Chapter 92 - Chaebol

Nothing would say that night would be any different when Ye Rim took the stage on Wednesday. The crowd was the usual one, divided between nostalgic loners and noisy old chaps who made Pearl their weekly meeting place. Before squinting in a sad moment of the trot Cry! Hot Tempest, where she reached higher notes, Ye Rim realized that the usual customers were in their proper place. Even Dr. Park, a dentist for whom Eun Ha worked part-time as an assistant, was near the bar, chatting happily with his friends. But it was only at the end of the song the singer noticed Lee Dae Won's arrival at Pearl.

'Wow, he really came! '

He was out of place with his modern look and blond hair. His arrival received disapproving glances from the habitués of the house. He didn't care, and waved at Ye Rim as soon as he realized she had already seen him. Signaling to his band that there would be a break after the next song, Ye Rim made her usual table tour, greeting her friends during the last song before the break.

At first, Ye Rim was surprised that Lee Dae Won was at the same table as Mr. Go, but then remembered the musician's connection with Jun Hyeon's family. Of course they knew each other. As she approached, however, the singer noticed a strange, slightly tense mood between the older man and Dae Won. A slight hostility coming from Mr. Go, in fact, and it was barely concealed even when she arrived to greet them.

So when the break came, Ye Rim went to them, a little worried about what might be going on.

"Glad you came, oppa!" she greeted Dae Won again, after paying her respects to the older man.

"Are you guys already this intimate?" Mr. Go asked quite surprised, it was clear he was aware they knew each other, but it was also clear that he didn't like Ye Rim treating Dae Won that way.

"Oh, Mr. Go, we met that night when Jun Hyeon was supposed to take Ye Rim to the theater at your request!" Dae Won said cheerfully, "I think I could say that, thanks to you Mr. Go, I had the pleasure to meet this fabulous singer, and a new friend!"

The old man's face didn't hide the shock. Ye Rim was finding it a little funny, but could not demonstrate it, that Jun Hyeon's grandfather showed a kind of jealousy toward her. "Ye Rim is fabulous, but a person always needs to expand their horizons, meet other people who are not in their professional circles… that's good," said the old man, implying Dae Won was not a good suitor to Ye Rim. She was trying hard to keep a straight face after it.

Dae Won looked down as he drank his tonic water, and asked the question that a person with the most common sense wouldn't do, "So was that really supposed to be a romantic date? Don't tell me that Ajuhssi is trying to be a matchmaker between Ye Rim and Jun Hyeon?!"

Mr Go did not expect this direct question, but Ye Rim intervened, understanding that Mr Go really had plans for her and Jun Hyeon, plans that would not materialize. Coming from an old man, this type of thought was understandable, but it didn't make it less impraticable.

"Of course not, Dae Won oppa! Mr. Go knows me and also knows Jun Hyeon! We're too incompatible to be a couple, despite all the qualities of Mr. Go's grandson." 

Dae Won gave a slight smile,

"I really can't imagine the two of you together."

The doctor's grandfather grumbled, "Jun Hyeon is a bit harsh, but he's a good man. I'm sure he wouldn't be meddling behind a friend's back."

Dae Won raised an eyebrow, shocked at the statement, but without replying the old man's comment, and Ye Rim laughed nervously at the unfounded accusation. But she knew Mr Go well enough to know how stubborn he was, and further explanation would just make the subject sticky. At any rate, facing  the silence of the younger duo, the ajuhssi stood up. Not hiding his irritation, he muttered to himself,

"I better leave before I start an arguing and say things that I will regret! Aigoo, I'm too old for it."

"Mr. Go! No, it's too early! " the singer got alarmed, and got up with him, as did Dae Won, ready to apologize. But the old man just waved his hand in aggravation,

"You guys stay there, I'm in a bad mood today!"

Lee Dae Won, knowing that  he was the reason of Mr. Go's early departure, just kept quiet, and Ye Rim decided to escort Mr Go to the door at least to try to reassure him a little. 

People were tough to deal with, and now she realized that Jun Hyeon had the same genius as his grandfather.

"Since you can't stay, I'll take you to the door, Mr. Go."

He just nodded, with some proud expressions that made Ye Rim wonder if it was genetics or learned behavior from grandfather to grandson.

"YE RIM!" A loud exclamation calling her name interrupted his task. 

"Ji Woong!" of course she recognized the person who had possibly saved her life two days earlier. Jang Ji Woong and his pack of best friends, all athletes of various martial arts styles, had come to see her show. Ye Rim vaguely remembered giving Pearl an invitation to one of them, the night it all happened.

She greeted them happily, and upon looking again Mr Go had already discreetly disappeared from the scene.

"So this is where you sing now!" Ji Woong didn't seem to give a damn about the look and style of the place. 

"You need to tell me what happened after I ran out of there!" Ye Rim said loudly, wanting to welcome them in. "Come on, let's get a good table for you to hear me sing!" And then we talk a bit! Can you stay? I'll get you the best table!"

"No Ye Rim, the best table is reserved for me," someone said from behind the group of wrestlers, a familiar voice, in fact. Ji Woong's friends were surprised, and made room in the tight area near the bar, to see who was talking.

Behind them was a handsome tall man in an expensive suit, an expression of total and absolute control, accompanied by two friends and four security guards.

Ye Rim's eyes widened. Definitely, So Kwang Sik was the last person she expected to step on at Pearl.

The heir and administrator of one of the country's most important conglomerates, one of the city's most coveted newly divorced men, ... and a old fan of Ye Rim. 

Kwang Sik tried to ignore the surroundings around him while keeping his gaze fixed on the singer. His friends, however, seemed shocked to have to be in such a decrepit club.

"Oppa…!" She didn't know what to say to the unexpected audience to her show.