NOVEL NEXT Chapter 144
After the event participation was over, my wife and I also attended the casual after-party.
It wasn’t anything grand; it was just a light meeting and chit-chat with the director. However, the problem was that an unexpected guest suddenly joined in.
“Are you Director Lee Joo-ho? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ryu Do-hoon, the Vice Chairman of Changseong Electronics.”
“Oh, yes, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Lee Joo-ho, the executive director of Last Destiny.”
My brother-in-law, I mean my older brother, left the executives behind and followed the director to greet him.
The director, already standing stiffly due to the presence of Changseong Group’s youngest daughter, nearly froze and moved stiffly like a wooden doll as he shook hands.
Wow, I’m trembling just watching this. Meeting the next head of Changseong Group, who is basically the one responsible for saving their gaming company, must make it hard for him to even drink water.
“I recently tried the game since I heard it was invested in by our company, and I found it quite fun. That’s why I came to say hello.”
“Excuse me? You’re saying the Vice Chairman has played our game?”
The director seemed quite surprised that the future head of Changseong Group plays subculture games, blinking a lot to discern if this was real.
My older brother coolly nodded and added, “Of course. Personally, I like the character Cecilia; she reminds me of an anime character I loved when I was young.”
“Oh, the Vice Chairman watches anime too.”
“Well, isn’t that how it is when you’re young? Haha, of course, I guess I’m still too immature, so I still can’t give it up.”
There’s no rule saying you can’t watch anime as you grow older, but hearing that my older brother, of all people, does is hard to believe.
According to my wife’s testimony, she seems to be quite deeply involved since she even goes to see anime movies, but there’s definitely a gap there.
“Anyway, I hope you make good games in the future. If you ever run into difficulties, please feel free to let our company know.”
“Thank you for your consideration. I will do my best to avoid causing any inconveniences.”
Hmm. I guess even though they’ve made considerable profits since the release of Last Destiny, it seems SV Studio finds it tough to let go of their connection with Changseong Group.
If it weren’t for that, they wouldn’t be so humble.
Come to think of it, I’ve heard that they’re going public soon. If that happens, they’ll definitely have to transfer some shares to Changseong Group, so maybe they’re bowing early in preparation for that.
Difficult talk aside, times like these remind me how amazing the people I know truly are.
“When did you arrive, older brother?”
Just from the way my wife casually spoke to the next head of Changseong Group, almost a bit cheekily, you can tell.
“Eh? Just earlier. I arrived right before this stage started and was watching with the executives.”
“You should at least say you’ve arrived….”
Still feeling surprised, my wife sighed and muttered her dissatisfaction.
But it seems that with a wife like that, my older brother wasn’t going to back down either, causing him to snap back.
“Did you think you and Mr. Kang would come? I just came to take a quick look and meet the director.”
“Then why did you bring those poor executives along?”
“I didn’t bring them! They insisted on following me, making a fuss.”
“So annoying…. By the way, I heard from Father that you have to meet the chairman of Gold Management tomorrow? Is everything alright there?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. The vice chairman there is my friend, so I can go a bit late and discuss it first, then meet the chairman the day after tomorrow.”
The blunt back-and-forth suggests they’re definitely siblings, but the content of their conversation is anything but ordinary.
Gold Management is one of the top financial firms in the U.S., after all. Referring to the chairman and vice chairman like they’re neighbors is quite a disconnect.
“Um… Mr. Cosmo…”
While I realized how far I’ve come, even feeling a bit numb about things, a pair of individuals huddled up next to me, looking like startled little animals, approached to speak.
These were the partner streamers who participated in the Last Destiny stage today, the woman being Ms. Miho and the man being Mr. Hanly.
“Ah, yes. Ms. Miho.”
“Um, is that gentleman the Vice Chairman of Changseong Electronics? How did he end up here…?”
“Oh.”
Maybe they missed our conversation while chatting with other staff members and only just recognized my brother’s existence. I’m not sure if they recognized his face or someone told them.
“Actually, the company that supported the production costs when making Last Destiny is a subsidiary of Changseong Group. He may have dropped by for a quick check.”
“Wow, is it common for such a high-ranking person to come here personally?”
“Um… I don’t think it’s normal.”
I shook my head with a bitter smile at Mr. Hanly’s disbelieving question. It’s not usual to see someone like a vice chairman.
“By the way, the vice chairman is your brother-in-law… right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Wow….”
“Life in that world is so different from ours.”
Well, it’s not like I’m doing anything exceptional; it’s just my wife’s family that’s impressive. There’s no need to say our worlds are different.
But even if I think that way inside, I can’t voice it out loud. If I were in their shoes, I probably would think the same.
Being on friendly terms with the future head of the top group in South Korea is still hard for me to believe.
“Brother-in-law! Then I’ll head out first, so take your time to look around.”
“Oh, yes! Are you leaving already, older brother?”
And just like that, while I was left chatting awkwardly with these two, my older brother raised his hand, greeting boisterously, causing me to jump and turn my head.
“Well, I have to go. I need to head to America right away tonight.”
“If you have time, let me know, and I’ll come visit.”
“Thanks. By the way, I heard you recently started learning tennis?”
“No, I just said that but haven’t actually learned yet. I’ve been busy with various things….”
It was a bit embarrassing to mention being busy in front of the future head of Changseong Group, but I honestly conveyed my true feelings, knowing he wouldn’t mock me for it.
He nodded in understanding and tapped my back.
“Let’s meet when you have time later. I’ll teach you a bit.”
“Huh? I don’t want to trouble you….”
I didn’t mind playing tennis with my older brother, as I never thought of him as uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to take his precious time either.
“Oh, it’s fine. My sister is too busy to play tennis with me. So I should play with you instead.”
“Haha….”
Once I realized that my older brother just wanted someone to play with, I had no choice but to nod with a bitter smile.
But I heard my older brother learned tennis much earlier than my wife, so asking him to teach me wouldn’t be a bad idea… Huh?
“NO! Uju is going to learn from ME! Older brother, you should call your friends and play with them!”
As I was about to nod, my wife suddenly grabbed my arm and fiercely pulled me in, shouting like a child having a tantrum.
My older brother looked taken aback, frowning at her.
“Hey, your brother-in-law is offering to teach you tennis, and you’re complaining?”
“I don’t want to! I just don’t! He promised that I would teach him! We’re going to have fun together as a couple! You should play alone!”
“Is this what a sister is like….”
Feeling dizzy from my wife’s outburst, I buried my face in my palm, while my older brother muttered in disbelief.
I’m sorry, older brother. I apologize on behalf of my wife.
“You should answer; learning from me would be better, okay? If you learn from your brother, it will just be uncomfortable. Okay?”
“Uh, um….”
As I was unable to think straight due to the mixed sensation in my arm and my wife’s clingy affection, I glanced at my older brother, who was just standing there like a stone.
When our eyes met, my older brother gave a wry smile as if he had already given up.
“I’m sorry, older brother. If I learn properly from my wife and improve my skills, I hope you’ll give me a few strokes to guide me.”
“Alright, it’s tough on you.”
“Ah, no.”
Seeing my older brother nod as if he understood and tapping my shoulder, I met the gaze of my wife, who was still looking up at me, hugging my arm.
She finally seemed satisfied, raising her nose like ‘What do you think?’ while glaring at my older brother, almost like a third grader.
“Hurry and leave! The executives are waiting!”
“Don’t rush me. Why have you become more childish after getting married?”
Unable to withstand my wife’s nagging, my older brother reluctantly turned to leave the staff room, and I found myself left alone, exchanging awkward glances with the director.
From the director’s perspective, I can only imagine he’s thinking, “What did I just witness?”
“Oh, director, speaking of which, I’d like to ask something.”
“Yes, yes… what is it?”
Meanwhile, my wife, true to her unpredictable nature, suddenly approached the director and whispered while the director, still tense, stood there.
“Um, were the costumes worn by the cosplay participants at the event… made by them themselves?”
“No, that’s somewhat common, but this time, we provided the costumes directly from our company.”
Wondering why she suddenly asked that, I felt dazed, but my wife’s eyes sparkled, and in a voice low enough not to be heard by the other partner streamers, she asked again.
“Could you make one more Astitia outfit and send it to me?”
“Ah, yes. Of course. We’ll make it and send it to you as soon as possible.”
“Oh, thank you.”
And just like that, having fulfilled her wish, she gracefully returned to her polite demeanor as Changseong Group’s youngest daughter, Ryu Seo-ha, bowing her head with a smile.
“Honey, what do you need that for?”
On the other hand, I got curious as to why she suddenly wanted that.
Since she said Astitia is the character she likes the most, maybe she just wants to have it for her collection?
“…I’ll let you know that night when it arrives. Just wait for me, okay?”
“……”
However, I quickly realized that wasn’t the case.
In an instant, my wife’s eyes changed, resembling a predator eyeing its prey, scanning me from top to bottom, and with a sultry expression, she seemed to ask, ‘Is an explanation necessary?’
Hmm, is she now going to resort to this method to wring me out?
If this keeps up, I might not survive until my college diploma, military service, or even childbirth.