Capítulo 5: CH5 - El Dorado
While taking a sip of coffee and finishing up the Wall Street Journal article, Landon, dressed in a gray suit, walked into the lounge cafe and approached.
"You're here early."
"I was feeling a bit cooped up in my room, so I came down early."
After a light handshake, Landon sat down across from him.
"Would you like to order?"
A waitress in a neat uniform approached and placed a menu on the table.
Without even looking at the menu, Landon handed it back with a raised finger.
"A cappuccino, please."
"Certainly."
As the waitress left with a businesslike smile, Landon took a file out of his leather bag and placed it on the table.
"These are the documents related to the paper company you mentioned. Just sign where I've marked with a pencil."
Landon handed over a Montblanc fountain pen from his inner pocket.
"That's a nice pen."
"My father gave it to me as a gift when I passed the bar exam after graduating from law school. It's a meaningful item, so I always use it for important matters."
Landon puffed out his chest with pride.
Nodding slightly at him, Seok-won then turned serious as he carefully reviewed the documents and signed wherever it was indicated.
There were many documents to sign, so it took a while, but this was not something to be done carelessly.
Meanwhile, Landon sipped the cappuccino brought by the waitress, waiting quietly.
"It takes quite a bit of time just to sign everything."
After finally completing the last signature, Seok-won capped the pen and handed it back to Landon.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Smiling, Landon took the pen and checked the documents to ensure all the signatures were in place, then put them back into his bag and said,
"The investment company should be set up in about four days."
"I thought it would take longer, but that's quick."
Landon slightly curled the corner of his lips and made a gesture as if counting money with his fingers.
"I paid an express fee to speed things up, as you requested."
"I see."
Pleased with Landon's flexible handling of the matter, Seok-won showed a satisfied expression.
"Have you decided on a name for the paper company in the Bahamas?"
Seok-won, who had already thought of a name, responded immediately.
"Please name it El Dorado."
"El Dorado, as in the legendary city of gold that Spanish conquistadors believed existed in South America?"
"That's right."
Landon grinned.
"A legendary city overflowing with gold—seems like a perfect name for a paper company where you'll be storing a large sum of money."
It wasn't just a name; it would be the foundation for amassing an immense fortune and building a vast empire of gold.
"Alright, then. We'll register it as El Dorado."
Nodding slightly, Seok-won picked up his coffee cup.
"I also received a notice from the lottery commission that the after-tax prize money will be deposited into my account by the end of today."
"That's good news."
Seok-won, putting down his coffee cup, relaxed and clasped his hands together.
"Then I suppose it's time to pay the fee we agreed on."
When they first arranged the job, they had agreed that the fee would be settled once the prize money was deposited.
"You don't have to rush. You can pay me after everything, including the Bahamas setup, is completed."
Landon wanted to keep his connection with Seok-won as long as possible.
Although he hadn't known Seok-won for long, he sensed that despite the massive winnings, Seok-won wasn't the type to squander it recklessly but seemed poised to do something big.
"Take this."
Seok-won pulled something out of his inner pocket and placed it on the table.
"Isn't this the Powerball ticket?"
Landon looked puzzled as he saw the lottery ticket.
He tilted his head, not understanding why Seok-won had taken it out, when Seok-won spoke with a mysterious expression.
"It's not just any lottery ticket."
"Excuse me?"
"This is the winning ticket for this round's Powerball."
"...?"
For a moment, Landon blinked, not fully comprehending.
"Uh… What did you just say?"
As he wondered to himself, Could it be? and swallowed hard, Seok-won pointed to the Wall Street Journal on the table.
"The winning numbers for this round are in that article. Check them."
"No way… Are you serious?"
Landon quickly picked up the newspaper and found the page with the winning Powerball numbers for this round. Then he placed the lottery ticket next to the printed numbers to compare them.
"1, 2, 8…!"
Seeing that the ticket in his hand was indeed the winning one, he gasped.
Looking up sharply, Landon's face was filled with shock as he stared at Seok-won.
"How on earth?"
Since he couldn't exactly tell the truth about knowing the winning numbers, Seok-won casually made up a story with a relaxed expression.
"I just bought another ticket for fun, and it turned out to be a winner again."
"How is that even possible!"
"But it actually happened, didn't it?"
Landon was dumbfounded by how calm Seok-won was after hitting the jackpot not just once, but twice, a feat that most people wouldn't experience even once in their lifetime.
"Hah…"
Landon ran his hand over his face, trying to calm his racing heart.
"It's hard to believe even after seeing it with my own eyes. To think such luck could strike twice in a row… It's like you've been blessed by King Midas."
Landon looked at him with genuine envy.
In Greek mythology, King Midas was a king who was blessed by the god Dionysus to turn everything he touched into gold.
"There's another winner, so after taxes, I'll receive about $190,000."
Since the accumulated jackpot, which hadn't been won in several rounds, was taken by Seok-won just before, the prize money had been significantly reduced.
"But $190,000 is still a significant amount. When people hear about this, they're going to be shocked."
It was obvious that this would become a big issue, as it was rare for one person to win the Powerball twice in a row.
It was the kind of story that could be featured as a topic on TV shows.
"So, instead of paying the fee, I'll give you this ticket, and you can claim the win."
"What?"
Landon was taken aback and asked again, not expecting such a proposal.
"As you mentioned earlier, if people find out that I won again, it's going to create a lot of unwanted attention."
"That's true. The newspapers and TV stations wouldn't miss such an interesting story, so it would definitely cause a stir."
"But I'm not really keen on that kind of situation."
Landon recalled the time when he accompanied Seok-won to the lottery commission. Even then, Seok-won had been reluctant to have his face and identity exposed.
'He must be someone who values his privacy highly.'
As Landon understood this, Seok-won continued,
"So, I'd like you to take this."
Seok-won nodded toward the winning ticket on the table.
"That would certainly help you avoid media attention."
"The fee we agreed upon, plus the Bahamas work, totals $130,000, so this should be enough."
"Even after deducting the fee, I'd still have $60,000 left."
"Consider that a bonus."
The more Landon looked at him, the more he liked him, and he smiled.
"That's quite a generous bonus."
"So, what do you say? Will you take the offer?"
Without hesitation, Landon quickly grabbed the lottery ticket and tucked it into his inner pocket.
"Of course! Only a fool would refuse an offer like this."
Seok-won, as if expecting this, smirked and lifted his coffee cup.
Feeling good after securing both the fee and a nice bonus, Landon said in a cheerful tone,
"It'll be lunchtime soon. Do you have any other plans?"
"No."
When Seok-won shrugged, Landon clapped his hands together as if pleased.
"Then let me treat you to lunch at a nice restaurant."
"Sounds good."
There was no reason to refuse a treat when Landon was in such a good mood.
"I asked the hotel concierge about a good restaurant and found a decent place. Shall we go there?"
"Oh, really? I'm looking forward to seeing how good it is."
With a big smile, Seok-won stood up alongside Landon.
A short while later, the two of them left the hotel in a black Cadillac Escalade and arrived at Koreatown on West 6th Street and Lamar Boulevard.
It was one of the largest Korean communities in the U.S., after California and New York, with over a hundred Korean shops and restaurants.
Landon, who had imagined a fancy restaurant downtown, was slightly taken aback when he saw a restaurant with a large sign in red letters on a yellow background that read "Bone Soup."
"Is this the place you wanted to go?"
"That's right. I was craving Korean food, so I asked the concierge, and he told me there was a Koreatown nearby."
Standing at the entrance, he looked back at Landon.
"If you're uncomfortable with Korean food, we can go somewhere else. Should we find another place?"
"No! I've never tried Korean food before, but I'm up for the challenge."
Seeing Landon's determined expression, Seok-won smiled with his eyes.
"You won't be disappointed."
As they entered the restaurant, the distinctive spicy aroma hit their noses.
Remembering that Korean food was often known for its spiciness, Landon hesitated as he looked around the interior.
Fortunately, the inside of the restaurant, though not a top-tier establishment, was clean and well-organized, so the first impression wasn't bad.
Since it was lunchtime, the place was quite busy, with most of the customers being Korean.
As they sat at an empty table, a waiter in a black T-shirt quickly approached and asked,
"What would you like to order?"
Landon, not knowing what to order, looked at Seok-won.
The fact that they were asked to order immediately without even seeing a menu left him bewildered.
"There are other dishes, but this place is known for its bone soup."
"Then I'll go with that."
Landon quickly nodded.
"Okay, two bone soups, please."
"Sure. No extra noodles?"
"We'll start with just the basics."
"Got it. Two bones for table five!"
Soon after placing their order, the waiter set the table with various side dishes and placed two steaming bowls of bone soup in front of them.
Seeing the two large bones filling the bowl, Landon furrowed his brows.
"Is this… food?"
It looked more like a stew from the depths of hell.
The large bones and some unidentifiable, limp vegetables bubbling away in the fiery red broth made for a rather shocking sight.
Meanwhile, Seok-won was salivating at the thought of finally having some Korean food.
'I'm going to go crazy.'
On top of that, the smell of well-fermented kimchi wafted up, making it impossible to resist.
Momentarily forgetting that Landon was there, Seok-won eagerly used his chopsticks to tear off some of the meat clinging to the bone, dipped it generously in soy sauce with mustard, and took a big bite.
"Mmm! This is the taste!"
This was the soul-stirring, spicy flavor that awakened the Korean spirit.
Landon tried to follow suit by using chopsticks to pull some meat off his bone, but his clumsy chopstick skills only made the meat slip away.
"Having trouble?"
"Yes. I might have to ask for a fork."
"Come on, that's not how you eat bone soup. Who uses a fork to eat this?"
Seok-won waved his hand as if that was out of the question.
"Watch closely. You've got to hold the bone with your hands and suck the meat off it, even from between the bones."
Landon looked horrified, finally giving up on the idea of picking the meat off the bone and deciding to just try the broth instead.
Though he felt a bit apprehensive about the red broth, Seok-won, sitting across from him, was already stirring his rice into the broth and finishing off his bowl.
'It must really be good, right?'
Landon hesitated before slurping a spoonful of broth into his mouth.
"Ugh!"
Immediately, his mouth was hit with a burning spiciness, and tears welled up in his eyes as he cried out in dismay,
"What kind of dish is this? It's incredibly spicy!"
"What are you talking about? In Korea, even kids come with their parents to eat this."
"Whaaat? No way!"
How could any child handle something so spicy, salty, and hot!
Ignoring Landon's shock, Seok-won continued eating his meal with gusto.
Especially the kimchi, which he devoured as if it were the last meal he'd ever have, leaving Landon with a half-dazed expression.
'When it came to business, he's such a cool and smart young man, but why does he eat like a middle-aged man who's been away from home for too long and is finally tasting a meal from his homeland?'
'He really is an enigma.'
Landon discreetly shook his head and carefully set his spoon down.
TL/n -
Historically, El Dorado refers to a mythical city of immense wealth, supposedly located in South America. The legend originated from tales of a golden king who would cover himself in gold dust and dive into Lake Guatavita. European explorers, driven by the allure of vast riches, embarked on numerous expeditions to find this city, but it was never discovered.
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