Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 24

On the 7th floor of Samun Hotel, there was a Chinese restaurant called Baeksong.

It was so popular with both hotel guests and outside visitors that, even on weekdays, you needed a reservation to get a table. If you wanted one of the two private rooms, you usually had to book a month or two in advance.

But of course, that only applied to regular people.

“They’re in there, right?”

Those kinds of rules didn’t apply to people like the hotel’s owner… or their family.

“Yes, the Vice Chairman and his fiancée are inside…”

“Bring me some tea. Something cold.”

Il-hyun’s secretary had rushed over from eating jjajangmyeon when she spotted Jihyun and now politely knocked on the private room door and opened it for her.

“Hey.”

Nobody looked particularly happy to see her barging in unannounced.

“What’s with those faces? Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Choi Jihyun. What are you doing? It’s rude to interrupt while we’re eating.”

“You think I have all the time in the world? What, you wanted me to wait outside until you finished your fancy little meal? Songyeon, are you offended by me being here?”

Jung Songyeon, who was soon to marry Il-hyun, just smiled lightly and motioned for her to sit down.

“See? She says it’s fine. We’re going to be family soon—shouldn’t we get to know each other better? That’s why I came rushing down when I heard Songyeon was here. I’m sweet, right?”

“Yes. If you haven’t eaten yet, Jihyun, please join us.”

“Ehhh, I don’t really like Chinese food. I’ll just have some tea. The food here’s good, right? Eat up. But seriously, you’re so skinny. Are you on a diet for the dress or something? If you lose too much volume, it won’t even show properly.”

Il-hyun couldn’t hide his discomfort. He knew Jihyun was like this—completely unaware of how her words affected people—but he still didn’t want her exposing her rough edges to his future wife just yet. Even if the wedding date was set, there were things better left unseen.

And as usual, Jihyun had no clue and just kept running her mouth.

“Ji-hyun. I appreciate the visit, but Songyeon and I have something to discuss, so if you could—”

“Hey, Oppa. Have you heard from Muk-hyun?”

That, Il-hyun realized, was the real reason she’d come. He sighed quietly.

“Haven’t tried. Don’t know.”

“Then try now. I gave him something to take care of, and he’s taking forever to get back to me. He won’t even answer his phone.”

“He’s probably busy.”

“Busy with what? It’s not like he’s running a business. All he does is gangster sh1t—”

“Choi Jihyun.”

Il-hyun cut her off with a sharp look and quickly apologized to his fiancée.

Fortunately, Songyeon took the hint and excused herself, saying she had a call from the office. Once she left, Jihyun snorted.

“Why so serious? It’s not like Songyeon doesn’t know what kind of guy Muk-hyun is. Everyone in this world knows how our family uses him. Pretending otherwise is just fake.”

“You—! Never mind. What the hell did you ask him to do?”

“You don’t need to know that. Just call him already. He’s not avoiding only me, is he?”

“Don’t stir up trouble before my wedding, Jihyun.”

Despite the warning tone, Il-hyun reluctantly pulled out his phone and dialed Muk-hyun’s number.

No answer.

“He’s not picking up? What, did he ghost us already? Didn’t he say something about leaving? What if he’s already gone?”

“Doubt it. I heard Dad gave him something to do. He’s probably busy with that.”

“Gu said that? What kind of job? Did he go far?”

“I don’t know the details.”

“Ugh, seriously… If he had something that important, he should’ve wrapped up what I gave him first! That flake!

Jihyun stood up in frustration, tugging at her skirt and aggressively adjusting her tube top, hands pressing into her chest without a care. She didn’t miss the way Il-hyun turned his head away with a frown.

She caught him doing it just as she flipped her hair back and laughed, amused.

“Oppa. Have you slept with Songyeon yet?”

“Choi Jihyun. Do you even hear yourself?”

“I’m just worried, okay? What if my prim and proper brother ends up in a sexless, miserable marriage? Should I look into her preferences for you? Give you some tips for the bedroom?”

Even as she clicked her tongue, Jihyun giggled like she found herself hilarious.

“Or maybe my oppa’s just a gentleman on the outside and a wild beast in bed. You’ve probably made girls cry already, huh? Got it from Dad’s side, didn’t you?”

“Shut it. Don’t talk like that in front of Songyeon. Whether you like it or not, she’s above you. Show some respect.”

“Why do you sound like you actually care about her? Don’t tell me you’ve caught feelings already.”

“I’m telling you not to give anyone a reason to run their mouth. At least until the wedding.”

This marriage was one of Chairman Choi’s long-held ambitions—merging with a major media group. He hadn’t spelled out the final goal, but it was clear that Il-hyun’s marriage was a stepping stone.

And Il-hyun had no intention of messing it up. The higher his father climbed, the further he could go too. That made this wedding important for him as well.

Even if Songyeon wasn’t remotely his type.

That was the nature of a strategic marriage. Sacrifice what didn’t matter and get the maximum return. Be graceful on the surface, even if you’re paddling like hell underneath.

So they ate together, appeared at events together, and acted the part—even if he wasn’t thrilled to see her.

“The invitations are out. Even if Songyeon had second thoughts, it’s too late now. Talking behind our backs won’t help her.”

“Don’t be naive. You think we’re the ones with the upper hand in this marriage? All it takes is one scandal, and the whole thing could fall apart—even on the wedding day.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Her indignant tone made him more suspicious. She was clearly nervous about something—maybe even panicking.

“If it’s that urgent, ask Secretary Gu for help.”

“No way. That’s not an option.”

“Then you’ll just have to wait. Bye now.”

Il-hyun waved her off, tired of the whole thing.

“Oppa… just to check… you’re not seriously thinking of letting Muk-hyun walk away, are you?”

“That’s up to Father.”

“What a joke…”

“Out. Now.”

Jihyun gave him a venomous glare before stomping out without so much as a goodbye.

Il-hyun sighed and rubbed his forehead, then called for his secretary who had been standing by the door.

“Track down Director Choi’s location. I want his recent movements too.”

***

Meanwhile, Muk-hyun was far from Seoul, dealing with a situation at a site out in the countryside. And lately, things had gotten messier. He hadn’t been picking up calls for a while.

“Hyung, should we just head back?”

“Tch. Why are you such a coward? We’re almost there. Just keep driving.”

“This really doesn’t feel right…”

Gi-seon let out a long sigh, but Jung-pal didn’t care. Irang, for her part, was staring out the window, completely absorbed in the scenery.

They were on their way to an office Muk-hyun had set up somewhere in Seoul—a place for his crew to use when needed.

“Try calling Jung Yoon again, please?”

“He’s not answering, I told you!”

“I really think this isn’t right… If Big Hyung finds out, he’ll be pissed…”

“Kid. That’s just a water fountain. You’ve never seen one before? Seriously?”

Just an hour ago, the three of them had been at Muk-hyun’s place making pancakes.

It had been Jung-pal’s idea—he insisted that gloomy weather called for pancakes. So Gi-seon got stuck cooking while the other two watched. They’d just finished their third batch when a call came from the office. Urgent.

The call was so brief it was almost suspicious. “Come to the office.” Then it hung up.

Not knowing what was going on, Jung-pal and Gi-seon dropped everything and headed out.

The problem was…

“Goldie, you better behave yourself in the car, got it?”

Irang.