Chapter 341 - Matchmaking (1) – Part 2
Chapter 341: Matchmaking (1) – Part 2
Saturday came around.
Gun-Ho had Dyeon Korea rent a van to accommodate six people—Gun-Ho, Mr. Interpreter Lee, Mr. Adam Castler and three American engineers. The van came with a chauffeur.
Before heading to Hannam Town, Gun-Ho showed them around Insan Town and Bukchon Hanok Village. They arrived at the Pine in Hannam Town in the evening. They parked the rental car at a paid parking lot near Soonchunhyang Hospital and walked to the Pine.
“Mr. Chauffeur, we will come back by 9 pm. Please take this. I want to pay for your dinner. You will find plenty of restaurants in this area.”
“Thank you, sir. This is more than a dinner’s cost. I appreciate it.”
When Gun-Ho brought the Americans and the interpreter to the Pine, the interpreter looked perplexed. The Pine looked like a residential house without a business sign. A moment later, the bouncers poured out to the front entrance door.
“Big brother, welcome to the Pine. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“Oh, Tae-Young Im! How have you been?”
“The little brother didn’t come with you today, did he?”
“The little brother? Oh, are you talking about Jong-Suk Park? He has some work he needs to take care of, so he couldn’t make it today.”
“I will show you inside.”
The Pine had its interior completely redone. It looked neat and elegant. The inside was decorated in a traditional Korean style. The American engineers were busy taking pictures.
“Oh, my. President Goo. It has been a while. It’s really good to see you again.”
Ms. Jang came out to greet Gun-Ho’s party. She was wearing a gorgeous traditional Korean dress.
“We decorated a room for our foreign guests. Please come with me. Our previous Korean-style heated floor is not very comfortable for foreigners.”
The room that Ms. Jang took them to looked similar to the room Gun-Ho used to have dinner with Chairman Lee before, with an embroidered folding screen. They just lowered the seating area so people could sit like they were sitting at a standard-height table. Gun-Ho used to sit on the floor with the previous setting. Mr. Adam Castler showed his interest in every decoration and furniture in the room, such as the embroidered folding screen, a chest inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a white porcelain vase, etc. He closely looked at them, and he pointed at a candlestick and wondered what it was for.
The interpreter used to work as a manager in a large company before his retirement, and he also worked as a managing director of a branch office abroad. But it seemed that he hadn’t had a chance to come to a place like this. The interpreter asked,
“Sir, you seem to come here pretty often.”
“Not very often though.”
The food started coming out.
The ladies in a traditional Korean dress brought a large floor table and started bringing food. The American engineers became once again busy taking pictures of the exotic Korean food. They looked neat and delicious.
“Good!”
Mr. Adam Castler exclaimed over the good taste of the food. He tried Bulgogi* and Sooyook*. After having a few glasses of Korean traditional liquor, the ladies with Geomumgo* came into the room and started playing it. Mr. Adam Castler closed his eyes and enjoyed the music.
After they finished playing the Geomumgo, other pretty ladies in a traditional Korean dress came into the room and started serving the food. Surprisingly, these ladies spoke English very well. Mr. Adam Castler and the three American engineers seemed to be extremely satisfied with the service and the music.
After the meal, a dessert was served. Nectar and fruits were served. While they were enjoying the dessert, Ms. Jang entered the room and sat next to Mr. Adam Castler.
Gun-Ho introduced her to Mr. Adam Castler.
“This is the owner of this bar/restaurant.”
Once the interpreter interpreted what Gun-Ho said for Adam Castler, Adam Castler grabbed Ms. Jang’s hand and shook it.
Ms. Jang said,
“This gentleman has very nice sideburns.”
When the interpreter interpreted for Adam Caslter, Adam Castler grabbed Ms. Jang’s hand again and shook it one more time.
“Ms. Jang, this gentleman will pay for our dinner here. He is the one who you need to focus on tonight.”
Ms. Jang put a piece of fruit into Ms. Adam Castler’s mouth.
Ms. Jang came close to Gun-Ho.
“President Goo, please fill up my glass with liquor for me.”
“Oh, are you sure, Ms. Jang?”
Gun-Ho filled up a glass with traditional Korean liquor and handed it to Ms. Jang.
After finishing it, Ms. Jang gave the empty glass back to Gun-Ho, and she said,
“President Goo, do you mind if I introduce a nice girl to you?”
“Do you have someone in your mind?”
“You know of an actress named Mi-Lyeong Lee, don’t you?”
“Oh, I think I know of her. She usually takes the role of a mother in a soap opera these days.”
“She is a friend of mine. We used to have a scene together in a movie and TV series before. She is still acting, and she has a pretty large social network. When I talked to her about you the other day, President Goo, she wanted to introduce someone to you.”
“Really? I appreciate it. Let me fill up your glass again.”
Gun-Ho filled up Ms. Jang’s glass with liquor again to show his acceptance of her offer.
Adam Caslter and other American engineers seemed to be highly satisfied with the food and service that night. They were humming while they were walking out of the bar.
“Boss! This is the best day of our entire stay in Korea!”
The American engineers called Gun-Ho as their boss. They raised their thumb. Mr. Adam Castler paid for the dinner including the services provided by the ladies, with the company credit card.
When they walked out to the restaurant’s yard, Gun-Ho felt the fresh air on his face.
One of the American engineers wanted to go to a men’s room before leaving the restaurant. Gun-Ho sat under the maple tree in the yard while waiting for him. At that moment, Tae-Young Im came to Gun-Ho.
“Big brother, do you by any chance hire a chauffeur for you? I’ve noticed that you drive your own car. Egnopak’s president’s son is younger than you, but he has his own chauffeur.”
“Do you have someone you want to recommend?”
“I actually do. He is a few years younger than me. He has a firm body, and he can speak English too. He was a junior to me when we were in the college of physical education in Yongin City.”
“Really?”
“Hey, Chan-Ho, come here!”
A bouncer came and gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.
“I’m Chan-Ho Eom.”
Tae-Young Im introduced Chan-Ho Eom to Gun-Ho,
“This is the man whom I was talking to you about. He has a three-degree black belt in Taekwondo and four-degree in Judo. You don’t have to hire him directly, but I can send him to you for the chauffeur work from my security staffing company.”
“Oh, really?”
Gun-Ho extended his hand to Chan-Ho Eom for a handshake.
“The thing is that I am not in Seoul these days. I stay most of the time in a provincial city, but when I move back to Seoul, I will contact you. I think I like you.”
“Thank you, big brother.”
Once the American engineer came back from the men’s room, Gun-Ho’s party began to walk toward the parking lot. Tae-Young Im followed Gun-Ho.
“You seemed to have drunk a lot tonight. I will drive you to your house.”
“No, it’s okay. I rented a car since I have guests here with me. Did you say the man’s name is Chan-Ho Eom?”
“Yes, big brother.”
“Hmm. I will remember his name.”
Gun-Ho waved his hand to Tae-Young Im before leaving.
Note*
Bulgogi – Grilled beef which was marinated with all sorts of vegetables and soy sauce
Sooyook – Boiled pork meat
Geomumgo – A traditional musical instrument of Korea