Sponsorship Stigma
Chapter 26
Have You Lived Your Whole Life Being Cheated?
Eyes as black as ink.
Jeheon smiled, his gaze inscrutable, hiding whatever thoughts lay beneath.
Yeonjae glanced anxiously around the cafe. Fortunately, there were only a few customers.
Though judging by the keen, curious gaze watching from across the counter, the manager seemed to have heard everything already.
“Someone’s been giving me a massive headache lately, so I’ve been craving caffeine.”
“……”
“I need at least three cups a day, but the batch you gave me ran out way too fast.”
“That was a one-time gesture of goodwill, not an offer to keep supplying you.”
Yeonjae pressed a hand to her forehead, her response coming out rather blunt.
She could hardly believe this situation was unfolding right in front of her eyes.
She hadn’t given him those beans just to create this kind of trouble.
“The coffee beans were a peace offering.”
A gesture to apologize for misunderstanding the situation with Jiwoo.
“I have my own responsibilities. Right now, working part-time at this cafe is my job. When my shift ends, I have to go teach kids at the academy.”
“……”
“I don’t have time to roast coffee beans just because you want me to, Gu Jeheon-ssi.”
Besides, roasting required carving out time inside the cafe.
She had contracted hours with the manager; she couldn’t just roast her own beans during her shift.
No matter how she looked at it, Jeheon’s demand was unreasonable.
As Yeonjae stood her ground rigidly, Jeheon rose from his seat.
Then he closed the distance between them, stepping right up to her.
“Peace offering?”
He asked out of nowhere.
“Were we making up?”
Coming so close their noses nearly brushed, Jeheon asked with an unfathomable smile.
It rendered her lengthy explanation entirely pointless.
He looked not the least bit interested in anything she had just said.
“What do you mean, making up……? And when did we even fight?”
It wasn't as if they were toddlers.
Besides, how could she ever dream of picking a fight with Jeheon in the first place? He lived in an entirely different world from her.
“That’s what I heard.”
“From who?”
“Your son.”
“Jiwoo did?”
Yeonjae’s eyes widened at the unexpected mention of Jiwoo.
Were Jiwoo and Jeheon close enough to have conversations like that?
No, did they even have enough interaction to talk about such things in the first place?
A flurry of thoughts rushed through her mind in a single instant.
Yeonjae blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of the situation.
“Well, since we've made up, let’s leave it at that. I’ll pay you handsomely for the beans.”
“Pay for the beans?”
Unlike Yeonjae, whose voice was laced with bewilderment, Jeheon carried on without batting an eye.
“How about tickets to Jepkin’s concert? Jiwoo wants to go, doesn’t he?”
Jeheon was completely at ease. As if he was certain Yeonjae would take the deal.
“How did you know that? That Jiwoo wants to go to the concert.”
Yeonjae blinked.
It was only yesterday that she had heard about Jepkin’s concert from Jiwoo.
If she had only learned about it yesterday, it was astonishing that he already knew.
“We’re closer than you think. Here, the tickets. The best seats.”
Jeheon held out an envelope toward Yeonjae.
Looking at the white envelope thrust before her, Yeonjae bit her lower lip.
“Check them.”
Even without pulling them out, they were undoubtedly VIP seats. She could clearly picture how thrilled Jiwoo would be if he got these tickets.
He would probably jump up and down on the spot, giggling with pure joy.
It was a flawless offer, tempting enough to snatch up immediately—and its only flaw was Jeheon himself.
“I won't take them.”
Yeonjae forced the words past her lips with difficulty.
Because Jiwoo wanted it so desperately, she had briefly considered closing her eyes and just accepting it, but…
“If I take that…… I’ll have to sign a contract with the Foundation, won’t I?”
She watched him warily even as she spoke.
VIP seats for Jepkin’s concert were going for exorbitant prices on the scalper market.
There was no way Jeheon would simply hand over tickets that were nearly impossible to buy even with money.
He was likely using the tickets as bait to lure her into signing the contract.
Her remaining shred of reason told her she must not accept the offer.
Having sat back down, he stood up once more and stepped close to Yeonjae.
“Take them. I won’t do that.”
Jeheon held the tickets out to Yeonjae once again.
Yet Yeonjae simply looked down at them, unable to accept so easily. Seeing her hesitate, a soft chuckle escaped Jeheon’s lips.
“Have you lived your whole life being cheated? Why so suspicious?”
In the end, Jeheon forced the tickets into Yeonjae’s hand.
Staring down at the envelope clasped in her fingers, Yeonjae lifted her head to meet Jeheon’s eyes.
“……I’m only going to give you coffee beans.”
“That’s plenty.”
At Yeonjae’s firm reiteration, the corners of his mouth curved into a relaxed smile.
As if he was finally satisfied.
* * *
Having finished packing up to leave, Jiwoo swung his backpack over both shoulders.
He was about to walk out of the classroom under the teacher’s watchful guidance.
“Jiwoo, your mother is here. Get home safely.”
“Okaay. Goodbye, Teacher.”
Before he could get very far, Jiwoo stopped in his tracks at the sound of a voice calling his name.
“Jung Jiwoo!”
The high-pitched voice was unmistakably familiar. Familiar enough that he didn’t even need to turn around.
When Jiwoo peeked over his shoulder, Seoha was already right beside him.
Adjusting the straps of her bag, Seoha casually struck up a conversation.
“Jiwoo. Guess what? I’m going to take lessons from a professor this time!”
Seoha’s eyes sparkled almost overwhelmingly as she tossed the question at Jiwoo.
‘Aren’t you curious? You want to know which professor I’m learning from, don’t you?’
Watching Seoha radiate that eager aura with her whole body, Jiwoo asked, even though he wasn’t particularly curious.
He knew that if he didn’t play along, she wouldn’t even acknowledge his greetings until lunchtime tomorrow.
“What’s a professor?”
“Ugh, you don’t even know that? A university teacher!”
Only then did Jiwoo recall what a university was.
Mom had told him a university was a school that older boys and girls attended.
Come to think of it, the lady Mom occasionally went to accompany was a university professor.
So that lady was a university teacher.
He seemed to remember the older students who came for lessons calling her 'Professor' too.
“Ah, I see. So?”
“What do you mean, ‘so’? She’s super famous! My mom said she even lectures at a university in Seoul, so it was really hard to get lessons with her!”
Seoha bounced her shoulders with a smug, proud expression.
Seoha was great, if only she didn't brag like this every single day.
She would casually talk about lessons and competitions that Jiwoo couldn't even dream of.
When I can’t even learn the piano.
Then again, when had Seoha ever cared about things like that?
I’m the good boy, so I should just be patient.
“Really? That’s great. Congrats.”
Jiwoo replied nonchalantly as he took off his indoor shoes at the kindergarten entrance.
Seoha tagged along right behind him all the way to the lockers where they changed into sneakers.
“Heh, thanks. Are you really not going to play the piano, Jiwoo?”
“……”
“My mom said you’re pretty good too! Though not as good as me, of course.”
When Jiwoo didn’t even pretend to listen, Seoha leaned her face right in front of his.
“Huh? Why aren’t you answering?”
Whoa.
Startled by her face suddenly looming so close, Jiwoo took a step back.
“I don’t know. Oh, right.”
Something suddenly flashed through Jiwoo’s mind.
Jiwoo had something to brag about, too.
Salaje Zepkin’s concert in Korea!
It was his first solo concert in Korea in years.
“I might go to Jepkin’s concert next week!”
“Jepkin? That famous pianist?!”
Seoha’s pitch skyrocketed so high it sounded ready to crack.
With only slight exaggeration, her eyes widened until they took up half her face.
“Did you get tickets? You, Jiwoo?”
“Not yet. But I might get them!”
Jiwoo’s shoulders, which had slumped earlier at the thought of piano lessons, straightened up bit by bit.
After having to listen to Seoha’s boasting every single day, receiving a look of pure envy sent his spirits soaring.
“Hmph. What’s that? ‘Might get them’ means you might not, too!”
Seoha’s expression quickly morphed into a look of skeptical disbelief.
Even though she played the violin, Jepkin was such a renowned pianist that even Seoha knew who he was.
When she heard he was coming to Korea, she had begged Hyekyung to take her.
“Seoha, honey, you can’t even get tickets for that right now. Besides, he’s not a violinist, so let’s pass this time, okay?”
“Whyyyy! Arin said she’s going! I wanna go toooo.”
Well, in truth, throwing a tantrum hadn't worked at all.
Hyekyung had firmly drawn the line, saying it was simply impossible to get tickets.
“No, I will be able to go!”
“Liar! How are you gonna get them?”
Unable to believe it, Seoha challenged him.
Jung Jiwoo was going, and Song Arin was going. Am I the only one who can’t go?
In an instant, Seoha’s little mind was filled with despair.
“Hehe. That’s a secret.”
Completely oblivious to the turmoil inside Seoha, Jiwoo replied with a bright, innocent grin.
