Exotic Love (Novel)

68

The silence lasted only while Lee Kyung-won ate two pieces of the chicken. He rolled his eyes to looked at me and Yoon Hee-gyeom and smiled again.

  "Anyway, it's very funny. We bump into each other like this.”

  "Yeah."

  “Hee-gyeom ssi, I haven’t seen you in a while, but I see you like this.  I really didn't want to come here today. Is this what you called blessing in disguise in one's life?”

  At that moment, my appetite was completely gone, so I put down my chopsticks and wiped my mouth with a napkin. The sauce wasn't really my cup of tea. I'm fine eating oily and greasy things, but the sour vinegar that tries to hide its taste may seem refreshing to some, but I didn't enjoy it.

  "I'm meeting my blind date today."

  No one asked, but Lee Kyung-won sighed and began complaining.

  "My old man started talking about marriage. When I said I'm going to stay single for now, he started making a fuss. It's killing me, I envy you in that sense."

  Am I overreacting to feel that his way of speaking is somewhat exaggerated and dramatic?

  “At least the married couple don't have to meet blind date no more. Is Hyunjin ssi doing okay?”

  No, I'm sure I wasn't overreacting.

  The moment when Lee Kyung-won's words fell. I was looking at Lee Kyung-won, but I could feel Yoon Hee-gyeom's gaze on the side of my face. I don't know what kind of gaze that is because I didn't see it. But somehow my heart rattled. A corner of my chest was pierced and it was cool as if wind was passing through.

  "…She's good."

  Even the smooth movement of my tongue is a strange feeling, as if it were someone else's, not mine.

  “How come I haven’t heard news of the second generation yet?  It's a rumor, anyway, but the two of you are actually doing fine."

  In a political marriage, it is not strange when Ahn Hyun-jin is abandoned at any time, or, in a situation where the string that should be thrown away has fallen as the rumor has it that I'm just as promiscuous as I was before marriage. However, on the other hand, our married life is well maintained and we would look affectionate when exposed to the outside world.  People who know both of us thought we'd get divorced and ask why we are living together, but Lee Kyung-won mentions that we are on good terms.

  I could feel Yoon Hee-gyeom's gaze while I drank the lukewarm tea while holding the teacup I had lifted up to my lips.

   “…..Are you married, Director Jung?”

  As soon as I put down the teacup, Yoon Hee-gyeom's question fell.  Then I turn my head to his side and check his gaze looking at me.  With that expressionless face, be filled with... I can see a subtle look.  It was a surprised expression, no, it was a face with something subtle on it.

  "I did."

  “He tend to go early.  Has it been two or three years?”

  Even if I search for my name on the search portal, no photos would come up, but the information would appear. At one time, Ahn Hyun-jin was written in the spouse information column. Just for a moment when Ahn Hyun-jin's father is still guarding his position. At the time of his downfall, his daughter and his son-in-law, me, were also mentioned in various articles.  At that time, even if I searched for Ahn Young-joon, my name would come up together with him.  Even if I had used my power on the portal side, to delete the related search terms, the three letters of Jeong Jae-han's name still ended up being together.

  However, half a year after that incident, I couldn't find any articles where I am mentioned on any portal, not even on personal articles.  Even if I searched for Ahn Young-joon or Ahn Hyun-jin, I was not revealed at all.  Searching for my name did not bring up the case, and there was no information about my spouse in my information window.  Now, no matter how I search, I cannot get the information that I am a married man and that my wife is Ahn Hyunjin.  Chairman Jung's money and power, who wanted to make the marriage between me and Ahn Hyun-jin itself a thing that never happened, made it possible.

  "Everyone, got so surprised hearing the news that he is going to get married out of the blue. Jung Jaehan got married just like that"

  Lee Kyung-won laughed brightly, saying that even thinking about it now makes him laugh.

    Just in time, the rest of the dishes were served.  I usually ate the chewy noodles in Chengdu soup* thinking that it was pretty good, but today the noodles make me feel sick. (Some kind of Korean food ig?idk)

  "It tastes good, doesn't it?”

  "Yes."

  Still, a smile came out at his insincere answer. In fact, Yoon Hee-gyeom only had a spoonful. Lee Kyung-won then also concentrated on eating, keeping his mouth shut, perhaps embarrassed by Yoon Hee-gyeom's short answer. Yoon Hee-gyeom was also silently emptying his bowl. But he didn't looked like he was eating something delicious.

Suddenly, my mouth was bitter and I felt desperate for cigarettes. I ate half of the noodles, but it feels like I can't go mouthful any further.

  "Hmm? You don't want to eat any more?"

  When I put down my chopsticks and wiped my mouth with a napkin, Lee Kyung-won asked. At those words, Yoon Hee-gyeom also looked at me. I felt his gaze and turned my head to meet his eyes.  But it was fleeting. I stiffened...No, its because Yoon Hee-gyeom, who had a cold, hardened face, turned his eyes away.  Isn't it obvious that you're avoiding me?

  "Yeah."

  I replied like that and pretended to put the napkin down.

  I turned the bowl upside down.

  "Uwah!"

  The red and murky soup trickled down the white table. Due to the fast flow, Lee Kyung-won had no time to escape, and the soup flowing towards Lee Kyung-won soaked his sleeves a little and fell over his thighs. Lee Kyung-won shrieked and jumped out of the way, but his pants were already wet.

  "Oh, sorry."

  "Yah, shi, this!"

  "My hands slipped."

  Lee Kyung-won looked at me with a puzzled face.  Frowning my brow slightly, I put up a sorry expression.  It didn't flow towards Yoon Hee-gyeom at all, but only towards Lee Kyung-won, so what can I be sorry for.

  "…I'm going to the bathroom."

  "Yeah, I'm sorry."