CHAPTER 22 – Jeju

January in Jeju was very windy. The wind blew hard against the cloudy sky. The palm trees swayed, and the canvas covers on the construction site flapped and billowed loudly, sometimes flapping and collapsing.

“CEO, you should go down to the swimming pool area now.”

Chief Secretary Kang Seungcheol raised his voice and said to Dojun. The space where the pipes were still being installed had no doors or windows, so the wind was blowing in. The sound of the clanging construction site and the fierce wind above made it impossible to avoid raising one’s voice.

“Let’s go to the cabin house first!”

Dojun also raised his voice. Worried that the safety helmet might fly away, Secretary Kang put his hand on the top of the white safety helmet and turned around to say.

“The CEO says let’s go to the cabin house first!”

Kim Eun-cheol, the general manager of Jeju Hanseong Hotel, nodded. Before heading to the cabin house, Dojun stood by the window and looked down at the ongoing renovation of the Jeju-branch Hotel.

He imagined the completed picture on top of the ongoing construction scene. The infinity pool. The family outdoor pool. The forest spreads to the right. The cabin houses in the forest. The glamping area. The blue sea is visible from the guest rooms.

“Let’s go, Sir!”

Secretary Kang gestured towards the elevator. Dojun also moved his steps. It was the second day of his business trip. The wind ruffled the hem of Dojun’s clothes as he strode across the bare concrete.

* * *

“I’ve made a reservation for stewed cutlassfish for dinner. There’s a new place nearby that does it well. There are other menu options besides the cutlassfish.”

General Manager Kim, standing and looking at the sea, said to Dojun. After thoroughly inspecting the hotel site and holding a meeting with the staff, it was already almost dinner time.

“I like cutlassfish. What about you, CEO?”

“Oh, anything is fine with me. How about a glass of soju?”

At Dojun’s words, Jang Ki-seon, the director of Architect ‘Space’, made a gulping sound and gestured to pour a glass of soju. General Manager Kim, seeing Architect Jang’s action, said,

“I can’t drink, so Director Jang has been eagerly waiting for you to come down, CEO. Haha.”

“General Manager Kim is great in every way except for one thing: he can’t drink.”

“Today, since the CEO is here, please drink as much as you’d like. Just enter ‘Ogane Grilled Cutlassfish’ into the navigation. It’ll take about 15 minutes.”

General Manager Kim said with a smile. Secretary Kang put away the meeting materials in his bag. The people who had attended the meeting also started walking at their own pace.

“Owner, we’re here.”

“Yes, please go inside.”

As Manager Kim greeted him with a friendly smile, the owner in his mid-60s also greeted him warmly. Upon entering, there was a separate reserved area on the veranda.

“Let the staff eat comfortably, and we’ll sit over here.”

Director Jang took a seat at the table separated from the others. As soon as they sat down at the table with the side dishes already set, steaming hot rice was served, followed by a sea urchin and seaweed soup, and the sizzling braised hairtail was placed on the burner.

“Everything is delicious, but the stewed sea urchin was the best, followed by the seaweed soup. You should try it.”

At the suggestion, Dojun scooped up a spoonful of sea urchin seaweed soup and popped it into his mouth. The flavor of the sea filled his mouth and he suddenly remembered Seoyeon’s face. He remembered what she had said with a soft face after eating the abalone porridge.

‘As you wish.’

That was how Dojun had responded to Seoyeon’s request for them to just sleep around. He had planned to see how it went, but there had been no contact for five days. Whether it was a lack of flexibility or indifference, Dojun pursed his lips skeptically.

“Wow, it’s so rich. General Manager, you’ll have to make a Jeju restaurant guide later. Every place you take us to is a gem.”

Secretary Kang gave a thumbs up.

“I wish you could have stayed with us the whole time.”

“Yes, I’m really sorry about that too.”

Dojun replied to Manager Kim. Director Jang picked up the bottle of soju and said:

“Why are you talking as if we’re already parting ways? There’s still a lot of time left. You should come down again in February,  and even after you go to the department store, you should come down from time to time. If you don’t come, CEO, who am I going to drink with like this? Here, have a glass.”

Dojun took the glass with a calm expression. The clear soju filled the glass.

“Well, above all, let’s hope for no heavy rain until the opening in May.”

Director Jang joked, referring to the delays caused by the late autumn typhoon. The glasses clinked in the air. Dojun gulped down the soju in one go. The soju, which he hadn’t had in a while, tasted bitter yet sweet as it moistened his throat.

* * *

As soon as she arrived home and took off her shoes, Seoyeon’s phone rang. She rummaged through her handbag as she walked into the foyer. Her feet were sore from walking for a long time in the heeled shoes. When she found her phone and pulled it out, the familiar name was displayed on the screen.

[CEO Hwang Dojun]

As she looked at the name on the screen, she instinctively turned her head to look at the wall clock. It was 9 p.m. She wondered if he was going to call her now, but then she remembered that he was on Jeju Island.

She stared at the letters on the screen for a moment, took a deep breath, and pressed the answer button.

“Yes, CEO.”

A chuckling sound was heard on the other end of the receiver. Then shortly after, Dojun’s voice came through.

• What are you up to?

“I just got home.”

• What did you do?

“I watched a movie. My friend asked me to go with her.”

• Have you had dinner yet?

“Mushrooms…”

While placing her handbag on the dining table, Seoyeon trailed off in her response. She realized she was mindlessly sharing trivial details.

She had met her stressed-out friend, Danmi, and watched a movie on the way home from work. She had eaten a spicy mushroom hotpot and bought some large, plump strawberries at a discount at the basement food court of the department store. She had also picked up a few side dishes to take home.  

But why do I need to share these daily stories with Hwang Dojun?

• Mushrooms?

“I had a mushroom hotpot. Have you had your dinner, CEO?”

She automatically asked out of politeness.

• I just finished eating.

“Okay.”

• Aren’t you going to ask what I had?

She knows he has eaten something. 

Why ask about something I’m not curious about? 

It would have been better if he had started with business matters, considering how tired she was. 

Seoyeon pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table as she asked Dojun.

“May I ask what the purpose of your call is?”

This couldn’t be just to make small talk. And he wouldn’t be asking her to come meet him on Jeju Island either.

• I don’t know. Why did I call?

After that, there was a long silence on the other end. The sound of flapping flags in the wind could be heard loudly. 

Was he outside? 

Seoyeon gripped the phone with her other hand. When the silence felt a bit too long, Dojun’s voice came through again

• Come here.

“Huh?”

• I’ll book you a flight ticket. Come.

What?

Seoyeon briefly pulled the phone away and gave an incredulous look. 

Was he serious? 

It was ridiculous even if he was serious, and even more ridiculous if he was joking.

Was he expecting me to go to him at the hotel he was on a business trip at, like an on-call attendant? To go to the airport at this hour and take a flight just to trudge over to the hotel? I know we agreed to sleep together, but I didn’t agree to be manipulated so one-sidedly.

“I refuse.”

A sound like a chuckle came through the receiver. Then after a while, the sound of a lighter flicking could be heard.

• You have a lot of dislikes.

The low voice accompanied by the sound of smoke crackling seemed to be right next to her ear. The sound of him exhaling a long breath reverberated in her ears.

This is what she disliked. The way he would suddenly throw out statements that left her momentarily breathless. To have her heart caught in the middle of a ridiculous demand. Seoyeon pressed her forehead as she spoke.

“When you return from your business trip, we can meet then.”

She bit her lip briefly, then continued.

“And… from now on, please contact me through messages for personal matters.”

She didn’t want Dojun’s voice intruding into her everyday life. Until now, they had communicated on and off regarding his personal shopper requests, and they could certainly continue to communicate about work matters. But the issue of sleeping together was different. She didn’t want her professional and personal lives to get messily entangled.

After enough time had passed for a breeze to blow through, Dojun replied.

• Alright.

It was a slow answer, partly spoken with a low chuckle, partly spat out with an indifferent remark.

* * *

Even though a few days had passed since Dojun returned from Jeju, he still hadn’t contacted her. Seoyeon saw him again when she was coming up from the department store’s food court where she had just had lunch.

“Wow, the ‘tank battalion’ is here.”

“Tank battalion?”

Dojun and his entourage were descending along the path that connected the office building to the hotel building.

“Ah, Ms. Chae probably doesn’t know. So the ‘tank battalion’ refers to…”

Seong-mi eagerly explained to Chae Sohee, who had earned the nickname “Ms. Chae” just a week after her appointment.

“It’s a nickname given by former Assistant  Manager Eun Jin-young. Have you seen the German soccer players looking sharp in their suits as they disembark at the airport? Doesn’t it look just like that? Watching that is what motivates me to come to work. But now that Hwang Dojun has been transferred, I might not get to see it for much longer.”

As they were walking down, she made eye contact with a Dojun. He was wearing the outfit she had put together for him on Friday. In his indifferent sweeping glance, the sounds around them seemed to fade away. It was a fleeting moment, but it felt as if only the two of them existed in the world.

“What do you think, seeing the ‘tank battalion’ for the first time?”

Seongmi held her hand up like a microphone and asked Assistant Manager Sohee, where she only gave a nonchalant smile as she replied.

“I prefer the intellectual style from the late Joseon Dynasty.”

Seongmi’s loud laughter echoed down the path. Later that afternoon, she received a message from Dojun.

[Let’s meet if you have time. I’ll send you the passcode, so go to my place after work.]

Recalling his indifferent gaze, Seoyeon sent a reply.

[Okay.]

It was the third day since Dojun had returned from his business trip.