"Let's go, I'm about to head downstairs as well."
Jungkook didn't refuse and went downstairs with Tzuyu...
– Inside the Western restaurant below JC –
Both of them ordered steak set meals.
Then, Tzuyu took out a blueprint and passed it to Jungkook.
"What is this?"
"I'm planning to open a drawing school, and I came across this when I was picking out the location. This is a retail space in one of JC's new buildings, and seven floors in this building are empty. Since it hasn't been rented out yet, and the location is quite nice, I wanted to ask you if you could rent it to me."
"You want to open a school?"
"Yes... I've been back in the country for quite a while now, so I can't just live off of my parents. Truth be told, studying art for all these years, I originally wanted to open up a studio, but you know what it's like here. Not a lot of people understand art, so I wouldn't have much business. I might as well go all the way and open up a school. That way, I can teach children; it seems like a good way to go."
"Oh." Jungkook lightly nodded.
"Can you rent this place to me? I'll definitely pay you a lot in rent," laughed Tzuyu.
"Just use it, we were going to rent it out anyways. As for the rent... just pay what you normally would and sign a contract with the administration department. I don't normally handle these things."
"Okay, thank you." Tzuyu nodded in gratitude.
Jungkook then looked down and sent Wechat messages with Lisa.
He looked very focused...
He completely forgot about Tzuyu, who was sitting awkwardly across from him.
So while Jungkook was recording a voice message to Lisa, she purposely said, "Jungkook, your father just came back from the country. He wants you back home for dinner tonight."
Lisa just happened to hear this.
She typed a message out to Jungkook. "You're with Tzuyu?"
"Yes, she came to see me to rent a space under JC."
"Why does she need to discuss this with you, can't she just talk to the administration about it?" Lisa was unhappy.
"I don't know either."
"Humph... wait and see how I interrogate you when you get home."
"Doll, it's not my fault."
"Did I say that it was your fault? Why are you confessing already?" Lisa asked domineeringly.
Jungkook : "-_-"
"Jungkook, Jungkook?" Tzuyu refused to give up when she saw him ignoring her, so she called out his name two more times.
"Yes?" Jungkook finally looked up.
"Your father came back, he..."
"I know, I'll contact him later."
"Oh, okay." Tzuyu nodded.
After they finished eating, Jungkook paid the bill and went straight back to his office.
Tzuyu drove off to have afternoon tea with a few other socialites.
However, to her surprise, she ran into Sehun.
"Hi... Miss Han," Sehun greeted her.
"Hello, Young Master Oh."
The other socialites greeted him as well. Sehun got along quite well with others inside this circle, and everyone, both male, and female liked hanging out with him.
Except for Jimin and Jungkook, that is...
"Hi Young Master Oh," Tzuyu greeted him back.
"I haven't seen you for a few days, and you've gotten even prettier."
"Thanks." Tzuyu smiled gracefully.
"Are you free tonight? I booked a spot at Phoenix Terrace, would you like to have dinner together?" Sehun took the initiative and asked her out.
"I'm sorry, I already have plans tonight."
"Oh, if that's the case... another day then."
"Okay."
"Please enjoy, it's my treat," Sehun gentlemanly paid the bill after he spoke and left the restaurant.
After he left, the other socialites immediately began gossiping.
"Is Oh Sehun courting you, Tzuyu?"
"Yeah, Young Master Oh loves beautiful women. You're so gorgeous, he must have feelings for you. Plus, he even asked you to dance during your dad's cocktail party."
"I also heard that he hasn't been seeing anyone after he broke up with Irene. Tzuyu, he really might be interested in you."
"You guys are overthinking things, I don't think he feels that way about me," Tzuyu smiled.
"That can't be, we all saw it in him," said one socialite.
"Of course he does, it's so obvious. He asked you out to dinner and danced with you, no man will pay excessive attention to you for no reason, right?"
"I wouldn't be so sure. I hear that there is a public land bid soon, and the Oh Corporation is one of the competitors. Maybe he wants to cozy up to me so my father will pay attention to him," Tzuyu slowly said as she took a small sip of coffee.
"Hey, you have a point."
Tzuyu was never delusional enough to think that men treated her well only because they liked her.
Even though she's very beautiful and charming, it still depended on what kind of man the other person was.
Sehun was a playboy, but he wasn't constantly chasing after beautiful women, so there was no reason for her to believe that he was attracted to her all of a sudden. Therefore, she believed that Sehun had an ulterior motive in approaching her.
*
Lisa went straight to Sky Blessing Court after she got off from work.
Jungkook called her, and she put up a fight and didn't pick up.
When Jungkook saw that no one was home when he got back, he knew that she was at her mom's house.
So, he drove to Sky Blessing Court.
Since Haruto was leaving tomorrow, Lisa's mother cooked quite a lot of dishes. Everyone was reluctant to see him go.
Jungkook personally arranged for Haruto's school, tuition, along with accommodation.
Out of ten universities, he picked a school that he thought was most suitable for Haruto.
"Hyung, you are here!"
"Your sister is here, right?"
"She is, she just arrived, and she's in the kitchen with my mom."
"Okay."
Jungkook walked in and took out two cards from his pockets, handing them both to Haruto.
"One of these is a phone card that you can make international calls on. After you arrive, change your sim card into this one, and you'll be able to use it as soon as possible."
"The other is a UnionPay card that can be used all around the world. You can use it abroad, and there is a million inside. Use this for now, and the Finance Department will send you more every month. Don't feel pressured, spend however much you'd like."
"Hyung... I know that you're super wealthy, but you're too capricious... How will I be able to spend a million? Plus, you're sending more each month. I can't take it, this is too much."
"Just take it, if you can't spend it all, give it back to me once you get back."
Haruto knew that Jungkook didn't have a lot to say; instead, he expressed everything in his actions.
If he gave you something, you should just take it without another word. This was the way that he handled things.
"Noona already gave me money, hyung."
"The money your sister gave you is hers to give, and this is mine. Take it, there's nothing wrong with having more money. I know that you're not someone who shows off, so you won't get into any trouble," Jungkook said.
"Okay, thanks, hyung."
Haruto carefully put away the two cards...
Then he looked at Jungkook and said, "Hyung... once I leave, I don't know when I'm coming back, and since the distance between there and here is really long, I don't think I'll be traveling back and forth very often. My mom is fine... She often goes out with those aunties, but that workaholic sister of mine... only listens to you. You have to take good care of her."
"Don't worry, I will."
"Oh, and... you guys should hurry up and have a baby. I really want to be an uncle," Haruto urged.
"Okay."
Jungkook nodded and promised...
Just then, Lisa walked out of the kitchen and placed a dish onto the dining table.
She glanced at Jungkook and asked, "President Jeon... what did you eat for lunch today?"
"Steak."
"Whoa, not bad. Did you have any red wine?"
"No."
"That's not right. There's steak, there's the beauty, how can there not be red wine?" Lisa said sourly.
He knew she felt jealous because she overheard Tzuyu when they were talking on WeChat over lunch.
Then he said, "Doll, let's talk about private matters at home. Don't talk about it here."
"This is my home as well, what can't we talk about... Plus, I'm not going back tonight. I want to stay here."
"Okay, fine, then I'll stay here as well."
"You can't stay here, this is my home."
"Noona, don't be silly...hyung bought this place..." Haruto reminded her.
"Shut up, are you my brother or his?" Lisa scolded Haruto on purpose.
Haruto: "Uhm..."
"Honey, you're right. You're always right," Jungkook's attitude remained very positive.
"Don't use that against me, you want to muddle through again, don't you?"
"I don't."
"Anyways, I'm not going back. Haruto is leaving tomorrow, so I'll move back here for a while. You should reflect on what you did."
"Doll... don't be upset." Jungkook immediately felt nervous when he heard that Lisa wanted to live at her mother's place for a while.
"I'm not upset," Lisa replied angrily.
"I just assured Haruto that we're going to try hard to have a baby together. If you move away, how can I fulfill his wish of becoming an uncle?" Jungkook smiled teasingly.
"So you married me just to have babies with me?" Lisa demanded, pretending to be angry.
Before Jungkook had the chance to say anything, Haruto took his side. " noona, be reasonable... My hyung treats you so well... Don't pick bones with him..."
"Shut up, let him speak." Lisa glared at Jungkook.
"Doll..." Jungkook looked like he had been wronged.
The less he said right now, the better... If he really pissed her off, then she might really refuse to go home.
Just then, Lisa's mother walked out. "Dinner's ready."
"Thanks, Auntie," Jungkook respected Lisa's mother; although she used to be prejudiced towards him and had a bad temper, Jungkook was still thankful for her, since she raised Lisa for more than twenty years.
"Don't thank me, you don't have to be so polite. Sit down and eat."
Lisa's mother took out all the dishes one by one, and the four of them sat around the dining table.
"Jungkook did a lot to help Haruto go abroad this time."
"Auntie, it's what I'm supposed to do."
"Nonsense, no one is entitled to accept help from others. Even if we're family, we still have to be sensible towards each other. Thanks to you, we're living in this big house, and I only have two wishes left in life – one, that Lisa lives happily and two, that Haruto lives worry-free. As long as you guys both live good lives, I won't have anything else to worry about," Lisa's mother said as she ate.
"Don't worry, Mom, we're not children anymore," Lisa smiled.
"Haruto, be a good kid when you get there, and don't get yourself in trouble."
"Mom, I don't get in trouble here either, don't worry about me. If I need help, I'll call hyung."
Jungkook nodded...
Lisa glanced at Haruto; her brother seemed to like Jungkook very much. It should be a given though, since he treated Jing Haruto like his own brother.
He already brought up the topic of buying a new car for Haruto twice; if Lisa didn't stop Jungkook, Haruto would probably be driving a Porsche by now.
After dinner, Lisa was reluctant to leave.
Jungkook wasn't in a hurry either; he sipped on tea in the living room as he waited for her.
In the end, Lisa's mother couldn't take it anymore, "Go home, look at the time. Your brother's flight is at 3 AM... Jungkook's arranged for a driver to take him to the airport, why are you still here?"
"Mom... let me stay a little longer."
"There's no point, you guys both have work tomorrow. Hurry up and go to bed, your brother's going abroad to study, not to be tortured."
Then, before Lisa could respond, her mother pushed her out of her house, leaving her no choice but to quietly get in Jungkook's car...
Lisa's facial expression was still grim after they got onto the car. She wasn't in a good mood.
"Doll, don't be sad." Jungkook was heartbroken by how depressed Lisa was.
Lisa wasn't actually angry at Jungkook and didn't take his lunch with Tzuyu to heart.
Therefore, she leaned on Jungkook's chest and said quietly, "Kook, I really don't want him to go, what should I do?"
Lisa was used to being his sister; she took care of Haruto all these years, even if she had to tighten her own belt.
Occasionally chatting and eating with Haruto had become a part of her life.
She never thought that one day, he would leave this city and travel across the world to live somewhere else.
Therefore, she couldn't accept what was happening... just like how she couldn't accept that Wonyoung was already dead.
"People all experience farewells and reunions, no one can escape from them... no one," Jungkook held Lisa and gently consoled her...
"I know, I'm just a little sad."
Then, Lisa cried in his arms for a little while longer before they reluctantly went back to their home.
Lisa didn't sleep that night; she kept tossing and turning, thinking about Haruto.
At 3 AM, she looked at the time on her phone and went downstairs to get some water.
She looked out the window and into the night sky; her brother was already on the plane to New Zealand, located thousands of miles away.
"Haruto, I hope that you'll become a man by the time you come back," Lisa muttered.
Three days passed by quickly, and during her lunch break, Lisa went to attend the second board of directors meeting at the Oh Corporation.
Sooyoung showed them a transfer record, proving that the 400 million was now back in the Oh Corporation's account and allowing the board members to sigh in relief.
Then, unsurprisingly, Hyunjae resigned, while his father, Mr. Oh put on a show and apologized to the members about his inability to raise his son.
After the meeting, Sehun went up to Lisa.
"What do you want?"
"Aren't you curious as to what my next move is?"
"That's your business, what does it have to do with me?" Lisa never saw herself as Sehun's comrade.
"No, it has a lot to do with you. Come home tonight, I'll put on a fantastic show for you."
"Tonight?" Lisa was somewhat surprised.
Wasn't it a little too fast?
"You're taking action tonight?" Lisa asked to make sure.
"Yeah, I need to attack them when they're unprepared..." Sehun smiled.
Sooyoung barely filled up the 400-million hole that her son dug, but Sehun was already planning to attack her and push her off the cliff.
"So, you're going to make sure they never recover again?"
Lisa knew Sehun; he had done plenty of foreplay, so his attack would be deadly.
As expected, he flicked her head, gently and adoringly. "You're the smartest, that's why you have to bear witness to what happens tonight... or else all my preparations would be in vain. Tonight, at 6:30 PM, my mom will be hosting a dinner party and the entire family will be there. You have to come." Then, Sehun put his hands in his pockets and left...
Lisa looked at him with a complicated expression on her face; he was always laughing and joking around, allowing others to misconstrue him as easygoing.
However, that wasn't who he was; Lisa had a feeling that Sehun was too smart and was never sincere to anyone.
He placed traps everywhere he went...
Too bad she didn't know that someone was deeply planted in his heart... If she did, she would probably...
"Lisa..."
Mr. Oh called her as she was walking out of the Oh Corporation.
Lisa turned around to see him alone, without Sooyoung by his side.
"Can I help you?"
"You have the day off, right? Come have some tea with me, we haven't talked in a while."
"I don't have anything to talk to you about," Lisa replied impolitely.
Her words didn't anger Mr. Oh; instead, he smiled, "Don't be so distant. We're not as rich as the Jeon Family, but if they're in trouble, we'll definitely help. After all, we're in-laws."
Lisa was annoyed by the fact that Mr. Oh kept bringing up her marriage to his own advantage ...
Lisa was just about to refuse when Mr. Oh added, "How's your mother doing? I went to see her at the old house, but no one was there. Did she move away?"
"Yeah, that place is being demolished, so I bought her a new house."
"Oh really? Where?"
"You don't have to know, my mom... doesn't want to see you," Lisa said quite frankly.
Mr. Oh smiled awkwardly. "I know she still hates me, and I already told her that I'll slowly make things up for you guys. Oh, right, I heard that your brother went to study in New Zealand?"
"He did."
"Does he need help with anything? I have a lot of friends down there."
"No, thank you for the gesture."
"Are you sure you don't want to grab a cup of tea with me?" Mr. Oh asked again.
"Mr. Oh, I don't like it when others beat around the bush. You don't have to invite me out for tea or dinner, just tell me what you want. Emphasize on the key points please, we're both busy people."
"You child... okay, if that's the case, then I'm going to be straightforward. Nancy is going on a setup date tomorrow with someone who has a hefty background. They're meeting at the Hilton Hotel, can you and Jungkook come?"
Lisa immediately understood what he wanted; she knew Mr. Oh wouldn't ask her to drink tea with him just for fun.
Nancy was being set up on a date, and he wanted them to go to help the Oh Family 'gain face'. After all, JC's president was a big deal in this city.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Oh, neither of us are free tomorrow."
"Can you guys come just for a little while during lunch? Even if you guys just drop in to say hi," Mr. Oh tried to negotiate with Lisa.
"I'm not that close with Nancy. You should convince Sehun to go instead." Unwilling to waste another second with him, Lisa got on her car and sped off.
Since she had the day off, Lisa immediately drove to meet up with Chaeyoung; the two of them sat in the coffee shop Lisa recently opened and chatted casually...
"Girl, has there been any news about your pregnancy?" Chaeyoung quietly asked.
Lisa's coffee-stirring hand paused for a second; then, she shook her head...
"Um... my mom told me that there's a really famous Korean traditional medicine doctor where she lives, and a lot of couples have gotten pregnant after meeting with him. Korean medicine doesn't hurt the body, so wouldn't it be great if your problem was solved? My mom said that he's pretty good, and since we have time today, do you want to go check it out?"
Lisa usually refused, but today, she answered, "Sure."
Then, Lisa drove herself and Chaeyoung to the street her mother lived on.
It was an old industrial district; Chaeyoung grew up there, and since their family had gotten used to it, her parents didn't want to move all the way to downtown.
In the end, they twisted and turned until they arrived outside a yard in a hutong.
A dog began barking at them as soon as they walked in...
"What do you want?" An old woman with a weird accent walked out of the yard.
"Hi, we're here for Mr. Kang," Chaeyoung remembered that this family was named 'Kang'.
"Oh, are you here for a checkup?"
"Yes." Lisa nodded.
"Come in, the consultation fee is 2000 won." The old woman stuck out her hand.
Before Lisa had a chance to reach into her bag, Chaeyoung immediately passed the old woman a 2000-won bill.
Then, she took them into a little house, where an old man of around 80 years or so was wearing reading glasses and organizing medicine.
The entire room reeked of Korean medicine.
"You have a patient."
"Okay, I got it." The old man had perfect hearing and stopped what he was doing immediately.
Then, he turned around and walked slowly towards Lisa and Chaeyoung.
"Which one of you is the patient?"
"I am," Lisa said.
"What's your illness?" The old man asked in all seriousness.
"Um... feel her pulse first, and we'll go from there," Chaeyoung didn't want Lisa to tell him that she was infertile; it would be too awkward.
The old man nodded and gestured for Lisa to sit down on the chair.
Then, he placed a wrist pad under Lisa's right wrist and began feeling her pulse.
He looked very professional; the truth was, Lisa studied western medicine, so she didn't believe in traditional Korean medicine.
However, not many traditional Korean medicine practitioners existed anymore, and many medical school graduates who had rudimentary Korean medicine knowledge pretended to be miracle-workers, prescribing patients random Korean medication. Korean medicine wouldn't kill, but one had to suit the remedy to the case in order to see effects.
If Chaeyoung didn't mention it to her today, she wouldn't have planned on seeing a traditional Korean doctor. Her mom brought it up as well, but she didn't say anything.
"Doctor, how is my friend, is there anything wrong with her?" Chaeyoung asked anxiously.
The old man slowly put away his hand and glanced at Lisa. "You're lacking blood, and your womb is cold... Do you suffer from period cramps?"
"I do." Lisa nodded her head obediently.
"You should take better care of your body, or else getting pregnant will be hard," the old man exclaimed.
Lisa and Chaeyoung exchanged glances...
"Does she need to take medicine?" Chaeyoung asked.
"If you trust me, I can prescribe you some Korean medicine. If you don't trust me, feel free to go to a pharmacy and ask for womb-warming medicine. I suggest that you take them for 3 months," the old man reminded them.
"You can prescribe them for me," Lisa thought that the old man had a point; from a western medicine point of view, she diagnosed herself with a cold womb as well.
Then, they bought some Korean medicine from the old man.
As soon as she got home, Lisa began boiling the medicine, and soon, a nose-piercing aroma filled the entire kitchen.
She had to drink three bowls a day, one pack each time. It smelled and tasted disgusting.
The medicine mainly consisted of well-known Korean herbs, and those who drank Korean medicine would know how foul-tasting it was.
After Lisa drank the entire bowl, she felt her stomach churning; in the end, she couldn't take it anymore. She ran into the bathroom and began throwing up.
When Jungkook arrived at home, Lisa was still going at it in the bathroom; she forced herself to drink all the medicine but couldn't keep in down. Her entire breath reeked of Korean herbs...
"Honey... what's wrong?" Jungkook frowned.