"Hahaha…"
Lifting his head, Jo Young-joon hugged him, bouncing excitedly. "Hyung, five years—where'd you go? Why no contact?"
Lee Jin-woo shrugged. "Been here. You see me now."
"Aish, if you were in Seoul, why not call? Am I not your bro?"
"Nope." Dead serious.
"Aish, hyung~~"
Jo flailed his arms, whining, filling the air with bromance.
"Yah!"
Lee Jin-woo bared his teeth, roaring, "Come here, I'll kill you, just kill you."
"Hm~ Hm~ Hmmm~~~ Oppa, ahhh!"
"Shibal, I'll kill you, kill you!"
Gangnam, Nonhyeon-dong, Club Octagon.
The DJ warmed up the crowd. Most of the dozen booths were occupied or reserved.
On the second floor, Lee Jin-woo nursed a drink.
He'd planned to find a spot to talk with Son Yoon-joo, maybe play some "cards" if the mood was right.
But Jo Young-joon crashed in, insisting on drinks.
"Hyung, don't let a woman ruin our vibe. You, drive back to the company. Contact your president tomorrow." Son Yoon-joo was sent off.
"Hyung, cheer up… just a woman. How's that one?"
Jo leaned forward, eyeing a woman at a side table by the dance floor.
"Tourist?" Lee Jin-woo spotted her.
Dressed between sexy and modest, her eyes curious.
She politely waved off every pickup attempt, clutching the bar's complimentary whiskey, looking cautious.
Noticing his stare, Jo snapped his fingers. "Invite her up for a drink. Be nice, don't scare her."
"Yes, young master." An attendant went downstairs, heading straight for her.
Bowing, he pointed upstairs. "My young master invites you for a drink. Please join us!"
Minutes later, she arrived with her glass. Jo stood gentlemanly, greeting her and offering the seat beside Lee Jin-woo.
"Chinese?"
Raising his head, he asked in fluent Mandarin, "Here on vacation?"
Liu An-ni, surprised, said, "You… you too?"
Meeting a rich, handsome compatriot here—such a coincidence.
Was he a trainee? Too good-looking!
"Nah, I'm Korean. Just into Chinese culture, self-taught for a bit."
"Your Mandarin's so fluent."
"Had great teachers. They taught me a lot."
"Oh, I see."
Liu An-ni, disappointed, sat beside him.
A hot oppa—can't miss that. She came to Seoul to unwind!
"Oppa, can we take a photo?"
"Sure."
He nodded. She rested her head on his shoulder, raising a peace sign at a 45-degree angle.
"Eggplant~"
Checking the photo, then him, she pouted. "The pic's way worse than you in person."
"Sorry, I don't photograph well." He chuckled.
Hearing their chat, Jo Young-joon wanted to gag.
"Aish, no one's that narcissistic!"
Liu An-ni, from Shanghai, married less than six months.
Here for skin treatments and to clear her head.
"Got a place picked?"
"Was gonna go to Cheongdam-dong 90, but the waitlist was too long. Switched to 83 Foret."
"Need help?"
"Oppa knows someone there? I really wanna meet Son Ye-jin unnie."
"No chance. VIPs use private entrances."
He hadn't been, but he knew Korea's ways.
VIPs never shared public paths—random encounters were impossible.
Liu An-ni sighed, "Really?"
Maybe in a bad mood, she finally sipped the whiskey she'd held all night.
Gulp!
Downing the lukewarm drink, her cheeks flushed fast.
"Ah, what's this? So dizzy."
Slumping into his arms, head lolling, Lee Jin-woo's lips curled with wry amusement.
A woman's tolerance really depended on her looks.
"Ying-jun, anything else?"
Glancing at the drunk woman in his arms, Jo laughed. "Meet me tomorrow. Won't disturb your rest."
Exchanging numbers, Lee Jin-woo carried her out.
A couple-themed hotel was 50 meters away.
But he chose a cab to the Shilla Hotel, farther off.
Not picky—just didn't want to star in some website's action flick.
When it came to the "card game" industry, Asia thought of Japan.
But South Korea was East Asia's top queen.
No, the world's.
With 50 million people, 24 million women, over 500,000 worked professionally in "cards"—that's just the documented count.
Add small venues, freelancers, and overseas groups, and it's over a million.
Myeongdong, Cheongdam-dong, Itaewon, Hongdae, and near universities—especially arts schools—hid countless secret card rooms.
Trendy young women invited passersby to play in various ways.
Every three to five months, shops updated game rules.
Ensuring every guest had a fresh, thrilling experience.
No boredom, no staleness—that was basic professionalism.
But with the card industry's boom, related trades thrived too.
Hidden cameras, piracy, online sales, live streams, and worst, organ scams.
Fairy traps weren't unique to one country.
Hidden cameras were the worst. Staying in a Korean hotel? Check the room.
Or wake up to find you and your girlfriend on some Neon-Korea site.
"Hey, honey… at the hotel, already asleep, so tired."
"Hm~ Nose feels off, hm~~ maybe a cold… Yup, booked for tomorrow, flight back the day after."
"Got it, love you, hm~"
Next morning, Lee Jin-woo met Lee Boo-jin at the Shilla's restaurant.
"Boo-jin noona, good news?"
Her smile suggested it was.
"So confident in yourself?"
"Not me—in your skills."
"Should I be glad I didn't let you down?"
She placed a drafted document before him.
He skimmed it. "Three percent—did they agree?"
"It's right there, isn't it?"
He nodded, hesitating. "The other two percent—Boo-jin noona, have another contract prepared and sent for signing."
"For me?" She pointed at herself, smiling.
"Yup."
"Jin-woo, you serious?"
Her smile faded. Two percent was worth hundreds of millions, given the land.
"Boo-jin noona, I don't joke about business."
Signing both contracts, they ate breakfast, and he returned to his room.
The messy bed was empty, but still warm to the touch.
A night of pleasure, then parting ways.
What a woman!
[Path to Conquest, progress 12%, issuing stage reward: 1% Samsung Electronics shares.]
Samsung Electronics wasn't yet the giant it'd become, single-handedly propping up the Samsung Group.
But a 1% personal stake could still sway critical moments.
"Looks like Lee Jin-woo's more useful than Jeonju Lee. Boo-jin noona, how'll you win me over?" He was eager to see.
Calling the front desk to check out, he then dialed Jo Young-joon.
"Hyung, it's so early, ugh… why up already?"
His childish whining made Lee Jin-woo hang up.
This kid think he's a nanny?
"Pick me up at the Shilla, now."
Getting the president's call, Son Yoon-joo felt like she'd barely slept.
But she couldn't disobey. She booked a driver, took a quick cold shower, did makeup, and changed.
At the car, the driver brought coffee.
"Thanks, Shilla Hotel, fast."
Downing double-strength coffee, she perked up.
By the time she met the president, she looked energized.
Taking the keys from the driver, Lee Jin-woo glanced at her. "Didn't sleep well?"
Her puffy under-eyes confirmed it.
Yesterday's events must've hit her hard.
Out of nowhere, she became "the president's woman," in front of a chaebol like CJ's Vice Chairman.
In three days, it'd be industry gossip.
A rookie model, using her looks to become the president's girl, backed by CJ's channels.
Everyone would envy her luck, itching to knock her down.
Hugging a big thigh put her on a tightrope.
A girl not yet 20, facing this, would feel unsteady.
"President, I…" She wanted to speak but didn't know how.
Steering, he said calmly, "Don't overthink. Do your job well—that's the best repayment to me and the company."
What about me? She wanted to know what she was to him.
Just an artist, or…
Without yesterday, she wouldn't care.
But now, acting like nothing happened?
She couldn't.
She lacked the courage to ask.
She didn't even know what answer she wanted.
"Focus on work!" He drew a line under it.
Hunting required patience. Wait for the prey to relax, curiosity overriding reason.
No need to chase—it'd walk into the trap willingly.
Too late to escape then!
At the company, Yoon Hye-na finished cleaning.
Tidying the front desk, she flipped through files.
Resumes—hiring was urgent.
Basic roles like janitors, logistics, plus pros like trainers, makeup artists, stylists.
All needed ASAP.
Lee Jin-woo left it all to her.
After reviewing, she pinched her nose, muttering, "Dumping everything on me while he chases women…"
"Who's chasing women?" His sudden voice startled her.
Seeing him, she stood, flustered. "Good morning, President."
(End of Chapter)
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