Chương 21: Someone’s cold good side
After calling her brother and Mi-Suk, letting them know she will be coming home late, Su-Jin got ready for the team dinner.
As Yeon-Ah predicted, Ji-Won did not accompany them. He didn't even get out of his office, only wishing them an enjoyable time through Seo-Jun.
Thus, the four of them went to a barbeque restaurant nearby. The place they chose served meat and drinks. There were large windows, and the walls were made of wood, giving the restaurant a comfortable and friendly appearance. Inside, there were lots of tables, each having its own barbeque and vent hood.
After finding an empty table, they ordered pork meat, soju, and beer. Several side dishes accompanied the main food, namely kimchi, fish cakes, steamed eggs, and seasoned soybean sprouts, as well as lettuce leaves. In short, it was quite a hearty meal.
"This is a real feast." Su-Jin exclaimed, looking at all that food. She couldn't help but lick her lips a few times.
"Dig in everyone. This is a company treat." Seo-Jun said, grinning widely.
Hearing him boast like that, Su-Jin let out a chuckle. She couldn't hold back from teasing the man.
"I think I heard you are going to pay for this, Deputy Director? If that is really so, I hope you are not stingy like the Director."
"Ah, you hurt me, Miss Park." Seo-Jun replied, placing a hand on his chest, faking a hurt expression. A second later, he waved that hand in the air and laughed. "You don't have to worry, Miss Par. This was meant to be a company treat from the beginning. I just said that earlier to annoy Ji-Won. He always hates it when I call him stingy."
Seo-Jun paused, glancing at everyone. Stretching out both arms, he gestured towards the food.
"Let's dig in and enjoy ourselves!" he said.
Without waiting for another invitation, everyone began cutting the meat, taking turns to place it on the hot grill. As soon as the meat began to sizzle, a wonderful, roasty smell immediately spread out, surrounding them. They all sniffed hungrily like a pack of wolves, waiting for the meat to get cooked.
An hour later, they were all leaning back into their seats. Their bellies were full, and their faces looked satisfied. Now all that remained was to relax.
"I propose a toast." Seo-Jun suddenly raised a glass of soju. "For our new team members!"
Hearing the signal, they all raised their glasses, bringing them together in a toast. Just when she was about to down her shot, Su-Jin, who was sitting with her face towards the windows, saw a familiar face passing by the restaurant. The sight of it caused her to immediately choke on her drink, splashing it all over her face. She let out a string of violent coughs, as the liquid slowly slid along her chin and neckline.
"Oh my, are you alright?" Yeon-Ah cried out worriedly. She patted her friend's back vigorously.
But Su-Jin wasn't even listening. Her mind was otherwise engaged, making it impossible for her to focus on anything else.
'Was that Director Kang I saw, or is my mind playing tricks on me? I haven't drunk more than three shots, so it surely isn't because of the alcohol.'
As if to answer her question, a moment later the bell hanging above the door chimed, and Kang Ji-Won entered the barbeque restaurant. He was heading straight for their table, a sour expression on his face.
With every step he took, Ji-Won's eyes borrowed the orange light of the place. They seemed to flicker like there were sparks inside them. However, his pupils contained no warmth. They were just two pools of icy cold blackness, like two black holes. His dark hair was coming down his forehead, almost touching his eyebrows in a tousled mess.
Su-Jin repressed a shiver. The man looked as if he was there on a mission to kill.
'A true Dark Majesty has appeared to inflict punishment upon his subjects.' Su-Jin's brain supplied dazedly.
It appeared that she was starting to get infected with Mi-Suk's love for dramatics.
A moment later, Seo-Jun's voice boomed from the side, startling Su-Jin out of her musings.
"Ji-Won! What a wonderful surprise." Seo-Jun exclaimed brightly. "I am glad you decided to join us."
"Give it to me!" Ji-Won addressed Seo-Jun in a low, dangerous voice.
Su-Jin choked again. This time, she hadn't even touched the drink. It was all the air's fault, truly. However, regardless of who it was to blame, her untimely reaction had earned her a death glare from Ji-Won.
"Ji-Won dear, you should really choose your words more carefully. People might misunderstand." Seo-Jun said, barely repressing a chuckle.
"Give me the key!" Ji-Won spoke again, seething with anger.
"Ah, that. Well… no." Seo-Jun replied flatly, shooting his friend a wide grin. "I will give back your car key only after you sit and have a drink with us. At least make a symbolic toast with us." He finished, gesturing towards the rest of the team members.
"Seo-Jun…" Ji-Won warned in a deep, low voice.
Su-Jin had the faintest impression that even his voice had gotten a few degrees colder. A shiver went down her spine, and she involuntarily shrunk her form.
"Yes, yes, I know. You hate me and want to kill me." Seo-Jun interrupted Ji-Won's growls briskly. He waved a hand indifferently. "But still, only one drink and you can go."
With that, Seo-Jun pulled the car key out of his jacket, dangling it in the air.
All the team members were staring intently at Ji-Won, watching his features switch from anger to irritation, then finally to defeat. It was like they could see a live caleidoscop of human emotions.
To everybody's surprise, Ji-Won ultimately took a seat on the nearest chair.
Coincidentally it was the one next to Su-Jin.
She flinched, and instinctively wanted to draw away from him, but thought better of it. After all, it wouldn't do well to show the enemy that she was intimidated by him. Better not let him know, lest he uses this against her in the future.
"One drink." Ji-Won growled at Seo-Jun, his eyes flashing with a cold glint.
Seo-Jun, on the other hand, ignored his friend's cold demeanor as if it was nothing. Instead, he turned to address the others, a satisfied expression on his face.
"Perfect! Now, everyone, Director Kang here will be pouring a drink to each and every one of you. So, you better drink it well. No every day this Director shows his good side to people, so make sure to cherish this opportunity."
Everyone froze, their movements halting in the middle of either eating or drinking. Then, instead of looking at the Deputy Director, their eyes slowly turned to stare at Ji-Won.
Their faces expressed a series of unanimous thoughts.
'Is this really what you should call showing one's good side? If this is his good side, then what about his bad side? Do we really want to know?'
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