"Are you sure you don’t want to go together?"
Chairman Yoo looked at Hajin with a hopeful gaze, so soft that his driver and secretary widened their eyes in surprise. Everyone watching could see the eyes of a doting father on the chairman, even the peeping girls behind the pillar.
"Not yet," but the son rejected firmly, although he added in a softer tone. "Well...I reckon you’d want to speak privately first."
Chairman Yoo sighed, but he didn’t look very disappointed, almost like he already knew he would get rejected. "Then, next time," he smiled and asked carefully. "Will you go together with me next time?"
"Yes, Father," Hajin replied, and this time, the word rolled better in his tongue. Perhaps he got used to it, or perhaps...his hatred of the word and the person had disappeared--or at least, lessened.
But that was enough to make the old man’s eyes fill with stars and unshed tears.
"My son," the old man stroked his son’s shoulder, before pulling Hajin into a tight hug. When he let go, he looked like he didn’t want to move away. It wasn’t until his secretary reminded him that he had another schedule did the old man finally entered the car. "Then, until next time."
"Yes, Father. Please stay healthy," Hajin nodded politely, before closing the car’s door.
Both the driver and the secretary bowed toward their employer’s son before getting into the car. Even then, Chairman Yoo rolled the window down and kept waving at his very much adult son until the car turned and it was impossible for him to do so.
The peeping girls carefully scooted away from the pillars, returning to their car. The one most excited about all of that, as usual, was Liz.
"Isn’t that Chairman Yoo from Yooshin Trading?" she whispered with wide eyes.
"But he only had daughters, though? Wait--" Megan gasped. "A secret son?"
"It must be--that’s why we didn’t know!"
Sherry stroked her chin then, as something from the back of her mind clicked. "Wait--I think I heard a rumor about it."
Denise arched her brow. "Really?"
"Yeah. I heard Chairman Yoo had an illegitimate son and wanted him to be his heir or something like that," Sherry shrugged while going inside Denise’s car--which they used to go to the restaurant together--to turn the engine on.
"Whoa!" Liz clapped her hands in awe. Illegitimate or not, being favored to be the heir was the most important news.
"Well...did you see how the old man’s eyes turned into stars while looking at his son? I never saw him like that with his daughters," Megan said.
"Clearly a favorite," Denise curled her lips. "Must have been showering his son with money too, looking at his appearance."
Liz giggled while turning toward the direction of the father and son secret rendezvous earlier--and gasped. "Sush--he’s coming this way!" she whispered frantically and hurried to the car. It would be embarrassing to be caught stalking the man they just met after all.
"Umm...hey, I think there’s a problem with the car..." Sherry said.
"What?!" Denise, the owner of the car, scowled as the car let out a weird purring sound and several coughs, refusing to come to life.
Naturally, the loud, frantic voices of the girls caught the attention of the man they had just talked about earlier. "Hmm? Aren’t you familiar?"
"Oh, Mr. Generous," Liz giggled while leaning against the troubled car.
"That’s a kind assessment," the man smiled, looking all charming even in the dim light of the parking lot. His eyes shifted toward the stalled car. "But you seemed to be in trouble."
A lightbulb shone inside Liz’s mind, who immediately changed her tone into a whine. "Yeah~" she let out a big sigh. "Our car is acting up; we really don’t know why."
"Should we call for a mechanic or a taxi? But there’s no signal down here," Sherry stepped out of the car, clearly didn’t see Liz glaring at her in response.
"Hmm...what about asking the restaurant staff for help?" the handsome man suggested.
"Uhmm...I guess?" Liz smiled wryly. "But maybe you could--"
She wanted to see if they could ride in his car instead--and go somewhere fun--but the man spoke first. "But let me see if I can do something about it first," he said, shifting his gaze toward Sherry. "Can you open the hood?"
"O-oh?" the girls looked at him in surprise. "You mean...you’re going to fix it yourself?"
"If I can," he said with that charming smile of his, while walking toward a black sports car situated diagonally to them.
"Umm...but I don’t know how to do that..." Sherry said with a sheepish grin.
The man looked at them for a second before chuckling like they were a bunch of silly girls. For some reasons--reasons which obviously had a lot to do with the way that chuckle made him look even more attractive--it didn’t piss them off. Especially when the man patiently taught them how to open the car’s hood--even though they would never do it by themselves ever.
And very, very especially when he put on a pair of black gloves and bit a mini flashlight he got from the toolbox he got from his car. They could watch him working on the car all day with those veiny arms, honestly.
"Oh, my..." was the only thing they could say. If it wasn’t so classless and embarrassing, someone would have fished out their phone to record this man fiddling with the car’s engine or whatever.
They almost let a disappointed sigh when the process finished and the man straightened his back, taking the flashlight off his mouth. "Try it now."
"I’ll do it!" Liz raised her hand and excitedly got into the driver’s seat. This time, the engine started smoothly, and Denise sighed in relief that she didn’t have to change her car. "Okaay~"
"You’re very skillful," Denise looked at the man who even looked good while taking off his gloves.
"I don’t like someone else touching what is precious to me," the mine replied with a smile. "I think you’re good to go now, but do have a professional check it for good."
"Alright," Denise nodded.
"Then," the man took his toolbox and turned away to his car, prompting the girls to call him out hurriedly.
The man stopped and looked at them confusedly. "Yes? Is there anything else?"
"Ahem--can you at least give me your number?" Denise, who was closest to him, walked closer with a phone in hand. "We would like to thank you for today."
"There’s no need for it, but--"
"Hyung!" before the man could finish his word, someone loudly called for him from the direction of the elevator. "Jin Hyuuung!"
They turned their heads toward the source of the frantic call, a young man in his early twenties; looking more cute than handsome, but still in the attractive scale. He rushed toward the older man and braked himself by grabbing the man’s arms.
"Oh, thank God it’s really you!" the younger man panted in exhaustion from his short run. "Hyung, you need to help me!"
"What are you doing here, Suoh?"
The young man tilted his head. "Eating, of course? What else would I do here--wait, it’s not the time for that," he shook his head before adding aggressively. "Noona left me here, can you believe it? You have to drive me back!"
"Why should I? Am I your driver?" the charming Adonis rolled his eyes while walking toward his car. "Go call a taxi or something."
The younger man clung to his arm and got dragged across the aisle, whining even louder than Liz. "Did you not hear me? Noona left me here and brought the bodyguard hyungs with them! She took my phone with her!"
The older man smirked as he placed the toolbox back inside the trunk. "You must have pissed her off, huh?"
"She’s just a drama queen, okay? You need to drive me to Papa so I can smoke her ass," the young man stomped his way to the passenger door and opened it without a care. "Quick!"
"You don’t even care about my opinion, huh?" the Adonis shook his head exasperatedly before turning toward the group of stunned women. "Well...seems like I have to go."
Liz gasped. "Oh, at least--"
"Hurry!" the younger man yelled from the car and pressed on the horn until the basement was filled with the sound, drowning whatever the girls were saying.
The man rolled his eyes again and got in his car to stop the younger one from being a further menace and running away with his car. And just like that, the black car drove away with the gorgeous man.
"Aah...too bad," Liz sighed.
"But, well...we at least know he’s Yooshin’s crown prince," Denise shrugged.
Liz smirked and nudged her. "Better than your fiancé?"
Denise smiled deeply. "So much better."