Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

After walking out of the restaurant— Ming Xuan—, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko headed to Waitan, Shanghai City. It was getting dark. The lights from the high-rise buildings along the Huangpu River were illuminating the street. It was beautiful, and it was certainly creating a romantic vibe.

Gun-Ho said to Mori Aikko as he was wrapping his arm around her.

“This place is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

The area of Waitan used to have concession territory, and old constructions were often seen as the evidence of the old days. The city was decorated with colorful street lights by the local government in Shanghai City. It was not clear whether the decoration was aimed at tourists who were visiting the area, or whether they just wanted to make the area beautiful. Regardless of their goal, it certainly added a fantastic vibe to the area.

Mori Aikko narrowed her eyes; a satisfactory look appeared on her face. She seemed to be fully enjoying the night view of Waitan and the moment. And Gun-Ho was looking at Mori Aikko and her facial expressions; she was certainly an enchanting girl. Gun-Ho held her in his arms and kissed her.

“I Love you, Aikko.”

Mori Aikko closed her eyes. Gun-Ho could hear and feel her breathing in his arms.

Gun-Ho held Mori Aikko’s hand, and the couple continued walking.

It was a night in October. It was warm during the day, but it was chilly after dark. Gun-Ho held Mori Aikko’s hand tighter and asked her, “Are you cold?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Did you get paid with the full amount that they initially promised for your part in the movie?”

“Yes, I got fully paid yesterday.”

“How much did you receive?”

“They told me that they would send 150,000 dollars to my bank account. It should be there by now.”

“That means that they had paid you 50,000 dollars before yesterday.”

Mori Aikko nodded her head.

“Those jerks made you work hard until now with only 50,000 dollars, huh?”

“They eventually paid me the full amount, so it’s okay,” Aikko said as she smiled naively.

“How do you share your earnings with Segawa Joonkko?”

“Mama San gives me a lot.”

“So, how much?”

“Rokuju Pasento (60%).”

“Hmm, really?”

After continuing to walk for a while, Gun-Ho asked Mori Aikko, “Until when you should share your earnings with her?”

“Sanju Made (Until 30 years old),” Mori Aikko replied as she held up three fingers with a smile. Mori Aikko’s innocent smile and her body gesture reminded Gun-Ho of his son— Sang-Min. He kissed her on the cheek. At that moment, a few people were passing by Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko as they glanced at them.

“You should work hard to make as much money as you could until then, I guess.”

Mori Aikko smiled without saying anything.

Gun-Ho thought that the golden time when Mori Aikko could have a chance to make money as a dancing geisha must be until she turned 30 years old. That must be why Segawa Joonkko set the age to 30 for sharing the earnings with her. Once she hit 30, her “product value” would be diminished substantially.

It wasn’t far from Waitan to the Grand Central Hotel. It was somewhat within walking distance. Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko finally arrived at the hotel; they were still holding each other’s hand. The hotel’s doorman opened the door for the couple with a smile.

“Aikko, which floor are you staying on?”

“My room is on the eighth floor.”

“Why don’t you come to my room and have a hot tea with me?”

Gun-Ho took Mori Aikko to his room.

“Your room is big and nice, oppa.”

“Take a seat. I will bring you a cup of hot tea.”

Gun-Ho prepared the Longjing tea that he had previously purchased at a shop in the hotel.

“Try this tea. It should taste better than Oolong tea that you probably have in your hotel room.”

“Yes. It’s good,” Mori Aikko seemed to like the tea, and she demanded Gun-Ho to pour more hot water in her cup.

“There are several canned beers in the refrigerator. Would you like to have one?”

Mori Aikko nodded her head.

Gun-Ho pulled out a couple of canned beers and some snacks like peanuts from the mini-refrigerator in the hotel room. The two drank the beer for a while without saying anything. While having his beer, Mori Aikko’s gorgeous profile came into Gun-Ho’s view. She had long eyelashes, and she was stunningly beautiful. But, she looked listless for some reason. She seemed to be lost in thought. After a moment, Mori Aikko blurted, “You are married, right?”

“Ma… married?”

Gun-Ho was too stunned to reply to her right away. He couldn’t quickly come up with an idea of how to answer that question. He didn’t want to lie because that would lead him to another bunch of problems later.

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

Gun-Ho said with a smile pretending that he was calm. As Gun-Ho didn’t deny it, Mori Aikko’s face hardened.

Gun-Ho said, “If I say I am not married at my age, it would be a lie.”

“So, you are married. You probably have a child as well then.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head slowly.

At that moment, Mori Aikko abruptly hugged Gun-Ho, and said, “Does that mean we can’t go to Otaru City together ever again?”

“Otaru City? I can visit the city once or twice, but I can’t live there because I have a business to run.”

“Oppa, let’s go to Otaru City.”

Gun-Ho let Mori Aikko, who was sobbing, lay down on the bed. Her face was reddish, probably because of the beer that she just had.

“We don’t have to go to Otaru City to be together. We are here having each other, aren’t we?”

Mori Aikko was sometimes not realistic, maybe because she had spent most of her life dancing rather than interacting with other people in the society. And, since Gun-Ho was the first man to her, she seemed to have a fantasy about him.

“I don’t want to be an actress. I don’t like dancing at the Matsuri (festival)!”

Mori Aikko kept sobbing. Gun-Ho tried to comfort her as he was undressing her as well. Mori Aikko didn’t reject Gun-Ho’s touch. Gun-Ho took off his clothes, and he dragged Mori Aikko into the bed. He then started caressing her who was still sobbing.

The following day, Gun-Ho had to head out of the hotel before Mori Aikko would, because his flight to Korea was scheduled that day. When it was about 10 am, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko were standing in the hotel lobby.

Gun-Ho said, “I have to leave now heading to the airport. I’m afraid that I have to say bye here.”

Mori Aikko looked sad and lonely even though she was smiling.

“Aikko, you said that Director Yan Wu would be here by noon to pick you up, right? Take care of yourself, okay? I want you to stay healthy, and don’t forget that I’m a phone call away for you.”

Gun-Ho tapped Mori Aikko’s back a few times lightly before heading out of the hotel. When he reached the front door, he turned around and waved at Mori Aikko, who was still standing there. Mori Aikko waved back at him.

Gun-Ho thought about buying gifts for Young-Eun at the duty-free shop at the airport, and then he decided against it. If he bought a gift to butter her up, Young-Eun might suspect something was going on. He just picked a few toys for Sang-Min at the shop.

When he arrived at Incheon International Airport, Chan-Ho Eom was waiting for him at the airport.

“How are you? Is everything good?”

“Yes, sir. Everything is fine.”

“Let’s go to GH Building in Sinsa Town.”

“You are not going to stop by your home in TowerPalace first?”

“I have things that I have to take care of at the office in GH Building.”

“Okay, sir.”