The day before his business trip, Seheon visited his family home. Seheon’s family home was located quite high from Namsan and Itaewon. A place that he rarely returned to since he turned twenty.
“Anchor Yoon, you’re here.”
When he parked the car in the garage and climbed up the stairs, a woman with gracefully curled hair, who should be described as young-looking instead of middle-aged and was older than Seheon, opened the door to the garage and greeted him.
Seheon opened his mouth expressionlessly.
“Director Kim, it’s been a while since we last met.”
“Yes. Anchor Yoon still looks as handsome as ever.”
The woman called Director Kim grinned. He called her Director Kim because she ran a large art museum, but she was actually his stepmother.
“What brings you down here personally?”
“Didn’t you get injured in Yeouido not too long ago? I was worried, so I came down to see your face.”
It was rather ironic. His stepmother was much more cordial than his own father. Seheon sighed.
Director Kim went up first, and upon hearing Seheon’s sigh perceptively, she immediately scolded him.
“Don’t sigh that much. What’s a perfectly fine young man like you sighing the instant you reach here? I know that you dislike seeing my face, so there’s no need for you to make it so obvious.”
“You know that it isn’t because of you though?”
“Then should I say that the lawmaker is annoying?”
Director Kim’s eyes narrowed sulkily.
“Come back here often. The lawmaker still wants to see Anchor Yoon.”
“Well. It’ll be better if the both of you can spend your time comfortably.”
As they went up the stairs while exchanging pleasantries, a large garden appeared before their eyes. Seheon looked around the garden once again. Grass covered the garden basking under the light of the setting sun.
When Seheon grew up in this house, this place was filled with beautiful flowers and foliage plants. There was no sign of it now.
Well, it’ll also be the case inside the house, won’t it? Seheon glanced up at the house. The house, which had been completely destroyed and rebuilt more than 20 years ago, was designed by the most famous architect of that time. There still wasn’t any part of it that seemed rustic.
He could look into the living room from the full glass windows, and stylish furniture filled the interior. It was clearly to Director Kim’s tastes.
Seheon didn’t dislike Director Kim, but he couldn’t help but feel a side of his heart cool whenever he saw the living room.
His father, who was seated at the table, brought up the main subject immediately.
“Have you met Deputy Director Park recently?”
“Deputy Director Park?”
“I’m talking about Deputy Director Park Younghee.”
Rep. Yoon has always been like this, always thinking that others would know who he knows. He doesn’t mention their name and affiliation, but just their name.
When asked, “Who’s that?” he would click his tongue and say, “If you don’t even know that much, how would you be of any use?”
Whatever. What good was there for him to know?
Seheon wanted to say “I don’t know her,” but unfortunately, Seheon knew that name. She was the deputy director of the Hunter Agency’s main office.
“I’ve never even met her before.”
“Hmph.”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s fine if you don’t know.”
Is that why you called for me? Seheon raised his eyebrows and was about to ask, but Director Kim quick-wittedly pushed the grilled sirloin in front of Seheon.
After spending 10 years between this father and son, Director Kim’s skill of preventing disputes between these two men has only ever improved.
“I heard that not too long ago, you were drawn into a gate in Yeouido?”
“I’m fine.”
“You were injured?”
Actually, his back was still throbbing. But he didn’t want to say anything that’ll make him seem weak in front of his father. Instead, Seheon snorted and laughed.
“A person that didn’t even know that his child had mutism saying that? How refreshing.”
[T/N: mutisim: inability to speak due to physiological causes, or unwillingness or refusal to speak due to psychological causes]
“This disrespectful rascal.”
Director Kim frowned. She should hate Seheon a little for openly picking a fight after she’d barely managed to prevent the previous one.
Rep. Yoon snorted incredulously.
“Forget it, about the blind date for marriage. With Rep. Shim’s daughter.”
“I’m not going.”
Seheon cut off Rep. Yoon’s words decisively.
Since last year, Rep. Yoon has been irritatingly pushing at him to attend blind dates with marriage in mind. When a daughter of some second-term lawmaker was being pushed at him, Seheon didn’t want to know and didn’t want to go through with it.
However, Rep. Yoon gave him an unexpected answer.
“Alright, don’t go then.”
“……What?”
Seheon doubted his ears. Then Rep. Yoon smiled impatiently.
“I said don’t go then. Why? You don’t want to? Then go and meet her.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Seheon felt uncomfortable. He had been persistently asked to go on blind dates, but now he was suddenly told not to go for the blind date? But Seheon soon gave up on that idea.
Just like a bat that’s constantly stuck in one place, he wants to continue sticking to the floor. Seheon guessed that there were some troubles brewing with that Rep. Shim. Who’s daughter was he going to recommend next?
Rep. Yoon looked at the frowning Seheon and opened his mouth again.
“What else can I do when you’re unwilling at the slightest of recommendations? Date a girl that you like and get married.”
“…….”
“Instead, don’t just drag anything strange into this house.”
Anything strange…… His way of speaking was just astonishing.
Rep. Yoon clicked his tongue and took some japchae with his chopsticks.
“In other words, find a demure woman with a decent family background, or at least a woman that can be of help to you. Not a girl that you don’t even know where they’re rolling around in. Things these days are very messy, and they’d gobble up any guy with the slightest inkling of meat to the very bone…”
Unbelievable. Did you act like that because my mother was of no help to you? Seheon held back his desire to shoot back immediately. If he yelled at this instance, it probably wouldn’t just end here.
“Managing to get entangled with an unimportant thing in the dungeon, tsk. Even if it’s national affairs, there should be a limit.”
An unimportant thing. Seheon finally realised what Rep. Yoon was trying to say. He seemed to be referring to the incident of being saved by Kang Hara at the Yeouido Dungeon.
Why? Was he worried that his son might get tangled up with some common level 9 civil servant?
Rep. Yoon has always wanted Seheon to succeed him in politics. He didn’t care about Seheon running away from home at twenty, but instead, used Seheon’s achievements to satisfy his desire to show off.
When Seheon went to a good university, graduated from university at the top of his class, got a job at a broadcasting company, and became the main anchor.
He spoke about Seheon outside, saying, “He pretends not to listen to his father, but he’s actually listening to his father’s words steadily.” At the same time, he was strongly vigilance towards Seheon’s each and every move.
It seems like someone had told him that Seheon entered Kang Hara’s hospital room with a bouquet the size of a person.
Rep. Yoon seemed to be afraid that his son would meet an eccentric woman due to aversion to all the women that he’d brought before Seheon.
How amusing. While his father’s conjectures weren’t worth listening to, Seheon couldn’t resist the urge to pour cold water on him.
“A few days ago, I went to Mother’s charnel house.”
Director Kim flinched. Rep. Yoon glanced at Director Kim and his temper flared up.
“You’re at the table.”
“Can’t I talk about Mother at the table?”
“Are you purposely acting like this to your father?”
So what, how can you not know that much? Seheon swallowed the words he wanted to say and set down his chopsticks. He then got up and took the jacket hanging at the side.
“Hey! Yoon Seheon!”
Seheon didn’t pay any mind to Rep. Yoon, who was yelling from behind.
“That, that, that. That d*mn rascal. That utterly reckless simpleton!”
Seheon snorted as he opened the door. He wasn’t even bothered by how the employees were snooping around.
As he strode through the garden, he heard someone panting while chasing him from behind.
“Anchor Yoon! Child!”
It was Director Kim. Honestly, to Seheon, she was also a pitiful person, but now he wasn’t even feeling that way right now.
Director Kim ran out in her slippers and grabbed Seheon.
“Even so, how can you go like this?”
“I’m sorry.”
“The lawmaker, too. Even if he called you to scold you for that, there’s no need for such a big fight.”
Director Kim clicked her tongue.
An employee in the kitchen opened the door and followed them out belatedly, boxes of food in their hands.
Director Kim sighed.
“The only reason I keep sighing is because of Anchor Yoon. They say that you’ll age a year each time you sigh. Anchor Yoon should be paying for my dermatology treatments, hm?”
“Should I?”
“Are you crazy? I was just saying without meaning it. Those are side dishes and kimchi. The house just happened to make some, so take it.”
“I don’t really eat at home.”
“Then take it and throw it away. I know that you’re about to go on a business trip, so whether it’s rotten or thrown away, do whatever you want.”
At times like this, Director Kim was rather shameless. She took the bag from the helper’s hands and passed it to Seheon stubbornly.
Seheon sighed.
“Where did you hear the news that I’m going on a business trip?”
“Rep. Yoon told me. The lawmaker is still quite interested in Anchor Yoon. You’re his one and only son after all. Even though he listened to what others said today…”
“It’s not like I wanted to be his one and only child.”
“Anchor Yoon, your words become seeds, hm?”
Director Kim chuckled.
Seheon regretted instantly upon seeing that expression, as he knew that in order to make a child, she went in and out of Gangnam Hospital for various test tube procedures and whatnot and suffered for years. However, he didn’t want to voice an apology.
Director Kim gestured at the employee with her chin and patted Seheon’s chest lightly.
“It’s hateful.”
“…….”
“Anchor Yoon. Let me give you a small tip. If you have a girl you currently like, just go and get married. Do you understand?”
“So suddenly?”
Director Kim shrugged at Seheon’s question.
“At this rate, the lawmaker is going to scold me again for making Anchor Yoon take a firm stance. I’m not the type to give advantages to someone that I dislike. I think that Deputy Director Park or something planted some idea in him, and come to think of it, he was suddenly called out to the hotel lobby at the end of the year.”
Seheon frowned lightly. This was no different from Director Kim giving him a hint.
Something that others had said, and Deputy Director Park.
Director Kim confirmed that the employee had entered the house, before continuing.
“Through my past experience, it’s better for a woman to live with the person she likes. When Anchor Yoon doesn’t even listen to the lawmaker, I’m the one that has a hard time. Hm?”
“I’m not even meeting any woman.”
“Oh gosh, then hurry up and meet one! Even if Anchor Yoon grabs anyone off the street and asks for a date, everyone will come running!”
Director Kim said, “Be on your way then, you hateful person,” and pushed his chest away and turned around. It didn’t seem to bother Seheon as he went down to the garage.
Seheon pondered about what to do with the bag of food, and ended up carrying it to his car. He placed it roughly onto the passenger seat and rubbed his face.
In any case, how many people would have to suffer because of one greedy person.
A person that he likes.
Although Director Kim always said annoying things to Seheon, it was a rather romantic story.
“M, maybe you can go out with me…”
He suddenly remembered the woman that stammered in front of him. A brave yet timid woman that said weird things to him.
Seheon chuckled out of amazement. Why did Director Kim’s words remind him of that woman?
It’s probably because of the words, “Even if Anchor Yoon grabs anyone off the street and asks for a date, everyone will come running!” The first woman he met would probably also say something like that.
Although it was their first time meeting, it was quite an amazing appearance.
However, why would the Deputy Director of the main office, Park Younghee, mention Kang Hara and him to Rep. Yoon? Was it just talk about some kind of interesting rumour? His thoughts continued running around in circles.
In the end, Seheon was only able to start his car a long time after entering the garage. The sky turned black before he knew it.
