Chapter 62
I don't intend to ask you for anything right away. But I might reach out someday. I hope you'll help me then.
...Ha. Honestly.
Siana mouthed something to herself, let out a small sigh, and then casually muttered,
Then she looked at me intently.
"It's such a waste. You. Why are you Korean?"
"Because I was born in Korea?"
"Didn't you say you were an orphan?"
"It's because I'm an orphan that I want to stay in Korea."
I don't care about parents whose names I don't even know, or whether they're alive or dead.
Simply because I'm a Korean orphan.
Since Korean people helped me survive, I just want to live as a Korean whenever possible.
Siana let out another deep sigh.
"Mr. Kang. I will definitely repay you for your help. Just as you helped me out of goodwill, I will repay that help out of goodwill as well. So..."
She continued, staring at me with a serious expression.
"Anytime, don't hesitate to contact me if you need me."
"Understood. I'll gratefully accept your repayment."
Only then did Siana straighten her back, apparently satisfied.
It wasn't until I watched her leave the hotel that Hong Siyeon gave a small laugh.
"You're bewitching people here too."
"Isn't it natural for fish to gather in clear water?"
"There's no arguing with you."
"Come on. Isn't Ms. Hong also a fish drawn to my clear water?"
"Hmm..."
She crossed her arms and thought for a moment before giving a small laugh.
"That is true. And while I'm at it..."
She stepped one pace ahead, then slowly turned her head to look at me.
"I'd like to become the biggest and most important fish."
.
.
.
Our schedule in the United States had come to an end.
The FBI didn't pull some orphan-like stunt and say, "We've finished what we needed, so fly economy on the way home!"
We flew first class on the way back as well.
Thanks to that, we returned comfortably.
"You worked hard, Mr. Noah."
"That's right. I should hole up at home for a while and not go anywhere."
"Oh? So you won't play with me either?"
"Do you have time to play?! Aren't you busy?!"
"I am busy..."
Hong Siyeon let out a small sigh.
Since she couldn't handle any company business while traveling to the United States with me, she'd be terribly busy dealing with the aftermath.
She probably wouldn't even be able to leave work for a while.
And if she had to handle her grandmother's business as well... she'd probably have to arrange her schedule down to the minute.
From the future I could glimpse, it was clear that she was in for some truly brutal work.
Hang in there...!
"Don't work too much. Make sure you get some rest now and then."
"Ugh... All right. Thanks for worrying about me."
"I'll go cheer you on later."
"Oh my. How sweet of you."
I smiled back at her as she gave me a bright smile.
Then I held out a card.
"Let's see..."
The card that appeared was the Seven of Hearts.
"And it would be best not to do business with France."
"Will I lose money?"
"Yes. You'll suffer quite a substantial loss. It would be better to do business with Britain instead."
One of the places that gave her a headache was a French business partner.
Even though they weren't profitable, they whined incessantly, and I could see a future where she grumbled about them because of it.
"I understand. But you don't ask what kind of deal it is? Do you know?"
"No. I don't."
"I see. Then..."
Her future changed after she accepted my advice.
It became a future in which she made a large profit from a successful deal.
This should be enough.
"Take care."
"Yes. See you next time. Hehe."
Hong Siyeon and Rachel moved away.
After watching them leave, Mr. Cheolhon and I headed for the elevator in the officetel.
"Mr. Cheolhon, you worked hard too."
"Honestly, I wouldn't call it hard work..."
"A fourteen-hour flight is hard work in itself. Anyway, get plenty of rest."
"Yes, sir."
Cheolhon said goodbye and opened the door to the unit next door.
Only after watching him go inside did I enter my own home.
Oh, my sweet home.
As soon as I got home, all the tension drained from me!
-Bzzzz!!
"Huh?"
A call all of a sudden?
When I looked at my phone, it was a friend of mine.
It was Elder Kim Seokchun, who had found the younger sibling he'd lost not long ago.
"Hello?"
-Old friend. Have you been busy lately?
"I suppose you could say I'm busy, and I suppose you could say I'm not. But what is it?"
-Well, you see. I bought a vacation home.
"Oh. A vacation home. Congratulations. But where did you buy it...?"
-In Yangpyeong.
"I think I know where in Yangpyeong you bought it, too."
Elder Kim Seokchun's younger sister, Grandma Kim Heekyung, currently lived in the countryside of Yangpyeong with her grandson.
Elder Kim had told her several times to come live with him, but she had flatly refused every time.
So in the end, the old man must have bought a house near her.
-Hehe. That's why I'm calling. Would you come visit this week with that Yuna girl?
With Han Yuna?
Was it because we'd met together last time?
"I don't mind, but I don't know if Ms. Yuna's schedule will allow it. I'll ask her."
-Please do. I'll prepare all the food and drinks, so don't worry about a thing. Just bring yourselves.
He added that if Han Yuna didn't have time, I should come visit alone.
"Should I bring hwatu?"
-There's hwatu here too, but bring some anyway. This time I'm going to fleece you, so bring plenty of coins as well.
"Haha. You can't beat me, Elder."
-We'll see about that! Hmph!
Elder Kim snorted and hung up.
Ha. This old fool.
I'll have to fleece him thoroughly.
Anyway, that was that, but I wondered what Han Yuna would say.
She might lie, so I decided to call her on video.
-Hello?!
She answered almost immediately after I called.
What I could see behind her on the screen was an office.
Even though it was quite late, she still seemed to be working.
"Aren't you off work?"
-I still have a little work left.
"Ahaha. You must be busy?"
-A little. But what is it? I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about too, Mr. Noah.
"Huh? What?"
-I'm free this weekend. I was hoping we could go somewhere together.
"I was calling to talk about that too."
Elder Kim had bought a vacation home in Yangpyeong.
When I said it was the same place we'd visited last time, Han Yuna's expression brightened.
-I'd love to! I want to see your grandmother too. She said she'd make us baeksuk if we came this time, right?
"Well, yes."
-Baeksuk... I'm looking forward to it! Then how about we buy a few things and bring them with us?
"That sounds good too. Elder Kim said we could come empty-handed, but..."
Still, it would be better to bring something separately.
I looked over the things I'd bought in the United States this time.
There were quite a few snacks and other things that could serve as gifts, so I decided to bring those.
"Also, I bought some gifts when I came back from the United States. I'll give them to you later."
-Oh... Really?
"Yes. You can look forward to them."
A deep smile spread across Han Yuna's face on the other side of the screen.
.
.
.
And so, Saturday arrived.
When the appointed time came, Han Yuna drove over.
"Have you been well?"
She was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.
It was a comfortable outfit, but Han Yuna was so beautiful that even that simple outfit looked like a picture.
"Where's Mr. Cheolhon?"
"He said he had a date today, so I told him not to come."
Originally, he had said he would come too, but he already had a date with the girlfriend he'd met last time.
I honestly felt bad about making him break that date to come with me.
We'd only just started dating, and not only had I taken him to the United States, we were heading to Yangpyeong that weekend as soon as we'd returned.
Since I wasn't such an evil employer, I simply told him to go on his date.
"Hmm, should we call our security guards?"
"You have separate bodyguards?"
"Yes."
Han Yuna picked up her phone as she said that.
She called someone, and a short while later, two female bodyguards came walking over.
"I'm Roen."
"I'm Rusha."
Both of them were foreigners.
They were over 180 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders and enormous fists.
If we fought, I'd lose in three seconds flat.
"Roen and Rusha are both former women's UFC fighters. Roen was even a champion."
"Wow..."
"It's nothing. And it's all in the past."
"And..."
At my nod, they took off the suit jackets they had been wearing.
There were various weapons underneath.
Seeing that they even had gas guns, it seemed they could respond immediately to just about any danger.
"Impressive."
"Unlike other countries, Korea strictly regulates the use of firearms. We have to be prepared this thoroughly."
If they had guns, that alone would probably have been enough.
But since they didn't, I nodded at the explanation that they had to prepare this way.
"And we'll escort you in a different car."
"Hmm? Why not ride with us?"
At my question, the two of them shook their heads.
In that case.
"Get in, Mr. Noah."
"Yes, ma'am."
Han Yuna naturally sat in the driver's seat.
Then I sat in the passenger seat.
"By the way, what is that?"
"I went to the United States recently. Here. This is a gift."
What I took out was some gift-boxed black tea.
One of Han Yuna's few hobbies was drinking black tea.
I honestly didn't know much about its taste, but hobbies were something to respect.
So I'd bought her a good one.
"Wow... Thank you. But why did you go to America?"
"The FBI asked me to."
"As expected of you, Mr. Noah. That's amazing. Even the FBI asked you for help!"
"Haha. I'm pretty good."
"But if it was work like that, you would've needed an interpreter... Who interpreted for you?"
"The president of the company I work for came with me."
"...The company president. Are you referring to President Hong Siyeon?"
"Yes."
I hadn't specifically told her about Hong Siyeon, but she could figure out that much.
"Hmm..."
That was Han Yuna's groan.
She looked uncomfortable somehow.
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
There didn't seem to be any particular problem in her future as she answered with a bright smile.
Then that was fine.
Though she did keep sneaking glances at me.
Everything should be fine.