Friction (3)

I stopped the battle of wills between Han Yu-na and Hong Si-yeon before it could escalate.

It might look terrifying to other people, but compared to the battles of wills the older girls used to have at the orphanage, this was laughable.

Come to think of it, had either of them ever tried something like this?

No one had ever picked a fight with Hong Si-yeon, and Han Yu-na had simply ignored everyone.

So to me, it was nothing more than amusing.

That made it fairly easy to deal with.

"This is delicious."

"Right? I thought Ms. Si-yeon would like it."

I took them to a gamjatang restaurant not far from the hotel.

The reason I had brought them out of a party filled with expensive dishes and taken them to a gamjatang restaurant was simple.

This gamjatang place was genuinely delicious.

Wasn't Han Yu-na shoveling it down without even looking up?

"Ms. Yu-na. It's good, isn't it?"

"Huh? Ah... yes."

Realizing that she had been inhaling the broth without a thought, Han Yu-na nodded with a flushed face.

Back when I was at the orphanage, whenever the older girls were having a battle of wills, the director would feed them something delicious first.

That would stop the battle of wills, at least for a while.

That's when I realized it.

Ah.

Women got angry when they were hungry.

Han Yu-na and Hong Si-yeon must both have been hungry by then.

Hong Si-yeon had just returned from France and come straight to the party without even resting, wearing a cumbersome, flowing dress.

What about Han Yu-na?

She hadn't eaten anything since sharing a sandwich with me at lunch.

Unlike me, who had picked at this and that at the party, she had only sipped a glass or two of wine.

So she must have been incredibly hungry.

"But did you change out of your dress at the hotel?"

Instead of the red dress, Hong Si-yeon was wearing a comfortable velvet tracksuit.

In technical terms, training clothes.

But calling it a tracksuit didn't make it shabby. It fit her slightly, showing off her excellent figure.

"Yes. I brought this with me, too."

"Ah, I see. It suits you."

"Heh heh heh. Thank you."

"So? Nothing eventful happened in France, right?"

"Ah. Yes. Thanks to you, Mr. Noah. And there were no terrorist attacks, either."

"Good."

So things had gone well on the French end.

That's a relief.

"It seems quite a lot happened to you in Korea, too, Mr. Noah."

"Haha. Yes. There are some parts that would be difficult to explain, though."

"Really? Even me?"

"Yes. But it wasn't anything dangerous, so don't worry."

"Hmmm..."

Hong Si-yeon was gnawing on a large piece of bone as she stared intently at me.

Then she stole a glance at Han Yu-na.

Han Yu-na was quickly dismantling the bones and picking out the meat.

"Didn't something happen when you went to Gyeongju with Ms. Han Yu-na, too?"

"Yes, it did. But you don't need to worry about that, either."

"That's a little disappointing. It feels like you're keeping it a secret from me."

"Ah. It's not like that. It's really nothing you need to worry about."

The cartel members who had been targeting me had been completely crushed.

That alone had served as a major warning, so there wouldn't be any danger for a while.

So it really was something she didn't need to worry about.

"If you're curious, I'll tell you. A Mexican drug cartel mobilized to target me."

"...Huh?"

"But we caught them all."

"H-how?"

"Because I know a lot of people?"

"Ah, ahahaha. Hahahaha!! As expected, you always manage to defy my expectations, Mr. Noah!"

She laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes, wiped them away, and then spoke in a voice still full of laughter.

Then she stared intently at me.

"So it was dangerous, after all?"

"If an ant by the roadside said it was going to kill you, would anyone be afraid?"

"Ahaha... A Mexican drug cartel is an ant... Well, if it's you, Mr. Noah, I suppose you could say that while laughing."

She said this naturally, then glanced at Han Yu-na.

"But Gyeongju... I haven't even taken a domestic trip. Mr. Noah, you'll go with me, too, right?"

"As I always ask, do you have time?"

I was basically Time Bill Gates, so I had no problem.

But Hong Si-yeon was an extremely busy person, wasn't she?

On top of that, she had work related to Cheonmyeong Steel added to her schedule this time, so she would be busy, too.

Hong Si-yeon's face fell.

"That's true..."

"Don't worry."

At that moment, Han Yu-na, who had been chewing on meat, opened her mouth.

"I can travel with Mr. Noah."

"W-wait! What do you mean?!"

"Exactly what I said."

She ladled up some broth, took a bite, and then picked up her shot glass.

After I poured soju into it, she downed it in one go and spoke without changing her expression.

"I acknowledge that Ms. Hong Si-yeon is close to Mr. Noah. However, it's not easy for someone as busy as you to take a trip, is it?"

"......."

"So I'll take care of that part."

"Why are you taking care of it...? Aren't you busy, too?"

"I am, but I can make time. As it happens, my father and Mr. Noah have decided to go sea fishing."

"...Really?"

"Yes. If we catch anything good, I'll send some to you."

"Th-that's nice of you, but why are you going with Chairman Han...?"

"He allowed me to address him as both Father and hyung."

I wanted to call him hyung, but he said I couldn't, so I had no choice but to call him Father.

"He refused when our grandmother told him to adopt me, didn't he?"

"But I do call her Grandmother, don't I?"

I hadn't actually become Chairman Han Jun-ho's adopted son.

I only called him Father because we were close.

"In the end, it's not much different from Madam Yang Chun-ja."

"I... suppose."

"Anyway, I decided to go with you then."

As far as I knew, Chairman Han Jun-ho hadn't said anything about that.

But if Han Yu-na wanted to go, would Chairman Han Jun-ho refuse her?

"....Mr. Noah. May I go, too?"

"Aren't you busy?"

"I'm not busy!"

"Hmm... Would you like to turn this one over?"

I held out a card.

Hong Si-yeon confidently turned it over.

"I recommend that you don't go. You get terrible seasickness, don't you?"

"Urk."

Sea fishing necessarily means taking a boat.

But Hong Si-yeon had a difficult time with seasickness as soon as she boarded one.

"And we're going next Saturday... You'll have work, too."

"I can put that off..."

"It's something related to China, so it will be difficult for you to skip it."

"......."

It wasn't work for her grandmother, but work for the company Hong Si-yeon led.

It was important enough that its president couldn't skip it just to go on a simple sea-fishing trip.

Hong Si-yeon lowered her head dejectedly, while Han Yu-na looked triumphant.

"Still, I'll be fairly free on weekdays next week. Shall we go out together?"

"R-really?!"

"Of course."

"I-I'll go, too!"

Han Yu-na cried out urgently.

But that wouldn't do.

"Ms. Yu-na. For Saseong to win the Saudi project, you'll be busy, too."

I could see a future where Saseong secured the Saudi project.

The problem was that she would have to work hard to seize that future.

If she simply trusted in that future, sitting around with her mouth open under a persimmon tree and doing nothing...

That future would certainly change.

"......."

"You know how important this project is to Saseong."

"....That's true, but..."

"Don't worry. I'll bring you a present."

"...Haa. All right."

In the end, Han Yu-na gave a slight nod.

Hong Si-yeon proudly tore into her meat in front of her.

That meant the first battle of wills was over, didn't it?

"Auntie! Please fry us some rice here!!"

Then I might as well eat, too.

.

.

.

The day of the sea-fishing trip arrived.

A car was waiting in front of my house from early in the morning.

"Mr. Noah!"

Just as she had declared, Han Yu-na came along, too.

Chairman Han Jun-ho was sitting in the back seat.

Beside him was the fishing-set bag he treasured so dearly.

"Is Ms. Yu-na driving?"

"Yes! It's a family trip!"

A family trip.

What was he going to do about his biological son who was in prison...?

Anyway, I got into the passenger seat and greeted the chairman in the back.

"Haha. Good morning."

"Heh heh heh heh. That's right. Good morning. Look forward to it. This time, too, I'll catch a real monster and fillet it into sashimi for you myself."

"I'm looking forward to it."

After a brief greeting, we set off.

After traveling for several hours, we arrived in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

"Well, well! Is that Teacher Kang Noah?!"

We stopped at a small pension.

The man who appeared to be the pension's manager was startled as soon as he saw me.

"Our son is a fan of yours!!"

"Oh. Is that so? Shall I give you an autograph?"

"Yes! Yes! And, um... once our son gets back from school, could you take a picture with him, too?"

"Of course."

The pension owner was delighted.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly.

"Chairman, I've prepared everything."

"Hmm. Thank you."

"It was the least I could do. This way."

The pension we entered under the owner's guidance looked extremely luxurious.

It was almost on the level of a high-end hotel.

"There are three rooms, so let's each use one."

"Yes. Let's do that. This one should be fine for me."

"Oh? Mr. Noah, why don't you use a bigger room?"

"No, this is fine for me."

I chose a room with a bed and a desk.

I could play games here later.

After choosing our rooms and gathering in the living room, I picked up the cards.

"All right. Before we start, let's read our fortunes."

"Fortunes? Is that really necessary?"

"Haha. How could it hurt?"

I recommended it with a smile, and in the end, the chairman and Han Yu-na turned over their cards.

"So? See anything?"

"Hmm."

"W-what's wrong?"

When I didn't answer right away, Han Yu-na asked with some anxiety.

So I said,

"Something is going to happen at this pension complex today."

"...A murder?"

"No."

I looked at another pension visible outside the window.

"There's going to be a drug party over there."

Those crazy bastards could have done it at their own houses, a club, or at the very least, some secret villa.

Yet they had to pull this crap in a place with beautiful mountains and clean water.

Didn't they have any sense of risk management?

Hmm... Then again, anyone who thought like that probably wouldn't have touched drugs in the first place.

Anyway, if they were going to pull something like this...

They must be begging to get caught, right?