While Park Jin-hyuk kept his eyes on Na Min-ho and watched him for a while, a group of women approached the spot where Park Jin-hyuk and Han Ji-yeon were sitting.
They stood as if surrounding Park Jin-hyuk and smiled at him.
“Jin-hyuk, it’s been a long time.”
Park Jin-hyuk turned his head at the sound of the greeting and looked at the women. Every single one of them had a flamboyant appearance. When Park Jin-hyuk looked at them, they hurriedly flashed forced smiles that looked awkward, as if they were competing to see who could smile the brightest.
“How have you been? I heard you’ve been busy lately, Jin-hyuk.”
Park Jin-hyuk looked at the woman who spoke to him. She wore high-heeled shoes, perhaps to hide her small stature, and she closely resembled the description of one of the women in the information Kim Jun-woo had provided.
‘Was she the daughter of the president of Gaeun Savings Bank?’
When Park Jin-hyuk didn’t say anything and simply stared at her, she laughed awkwardly. She glanced at her friends and then sat down next to Park Jin-hyuk. Although there was no room since Park Jin-hyuk and Han Ji-yeon were already sitting there, she squeezed her way in beside him.
Han Ji-yeon looked around at the women who didn’t even glance at her. All of them had their eyes fixed on Park Jin-hyuk, looking like hunters who had come to catch their prey.
“Jin-hyuk, do you like golf?”
Park Jin-hyuk brushed off the hand of the Gaeun Savings Bank president’s daughter, who was trying to link arms with him, and looked up at the woman who asked the question.
‘The Boyoung Group heiress?’
He already had information on her as well. Kim Jun-woo had told him that she was the only daughter of the Boyoung Group, which operated a construction business in the Honam region.
“We’re acquiring a golf course this time. Would you like to go with us? It’s located in Haenam, and the scenery is incredible.”
“I agree. Let’s play golf and then go to the resort next door for a sauna to relieve our fatigue. My family owns that place.”
“Why go somewhere else for a sauna? Our golf course has everything equipped. I’ll prepare the accommodations as well, so don’t worry about anything and just bring yourself, Jin-hyuk.”
Park Jin-hyuk just watched them as they engaged in a war of nerves among themselves without giving any response. When Park Jin-hyuk didn’t react, the other women began throwing out invitations as if trying to boast about their families.
Among them, some women approached him using past connections as bait.
“Jin-hyuk, I’m sorry about what happened in the States. Still, we had a good time while we were seeing each other, didn’t we?”
One woman tried to confuse him with words that made it unclear whether they were past lovers or had simply maintained a flirtatious tension. There were also women who made things difficult for him by suggesting more explicitly that they had spent a night together.
As the women surrounded Park Jin-hyuk and talked among themselves, other women in the lounge continued to gather toward him. Every single one of them blatantly showed that they either had a past connection with him or wanted to form one. When Park Jin-hyuk first appeared in the lounge, they had been cautious of one another, but now even that was gone.
The way they were making passes at him made it look as though Park Jin-hyuk wasn’t the one hunting, but the one who had become the prey.
“I was wondering where all the flowers went, and it turns out they were all gathered here.”
Choi Chul-han and Kim Dong-ho approached Park Jin-hyuk. Following them, other men crowded around where the women were. The center of the lounge had now become the spot where Park Jin-hyuk sat.
Park Jin-hyuk was not fond of this atmosphere, so he stood up from his seat. Then, he grabbed the wrist of Han Ji-yeon, who was sitting beside him with her eyes wide as if she were witnessing a strange sight.
“Come with me for a moment.”
People began to whisper as Park Jin-hyuk, who had shown no reaction until now, suddenly snatched Han Ji-yeon. Their past stories began to reach Park Jin-hyuk’s ears.
“Didn’t Ji-yeon embarrass Jin-hyuk before?”
“Just embarrassment? I heard it was quite a scene that day. But did the two of them reconcile?”
“I heard they went on a blind date.”
“Who? Ji-yeon and Jin-hyuk?”
“You didn’t know? Everyone was saying Ji-yeon probably set it up on purpose to embarrass him one more time. But looking at them now, they don’t seem to be on such bad terms, do they?”
At the sound of the whispering, Park Jin-hyuk held her wrist and stared quietly at Han Ji-yeon. It seemed they had a deeper past than he had thought. Perhaps Han Ji-yeon had heard those whispers too, as she couldn’t get up from her seat even though Park Jin-hyuk was holding her hand.
However, he couldn’t just let go of her wrist and leave. He needed to find out through her what kind of person Na Min-ho, who had come with her, was.
“Let’s go.”
Park Jin-hyuk pulled her wrist and forced Han Ji-yeon to stand. Then, holding her wrist, he pushed through the crowd.
People cleared a path for Park Jin-hyuk and Han Ji-yeon. Park Jin-hyuk looked back at the following Han Ji-yeon. Her face was full of discomfort, perhaps because of the attention from so many people.
Once they arrived at a place without people, Han Ji-yeon finally shook off his hand.
“Let go of me.”
Regardless of whether Han Ji-yeon shouted or not, Park Jin-hyuk’s gaze was still fixed on Na Min-ho. Perhaps it was because the people around him had low values, but Na Min-ho’s value felt even greater.
Of course, Han Ji-yeon’s value was not inferior to Na Min-ho’s. A value of 100 billion was greater than the value of all the women in this place combined. However, it did not catch his interest. The way he would get involved with her was different from others.
But Na Min-ho was different from Han Ji-yeon. He felt a strong possibility of a business connection.
Han Ji-yeon massaged the wrist Park Jin-hyuk had grabbed.
“Are you doing this because you want revenge for what happened before?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Then and now, and in the future, I will never be interested in you. No matter what my father says…”
Feeling like she was going to keep saying strange things, Park Jin-hyuk cut her off.
“Stop talking nonsense and tell me in detail about that guy. I’m not interested in what you think of me or what will happen between us in the future.”
Only then did Han Ji-yeon realize that he wasn’t even looking at her. She followed Park Jin-hyuk’s gaze and looked at Na Min-ho.
“Who? Mr. Na Min-ho?”
“That guy, Min-ho or whatever his name is. What does he do? Is he just a rich kid playing around at home? Judging by his age, he looks like he could still be a student.”
“No, that’s not it… Wait. Has your taste changed?”
Park Jin-hyuk slowly turned his head and looked at Han Ji-yeon.
“Well, I haven’t heard any news of you meeting women lately. Have you already conquered all the women and are now expanding your territory into something different?”
Park Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes and looked at her at Han Ji-yeon’s words. When they met last time, she wasn’t quite this bad, but today, her hostility toward him was even greater than their first meeting. He didn’t know what had made her feel this way, but he had no desire to know or to appease her.
He merely thought of Han Ji-yeon as a source of information about Na Min-ho and a link to connect the two of them. Park Jin-hyuk looked down at Han Ji-yeon with an expressionless face, and she shot another remark at him.
“Why don’t you slowly put yourself out on the market? I think you’d be at your highest value right now.”
Park Jin-hyuk looked at her with a pathetic expression. Whether Han Ji-yeon also realized the meaning behind his gaze, the faint smile that had been on her face gradually began to fade. After staring at her for a long time, Park Jin-hyuk spoke.
“I feel sorry for you, thinking of yourself as an object on the market. Have you never considered that I might be the customer? Do you really have to be so passive despite having a background like yours?”
Han Ji-yeon couldn’t say anything to Park Jin-hyuk’s words. Her face felt hot as she realized she had belittled herself. Park Jin-hyuk looked at her face, which was changing every second, with an indifferent expression.
He then turned his gaze back to Na Min-ho and spoke.
“I won’t criticize you for thinking of your own value that way. It doesn’t matter to me whether you do or not. So, save your embarrassment for when you go home and just tell me about that guy.”
At Park Jin-hyuk’s words, Han Ji-yeon lifted her head, which had been lowered in shame. She felt something strange about Park Jin-hyuk, who continued to show interest in Na Min-ho. Realizing that he truly wanted to know about him, she tilted her head.
Park Jin-hyuk glanced at Han Ji-yeon and said, “Do you think the reason I dragged you here was because I wanted to talk to you privately? It’s because of that guy. He appeared with you, so I brought you here to ask about him. Now stop talking nonsense and tell me about Na Min-ho.”
Han Ji-yeon pouted her lips a few times before turning her gaze to Na Min-ho.
“You know he’s the son of Seochang Systems, right? There’s nothing special beyond that. Other than the fact that he studied in the States and started a business there. I heard it hasn’t been long since he returned to Korea after living in the States.”
“He started a business in the States?”
“Yes. I heard he started it with some of his college friends.”
“Do you know what kind of business it is?”
“I heard, but I don’t really know. I didn’t hear it directly from him, anyway.”
Park Jin-hyuk became more interested at the mention of him starting a business. He felt that Na Min-ho’s value might be related to the company he had founded.
“You didn’t hear it directly? How do you two know each other?”
“I met him through a friend. We didn’t come here because we’re particularly close. He heard about the meeting today and said he wanted to come, so he asked for a favor. He’s not the type of person to ask for such things, but since he did for once, I couldn’t turn him down.”
“So you’re saying he’s not a regular at these meetings, but you brought him along?”
“You’re the one who organized the meeting, so shouldn’t you know better than me? To be honest, Na Min-ho isn’t exactly at a level that fits in here.”
A mid-sized company with a name like Seochang Systems, which he had never even heard of, was not at the level to attend this gathering. It was obvious that he wouldn’t have been able to step foot in here if Han Ji-yeon hadn’t brought him.
The corner of Park Jin-hyuk’s mouth curled up.
A person who came here for a reason. And the value he was showing. He didn’t know what his intentions were for coming here, but he felt there was enough reason to meet him.
“Introduce him to me.”
“You really are curious about him. But don’t you find it strange? There must be a reason why he came here through me.”
“I’m calling him because it’s strange. I want to hear that reason.”
Park Jin-hyuk leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms. It was certain that Na Min-ho knew Park Jin-hyuk was watching him. Yet, he hadn’t made eye contact even once. He seemed to be conscious of Park Jin-hyuk but wanted to make him feel impatient.
‘This should be interesting.’
When Park Jin-hyuk smiled brightly, Han Ji-yeon stared at his profile. It was an expression he had never shown her before. All he had ever shown her was a cold face, a sneer, or an expressionless look. It was a look that made her wonder if he was even capable of such an expression.
“What are you doing? Bring Na Min-ho over.”
It was as if he were giving orders to a subordinate. Despite his tone, Han Ji-yeon couldn’t say anything to him and had no choice but to follow his words. The weight of the words coming from Park Jin-hyuk’s mouth moved her.
When Han Ji-yeon approached Na Min-ho and said a few words, Na Min-ho looked back at where Park Jin-hyuk was. Park Jin-hyuk responded to his gaze with a smile. Na Min-ho bowed his head slightly in greeting and spoke with Han Ji-yeon for a while. Then, he followed Han Ji-yeon to where Park Jin-hyuk was.
Up close, he boasted an appearance so outstanding it wouldn’t be strange to call him a model. From his long arms and slim waist to his thin ankles visible beneath his hem, he could see why women stayed around him.
“Hello. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Na Min-ho of SileHub. My friends call me Mason.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Jin-hyuk. Since you’ve heard about me, I don’t need to introduce myself, right?”
The two shook hands and clinked their champagne glasses together, welcoming the meeting. Park Jin-hyuk drained his champagne in one gulp and spoke.
“It seems you have a specific reason for being here. May I ask what brought you here?”
“I was waiting for you to ask that question, Executive Director Park, while listening to boring stories over there.”
“It sounds as if you came here specifically to meet me.”
“Yes. That’s right. I came to meet you, Executive Director Park.”
“Is that so?”
Park Jin-hyuk smiled at Na Min-ho’s firm statement and looked at Han Ji-yeon. He thought that even the situation where he met Han Ji-yeon through a friend might have been orchestrated by Na Min-ho.
“Good. Then what is the reason you want to meet me?”
At Park Jin-hyuk’s question, Na Min-ho answered without hesitation.
“I want to receive an investment.”
“Investment? You’re telling me something interesting. I had a feeling it would be intriguing to meet you, and it’s just as I expected. I didn’t think I’d hear about wanting an investment the moment we met.”
Park Jin-hyuk crossed his arms again, leaned against the wall, and flicked his fingers.
“Keep talking.”
At Park Jin-hyuk’s gesture, Na Min-ho took on a tense expression. He looked like a developer giving a final presentation in front of an investor. It was the face of someone who felt this would be his last chance if he didn’t secure this investment. Na Min-ho began his story with that very look on his face.