part 38

"Cancel tomorrow evening's schedule."

Manager Cha stared at Seung-rok after hearing his order. 

Seung-rok added more to his words.

"It's just an internal investor's meeting anyway."

His words implied, "It's not that important, so we can change it, right?" 

He wasn't wrong. 

The internal investors' shares were very small.

They were people Seung-rok met out of personal connections. 

He didn't have to meet them, but he did out of courtesy. 

Seung-rok could definitely cancel. 

But usually, Seung-rok didn't do such things. 

He wasn't the type to change a set schedule.

Seung-rok avoided Manager Cha's questioning gaze.

"Alright."

Manager Cha noticed that the boss didn't want to talk more and ended the conversation briefly.

"Yeah, if you really want to meet, you can see them next week."

Seung-rok finished with a slightly awkward expression. 

It was weird. 

The boss wasn't his usual self today.

Suddenly, he looked at Manager Cha and spoke.

"By the way, Manager Cha."

"Yes."

"Where do you usually eat?"

Manager Cha blinked nervously. 

What was this guy talking about?

"With whom? A woman?"

He was clearly flustered. 

He unconsciously slipped into the tone he used when they were in highschool.

"No. With the teacher."

"Teacher… Ah, Mina. Yes."

Manager Cha tilted his head. 

He thought for a moment, then carefully asked again.

"Are you asking where I used to go when I was dating a girl?"

"Where do you go when you eat out?"

"So, you're asking where I went out with a woman, right?"

"No, eating out."

Seung-rok corrected his words, slightly raising his eyes.

His attitude seemed even stranger. 

Denying it made it seem more like a real date. 

Manager Cha suppressed a laugh.

Usually, he always kept a clean, expressionless face. 

But once a year, there was an exception. 

It was when Seung-rok did something silly, like remembering his trainee days. 

At those times, manager Cha also went back to being an inexperienced idol trainee. 

It was surprising that the great Seung-rok was asking where to go on a date with a woman. 

Of course, he asked because manager Cha was his closest friend. 

But still, it was shocking. 

This hadn't happened since their trainee days. 

To be exact, since Hayeon was born, they hadn't had such a conversation.

After that, he gave up on dating altogether. 

He had no choice. 

He was a K-pop idol and a dad at the same time.

He was already busy enough. 

But Mina broke through Seung-rok's iron wall in an instant. 

With the memory of Mina Choi's charm towards Seung-rok still vivid, Manager Cha began to respond to Seung-rok's query.

"You can never go wrong with an Italian place. Steak, pasta, salad—the whole works. But you definitely need some wine to set the mood. My wife's been bugging me to try oysters lately. You know, the aphrodisiac thing."

"Stop, that's enough."

Seung-rok shook his head, cutting off manager Cha's words.

"Do you think about that stuff from the start when you eat?"

"What's wrong with that? I'm married. And it's my wife who says that, not me."

Seung-rok turned his head, silently watching manager Cha grumble. 

That was manager Cha's style. 

He did what he wanted first and took full responsibility for the consequences. 

After quitting being an idol and managing Seung-rok's work in Jeju, he met many women. 

Then he made someone pregnant and got married right away. 

In some ways, manager Cha was a much better man than Seung-rok. 

He took responsibility for his pleasures, while Seung-rok couldn't. 

It wasn't that he didn't try. 

He just didn't know that he had responsibility. 

But it was the same. 

In the end, because of Seung-rok, 'she' died alone and lonely. 

With a bitter smile, he gulped down sparkling water. 

Manager Cha spoke softly.

"How about I arrange a private dining spot in your hotel room? That way, there's no risk of being seen. It would be more comfortable for you two."

Seung-rok shook his head.

"No. What kind of error would I commit by dining at a hotel?"

"Error?"

Manager Cha had a strange smile. 

He seemed to have noticed. 

Seung-rok was afraid he might get into 'something' if he met Mina alone in a hotel room.

Seung-rok watched manager Cha, who was looking for a chance to tease him.

Then, Seung-rok gave a bitter smile. 

It wasn't because he wanted to tease Seung-rok. 

That didn't matter. 

It was because Seung-rok felt pathetic. 

The reason he hired Mina was to teach his kid golf.

At least, that's what Seung-rok told himself. 

But look at him now. 

Seung-rok felt like a man with a sneaky intention, bringing a woman into his own house. 

She asked Seung-rok to look at his kid's other talents, not just golf.

After that, Seung-rok stopped caring much about his kid's golf scores. 

He decided it was enough if his kid did what she wanted.

She still had lessons once a day, but Seung-rok didn't think about making her a pro anymore. 

And really, Hayeon loved that change.

So why did Seung-rok hire Mina Choi with such high pay? 

He couldn't answer that himself. 

Maybe it was just an excuse that she reminded him too much of 'her.' 

Maybe he was just fascinated by her. 

It wasn't surprising that manager Cha was shocked. 

The most surprised person was Seung-rok himself. 

After becoming a dad at twenty, he never had anything like a relationship. 

Seung-rok always kept my distance. 

He was scared. 

But Mina easily crossed that wall. 

No, just her presence made the wall crumble on its own. 

Maybe he wanted it to fall, so Seung-rok broke it himself.

Thinking about this, Seung-rok walked outside with manager Cha.

As Seung-rok stepped outside, he saw a stranger. 

In the lounge that only served VIP customers, it was rare to see someone he didn't know already. 

Feeling uneasy, Seung-rok carefully observed the outsider. 

He was tall and neatly dressed in golf attire, but there was something off about him.

"…"

Seung-rok deliberately passed by him without saying a word. 

As soon as he left the lounge, Seung-rok quietly asked manager Cha.

"Who was that guest?"

"Oh, he's a guest of the Jeju Times chairman."

"Really?"

That was all. 

Seung-rok didn't say anything more. 

Instead, he glanced back at the lounge with narrowed eyes and then continued walking. 

The Jeju Times was a local paper that hardly anyone read. 

They made most of their money through shady advertising deals. 

The chairman was the wife of the old boss.

For some reason, Seung-rok always got a bad feeling from her.

The former chairman was one of the initial investors in his hotel resort, so he had no choice but to maintain a relationship. 

Seung-rok wouldn't accept it now, but back then, he had no choice but to take the offer.

"…"

As Seung-rok left the hotel, he decided to keep his distance from that person. 

He could instinctively sense danger. 

That sharp intuition was the secret to how Seung-rok managed to stay in the K-pop idol industry for so long.

***

Three hours later.

Two people walked out onto the balcony of the suite owned by Seung-rok. 

One was Mina's ex-boyfriend, Park Dae-in, a former pro athlete who had been wandering around the hotel lounge until recently. 

The other was her stepmother, Kim Gwi-sook, her father's wife.

Both were wearing only bathrobes as they sat on the balcony chairs. 

The cool summer night air was refreshing, cooling the sweat that had formed on their bodies. 

Gwi-sook reached out and touched Dae-in's abs. 

They were very defined, like a washboard. 

As she traced her fingers over his abs, she spoke softly.

"One more round?"

Gwi-sook looked at Dae-in with a deep gaze. 

Her slightly parted lips seemed to be drawing him back to the bed. 

Many men might refuse the advances of a woman over sixty, but Dae-in was an exception. 

She was basically his mom's age, but she had more money than Dae-in could ever dream of.

She wanted to keep their relationship a secret.

He thought it was a great deal too. 

There was no better woman to satisfy his desires without any strings attached. 

Not long ago, he almost married a much younger bride, who was also incredibly wealthy. 

But she left. 

After that, he struggled financially. 

He stopped giving lessons, thinking he had made it by marrying into a rich family. 

During that time, he lost all his connections. 

Most importantly, his golf skills deteriorated.

Things worked out in the end.

Luckily, he found a wealthy woman at a golf club who he could rely on. 

She wasn't exactly spring chicken, but it didn't matter.

She paid for this hotel room, the room service, and even the whiskey in his hand. 

That was enough. 

He could always go out and find some action tomorrow to take his mind off things.

As he gulped down the whiskey, Gwi-sook climbed onto his chest and buried her face. 

He felt her tongue sliding over his chest.

"Ugh…!"

He winced involuntarily, and Gwi-sook spoke in a lower voice.

"How's the work going, Manager Park?"

Manager Park. 

Gwi-sook always called Dae-in by his last name when they were talking business. 

She'd first approached him about a deal, asking him to handle sales for her newspaper, the Jeju Times, since he was such a good golfer.

Over time, their relationship became more physical than professional, but she still called him "Manager Park" when discussing work.

"Not going well."

"Not well?"

"…Yes."

Dae-in added reluctantly. 

The woman who was the most affectionate in bed was also the most stern when it came to work. 

She was even stricter than Mina Choi, who was always stiff and rigid. 

Gwi-sook squinted slightly and continued with a smile.

"That's not good. You're good at golf, right? Don't you have any golf connections?"

"Connections?"

"Like Jisun, the pro golfer, or Mina Choi, the pro golfer."

Hearing "Mina Choi," Dae-in frowned. 

Jisun was a top world-class pro, but he wondered how Gwi-sook knew about a lesser-known player like Mina Choi.

"How do you know Mina Choi?"

Gwi-sook chuckled at his question.

Her laugh seemed to mock him, as if saying, "You didn't know?" 

It annoyed him. 

He felt like he needed to show her something in bed once this conversation was over. 

He knew that was her intention, but he didn't care. 

Every man's gotta prove himself at some point.

Just then, Gwi-sook said something unexpected.

"She's the golf coach for the owner of this hotel. Didn't you know?"

"…Mina is?"

It was the first time he had heard that.