167 – A Date with Seo-yoon Choi (2)

I made an appointment to meet Seoyoon this evening.

In common parlance, it’s called a date.

“I’ll go back soon.”

“Seojun, wait a minute.”

As I was returning home and about to change into my date outfit, Jihyun’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

I turned my head towards Jihyun with a puzzled face.

Is there anything you need to do?

Surely you’re not asking about my date with Seo-yoon now?

Why is it like this, Jihyun? We agreed.

“……why?”

“I have something for you.”

Oh, fortunately it didn’t seem to have anything to do with Seo-yoon.

Jihyun smiled meaningfully and, without any further explanation, took out a black card from her bosom and thrust it at me.

“Take it.”

“What card is it all of a sudden?”

He was urging me to hurry up and take the card by shaking his index and middle fingers.

I blinked with a puzzled expression and then obediently accepted the black card.

When I quietly looked down at the card, I realized that it was a very simple design card, without any special design.

I couldn’t even see the magnet very well, it was literally a black card.

“What? What is it? Is this your first time seeing this card?”

“No, that’s not it… … .”

I was tempted.

“Is this really the kind of card I’m thinking of? You know, the kind that only the top few percent can get… .”

“What are you saying?”

When I asked the question with a somewhat sheepish face, Jihyun giggled as if it was nothing.

“Don’t be so excited, idiot. Just take the card and do whatever.”

“Isn’t it just a card, Jihyun?”

At that time, Yerin, who had been staring blankly, glanced at the black card and opened her mouth with a slightly sullen expression.

“I understand that the criteria for issuing the card is that you must have at least 100 billion won in cash assets, be an executive director or higher at a large corporation or foreign company, or be a high ranker or S-rank hunter with 5 years or more of experience. And you also need approval from the committee.”

“okay?”

I looked slightly surprised.

“Yes, sir. There are probably only a few dozen people in the country who have received that card.”

It was truly a card for VIPs.

But why did Jihyun give this to me?

I naturally turned my head towards Jihyun, and Jihyun, who read my gaze, shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing and spoke in a calm voice.

“I told you last time that I would give you some incentives.”

“Is this the incentive?”

“uh.”

Jihyun nodded nonchalantly. It was as if she was saying, ‘I’m hungry. Should we go get some tteokbokki?’

You hand me an unlimited black card and talk like it’s no big deal.

I touched the black card. The hard feeling was transmitted through my fingertips. I was a little taken aback because it was a card that I had only seen in dramas.

It felt a bit strange to receive a black card from my girlfriend.

… … Should I say that I feel like I’ve really become a pillar of society?

Oh, of course that’s not wrong at all.

“You said you emptied all the money you earned to buy elixir last time?”

“Yeah, well, yeah.”

I nodded, scratching the back of my neck.

Looking back now, it may have been a bit of a waste of money, but I have no regrets.

Because Charlotte’s recent incursion has created a considerable sense of crisis.

It was always necessary to build up strength in preparation for an emergency. What would have happened to them if Charlotte had really tried to kill them then? I really don’t want to think about it.

So, I decided to buy the elixir without hesitation to become a little stronger.

Since a pretty good elixir happened to be up for sale, I ended up buying it on impulse.

Of course, the price was really high, so my hands were trembling. Anyway, I was able to buy the elixir by emptying out almost all of my assets, except for my parents’ inheritance.

Things like elixirs and spirits are very rare, so there aren’t many for sale. It’s better to buy them quickly when they’re on the market. As always, you have to grab the opportunity when it comes, right? For the future.

I never want to see children lying there so helpless again.

I need to get stronger.

So that Adeline and Charlotte can overcome their threats.

“I’m giving it to you because I feel sorry for you since you must be broke.”

“Okay, thanks.”

I expressed my thanks with a bitter smile.

If it were a normal situation, I would have waved my hand and said, ‘Jihyun, how can I accept something like this?’ but this time, I accepted it obediently.

Because it was necessary.

“Ah. Of course, but don’t waste too much, Seojun. If you scrape together hundreds of billions at once, I’ll really kill you.”

“How can you scrape together hundreds of billions… … .”

For example, what are hundreds of billions? Tens of billions.

“I won’t tell you to be too frugal. But if possible, try to save a few billion won a month. It’s not good to get into the habit of spending too much.”

“… … .”

Wouldn’t a few billion be enough to justify spending?

That’s almost the same amount as winning the lottery.

My head feels dizzy.

Why is Jihyun so inept with money?

“I’ll use it sparingly.”

“Don’t be too frugal.”

“Yeah.”

“Anyway, Seojun, you. You have a date with Seoyoon this time, right?”

“uh.”

“Don’t just take advantage of Seo-yoon. Buy some for yourself too. Money won’t be a problem anymore.”

“… … ?”

I heard something a little strange.

So you’re telling me to use the card I got from my girlfriend for another woman?

Doesn’t this sound a bit strange?

“Is that okay?”

“what?”

Jihyun answered with a cold face.

You seem to know exactly what I’m going to say.

“Can I really use this card on Seo-yoon?”

“I told you to use it? Since I gave it to you, it’s yours, so it’s none of my business how you use it. And Seojun, since when did you start caring about that? If you were the kind of person to care about that, you wouldn’t have met other women in the first place.”

“No, but isn’t it a bit like that?”

“What are you talking about now?”

Jihyun snorted.

“And since it’s come to this, please take care of Seo-yoon. She seems to be having a lot of worries these days. As you know, Seo-yoon is not very assertive.”

Jihyun gently played with the ends of her hair.

“Well, Seo-yoon, you could take care of her a bit. She’s not that arrogant of a brat though.”

“Who is the little kid!”

“Then who else is there here besides you? Mina looks like an adult at first glance, but you are a bit… … .”

“Sister, do you really want to try it with me?”

“You and me? That’s fun, Yerin.”

“I’ll make it boring soon.”

Yerin is smiling brightly and Jihyun is laughing hysterically.

In the meantime, Mina was the only one stuck there, unable to figure out what to do and just stomped her feet.

“Yerin, you’d better cancel your afternoon schedule. You won’t be able to get up today.”

“Sister, you should cancel your afternoon meeting. You’ll be lying on the floor soon. If you sleep on the cold floor, your mouth will turn red, so you’ll have to be careful, Sister.”

“Yes. Thank you, Yerin. You worry about me too. But what can I do? It seems like you’re the one who should be talking, not me.”

“Sister. Don’t you remember when you let your guard down like that and got punched by me?”

“Isn’t that the greatest achievement of your life?”

“Oh, really, this girl!”

While I was watching the argument, Mina grabbed my sleeve with an anxious look on her face.

“Oh, brother. Is it okay to leave those two like that…? I think it would be better to stop them….”

“It’s okay. It always happens. Just think of it as an annual event.”

I patted Mina’s shoulder as if to reassure her.

“Okay, shall we start going? I’ll take you there.”

“Is it really okay to leave those two alone like that?”

“Rather, wouldn’t it be more of a nuisance to those two if the two of us were here?”

Since I was quite used to this situation, I acted calmly.

Mina too, you’ll get used to it soon.

This is our clan’s daily life.

‘It’s peaceful today too.’

So, I left the clan with Mina.

Jihyun and Yerin aren’t kids, they’ll probably fight for a while and then stop.

Isn’t that right?

***

“Miss. Are you ready?”

“Ah, yes… … .”

Cha So-yeon asked the question with her usual blunt face, and Choi Seo-yoon nodded quietly, her cheeks slightly blushing as if she was a little embarrassed.

“I see. That’s good.”

As you can see at a glance, the young lady was quite excited.

I think it was because I was able to meet Han Seo-jun alone for the first time in a long time.

Looking back, there were many formidable women around Han Seo-jun, so there weren’t many opportunities for them to be alone together.

Therefore, it may have been natural for the young lady to have high expectations.

“Have a good time with Han Seo-jun.”

“Thank you, sis.”

Seo-yoon Choi smiled faintly.

Although Cha So-yeon seemed a bit stiff on the outside, you could tell that she was truly thinking of Choi Seo-yoon.

From Cha So-yeon’s perspective, it must have been quite uncomfortable for Seo-jun to be meeting with several women, but she didn’t say anything out of consideration for Choi Seo-yoon.

I have always felt grateful for that consideration.

“Sister, you should meet a good man too… … .”

“I’m fine.”

Cha So-yeon answers right away.

Seo-yoon Choi looked slightly embarrassed.

She really didn’t seem interested in men.

No matter how busy you are, you should at least try dating once.

There were quite a few guys who had feelings for my sister, but she didn’t seem to care at all.

‘By the way, it’s been quite a while since I’ve met Seojun alone… … .’

Seo-yoon Choi thought about Seo-jun Han, whom she would meet in the future.

Lee Ji-hyun, Ryu Ye-rin, and Kang Hwa-ryeon were people with strong self-assertion, but Choi Seo-yoon was not.

That’s why, even though I wanted to spend time alone with Han Seo-jun, I always had to give in to someone else.

But today, I was finally able to have dinner alone with Seojun.

It seems like other people aren’t hiding their relationship with Seojun anymore…

Because of that, Choi Seo-yoon made up her mind.

I won’t openly announce that I’m dating Han Seo-jun, but that doesn’t mean I’ll hide the fact that we only meet up.

I thought that I would try a little harder because I felt like I was the only one falling behind compared to everyone else.

As for Kang Hwa-ryeon and Joo Mi-na, Choi Seo-yoon became a little anxious without realizing it as new women continued to appear near Han Seo-jun.

“Sister? Are you there? Can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah?”

While I was lost in thought.

I was slightly startled by the knock on the door.

Choi Seo-yoon’s younger brother was standing outside the door.

“Okay, just a moment.”

Seo-yoon Choi cleared away the dating-related books that had been spread out on the desk and raised her voice as if everything was okay now.

“You can come in now.”

“yes.”

Then, a woman with bob cut hair that reached just below her shoulders strode forward.

A face that looks slightly stubborn, but has an expression overflowing with dignity.

It was Choi Yeon-ah, Choi Seo-yoon’s younger sister.

“So-yeon Cha was here too?”

“Yes, second daughter.”

Choi Yeon-ah.

She is the second daughter of the current Ilseong Group.

She has also awakened her abilities, but her rank is relatively low. At best, she’s at B~A- level. But it doesn’t matter. She’s not a hunter.

Although Choi Yeon-ah lacks the qualities of a hunter, she is quite talented as a manager.

From a young age, I studied business administration, economics, politics, public administration, etc. endlessly.

Thanks to that, he was selected as one of the people who would later lead Ilseong Group.

Among the bloodlines of the current Ilseong Group, he enjoys the most support and boasts enormous influence.

That means he is one of the strong candidates for successor.

On the other hand, Choi Seo-yoon’s support base is lower than Choi Yeon-ah’s.

Because Seo-yoon Choi has lived mostly alone since she was young, she has not formed relationships with people due to her telepathic abilities.

Unlike Choi Yeon-ah, who worked hard to build a support base and manage her network, Choi Seo-yoon neither built a support base nor managed her network.

Because I wasn’t interested in the chairman position in the first place.

Because of that, Choi Seo-yoon’s faction had far fewer members than Choi Yeon-ah’s faction.

However, because Seo-yoon Choi was an S-rank hunter and had been working in the Ilseong Group strategy team for a long time, many members of the strategy team thought positively of Seo-yoon Choi.

The fact that the strategy team, which could be called the largest force in the Ilseong Group, was favorable toward Choi Seo-yoon made the company’s people nervous.

Because Choi Seo-yoon’s actual military power was much stronger.

If we were to classify this as a country, would Choi Seo-yoon be considered a warlord?

Therefore, Choi Yeon-ah’s supporters could not let their guard down.

As always, actual force poses a greater threat.

But you know what?

There is a fact that people overlook.

It’s not like they really hid it, and in fact, they’ve always said it, but people thought it was just for show, so Choi Seo-yoon and Choi Yeon-ah are having a bit of a headache.

That is, Choi Seo-yoon and Choi Yeon-ah are really close.

The two people were forming a good relationship without any conflict, let alone any competition for succession.

Choi Seo-yoon truly cherished her younger sister, and Choi Yeon-ah truly loved her older sister.

I feel a little bad saying this, but unlike the Heuksando Group, which was like a sheet of thin ice, the relationship between the brothers and sisters of the Ilseong Group was quite good.

No, Heuksando is so bad that it’s kind of funny to even compare it to.

“What’s wrong, Yeon-ah?”

“I think it’s time to go back.”

“already?”

“yes.”

Seo-yoon Choi made a slightly regretful expression, and Yeon-ah Choi also smiled bitterly as if she felt a bit sorry.

“It was nice to see you after such a long time, Unnie. I’ll come visit you often whenever I have time.”

“Yeah. Okay, Yeon-ah.”

“I’m glad I was able to obtain this ring during the recent tower raid. Thanks to it, I was able to meet my sister more comfortably.”

Choi Yeon-ah quietly took out a ring.

It was a ring that had the effect of blocking, to some extent, the ability to telepathize from the outside.

Because of that, Choi Seo-yoon couldn’t read Choi Yeon-ah’s thoughts and feelings unless there was physical contact.

“It would have been better if it had been a ring that could suppress my sister’s telepathy ability.”

“I’m okay now, Yeon-ah. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Is that so… … ?”

Choi Yeon-ah seemed to think for a moment and then turned her gaze away.

“By the way, Sister, you seem a bit excited since earlier. Is it because of your dinner plans?”

“That’s not necessarily true… … .”

Seo-yoon Choi was a little embarrassed.

Because I can’t tell my sister straight up.

Of course, it would be discovered soon, but I wanted to keep it a secret at least for today. I was planning to meet with Seojun today and tell my family proudly.

“You’re not going to meet a man, are you?”

“I told you earlier. I said no, Yeon-ah?”

“is it so?”

Choi Yeon-ah glanced at Cha So-yeon and asked a question with her eyes, but Cha So-yeon remained silent without saying anything.

At that sight, Choi Yeon-ah let out a deep sigh inwardly.

Anyway, Cha So-yeon is my older sister’s person.

There is no way I would go against my sister’s wishes.

Knowing that pressuring her wouldn’t get her anywhere, Choi Yeon-ah gently ran her hand through her hair and muttered in a low voice.

“… … Is that guy still hanging on?”

“Yeon-ah? What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing, sis.”

Choi Seo-yoon and Cha So-yeon couldn’t hear him well because he was mumbling in a voice that was barely audible.

But I could tell that there were some negative feelings mixed in.

“Haa… … Anyway, I’m going to go now, Unnie. See you later.”

“Okay. Come in, Yeon-ah.”

“You don’t have to come out. I’ll be going now, Se-Gyeon.”

“yes.”

A man in a suit standing outside the door answered.

She was Choi Yeon-ah’s exclusive escort.

“Goodbye to you too, Se-Gyeon.”

“Yes, first lady.”

Oh Se-Kyeon followed Choi Yeon-Ah with his head bowed in a neat posture.

They left Choi Seo-yoon’s mansion and got into the car.

Choi Yeon-ah, sitting in the backseat, spoke in a slightly lower voice.

“Mr. Se-Gyeon.”

“Yes, Miss. Go ahead.”

“I’ll give you this ring, so follow me. If you have this ring, you won’t be affected by my telepathy.”

“yes.”

Despite being told to tail the eldest daughter of the Ilseong Group, Oh Se-Kyeon nodded immediately without asking any reason.

“With your skills, there’s no need to worry about getting caught, right?”

“Of course. Just leave it to me.”

A hint of confidence was seen in his indifferent voice.

That’s understandable. Oh Se-Kyeon is a high ranker ranked within the top 100 in Korea.

I was confident that I wouldn’t get caught if I could just block Choi Seo-yoon’s telepathy ability.

“But Miss. Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why don’t you tell that to your eldest daughter?”

“Ah… … That?”

Choi Yeon-ah clicked her tongue and took out documents and photos from her bag.

The person in the photo was none other than Han Seo-jun.

“Weren’t you planning on asking about Han Seo-jun today?”

“Yes. But I changed my mind. I think my sister is planning to meet that guy today.”

Choi Yeon-ah nervously clutched Han Seo-jun’s photo tightly.

“I’m going to see if I should meet that guy today and decide whether or not to do so.”

“If you say you’ll meet… … ?”

“Then what else is there?”

Gapjik murmurs with a sinister face and a snort.

“I need to help you understand the topic.”