Chapter 2 – Twenty-eight (Part 1)

The call came in the deep of the night.

She ignored it several times, but the phone kept ringing persistently, and Junhee eventually picked it up.

— We have a big problem here.

As soon as she answered, a familiar voice hit her ear. Despite the claim of a big problem, the tone was relaxed. It was so late that Junhee found it hard to open her eyes. With her eyes closed, she asked back with a hint of annoyance.

“…So?”

— Come here.

Laughter could be heard beyond his voice. Then the sound of glasses clinking and ice rattling. The thumping music made the phone vibrate noisily.

“…Where is that?”

— How should I know?

An utterly ridiculous answer. She finally opened her eyes. Through her blurry vision, she saw a low, dark ceiling. Unlike the world beyond the phone, Junhee’s surroundings were utterly quiet.

— You have to find out.

The sound of liquid being poured and gulped down disturbed Junhee’s tranquility. She didn’t need to ask what the liquid was. Blinking, she looked up at the ceiling and quietly exhaled. She briefly took the phone away from her ear to check the time.

2:17 AM.

— Hurry up, Woo Junhee.

Is he crazy? 

It was the kind of time when profanity slipped out involuntarily. Whether he heard her curse or not, Choi Dowook, after wetting his throat with alcohol, whispered sweetly.

— I’m really scared.

His leisurely words were ambiguous, whether they were a command or a threat. She sat up. Junhee roughly brushed back her falling hair and rubbed her eyelids with her palms.

“So, where are you—”

The call ended. Ha. Junhee let out a short breath and dropped her hand. She stared blankly at the blackened phone screen for a while before moving her clumsy fingers to send him a text.

[Where are you?] 

Of course, there was no reply.

Junhee tossed the phone aside. She looked up at the empty ceiling again.

Just when things were quiet for a while.

It seemed like Choi Dowook’s craziness had resurfaced after a long time.

His condition of whimsically calling Junhee and making her dance to his tune until he got bored. Junhee knew well how to treat that condition. She had to obediently do as he said.

The more she stood her ground and resisted, the worse his craziness would get. If she endured it as much as he wanted, he would eventually lose interest and calm down.

She had expected some kind of contact. She had been ignoring his calls for a while. For Choi Dowook, he had been patient for quite a long time.

But still… this time is too much.

Junhee rubbed her tired face with both hands. Having been in a deep sleep for the first time in a while, she was even more irritably sensitive.

But as always, resignation came quickly.

She picked up the phone she had thrown. She was about to call his secretary directly when she suddenly thought of Hanyanghoe, that word. The regular meeting of Hanyanghoe, held every year on the last Saturday evening of April.

Hanyanghoe is a private social club formed by the children of key figures in politics and business. They meet to enjoy sports like golf, shooting, and horseback riding, exchange investment information, and sometimes start their own businesses. She had heard that the group Choi Dowook belonged to had an unusually high number of heavy drinkers.

The location for the Hanyanghoe meeting was always fixed at a hotel in Jangchung-dong. Junhee found the business card of the hotel’s manager.

The dial tone ended quickly. The manager answered the call warmly, and Junhee greeted him languidly.

“It’s been a while, Manager.”

***

The club, said to have been established thirty years ago with investments from the founding members of Hanyanghoe, showed its age from the signboard. As you pass through the entrance and enter the basement corridor, you can smell the mustiness. No matter how much expensive air freshener they spray, they can’t hide the smell of time.

Despite the many newer, more sophisticated places in better locations, they held onto this old club for the sake of tradition. Every year, on the last Saturday of April, they held their regular meetings here. The perfect days for good weather and fun.

She had heard that many new asset owners wanted to join this old club and its meetings. They said the tradition and symbolism of the name Hanyanghoe were appealing. Without recommendations and consent from existing members, one couldn’t join easily, and that high barrier only fueled determination and envy.

These were things Junhee picked up while staying by Choi Dowook’s side.

Anyway, Junhee was simply tired.

The corridor, covered in dark red wallpaper, was long and narrow. The deeper she went, the more it smelled fishy and damp. She could feel the thumping vibrations echoing through the thick walls.

When she opened the door at the end of the corridor, the sound of champagne popping greeted her. Junhee instinctively closed her eyes against the champagne splashes.

Sharp cheers and slurred greetings. And a piercing whistle sound drifted away.

“Say hello, my friend Woo Junhee.”

In the midst of it, his voice was calm.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Choi Dowook sitting in the middle of the sofa, holding a long-necked bottle.

When their eyes met, Dowook smiled. He lazily waved a hand and spilled some drink on the floor. Looking closely, a man lay shirtless on the floor, mouth open, catching the drink Dowook poured.

Junhee clenched her teeth at the absurd sight. She brushed off the champagne droplets from her clothes.

The ceiling lights flickered. A popular pop song played on the karaoke machine on a small stage, and those reeking of strong alcohol whistled, sang, and shouted unintelligibly. Next to them were women barely dressed.

A man staggered over.

“What a waste. If you had come a bit earlier, you’d be first.”

“Man, being second at this hour is impressive. We should treat our amazing second place well. Here, have a drink.”

Their slurred speech was annoying. Junhee slapped away the man’s approaching hand.

The glass tumbled to the floor, and one man muttered a curse, but Junhee ignored it and walked toward Dowook. She roughly pushed aside the staggering men in her way.

When she finally reached Dowook, he raised an eyebrow and asked nonchalantly.

“Do you want a drink too?”

His eyes were dull and lifeless. Up close, Junhee could see that Dowook was completely drunk.

For someone with a high tolerance like Choi Dowook to be this wasted, he must have been drinking nonstop. Judging by the bottles scattered all over the table and floor, it seemed he really had been.

Dowook poured a drink into an empty glass and placed it in front of Junhee. He poured himself a drink and raised his glass as if to toast. Junhee found the whole scene pathetic.

“Get a grip.”

“As you can see, I’m fine.”

Clear pronunciation, a calm face, a nonchalant smile. He might seem fine at a glance, but even sober, Dowook didn’t show his drunkenness easily. Only his looser smile, slower speech, and subtly clingy gestures hinted at his inebriation.

When Junhee didn’t pick up her glass, Dowook raised an eyebrow momentarily before downing his drink. He poured another drink and naturally draped an arm over Junhee’s shoulder.

“Take your arm off.”

“So sensitive. Don’t be so cold, given our relationship.”

“What relationship do we have?”

Dowook laughed shortly, as if asking how she could not know.

“We’re friends.”

Junhee almost spoke but stopped. 

Friends who call you out at this hour to mess with you? 

Instead, she just moved her lips.

It was as if Dowook read her unspoken words. He said,

“Can’t friends do anything for each other?”

He tightened his grip on her arm. His hand, draped over her shoulder, hovered dangerously close to her chest.

No matter what he said, Junhee finally pushed Dowook’s arm away. She did it hard enough to hurt, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Is she your wife, Choi Dowook? Did you get married without telling us?”

The man sitting next to Dowook asked. Junhee knew him.

The only son of a five-term National Assembly member who had recently been re-elected. She had seen him on the news, holding his father’s hand and bowing 90 degrees on the campaign bus.

Back then, he had a righteous and proper image. Now, his eyes gleamed unnaturally, and his face was flushed, looking out of his mind.

As if he had heard a great joke, Dowook chuckled. His unguarded laugh reeked of alcohol.

When Dowook raised his glass again, Junhee quickly snatched it away. Only then did a crack appear on Dowook’s usually carefree face. He frowned and looked at Junhee.

“Give it back.”

“You know your family’s been in the news lately over the succession issue, right?”

“Can’t hear you.”

The noise around them was loud, but there was no way he couldn’t hear her at this distance. Dowook, with a brazen face, propped his chin and stared at her.

“You know your grandfather recently had a cardiac arrest and barely survived, right?”

“I know.”

“You know your dad and uncle have started smearing each other over their shares, right?”

“I know very well.”

“You know you’re joining Taesan in two months. And the director, your mom, who volunteers every weekend to pave a smooth path for you and your dad, do you remember all that?”

“I remember everything. How long are you going to keep this up?”

Dowook’s tone suggested her nagging was bothersome. His gaze was quite piercing.

“If you didn’t want to hear this, you shouldn’t have called me.”

“Because you’d come the fastest. But right now, I’m really disappointed, Woo Junhee.”

“…….”

“You’re second.”

As if scolding her, Dowook pressed his forehead against her shoulder and then pulled back.

“The first is that guy.”

Dowook lazily lifted his head and pointed to the front of the table.

Several men and women were dancing close together in front of the table, so it was unclear who “that guy” was.

As if reading her thoughts from her expression, Dowook lowered his arm and wrapped it around Junhee’s shoulder. He pulled her closer and pointed with his other hand. Dowook leaned down and whispered closely.

“That guy.”

Can’t you see? 

He tugged her closer. His breath was hot, falling just above her. It felt like her ear was soaking in alcohol.