29 Gates of Orion

The Gates of Orion was located in the heart of Seoul. A top-class restaurant that catered to the palettes of the rich, the powerful and the famous. More often than not the patrons were all three.

Across Korea, very few companies that were named after constellations operated without any connections to Antares Group. In fact, Antares was so well known and powerful that no one dared to name anything after constellations without first asking for permission.

As for why Kwang-sik had chosen the name Gates of Orion, well, Min-soo did not buy it. Apparently, it had something to do with a wild dream Kwang-sik had when he was backpacking across Eastern Europe in an attempt to widen his tastes. Sitting under the starry night sky in Moldova, the young Kwang-sik was suddenly hit with some sort of revelation which had stayed with him till this day.

Min-soo had always treated it as nothing more than hot air from Kwang-sik, after all, he had only heard it the one time Min-soo, Kwang-sik and Nam-joon were out on a holiday in the Philippines and there happened to be many beautiful ladies around.

Whether the two events were correlated was beyond Min-soo but at the end of the day, it was undeniable that the Gates of Orion was a top-notch restaurant. As for what cuisine it served, it really depended on Kwang-sik's mood.

Every three months, he would change it up, but the common theme was always XYZ-cuisine with a Korean interpretation. It never failed to live up to the hype and there were even the wisps of gossip over the possibility of Kwang-sik being awarded two Michelin stars in the near future.

However, this was not something for Min-soo to worry about. In fact, his more immediate priority was to have lunch with his Grandparents and a lady friend they wish to introduce to him. He was rather interested, after all, his Grandparents would not give their blessings to just any random person off the street.

But then again, perhaps he was getting ahead of himself, for all he knew they too might be meeting her for the first time, as well.

Feeling the car come to a stop, Min-soo looked out the car window and saw the ubiquitous cement pillars of underground carparks. Getting out of the car, Min-soo straightened his jacket before heading over to the lift.

Waiting for the lift, Min-soo sighed, his earlier excitement accentuated by a slight nervousness.

Hearing the lift doors open, he looked back and saw Hyun-woo walking over with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

Min-soo raised an eyebrow in question. Hyun-woo simply replied, "For the Miss."

Min-soo's mouthed a simple O as he realised that he indeed had not bothered to prepare a gift to show his goodwill. Fortunately, he had Hyun-woo.

The two of them entered the lift and waited in silence as it quietly ascended. As the doors once again reopened, Min-soo was assailed by the floral scent of Spring. The calm and hushed atmosphere was occasionally punctured by a rather raucous laughter.

Min-soo could recognise that voice and tone from a mile away. It was that distinct. The culprit was none other than his Grandfather.

The restaurant foyer was rather mutely decorated, in tune with the Lee family disdain for overt displays of grandeur and wealth. But that was not to say the things there were cheap, on the contrary, the uneducated would assume it was nought but the works of some factory in China, but to those in the know they were priceless artefacts.

A waiter immediately recognised Min-soo and promptly came over to offer his greetings.

"Good afternoon, Mr Lee, Minister Lee has already entered and is waiting for your arrival. Please follow me."

Min-soo looked around at the other tables and was even able to recognise a few individuals. Some were politicians, a couple actors and there was even a famous model. As for who they were with, well, some things were best left unsaid.

Min-soo was brought to a corner of the restaurant that was separated by some folding screens. Of course, the restaurant had rooms for those who wished to remain private, but since this occasion was not so formal nor was there a need for secrecy, it appeared his Grandfather had opted for the area with a nicer atmosphere and view.

This corner was the most sought-after location in the restaurant, with a clear view over to the Han River.

Hyun-woo thrust the bouquet of flowers into Min-soo's hands.

Holding onto the flowers, Min-soo walked in with a smile and saw the familiar heads of his Grandparents. His Grandfather appeared to be in mid-flight relaying one of the many of his old stories to the guests while his Grandmother would occasionally interject to elaborate on the story.

Around the table was a smiling middle-aged lady showing a warm and engaged expression, but her eyes began to positively glow as they met Min-soo's. Her mouth opened in an O and as Min-soo's Grandfather noticed he turned around and got up immediately.

"Ah, Min-soo about time you got here. If you took any longer, I would have assumed you had run away." He laughed as he smacked Min-soo on the back.

"Come, come, let me introduce you to the two beautiful ladies."

It was at this point that Min-soo felt he experienced the most beautiful moment in life. The afternoon sun's rays shining through the window illuminated the face of a goddess. With the light fluttering of eyelashes as she looked up, Min-soo stared mindlessly as their eyes met and he felt a shock run through him, as he recognised the lady.

Min-soo's mouth opened yet no words came out.

Min-soo's Grandfather, Lee Sun-ho could not stand his idiot grandson's gawking and smacked him across the back of his head.

"Hey. Do you need another smack? How could you be so rude? Staring at a beautiful lady like that, where are your manners? Greet Aunty Shin." Lee Sun-ho reprimanded Min-soo, with a slight frown.

The lady in question blushed lightly in embarrassment as she looked down. Min-soo turned back towards the older lady and apologised.

"Ah. Sorry. Sorry. Good day, Aunty Shin, I am Lee Min-soo. It is my pleasure to meet you. Here, these flowers are for you." Min-soo offered.

"Omo, flowers for an old lady like me. Oh, how kind. Ji-eun, come greet Min-soo." Aunty Shin accepted the flowers and then grasped her daughter's hand.

The girl once again looked up and with a refreshing smile, introduced herself, "Hello, Min-soo oppa, I am Lee Ji-eun."

Min-soo had already felt that the girl was familiar, but upon hearing her voice and her name, it had confirmed his suspicions. Lee Ji-eun, that would be the name of none other than the "Nation's Little Sister" IU.

Min-soo had already known that the timeline in this world was out of order, but never had he expected that not only would he be able to meet IU but that he would in fact be older than her. Min-soo had been a big fan of both her music and her acting.

However, it took almost every modicum of self-control to keep his excitement in check, after all, he did not want to come across as sleazy or creepy. Keeping a pleasant smile, he responded happily,

"Hello, sorry for being late."

His Grandfather quickly interrupted him before he could go on, "Yes, yes. Now sit down. I am starving." He quickly had everyone sit back down. Min-soo sat between his grandparents, while Ji-eun sat between his Grandmother and Aunty Shin.

Once again, his Grandfather took the initiative, "Mi-kyung, my grandson can be a little stupid sometimes, I hope you don't hold it against him."

Min-soo frowned as his Grandfather was once again badmouthing him in front of his idol.

"Haha, on the contrary it makes him more endearing." Shin Mi-kyung laughed off.

As his grandparents and Aunty Shin continued to converse between them, Min-soo would take occasional glances at Ji-eun, only to realise that she too was doing the same. His smile only grew wider and he suddenly burst out into joyous laughter.

The heads of his grandparents and Aunty Lee swivelled towards him, all with questioning gazes. Min-soo quickly stifled his laughter and simply waved it away, "It's nothing."

They only nodded their heads with scepticism before they resumed their conversation while occasionally involving Min-soo and Ji-eun. Min-soo suddenly felt the need to use the toilet and so he got up.

Excusing himself from the table, he walked out of their partitioned area and found Hyun-woo seated at a table just outside. He got up, but Min-soo only waved him back as he pulled out his phone and proceeded towards the restrooms.

Looking up the name Lee Ji-eun, he realised that in this world, there was no IU. He had assumed that even without the K-pop industry, she would have found herself in acting. But for whatever reason, it appeared she had not yet done so.