Friendly chit-chat
Two months ago Seo-Jun's uncle heard of his nephew's plan. He immediately flew into a rage, raging about how it would disgrace the good family name. In order to make his displeasure known, and have the young culprit punished, he had summoned Seo-Jun to the Kim mansion. Once he saw him, the uncle thoroughly scolded his nephew for disobeying his order to live quietly out of the country.
During that time, Seo-Jun had fought hard against his uncle. In the end, he managed to earn the right to remain in Seoul and work with Ji-Won. Perhaps the name of Chairman Kang and his reputation had something to do with his uncle finally relenting.
Nevertheless, Seo-Jun did not complain about the reasons. As if he had received amnesty, he left the house in a hurry, vowing never to return.
As he closed the door behind him, Seo-Jun even left behind some bitter words.
"You don't have to worry about me uncle. I will never ask for anything from your family. I'm a nobody after all. What could I possibly give in return to someone as great as you?"
Now, two months later, Seo-Jun's uncle called him back home. Despite his vow never to return, Seo-Jun still went, only to have his uncle step on his head for not getting a better position at Kangji Tourism.
"Deputy Director?!" his uncle's voice boomed inside the study. "That is not a fitting position for one of our family. What will the others say when they find out about this?"
Hearing the man's words, Seo-Jun couldn't help but scoff.
"Since when have I been a member of your family, uncle?" Seo-Jun paused, then added with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And don't worry. I never told anyone about my connection with Kim Financial Group. Ji-Won is the only one who knows about my family. Probably his father knows too, but I highly doubt he'll be interested. Chairman Kang has his own family issues to take care of."
"That's not the point." his uncle snapped. "The point is your image and how..."
Seo-Jun let out a derisive laugh, interrupting his uncle's words short.
"The point, I believe, is 'your' image and what people will think about 'you' when they find out I went to work for the Kangs instead of coming to 'your' company."
As he spoke, Seo-Jun's expression twisted in disgust.
"You only care about yourself, after all." he added in an undertone.
His uncle, however, didn't hear his last words. He was hung up on what Seo-Jun had said before that.
"Well if you understand it so well, then why are you doing this?"
"I am sorry to say, uncle, but I have no plans of ever coming to work for you, nor join your family. You have already given your permission for me to stay away, so I suggest you keep to your word. I do not make trouble for you, so you stay out of my business." Seo-Jun bit out savagely.
After throwing those words out, Seo-Jun had gotten up and stormed out of the house without looking back.
Taking another long sip of whiskey, Seo-Jun let out a deep sigh. He stared off into the distance, his eyes betraying the tumult he felt inside his chest. It seemed that, no matter how often this happened, he couldn't help feeling affected. Though it was much better than before, he was still infuriated with his uncle's attitude.
That's how Ji-Won found him a while later.
"Rough evening I take it?" Ji-Won asked his friend, taking a seat beside him at the bar.
"Judging by your looks, I'd say you've had the same." Seo-Jun retorted, a sad smile forming on his lips.
Ji-Won simply sighed. He then made a gesture towards the barman to bring him the same as Seo-Jun.
When he had the drink in front of him, Ji-Won simply stared at the golden liquid, twirling the glass in his hands. The whiskey rippled and swayed inside the glass, crashing against its container like waves hitting the rocky seafront.
After several minutes of silence, Seo-Jun finally turned to look at his friend.
"Did you go to pick up the rest of your things from your father's place?" He asked quietly.
"Yes. Did you get scolded by the CEO again?" Ji-Won asked in the same quiet voice, glancing at his companion. "Why? I thought he had agreed to let you work with me."
Seo-Jun shrugged with a sigh.
"I guess the old man changed his mind. He said it's below the status of his family member to be just a Deputy Director."
"And you just stormed out of there, didn't you?"
The two of them smiled slightly. Indeed they knew each other all too well. For a moment, they both remained quiet, calmly sipping their drinks.
Then, Seo-Jun opened his mouth to break the silence first.
"How is your apartment? Did you get accustomed to it?"
"It's alright. I don't mind it much."
"Don't you miss me?" Seo-Jun asked, his voice suddenly regaining its teasing tint. "We've lived together since we were in high school. I'm sure you miss me."
"Not one bit." Ji-Won replied flatly, gulping the remainder of his whiskey.
"So harsh. You're too mean towards your office wife." Seo-Jun continued with a mocking pout.
"Stop saying that!" Ji-Won snapped. "People would think weird things if they heard you. No one beside me knows just how much of a joker you are."
"Says the person who shouted, 'Give it to me' in the middle of a barbeque restaurant the other day." Seo-Jun scoffed. Afterwards, he continued quietly, staring down at his drink. "Besides, you know I don't care what other people think."
"You may not care, but I do." Ji-Won grumbled.
"Yes, yes. I'm sorry. I won't say anything like that again." Seo-Jun rolled his eyes at his friend's seriousness.
With that being said, they ordered another round of whiskey. All the while, they both remained quiet, sipping their drinks slowly. They weren't thinking of anything specific, merely recounting the most recent events in their lives.
"How's dating going?" Ji-Won finally broke the silence, causing Seo-Jun to look at him wide-eyed.