Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

Summer hot days continued, but Gun-Ho found it pleasant since the air conditioners were working great in his offices and home. All those places provided him with a nice space to read books or listen to music. Everything was good and peaceful except that he couldn't go near Young-Eun ever since she found that she was pregnant. That was the only complaint that he had these days. One day, he finally felt like he had enough.

"I can't live like this. I'm wasting my young life."

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Mori Aikko right away.

[I'm arriving in Japan tomorrow afternoon.]

Mori Aikko replied.

[I was planning to go to Sapporo City for my summer vacation, but since you are coming, I will stay here and wait for you.]

Gun-Ho felt like it had been years since he saw Mori Aikko last time. He thought that he'd better give her some money that she could use for her living expenses this time. Gun-Ho checked the balance of his bank account where he was receiving all his salaries coming out of his several companies. He was receiving 35 million won per month for his salary, so he thought he would probably have a little more than 200 million won in the account by now, but the current balance was exceeding 300 million won.

'Since I don't know when I would see her again after this one, maybe I should give her 10 million won. Or, on a second thought, maybe 5 million won would suffice; I gave her a lot the last time I saw her when she had to go see her grandmother in Sapporo City. Speaking of which, I've never given any money to Young-Eun for her living expenses. She has never asked me for it. Maybe because she is making enough money on her own as a medical doctor working at Seoul National University Hospital. After I come back from this trip to Japan, I will give her some money.

Well, if I give her money expecting that she would use it for herself, she will probably donate that to some international medical organizations like KOAF. She seems to have no desire for money at all. When I bought her the Chanel handbag last time, she was not impressed. She just put it somewhere, and I've never seen her carrying that handbag.

What present do I want to get her this time from Japan? Maybe I want to buy her cosmetics from the duty-free shop at the airport. Or, maybe not. If I tell her about my trip to Japan, she would maybe act weirdly like she did last time when I had visited Japan. Maybe it would be clever that I keep it from her.'

Anyhow, while sitting in his office, Gun-Ho felt good. Gun-Ho was actually feeling excited about seeing Mori Aikko. Gun-Ho liked the fact that he had another woman unknown to his wife— Young-Eun.

'Young-Eun is pregnant with my baby… I feel sorry that… Wait a minute. What if Mori Aikko is pregnant as well? Shoot! No way. Even the thought of it sends chills down my spine.'

Even with the possible and horrifying fact if it happened, Gun-Ho missed Mori Aikko. He missed her full lips. At that moment, he received a call from GH Mobile's President Song.

"Our sample products passed A Electronics' testing. We will start manufacturing the products soon. I will sign the contract of goods supply tomorrow."

"You know that the contract needs to be notarized, right?"

"I've already requested for it. Since there is no court in Dangjin City, we will bring the contract to Seosan City for notarization. Daejeon District Court has a branch there. It's not distant from Dangjin City."

"Notarization of the supply contract will require both parties to be present. You will probably need to go there with their staff that is holding their power of attorney for notarization."

"I'm aware of it. Also, once we start manufacturing the products, we will need to get more machines and hire more workers for the production site."

"Sounds good. You do what you have to do, Mr. President Song."

"Okay, sir. I will give you a report after signing the contract and notarizing it."

It was the day that Gun-Ho would finally see Mori Aikko. His heart began to pound eagerly while heading to the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya, Tokyo.

"Oh, my gosh. The weather is so hot here. Tokyo seems to be hotter than Seoul City."

Gun-Ho had to constantly wipe his sweat while going up to the condo unit where Mori Aikko was waiting for him. When he arrived there, Mori Aikko, who was wearing a pink sleeveless shirt and short pants, ran out of the door to greet him.

"Aikko!"

"Oppa!"

Gun-Ho gave a brief kiss on her full lips.

"Oppa, it's hot, isn't it? Here, wipe your sweat with this."

Mori Aikko gave him a handkerchief and turned the electric fan slightly to the side to give more breezes to Gun-Ho. The condo gave Gun-Ho a light feeling of suffocation. It was a 25 pyung small condo. Gun-Ho's home and his offices were larger than this. He was already used to staying in a spacious place.

"You don't… have an air conditioner?"

"I don't need it. I stay here by myself. And I'm often not here when I have a dance performance to participate in."

"Hmm, I do think that you still need an air conditioner. Get one, I will pay for it."

"I will buy one next year then. We are already halfway to the end of the summer this year. It's a waste if I get an air conditioner now. It's a seasonal appliance after all."

Gun-Ho wanted to take a shower to wash off his sweat, but he didn't want to do it there. He felt like he wanted to go to a hotel.

"Maybe I should go to a hotel with a nice swimming pool."

Gun-Ho asked Mori Aikko, "Aikko, is there a nice hotel with a swimming pool around here? The New Otani Hotel has a great garden, but I don't think they have a swimming pool on site."

"I don't know. You don't want to stay here?"

Gun-Ho then thought that maybe he should call Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi in Akasaka. She would be the best person to ask about good hotels. He dialed her number.

"Ms. President Choi?"

"Oh, Mr. President Goo? How are you holding up on these hot days?"

"I'm in Tokyo right now."

"Is that right? Where in Tokyo? Are you staying at the New Otani Hotel?"

"Actually, I'm in Mori Aikko's condo."

"Really? Hahaha. I guess your wife is pregnant."

"Huh? Wow, you have a very good intuition. I hope Mori Aikko is not."

Gun-Ho gave a quick glance at Mori Aikko to make sure that she wouldn't understand what he just said. It seemed that Mori Aikko had no idea what Gun-Ho was talking about since he was conversing with President Choi in Korean at a fast tempo.

"Hahahaha"

Gun-Ho could hear President Ji-Yeon Choi's hard laughing over the phone.

"You are so naïve, Mr. President Goo! Aikko is a geisha. She is a dancing geisha from Gion, but still, she knows what she is doing. Being pregnant is considered fatal among geishas. You didn't know that geishas are very well educated about it? I'm sure that Mama-san Segawa Joonkko gave her a good education about it several times."

As the phone conversation between Gun-Ho and President Choi seemed to take longer than she expected, Mori Aikko went to the kitchen and began to prepare fruits for snack.

"Are you saying that she is taking birth control pills?"

"Well, I don't know how she prevents any pregnancy, but I'm certain that she is making sure that she doesn't get pregnant. Some geishas after they get older undergo surgery so they wouldn't get pregnant ever."

"Hmm, really?"

"I'm telling you that you don't have to worry about that possibility."

"Oh, I was going to ask you this. Is there any nice hotel with a swimming pool within Tokyo?"

"There is a hotel called Keio Plaza Hotel next to Shinjuku Station. It's a popular hotel with a convenient location. They have a sky pool on the 7th floor."

"I think I'd better stay there. It's too hot to stay in a condo."

"Oh, there is no air conditioner?"

"No. I just found out that she doesn't have an air conditioner here. There is one electronic fan working all day long by itself here. That's it."

"Gosh. President Goo, you should do better than that. Did you just get her a condo without an air conditioner installed in it? That's not nice. You are known as a big player in Gangnam District. People will talk bad behind your back if you let your lover live in a condo without an air conditioner."

"I was going to buy her an air conditioner right away."