The New Groom Chapter 9

“You can just tell Secretary Yoon to drop them off at the villa in advance. No, actually, those kinds of things are already prepared at the villa anyway. Swimsuits are in abundance there. Let’s just eat dinner and leave quickly.”

“…If you insist.”

Lee Jeongrok felt a lingering bitter aftertaste, as if he had fallen into a trap. But the uneasy premonition lasted only a moment. He was so busy responding one by one to the relatives from his in-laws’ side who were surrounding him that he barely ate his dinner. Yet, even as he spent the evening in a whirlwind, Go Yoongi’s villa remained in a corner of his mind like stuck chewing gum.

As the party atmosphere peaked, Hwang Bosik was in high spirits. He was in such a good mood that he even forgot the fact that he had been furious with Lee Jeongrok. Just as Lee Jeongrok had treated Hwang Imin like a trophy, Hwang Bosik used Lee Jeongrok as a trophy to show off. He bragged about his son-in-law as if he were his own son—a man from the Seoul upper class who had graduated from Seoul National University on his own merit.

Lee Jeongrok read the room quickly and catered to him. He put on the facade of a respectable son-in-law that anyone would envy. He intended to resolve the bad blood with Hwang Bosik one way or another, starting today. Since the atmosphere was good for a change, he didn’t mind overdrinking and accepted glass after glass.

When the course meal was finished and the party was winding down, Hwang Imin signaled him. It was a sign to leave. Having accepted and drunk everything his father-in-law poured, Lee Jeongrok was quite tipsy. Feeling heavy and sluggish from the alcohol, he wanted to go to the villa even less.

If only he could just go home, stretch out, and sleep. To think he had to have an after-party that might never end with Go Yoongi’s gang…

He wasn’t keen on it, but eventually, he said his goodbyes to Hwang Bosik. Upon hearing that they were having a separate drinking session with Go Yoongi, Hwang Bosik let him go without a word.

To make matters worse, Hwang Imin suggested they leave separately. It was a disaster for Lee Jeongrok, who had intended to stick to his wife’s side like glue, since the damage was already done.

“Seon-young asked me to wait just a little bit and go with her. You go ahead first. I’ll look after Seon-young and depart right after.”

“…”

Hwang Imin’s close friend, Cha Seon-young, smiled and nodded. What could he do? Lee Jeongrok had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Chief Joo, having been briefed on the next schedule, was waiting outside the banquet hall with Secretary Yoon. He tried to strike up a friendly conversation, but Lee Jeongrok remained silent with a displeased expression. He was in no mood to entertain Chief Joo’s light chatter. In silence, they went down to the parking lot and immediately boarded the waiting car. Just as they were about to pull away, Chief Joo suddenly shouted.

“Stop, stop, stooop. I’ve got a call from the lady.”

He glanced over to see Hwang Imin’s name on Chief Joo’s phone. Chief Joo went out of the car to take the call. The conversation wasn’t long. A moment later, when Chief Joo returned, the car started moving immediately. Lee Jeongrok, who felt languid from the rising alcohol, asked while reclining the seat halfway.

“Why did you go outside to take that? What does my wife say?”

“Nothing much. She told me to take good care of you since you drank a bit. Are you drunk?”

“Um… no.”

“Nooo? Doesn’t sound like a ‘no.’ How many drinks? What were you drinking? Wine? Champagne? You didn’t drink soju, I assume.”

“I don’t know, I had a few glasses of champagne.”

“A ‘few’ glasses—looking at your state, you’re on the verge of being wasted. How is it that you can’t drink at all?”

“Quiet. Who’s wasted?”

As soon as they pulled out of the parking lot, heavy raindrops slammed into the car body. It was raining like crazy, literally. As it was a scene he had seen until he was sick of it for the past two months, Lee Jeongrok felt no emotion toward the pouring rain. To people of his class, who rarely had to walk on the sidewalk, an unprecedentedly long rainy season was nothing more than scenery, not a disaster.

They encountered traffic congestion near the hotel entrance. It was partly due to the bad weather, but mostly because of the protesters. The protesters, wearing blue raincoats, were struggling to fight against the wind and rain along with the police officers. They held up picket signs coated to prevent them from getting wet and shouted slogans like, “Absolute opposition to the environment-destroying power plant!” and “Wake up, Jangchang, you are threatening the residents’ right to live!”

‘Dogs and pigs.’

Drunk Lee Jeongrok stared at the protesters with indifferent eyes. The intense emotions he had felt while arguing with Chairman Na a few weeks ago had disappeared. They were no longer Lee Jeongrok’s problem. They weren’t worth feeling anger or annoyance over.

Whatever the protesters did, the power plant project was sailing smoothly. 90% of Jangchang citizens were on their side, criticizing the protesters instead. For Hanyang Construction, it was enough to silently proceed with the business, pretending not to see or hear them. However, he involuntarily sat up straight when he spotted a familiar face among the protesters.

He made eye contact with Attorney Jin Juyeong through the rain-streaked window. It was a momentary coincidence. It was so fleeting that when he blinked once, they had already passed by.

As soon as they cleared the section blocked by the protesters, the car splashed through the puddles and picked up speed. Lee Jeongrok hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt and looked back. The protesters had receded in the blink of an eye.

“Managing Director?”

Chief Joo, who had been peacefully watching a drama beside him, looked over in confusion.

“Why? What, is there someone there? Did someone flip you off? Fucking hell, which son of a bitch was it? Shall I stop the car?”

“No, it’s just… it’s nothing.”

Sitting upright, Lee Jeongrok fumbled to pull his seatbelt back into place. His expression was blank. Chief Joo clicked his tongue briefly and turned off the drama. It was an exceptional move, as Chief Joo almost always played a drama whenever they traveled by car.

“Managing Director, you know where we’re going right now, don’t you?”

“The asshole’s villa.”

“If you know, why don’t you sober up a bit? You keep wobbling like that, and something big is going to happen, you know?”

“What big thing? Are you afraid that bastard might actually try to harm me?”

“Oh, for God’s sake! Harm you?”

Chief Joo mocked him loudly as if he wanted him to hear. Tipsy as he was, Lee Jeongrok felt annoyed and glared at him. Chief Joo stared straight at Lee Jeongrok’s neat, pale face, which looked like a young master’s.

“You know damn well Yoongi hyung-nim has been sharpening his knife ever since you moved here, trying to turn you into a complete mess—and you ask about ‘harming’ you? It won’t end with just some minor harm.”

“…”

“I saw earlier that Yoongi hyung-nim wasn’t in a great mood, either. The weather is crap, too; on days like this, it’s best to play it safe. Don’t go wandering around in a daze and get ‘harmed’ for no reason—watch your behavior, Managing Director.”

“A complete mess.”

Lee Jeongrok chuckled and shook his head. Soon, he was clutching his stomach, giggling. As Lee Jeongrok started laughing, muttering “a complete mess, a complete mess,” Chief Joo let out a sigh.

“We’re in big trouble. Looks like things are really going to go to shit today.”

The villa was located in the highlands on the outskirts of Jangchang, where you could see the entire view of Mt. Haeryeong. As you climb the winding road, which was almost hidden as if buried in the forest, a wide-open plain suddenly appears, and the villa had built its nest right there.

On the site created by carving out a small hill, a luxurious villa with one basement level and two above-ground floors stood tall. The villa was flawlessly beautiful, but the white lighting illuminating the building created a bluish-pale, somehow eerie impression. If not for the many high-end cars parked at the entrance, it was an atmosphere so chilling that one would be reluctant to enter.

Lee Jeongrok felt motion sickness from climbing the severe S-curve road. As soon as they stopped at the villa entrance, he practically rolled out of the car. He leaned against the wall to let the dizziness subside, and Chief Joo stepped out behind him. While clicking his tongue, he handed Lee Jeongrok a bottle of water. Lee Jeongrok managed to swallow a gulp or two and rubbed his brow.

“Man, the scenery is killer. Money really is fucking great.”

Chief Joo muttered, looking down at the forest engulfed in darkness. It was so dark all around that he could barely see the pouring rain falling into the pitch-black darkness, let alone the scenery. The gloomy forest outside the garden was eerie, as if a ghost might pop out at any moment.

“You know why the scenery here is so good, Managing Director? Because there are no people around. If there were people swarming all over, the scenery wouldn’t look this good. It’s a secluded place where you wouldn’t know if a mouse died or a bird fell, so it looks good to the eye. Do you understand what I mean? Can our smart Managing Director who graduated from Seoul National University understand what I’m saying, even if I put it crudely?”

“…”