Chapter 94 (1/2)
“How do you do? My name is Woojin Choi.”
“I am Joowan Kim.”
Woojin was surprised by the place Joowan picked for them to meet. It was a quiet café outside the city; inside, there was only one barista. When Woojin first walked in, he was a little confused. The café was huge with a large garden attached to it, but it was completely empty inside. It was located slightly outside the city center, but not so far that it would be this empty. The café was also surrounded by many famous hotels and restaurants.
This could only mean one thing: Joowan must’ve rented the whole place for this meeting.
Joowan asked, “I think I will drink the flat white. What would you like?”
“Black tea please.”
Before the barista left with the order, he rolled up his sleeves and Woojin noticed an unusual tattoo on his wrist.
Enjoying the lovely aroma of black tea, Woojin studied Joowan’s tattoo carefully. Nonchalantly, Joowan rolled up his sleeve even more and showed it to him. Now that Woojin saw it closer, it looked familiar.
Joowan asked, “You know this logo, right?”
“… Hana Pharmaceuticals?”
“Yes.”
It was one of the pharmaceutical companies Woojin’s company invested in. It was involved in researching genetic disorders and Woojin knew the company studied his own family’s family illness. He remembered the logo from his father’s pill bottles.
Joowan said to him, “Attorney Myunghoon Bae also is an investor of this company. Did you know that?”
“… No, I didn’t.”
“I have known Eejun Bae since we were children. I am the youngest of my family, so I never attended the major company meetings.”
The CEO of Hana Pharmaceuticals had three sons. Woojin met two of them in the past, and he vaguely remembered being told that the third son lived abroad.
“You are the youngest?”
“Yes. I think you might have seen my older brothers.”
“I used to attend those company meetings once a year when I was younger, so yes. But I can’t remember them.”
“I will let them know.”
Joowan had a completely blank face. He acted like he was uninterested and that he was just answering out of politeness. Woojin became curious, “Why did you ask me to meet you?”
“Why do you think?”
Joowan gestured to the barista, who brought him a large envelope. The tattoo on the barista’s wrist was also the logo of the Hana Pharmaceuticals. Joowan opened the envelope and took out the photos. He spread them on the table and they were of Woojin at different ages. Each photo had dates and his age written on them.
Woojin looked at them indifferently and without interest.
“Mr. Woojin, you may or may not know me.”
“…”
“But I have been watching you for a long time.”
“…”
“Of course, it wasn’t because I wanted to.”
“Does that matter?”
“I guess not. I must be my father’s son after all. I have very thick skin just like him.”
Woojin learned recently that Hana Pharmaceuticals actively sold and purchased information. Woojin slowly looked through the photos until he saw one that looked brown and old. It was a photo of himself walking into the main entrance of his high school. And behind him, Shin Kim was walking into the school too.
“I will keep this, Mr. Kim.”
Woojin picked up the photo and Joowan nodded.
“Mr. Choi, Attorney Myunghoon Bae has been involved in this for a very long time.”
“…”
“This situation with Jihoon Kang and yourself.”
Joowan spat out Jihoon’s name like it was poison, and Woojin didn’t miss it. Joowan continued, “And your father Wootaek Choi and Jihoon Kang’s mother Dayoung Choi… They were both involved too.”
***
Shin Kim was planning on staying late at his parents’ home, but after dinner, he suddenly missed Woojin. Thinking of returning to his own home where he lived with Woojin made him feel happy. Shin felt that he now had a new family of his own.
When he stood up to leave, Minji looked at him in disappointment. Shin said to her, “Sis, you should find someone you love and form a family of your own too.”