Sleeping With The Enemy

That Summer

Choe Min Hyeon realized a few things about semi-dating Koo Seo Ryeong. He wanted to say that they were dating but she insisted on calling their meeting each other regularly during summer break as a 'probation period'. Suddenly they were back at being non-physical with each other, which drove Min Hyeon mad with desire. Since Seo Ryeong made no moves, he decided that maybe getting to know each other better on a non-physical level was better in the long run. This did not stop him from admiring the occasional glimpses of skin and innocuous touches that Seo Ryeong gave him. Min Hyeon felt that Seo Ryeong knew the effect it had on him and used it regularly to her advantage.

Every single day of the summer break had them hanging out near the waterfront at Jagalchi Market. Min Hyeon had tried to bribe Seo Gyeong with everything that he could think of but she was steadfast in her refusal. Since Seo Ryeong could not stay away from the shop for more than half a day, Min Hyeon found himself spending more and more time at the shop with the two sisters and their mother. He wondered what his friends would have said had they known but they were all away from Corea so he was relatively safe from their jibes. He wondered momentarily whether that meant that he was ashamed of being seen hanging out with Seo Ryeong. That thought was forgotten as fleetingly as it came.

The Koo family was definitely close-knit. Their eomma was a little absent-minded where her daughters were concerned but she was kind to Min Hyeon. Min Hyeon brought food and gifts to the shop every time he was invited over for lunch – a daily occurance, but she always admonished him for bringing anything. Seo Ryeong had an interesting relationship with her little sister. They talked to each other about everything. They bickered as naturally as they breathed. Min Hyeon was amused at their constant verbal jabbing. He noticed Seo Gyeong ignored Seo Ryeong whenever she was being dictatorial and just did whatever she wanted. Min Hyeon felt he needed to pick up tips from Seo Gyeong on how to handle her capricious sister.

Seo Gyeong asked him many questions about KU Group. The first day she did that had been a little awkward. Min Hyeon had only a general idea what KU Group did. He was due to intern at KU Group during the final year of university. In his mind, he would start learning about the company when he interned there. The disappointed look on Seo Gyeong's face contrasted with Seo Ryeong's I-knew-this-chaebol-knew-nothing face. He went home that day and approached his father at the club golf course.

"What brought about this round of questioning? I've been trying to get you to know about the company for years and you insisted you would only learn when you interned there," his father said.

"Nothing," Min Hyeon replied, watching his golf ball fly into the air and land right in the bunker. Rats.

His father gave him a look and sent his private secretary to him the next day. Min Hyeon was surprised to find that he actually enjoyed the briefing. He tried to impress Seo Gyeong the next time he went over for lunch but she had even more questions that he couldn't answer. So, Min Hyeon found himself learning more about KU Group during the summer break that he ever thought he would during his final year internship. There were other rivals to take note of – old chaebol companies, as well as new start-ups which threatened their hold on the Corean economy. Suddenly he understood that the social events he had to attend as a child had more business implications than he had ever realized.

Occasionally, Min Hyeon brought Seo Ryeong out, with her eomma's blessing. They went to the mall, cinema, gaming centres and even to the library. They went out drinking some nights, and Seo Ryeong could hold her alcohol like a man. One of the nights involved a Truth-or-drink game, and Min Hyeon found himself losing spectacularly.