Page 81 of You Had Me At Annyeong!
‘Duh, everybody knows! We just pretend like we don’t.’
Yeah, sure, Haneul rolls his eyes.
Rodrigo’s cheeks turn crimson at the mention of Timira’s name and he continues to enjoy the attention. Haneul sulks while Mina smiles gleefully.
‘Daebak! This is an unbelievable story. Wow! Did you really take up our offer to follow her here?’
‘He sounds like a stalker,’ Haneul mutters loud enough only to be audible to himself, even though he wishes to spit the word out at Rodrigo.
Rodrigo waves his hands. ‘No, no, no! It’s not like that. I did not know she’d be here. I mean, what were the odds even!?’
‘Really? You had no idea? You know, I’d have thought Stephanie might have mentioned to you that SecondSkin was hiring someone from the agency that represented you in India!’
‘Well, Stephanie and I are acquainted, yes. But we aren’t so close that we’d discuss this in such great detail. Bumping into Timira at their office was like a sign from the heavens!’ Rodrigo smiles.
‘You know, in Korean, Haneul’s name means heaven …’
‘You mean to say it was really a sign from Haneul?’ Rodrigo smiles cheekily as Mina giggles with relish.
‘There, there, now. Enough about his love life,’ quips Chairman Ri, much to the relief of Haneul, who has been sitting with a pained expression and battling a strong urge to beat Rodrigo to a pulp.
‘I’d like to believe Rod’s here to win for my club!’ Mr Ri, as relieved as he is to hear about Rodrigo and Timira, doesn’t want the former’s focus to waver. He has signed him at a record fee and isn’t about to lose the league trophy to an unfinished love story.
‘Of course, Hoejangnim! I promise I didn’t even know Timira was here; I met her entirely accidentally.’
Accidentally, museun gaesoriI [what bullshit]! First he cheated on her, then he followed her here to mess with her life. What a guy! And now has the gall to claim her as though he owns her.
‘I wonder how Timira-ssi feels about this,’ Haneul speaks, this time loud enough for everyone to hear.
Chairman Ri has heard all about his daughter’s fiancé and his new Indian employee. He has heard from his source in Haneul’s office about the drama involving Mina, Haneul and Timira. He has been worried since witnessing the tension between Haneul and Rodrigo at the stadium. Knowing all too well that Mina’s plans are in all probability going to backfire, he has decided to do all he can for his daughter in order to save her engagement. He knows his daughter may not be able to hold on to Haneul on her own, so he is willing to go the extra mile for his motherless only child.
‘I’m sure she feels loved and wanted! Women love attention. It’s what they live for!’
What a patriarchal misogynist this old fart is, Haneul muses but doesn’t say anything. He just wants to get through lunch without rubbing Chairman Ri the wrong way or breaking Rodrigo’s face.
Mina isn’t delighted with her father’s blatant misogyny, but she knows this isn’t the time and place to protest. She wants Rodrigo to make his intentions clear so Haneul will stay away from Timira. Or so she hopes.
‘Rodrigo-ssi, I hope you have a plan to win her back. If you need my help, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m happy to be your wingwoman!’ Mina offers, a tad too enthusiastically.
Tsk, this girl. Always over-eager. Doesn’t even have the brains to play it cool! Tch, tch.Chairman Ri tut-tuts under his breath.
‘Hehe, gamsahamnida, Miss! As long as no one is trying to sabotage my genuine efforts, I should be able to succeed!’ Rodrigo says with a sidelong glance at Haneul.
Lunch drags on. Mina continues to enthusiastically prattle on about Rodrigo and Timira while Haneul tunes out. It’s only when Chairman Ri’s personal assistant walks in to interrupt theluncheon that he tunes back in. Walking up to Mr Ri, the PA leans in and whispers into his ear.
‘Looks like I’ll have to excuse myself, kids. Something that requires my urgent attention has come up. Rod, we need to quickly convene a meeting with the management, coaches and senior players. The league seems to have come up with a new set of rules regarding the foreign player quota.’
‘Appa, do you need me? Shall I come along? I can reschedule my flight …’
‘No, no, my darling. You relax. We can take care of this without you!’ he replies sweetly to Mina’s concerned offer.
Lunch is finally over, much to Haneul’s relief. He has barely eaten, and his empty stomach is now churning from all the makgeolli. Mr Ri is the first to get up, followed by the others.
‘Haneul and Mina, you have a long drive to the airport. Geurae, carry on. I don’t want you to be late and miss your flight. Rod and I are going to head back to the hotel.’
Getting up, Haneul bows slightly before speaking.
‘Hoejangnim, I need to have a quick word with Rodrigo-ssi about work. It’ll take only a couple of minutes.’
