radicalducati Chapter 18 The Telephone Hanging in the Night
Chapter 18 The Telephone Hanging in the Night
The two walked to the street corner of the tree-lined avenue.
The evening breeze of early autumn blew along the street, dispelling much of the remaining shyness on Choi Sulli's face.
She finally delivered the poorly packaged gift and felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.
Lee Chi-hoon held the crooked black box in one hand and deliberately straightened his body in front of her.
He made a rare, comical gesture by raising his right hand to his ear as if swearing.
"I promise I'll go back and personally dismantle it into eight pieces—no, I mean I'll solemnly dismantle it."
"I absolutely won't let a third person see this, not even the dust in the bar."
Choi Sulli was a little nervous, afraid that he would open the package in the street and laugh at her cooking skills.
Hearing his serious-sounding nonsense, she immediately broke down and burst out laughing.
"You're smart to know what's good for you."
She gave a proud hum, her steps becoming lighter as she turned and opened the door of a taxi parked by the roadside.
The car window slowly rolled down, and she leaned out to wave at him, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.
Half an hour later.
In the back alleys of Itaewon, the heavy oak door of Leon's bar was pushed open.
Lee Chi-hoon didn't turn on the ambient lighting for business, but only turned on a warm yellow pendant light above the bar.
He pulled out a high stool, sat down, and placed the black gift box on the table.
To be honest, the packaging is simply unbearable to look at.
The bright silver ribbon was tied in a knot, one side larger than the other, and there was even a little bit of clear glue left on the pink wrapping paper.
He used his fingers to untangle the gruesome knot and tore open the wrapping paper.
Inside lay a pair of dark black sports wristbands.
The material is very ordinary, just the most common blended cotton on the market. If you put it in Bayern's locker room, it would definitely be the kind of material that would be thrown into the trash can immediately.
But he immediately noticed the secret on the inside of the wristband.
On that small piece of fabric, two crooked and uneven letters were embroidered with white thread.
'C & L'.
There was also a hastily drawn heart pattern sandwiched between the letters, with the edges not even sewn together.
Besides these few clumsy patterns, you can even see a few minor frayings on the inside of the fabric caused by excessive force during stitching.
He could even vividly picture the pitiful sight of the little girl lying on the table, her finger pricked by a needle, crying out in pain.
Lee Chi-hoon leaned back in his bar chair, looking at the few ugly stitches, and the habitual indifference in his eyes completely melted away.
"I thought it was some rare treasure."
He continued to complain, "With this lousy craftsmanship, nobody would even want it if it were put up for a charity sale."
They complained vehemently, but their actions told a completely different story.
He carefully picked up the embroidered wristband and slipped it onto his right hand.
The size is just right, and it doesn't feel tight at all.
Looking at my hands, with their veins slightly bulging from years of high-intensity physical training, paired with this soft and ugly wristband, it was utterly incongruous.
But he didn't want to take it off at all.
He himself was not fully aware of this subconscious favoritism.
He picked up the ugly empty box and carefully smoothed out the creases on the edges.
Then, with a solemn air, he turned around and placed it in the most conspicuous position on the wine rack behind him.
A cheap pink cardboard box stands out awkwardly yet self-righteously next to a row of premium single malt whiskies that cost tens of thousands of dollars.
After finishing all that, he took his phone out of his coat pocket.
I turned on the camera and took several high-definition close-up shots of my right wrist, and also captured a full view of the packaging box on the wine rack.
Just as he was about to click send in the chat software, his finger paused on the screen.
Since we're going to tease this arrogant peach, let's go all out.
He raised his phone again, switched the camera to the front, and pointed it at himself.
He slowly raised his right hand, which was wearing a wristband, to his mouth.
He lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to the 'C' that represented Choi Sulli's initial.
The man in the video has a slightly raised eyebrow with a sly smile at the corner of his eye, and his entire gesture is full of obvious hints and provocation.
A soft click.
The photo freezes in time.
Inside a high-end hotel in Seoul.
As soon as Choi Sulli returned to her room, she didn't even bother to change her shoes before eagerly throwing herself heavily onto the soft bed.
She buried her burning cheeks under the pillow and let out a suppressed scream of excitement.
Today's events were a real test for my heart.
She rolled around on the large double bed, feeling like a kitten with claws was scratching at her heart.
That guy must be at the bar by now. Will he just throw everything away when he sees it?
A crisp message notification tone suddenly rang out in the quiet bedroom.
Choi Sulli suddenly sat up in bed and grabbed her phone, which had fallen to the foot of the bed, at top speed.
Several clear photos popped up in the chat window.
The first two pictures are close-ups of the wristbands on his hands, and the third picture is a distant view of the pink packaging box prominently displayed on an expensive wine shelf.
Seeing how carefully he treated her rough feelings, Choi Sulli finally felt relieved.
She bit her pink lower lip, her two thumbs rapidly tapping on the screen.
[You're smart enough not to throw it in the trash.]
The reply came instantly, just as expected.
[It's just enough to wipe the bar counter; don't get too cocky.]
[Li Chixun, you son of a bitch! You dare try wiping the table with it!]
The quality is too poor; I estimate it will shed after just a couple of wipes.
Sulli rolled her eyes in anger, and was about to retort, "Do you even understand art?" when the webpage suddenly froze for a second.
The last, slightly larger photo finally loaded slowly.
The moment you see the contents of the photo clearly.
"what!"
Choi Sulli let out a scream eight octaves higher than before, as if she had been electrocuted, and threw her phone far away to the edge of the blanket like a bomb.
She instantly felt a surge of heat, and even her toes curled up uncontrollably.
That's so unfair!
The man in the photo is wearing a wristband she sewed herself, and his warm lips are pressed against the first letter of her name with such sensuality.
That possessiveness unique to adult men almost overflowed the screen.
The murderous look in her eyes, even through the internet, made her heart race wildly again, just as it had begun to calm.
She scrambled over and grabbed the phone again, her hands pounding away on the keyboard with such force that she seemed ready to shatter the fragile screen on the spot.
【Lee Chi-hoon, are you sick in the head?!】
Who gave you permission to film like that?!
Are you doing this on purpose?!
Three bold exclamation marks are enough to prove how wild this girl group's visual is right now.
In a bar in Itaewon, Lee Ji-hoon looked at the infuriating messages, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
He typed his reply slowly, his inherently wicked sense of humor fully unleashed.
[These are just genuine customer reviews.]
As a seller, shouldn't you feel honored?
This is outrageous! I strongly demand a refund!
That won't do. Once goods are sold, they cannot be returned or exchanged.
He leaned back in his chair, his long, slender fingers typing out the final, decisive line.
Seeing how reluctant you are, I'll pick it myself then.
[So as not to be an eyesore.]
Less than two seconds after these messages were sent, the reply from the other side filled the screen with a strong sense of menace.
【Do not pick them!!!】
If you dare take it off, I'll bring some people to smash up your bar tomorrow!
I'm going to pour all your expensive whiskey down the drain!
Looking at these few lines of text filled with extreme possessiveness, Li Chixun put away his phone with satisfaction.
This stubborn peach has finally been completely outmaneuvered by him.
"Okay, I won't pick them."
Go to bed early, goodnight.
After receiving this no-nonsense goodnight message, Choi Sulli hugged her phone and collapsed onto the soft mattress, unable to suppress a burst of silly laughter.
She clicked on the selfie that made her blush and her heart race.
Swipe two fingers across the screen to zoom in, zoom out, and zoom in again.
While she was muttering under her breath about how shameless this man was, her fingers betrayed her, clicking on the system settings without hesitation.
Confirm replacement.
That photo became the only screensaver wallpaper on her phone.
She had just finished setting up her screensaver and hadn't even had time to savor the sweet feeling floating in mid-air.
A special follow message from Kakao suddenly popped up at the top of the screen.
It was a mass notification sent by her direct agent.
Shirley, come to the company at nine o'clock tomorrow morning.
There is an important internal meeting that requires your attendance; the representative will be present in person.
Based on her previous mental state, she would feel a strong physical aversion and nausea whenever she saw the word "representative".
The unfathomable oppression of capitalism could keep her awake all night, and she even needed to dry heave in the bathroom for half a day before she could recover.
But today, this oppressive, negative magic seems to have completely failed.
Her mind was filled with that aggressive photo with a smile, and that nonchalant "I won't take it off."
With a terrifyingly capable man backing her up, even the company's disgusting management didn't seem so scary anymore.
【Know.】
She casually typed two words as a reply.
After sending the message, she casually tossed her phone onto the bedside table.
She casually grabbed a large silk robe, humming a pop song out of tune, and walked lightly into the bathroom.
The sound of warm water splashing filled the air.
At the same time.
In front of the bar counter at a bar in Itaewon.
Just as Lee Ji-hoon put down his phone to send a goodnight message, another personal work phone next to the wine rack vibrated briefly.
He picked it up and glanced at it.
It was an official training camp notification email from Bayern Munich.
The message was brief, essentially stating that the team's summer break had officially ended and that all key first-team players were required to return to the Säbener Straße training ground in Germany within three days to prepare for tactical integration for the new season.
The email was signed by the electronic signature of Pep Guardiola, the tactical fanatic.
As Li Chixun looked at the cold, urgent email, his handsome brows gradually furrowed into a knot.
Before he met Choi Sulli, he wouldn't have felt any trouble at all receiving this training camp notice.
European football is his main battlefield for acquiring system attributes and achieving perfect control; he can always pack up and fly back to Munich at any time.
But the situation is completely different now.
He looked down at the cheap cotton wristband on his right hand and sighed silently.
The thought of leaving that silly, unsuspecting girl alone in Seoul, this cutthroat entertainment industry, made him feel incredibly irritated.
He had witnessed countless dirty tricks and schemes used by South Korean chaebols and capitalists to manipulate idols in his previous life on Wall Street.
The profit-driven executives at SM Entertainment only care about cold, hard financial reports.
Today seems uneventful, but the moment he boards his flight to Europe, those vampires will probably come up with some crazy, non-stop schedule to squeeze the last bit of commercial value out of her.
We absolutely cannot just let her go unchecked.
Lee Chi-hoon took out the sterling silver Zippo lighter from his pocket and twirled it between his slender fingers.
The crisp clanging of metal echoed rhythmically in the quiet bar.
We must completely eliminate any remaining concerns.
Since the underlying logic of the South Korean entertainment industry is that capital dictates everything, then using capital as a means to solve problems is the easiest way.
Buy her company, SM Entertainment, or acquire absolute control?
Only by securing the power of veto can she guarantee that no one in Seoul will dare to lay a finger on her, no matter where they are in Germany or anywhere in the world.
The sound of the lighter stopped.
He threw the lighter on the wooden tabletop.
I opened the phone's encrypted contacts and found a number that only contained a string of random characters.
That was the family's core asset management arm in New York.
Although he disliked using the old man's complicated network of connections.
But in order to be able to play at the Allianz Arena with peace of mind in the future, he had to make this phone call today.
Pressing the dial button, the phone emitted a monotonous dial tone for a long-distance international call.