#104

We each chose the porridge we wanted to eat, and with a brief greeting, we began our meal. It was definitely delicious, as it was from a famous place known for its flavor, and the porridge was so savory that it perfectly suited my taste. With my stomach empty from skipping breakfast, the warm porridge slowly made me feel full and satisfied.

When I was just about full, Jung Hosu, who had been quietly eating, suddenly spoke up.

“Don’t you like abalone porridge?”

“Huh? No. It’s not like that.”

I answered sincerely to the unexpected question, and Jung Hosu rolled his eyes and looked at the beef and vegetable porridge I was eating.

“Then, do you like beef and vegetable porridge?”

“Yes. I like it. It’s savory.”

I answered sincerely again to the next question, and Jung Hosu slowly nodded his head.

“I’ll remember that.”

Remember what? That I like beef and vegetable porridge because it’s savory? What are you going to do with that information? I tilted my head, wondering, when Jung Hosu added more words while looking at me.

“I’ll bring it again next time.”

“Porridge?”

“Anything else too. If it’s something you like, sir, I can bring anything.”

Having said that, Jung Hosu paused for a moment as if to catch his breath and lowered his eyes.

“……So, please don’t get sick.”

The words, spoken while stubbornly keeping his eyes fixed on the table, were filled with deep concern and tender shyness toward me. The moment I realized that, I felt my heart stop for a second.

“Sir?”

While I was blankly blinking without saying anything, Jung Hosu carefully lifted his eyes, which he had lowered, and looked at me. When his unusually dark eyes turned toward me, I felt a strange emotion I couldn’t quite define.

In what seemed like just a few seconds, I think I had many thoughts. And out of all of them, the most intense thought was this:

How could I make such a person miserable? How could I make this kind, gentle, and lovely person miserable?

“Sir? What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

“……No. It’s nothing. I’m fine. So, don’t worry.”

I quickly shook my head at Jung Hosu’s question, coming back to my senses. But Jung Hosu seemed not to believe me.

“Why is it that when you say you’re fine, I can’t believe it at all?”

“Well, I wonder the same thing. If you ever find out the reason, would you let me know, too?”

At my playful teasing, Jung Hosu’s eyebrows twitched. He seemed to have a lot he wanted to say, but fortunately, he didn’t spill it out. I gently curved my eyes at the sight of him.

“It’s really just that I briefly thought of something else. There’s no need for you to worry, Hosu-ssi, so don’t pay too much attention to it.”

“The secretary said that about you. Of all the things the president says are fine, only about half of them are actually fine, so never believe it. And I fully agree with his opinion.”

“……Did you two talk about that? Aren’t both of you being a bit harsh on me?”

Without realizing it, I spoke in a slightly frustrated tone, and Jung Hosu shook his head with a firm expression.

“The president always says he’s fine, so I think it can’t be helped.”

“I really say I’m fine because I’m truly fine.”

“That’s what makes those around you worry even more.”

At Jung Hosu’s words, I clamped my mouth shut with a sullen expression. Seeing my displeased face, Jung Hosu let out a small laugh. Unlike when we first met, Jung Hosu now smiled quite often, and seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile as well.

The sound of our cheerful laughter filled the quiet room. The porridge Jung Hosu had brought was delicious, and his concern for me was sweet. And his smiling face was incredibly lovable.

As I quietly looked at Jung Hosu’s handsome face, a happy smile spreading in the peaceful atmosphere, I suddenly had this thought:

Ah, what should I do? I don’t think I can ever clear this game.

It was something that could probably be called a certainty.

***

It was already mid-March, but the cold wind that pierced to the bone was still strong. The wind howled through the tall buildings, making the people walking shrink their bodies. Everyone hurried their steps, trying to escape the cold as quickly as possible, but right in the middle of it all, there was one person standing still.

That person was completely dressed in black, standing in the middle of the street, staring at the large electronic billboard on the side of a building. Passersby glanced at them with curious eyes.

It couldn’t be helped. Standing in the middle of a busy city street, staring blankly at the electronic billboard, their figure seemed very out of place. Moreover, there was one more reason why people kept glancing at them.

“Hey, look at that person. Don’t they kind of look like Chairman Goo Won of Haje Group?”

“What? Where? Where? Where is that person?”

“Over there. In the black coat and black hat.”

“Ah? You’re right! They really look like Chairman Goo Won.”

It was because the person standing on the street looked remarkably like the chairman of the massive conglomerate Haje Group, Goo Won. People kept glancing at them, the person with the face they’d often seen on the news, wondering if it was him.

Could they just be someone who looked like him? Or could it really be him? People were dying to know, but sadly, there was no one in the crowd with the audacity to go up to the second-generation heir and ask if that person was really Chairman Goo Won. All they could do was squint their eyes and carefully scrutinize whether they were really Chairman Goo Won.

Meanwhile, that person, whose appearance was drawing attention for resembling Chairman Goo Won, didn’t seem to notice that people were looking at them. They stared at the billboard with a blank expression on their face.

[Haje Group’s New Business: Goo Won Entertainment]

The electronic billboard was displaying a current affairs program analyzing the reasons behind Chairman Goo Won of Haje Group’s entry into the entertainment industry. One of the experts on the program stated that there must be some deep intention behind this move, and the panelists nodded or agreed with the expert’s opinion.

Watching the appearance of those participants, that person smoothly raised the corners of their mouth and thought to themself.

‘Deep intention, huh? It’s just something that was forced into doing.’

It was a thought that only someone who knew the truth, a truth that no one else in this world could possibly know, could have. Not long after, the current affairs program airing on the electronic billboard ended. When the subtitle ‘To be continued next time’ appeared, that person, who had been standing there watching the program, finally began to move.

As that person walked away, the disappointed gazes of those who were still debating whether they were Chairman Goo Won or not followed them. However, they remained unaware, calmly disappearing without a care.

***

“Huh? Someone who looks like me?”

I looked up from the documents I was handling at my desk in the president’s office after hearing the unexpected report. I gazed at Secretary Sung Yoojun.

“Yes. They’ve been quite popular on the internet lately. There are even posts mentioning that someone who looks like Chairman Goo Won of Haje Group has been seen.”

With a voice laced with a hint of mischief, Secretary Sung Yoojun handed me his smartphone. On his phone was a post claiming someone in Seoul looked like Chairman Goo Won.

I took the smartphone and scrolled through the post carefully. The content was nothing special. It simply mentioned that someone had seen someone who looked a lot like Chairman Goo Won in Seoul, but they couldn’t be sure if it was really him.

“Posts like this pop up often?”

“Yes. Apparently, one or two, sometimes four or five posts a day. If they were being posted by the same people on the same site, I’d think it was just a prank, but I don’t think that’s the case.”

Secretary Sung Yoojun’s response made me touch my face with my hand and say.

“It seems like someone who looks a lot like me lives in Seoul.”

“It wouldn’t be easy to find someone who looks like the handsome president here.” 

He replied, his voice sounding almost too playful.

I narrowed my eyes at Secretary Sung Yoojun’s comment, which felt almost too cheeky.

“Even if you flatter me like that, I don’t have anything to give you.”

“Oh? I wasn’t flattering you. I was just speaking from the heart.”

“Secretary Sung. Your face says that you’re playing around and finding it so funny that you’re about to die of laughter.”

At my blunt remark, Secretary Sung Yoojun burst into laughter. I gave him a disgruntled look but quickly turned my attention back to the documents.

The documents I was looking at were a report on the costs of the music video, album jacket, and production of the new album. Since it had already been reviewed by Team Leader Seohee, there was no need for me to check it in detail, but I thought it would be courteous as the president to at least glance through it.

“Aren’t you curious?” 

Secretary Sung Yoojun suddenly asked.

“Huh? Curious about what?”

I had been deeply focused on reading the documents when Secretary Sung Yoojun threw me a question. I placed the finished documents on the desk and looked back at him.

“I’m talking about the person who looks like you. Aren’t you curious? How much do they look like you for people to be talking about it?”