Pig Government Official

-5-

Shit. Contrary to Park Jihoon’s expected scenario of extreme anger asking how I could introduce the Won family, did I actually say it…?

Park Jihoon removed his chin from Jeonggwan’s shoulder and made a cautious expression.

What? Is it true?! Jeonggwan was startled and moved about 1m away from Park Jihoon.

“What are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You too… Won Jae… But you’re a Park…”

“I’m… I’m just a distant relative.”

“Whoa. Then are you also a chaebol?!”

Quiet! Park Jihoon quickly covered Jeonggwan’s mouth as he saw people’s gazes turning towards them.

What chaebol? My mom just runs a small motel! Really? Yeah. I’m just a distant relative of that family.

“But why introduce me to your distant relative hyung?”

“Because you and that hyung are perfect for each other?”

“But he’s… from the Won family… Why me…?”

Jeonggwan’s voice rose sharply, then whispered again, sending a questioning look to Jihoon.

You bastard. You…

“You’re setting me up, aren’t you?”

“Damn it. If you don’t like it, forget it. You little rat. So suspicious.”

No. Think about it logically. Jeonggwan spoke seriously.

Why would you introduce me to that great cousin hyung from the Won family? Is there something wrong with him? Does he have anger management issues? Or does he have some strange sexual… fetishes? Gets excited by weird behaviors… Or is he a bit slow…

Jeonggwan rambled on about his legitimate suspicions to Jihoon.

In fact, it was natural for Jeonggwan to be suspicious. Why on earth would they be so desperate to set him up with that great person from the Won family, who was well-built and handsome? There must be some kind of scheme behind this.

However, Jihoon spoke to Jeonggwan in an honest voice with a very serious face that he might make once in ten years.

“You’re going to meet an alpha and get married later anyway.”

“…?”

“My pride won’t allow you to marry some stupid nouveau riche.”

“…Who are you to decide?”

“My best friend marrying a nouveau riche? Absolutely not.”

Since when was I your best friend…? Jeonggwan looked up at Jihoon with a questioning expression. But Jihoon was burning with a sense of mission to dedicate himself to his self-proclaimed best friend.

Moreover, there was a major flaw in Jihoon’s mission.

“Was there no option for me… not to get married…?”

Jeonggwan was against marriage.

However, Jeonggwan, who hadn’t thought about the future of opening a huge bakery in Gangnam with the alimony received after marrying and divorcing a chaebol family, was tempted by Jihoon’s plausible persuasion.

You fool. You only know one thing, not two. One huge bakery? No, you could open franchise Jeonggwan Bakeries on the first basement floor of every WJ Department Store across the country. Ignite your ambition! I’m telling you, it’s like winning the lottery in life! You know what else?

You might not satisfy my aesthetic standards externally, but our cousin hyung who wants agape love? He’s already interested in you! He wants to meet and get married right away? Just agree to meet him. If you really like each other, you could date, right? And you know what? Even when you break up after dating a chaebol, they shower you with something like alimony? And who knows? You two might really fall in love.

In the end, Jeonggwan gave in. To Jihoon’s persuasion. The dinner for the three was set for two days later at the M Hotel near Jeonggwan and Jihoon’s school.

Even having dinner at such a chaebol-like place was overwhelming.

“If that relative hyung of yours turns out to be a weirdo, you’re really dead. I’ll call my oldest and third hyungs to beat you to a pulp like you’ve been stung by giant hornets, bury you up to your neck in the hill behind our house, and pour the leftover jjamppong soup on your head every time we eat it. Then I’ll steal a liter of iodine solution from my second hyung’s lab, make you drink it all, and force you to burp 500 times.”

Jeonggwan’s threat about not letting it slide if that cousin hyung turned out to be a weirdo was also terrifying.

* * *

M Hotel. Jeonggwan had only been here once for a practical class with his professor. So visiting like this personally felt very awkward. Entering the lobby, it was slightly smaller in scale than the Brighton Hotel, but the interior was incredibly luxurious enough to intimidate anyone without money.

Let’s just go to the galbi restaurant near school. Why did they have to call us to a hotel? Jeonggwan tugged at his awkward shirt sleeve. Since they were going to a hotel restaurant, Jeonggwan had asked Jihoon, “Should I wear the suit I wore to my cousin’s wedding?” But the response was cold.

A suit? Are you going to a blind date? Just think of it as a casual meal. That hyung will feel awkward if you dress up too. Just wear a white shirt with a black knit and the black jeans you wore last time.

Thanks to the kind styling advice, Jeonggwan came dressed exactly as Jihoon had said without much worry.

Honestly, it was much better than wearing a yellow hoodie and jeans like last time at the Brighton Hotel. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t fit in with this place.

I wish Jihoon would arrive soon. He said he left earlier, but he still hadn’t shown his face.

Jeonggwan sat quietly on a lobby chair next to the restaurant on the first floor, unable to enter.

“Oh, Jihoon’s friend. Why aren’t you going in?”

While lost in thought, a much gentler voice than Park Jihoon’s, belonging to that relative hyung, was heard nearby.

“Oh. Hello…”

Jeonggwan hurriedly stood up from the chair and bowed his head in greeting.

Jihoon’s relative hyung, or rather, the great Won Sejin of the Won Group, smiled with his eyes half-closed and replied, “Hello.”

Wow-. He seemed incredibly classy before, but now knowing he’s from the Won Group, it felt like class was just oozing from him indescribably.

“Are you waiting for Jihoon?”

Moreover, his voice was really amazing. Very gentle and refined. It seemed to overflow with composure, sounding low yet mixed with a beautiful tone. Do rich people get voice training too? Knowing he was a chaebol made all sorts of unnecessary thoughts pop up.

“Yes… The traffic must be bad…”

“No. Jihoon is always late. Choosing clothes. Let’s go in first.”

Won Sejin smiled at him once again, lightly placing his hand on Jeonggwan’s back and gently pushing him towards the hotel restaurant.

* * *

As Jihoon’s cousin hyung, Won Sejin, closed the menu, even that action looked like that of a true rich person. While Jeonggwan was rolling his eyes around, not knowing what to order, Sejin closed the menu with a bored expression, like a child skimming through an overly familiar Cinderella storybook. Then he made eye contact with the waiter who had been watching only him and beckoned him over with a look.

If it were me or my hyungs, we would have called out “Excuse me-.” Is this what being a chaebol is? Every single gesture of Sejin’s seemed elegant to Jeonggwan.

After listing menu items that Jeonggwan couldn’t even read, Sejin looked at him. His face seemed to ask, “What will you have?” Jeonggwan, who had only earnestly looked at the prices and dessert section of the menu, threw a glance at the waiter without batting an eye.

Having watched his fair share of chaebol dramas, Jeonggwan knew exactly what to do in this situation.

“I’ll have the same, please.”

Whatever the rich person orders. Let me try eating the same thing.

* * *

Today’s schedule for Won Junjae, Executive Director of Won Electronics, was roughly as follows:

Lunch meeting with Middle Eastern buyers, a brief meeting, return to the company for a meeting on next year’s first half AI sensor-equipped air conditioner experiment report, review of the second half wearable device release line. Dinner at the hotel with the Executive Vice President of Won Electronics New York Corporation, who was on a business trip to Korea.

It was a schedule with nothing special, just like usual. Secretary Oh called the hotel to check on the dinner progress, and as expected, there were no issues. In 15 minutes, he would escort his superior, Executive Director Won Junjae, to the hotel restaurant for dinner, and then his workday would end.

“What about the patent application for the laptop touchpad sensor?”

“It’s reported on page 2.”

Even during the 15-minute travel, his boss worked on his pad while Secretary Oh stood by.

This too was all within Secretary Oh’s calculations. These calculations were also no different from usual.

“And Vice President Baek?”

“He has already arrived.”

At Secretary Oh’s signal, the leader of the on-site security team 1 escorted them alone from the hotel lobby. Usually, only this team leader-level security guard accompanied Won Junjae for protection, while the rest were on standby nearby to block outside reporters or prepare for any unforeseen dangers.

The private room in the hotel restaurant was located past the general tables towards the inner area, so the manager led the way first, followed by the security team leader, then Won Junjae, and finally Secretary Oh.

In fact, before Won Junjae entered this hotel restaurant, security team 1 had already entered the restaurant to check for any dangerous individuals or reporters.

If everything had been normal like usual, Won Junjae would have immediately entered the private room for the meeting.

If it had been like usual, that is.