IWSF – Ch 177

Hyunjoo pressed her forehead with her fingers, possibly due to a headache. As the cigarette in her mouth burned down to almost nothing, she crushed it into the ashtray and said,

“What are you thinking about this time?”

$200 million.

Approximately 22 trillion Korean won. With this amount, one could buy a significant corporation outright and potentially change the landscape of an industry.

Taek-gyu said,

“It’s important, noona.”

“So what is this important matter?”

I forced a bitter smile.

“I’ll tell you slowly.”

She must have understood it wasn’t just a joke.

“What are you really…?”

At that moment, Ellie opened the door and walked in. Whether it was due to the hot weather outside or her rush to get here, beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.

“Jinhoo! Did you have a good trip to America?”

“Of course.”

The next while would be incredibly busy. Still, I hoped to have time today.

I stood up first.

“I’ll give you the details later. Just keep this in mind and get ready. I’ll borrow the head of the legal team for a bit.”

I grabbed Ellie’s hand and left the branch manager’s office to head to the elevator.

“Where are we going?”

“On a date.”

“But I haven’t finished my work yet.”

“Let’s consider this a half-day off.”

Ellie smiled and nodded.

“Hmm, is that so?”

We got into the car.

I sat in the driver’s seat, fastened my seatbelt, and asked,

“Where do you want to go?”

Ellie responded as if she had been waiting for the question.

“Amusement park. Koreans often go on dates to amusement parks, so I’ve always wanted to go with Jinhoo at least once.”

I expected her to mention a fancy place, but she wanted an amusement park.

It seemed she wanted to experience a typical date like others do.

There are two famous amusement parks in the metropolitan area: Lita World, a subsidiary of Lita Group, and Neverland, a subsidiary of Seosung Group.

In terms of proximity, Lita World is closer, but in terms of facilities and scale, Neverland is overwhelming.

“Then shall we go to Neverland?”

Ellie looked as excited as a child.

“Really? Are you really going to take me there?”

“Of course. It’s in Yongin, so it’s not far from here.”

Just as she was joyfully bouncing with excitement, Ellie suddenly stared intently at my face.

“What’s wrong?”

“You know it well. Have you ever been there with a girlfriend?”

“……”

The truth is, I have.

I went there once with Seon-ah when we were dating. But I can’t just say that, right?

“Uh, I don’t think so.”

Ellie nodded with a knowing smile.

“That was a wise answer. I’ll give you an A-plus.”

“……Thank you.”

If this continues, it might look like office workers are sneaking off together. That’s not a big deal, but if someone recognizes me, it’ll get annoying.

“I think we should start with shopping.”

I first drove to a nearby SPA store. Ellie picked out two white T-shirts with character designs.

“You know a theme park outfit is definitely couple shirts.”

“…….”

Is she really planning to do what everyone else does?

I changed clothes first and came out. After a moment, Ellie emerged from the fitting room.

Instead of the formal suit she had on earlier, she wore jeans and a white T-shirt with prints, along with sandals that showed her toes. She also wore sunglasses that partially covered her face.

“How do I look?”

The completion of fashion is indeed the face.

Even though it was SPA wear, Ellie looked like she was in a photoshoot. After buying the clothes, we got back in the car and headed to Neverland.

There shouldn’t be anyone who recognizes us, but just in case, plainclothes bodyguards followed us.

On the way, I received a call from Taekyu.

[Where are you going?]

“We’re headed to Neverland.”

[Should I call Chairman Im Jin-yong and ask him to send us two all-access passes?]

“……I’ll just buy them myself.”

What’s with calling such a busy chairman?

When we arrived at Neverland, we bought our all-access passes and entered.

With our arms crossed, we wandered around the amusement park, riding various attractions. There were many new rides since I last visited.

Despite it being a weekday afternoon, there were a lot of visitors. Students on a school trip, family outings, and couples, among others.

As expected, the gaze of the crowd was drawn to Ellie. One man stared blankly at her until his girlfriend pinched him.

As soon as we got off the ride, Ellie grabbed my hand and led me.

“Let’s go ride that one next.”

“How about we take a break and have some coffee?”

“What do you mean? We’ve come all this way, we should ride at least one more.”

While Ellie was full of energy, my stamina was quickly depleting. I realized I hadn’t had a chance to rest since getting off the plane.

In the evening, a parade and performances began. Ellie, seemingly unfazed, chased after the parade and watched it until the end.

Eventually, when the security guards following us looked tired as well, we exited the amusement park.

Ellie said with a hint of disappointment, “Aww, they don’t have fireworks on weekdays. I wanted to see that too.”

We drove back to Gangnam and had a late dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Our ordered fajitas and quesadillas arrived.

“Should we have some wine?”

“With Mexican food, tequila is a must.”

We clinked our shot glasses together. Even though we hadn’t had many drinks, the high alcohol content quickly made my face flush red.

“Now tell me.”

“What about?”

“Why can’t you take a vacation? Do you know how disappointed I am?”

“Um….”

Seeing my expression, Ellie smiled brightly.

“It’s okay. I’ll forgive you because today’s date was fun.”

We finished an entire bottle of tequila together before the restaurant closed. It seemed like Ellie drank a bit more than I did.

There was no need to call a separate driver as the security guard drove for us, and we sat in the back seat. Throughout the ride, Ellie held my hand and rested her head on my shoulder.

It didn’t take long to reach the hotel.

“It’s already here.”

“I’ll watch you go up.”

We got out of the car together and walked into the lobby. Ellie looked disappointed that we had to part ways, and I felt the same.

Meanwhile, the elevator arrived, and the door opened.

As Ellie stepped into the elevator, she said, “I had fun today. You must be tired, so hurry inside and rest.”

“Goodnight.”

The elevator door slowly closed.

Unknowingly, I pressed the button, making the closing door open again.

“Um…”

What should I say?

As I hesitated, Ellie spoke first.

“Want to have one more drink? I have some leftover wine from last night.”

“Oh, should we?”

I stepped into the elevator with her.

A strangely awkward silence surrounded us.

Ellie’s place was on the 26th floor. When we arrived at the door, she opened it with her card key. Ellie stepped inside first, and I followed her in.

While I’d often seen her off in front of the hotel, this was only the second time I had entered her room.

Was it the first time since we decided to date?

The door closed on its own. The room was still dark since she hadn’t used the card key yet.

In that moment, Ellie suddenly turned and hugged me, kissing me. The sweet scent mingled with the smell of alcohol.

After a long kiss, Ellie pulled away and said, “This is the price for canceling our vacation.”

It had been a few months since we started dating, and while physical affection and kisses felt natural, we were both a bit cautious about taking it further.

Of course, I had an overwhelming desire to, but we were both so busy, and the people around us also made me slightly anxious.

It felt like there was a delicate line that prevented us from becoming more intimate. However, now I felt ready to cross that line.

When Ellie inserted the card key, the lights turned on automatically. Maybe it was the alcohol, or perhaps another reason, but her face was flushed bright red.

I couldn’t help but stare at her for a while because she looked so beautiful. Ellie spoke with an awkward expression.

“Oh! We came to drink wine, right? So, the wine…”

I took her hand and pulled her into my embrace. Then, we kissed again as I led her toward the bedroom.

We collapsed onto the bed, still holding each other tightly.

I reached out to caress Ellie’s cheek.

“Are you okay?”

In response to my question, Ellie slowly closed her eyes instead of answering.

***

As I regained my senses, I found myself standing in the middle of the city.

I immediately recognized where I was.

Across the street, hundreds of people were lined up in front of a glass building, brimming with excitement at the prospect of buying the Nphone Z.

Next to me stood a white man in a suit, busy with a phone call, Bluetooth earphones in place, constantly checking his wristwatch. His face was filled with irritation.

The traffic light was still red.

I knew what would happen when the signal changed. Yet those unaware of the truth laughed and chatted merrily.

Why was I being shown this?

If one knows nothing and does nothing, it’s fine. But knowing means I inevitably have to make a choice. The consequences and responsibilities that follow that choice would be mine to bear.

As I pondered these thoughts, the signal changed. The people waiting at the crosswalk all hurried across.

BANG!

With a deafening roar, the ground cracked and shook violently. Those waiting in front of the Npple Store screamed and fled.

But as the earth crumbled, most fell downwards. Cars racing on the road collided and honked. Some drivers leaped from their cars and began to run.

The surrounding high-rise buildings started to tilt. Shattered glass and debris rained down.

Objects falling from several floors above were as lethal as weapons. A computer crashed down right atop someone’s head.

It was an unreal scene, something out of a movie.

At some point, I found myself holding onto the hand of the suited man. He looked at me with terror, screaming for his life.

I tried to pull him up, but I knew the truth—I couldn’t save him.

As the skyscraper toppled, it obscured the sun.

And in that moment…

***

“Gasp!”

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Ellie’s shocked expression.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.

Ellie pulled back the blanket and got up to get me some water. In the darkness, a bizarre silhouette appeared.

“You were suddenly moaning and tossing around.”

Returning under the blanket, Ellie turned on the light slightly.

I gulped down the water.

“I had a dream.”

“What kind of dream?”

How should I explain this?

I spoke carefully.

“It was a dream where people were dying.”

“That sounds scary.”

Ellie accepted the cup.

I mumbled a question.

“If I could save someone with the money I have, what should I do?”

After a moment of thought, Ellie asked me.

“What do you want to do, Jinhoo?”

“I…”

Even now, if I close my eyes, the images of dying people come to mind.

Strictly speaking, I have no obligation to save them. If I foolishly intervene, I might waste my money and end up in danger.

Can I really handle all of that?

I spoke honestly.

“I still don’t know. Whether it’s something I should do or can do…”

“No matter how much money and how amazing a person is, they can’t do everything.”

That’s true.

Even now, countless people on Earth are dying from war, hunger, disease, and disasters. Doesn’t everyone know what’s happening in places like Syria or in ISIS-occupied territories?

Even if I gather all the money and influence I have, I can’t save them all.

But… can I really turn a blind eye to the death in front of me and go on living as if nothing happened?

“What if all the money I have disappears… and I’m no longer the CEO of OTK Company? Is that okay?”

At my words, Ellie’s face hardened.

“What are you saying right now?”

“So…”

“Are you suggesting I’m only fond of Jinhoo because he has money?”

“Well, not exactly…”

After staring at me for a while, Ellie suddenly burst into laughter as if she found it absurd.

There are various reasons for liking someone: appearance, personality, education, job, family, etc. Money is also one of them.

In a capitalist society, having money is definitely an attractive quality. It’s not particularly wrong to like that.

Ellie made a pretentious expression.

“It doesn’t matter whether you have money or not. I was really trying not to boast about it in front of Jinhoo, but with just my salary, we could live quite well together.”

Her expression was so cute that I burst into laughter.

“Well, that’s true.”

I had momentarily forgotten how beautiful she was.

That my girlfriend is a capable Golden Gate lawyer.

“Can you believe in me until the end, no matter what happens in the future?”

“Of course. Jinhoo just needs to do what he wants to do.”

What I want to do…

“Thank you.”

I no longer hesitated and solidified my decision.