forcibly suppressing his fear, Joo Seung-ha let out in a low voice, “Who I worry about isn’t your concern, is it?”

Seo Ahn-jae smirked and kicked President Kang hard again. This time even Joo Seung-ha gasped at the loud thud sound. Seo Ahn-jae smiled again looking down at Joo Seung-ha.

“Still worried?”

Are you crazy? Joo Seung-ha swallowed his words and grabbed Seo Ahn-jae’s clothes, pulling him back.

“Sunbae, stop it.”

Though worried Seo Ahn-jae might kick again, he just stared down expressionlessly before grabbing Joo Seung-ha’s arm. He dragged Joo Seung-ha behind the building. Before Joo Seung-ha could wonder where they were going or what would happen to President Kang, they stopped. It was a smoking area, with only pillars and a roof in an open space. Seo Ahn-jae released Joo Seung-ha’s arm and took out some cigarettes from his pocket. Joo Seung-ha resisted the urge to rub his sore arm and declined the offered cigarette.

“I don’t smoke.”

“But you used to?”

How does he know that? Joo Seung-ha never smoked on days he met up with Seo Ahn-jae. Afraid of any unpleasant smells, he’d refrain from smoking and thoroughly wash himself, covering himself with only pleasant scents.

“I quit.”

“Why?” Seo Ahn-jae asked, putting a cigarette in his mouth. Though it sounded casual, Joo Seung-ha remained tense. His eyes were still sharp. It seemed like he might push Joo Seung-ha against something and use force at any given moment. Joo Seung-ha took a deep breath to calm himself and looked straight up at him.

“Just because. Some guy told me to quit.”

Click—the lighter flame wavered as it touched the cigarette tip. The flame briefly illuminated Seo Ahn-jae’s face, creating deep shadows. Joo Seung-ha suppressed the urge to swallow and added, “What? Does that make you angry too?”

At those words, Seo Ahn-jae tilted his head slightly sideways with the cigarette in his mouth. Though the gesture suggested he found Joo Seung-ha’s words amusing, Joo Seung-ha wasn’t fooled, not in the slightest.

“Don’t get angry over every little thing like this, senior. It makes it look like you like me.”

His lips, holding the cigarette, curved more widely. Though it turned into a complete smile, his eyes flashed more fiercely. Joo Seung-ha continued regardless, driving the point home, “If you don’t want it to look that way, stop paying attention to me.”

“Of course, I’m paying attention. I want to sleep with you.”

Joo Seung-ha tried to maintain a blank expression, but ignoring such a brazen statement wasn’t easy. It was getting more and more obvious that all this had to do more with desire than revenge, yet their past made it more than just simple lust. You hated me. How can you want this when you hated sleeping with me so much? Watching the dispersing smoke, Joo Seung-ha suppressed memories rising like needles. As he stepped back, Seo Ahn-jae took an even larger step forward.

It was like earlier when Seo Ahn-jae had hit President Kang harder because Joo Seung-ha showed concern. To Joo Seung-ha, Seo Ahn-jae’s step felt like a threat that any sort of retreat wouldn’t be tolerated. He couldn’t help but furrow his brow. Watching him, Seo Ahn-jae flicked the ash from his cigarette with a tap.