There was no need to ask what purpose the jet was for.
Kwon Shin-woo’s lips twisted ambiguously. It looked like he was suppressing a laugh, and at the same time, it appeared to be the opposite. He quietly observed his high school classmate, who had been an ally, an enemy, and sometimes a friend, for over twenty years.
After a moment of silence, he spoke.
“Principally, newborns can board planes after seven days on domestic flights and fourteen days on international flights, but it’s generally not recommended before three months of age.”
After his blunt explanation, Kwon Shin-woo continued.
“It will be difficult within this year, but I will arrange it as a hundred-day celebration gift for the baby.”
Seo Seung-hyun clapped his hands together, making a snapping sound. His eyes narrowed into a grin.
“Excellent. That’s why I like dealing with you. I’ll take it as settled then. I’ll talk to the sales team for the details, right?”
“Of course.”
Kwon Shin-woo stood up first.
“Since you’ve come all the way to Kwanghwamun, CEO, I’ll arrange a meeting for you. Production is one thing, but if you plan to register the ownership in the Cayman Islands or Bahamas, we need to start preparing now for international tax issues.”
At Kwon Shin-woo’s words, Seo Seung-hyun burst out laughing shortly.
“No, no, Executive Director. This is a gift for the birth. A birth gift. It’s supposed to be a birth gift, so second ownership is out of the question. The registration will be done here, and the registration issues will be handled on an individual basis, not corporate, so don’t worry.”
Kwon Shin-woo looked at Seo Seung-hyun for a moment, then lifted the corners of his mouth into a soft smile.
“I see. It’s not just anyone’s gift, but Lee Young-jin’s birth gift. Then, let me cover the registration tax as my gift.”
“Ha ha. Not just anyone.”
Seo Seung-hyun said with a laughing face, but Kwon Shin-woo ignored it and changed the subject.
“By the way, about Mr. Lee Young-jin, when does he plan to return after giving birth?”
At that moment, what came to Seo Seung-hyun’s mind was the damned chicken shop. Fortunately, unlike the curse that popped up in his mind, his facial contours did not fluctuate much. He just missed the timing to answer by a second. Kwon Shin-woo continued speaking in that one-second gap.
“Would he consider working in Seoran when he return? It’s more stable than freelancing.”
“…Well, he’s stable enough as it is?”
“Aren’t you wasting his talent?”
Kwon Shin-woo smiled gently.
“Anyway, he’s the talent who defeated Seoran Code Zero.”
Instead of answering, Seo Seung-hyun stood up from the fabric sofa.
He recalled the possibilities in the world of 0s and 1s that fifteen-year-old Lee Young-jin, who knew nothing back then in Magnolia Island ten years ago, would have shown to that damn dog that would now be turned into dog food with his innocent eyes.
Well, regardless of how great the potential that Lee Young-jin showed was.
“After all, I’m planning to set aside the internal business for a while.”
Seo Seung-hyun changed the subject with a grin.
“I’ve gotten married, so I want to focus more on SH work. It seems it won’t be easy to help the executive director like last time.”
“Is that so.”
“It was barely successful last time, but it won’t be easy in the future. The executive director should strictly manage your subordinates for the time being. Ensure the security is tight.”
Seo Seung-hyun straightened his tightly buttoned vest and adjusted the position of his tie. Then, he walked towards the entrance of the Seoran executive director’s office, glancing back at Kwon Shin-woo.
“World peace is good, but first, it’s right to take care of household affairs.”
The Hague Convention, the Geneva Conventions, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, the Convention Against Torture, the UN Charter, the Rome Statute.
Numerous rules and agreements created by humans for world peace.
Of course, it’s none of Seo Seung-hyun’s business.
***
23 degrees Celsius, late May, Thursday, 11:21 AM.
Seo Seung-hyun opened the front door with brisk steps.
Lee Young-jin, who was looking at the laptop with both feet on the sofa in a sideways sitting position, was startled and turned to look at Seo Seung-hyun. Normally, Seo Seung-hyun would have gladly waited for him to get up from the sofa with what he objectively considered slow and what he thought was quick teasing. But not today. His long legs crossed the living room in one stride to the front of the sofa. Before Lee Young-jin could struggle to get up from the sofa, Seo Seung-hyun, who arrived in front of the sofa faster, leaned his hands on the armrest and deeply bent over to kiss Lee Young-jin’s cheek. Rubbing his nose against the nape of his neck to tickle him, Lee Young-jin shrank his shoulders and seemed to laugh. Seo Seung-hyun wanted to hear that laugh-like sound a little louder, even louder, or as loud as possible, which he had been thinking about lately.
He lifted his upper body and pulled Lee Young-jin’s waist to lift him up.
Lee Young-jin raised his chin to meet Seo Seung-hyun’s gaze.
His black eyes stared at him without a single shake.
Facing that gaze, Seo Seung-hyun shook the thick envelope he was holding upside down on the sofa.
A few sheets of paper and a neat card fell from the envelope that Jang Young-hee had handed to him just thirty minutes ago.
“This is your resident registration certificate, this is your ID card, the rest are… probably similar documents. Anyway, they’re yours.”
Lee Young-jin’s gaze briefly fell to the sofa.
His moist gaze stroked the plastic card with an awkward photo on it.
Unable to hold back, Seo Seung-hyun wrapped his hands around his cheeks and kissed him repeatedly on the lips.
“It took a while to revive the one that was reported dead before.”
Lee Young-jin’s eyes widened.
“Then….”
His big eyes lingered for a long time on the plastic card and several official documents on the sofa. His eyelids fluttered. Seo Seung-hyun anxiously waited for his reaction. After a long three seconds, Lee Young-jin raised his eyes to look up at Seo Seung-hyun again.
“…Then can we register our marriage now?”
This innocent question pierced Seo Seung-hyun’s heart mercilessly. That sharp pain drew a smile on his lips.
Seo Seung-hyun, stroking near Lee Young-jin’s moist eyes, playfully asked.
“Do you remember when I said my driver’s license was fake?”
“Mmm….”
“Aren’t you curious about what it means?”
Instead of a hundred words, Lee Young-jin’s hand answered that question. Without hesitation, he placed his hand on top of Seo Seung-hyun’s hand. Spreading his fingers, he intertwined them tightly with Seo Seung-hyun’s prominently jointed fingers. The mass of that slender hand was approximately 1.9891×10^30 kilograms, about 330,000 times the mass of the Earth, but anyway, Seo Seung-hyun was ready to bear that weight, so it didn’t matter.
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