I’d Rather Live as a Villain

I’d Rather Live as a Villain – Episode 16

(I promise you)

You said you really liked me.

And you even suggested that we should meet more often.

Chairman Kang Ki-young, who never indulges in empty flattery or excessive praise, regardless of who he’s speaking to.

The moment I heard him say we should meet more often, two thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously.

One was that my judgment to unconditionally place Executive Director Kang Mun-jung in a superior position in our relationship was spot on.

The other was that if I could catch Chairman Kang’s eye, perhaps all the games would be over.

I found myself wanting to delve deeper into Chairman Kang Ki-young’s heart.

And then I start to get confused.

Is this desire to penetrate deeper into his heart truly only because of Executive Director Kang Mun-jung?

Though it was nothing but verbal praise and recognition, and the acceptance of his heart, I already know that under the roof of Daeyoung, there’s nothing bigger than that.

Chairman Kang, who did not hide his satisfaction with my very existence, and Chairman Kang Man-ho, who opened up his heart to me even more than he had at the hotel’s Chinese restaurant that day.

The dinner, which started with drinks and progressed very slowly.

After all, how much could the elderly drink or eat?

It was not yet 8 PM when I left the main house in Pyeongchang-dong.

With such a vast garden, it’s quite a walk from the entrance to the garage building.

Executive Director Kang Mun-jung walked with me down that path.

“Was it a bit moving earlier?”

Was it because I had something I wanted to say to the Executive Director, or did he also have something to say to me?

As if we had reached an agreement, we both started to slow down our pace.

“Sagong, Seonju. I didn’t expect you to make such a direct frontal assault, but when I think about it, there was no surer way. Indeed, at times like this, Executive Director Yoon’s quick thinking… No matter how much I ponder, it seems too precious to give away.”

Thanks to the pleasant start and smooth end of the dinner, it seemed the Executive Director was also at ease.

Judging by the slightly excited look on his face and the jokes he was making.

He should have worn a jacket…

“Aren’t you cold?”

“It’s April. Who would say they’re cold in this spring breeze?”

“That’s why you always cough when the seasons change. I told our mother that you’re quite high-maintenance.”

Suddenly, he halted in his tracks! After stopping abruptly, the executive rolled his eyes.

Of course, in this atmosphere, serious disappointment doesn’t fit.

It was just a playful expression he made.

“In fact, I started talking to my mother about the executive quite a long time ago.”

“How long ago? How much time are we talking?”

“Probably… since you first came to the company as a manager?”

“Why?”

“Even if my apartment complex is home to professional baseball players, it’s common for people like us to brag about who lives in our complex, Mr. Executive.”

“Oh, right! Do you like baseball, Executive Yoon?”

“All of a sudden?”

“No, no. Sorry for interrupting. This isn’t immediately important, let’s talk about it next time. So? What were we just talking about?”

At times like this, he seems so distracted.

Indeed.

Considering he spends more than half of his 24-hour day as the sole heir of Daeyoung, wearing a stiff suit and maintaining tension, he should loosen up a bit now and then.

I started walking again, and the executive matched my pace.

“I just told her that the son works for the same department where Daeyoung Group’s Chairman Kang Kiyoung’s granddaughter, Chairman Kang Manho’s daughter Kang Moonjung, came in as a manager to learn about business management. I tried to impress upon her that the department where her son works is this important within Daeyoung Group. Ha ha.”

“Executive Yoon, even though you’re a son, you often share stories about work with your mother? Usually, sons, men, don’t talk about things that happened outside when they’re at home, right?”

“She’s the only family I have.”

“…”

“I’m the only family she has too.”

At that, the executive nodded as if he understood.

“How surprised she must have been? To hear that you’re going to marry such a person.”

I smirked at the executive, who was playfully exaggerating as if to say, ‘This is the kind of person I am.’

And I continued speaking.

“I told her that you, the executive, rely on me a lot for work, and ask for help.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“No, not just when I’m serving you directly… but since the time you were at the company.”

I’m in the midst of a rather embarrassing confession.

“So, it seems I told her that you always try to assign me big tasks whenever you see me, and that I’m tired because Kang Moonjung relies on me too much for work. My mother doesn’t know… that I had such an unpleasant experience at the company.”

“…”

“I kept saying no, but they insisted I transfer to be an executive assistant. I had no choice but to change positions. The conglomerate tried to keep me, but the executive was so adamant…”

With a bitter smile, I stopped in my tracks.

Today, I did my best to make you stand out in front of your family. Now it’s your turn to do the same for me, I said, implying the meaning with my words.

“The only son. Always worried about being overshadowed or having to be subservient, I wanted to reassure them with that lie.”

“Now that I see it, Executive Yoon has a surprisingly tender side?”

“Mother is quite tender-hearted. That’s why I have to pretend to be strong. So, I’m confessing to you first, to ensure my lies remain undiscovered by her. Would you like to come with me to Daejeon this weekend? It’s something we have to do eventually, and it might not be bad to get it done before work gets busy.”

At that moment, my phone rang.

It seems the chauffeur has arrived.

The garage.

I pressed the button on the wall.

The shutter of the Pyeongchang-dong garage slowly rose and then opened completely, lying flat.

The chauffeur was waiting in front of the open garage.

“I think Saturday will be fine. Please check if that day works for Mother.”

“Saturday? Yes, I understand.”

“Take care on your way in.”

“You too, Executive.”

“Oh, right! Don’t forget to take a picture of your outfit before coming to work tomorrow morning and text it to me for approval.”

***

Saturday in Daejeon.

I felt as if I were laid bare.

In front of Executive Kang Moon-jung, who had brought me home to introduce me to his mother, and in front of Manager Roh Gyu-hyung, who was waiting in the apartment complex parking lot.

It was a moment that starkly revealed my background.

But it was okay.

The 5 billion won that flew into my account, the promotion to an executive position at the conglomerate.

It’s a 10 billion won deal, what can’t I do?

Yet…

Still, the neighbor’s toddler tricycle and stroller sprawled haphazardly in the hallway were quite annoying.

I could somehow understand the delivery boxes, but why pile up such waste in a shared space?

In this moment, even the mundane sight made me feel exposed, and the presence of the neighbor felt irritating.

“Hello, Mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I’m Kang Moon-jung.”

Mother.

Wow, this is really…

It felt as if two different worlds, with their immense disparity, were merging into one, didn’t it?

Surely, these two worlds are where I, myself, exist simultaneously.

The world where my mother and I live together.

The world where I and Executive Kang Moon-jung coexist.

Have I ever considered the possibility of these two worlds coexisting, even for a moment?

Out of sheer embarrassment, my hands and feet curled up, and my whole body seemed to twist in this awkward and uncomfortable air.

“Come inside. Why did you bring all this?”

The moment I stepped into the living room, I could tell how much effort Mom had put in.

The indoor slippers had been replaced with new ones.

They must have been worn for years, right?

She had thrown away the old ones and prepared new ones.

She had tidied away all the clutter that used to be on the living room TV shelf, and even purchased a pretty good air purifier, which hadn’t been there before, and had it running in the living room.

“Haha… This is how we’ve been living.”

Why is she acting like this?

It’s not like someone came for an inspection or a review, so why is Mom, the owner of this house, acting so troubled?

Even though I knew the reason, I felt a towering urge to snap at her like a rebellious teenager, telling her not to belittle herself.

But I knew that showing such an attitude in front of the executive would be even more embarrassing, so I just smiled.

But it was a curious thing.

Contrary to a little while ago, when I was worried about revealing my background, from the moment I brought the executive inside and showed him everything, my heart began to rapidly ease.

So what, this?

This is good enough.

It’s the executive’s house that’s abnormal, and our house, Mom’s house, is the standard for South Korea!

As I consoled myself with these thoughts, I really began to feel like it was true.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“There’s nothing. Nothing at all. Just sit comfortably on the sofa with Taesik and chat.”

Executive Kang Moon-jung, a man who keeps his promises even if the sky were to split in half.

The content he had added himself in his own handwriting to the last clause of the marriage contract.

During the contract period, Party A shall do their utmost to fulfill the roles specified in the contract for the family of Party B.

Thus, the executive kept his promise according to that clause.

He took off the jacket he had worn and asked me to organize it, then immediately rolled up his sleeves.

Then he went into the kitchen to help my mother with the table setting, and even put on a convincing act of surprise at the dishes she had prepared in advance.

“What have you made so much for?”

“When we have a guest coming from afar, wouldn’t it be proper to prepare at least this much? Please, it’s really fine, just sit on the sofa.”

“Then let me at least carry it. Please put the food in, and I’ll bring it out to the living room.”

The presence of the executive made even me feel awkward and uncomfortable in our own home.

So, I slowly moved the dishes my mother had placed on plates to the table spread out in the living room, alongside the executive.

After finishing the meal preparations and coming out to the living room, my mother said,

“Oh dear, look at my mind.”

“Why?”

She clapped her hands in front of the nearly completed table setting, still not having taken a seat.

“I was so busy preparing the food by myself, I forgot to buy the drinks.”

“…Drinks?”

“Taesik, could you go to the convenience store in front of the complex and buy some beer?”

“Beer?”

“If you’re going to drink soju, buy that too. It will take a while to boil the soup, so Taesik, go down now and bring back some drinks.”

***

“Would you like to sit over here?”

Taesik’s mother, dealing with a very difficult guest, had prepared a cushion and offered him a seat.

“I didn’t buy the drinks on purpose. I wanted to have a word with the executive in Taesik’s absence.”

Surprise was fleeting.

Munjeong took a seat in front of Taesik’s mother, thinking to herself how the executive’s composure seemed to resemble that of his mother.

“Please speak comfortably, Mother.”

“It’s not as easy as just saying it. In my head, I want to, but you’ve been my son’s superior at work for so many years.”

“…”

“Does the title ‘executive’ sound a bit off? In his absence, Taesik and I always used to call you ‘executive,’ so I’ve gotten into the habit of calling you that without realizing it. I’ll just call you by your name comfortably.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard a lot about Ms. Moon-Jung from Tae-Sik. Just a little search on the smartphone, and there are so many stories about Ms. Moon-Jung. It’s only natural. After all, she’s the daughter of such a remarkable household that everyone in South Korea knows.”

Although we haven’t had many conversations, it seems to me that Executive Yoon resembles her mother a lot.

Moon-Jung thought to herself and listened politely.

“Our house doesn’t hold ancestral rites. We’ve been too busy to go out these days, but when her father was alive, we used to attend church diligently.”

“···Yes.”

“It’s been over ten years now since I couldn’t spend time with Tae-Sik during the holidays. It was inevitable when he was in the military, and right after he was discharged, he immediately started working part-time jobs to prepare for a language study program. During the period he was abroad for the study program, and when he was a senior in college, he couldn’t come down because he was preparing for a job. Since he started working, his job has involved constant communication with foreign countries, so even during the holidays, it seems tight to find time.”

“···Yes.”

“And the work that Ms. Moon-Jung performs? It seems even more hectic since then.”

“I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll make sure to visit you during the holidays…”

“No, no. There’s no need for that. That’s not what I meant.”

Moon-Jung felt the smile that Tae-Sik’s mother was showing her was incredibly warm.

“People who are busy working. It’s not easy to take care of all that. Holidays, birthdays, Parents’ Day. I’m just happy with a phone call. Even without a call, I think they must be busy, they must be living diligently, being in an environment where they can live diligently is a blessing in today’s world. If the two of them just get married and live happily, that’s enough for me. I’ll live my life happily doing my work.”

“···”

“When I heard that Ms. Moon-Jung might marry my son… I briefly thought about quitting the kimbap business I’m running. Since it’s such a great household. A son marrying into such a family, I wondered if his mother running a kimbap shop in the outskirts of Daejeon would be a disgrace… But they say there’s no need for that. Tae-Sik says it’s okay, but is it really okay?”

“Well, of course. Why would you think that···”

“I feel sorry for my son. I’m sorry that this is all his parents have achieved.”

“No, please don’t think that way, ma’am.”

Moon-Jung didn’t know until she came here to greet them.

How much calculation Executive Yoon had to go through to accept her proposal.

“Could Ms. Moon-Jung’s family do the same?”

“What do you mean?”

“Marriage out of mutual affection, not burdening Tae-Sik with family-related matters or such, just the two of them getting married and living happily—that’s enough… Can you think that way?”

“···”

“I just want our Tae-Sik to be happy marrying Ms. Moon-Jung. It’s okay not to come down for the holidays, not to call on birthdays, not to fuss over Parents’ Day. Just the two of them. I hope they can have a happy marriage, just the two of them.”

After a moment of collecting her thoughts, Moon-Jung answered with a bright smile.

“I have quite a bit of work at the company, ma’am.”

“That’s to be expected.”

“But the person who has even more work than me is Tae-Sik… sir.”

Tae-Sik sir.

Even after saying it, Moon-Jung felt awkward with the title.

“If Taesik isn’t here, the company faces many problems. For starters, I feel anxious without Taesik by my side, as if I’ve mismatched a pair of shoes and it bothers me all day long.”

“Does our Taesik really work that well at the company?”

“Oh, when Taesik is away, there are more than a handful of people who find it troublesome. He’s doing really important work, and he’s irreplaceable in his capabilities. That’s what I fell for. But mother, I promise from now on, for your birthday and during the holidays, no matter what, I will come to visit with Taesik, bringing more gifts than we brought today, this much more.”

“At Moonjeong’s house, our Taesik…”

“They like him so much. Just a few days ago, they asked for Taesik, so he had dinner with my grandfather and father at our house.”

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

“Grandfather, father. They don’t even glance at me. Only Taesik. I think I understand why you’re worried, mother. But you don’t have to worry.”

“…”

“I promise you, mother, that the situation you’re worried about will never happen.”