On Halloween day.
I was worried it might rain, but the weather was very clear.
The house was hung with all sorts of Halloween decorations, and in the garden, a table was set with simple refreshments and drinks. Once all the full-length glass windows in the living room were opened, the garden and the living room became one connected space.
Taekgyu, ever the host, showed his enthusiasm by meticulously checking on the progress and giving instructions to the hired staff.
He had also prepared the costumes for everyone else. That included my costume.
“What is this?”
“It’s a Royal Fish and Chips waiter uniform. A couple’s outfit with Ellie, you could say?”
As a uniform meant to be a set with the waitress outfit, it was also pink-based. What were these outdated suspenders and this bow tie?
The design was so tacky I was about to ask if I didn't have to wear it, when Ellie, dressed in the waitress outfit, linked her arms with mine and said in a cold voice,
“…Yes.”
I had no choice but to put on the Royal Fish and Chips waiter uniform.
Taekgyu had prepared cosplay costumes for those who hadn't been able to prepare their own. In one corner, two professional makeup artists who worked on special effects teams were seated, ready to do makeup for anyone who wanted it.
“It was tough to book them. They said their rates jump tenfold on Halloween.”
At this point, should I consider Halloween a national holiday?
As the sun set and the party began, people from the company and other acquaintances started to arrive.
From my friends, I had invited Minyoung and Kyeongil. The two looked around the house, amazed.
“Wow! You’re throwing parties at home now!”
Minyoung said, as if it were fascinating.
“Are we really allowed to be here?”
“Why wouldn’t you be?”
Kyeongil, who was looking around, was startled.
“Oh! Shin Yuri!”
“Hello, sunbaenims.”
Yuri was dressed as a fairy. She wore a white, toga-like dress with large butterfly wings on her back.
It was a cosplay that went well with her bleached blonde hair.
“Where did you get that costume?”
“Taekgyu oppa sent one to each of the employees, saying it would suit them well.”
“…”
That’s how much our Vice President takes care of his employees.
“Welcome.”
“Ah, unni!”
Ellie and Yuri held hands, delighted.
“Wow! Unni, you look so pretty!”
“Thank you. That outfit looks great on you too, Yuri.”
Everyone who arrived recognized Ellie’s outfit and didn't hold back their praise.
“Ah! That’s the outfit from that commercial.”
“I really enjoyed the commercial.”
“You look exactly the same as you did back then.”
Each time, Ellie would blush and glare at me, and I would subtly avoid her gaze.
Yuri was surprised to see the wine on the table.
“Wow! This is expensive wine. Is it okay to drink it?”
“Of course. Drink it all.”
I have a lot of wine that I’ve received as gifts, but I don’t drink it much anyway. Some of them are worth millions of won, but if not on a day like this, when would I drink them?
Team Leader Jung Gihong was dressed as a Holy Knight from Lost Fantasy, and Team Leader Joo Hyunjung was in a Priestess costume. These outfits were also custom-made by Taekgyu.
The quality was so high that they both looked as if they had just popped out of the game.
Sangyeop sunbae came with his girlfriend, whom he had started dating a few months ago. She was a rising new movie actress.
She was delighted to see me.
“Hello, CEO Kang Jin-hoo. I’ve really wanted to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Could I take a picture with you?”
It wasn’t so strange anymore for a celebrity to ask for a photo with me.
There were people in dresses and masks, some with zombie makeup, movie characters, maid outfits, and so on. Perhaps because it was Halloween, no one seemed to have much resistance to cosplaying.
Anneke, Yang Hana, and Min Hayoung were cosplaying as characters from Lost Fantasy. A Rogue, a Summoner, and a Bard, respectively.
Whenever StormCon was mentioned, Min Hayoung, who couldn't go because of a deadline, looked like she was about to cry as she grabbed Taekgyu’s arm and said,
“N-next time, you have to take me. I’ll definitely meet my deadline before then.”
Having missed the chance to see the legendary StormCon in person, it was understandable she’d feel wronged.
She said she was so upset that she broke her habit of always writing to her deadline in real-time and, gritting her teeth, managed to build up a stockpile of one chapter.
Turning a deadline-missing writer into a diligent one! Could this be Oh Taekgyu’s charm?
Hyunju-noona came with Henry, bringing Geon with them. Geon wore a pumpkin hat and a cape, and Henry was dressed as Count Dracula, but Hyunju-noona was in her usual clothes.
Of course, she hadn’t bothered with a costume.
Taekgyu said to his sister.
“Didn’t you hear the party concept? Go over there, change into a costume, and get your makeup done.”
“It’s a hassle.”
“Then at least wear this.”
What Taekgyu held out was a cat-ear headband. Hyunju-noona glared at her younger brother.
“Are you kidding me?”
Then Henry said gently,
“Just try it. You should follow the rules of the party host.”
Ellie also chimed in.
“That’s right! I even had to wear this outfit!”
“…”
Hyunju-noona couldn’t say anything to that plea. In the end, she reluctantly put on the headband, and Taekgyu marveled.
“Oh! My sister is cute.”
“Shut up.”
It suited her much better than expected. Hyunju-noona does have a cat-like face.
“Ah! Try the tail too, noona.”
“Shut your mouth!”
I knew he’d get cursed at.
It seems like Henry was disappointed… or is it just my imagination?
As I was busy exchanging greetings with people, I couldn’t see Ellie. A moment later, when she returned, her face was already flushed. She was still gulping down the wine in her hand.
Was she trying to get drunk quickly to overcome her embarrassment?
“Aren’t you drinking too much?”
“Ah, whatever. Since it’s come to this, I’ll serve you, Jin-hoo.”
“Huh?”
Ellie smiled at me and bowed slightly.
“Welcome, customer. What would you like to order?”
I said, flustered,
“Uh, um. What’s available?”
“Anything the customer desires is available.”
“…”
Anything? Then maybe…?
Before my thought could even finish, Ellie pinched my arm.
“Nothing perverted.”
“…Yes.”
We listened to music, drank, and ate together. Seeing everyone laughing and talking happily made me happy as well.
I guess the good thing about making a lot of money is being able to spend time with the people you like like this, right?
Above all, I also get to see plenty of Ellie’s cute side.
The party, which started in the evening, ended around midnight.
Those who drank called for designated drivers to go home. Sangyeop sunbae shook his head as he got into his car.
“We don’t even hold the steering wheel anymore thanks to self-driving, but it’s still considered drunk driving if you drink. It’s a funny world. They say the US is starting to amend laws state by state, but when is Korea ever going to? The politicians in our country do nothing.”
“You must be drunk, complaining about politicians.”
“What are you talking about? I complain about them when I’m sober too.”
After seeing all the guests off, we returned to our room.
Ellie, seemingly drunk, sat on the edge of the bed, humming. When I listened to what song it was, it was none other than the Royal Fish and Chips commercial jingle.
She really is drunk.
Ellie pouted slightly.
“Haa, people are going to tease me about this for a while now. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was to stand in front of everyone in this outfit?”
“And yet you wore it for me.”
“That’s because I knew you wanted me to.”
She endured the embarrassment to wear it for me?
Ellie smiled faintly and said,
“You probably don’t know, Jin-hoo. How much I like you.”
The moment I heard those words, my heart pounded fiercely. My girlfriend is truly lovely.
I stroked her hair. With every breath, the sweet scent of wine wafted from Ellie’s lips.
“That outfit suits you so well. It’s incredibly cute, and you look younger.”
“Tsk, liar.”
Ellie pouted, but she didn’t seem to dislike it. It seems she liked being told she looks younger more than being called pretty.
“Now that I’ve worn it once, just throw this outfit away. Got it?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
I should store it well and have her wear it again later.
***
I came to meet someone I hadn’t seen in a long time.
After going through several procedures, as I sat and waited for a moment, a middle-aged man with glasses entered.
Chairman Im Jinyong smiled and said to me,
“It’s been a while, hubae-nim.”
“Have you been well?”
“Yes. I hear news of you every day. You’ve done a lot of things in the meantime.”
It was a meeting not much different from before. The only difference, I suppose, was that this was a detention center.
He is famous for always being well-dressed, with a great suit-fit. But today, his attire was comfortable and plain. A number was sewn onto the chest of his blue top, like a name tag.
The reason I visited so late was because Chairman Im Jinyong had been avoiding individual visitations, conscious of public opinion.
It has calmed down a bit now, but at the time of his arrest, the country was in an uproar for a while.
And for good reason. The Seosung Group is the undisputed number one conglomerate. If you combine Seosung Electronics and Seosung SB, they account for nearly half of the total market capitalization of listed companies on the stock exchange.
When the head of such a corporation was arrested, public opinion was divided.
In such a situation, if business leaders like myself were to visit him in a line, what would the public think?
Both he and I had to be careful, as our every move becomes news. And as always, we were both busy.
You might wonder what a detainee has to be busy about, but like other chairmen, he is managing his business from behind bars.
“Is it bearable in here?”
“I’m doing well. It was difficult at first, but I’ve adjusted a lot now. I’m not just saying it; I’m really eating well and sleeping well.”
It didn’t seem to be a lie, as his complexion looked better than the last time I saw him.
As some progressive groups have pointed out, he is living incomparably more comfortably than other prisoners. A private toilet and shower room alone are privileges unimaginable in a detention center. On top of that, he has meetings with his lawyer in a separate space every day except weekends.
This is how, if you have a lot of money, you can enjoy various benefits even after being arrested.
But no matter how comfortable a detention center is, can it compare to even a single basement room? It’s better to roll in a dog-poop field in this life, and it’s better to be in society, even living in a goshiwon, than in the military.
Chairman Im Jinyong said, as if joking,
“I’m just trying to think of it with a peaceful mind. Haven’t all the other chairmen been here at least once?”
A detention center or a prison is a place most people will never have a connection with in their entire lives. Unless you commit a serious crime, it usually ends with a fine or a suspended sentence.
However, it is also a place that chairmen tend to visit at least once. The chairman of Hwaahn Group, the chairman of SSK Group, they’ve all served time.
They should just go to the military like everyone else.
“I’m also reading the books I’ve been putting off.”
“What books are you reading?”
“I am re-reading The Count of Monte Cristo.”
“Are you planning to escape?”
At my words, Chairman Im Jinyong burst into laughter.
“I’m reading it in the original language since I have the time. It’s tough, it’s been a while.”
Thanks to his education from a young age, he is known to be fluent not only in English but also in French and Spanish.
While you can use an interpreter for conversation, the ability to read the original text is something to be envious of.
“How do you think the trial will go?”
“It will probably be difficult. The Blue House is also taking a hardline stance.”
Having gone as far as to arrest him, they won’t back down easily.
Chairman Im Jinyong is currently employing a strategy to receive a lighter sentence by deflecting responsibility to his late father and close associates for their past actions.
This is because, despite being a chaebol, he has a friendly image of mingling freely with the public, and the Seosung Group is currently experiencing such overwhelming growth in the IT and battery sectors that it’s said they are feeding South Korea.
Thanks to this, many jobs have been created, and despite concerns of a global recession, the Korean economy continues to grow.
Public opinion strongly supported Chairman Im Jinyong’s release by a margin of about 7 to 3. The opposition parties also argued for his release, citing his contributions to Korea’s economic development and the potential negative impact on the economy.
However, this logic means that only the poor and powerless commoners must obey the law, and that chairmen should be continuously let go no matter what crimes they commit.
By that logic, shouldn’t I be released even if I committed serial murder?
Chairman Im Jinyong wore a bitter expression.
“To be honest, I want to get out as soon as possible, but… I am just thinking of one thing.”
“What is that?”
“It’s the last line from the novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Do you happen to know it?”
I chuckled and muttered.
“Wait and hope.”