Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

Gun-Ho woke up the following day in the hotel room. He looked at his watch. It was after 10 am. Mori Aikko was still deep in sleep.

Gun-Ho drank a cup of water before going back to bed. The air in the room was cold, maybe because he let the air conditioner run overnight. When he went back to the bed, he drew Mori Aikko close to him to feel her warm body. Mori Aikko groped Gun-Ho’s chest with her adorable hand while still sleeping. Gun-Ho fell asleep again holding Mori Aikko tightly.

Gun-Ho woke up again to the sound of his smartphone’s ring. It was GH Mobile’s President Song. Gun-Ho answered the phone on the bed while still holding Mori Aikko.

“The contract is signed and notarized at the notary office in front of the Daejeon District Court’s branch in Seosan City. I went there with A Electronics’ staff.”

“Very well done.”

“I will leave the notarized contract with the accounting director so you could review it when you return to the office.”

“Sounds good.”

“Also, we finished making the sample products using the product drawings that we received from A Electronics’ research center in Suwon City, and we just completed the third test on them.”

“Oh, you did?”

“Our chief officer of the research center will bring the sample products to A Electronics’ research center in Suwon City this afternoon after lunch.”

“Really?”

“I will keep you updated.”

“Good. Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with President Song, Gun-Ho searched the major bank’s account number, that GH Mobile had been working with, stored in his smartphone. He then sent a text message to A Electronics’ CEO right away.

[I’m sending you GH Mobile’s major bank’s account number. Once we receive the funds of 750 million won to be used to increase our company’s capital, from you, we will start the process.]

Gun-Ho then made a call to the accounting director— Ms. Min-Hwa Kim.

“It’s me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“President Song will bring you the notarized supply contract with A Electronics. Please keep it with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, expect to receive 750 million won in our company’s bank account from someone. The funds will be used to increase our capital. Please let me know once the funds are received.”

“For the purpose of increasing the company’s capital? Okay, sir, I will do that.”

After getting off the phone, Gun-Ho started groping Mori Aikko who was lying next to him.

Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“Shoot! It’s almost noon.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko had lunch at the buffet restaurant inside the hotel, and then they had afternoon coffee later. While having a cup of coffee, Mori Aikko was sitting at the table facing Gun-Ho. When their eyes met, Mori Aikko smiled. At that moment, Mori Aikko’s cell phone started ringing.

“Oh, Mama-san.”

Gun-Ho knew it was from Mama-san Segawa Joonkko since Mori Aikko uttered her name without even asking who it was. She probably recognized her number.

Mama-san asked Mori Aikko over the phone, “You didn’t go to Sapporo City for your summer vacation, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Someone told me that you were at the Keio Plaza Hotel. Is it true? Who have you been with?”

“I’m with my sponsor— President Goo.”

“Oh, really? Then, it’s all good. I feel relieved now.”

Segawa Joonkko was extremely protective of Mori Aikko, especially with other men. The worst scenario that she had been trying to avoid was that Mori Aikko would run away with another man or start living with a man, and miss her work schedule like participating in a dance performance. In order to fully retrieve the funds that she invested in a geisha, she needed the geisha to work for her at least until the geisha turned at least 30 years old. She didn’t worry about their relationship with a sponsor though. Sponsors—usually married men with enough financial capability, and most of them were gentlemen enough not to live with a geisha without getting an approval from Mama-san. Mama-san sometimes encouraged her geishas to keep in frequent contact with their sponsors so they could be financially supported by the sponsor.

When Mori Aikko got off the phone with Mama-san, Gun-Ho asked, “Was it Mama-san?”

“Yes. She was asking if I didn’t go to Sapporo City.”

“Oh, that’s right. How’s your grandmother in Sapporo City? Is she well now? I remember that she underwent surgery. I know you sent me a text saying she was fine, but I just want to make it sure.”

“Yes, she is doing a lot better these days.”

“You were going to spend some time in Sapporo City for your summer vacation. Is there a good vacation spot there?”

“It’s not a vacation spot, but I wanted to go to Otaru City and take a walk along the canal there.”

“A canal in Otaru City?”

“Yes.”

After saying about her original plan for her summer vacation in Otaru, Mori Aikko looked out the window. She seemed to reminisce about something.

“It’s summer. Why would you want to take a walk along a canal in this hot weather?”

“That’s the last place where I had been with my mom and dad.”

“Hmm, really?”

“My dad was a teacher in Otaru City.”

“I thought you used to live in Sapporo City.”

“That’s true. My family lived in Sapporo City, and my dad rented a studio apartment in Otaru City and stayed there during weekdays. My dad came back to Sapporo City to spend time with us during weekends, and sometimes my mom and I went to Otaru and stayed with my dad. There is a street called Otaru Sushi Street. You can find a lot of good sushi shops there. It’s a very popular area. I wanted to visit the place again that I used to go with my mom and dad.”

Gun-Ho recalled a drawing among other pictures and postcards hanging on the wall in Mori Aikko’s room in the condo in Daikanyama. Most of them were about her dance performance, and Mori Aikko was wearing Kimono in them except one. There was one sketchy drawing which was probably done by Mori Aikko herself. In that drawing, a young couple was walking along a canal with a little girl who was holding their hands standing in the middle.

“Hmm, I see,”

Gun-Ho felt sorry after hearing Mori Aikko’s reason why she wanted to spend her summer vacation in Sapporo City. He felt like he deprived her of precious time.

“Is Otaru far from Sapporo City?”

“No, it’s not. It takes around 50 minutes by bus.”

“How many more days of your summer vacation are left?”

“I have three more days.”

“I will buy you a flight ticket for Sapporo City. I want you to spend the rest of your vacation as you originally planned. It would be nice if I could go with you, but I have to return to Korea to take care of my business.”

“It’s okay. I will just stay in Tokyo this year’s vacation.”

“What are you going to do after I leave? You have three days alone here.”

“I can stay home reading cartoon books and take a rest.”

Mori Aikko laughed innocently.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko went to the swimming pool again. Since they had to check out from the hotel the next day, they wanted to make the most of it.

“Let’s spend some time in the swimming pool until the temperature cools down a bit. Maybe after three hours, we will go out shopping.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko had fun playing in the pool. They sometimes took a break while lying down on a folding sunbed after applying sunblock lotions on their bodies which make them look shiny. After taking a brief nap on the sunbed, they went into the swimming pool again. Whenever Mori Aikko moved, the people stared at her. Even small children couldn’t resist looking at her. She was obviously the most beautiful girl in the hotel’s swimming pool.