LGHTNOVELBOOK Ch84 - Please Get a Grip!
The new package design concept for Dawon Liquor barely passed. Jiheon visited the Dawon Liquor headquarters with the designer to finalize everything. If the sample work went as planned tonight, it needed to be checked immediately and sent to the filming site tomorrow.
Although the designer was the busiest, Jeongoh was also running around and forgot that the teaser ad for Mi&Talk had gone on air. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that Jeongoh logged onto the video site to check people’s reactions.
“It’s a heartwarming ad after a long time. The warm copy touched my heart. I need to call my parents. I can’t wait for the full ad…” There were quite a few positive comments.
Of course, the real test would be the response to the full ad later, but it seemed they had successfully raised people’s expectations for now.
There’s nothing more rewarding than when an ad resonates and boosts product sales, but Jeongoh also felt a sense of pride as a copywriter during moments like this—when a line of copy she wrote touched someone’s heart.
Wanting to show the new ad to Guksoon, she sent a text message and continued with her work. On her way back after discussing the ad filming issues with the AE, she ran into Seungkyu in the hallway. Seungkyu greeted her first with a bright smile.
“Hello, Assistant Manager.”
“Hi. Nice to see you, Deputy General Manager.”
As Jeongoh replied with a smile, Seungkyu moved closer and lowered his voice.
“I heard about Jiheon from him.”
“Yes, I heard you mentioned it to him as well.”
“It’s quite an interesting connection, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. I was surprised to learn that Dobin’s father is the Deputy General Manager.”
“Do you have a moment to chat?”
As Jeongoh responded warmly, Seungkyu pointed to an empty meeting room nearby. Inside the meeting room, Seungkyu showed Jeongoh a video on his phone.
When Jeongoh received Seungkyu’s phone, her eyes widened.
It was a video of Jiheon and his friends drinking together. Jiheon’s youthful face was playing on the screen.
“This is…”
“It’s Jiheon from seven years ago. This was probably around June.”
“…”
“You can’t see this version of him anymore since the accident.”
In a lively bar atmosphere, Jiheon was smiling with a rosy face. Even when his friends asked what good thing had happened, he simply drank and smiled, not saying a word.
Jeongoh’s eyes became moist at the sight of his kind-looking eyes.
June seven years ago. It seemed to be just after Jeongoh and Jiheon had started dating.
“He looks so innocent, doesn’t he? He wasn’t always like this. He was diligent and earnest in the military, but he was cold in his reactions, so not many people got close to him. It seems he started showing a more human side after his trip to Australia.”
Seungkyu shared stories from that time.
“That friend, who was gradually changing, became cold again after the traffic accident seven years ago. It’s like he lost the heart in his chest.”
“…”
“I’ve always wondered what could have been lost in my friend’s life to cause such a change. It turns out it was you, Assistant Manager Lee Jeongoh.”
Jeongoh felt a pang in her heart at Seungkyu’s words. She was grateful that Jiheon had a friend like Seungkyu by his side.
On the other hand, it was also sad. It seemed that Jiheon didn’t realize back then just how good a friend Seungkyu was. That’s why he probably didn’t open up to him. She genuinely appreciated Seungkyu for maintaining a good relationship with Jiheon, despite his coldness and indifference.
“Thank you for showing me this and sharing those stories.”
Jeongoh expressed her gratitude sincerely.
***
Guksoon Baekban.
Yeona sat at the dining table, staring only at the entrance. Finally, the door opened.
“Mom.”
“Princess Yeona! Did you finish eating?”
After finishing her work and leaving on time, Jeongoh approached Yeona and asked.
“No. I was waiting to eat with Mom.”
“Okay. Let’s eat.”
After greeting Guksoon, who was working alone in the kitchen, Jeongoh sat across from Yeona to eat. Although she left work early, it was the filming day tomorrow, and a major issue had arisen, so Jeongoh’s phone was buzzing non-stop.
Every few spoonfuls she took, her phone rang, and after finishing one call, another would come in, keeping her from eating for a long time. After being tied to her phone for about ten minutes, she finally gained some freedom.
Ten minutes had passed, but Yeona’s bowl of rice remained untouched. Yeona seemed to be less energetic than usual. If she didn’t like the side dishes, she wouldn’t say anything, and her eating pace would slow down, so Jeongoh watched her for a few minutes before gently chiding her.
“Yeona, you need to eat evenly.”
“Mom, can’t I stop eating?”
“No, just eat five more spoonfuls.”
“I can’t eat anymore.”
“Alright. You can stop. But there will be no snacks.”
When she said she wouldn’t let her have snacks, Yeona sulked and got up from the table. Only then did Jeongoh ask her.
“Yeona, you don’t seem to be in a good mood. Is something wrong?”
“Mom.”
Encouraged by Jeongoh’s attention, Yeona spoke up.
“Can you get me a cellphone?”
“…What?”
“Mom has one, and Grandma has one, but I don’t have one.”
“Our Yeona is still only seven years old…”
“Uncle can call Mom anytime he wants, but I can’t even call her when I miss her.”
While a flustered Jeongoh searched for a response, Yeona sharply retorted.
Did she take it for granted that she had been able to talk to Jiheon up until now?
“Yeona, I was on a work call just now…”
“Buy it for me! A cellphone!”
Ugh.
Before Jeongoh could explain further, Yeona suddenly burst into tears. A customer entering the restaurant paused in surprise at Yeona’s cries.
Jeongoh comforted Yeona while she ate dinner and considered getting her a children’s cellphone. It seemed okay to have one that only allowed calls and text messages without any other functions.
The phone also had a tracking feature, which reassured Jeongoh in case of any unfortunate incidents.
Jeongoh went to a cellphone store with Yeona and opened an account for her. The adorable little phone, about the size of a credit card, fit perfectly in the child’s hand.
What a cute little kid holding something so cute.
The child, as if she had never cried, looked at her new cellphone with a bright face. Although it had no features other than calling and texting, the fact that she now had her own phone and a number made her genuinely happy.
***
Jeongoh sternly advised Yeona.
“Yeona, this isn’t a phone you got because you cried. I’m buying it so you can call me if a suspicious person shows up. Got it?”
“Okay!”
“Keep that in mind. I won’t give in to crying or throwing a tantrum. Understand?”
“Okay!”
Despite Yeona’s cheerful responses, Jeongoh felt a weight on her heart.
“Ugh, I’m worried. If you get a cellphone, Dobin will want one too.”
***
After returning from an external meeting, the day had flown by, and evening soon arrived. It was a busy Monday with lots of work to handle, so Jiheon couldn’t leave the office until late.
Having barely slept due to looking at pictures of the kids, Jiheon’s eyes grew increasingly tired. He momentarily set aside his work, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
Knock, knock.
Without a moment of respite, a knock came from outside the door.
“Yes.”
Jiheon straightened up in his seat and replied. The door opened.
He thought it was probably one of the remaining staff coming to report something, but it was Eunyeob. Jiheon’s expression turned cold.
In the morning, Jiheon had officially notified Eunyeob that he would terminate the advisory contract with his law firm. Since it was a pretty large law firm, he thought they could easily let go of Max Planning, but Eunyeob’s personal visit surprised him a bit.
As soon as Eunyeob entered the office, he looked at Jiheon’s face with a surprised expression and asked, “Jiheon, are you okay? You don’t look well.”
“It’s not something you need to worry about.”
Jiheon coldly replied to Eunyeob, who was feigning concern.
“Did you come here about the contract? If so, you’re wasting your trip.”
Jiheon debated whether to stand up or not but eventually rose from his chair and walked to the door.
“There’s no chance I’ll reverse my decision. I want this handled according to the procedure, and please return your access card before you leave.”
Jiheon firmly grasped the doorknob but paused for a moment.
“By the way, can you get in touch with your sister?”
Since they wouldn’t likely meet again, he thought he should pass on some information while Eunyeob was there.
“She hasn’t shown up for work in a while, and she hasn’t handed over her responsibilities properly. So that team is currently in a very difficult situation. If you see her, please tell her that if she wants to quit, she should do it properly.”
“Haah. Jiheon, think about it. Why do you think my sister is acting like this right now?”
Eunyeob replied with a sigh, as if exasperated, and continued.
“Isn’t it absurd for her? After living for four years only looking at you, she’s now in a situation where even if she gets married, people will say it’s too late, while her boyfriend is shamelessly seeing two people at once. The issue isn’t about showing up for work. Do you think my sister wants to live like this?”
“You know very well that there’s nothing between Cha Eunbi and me, right? In fact, I probably told you that Eunbi made up some rumors that put me in a tough spot.”
“Those aren’t rumors. You and Eunbi were in a relationship by mutual agreement.”
Eunyeob’s provocative words made Jiheon’s eyebrows twitch.
“I thought you just took your word for it and assumed my sister was in the wrong, but after listening to her properly, I found it utterly ridiculous.”
“…”
“You exploited my sister as your girlfriend for four years. That’s exploitation, Jiheon.”
Before visiting the office, Eunyeob had prepared a scenario considering various situations. To act brazenly and confidently was one of his specialties.
You arrogant little brat. You will never be able to escape us, Jeong Jiheon.
Seeing Jiheon’s face flicker with frustration as he couldn’t act against him made Eunyeob feel amused. The evident signs of fatigue on Jiheon’s face suggested that he had probably had a rough night.
“And Mrs. Jang said that Lee Jeongoh claims to have given birth to your child.”
“…”
“Jiheon, do you really think you know that woman well? Do you honestly believe that child is yours? How can you be so sure?”
Despite Jiheon’s sarcastic demeanor, Eunyeob continued.
“Seven years ago, how close were we? You’re not someone who would like someone like Lee Jeongoh. I don’t know what kind of memories she forced upon you, but you’re being used.”
Eunyeob pleaded with a face full of concern for his friend.
“Your memories are mistaken, Jiheon. Please get a grip!”
Doubt your memories.
Don’t trust your judgment.
Don’t trust yourself, Jeong Jiheon.