A large navy blue box was left on Chloe's desk. The huge red bow left no doubt. It was a present.
"Go ahead, Ye-Jun, my boy. Open the gift," Jang Dong-Hyun said.
Ye-Jun nodded slightly and smiled politely. Chloe, with a mechanical smile on her lips, was overseeing the transaction.
He held the edges of the box lid and smiled once more at Jang. He was just buying time before having to face what was beneath.
Let's get it over with!
He lifted the lid and took a good look inside the box.
He blinked.
For real?
Ye-Jun shot him a quizzical look.
"What? It's the perfect gift for your current situation. I was so sad when I heard you broke up with that hottie! But then again, what an opportunity…" Jang said, winking.
Ye-Jun smiled broadly, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"You get me, pal! You're a free dude now! You can bang all the chicks you like! And of course, I'm not sure about your tastes, so I added a few… supplies," Jang continued.
"Thank you, Mr. Jang. They will come in handy," he replied.
He peered again into the box. Hundreds of condoms - all colours, flavours and sizes. On top of them there were about ten tubes of lube.
Chloe also took a look. She gave Jang an understanding glance.
The message was clear. Like in most cases.
'Pay your debt, or you're screwed.'
Ye-Jun probably preferred it. Last year he got a strange artwork. It was a concrete cube with a human hand emerging from it. The hand was quite realistic. Jang said it was a metaphor for how a city is suffocating human contact, and a call for connection at the same time. Ye-Jun, as always, laughed.
But the threat of 'concrete shoes' was loud and clear.
The best present he ever received though, was the first one, seven years ago; a case of canned meat. Jang explained to him in detail how the animals were slaughtered, skinned and cut into pieces before being cooked and packed into the tiny metal cans.
Ye-Jun felt his chest tighten whenever he saw a can of meat afterwards. At the grocery store, he avoided that aisle entirely.
Compared to that experience, some sex seemed harmless.
"I guess you still have the hots for that mind-blowing babe you have been… calling. I know her boss, if you need a discount. But love should be free. Go out there and seize the day. Many good girls and boys available," Jang continued.
Fear paralyzed Ye-Jun.
Did he know about Hana?
All along?
But of course. He was keeping an eye on him. At all times.
"Enough with the fun part. Let's talk about business. You know, you two made me a proper businessman. I love you for that! I was… reckless before. But now I can leave my little girl a respectable corporation," Jang said when Ye-Jun took a seat.
He was facing Chloe, so the rest could not read his expression.
They didn't want to alarm anyone, so everyone else was in their seats. Even Sang-Jun, who was even less happy than Ye-Jun to meet Jang.
The room shifted. Chairs moved. Smiles hardened.
"Ms Pyo. Talk to me about next year's business plan!" he ordered.
Chloe started her presentation. Ye-Jun always felt so weird when they were informing him about his next moves. But that was part of the deal. Jang wanted to know his long-term investment would pay off.
"Interesting stuff you got there! My boy, you will not get any rest!" he told Ye-Jun.
"I can work hard, don't worry."
"I don't worry. Even if you fail, NT2 will give me my money! But taking your money is sweeter."
Ye-Jun froze.
That seemed personal.
"Mr. Jang, what is important in business is money. And we are right on schedule," Chloe intervened.
"By all means, you are. And you are keeping your schedule. But I see myself as Ye-Jun's mentor. I help him grow. If he fails, I owe him a lesson."
He had said that before. But every time, it hurt just a little bit more.
"That is why I am telling you! Have a lot of fun!" Jang said with a huge smile.
Another shiver ran down Ye-Jun's spine.
At least their meeting was over.
When he got up to leave, Jang took a better look at Mi-Suk and Christmas, sitting at their desk. He squinted his eyes, for a better focus probably, and approached Ye-Jun.
"Now you got my gift, which one of these two will you try out first? I've seen the one on the right before. The other one… European or American? Go for her. International stuff is always more interesting."
Ye-Jun hadn't eaten anything that day. But still bile rose in his throat.
"Thank you for the advice," he said, struggling to keep everything in.
Both of them would walk him to the elevator, making sure he was off the floor.
Jang went to greet Sang-Jun. He never forgot to do so.
"Hey prettier boy! Keep up the good job! Ms. Pyo tells me about your achievements."
"I appreciate your interest, sir," Sang-Jun replied, with an unearthly composure. How could he do that?
They were about to leave, but Jang wasn't moving.
He was looking at Christmas. She had already pinned her curious eyes on him as well.
"You're not from around here, sweetheart," he observed.
The address caught her off guard. She opened her eyes wide, but replied politely, "You're right. I am not."
"You speak Korean, how interesting. But there is an accent. Un accent français. Tu viens d'où? De France? Du Canada peut-être?"
What was that? French? Is he speaking French? What on earth?
"De France," she replied, a forced smile on her lips, clearly stunned. That was the only thing she managed to utter.
They exchanged a few words in fluent French, and then he gave her a card.
"You can call me anytime you like. I'd love to catch up with news from my favourite country in Europe," he said.
With a restrained smile, she took the card warily.
Ye-Jun wanted to grab the card and tear it to pieces, break his arm and bloody his face.
He wasn't the weak boy from years ago. He could beat him now.
But he stayed silent.
He stayed still.
"Mr. Jang, we should be going. If you don't mind, there is a meeting I must attend in five minutes," Chloe said.
"Of course! Good-bye to you all," Jang said and walked out.
Chloe was following them while they were walking in the corridor.
"I knew I had a good eye! French girls are… refined," he told Ye-Jun.
"I'll keep that in mind," Ye-Jun said.
"One more thing. Your mama. She loves you dearly. Don't make her sad."
Ye-Jun's face went blank. He looked at the other man intensely.
"My… mama?"
"Yeah, Yeong Eun-Joo, that wonderful woman."
"You… know her?"
The elevator arrived and Jang walked in.
"Of course my boy. From the beginning," he said, looking over his shoulder, as the elevator doors closed.
He was petrified.
Chloe was next to him, shaking.
"Did you know?" he asked her.
"Well, she did facilitate some things back then. She wanted to meet him."
Ye-Jun shook his head. Chloe should have told him. She had time. Plenty of it. Instead, she was now rubbing her wrist, as the truth was now too uncomfortable to hold.
Why now? Why does he choose this moment to tell me?
The answer wouldn't come. The timing felt deliberate. And that was the worst part.
Today his present was less intimidating than other times. His words and actions, though, cut deeper than any knife.
He was now more afraid than ever that Jang wouldn't leave him alone even if he paid off his debt.