Ga Gijo.
Twenty-nine this year.
Hanguk University, Business Administration, graduated.
Heir-apparent to the Gabaek Protemis hotel, one of Gabaek's subsidiaries.
And…
The disgrace of Gabaek.
The wild son of a chaebol house.
The black sheep.
The crazy piece of trash… and so on, and so on.
A man whose profile alone could fill an entire sheet of A4 paper. That was the current Gabaek chairman's third son, Ga Gijo.
A young master, lord-of-all-creation, who could spring off in any direction.
Raon could lay out, point by orderly point, exactly how much of a piece of garbage and a scoundrel the man was.
"Hey. You know how to paint a nude?"
The ill-fated bond that started with that single line had been so stubborn and so vicious that Raon's body went cold whenever he so much as heard the "Ga" of Gabaek on the news.
And of all things.
Of all the people.
His cousin had to go and blow off the bumper of that Gabaek menace's car.
"This is driving me insane…"
He'd figured the guy would eventually cause some massive accident, but he'd never dreamed in a thousand years it would land on him like this, screwing him over overnight.
He understood now why his uncle and aunt had forced that piece of LA galbi into his mouth. They'd been planning to ask him for money regardless. So when the other party said they knew him, they'd pounced on it, going aha, and bit down hard.
And once again, oh so naturally, they'd dumped their son's responsibility onto him.
"Haa."
With a deep sigh, his mood sank somewhere beneath the scorching asphalt.
Whether the food had gone into his mouth or his nose, he couldn't say. With each step, his weighed-down stomach churned.
[Gabaek (Ga-baek)] OL. Team Leader Kim Seunghwan
The ink pressed into the stiff, premium white card was wickedly crisp. Having shoved himself into a taxi any old way, Raon picked the card up, set it down, picked it up again.
OL.
Short for Owner Risk, it was, simply put, a cleanup crew that dealt exclusively with the affairs of the Gabaek family.
And Raon had received this very card once before, several years back.
When he'd caught Ga Gijo's eye and been run ragged.
Back when he'd spent his days enduring drink-runner duty, bag-carrier duty, and every manner of harassment that wasn't quite harassment.
"Anything you discussed with Young Master Gijo, the sex, the play, none of it may be disclosed externally."
"True or not, if so much as a single word related to the Young Master, or any related circumstance, is caught on SNS or elsewhere, we will move directly."
"Please keep this in mind."
…That's what they'd said.
So very serenely, so practiced.
He'd thought he finally escaped once his senior year got busy. Who could've guessed he'd get tangled up again like this. The name he hadn't seen in ages set his whole head throbbing.
"We've arrived."
"…Thank you."
Having managed to get out his thanks, Raon hauled his suitcase from the taxi's trunk and went inside the villa he'd contracted earlier.
Unit 303.
His new home in Korea was a cozy studio of about eight pyeong. Seoul housing prices were enormous, but luckily youth loans were easy to get these days. And during his studies abroad he'd taken prizes in competitions and worked part-time here and there, so he had enough to live on for now.
But that was the extent of it. European prices had been beyond imagination, so saving any real money had been impossible.
If only he'd been a Picasso, a Leonardo da Vinci, or a Michelangelo, would he have been able to touch larger sums?
Thinking such thoughts as he entered his new home, Raon flopped down onto the bare mattress he hadn't even put sheets on yet.
His head was a tangle.
He must already know my changed number.
There was nothing Gabaek didn't know.
That wasn't a figure of speech. It was simply true.
The moment Ga Gijo took an interest in Raon, they'd investigated him, mapping out everything from which OB-GYN he was born at to his parents' accident.
Tracking down a contact number would be a matter of time. So why bother just tossing over a business card instead of simply calling?
After agonizing for a long while, Raon pulled his phone from his pants pocket.
The truth was, he still knew Ga Gijo's number.
But he hadn't bothered to save it. Or, to be precise, he'd saved it and then blocked it.
Just so he could cut this exhausting, fated bond.
Rrrrr-
"!"
Startled, Raon glanced at the screen.
[Minhee]
Almost on instinct, Raon pressed the answer button.
His grade-school, middle-school, and high-school classmate, and his college department-mate too, Minhee was one of Raon's few precious friends.
"Hell-."
"You came back while I was asleep——?! Ugh, you should've called! Of all days it was a workday for me, so I couldn't even come meet you at the airport."
The voice he hadn't heard in so long was as bright as ever.
Raon laughed faintly.
"How was I supposed to call someone who's at work? What if you'd been in the middle of a meeting?"
"Then you say it's an emergency and step out. It's a call from our Lee Raon. Where'd you say your new place is again?"
"Yeongdeungpo."
"Nice. Not far from mine, either. Come hang out often. My parents miss you a ton too."
"I'll come by soon."
Having been close since childhood, he shared a special bond with her parents as well.
Especially when his own parents passed. At a funeral hall where even the relatives barely showed, it was those two who'd stayed by his side for three days and nights.
He'd been planning to visit anyway.
"What're you doing today? You'll sort the unpacking out gradually anyway. And dinner?"
"Probably eating alone, I'd guess."
Maybe because I've lived alone so long.
Being by himself felt natural now.
But his old friend wasn't about to leave that Raon be.
"Hey. You. You brought your clothes and everything, right?"
"Clothes? Why clothes?"
"Raon. What day is it today?"
"Friday."
"Yep. And it's this big sister's payday."
So,
"Brush your teeth right now, change into something sharp, and get out here. Your noona's gonna pour the taste of Korea straight down your throat."
Raon didn't much care for crowded places. Getting attention through his art was fine, but as a natural-born introvert, he avoided people striking up conversation with him directly.
It would've been a relief if he just looked ordinary, but the moment he took off his thick horn-rimmed glasses, his whole impression changed.
Skin so white and translucent it lacked a single pore or blemish. A calm, slightly downturned set to his eyes, and pale brown irises to match. Together with a high-bridged nose, his face — its lines all soft and pretty — caught eyes everywhere he went.
Raon knew his looks stood out unusually.
People would come up and speak to him now and then, even when he was just standing there.
So from childhood he'd hunched his back and hidden his face behind thick horn-rimmed glasses and shaggy hair.
His parents, and his friends too, had lamented how drab it made him look, but there was no helping it.
People might look down on him a bit, but well, that beat being the center of attention.
His favorite places, too, naturally tended toward home or spaces where he could be alone.
In that sense,
the bar Minhee had chosen as their meeting spot was something he couldn't help but like.
But.
"Isn't this place way too expensive?"
The black-marble-clad exterior already oozed luxury, and the inside was even more lavish.
Soft candlelight scattered throughout, a grand piano set in one corner. Sofas wrapped entirely in black velvet and angular furniture that, even at a glance, looked seriously high-end.
Barely perching on the edge of the room's sofa, Raon glanced down at his own outfit without thinking.
Checkered button-down.
No horn-rimmed glasses.
Contacts mandatory.
Don't try anything weird, just come clean in a white tee and black slacks.
He'd worn what Minhee instructed, but seeing the place now, he wondered if he should've dressed up sharp in a suit.
It was a private room, so there was no chance of running into anyone else, but still.
"Hey. Don't underestimate this noona's means. I deliberately set aside part of my first-half bonus. To spend on a place like this."
Squaring her shoulders, Minhee gave his getup a long once-over.
"See, being tall is great. You're slim, so clothes hang nicely on you. You're a working adult now, so dress like this all the time, got it?"
"I think I was fine before, too…"
"Oh please. Is engineering-major loser-wear the same as this clean, sharp look?"
Minhee plucked a piece of the pineapple set out on the table beforehand.
And then, right before the drinking session began in earnest, Raon stood up.
"I'm gonna hit the restroom."
"Sure, go ahead. I'll get this open."
Minhee dangled a wine bottle, giving it a little shake. Raon smiled faintly and nodded.
Stepping straight out into the hallway, Raon flagged down a passing staff member and asked where the restroom was.
Following the route the kindly smiling employee pointed out, Raon moved his steps carefully.
Maybe because the place was so glossy.
I should hurry back.
Unfamiliar places never sat right with him.
But before he'd taken more than a few steps, he glanced down at the phone he'd brought along.
[010-XXXX-XXXX]
A number not saved, but familiar.
Frowning without meaning to, Raon hesitated a moment. But if he didn't answer here, the guy would surely make it more of a nuisance later.
Calling up years of hard-won experience, Raon bit his lower lip and took the call.
"Hello."
What if someone overhears this conversation?
His steps toward the restroom quickened.
And the instant Raon vanished around the corner, a man who'd just stepped inside halted mid-stride and turned his head.
"What? Why aren't you going in?"
A second man, following behind, slung an arm around his neck like they were close.
"What, you got some pretty thing over there, Gijo?"
"Pretty thing, my ass."
Staring at the empty corridor, the man clamped a pre-drawn cigarette between his lips.
"You see anyone here without a dick swinging?"
