Pig Government Official

-9-

“Is this right?”

Jeonggwan turned seriously to Jihoon, asking if this really looked appropriate.

“Ah, shhh-.”

Jihoon spat out the coffee he had just sipped. Cough, cough. Then, as if he had choked, he coughed and glared at Jeonggwan with a reddened face as if he wanted to tear him apart. This is how you try to assassinate Kim Jeonggwan.

“I’m asking if this is correct.”

“Ah, cough… That’s not yours!”

“Oh, really?”

Jeonggwan obediently took off the light pink jacket he was wearing. No wonder it felt a bit tight.

Saturday. Jihoon had told him to come to his place early in the morning as he had to go to the charity party. Jeonggwan entered Jihoon’s officetel after punching in three security passcodes.

Jihoon, presumably brewing coffee in the kitchen, shouted without looking at Jeonggwan, “Try on what’s in the shopping bag on the sofa!” Jeonggwan tiptoed to the living room and picked up clothes from the shopping bag on the stool to put on.

One wall of Jihoon’s house was a full-length mirror, so he immediately turned to check his appearance, but… this didn’t seem right at all. It was as if they were trying to personify a pig… Was he supposed to wear this? Jeonggwan asked Jihoon if this was correct, and apparently, it wasn’t.

Opening the shopping bag on the opposite sofa, he found a dark navy striped suit set with a light sky-blue shirt.

“Is this mine?”

“Yeah. Try it on.”

Jeonggwan was a bit excited as it was his first time wearing such a formal suit. To think this was his! He quickly stripped off his clothes right there and put on the dark navy suit. It definitely felt roomier than the pink jacket and fit his body well. Wow, so this is why people pay to have their clothes tailored!

Unaware that it was a custom-made suit rather than just altered, Jeonggwan would probably be shocked if he knew the price, but Jihoon didn’t mention it separately for the sake of Jeonggwan’s mental health.

But what did this guy come wearing? Jihoon approached Jeonggwan briskly after wiping the spilled coffee in the kitchen.

“What underwear are you wearing?”

“What?”

“I’m asking what underwear you’re wearing.”

“…Why?”

If his eyes hadn’t deceived him earlier, Jeonggwan’s underwear was bright yellow boxer briefs. Jihoon mercilessly pulled down Jeonggwan’s pants.

“Hey, what are you doing!”

“Are you crazy?”

Ha-. Jihoon rolled his eyes up and down, staring at Jeonggwan in disbelief. It wasn’t just bright yellow boxer briefs. SpongeBob’s winking face on the butt greeted Jihoon with a peek-a-boo.

Jeonggwan irritably pulled up his pants, exclaiming, “Why!” Why make such a fuss about underwear!

“Let’s go buy new underwear. This won’t do.”

“No! I’m wearing this. I always wear this when I go somewhere important!”

Jeonggwan and Jihoon engaged in a fierce staring contest for several tens of seconds. Jeonggwan also stood his ground, his face showing he wouldn’t compromise on his underwear. This SpongeBob underwear was like a lucky charm for Jeonggwan.

It was a stress-relief charm he always wore when going somewhere important or doing practical training in front of professors. Not wearing this underwear to a place full of rich people today? That would be like sending a soldier to war without a gun. There was absolutely no compromise.

Sigh… Knowing Jeonggwan’s stubbornness, Jihoon shook his head with a deep sigh, seemingly giving up.

“Then promise me. When you go to the bathroom, go into a stall to pee.”

“To pee?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“If you don’t do that? Then I’ll add 500 grams extra baking soda to your recipe every time you do practical training.”

This guy’s really crazy. Jeonggwan pushed Jihoon away with a disgusted look. However, Jihoon continued to brainwash Jeonggwan, unfazed. Go into a stall to pee. You know I’ll do it if I say I will, right? You know what happens if I add 500g of baking soda, right?

“Alright, I got it!”

With 500g of baking soda, it wouldn’t be bread but a “poooooff-“. And Park Jihoon was the type to actually do what he said he would. Psychopath bastard. When Jeonggwan responded with an annoyed expression to the seemingly manic Jihoon, only then did Jihoon step back, looking satisfied.

The purpose of bringing Jeonggwan to this charity party was to find Jeonggwan’s future boyfriend or husband. Originally, he had planned to just bring Jeonggwan to an otherwise boring party he had to attend anyway, feed him delicious food, and make fun of the arrogant guys there. But after hearing that Jeonggwan’s parents wanted to hand him over to some strange eagle-eyed nouveau riche guy, the purpose changed.

He even had clothes tailored for Jeonggwan, intending to actively introduce him if there was a suitable guy there. Of course, with most alphas meticulously judging looks, body, and educational background, the success rate was only about 5%, but still, it might be worth a shot to make Jeonggwan’s face known.

But if rumors spread that Jeonggwan’s underwear was SpongeBob? Jeonggwan’s sex appeal? Sexiness? That would just be the end of it.

Still, dressed up like this, he looked quite presentable. With his small head and fair skin, he even looked quite cute with the bowtie.

* * *

They arrived at the familiar hotel in Jihoon’s green car that hugged the ground. It was the Brighton Hotel. It felt strange to enter through the main entrance when he was used to always going through the back door. The fountain is so big. So pretty. Jeonggwan’s eyes sparkled.

“When we go in, stick close to me, okay?”

“I got it already. I’m too shy to wander off alone anyway.”

As the car stopped at the hotel’s main entrance, two staff members rushed to open the driver’s and passenger’s doors. Wow. I’ve seen this on TV. They really do this. Jeonggwan got out of the car, softly saying, “Thank you…”

Jihoon, used to this, naturally handed over the car keys and approached Jeonggwan. Wearing a deep navy velvet jacket, Jihoon looked particularly classy today.

But wow, even the distant relatives of the Won Group are rich… Jeonggwan felt awkward seeing Jihoon in a new light.

“Let’s go.”

The hotel lobby they entered following Jihoon was unchanged from before, but entering through the main entrance gave it a completely different feel. Feeling a bit nervous, Jeonggwan gripped the end of Jihoon’s jacket tightly. Don’t leave me behind.

He followed Jihoon, who was striding confidently towards the banquet hall as if familiar with the way. I always just sent desserts here… So this is where they were going. Jeonggwan’s eyes sparkled at the luxurious interior of the banquet hall. I’ve seen this in dramas too.

“Pig. Eat this.”

“Wow. Amazing. They must have hired professional patissiers this time instead of part-timers. The quality is insane…”

Jeonggwan’s jaw dropped at the desserts laid out before him. The decorations on each small tart were so exquisite, he wondered if Professor Yoon had come to make each one personally.

Moreover, even the champagne was beautiful. He’d heard rose champagne was trendy, and the ethereal color of the champagne matched the desserts perfectly. Jeonggwan reached out and popped a tart into his mouth.

“This taste is insane.”

Not only was it beautiful, but the taste was also incredible. How can the pastry be so soft yet crispy? Is the cream base pecan? Wow… Incredible.

Jeonggwan alternated between bites of dessert and sips of champagne, savoring each.

Jihoon told Jeonggwan to enjoy the food, then swept his eyes around the banquet hall. The speeches seemed to be over, with people mingling and chatting. It looked like they had arrived at a good time, avoiding the boring parts. He could see Sejin in the distance.

“Hey. Don’t go anywhere, stay here.”

“Where would I go?”

“Sejin hyung is over there. Stay here and eat.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t die until I’ve eaten all of this.”

Looking at Jeonggwan’s blissful face, it was clear he wouldn’t leave until he’d eaten everything there, even if told to go home.

“Anyway, keep an eye on me. If I signal you, come over. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just go.”

Jihoon smirked at Jeonggwan, who could barely answer while eating, then walked over to Sejin near the platform.

“Hyung!”

“Oh- Jihoon, you’re here?”

“Oh- Park Jihoon. Did studying abroad improve your looks?”

“My looks have always been top-notch. What’s with you?”

Several alphas of similar status were gathered around Sejin. They playfully greeted Jihoon, who they hadn’t seen in a while, and Jihoon boldly bantered back, lifting the mood.

“Now that you’re back from studying abroad, are you taking over the hotel?”

“What are you talking about? You know I don’t know anything about that. Besides, my mom will be going strong for another 30 years.”

“That’s true. The CEO’s power is… Wow. No joke.”

They continued chatting, catching up with each other.

“Did everyone come with partners?”

“Sejin and I came without partners. Their partners are probably gathered over there.”

“Why? Jihoon, did you come with a partner?”

At an appropriate moment, Jihoon threw out a question, and the topic soon shifted to partners.

As expected, the kind Sejin asked Jihoon back, and Jihoon naturally brought up the subject.

“Ah- I came with Jeonggwan.”

“Jeonggwan? That friend?”

“Who’s that? Is it a nickname? A name?”

“The name’s unique. Who is it?” And as expected, Sejin reacted immediately, and the other alphas looked curious about who Park Jihoon had brought that Sejin would react to.

Yes. This is the moment. Now’s the time to call Jeonggwan over and introduce him. Jihoon pretended to look around for Jeonggwan, turning his head towards the dessert table where Jeonggwan was.

“…!”

However, Jeonggwan wasn’t alone there.

“…What?”

…Why is that person there?

Next to Jeonggwan, even from a distance, was Won Junjae with a displeased expression, hands in his pockets, looking down at Jeonggwan.