The Guide

“No, I feel awkward and uncomfortable if I drive someone else’s car. It would be better if we take my car.”

This is a chance I’ve got now, how can I put an interrupter in between us? And despite this, my face isn’t thick enough to tempt her in front of other people. Ji-Won smiled with a good face even though he knew that Gaon would be flagging if she heard it. He felt a little sorry for Gaon, who nodded her head without a doubt, but now was not the time for conscience.

“Yes, I see. See you tomorrow morning. You may go now. I have to concentrate, but I keep talking because Director Cha is here.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Ji-Won, who answered coolly, politely bowed his head and left his seat neatly. Wow, aren’t I amazing? If I want, there’s nothing I can’t do. Ji-Won, who was turning the corner with a proud face, slowly lowered the corners of his mouth that soared to the fullest when he met Dok-Yeom, who had a shocked look on his face. Oh, my. Since when has he been here?

What’s with this crazy guy? Are you trying to flirt with the CEO? How dare you….Are you out of your mind? How can you flirt so openly in a place where dogs or cows come and go, regardless of everything else? You don’t see anything? Although he didn’t open his mouth, Dok-Yeom’s incredible feelings were conveyed through his hot eyes.

“Come out. Let’s talk.”

“Yes, let’s do it, talk.”

Ji-Won and Dok-Yeom, who moved to the back of the security office to avoid the eyes of the employees, remained silent for a while and organized their thoughts. Both of them were embarrassed by the unexpected situation, but Ji-Won was a little faster to recover his broken mentality than Dok-Yeom.

“Did you come in to look for something in the library?”

“Oh…, I’m working on a drama from tomorrow. I happened to get a nose piercing from someone I know. I think it will be difficult to come to the headquarters for a while, so I’ll look through the long-term unsolved cases…. No, that’s not the problem right now! Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Really…, really?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my God!”

When Ji-Won agreed, Dok-Yeom, who forgot what to say for a moment, opened his mouth and spit out curses in vain. He’s crazy. Dok-Yeom thought Ji-Won was a cold emotionless person because his expression was always like he wouldn’t lift his eyebrows even if a naked woman passed by. He thought he wasn’t interested in girls like that. But this kind of person just goes all out when someone catches his eyes. Even so, how could his eyes point it at the CEO? It was uncomfortable for him to eat at one table with the CEO.

“How can you see the CEO as a woman?”

“Why can’t I see her as a woman?”

“That’s not what I meant. She’s not an ordinary person…. How did this happen?”

“Is there a reason to have a crush on a woman?”

Dok-Yeom was speechless again due to Ji-Won’s calm response. Yeah. The feeling is like an accident, so he knows it’s not possible by will…. He also knows it can’t be helped by effort…. That’s true. But what is he going to do about this?

“It’s a very difficult road.”

“That’s true.”

“When did you get so close to the CEO? I’ve barely had any chance to run into you…. What the hell did the CEO do for such a cold person like you to be attentive and friendly? What’s with that casual tone? Do you usually talk to girls like that? I got goosebumps because you seemed like a completely different person.”

“Did you hear everything?”

“I heard it. I really didn’t want to hear it voluntarily, but I couldn’t help but stay there because I was afraid I would wake up the lion while rustling to get out.”

“Thank you. I’ll treat you to a meal soon.”

“Meal… please do so.”

Looking at Ji-Won smiling, Dok-Yeom thought it was unbelievable to judge a person by his first impression. Ji-Won still doesn’t know, but on the day he forcibly escorted a dead man half a year ago, there was a stir in Jungcheon.

“Argh! Help me! Help me! It’s too hot! Please turn this off! Hurry up!”

“Calm down, dead man. The fire is not real, so it’s not hot. Look, it doesn’t burn if I touch it, does it? And you are a deceased who is already dead. I can’t save you.”

“Hey, where am I? Where are you sending me? I’m not going anywhere! Even if I go, I’m going with Su-Bin! I can’t go alone!”

“Dead man, please be quiet. I fully understand that you were confused by being forcibly repatriated without any explanation, but you have already committed too many crimes. From now on, you have to take responsibility for all your mistakes. Can you see that the meter is tilting to the right?”

“Well, what’s that?”

“It’s the meter of judgment. If you want to adjust it a little closer to the horizontal level, calm down and answer our questions sincerely from now on. Got it?”

” …Yes.”

“Where did you come from now? Do you remember the description of the person who sent you to Jungcheon? Say whatever comes to your mind.”

He said that it was a senior guide that Zanice had not found for 22 years and caused the judges to be exhausted from the morning. After a while, Ji-Won, who walked confidently with his head raised, looked straight at Gaon at his first face-to-face meeting with the CEO of Jungcheon and lightly ignored the order she gave. It was unprecedented for Kwon, who has always been calm, to turn so blue.

“I can’t guarantee this won’t happen again. Please let me do it officially. I think that’s why you brought me here.”

What a shameless, rude fellow. And there’s no fear. I’ve never stood in front of the CEO before but isn’t it scary? I’ll never get close to such a person. This is what Dok-Yeom thought at that time. However, just a few days later, at the company dinner he attended unwillingly, Dok-Yeom saw Ji-Won again.

“Can I call you Big Brother?”

“Haa, do as you please.”

It’s something that everyone doesn’t know about, but Sae-Hoo who relies on his instinct like wild animals doesn’t stick to anyone that easily or quickly. The fact that Hae-Soo, who is friendly on the outside but secretly cowers away from people, treats Ji-Won like his brother he met in 10 years means that he judged Ji-Won to be at least not a very bad or harsh person.

From that day on, Dok-Yeom tried to maintain an objective perspective as much as possible, and watched Ji-Won. But he found that Ji-Won is surprisingly a straight-tempered and loyal person. When contacted in an emergency, there was never once that he refused, even if he would later swear and hit the back of his own head in regret.

Of course, he has quite a feisty personality, as it seemed. When the opponent came out in a clueless way, he was also equipped with the ferocity of punishing them mercilessly, whether the opponent was a person or a ghost. Dok-Yeom thought he was an extraordinary human being, but…. But he really didn’t know he has the liver of a leopard.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

“For now, as I wish.”

“That’s a bold heart. Do you know how old the CEO is? She was born in the 11th century, in the Goryeo Dynasty*.”

[T/N: Goryeo (고려) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392.]

“Really? Does age matter in love? In an era where borders and gender are transcended, why do I have to care about that? Besides, younger guys liking older women is the trend these days.”

“Younger guys liking older women…! Is this a level that can be discussed as an older woman and younger guy? How did a rational person like you go out of his mind? Are you really crazy?”

“It breaks my heart, Director Seo. I can’t be sure until I open the doors of my heart. I can’t believe I have to wait until tomorrow morning to see her face.”

Ji-Won, who was responding slyly, laughed cheerfully as he saw Dok-Yeom’s expression turning blue. It’s fun to tease Seo Dok-Yeom. No matter what Yeon Hae-Soo says, he only listens to what he wants to hear, so there is no damage at all.

“You’re crazy, aren’t you? You’re not even normal crazy. You’re seriously crazy. I have to send you to the hospital. How can you say that? How long have you been like this?”

“Perhaps from the beginning. Maybe the first time I saw her as the CEO of Jungcheon? I’ve never pulled a person to me who pushes me away in my life, you know. But I knew instinctively that I would never see her again if I didn’t create a scene at that moment. It was in London last week that I realized my feelings. And this afternoon that I decided to do something.”

“Haa. I don’t know. For some reason, I want you to give you some advice but I don’t think you’ll pay any heed.”

Dok-Yeom, who was shaking his head, reached out hesitantly, shuddered at awkwardness, and patted Ji-Won’s shoulder a couple of times. It was a timid gesture that said, ‘I can’t actively push you away as my friend is always my friend, but I hope you won’t get hurt in any way.’

“By the way, what’s the name of that Kalguksu restaurant? Is Kalguksu in Taebaek really delicious to eat?”

“Well, I’ll look for it now. Kalguksu restaurants are everywhere in the country. There are relatively many good restaurants. When I get home, I have to look through the reviews of the restaurant around Taebaek. I’ll tell you later when I find something really good.”

“…what?”

“The CEO likes ramen. Like easily accessible noodle dishes in Korea, Jajangmyeon or Kalguksu, but she likes them better with soup. But I can’t make her go all the way to Gangwon-do and eat ramen. I don’t know if it’s delicious or not, but it’s not good for her health.”

Dok-Yeom, who distorted his expression for a moment, looked up and down at Ji-Won with a look full of criticism.

“What, you brother is a fraud, not a good person. What about the story of the potato pancake? You said like you’ve really eaten it. You said it’s crispy.”

“There are many restaurants in Gangwon-do that serve potato pancakes on the side. And potato pancakes are usually crispy.”

When Ji-Won looked at him with a look that he didn’t know when to stop, Dok-Yeom smiled with a face full of helplessness. Yeah, he was mistaken. Why didn’t he know Ji-Won was this shameless from the start?

“Then I’m off. Do your business well, and good luck on your drama well.”

“I’ll take care of my work, so good luck to you too. If possible, don’t get caught by Hae-Soo.”

“Oh, Yeon Hae-Soo! Come to think of it, I completely forgot. I’m sure he’s looking for me by now. Sigh, he’s a real nuisance.”

“Be careful. Even if he has no common sense, he’s an animal. If you behave even a little unnaturally, he’ll notice it right away. And you know, right? If Yeon Hae-soo knows, he will tell this to everyone. He doesn’t have a filter on his brain, so he can’t keep any secrets.”

Ji-Won laughed at Dok-Yeom’s serious advice and nodded slowly. The evaluation of Dok-Yeom about Hae-Soo was the same as Ji-Won. If you are a guide living in the Seoul metropolitan area, everyone knows about the long and lengthy love history of Hae-Soo that began in kindergarten, and the source of the rumor was his own mouth.

“Brother Ji-Won! Brother Ji-Won! Are you here? You said you’ll wait for me. Where did you go?”

“I’m here. Let’s Go, let’s go.”

Dok-Yeom let out a long sigh while looking at the back of Ji-Won, who lightly waved at him and strode away. The rough journey he was going to go through was clearly depicted in front of him, but he didn’t say anything and swallowed it because he thought it would be a bad seed that would spread with no reason.