Chapter 440 |
When I got out of the car at Incheon Airport, a car was waiting for me.
Taekgyu had driven to the airport himself to pick me up. I got into the car.
"Where's my present?"
"Do I look like I've been on vacation?"
Taekgyu set the destination for home, turned on the self-driving mode, and looked at me as he asked.
"What did Rothschild say?"
He must have come all the way to the airport because he was curious.
I told him what I had learned at the Rothschild mansion, and as expected, Taekgyu showed great interest.
"So those guys have been making a killing with their foresight too. I knew it. Why did that woman go on about fate to you?"
To be precise, my foresight.
This ability is more incredible than I imagined.
"Foresight is one thing, but is that intuition of hers really that amazing?"
"I don't know."
Meyer Amschel Rothschild built the present-day Rothschild family thanks to his foresight.
Just look at the Korean chaebols; more than one or two have collapsed after the founder retired. Recently, the Keumo Group and GH Group have also been crumbling.
The Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt families, whose founders amassed enormous wealth, have also seen their influence diminish with each passing generation.
And yet, the descendants of Rothschild have carried on that legacy for over 200 years and developed it even further. It's astonishing.
"Getting married and creating a Commonwealth country on an island. That's a pretty good idea. Would it be called OTK Island then?"
"...No. I doubt they'd name it that."
A country's name is no joke.
"I had a premonition then."
"What did you see?"
Hearing my story, Taekgyu's jaw dropped in surprise.
"Really? So what happens then? Was the premonition wrong, or is it destined to happen no matter what you do?"
"I don't know either. Whatever happens, I'm going to marry Ellie."
Taekgyu grinned.
"Excellent. That's my friend."
I thought he would say something like that.
"By the way, it was a chance to become the puppet master pulling the strings of the global financial world. Don't you regret it?"
Did I make a big mistake? Or maybe she has no intention of marrying me...
If I had accepted her proposal, would it really have turned out that way?
I shook my head.
"Not at all. I'm already eating and living well as it is."
"Do you think we'll ever see that woman again?"
"You never know."
Rothschild is a giant financial group, and she holds a key position within the family. In corporate terms, would she be the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHO)?
The financial world is surprisingly small.
If you're in this field, wouldn't you meet again?
***
I sat in the lobby of the Golden Gate building, waiting for closing time.
A few of the employees coming and going cautiously asked for my autograph. A short while later, Ellie came down after finishing her work.
She was wearing black slacks, a blouse, and her brown hair was tied back neatly. She's usually easy-going, but she's all business when she works.
It had only been a few days since I'd seen her, but for some reason, it felt like we had been apart for a long time.
"You must be tired from the flight. Why didn't you go home? Why did you come here?"
"Because I wanted to see you."
At my words, Ellie smiled.
"Shall we have dinner together before going home?"
"Yes."
We got in the car, and Ellie talked about what had happened over the past few days.
"As soon as Jin-hoo's press conference was over, the British stock market and the pound sterling rebounded. The outlook that a no-deal Brexit won't happen has also improved. Despite the Prime Minister's opposition, the Conservative Party requested an emergency debate with the Speaker of the House, and they're going to have another debate and vote the day after tomorrow."
"That's a relief."
I remembered the first time I met Ellie.
The image of her walking into the hotel coffee shop was as vivid as if it were yesterday. Back then, she had a short haircut and a boyish feel. Now, her hair has grown out a lot, giving her a very feminine aura.
Either way, she was beautiful.
It was a face I had seen every day for several years, but she was still beautiful now, and my heart still fluttered when I looked at her.
One day, this ability that I gained gave me many things. But the most precious of them all was that it allowed me to meet Ellie.
What's the use of having all the money in the world if you don't have someone you love? It's not like you're going to hug that money in bed.
Ellie asked me.
"What should we eat? Is there anything you want to eat?"
At that moment, the words slipped out of my mouth without me realizing.
"Will you marry me?"
Ellie paused for a moment, then chuckled.
"What's this, all of a sudden?"
"Ah, no. It's just..."
Fortunately, the atmosphere seemed to take it as a joke. It's probably better to do this formally on a set day, right?
I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
I almost proposed while driving.
For a while, she said nothing. When I glanced to the side, Ellie had turned her head to look out the window.
I couldn't see her expression, so I had no idea what she was thinking.
An awkward silence filled the car.
"Um..."
But then I heard a sniffling sound. I turned my head to see Ellie shedding tears.
I was surprised and quickly turned off the self-driving mode and pulled the car over to the side of the road.
"What's wrong?"
Then Ellie burst into tears.
"Hmph! What is this, really? How can you do this all of a sudden?"
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
As I was thinking that, Ellie cried out, sobbing.
"I've been waiting so long for you to say that!"
"What?"
"Sob, but Jin-hoo didn't seem to have much thought of marriage, and it felt like you were going to go somewhere far away."
"Did I seem like that?"
"Sniffle, and people were whispering that we'd break up soon."
"Ah..."
Whenever an article about us went up, there were more than one or two guys who commented like that online.
That we would break up soon, that we had already broken up, that we would never get married, that if we did get married, we would get divorced before long, and so on.
I don't know why people are so interested in other people's love lives.
Still, I never thought Ellie had been this anxious all this time. It's probably because she never showed it at all.
Could it be... that she did show it and I just didn't notice?
"Then you should have said something."
"Hmph, I felt like I was putting pressure on you!"
It took time to confess, and it took time to propose. Seeing this, am I really that indecisive?
I patted Ellie on the back.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
Ellie forced a smile.
"Sniffle, it's okay. Because you said it now."
That sight was so unbearably cute that a smile escaped my lips without me realizing.
"So, what's your answer?"
"It's a yes. Yes!"
Ellie hugged me and kissed me. Passersby glanced at us, but it didn't matter.
A moment later, Ellie stopped crying and wiped away her tear stains, her head slightly bowed in embarrassment. Her embarrassed look is cute too.
"So what should we do now?"
"Um, I don't know."
It's my first time proposing, so I'm not sure either.
We happened to be passing through a luxury shopping street, so I could see stores lining both sides of the road. I pointed to a jewelry store among them.
"The order seems a bit mixed up, but shall we start by buying a ring?"
Ellie nodded vigorously.
"Okay!"
***
Who should I tell this news to first?
I called Taekgyu and headed straight for the Namsan Ceylon Hotel. My mother, who heard the story at dinner, slapped me on the back with her palm.
"Ow! Why did you hit me?"
"How could a rich kid like you propose like that? I'm so embarrassed. Make sure you do it properly again later. Got it?"
"I got it."
My mother was overjoyed and held Ellie's hand tightly.
"You've done so well until now, but please continue to take good care of our Jin-hoo."
Ellie straightened her shoulders and nodded vigorously.
"Yes, Mother. Don't worry. I'll take responsibility for Jin-hoo no matter what, so you don't have to worry."
"..."
Isn't that something the man is usually supposed to say?
My mother looked proud, with an expression that said she had gained a dependable daughter-in-law.
***
When I got home after dinner, Taekgyu congratulated me.
"Congratulations! My friend is finally a married man."
"Yeah. Not yet."
But I will be soon. There are more than one or two things to prepare for a wedding. We'll have to have a formal meeting of the families too.
A thin ring was on Ellie's left ring finger.
I bought it at the Tiffany store on the luxury shopping street earlier. When we went in, the employees were surprised, and even the manager came out to explain and showed us products that weren't on display.
Normally, you have to special order a ring to fit, but fortunately, they had a matching couple's ring in the store, so we were able to buy it right away.
After washing up and lying in bed, Ellie kept looking at the ring on the back of her hand and smiling.
"I'll buy you a prettier one next time."
"I like this one. Because it's the first ring Jin-hoo bought me."
If I had known she would like it this much, I would have bought it for her sooner.
I think I understood why Ellie had felt anxious all this time. When you live with someone, there are things you get to know about each other without having to say them. She probably had a vague feeling for a long time that I was hiding something.
If I'm not going to deceive her for the rest of my life, I should tell her.
I scratched my head.
"Actually, there's something I need to tell Ellie."
Where and how should I start explaining this? And how will Ellie react after hearing the story?
Seeing my expression, Ellie asked me.
"I don't know what it is, but the fact that you're going to tell me means you trust me, right?"
"Yes."
"And you need some time to prepare yourself?"
"Well, yes."
She smiled brightly and hugged me.
"Then that's fine. Tell me that story after the wedding."
"Will that be okay?"
"Of course. I'll wait until then."
***
Deciding to get married didn't change things right away.
We still went to bed together, woke up together, and ate together. But I definitely felt like we had gotten closer than before.
When the day broke, we all went to work at Golden Gate and reported to Ellie's boss.
"We've decided to get married."
Hyun-joo noona, who was looking at a report, took off her glasses and asked.
"Are you pregnant, by any chance?"
Ellie shook her head.
"No."
Taekgyu crossed his arms and said.
"Do you think everyone in the world is like you, noona?"
Hyun-joo noona scowled and threw the report she was holding at Taekgyu. I knew I was going to get scolded.
"You're really getting married, right? You can't change your mind later and say you're not."
"Of course."
Hyun-joo noona picked up the intercom and connected to the company-wide broadcast.
"Attention all employees of Golden Gate Korea. Ellie Kim, head of Legal Team 1, has decided to marry CEO Kang Jin-hoo of OTK Company. Please congratulate them all."
As soon as the words were finished, a round of applause and cheers erupted, as if it would bring the company down. And 10 minutes later, the same reaction came from the OTK Company building.
***
[(Breaking News) OTK Company CEO Announces Surprise Wedding!]
[The partner is the head of Golden Gate's legal team, currently living together]
[What impact will this marriage have on the Korean economy?]
[A talented woman who has worked as a Vester model...]
The media poured out articles, and foreign media also covered it as breaking news. As soon as the articles came out, the internet heated up.
-Wow! It's really going to be the wedding of the century.
-If I were Kang Jin-hoo, I just wouldn't get married and would play around.
-Tsk tsk, what an idiot. There are so many young and beautiful women in the world. If it were me, I'd break up with my girlfriend and go around meeting them all.
-LOL, there are all kinds of people in the world.
-Having lived life, I've learned that meeting someone you love isn't easy. You have to grab them when you have them and not regret it after letting them go. I couldn't do that, so I'm still alone ㅜㅜ
-Playing around is all temporary anyway.
-I want to make a lot of money and meet a girlfriend like that too~
-They look good together. I'm jealous ^^
-Have a good love ^^
-Will there be a discount event for Faceit when Kang Jin-hoo gets married?
-Who is coming to the wedding? Will Ronald, Zhang Pinghua, and Vysotsky all come?
-LOL, the wedding venue will be a summit of the great powers. Heo Chang-min will be automatically summoned.
-As a human being, send an invitation to His Excellency who is in prison. He only eats prison food all the time, so a wedding buffet once should be fine.
I received congratulatory phone calls from all over.
A call came from the White House as well. Ronald laughed heartily and said.
[Congratulations. Do you know what the most important thing is when you get married?]
"It's my first time, so I don't know."
For reference, he has been married three times. In the wedding industry, this would make him a pro among pros.
What kind of advice could I get from someone like him?
[It's a prenuptial agreement. You need to clearly state the alimony part so that there are no problems later. That's why when I divorced my ex-wives, I only paid the pre-determined alimony and ended it cleanly. Be sure to keep this in mind.]
"..."
He teaches me very good things.