Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 188

Having arrived back at the hotel, Beom-seok couldn’t suppress his wide smile and kept chuckling to himself. He replayed the scene at the hospital where Susan was rebuffed by the middle-aged doctor, Neil. Of course, her intention was to confirm his ridiculous claims, but that only made it funnier.

“Chairman, please stop laughing!”

“Hahaha. Then what am I supposed to do? It’s just too funny.”

Susan, her face flushed red with embarrassment, glared at him.

“It’s all because of you, Chairman. You made me look like a fool with your silly jokes!”

“Hahaha. If you knew it was a silly joke, you shouldn’t have asked. Why did you even go there…? Hehehe.”

“How was I supposed to know he’d react like that! It’s all your fault, so you have to take responsibility!”

“Hahaha. If it’s responsibility you want, I’ll take it. How about we share a blanket and live happily ever after?”

Susan exclaimed, “Are you going to keep joking around! What I mean is, when you meet Dr. Neil later, please clarify what actually happened.”

“Hahaha. Ah, is that so? Well, if that’s what you want, I’ll mention it whenever I get the chance. So please, calm down now.”

Beom-seok, still smirking, stepped into the automatically opening elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. Their suite was on the 58th floor. Susan looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Why the rooftop?”

“Ah, didn’t we skip dinner because we went straight to the hospital? There’s a hotel restaurant with a great view, so let’s grab a bite together.”

“What about the others?”

Beom-seok glanced at his electronic notepad, confirmed that it was past 8 PM, and immediately replied, “They must have finished eating by now. Don’t worry about them and let’s just go.”

Susan, feeling slightly hungry, followed him without a word. Thanks to Beom-seok’s efforts, her opinion of him had improved enough for her to agree to share a meal.

The place they arrived at was a luxurious sky lounge restaurant on the hotel rooftop. The floor was covered with a plush, loess-colored carpet that seemed to be woven in one piece, so thick that Susan’s red high heels kept sinking into it. About ten black wooden tables were arranged inside, where guests were enjoying their meals, and colorful mobile decorations hanging from the ceiling swayed gently in the spring breeze that drifted in.

As Beom-seok and Susan entered, a polite employee, who looked like he was styled to resemble an elf, approached and bowed.

“Welcome, guests. Do you have a reservation?”

Beom-seok shook his head and immediately said, “Hmm, I don’t have a reservation.”

“Ah, I see. Then, what kind of seating would you prefer?”

“I’d like a cozy and quiet indoor space. It would be difficult to eat comfortably if I ran into fans.”

“Ah, yes, I understand. Please follow me this way.”

Guided by the employee’s courteous assistance, they arrived at a small four-person room with a clear view of the city skyline through the glass windows. Pleased with the cozy and comfortable atmosphere, Beom-seok seated Susan first and then sat down next to her.

She looked troubled and glanced at Beom-seok. Sitting right next to him made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Besides, there was enough space in front for two people to sit comfortably.

“Chairman, there’s a seat over there.”

Beom-seok, holding a menu, flipped through a page and held it up in front of Susan’s face.

“Didn’t you say before that you didn’t even want to look at my face? That’s why I’m sitting here, to avoid facing you. Now, what would you like to eat?”

Susan hesitated for a moment, then looked at the menu. She had forgotten, but she had indeed said that to Beom-seok before. At the time, she had felt very uncomfortable about the awkward situation with Esther.

“Um, I’ll have the steak.”

Beom-seok closed the menu and looked at the elf employee.

“Two steaks, please.”

“Yes, and what would you like to drink? We have coffee, tea, and juice.”

“Hmm, do you have wine?”

At that, Susan immediately interjected. After her first night with Beom-seok, she had vowed never to drink alcohol again.

“Chairman, let’s order something else. I don’t drink anymore. And you’re injured, Chairman, and you have a match in four days.”

“Come on, it’s just wine. And I’m just having a glass as a refreshment, so you don’t have to worry so much.”

Indeed, it was medically known that a glass of wine would only have a temporary negative effect and would be completely gone by the next day. Moreover, Beom-seok was a modified human, so his recovery from alcohol would be even faster.

“But only one glass.”

“Isn’t that obvious? I have a match in four days; would I drink myself to death?”

With that, Beom-seok ordered a bottle of three-year-old wine from the elf employee. Since it was just for a light refreshment, there was no need to order an expensive vintage.

Shortly after, a generous steak set and a bottle of wine were placed on the table. Beom-seok uncorked the bottle and tilted it towards Susan’s glass. The clear stream of wine flowing into the glass made her swallow involuntarily. Having cut off the alcohol she loved for nearly half a year, the fragrant wine was incredibly tempting.

With a bright expression, Susan suddenly snatched the bottle from Beom-seok’s hand and poured wine into his glass.

“Chairman, let’s have a toast to celebrate today’s victory.”

At Susan’s bold request for a toast, he gladly raised his glass in response. Building friendship leads to increased favorability, so there was no reason to refuse.

“Great. Then, to today’s victory!”

“Cheers!”

Beom-seok lightly clinked glasses and took only a small sip, just enough to moisten his lips, before placing the glass back on the table. Since he had only agreed to one glass, he couldn’t take a shot now, before even starting the meal.

He picked up a knife to cut the steak as a snack, and then noticed Susan’s glass was completely empty.

“Weren’t you only having one glass?”

“Well, I don’t have a match to play in, so it doesn’t matter if I have another glass.”

Indeed, Susan was the team doctor, so she didn’t need to restrain herself from drinking. Besides, more than half of the wine bottle was still left, so it would be a waste to leave it as it was.

Beom-seok soon picked up the bottle and refilled Susan’s glass.

“By the way, Susan, are there any difficulties in your life as a team doctor?”

Susan, picking up her glass and emptying it in one gulp, replied, “Well, I’m a bit busy managing the medical corporation, but I’m at peace, so there are no difficulties.”

Beom-seok, who had filled her glass as a habit, gave her a puzzled look.

“At peace? I thought you would be quite uncomfortable because of me. And we haven’t been on good terms until recently.”

“Of course, but after thinking about it, I realized that I couldn’t blame only you, Chairman. It’s pathetic, but I was the one who insisted on spending the night first.”

Beom-seok, looking at Susan drinking with a troubled face, felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that she hadn’t completely erased the grudges of the past, but he realized that their relationship had recovered considerably. With the hope that they could develop into a romantic relationship soon, he happily poured wine into Susan’s glass.

“I really appreciate your understanding. I’ve been worried about what would happen if I lost you because of what happened back then, even though I’ve worked at any Elf hospital.”

“I’m really grateful that you said that. No one has ever needed me as much as you, Chairman, even though I’ve worked at any Elf hospital.”

Just as Beom-seok was about to pour her wine, he saw that the bottle was empty and called the employee again to order more wine. He was thinking of using the power of alcohol to increase her favorability, as the atmosphere had improved. Fortunately, she looked very pleased with the new order.

“That’s because I recognized Susan’s ability as a doctor. Right?”

“Ah, is that so? But weren’t you interested in my charm as a woman?”

Beom-seok was taken aback by the sudden, bold question. If he answered yes, it would seem to deny her ability as a doctor, and if he answered no, the future relationship would be bleak.

Beom-seok, who had stealthily cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth, answered with difficulty.

“Um, considering what has happened so far, it would be a lie to say no. But when I first brought you to the team, I only looked at your ability. I wasn’t feeling any affection at the time. Hahaha.”

He smiled contentedly, thinking it was a perfect answer. He had thus protected both his affection for her and his trust in her ability.

However, as if this was not enough, Susan’s level of remarks rose even further.

“But why did you feel so much affection that you took my virginity in that situation? Could it be because of a man’s instinct, not affection?”

“W-Well, it doesn’t seem to be a man’s instinct. It just seems that the affection I’ve built up while spending time together has turned into affection. And what happened on the first night was just a mistake. I was also very drunk at the time, so I temporarily forgot that I had to cherish my affection for Susan.”

Beom-seok, barely navigating another tricky situation, wiped his forehead and let out a long sigh. Susan, who had been carefully watching his expression, wore a subtle smile. And just as she was about to open her mouth again, an elf employee with a basket opened the door and came in.

“Excuse me, here’s the wine you ordered.”

Beom-seok quickly grabbed the wine bottle, hurriedly opened it, and brought it to her glass. It was out of a desire to somehow shift the focus of the conversation.

“Come on, have another glass.”

“Yes, if you wish, Chairman.”

Susan quickly accepted the wine and drank it in one gulp, then held it out again. Feeling a strange sense of unease, Beom-seok was about to look at her when the elf employee, who was still next to him, offered a word of advice with a worried look.

“Excuse me, this wine has a fairly high alcohol content of 12 degrees. Please keep this in mind, as you may get drunk.”

Beom-seok rolled his eyes and quickly moved the wine bottle next to his seat. He had been perplexed by Susan’s strange behavior, but now he had a rough idea of what was going on. She became a different person when she was drunk.

“Susan, please stop drinking now. You’re very drunk.”

Susan glanced at the employee leaving and said confidently.

“No, I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Yes, you think you’re fine now, but judging by the way you’re talking, something difficult will happen soon. The conversation we’ve had so far has been about our first night, but have you forgotten what happened in any situation? I think it went something like this back then.”

Susan, startled by those words, quickly pushed the glass aside. The amount of alcohol she had drunk so far was only about a bottle of wine, so she wasn’t so drunk that she couldn’t understand the situation. Considering the bold remarks she had just made and the amount of wine she had drunk so far, she felt that if she continued to indulge here, it would lead to a terrible accident.

Hanging her head, Susan hurriedly confessed.

“C-Chairman, I’m sorry. I think I was upset because of what happened at the hospital earlier. I was upset because I was misunderstood.”

Beom-seok, with a smile on his face, replied jokingly.

“Well, you must be upset because you were miserably rejected by that chubby middle-aged man.”

“Chairman! That’s not it! Oh, come on. You know it well because it’s all your fault, Chairman!”

Beom-seok responded with a hearty laugh at Susan’s outburst.

“Hahaha. Who doesn’t know? I’m just kidding. Just kidding.”

She made a sulky face and started cutting the meat with a knife.

“Even if it’s a joke, don’t say things like that. We women live on our pride.”

Beom-seok nodded as if he agreed. He didn’t know about other things, but there was definitely such an aspect when it came to relationships. Sometimes women would sulk for no reason, and it was usually when they had unknowingly touched their pride.

“That’s right. Thanks to that, I’m having a lot of trouble.”

“Why, Chairman?”

Beom-seok looked at her with a puzzled look.

“Are you saying that because you don’t know? It’s about Susan. You’re much better now, but do you know how worried I was until then?”

Susan, recalling the past six months, made an awkward expression. She had certainly treated him harshly during that time.

“Well, I was so shocked at the time… H-However, didn’t you not need to worry about it, Chairman? If I left, you could just find another team doctor and nothing would happen.”

At those words, Beom-seok’s mind flashed like lightning. It seemed that a good opportunity had come to greatly improve their relationship if he played his cards right.

Staring at Susan with intense eyes, he said in an angry voice, “Susan! Are you really saying that now! Who can replace you!”

Susan, intimidated, shrank back and said, “W-Well, there are many doctors besides me in the world.”

“Are you really pretending not to know what I mean! I know very well that there are many doctors!”

Having said this much, there was no way she didn’t know why Beom-seok was upset now. Judging from the conversation so far, she could fully understand that he had feelings for her. Still, as a woman, she didn’t dislike being actively courted by a man.

“I-I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

“It’s okay. Let’s just eat.”

Beom-seok, answering curtly, cut off further conversation and focused on eating. He had pushed hard for now, so it was time to take a step back and make her anxious.