Chapter 578 - 378: Luckily Li Wei Doesn’t Understand Korean

Chapter 578: Chapter 378: Luckily Li Wei Doesn’t Understand Korean

On South Connecticut Avenue, Jin Heon stood blankly in front of a storefront window.

"This soap looks pretty nice," she thought.

Her recent business failures had left her feeling somewhat defeated. She originally planned to go on a massive shopping spree in Washington to vent her frustrations, but when it came time to actually step inside the luxury boutiques, she hesitated.

Even though she had made money—there was currently over three million USD sitting in her bank account—the thought of dropping ten thousand USD on a Chanel bag was still a bit too much for her to stomach.

Li Wei paid generously, but she had earned every penny by working grueling fourteen-hour days, seven days a week without a single day off. When it came down to actually spending it, she couldn’t bear to part with her hard-earned cash.

"I thought we agreed to blow off some steam by shopping," a voice suddenly said. "And you’re just looking at this?"

Startled, Jin Heon whipped her head around.

"Boss, why are you here?" she asked apologetically. "I... I’m sorry, I wandered off from the group."

"It’s fine," Li Wei said, waving his hand dismissively. "I haven’t really explored Washington either, so I figured I’d come have a look. What are you looking at?"

"A handmade soap from France," Jin Heon replied. "It’s been trending on TikTok lately."

"Let me see..." Li Wei walked over and stood beside her to look at the display.

One thing Jin Heon could never quite understand was how Li Wei always seemed to radiate a certain warmth and scent. Whenever she was near him, it felt as though she had returned to her childhood, safely enveloped in her mother’s embrace.

She couldn’t help but steal a glance at him.

"Damn, why is he so handsome?" she thought.

After standing next to him for just a little while, Jin Heon felt her previously cold hands and feet begin to warm up. Even the ache in her toes from wearing high heels seemed to soothe significantly.

She had previously shared this magical phenomenon with her best friend, Park Su-yeon, only to be mercilessly mocked for it.

"Jin Heon, it’s not an illusion," Park Su-yeon had said with absolute certainty. "You’ve fallen in love with Li Wei."

"Is this... love?" she wondered.

Having never truly experienced love before, Jin Heon stared at Li Wei’s profile. "It’s so comforting," she thought as she looked at him. "Love is just a very warm feeling."

"Holy shit!" Li Wei exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the handmade soap. "It’s that expensive?"

The tender atmosphere shattered instantly. Jin Heon gave him a helpless look.

"It’s a handmade soap from France, so of course it’s expensive," she said, looking back at the window. "You’re so rich, Boss. Do you really still find things expensive?"

"I’m rich, but I’m not a dumbass," Li Wei retorted. "A single bar of soap for a thousand USD? Unless they tell me it can simultaneously build muscle and burn fat, I wouldn’t even consider buying one to try."

Jin Heon glanced at Li Wei’s perky rear and narrow waist, choosing to stay silent.

"By the way," Li Wei said, "have you had any cosmetic procedures done recently?"

Jin Heon froze and subconsciously touched her face. "No? Why do you ask?"

"Then why is your face so tight?" Li Wei shot her a look. "You look so serious. If it’s not Botox, you must be sulking about something, right?"

Jin Heon froze for a second before letting out a sudden PFFT and bursting into laughter. After laughing, she let out a long sigh. All the tension seemed to leave her body with that breath, leaving her completely relaxed.

"I just feel a bit lost, I guess," she admitted. "I feel like I worked so hard, so why did I fail?"

"Quick victories and sudden defeats are often separated by a single thought," Li Wei smiled. "Do you think there’s an inevitable connection between hard work and success?"

Jin Heon wanted to argue and say she obviously knew hard work didn’t guarantee success. But as the words reached her lips, she suddenly realized that deep down, she actually did believe that.

"And you’ve always been successful before," Li Wei continued. "Whether it was your studies or your career, you worked hard and you succeeded. But now, your hard work isn’t paying off. Your sense of defeat doesn’t just stem from this one failure, but from the collapse of your entire ’methodology of success.’ Am I right?"

Jin Heon lowered her head and murmured an agreement.

"Let’s grab something to eat first," Li Wei suggested. "Let’s go get some South Korean BBQ. I haven’t had it in a while."

"South Korean BBQ?" Jin Heon blinked. "In Washington?"

"Why? Are there no South Koreans in Washington?" Li Wei had already started walking away. "Isn’t there a whole Korea Street over there?"

Jin Heon stood frozen for a moment before jogging a few steps to catch up with him.

The two of them walked along Connecticut Avenue for about ten minutes before turning onto a quiet street. On the corner sat a small two-story building. A faded wooden sign hung above the entrance, bearing three Korean characters: Pork Belly. There wasn’t even an English translation.

Jin Heon immediately stopped in her tracks, examining the storefront in front of her. A hand-written Korean poster advertising the daily specials was taped to the door. The windows were covered with frosted paper that had been stained yellow by grease and smoke, and a string of decorative plastic chili peppers hung from the sliding door’s handle.

To Jin Heon, this was the Michelin-star certification for a South Korean BBQ joint—an absolute guarantee of authenticity.

"This is the one!" she declared decisively.

The moment they pushed the door open, the rich aromas of charcoal fire, minced garlic, soybean paste, and sizzling meat grease washed over them.

The restaurant was small, with only about ten tables. A round charcoal grill was embedded in the center of each table, with an exhaust pipe hanging directly down from the ceiling. The walls were plastered with Korean menus and posters of South Korean celebrities.

A stereotypical middle-aged South Korean auntie poked her head out from the kitchen, shouted a welcome in Korean, and pointed to an empty table in the corner. After the two sat down, the auntie tossed them two menus.

Li Wei flipped his open to take a look. It was entirely in Korean, without a single English letter in sight.

"Let me handle this," Jin Heon said, snatching the menu from Li Wei’s hands. "You’re in luck today. This place comes with a beautiful waitress to grill the meat for you."

"Where’s the beautiful waitress?" Li Wei asked, glancing toward the South Korean auntie who ran the shop.

"Right~ here~!" Jin Heon raised her arms above her head and formed a giant heart with her hands. "It’s a rare opportunity for me to serve the boss."

She glanced around and then shouted a string of orders toward the kitchen in Korean:

"Auntie! Two orders of raw pork belly, two orders of beef, one marinated beef short rib, and one soybean paste stew! We’ll also take a seafood scallion pancake and two bowls of rice! Please give us extra kimchi and lots of garlic!"

The auntie in the kitchen yelled back an acknowledgment.

Jin Heon picked up a wet wipe from the table to clean her hands, then pulled out a pair of serving chopsticks to smooth out the aluminum foil on the grill.

Just then, her phone buzzed: Xiuyan.

"Sorry, Boss," Jin Heon said, picking up her phone. "It’s my best friend."

Li Wei waved his hand, looking down at his own phone.

Jin Heon pressed the answer button.

"Hey, Jin Heon!" Park Su-yeon’s booming voice exploded from the receiver. "You said you were going to the Pentagon today! How was it? Was it super cool inside? Was it amazing?"

"Not really. It looked pretty old," Jin Heon whispered in Korean. "Plus, they weren’t even interested in the materials I spent five days preparing."

"Ah, seriously?" Park Su-yeon exclaimed. "Didn’t you prepare for a long time? Was it all for nothing?"

"All for nothing," Jin Heon replied, cutting a clove of garlic in half. "That General barely listened to a word I said from start to finish."

"So what are you doing now?"

"Now?" Jin Heon stole another glance at Li Wei. "Now I’m eating South Korean BBQ with my boss."

"What?!" Park Su-yeon shrieked. "Just the two of you?"

"Yeah... just the two of us." Jin Heon guiltily poked at the kimchi in front of her with her chopsticks. "I was in a bad mood, so my boss came to comfort me."

"Aigoo, that sounds straight out of a K-drama, Heon! That’s literally a K-drama plot," Park Su-yeon’s tone shifted from concern to interrogation. "The handsome, rich, domineering CEO and the pure, innocent college girl employee! Are you catching feelings, Jin Heon?"

Jin Heon felt like her face could replace the grill right now. It was burning hot enough to roast meat.

"Stop messing around, Xiuyan. He... he’s even a few years younger than me," she whispered.

"A younger domineering CEO?!" Park Su-yeon yelled. "That makes it even more ship-worthy!"

"We... we don’t have that kind of relationship!" Jin Heon argued. "Don’t talk nonsense."

"Then who was it that told me her hands and feet warm up just by looking at her boss whenever he’s around?" Park Su-yeon chuckled wickedly, aggressively shipping her best friend. "Are you sure you don’t have those kinds of thoughts about your boss?"

"I don’t know... what it feels like to like someone," Jin Heon’s voice grew quieter and quieter. "He’s handsome and rich, and he treats me well, but he has a girlfriend..."

"Hey, you have to fight for the good men!" Park Su-yeon said boldly. "Are you happy every time you see him?"

"Yeah... I’m happy."

"Does your body react when you see him?"

"My hands and feet feel warm, and my appetite gets really good..."

"YAH!" Park Su-yeon screamed. "That’s physiological attraction! Your body is way more honest than your brain! If that’s not liking someone, what is?!"

"R-really?" Jin Heon’s face was flushed all the way to the base of her neck.

"Of course it’s real!" Park Su-yeon said decisively. "Let me tell you, Jin Heon, you need to hurry up and take this opportunity—"

"Okay, I’m going to stop talking now. I need to eat." Jin Heon quickly hung up and placed her phone face down on the table.

"This grill is way too hot, isn’t it?" she said, fanning her face with her hand.

"Thank God the boss doesn’t understand Korean," she thought.

Just then, the lady boss with permed curly hair emerged from the kitchen carrying a massive platter of meat and side dishes. She placed the platter on the table and casually turned on the grill.

Jin Heon fell into a stunned silence.

The lady boss was about to leave when her gaze swept over Li Wei and Jin Heon’s faces. She paused.

"Oh my," the lady boss said suddenly, looking around. "Are you two movie stars here to film a scene? Or celebrities?"

"Neither," Jin Heon hastily waved her hands. "We’re just passing by and grabbing a bite to eat."

"You both look absolutely stunning." The lady boss turned her attention back to Li Wei. "Young man, where are you folks from?"

Jin Heon was just about to translate for Li Wei—

"We’re from New York," Li Wei smiled. "We’re in Washington to handle some business."

His fluent Korean made the hairs on the back of Jin Heon’s neck stand up. She looked at him as if she had just seen a ghost.