"Jin-hyun...?" I blurted out, my voice cracking slightly in shock. "What on earth are you doing here?"
Jin-hyun let out a quiet, amused chuckle, slinging his hands into the pockets of his dark leather jacket.
"What am I doing here? I live here, Mountain."
I slowly turned my head toward Kang Min-ah, my eyes narrowed in a silent, desperate demand for an explanation.
Min-ah, usually so hyper-vocal and loud, completely lowered her gaze, suddenly finding the tips of her sneakers intensely fascinating.
She stayed dead silent.
"Looks like your best friend won't slip a word," Jin-hyun laughed, a sharp, flashing grin catching his lips. "Then I'll lay it out for you. Welcome to the main familial estate of the Park family—the legacy that founded the Seoul Academy of Arts. Min-ah is my cousin. Her parents—my late uncle and aunt on my mother's side—passed away years ago, so she was raised right here with me."
Jin-hyun leaned against the brick pillar, letting out a long, lazy yawn. "So... back to my original question. What's this 'deal' you two were whispering about at our front gate?"
Before I could answer, Min-ah darted forward, placing her small frame directly between Jin-hyun and me like an aggressive defensive shield.
"It's nothing!" she declared loudly. "Just school stuff! Jin-hyun-ah, it's late, let me go inside!"
She grabbed Jin-hyun's sleeve, attempting to drag him toward the iron gate, but the silver-haired drummer didn't budge an inch. He remained motionless, his sharp eyes staying fixed squarely on my face.
A slow, calculating smirk spread across Jin-hyun's face.
"Hey, San-ah... are you hungry?"
I blinked.
"Huh?"
"My grandfather is organizing a formal family dinner tonight," Jin-hyun continued smoothly, completely ignoring Min-ah, who was currently glaring holes into the side of his head.
"Jin-hyun! What on earth are you scheming this time?!" Min-ah hissed, stomping her foot against the pavement.
Jin-hyun simply reached out and casually slung a heavy arm around my shoulders, pulling my 190-centimeter frame down into a conspiratorial huddle.
"Listen to me, San-ah," Jin-hyun whispered, his voice dropping into a low, enticing pitch. "In exchange for joining us at the table, I promise you... I have something you are probably deeply curious about. Something connected to my other cousin, Park Jin-woo. I'm sure you're pretty familiar with that name by now."
He tapped my shoulder, adding with a wink, "Oh, and of course, the food inside is absolute top-notch cater-grade quality. Free high-end beef, Mountain. So... how about it? You join the table, and in return, you tell me what kind of deal this little demoness made you sign a contract for?"
He shot a glance at Min-ah.
Min-ah's face flushed red with pure fury.
"YAH! Park Jin-hyun! If you don't stop right now, I swear I will tell the entire family who you are secretly dating!"
Jin-hyun merely let out a booming laugh, completely unfazed.
"You can certainly try, little cousin."
Min-ah bit her lip so hard I thought she might draw blood, completely defeated.
Jin-hyun turned back to me, his silver fringe swaying in the cold wind.
"So, San-ah... what's the decision?"
I remained completely silent for a long, heavy moment.
To be entirely honest, a cold spike of alarm was ringing through my gut. The mere thought of stepping through those heavy iron gates made my skin prickle.
My last encounter with the Park family hierarchy—specifically Park Jin-ho, the terrifying Chairman of the Foundation and Principal of Hanyeong Arts High—had been intensely unpleasant, leaving a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.
Yet, layered right alongside that apprehension was a strange, heavy numbness. I knew the history. It was Jin-hyun's uncle whose legacy and foundational exchange grants had ultimately paved the way for me to come to Korea in the first place, allowing an unknown kid from Smila to chase his dreams in Seoul.
Tonight, inside that estate, the entire Park dynasty would be gathered. The head of the family—the legendary founder of the Seoul Academy of Arts, the grandfather of Jin-hyun, Min-ah, and Jin-woo, and the father of the two bitterly rivaling brothers—would be presiding over the table.
And then there was Jin-hyun's offer.
I wasn't particularly afraid that telling Jin-hyun about my JBC deal with Min-ah would cause any real damage; I had spent enough time around our drummer to know the kind of guy he was beneath his cool, detached exterior. He was loyal to H-Wnot. To music.
'So why am I so alarmed?' I questioned myself, looking at the grand estate.
Besides... my stomach is practically screaming.
Free high-end catering...
I took a deep breath, letting the cold air clear my head.
'Why not? Nothing bad is actually going to happen... right?'
I looked Jin-hyun dead in the eye and offered a lopsided, hungry Ukrainian grin.