YA Ch 9

That crane-like man was so tall that the top of his head would stick out even if he was buried among aspiring models. Despite the fact that the body was in a natural standing posture, the well-stretched skeleton had no bent or shrunken parts. The slender waist that stood upright displayed a strong form of strength. Thighs and calves dropped coolly in a long straight line. So he looks great in just jeans and a white T-shirt.

The man was like a human god, which the sculptor calculated and refined the golden ratio so that the bones were hollow and there was nothing to add or subtract. If God wore jeans, he would look exactly like the man.

However, the reason the man caught Ji-an’s attention was not simply because he was handsome.

‘Is it possible to resemble him like that?’

The man was eating fish cakes at the snack bar in front of the SJ Entertainment building with his left hand tucked into his dark blue jeans.

Ji-an walked into the snack shop as if possessed. He tilted his upper body to get a better look at his face. In any case, the man ate tteokbokki, tempura, and a sundae while drinking the fish cake soup.

The man seemed unconcerned about Ji-an because he was preoccupied with eating. The man licked his lips and nodded his head as if eating sundae dipped in tteokbokki soup was a new world experience for the first time in his life.

“Ji-an-ssi?”

“Oh, CEO Oh Seok-hyun.”

Ji-an only realized CEO Oh was standing next to him after his name was called. The man turned his head, looked down at Ji-an, and coughed as if he had choked. To avoid spitting the food, he covered his mouth with the palm of his hand. Ji-an looked at the man with puzzled eyes and spoke to CEO Oh. There was a question Ji-an forgot to ask.

“I… would it a problem to share the provided lodging with an outsider?”

It would have been less direct and more conciliatory in the past, but he was in no mood to do so now. His words stuttered because of the man in front of him, who looked like Seung-joon to the point of embarrassment.

Ji-an’s gaze was fixed on the man. Surprisingly, the man quickly stood up in response to Ji-an’s question to CEO Oh.

“Who is the outsider?”

“I have a friend who I am living with for a while, and his contract will expire soon…”

Ji-an was unable to pay the monthly rent to Park Geon-oh’s house, who was a member of the same group as an idol at the time and was indebted to it.

Depending on the region, it was possible to live in a branded apartment with a deposit of 1 billion won and monthly rent of 2.5 million won. Ji-an’s only option for compensation to Geon-oh was to share the high-quality accommodation provided by the agency.

Ji-an regained his composure after unexpectedly discussing his situation.

“But who is this?”

Ji-an asked the young man who looked like Seung-joon. His gaze was fixed on CEO Oh. When asked, CEO Oh made a face that even looked innocent.

“Ah, this person is an investor in our company… ah!”

“Investing in the company… A trainee who receives a lot.”

The man tapped President Oh’s shin with his hind leg and ended his speech instead. The expression on his face that appeared stunned and surprised disappeared as soon as he saw Ji-an. When the man made a face-to-face gaze full of dissatisfaction with him, Ji-an’s embarrassment came again.

Even with a young face, perhaps 20 years old at most, it was unmistakably Seung-joon. Although the impression and atmosphere were different from the first time Ji-an met Seung-joon, he was too similar to the 20-year-old Seung-joon in the album he had looked at several times. Ji-an considered this with implied terms.

‘Did you have a son you kept hidden from me?’

Ji-an immediately shook his head left and right. If so, it means that Seung-joon became a father when he was 16 or younger. Ji-an thought that it was more realistic to say that Seung-joon himself was about 15 years younger. There was no way Seung-joon had been hiding that from Ji-an for over three years.

It was difficult to deduce anything from Alpha’s scent, which was subtly buried on the man’s white skin. Ji-an would have guessed it if he could confirm the pheromone, but the man was cleaning it up like a clean freak.

The man tightly folded his arms and looked back at CEO Oh.

“Is it okay to just bring outsiders into the sacred quarters? Huh? CEO Oh. Do you not take care of your actors?”

Ji-an was thinking about something else when his mind was drawn back to what the young man was mentioning. It was ridiculous how he learned the cheeky attitude of giving the person who asked the question in front of him and pointing out the person who asked the question in a roundabout way. The man acted as if it was natural for him to dislike Ji-an in this way.

Ji-an’s mind flashed like a lantern with the territorial integrity of his seniors, which he had experienced as a trainee for two years. It was a difficult treatment for a 15-year-old boy to go through. That experience didn’t make Ji-an any stronger. Ji-an raised his big eyes, which had no double lids.

“Hey, you punk. How old are you?”

However, he made Ji-an into a young old man.

And this old man had to make sure he was in order so he could sleep well at night.

For some reason, Ji-an’s change of attitude seemed to make the man very flustered.  Most people were taken aback when Ji-an changed because of his gentle demeanor.

Ji-an did not show such a warlike side to Seung-joon, who he had been dating for a year and lived together for two years. He sighed with grace even when he was angry with him.

The man shrugged his shoulders and toned down his voice.

“What…? Punk?”

“By the looks of it, you’re a snobbish young man who wouldn’t even have dried the ink on his resident registration card. How dare you interrupt when adults are talking?!!!”

Ji-an screamed as he gathered his breath. He couldn’t stand the words of a sacred quarter or bringing outsiders. It was as if Ji-an was trying to be rude in a place where he should be quiet, and it was a scolding fight. This was usually the case with Alpha’s prejudices against Omega. But it was this young trainee’s arrogant attitude that really irritated Ji-an.

The man may have been the first to sign a contract with the agency, but regardless of the field, the debut year was the same as the military year of enlistment. Ji-an, despite his retirement, was a distant senior who debuted 11 years ago. It was normal if this trainee who hadn’t even debuted couldn’t even make eye contact with Ji-an. Ji-an frowned and looked up at the man who was 15 centimeters taller than him.

“Attention.”

The man stood up unsteadily and then stopped. The fact that he almost listened to Ji-an’s command in the blink of an eye seemed to have hurt his self-esteem.  Ji-an used his shoe to tap the man’s right ankle and said, ‘At ease. Attention. At ease. Attention.’ was repeated. In the end, it turned out to be a push-pull.

Then, the thought that the man in front of him looked like Seung-joon disappeared completely. He was an ungrateful brat. Ji-an didn’t know, but Seung-joon probably wasn’t so soft when he was 20. Seung-joon was a person who was not easily handled by nature.

“Official statement.”

“Woo…”

“Are you confused by your name? Woo, what?”

“Woo-young.”

“You don’t have a last name? … Don’t tell me, it’s Woo?”

“Seon. Seon Woo-young.”

The man, identified as Woo-young, had the same face as Seung-joon when he was about 20 years old, but when he rubbed his eyes and looked closely, the completely different man’s expression softened as he became dejected.

Looking closely, Woo-young had a soft impression, unlike Seung-joon. Ji-an’s glaring eyes remained and his voice grew stronger.

“Seon Woo-young. From now on greet e properly.”

Woo-young nodded hesitantly as if someone had grabbed the back of his head and forced him. Ji-an sighed and relaxed his expression after seeing Woo-young enter the agency’s building as if running away while rubbing his earlobe. He even spoke calmly about the accommodations with CEO Oh.

***

Ji-an found an apartment in a convenient location near public transportation. Because of its age, it had an antique feel to it, but it was a brand-name apartment, so the space was comfortable and the soundproofing was better than in new construction. It was a palace in comparison to Park Geon-oh’s two-room apartment. Geon-oh, his roommate, wiped away tears on the day he moved in after paying the balance.

Now all that remains was to focus on the comeback.

Arranging the divorce with Director Woo Seung-joon was a pressing matter. As CEO Oh stated, divorce was not a sin, but it was not good if problems arose after his activities resumed. As a result, he desired to plan ahead of time and restart.

However, Seung-joon has not been contacted since Ji-an left a 100 million won check on the front door. He didn’t answer the phone; instead, he checked the text and found no response. He wondered if it was an expression of his will to get a divorce even if it meant he had to file a lawsuit.

Seung-joon had no idea Ji-an wouldn’t dare to file a lawsuit. He usually does. Whatever the case, summoning the courage to confront Woo Seung-joon, the director of TK Group, in court was not easy.

When Ji-an left the Woo family, he thought that not being able to carry a penny on his body was a relief. If Seung-joon behaved badly, Ji-an may have to seek alimony.

Seung-joon’s words that he would not have to explain the outcome if he had a lawsuit with him were not merely a threat. Ji-an recalled what Seung-joon said when he mentioned the lawsuit.

‘Come back. I’ll forgive you for once.’

Seung-joon said he would forgive him once, but Ji-an knew he would forgive him until the end. Seung-joon was always a forgiving person. And Seung-joon was in a position where he had never needed others’ forgiveness.

Whatever happened to Director Woo, the fact that this marriage ended in divorce did not change. It was true that he was desperate to reach an agreement and resolve it as quietly as possible.

But there was no reason not to file a lawsuit if necessary. Ji-an was determined from the start not to back down from a lawsuit if it was determined that there was no other option.

Ji-an let out a deep sigh as he worriedly listened to Seung-joon’s ringing tone.

‘Director Woo, you’re really giving me a hard time until the end.’