Chapter 9: CONFRONTATION
WOW.
Wonyoung couldn’t tear his gaze off the Hanwoo beef on the grill.
It looks and smells delicious...
After he got discharged from the hospital, Yun Dujun brought him to a famous restaurant called ’Born to Beef.’
It was located in a stylish modern building with several floors.
We have the entire floor all to ourselves.
Yun Dujun probably reserved the place.
Sunbae-nim did well.
They were served a huge array of premium cuts prepared in various ways.
Wonyoung and Yun Dujun sat around a counter while the head chef grilled everything from chateaubriand to side skirt and prime rib to perfect doneness.
I’m drooling...
When the head chef put the cooked meat on his plate, he immediately put a piece in his mouth.
And wow.
It melted in my mouth.
"It’s so good," Wonyoung said. He must have looked and sounded calm, but he was actually having a victory dance in his head already. "The meat is fresh and tender."
The head chef just smiled and thanked him for the compliment.
"You may leave now, Chef Lee. We’ll take it from here," Yun Dujun said to the head chef bluntly. "Thank you."
The head chef bowed to them. "Enjoy your meal, sirs."
And then the head chef left the room.
Wonyoung looked at Yun Dujun.
Not to admire the Alpha’s good looks, but to look at the food that he ordered.
"This isn’t my first time seeing you have beef tartare, but I’m still not used to it, Sunbae-nim."
Needless to say, Wonyoung wasn’t a fan of Hanwoo Yukhoe (Korean-style beef tartare).
The finely sliced raw beef was dressed with soy, sesame, ginger, garlic, and then garnished with crisp-sweet Asian pear, and served with a fresh Japanese egg yolk. It was also served on a fancy plate, and the presentation made it look appetizing.
"It’s good. I trust the beef they serve here to be fresh and safe for consumption," Yun Dujun said calmly. "Try it when you gather the courage to try raw beef."
The Alpha then began mixing the beef with egg yolk before taking a spoonful.
Yun Dujun nodded approvingly as if the quality of the raw beef passed his taste test.
How cute.
Then Yun Dujun scooped a small lump onto the seaweed sheet, added strips of Asian pear, green sprouts, and even chilli pepper— making it into a small taco before putting it in his mouth.
Aigoo.
Sunbae-nim really eats well.
Seeing how Yun Dujun ate with gusto, Wonyoung also started devouring his meal.
A comfortable silence ensued while the two of them were focused on eating.
This is what I like about being with Dujun Sunbae-nim— the silence isn’t awkward.
"I’ll grill more meat for you."
"Oh. I can do it myself, Sunbae-nim."
"No. I’m already done with my meal," Yun Dujun said, and then he really started grilling more beef for Wonyoung. "Can we talk while you eat?"
"Yes, Sunbae-nim..."
"Are you wondering why I only showed up now?"
"Yes, but before that, can you tell me why you handed my money and properties to my greedy relatives?" Wonyoung asked. That was the thing he was most curious about, after all. "Now I’m broke."
Yun Dujun scoffed. "You can never go broke while married to me."
"I still want my own money. Well, that money was from you. But I got that because I sold my womb to you, so I deserve to enjoy every cent of it."
"Did Lee Heeju tell you that your relatives claimed your money and properties after you fell into a comatose state?"
"Yes, Sunbae-nim."
"What else did he say about it?"
"Well, Ahjussi said he doesn’t know the details because you took care of everything."
Yun Dujun knitted his eyebrows. "’Ahjussi?’ You’re calling Lee Heeju ’ahjussi?’"
"Well, he’s older than me..."
"Lee Heeju and I are the same age. Am I an ’ahjussi’ to you, too?"
"No."
"Then why call Lee Heeju ’ahjussi?’"
Aigoo.
Is he being protective of Lee Heeju now?
Tsk.
"Fine, I’ll call him ’hyung’ next time."
"Why would you call Lee Heeju ’hyung’ when you still call me ’sunbae-nim?’ That’s discrimination, Hoobae-nim."
"Well, you still call me ’Hoobae-nim,’ don’t you?"
"Because you still address me as your sunbae even though we’re neither in university nor the Theatre Club anymore."
Okay, now Wonyoung was confused.
Why were they ’fighting’ about how they addressed each other?
We got sidetracked.
"Fine. I’ll continue calling Lee Heeju ’Ahjussi’ and you’ll remain my sunbae. Let’s revisit this later," Wonyoung said, waving his hand dismissively. "Anyway, that’s what I learned from Heeju Ahjussi. That’s why I was waiting for you, Sunbae-nim. I want to hear why you did that."
"I used your money and properties as bait to put your greedy relatives in jail."
"Excuse me?"
"Theft, fraud, faking documents. Your uncle and his wife were found guilty of all of that, and they were sentenced to ten years in jail."
Wonyoung dropped his chopsticks— shocked. "Sunbae-nim sent my uncle and his wife to prison...?"
"Was it too much of a punishment?"
"No, not at all," Wonyoung said immediately, shaking his head firmly. He had zero empathy for his uncle and his wife. "They deserve that. Those two have been stealing my money since I was in high school. In fact, I have a feeling that they also stole my parents’ insurance money. That was the only reason they took me in after I became an orphan."
"You don’t have to worry about them from now on. I’ll make sure that they won’t show up in front of you ever again, even after they have served their sentence."
"Thank you, Sunbae-nim."
Wonyoung was really grateful and relieved.
Justice is finally served.
"What happened to my cousin then?" Wonyoung asked worriedly. "She’s a bit of a brat, but she’s not a bad person. In fact, she often stood up for me every time her parents crossed the line."
His younger cousin was the reason he endured in that hellhole for as long as he did.
"I know. And that’s the only reason I took care of her. Your cousin is now attending a local college under our company’s scholarship program," Yun Dujun explained. "She still lives in her parents’ apartment, and she’s working as a barista to support herself. Overall, she’s doing fine."
Whew.
Wonyoung was relieved to hear that.
You did well, Bae Gayoung.
"Do you want to meet her?"
Wonyoung kind of flinched at the idea of meeting his cousin. "She must be upset with me because her parents got imprisoned because of me."
"It wasn’t your fault that your relatives tried to steal your money and properties— and your cousin knows that," Yun Dujun said, frowning as if he didn’t like the fact that Wonyoung blamed himself for something out of his control. "She visited you a lot when you fell into a coma, and she only stopped doing so when her parents were locked up. Your cousin said she doesn’t have the right to even look at you in the face anymore."
"How dramatic. Please give me Bae Gayoung’s number later, Sunbae-nim."
"Will do."
Now that Wonyoung knew the truth...
"Sunbae-nim, is it safe to assume that I can still get back my money? My penthouse? And my car?"
"Yes, I kept all of it safe for you."
"Thank you, Sunbae-nim."
"Are you worried about your finances because you’re planning to divorce me?"
"Yes, Sunbae-nim. I figure I won’t get my alimony right away. So, I need the initial payment that I got from you to support myself."
"Why do you want to divorce me?"
"Is there a reason to stay married when I’ve already given birth to your heir, Sunbae-nim?" Wonyoung asked, slightly confused. "Plus, your career has already taken off. You said we’d divorce by then."
"Our contract dictates that you have to give me an Alpha son," Yun Dujun said, putting the cooked meat on Wonyoung’s plates. "Hoobae-nim, children only start manifesting their Secondary Gender around 7-10 years of age. Our Yuhyun is only five."
Oh, right.
I already know that Yun Yuhyun is an Alpha, but my son will only manifest once he turns seven. Does it mean I need to stay married to Sunbae-nim until then?
"But if you really want to divorce me now, I won’t stop you."
"Huh?"
"I’ll sign the divorce papers if you’re really determined about ending our relationship."
Ah.
That was exactly what Wonyoung wanted.
So, he didn’t understand why he felt disappointed.
No, actually, he was upset.
"Is it because you already have a lover, Sunbae-nim?"
"I have a lover? Who?"
"Lee Heeju Ahjussi."
For the first time ever, Yun Dujun looked at Wonyoung with a disgusted look on his face.
"Have you lost your mind, Bae Wonyoung?"
Oh.
It was stupid, but hearing Yun Dujun call Wonyoung by his name actually made him a little happy.
I thought Dujun Sunbae-nim had already forgotten my name.
"Hoobae-nim, I’m married to you. Why would I get a lover? Plus, I’ve never taken a break from work for the past five years," Yun Dujun said, sighing while shaking his head. "And Lee Heeju is just my childhood friend."
"Can I record you saying that Lee Heeju Ahjussi is just a childhood friend to you, Sunbae-nim?"
"Why do you need to record it?"
"Just because."
"Don’t provoke Lee Heeju— you don’t want him as an enemy," Yun Dujun said sternly. "Plus, he’s still my friend. He helped us a lot while you were in a coma."
Ouch.
Now Sunbae-nim is scolding me to defend his ’childhood friend.’
That got Wonyoung thinking.
Maybe we haven’t reached the part of the ’novel’ yet where Dujun Sunbae-nim realizes his feelings for Lee Heeju?
Then...
"Sunbae-nim, when are you going to tell me the reason why you needed a baby?"
"Let’s revisit this conversation later," Yun Dujun said. "Let’s talk about the divorce you want after you eat."
Right.
Whether Dujun Sunbae-nim really used me as a babymaker or not isn’t important anymore. My goal this time is to raise An Baekya and not become an actual family with Dujun Sunbae-nim and Yun Yuhyun.
"I’ve changed my mind, Sunbae-nim," Wonyoung said, trying to hide the fact that he was annoyed. "Let’s stay married for at least six more months."
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