An Unexpected Partner
Should I say—as expected of Genex's chairman?
An entire floor dedicated to the chairman's private dining hall. The class really is different.
I took a seat at a table by the window overlooking the Seoul skyline.
"Scan this."
The moment I sat down, Jin Taegon handed me his phone.
When I scanned it, an invitation to the New Caliho event, dated four days later, appeared.
"It's the ticket assigned to Genex. Naturally, the admission fee is free."
Solving the very reason I came—just like that.
As expected, the old man really is straightforward.
"Thank you. I'll make good use of it."
"Good. But why are you trying to board the New Caliho? At first I thought you were going with your girlfriend."
At the previous event, Jinhyuk had accompanied Seira.
Since they made quite a striking pair, Jin Taegon remembered them vividly.
"It's nothing like that. There's something I want to buy. And… I don't have a girlfriend."
"Is that so? That's fortunate."
"Sorry?"
"It's nothing."
Jin Taegon smiled faintly.
Jinhyuk wondered, but Jin Taegon changed the subject.
"Anyway, what are you trying to buy?"
I showed him the Star Necklace, one of the auction items.
"Hooh. I didn't know you were interested in things like this."
He asked again, then seemed to realize something and waved it off.
"Sorry for prying. The older I get, the heavier my mouth should become, but I seem to be going backward."
"It's fine. I need it to climb the Tower."
Interest flickered in Jin Taegon's eyes.
A quest, huh.
He'd heard about it before.
Certain quests reportedly appear during Tower climbs when specific conditions are met.
He was very curious, but he resolved not to ask further.
Information regarding tower climbing was extremely valuable.
Digging further would violate unwritten etiquette.
"We'll start with the appetizers."
"Yes. This guest is precious, so please make it tastier than usual."
"Understood, Chairman."
The manager clapped softly.
As if waiting for the signal, food carts rolled in one by one.
The once-empty table filled in an instant.
Every dish looked delicious.
These are… appetizers?
Thankfully, all that binge-eating with Seira and Kancho had trained my stomach well.
At least until dessert, I wouldn't be putting my fork down.
"Don't worry about formalities—eat comfortably. My motto is that meals should be relaxing."
Jin Taegon swept away every fork except one.
Perfect timing—I'd been wondering which utensil to start with so I wouldn't mess up dining etiquette.
Nice.
"Thank you for the food!"
"Yes, yes. Eat plenty."
After a few bites, Jin Taegon narrowed his eyes.
"Is your hand injured?"
I hadn't come with bandages or anything.
But I must've looked a bit awkward with the fork.
"Yes. I swing my wooden sword a thousand times before bed. I pushed myself yesterday and twisted something."
"Hoh. Admirable. Truly."
He stared at Jinhyuk's hand.
Calluses and traces of blisters covered his palm.
Proof of regular, earnest training.
"Eat plenty. That's how you heal quickly."
"Thank you."
I tasted the dish in front of me.
A clean, refined flavor anyone would enjoy.
Though I had no way of comparing it to other fine restaurants.
Not that I've ever been to one.
Completely satisfied, I continued eating—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Sharp heels echoed toward us.
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Jin Taegon wiped his mouth and clicked his tongue.
"You're late. Our appointment was at eleven."
"You told me to eat first. I said I'd be late because of work."
"Always pretending to be busy. Sit."
I paused eating and looked up.
A woman with long black hair braided down her back.
She looked roughly my age.
As soon as she sat, Jin Taegon introduced us.
"Say hello. This is Yoo Jinhyuk. I mentioned him, remember? The one who took Ganjangmakya at the event."
Then he turned to me.
"This is my third granddaughter, Jin Seohee. As you saw, she's busy all the time—though I can't imagine what could be busier than a chairman."
"Grandpa!"
"Alright, alright. Say hello."
"Hello. I'm Yoo Jinhyuk."
"Yes, hello. I'm Jin Seohee."
An awkward greeting passed between us.
"Welcome. We'll bring your meal shortly."
"It's been a while. Could you start with the main dish? I'm hungry."
"Right away."
A brief silence settled over the table.
Arms folded, Seohee studied Jinhyuk closely.
This guy is the one who took Ganjangmakya?
Honestly, unexpected.
When she'd heard the story from Jin Taegon, she imagined a burly middle-aged man.
But he was a harmless-looking peer.
So someone this young took my sword…
Seohee clicked her tongue softly.
Ganjangmakya, with its striking harmony of black and white—
It was the sword she wanted.
She'd begged repeatedly for it, but Jin Taegon stubbornly put it up as an event prize.
Still, Seohee had stayed patient.
It was just a department store opening event.
There was no way someone worthy of impressing her grandfather would appear there.
But then, at the last moment, Jinhyuk appeared and snatched Ganjangmakya away.
She had wanted to meet him—and the timing worked out perfectly.
Gulp.
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly as he ate.
Why is she glaring at me? Did I do something wrong?
Seohee didn't take her eyes off him, even while cutting her steak.
It felt like she might drill a hole into his forehead.
"Grandpa."
After swallowing her bite, Seohee finally spoke.
She'd tried to hold back, but she had to say something.
"Honestly… I just can't see how he's better than me at swordsmanship."
She had begged so much for Ganjangmakya, yet Taegon had given it to Jinhyuk.
That meant Taegon believed Jinhyuk was a cut above Seohee.
"Is that so?"
Taegon smiled faintly, meeting her gaze.
Jinhyuk quietly put down his fork and reached for his water.
This was uncomfortable. Extremely.
The food was great, but honestly, he'd rather be eating soy sauce and egg over rice with his friends.
"Then you can confirm it yourself, can't you?"
"Really? Yoo Jinhyuk, was it? Finish eating and come with me."
"No, not today."
"What?"
Taegon pointed at Seohee's phone.
"The New Caliho event. Jinhyuk will be attending in my place. You'll have plenty of time with him—confirm it then."
"Cough!"
Jinhyuk nearly spat out his water.
When he looked up, Taegon was smirking mischievously.
"Did you forget? I'm a businessman. Nothing is free in this world. Why? Do you not want to go with my granddaughter?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that Seohee is…"
"This works out nicely."
…Huh?
He expected her to be flustered.
Instead, Seohee looked genuinely pleased and nodded.
"We'll check then. But if Grandpa is wrong… sell me Ganjangmakya. That's fair, right, Grandpa?"
"You don't need my permission. Ganjangmakya already belongs to Jinhyuk."
"Is that okay with you, Yoo Jinhyuk? I'll pay a fair price."
"The Chairman says it's fine, so… sure."
Seohee's lips curled upward.
This wasn't simply about winning back Ganjangmakya.
She had trained harder than her older siblings.
She never slacked off.
Yet her grandfather never acknowledged her abilities.
This was her chance to prove herself.
"Great. Are you free in the morning on departure day?"
"Yes, I am."
"Then let's meet early. You're not planning to go to the New Caliho dressed like that, are you?"
Jinhyuk glanced at his clothes.
He'd already planned to ask Seoyeon to help him shop.
This worked out perfectly.
"May I borrow your phone for a moment?"
Seohee scanned his QR code and added him on CocoaTalk.
Only then did she relax and begin eating properly again.
She's straightforward, just like her grandfather.
As I nodded to myself, a beautifully cooked steak was placed before us.
"The main course is here. Dig in. It's excellent meat—you'll love it."
"Haha… Thank you. I'll enjoy it."
As he cut into his steak, Jinhyuk thought:
I should hurry up and eat so I can go home.
A few hours later, at Cheon Seoyeon's home—
"What?! The New Caliho event?!"
"Yes. Do you know about it?"
"Of course I do."
Seoyeon bit her lip hard.
Of course she knew.
Genex was the event's biggest sponsor—which meant she never received invitations.
She swallowed her irritation and frowned.
"But don't you need a partner? I heard it's a two-person ticket."
"I have one now. Jin Seohee—the chairman's third granddaughter…"
CRASH!
Jinhyuk recoiled.
The apple on Seoyeon's fork had been smashed to pulp from how hard she slammed it down.
"S–Seoyeon?"
"Oh, sorry. Something was crawling on the table. Haha."
Jinhyuk swallowed nervously.
He knew that wasn't the reason. And he knew better than to press further—she looked dangerously close to exploding.
"Jin Seohee, huh. Haha… Jin Seohee."
"Ugh."
Jinhyuk scooted his chair back instinctively.
Seoyeon was now crumpling the fork itself as if it were a sheet of paper.
She and Seohee were university classmates.
Somewhere along the way, a weird rivalry formed, and they'd been in a constant cold war ever since.
Seohee's petty revenge included excluding Seoyeon from every Genex-related event.
"It must be nice for you, Jinhyuk."
"Huh? Me? Why?"
"She's pretty. I saw her in a swimsuit on social media—her body looked amazing. You'll have fun."
Jinhyuk decided not to respond.
If he dared say Yes, that sounds fun, he'd end up like that poor fork.
Ding-dong!
Just then, the doorbell saved him.
On the monitor were Jin Yunho and Min Yookyung.
Perfect timing.
"I'll get it."
Jinhyuk jumped up and approached the screen.
Seoyeon had registered him as a resident for building security that morning.
His face was scanned, and the elevator began to move.
Soon, it arrived.
"Good afternoon!"
"Did you sleep well?"
Jin Yunho and Min Yookyung greeted them brightly as they stepped out.
They flinched a little at Seoyeon's stiff expression, but still—
"Here's the housing list we mentioned yesterday. Please take a look."
"Oh—yes!"
Jinhyuk took the booklet and sat on the sofa.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
It was thicker than expected.
And he could choose freely among them—his heart started pounding.
Alright… let's take a look.
He opened to the first page.
The house-hunting began.
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T/N:
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