Gun-Ho looked at the table where Chan-Ho Eum was sitting at. Chan-Ho was not there anymore. Maybe he went back to the car after having dinner. Attorney Young-Jin Kim brought his car, and he didn’t have a chauffeur, so he didn’t drink any; he just kept filling up Gun-Ho’s glass with liquor when it became empty. A congressman and a minister who were sitting at the same table with Gun-Ho did the same.
“Mr. Minister, let me fill up your glass with liquor.”
“Thank you. I just need a bit.”
“Mr. Congressman, I will fill up your glass with liquor.”
“Just a little bit for me as well. Thank you. I’m currently taking some medicines, and I’m not supposed to drink.”
While Gun-Ho was filling up a glass with liquor, he inadvertently tapped a man who was sitting next to him.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. Umm… Are you, by any chance, from Asan City?”
The man with a sturdy build asked.
“I don’t live in Asan City, but I have a business there.”
“Oh, I remember now. You have a joint venture business with a foreign company, right?”
“That’s right. Do I know you? I think I saw you somewhere.”
The man gave his business card to Gun-Ho and so did Gun-Ho.
“Oh, you are Mr. Chief of Police of Asan City.”
He was the Asan City’s chief of police who came to Dyeon Korea’s building dedication ceremony.
That chief of police person looked at Gun-Ho’s business card closely and said, “I’m so glad to see you. I feel like I’m meeting someone from my hometown.”
The man offered his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.
The minister and the congressman, who were sitting at the same table with Gun-Ho, stood up to leave.
“I guess we’d better leave now too.”
Attorney Young-Jin Kim said as he stood up. Gun-Ho stood up from his seat as well and said bye to the chief of the police.
“I’m taking off now. It was very nice meeting you.”
“Oh, you are leaving?”
The chief of police extended his hand to Gun-Ho again for a handshake.
“I hope I see you around in Asan City.”
It was Friday.
Gun-Ho felt happy knowing that Young-Eun would be home today. He went to work feeling pleasant. When he arrived at his office, the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—brought a cup of coffee along with two daily newspapers and one economic newspaper.
When Gun-Ho was reading the newspapers, Director Kang entered his office.
“The tenant on the 17th floor decided to vacate the office.”
“Oh, really? When are they moving out?”
“They are leaving on the 15th of this month. They actually had moved in on the 15th, and I guess that’s how they came up with the date—15th—as their moving-out day.”
“We need to let GH Media’s President Shin know about the date then.”
“Okay. I will do that, sir.”
“The office is 60 pyung large, right?”
“Yes, it is. I wonder if President Shin would be able to handle the monthly rent.”
“How much do we charge for that unit per month?”
“Its monthly rent is 3.5 million won with 50 million won of security deposit. I was told that she is currently paying 1.5 million won monthly for their office in Hapjeong Town. That concerns me a bit.”
“Well, we can ask President Shin to make more money.”
After Director Kang left the office, Gun-Ho continued to read the newspaper until his phone started ringing. It was from Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.
‘Director Kim? Why is he calling me?’
“Sir, I’m in Egnopak right now.”
“Oh, you are?”
“I’m calling to let you know that Egnopak’s president wants to see you privately.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know. He wants to talk to you in person.”
“Okay. I can’t go see him today since I’m in Seoul right now, but I will stop by his office tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, sir. I will tell him.”
Gun-Ho thought it was weird.
‘Why does that sneaky old man want to see me?’
Gun-Ho got off work early that day. He wanted to cook for dinner before Young-Eun came home.
On the way home, Gun-Ho stopped by a side dish store to pick up some dishes and also some ingredients for his own dishes. When he came home, he cooked rice and seaweed soup. He also steamed bamboo shoot and prepared red chili-pepper paste with vinegar which would go great with bamboo shoot. When he was frying eggs and tofu to add more side dishes, Young-Eun came home. Young-Eun seemed to stop by a supermarket on the way home as well. She was carrying bags filled with food ingredients and also trash bags.
“Huh? Oppa, are you cooking?”
“Yeah, I thought you would be tired today, so I cooked for us.”
Young-Eun went into the kitchen and started checking how Gun-Ho was doing. She first opened the rice cooker.
“You cooked the rice too?! But this is too much for us. If you put too much rice, it will be scorched.”
“We don’t have to cook rice every time we eat, right? We cook a lot today and save some for tomorrow. That way, we don’t have to wash the pot every day either.”
“You are using too much oil for tofu.”
“Young-Eun, go and wash your hands and sit on the sofa. I will call you when dinner is ready.”
“Okay. I will clean the dishes after dinner.”
Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat at the dining table facing each other. The rice was fresh and shiny.
“Try the seaweed soup.”
“Hmm.”
“How is it?”
“Haha. Well, it does taste like seaweed soup.”
“Try the fried tofu. Oh, shoot, I forgot the soy sauce. Hold on.”
Gun-Ho brought the soy sauce and dipped a piece of tofu into it before putting it into Young-Eun’s mouth. Young-Eun took it without any complaint.
“How do you like it? It’s tasty, isn’t it?”
“I think you can cook dinner for us from now on. I can retire from that duty.”
“Well, it’s a one-time occasion.”
“Why is that so? I think you have a talent for cooking.”
“These are all I know. You don’t want to eat the same dishes every dinner, right?”
After dinner, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat on the sofa in the living room. They watched news on the TV while having apples. Gun-Ho felt cozy being with Young-Eun at home. The same condo didn’t feel empty or lonely anymore.
While watching TV, Gun-Ho gave a massage to Young-Eun by rubbing her calf.
“You must feel your legs are tired since you are standing while you work all day long.”
Gun-Ho diligently rubbed Young-Eun’s calf, and Young-Eun continued to watch the TV while receiving a massage from Gun-Ho. She looked relaxed.
Gun-Ho and Young-Eun changed into their pajamas and laid down on the bed.
Gun-Ho kissed Young-Eun on the cheek and tried to undress her when she said, “No. Not today.”
“Why not?”
“Today is that day.”
“What day? Oh, the day that comes every month?”
“Yeah.”
“Why does it have to be today?”
“Let’s just talk for a while, and then you go to your room to sleep.”
“I have nothing to talk about. I don’t feel like doing anything else.”
Young-Eun laughed and pulled Gun-Ho’s nose.
Gun-Ho said, “That’s why many men in the old days had a concubine.”
“You want to have a concubine, too, oppa?”
“Yes!”
“If you do, you wouldn’t be able to see me again. I will pack my stuff right away.”
“Men and women have different needs biologically. I think we will have to figure out what we would do about it.”
