Sponsorship Stigma
Chapter 31
31. The Owner of the Empty Seat
“Mister!”
Jiwoo dashed forward, his face glowing with pure delight.
Yeonjae turned to follow him.
The moment she spotted Jeheon, her eyes flickered with faint surprise.
Jeheon had been the one to give them the tickets, but she never expected to actually see him here in the concert hall.
He was a man who had zero interest in classical music.
No, far beyond disinterest—he actively disliked it.
Yeonjae’s gaze gradually drifted down from his face.
He stood leaning slightly, one hand shoved into his trouser pocket.
He was dressed in a full three-piece suit, complete with a vest.
This was a man who rarely even wore a necktie because he found them suffocating. Yet his attire looked perfectly tailored for a classical recital.
She blankly watched Jeheon chatting with Jiwoo until their eyes suddenly met, prompting her to drop her gaze in a hurry.
She even flinched, feeling just like someone caught red-handed peeping.
Why did I have to look away like a fool?
Yeonjae nervously rubbed the tip of her nose for no reason.
“Jung Yeonjae.”
His dry voice resonated in her ear.
“…Yes?”
She hastily raised her head, locking eyes with Jeheon.
Without her realizing it, Jeheon had walked over and was standing right in front of her.
“There’s someone I’d like to introduce Jiwoo to.”
With those words, he gazed steadily at Yeonjae.
And?
Having no idea what he was getting at, Yeonjae merely stared back at him.
“I’m asking if it’s all right with Jung Jiwoo’s mother.”
Noticing she hadn't caught on, Jeheon added to his words.
Only then did she realize what he meant.
He had never been the kind of man to ask for Yeonjae’s consent before.
She had assumed that if he wanted to introduce someone, he would just take Jiwoo along without asking.
Seeing him politely consult her felt utterly unfamiliar.
Looking somewhat dazed, Yeonjae nodded.
“Mom! The mister says he’ll take me to see Jepkin’s waiting room!”
“…”
“I told him I couldn’t give the flowers, so he said he’d help me!”
Jiwoo swung the bouquet in his arms back and forth, grinning mischievously.
There had been a brief meet-and-greet right after the recital.
When the moment came to actually hand over the flowers, however, Jiwoo lost his nerve and hid behind Yeonjae’s back.
Hesitating like that caused them to miss the window.
He must have mentioned it while chatting with Jeheon just now.
Telling them to follow, Jeheon led the way out of the hall.
Exiting the concert hall, they found Hyekyung and Seoha, who had left earlier.
They explained that Seoha had urgently needed the restroom, so they had stepped out first and been waiting outside for quite a while.
“Where are we going, though?”
“Auntie, the mister is taking us to Jepkin’s waiting room!”
“The waiting room? They don't just let anyone in there.”
Jiwoo chimed in to explain to Hyekyung on Yeonjae’s behalf.
“Mom, are we really going into the waiting room? Really?”
Seoha asked Hyekyung in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Jeheon came to a halt. Stopping in front of a door marked ‘Waiting Room,’ he knocked.
A voice from inside told them to enter.
Jeheon opened the door and walked in without hesitation.
As the door opened, a man could be seen at the far end of the room, standing before a mirror and adjusting his clothes.
The moment Jiwoo realized who he was, his eyes went wide.
It was Jepkin, the very idol he talked about day and night.
Recognizing Jeheon, Jepkin’s face brightened, and he approached.
When he greeted him in fluent English, Jeheon smiled and replied.
Fascinated by the sight of them conversing in an unfamiliar foreign tongue, Jiwoo glanced back and forth between Jeheon and Jepkin.
Hyekyung and Seoha had the exact same reaction.
“[I gave you a ticket since you said you needed one, but I didn't see you out there.]”
“[I watched. Standing in the back.]”
Jeheon replied plainly.
“Jiwoo’s mom, can you understand what they’re saying?”
“Ah.”
Watching them, Hyekyung quietly leaned in and whispered to Yeonjae.
Remarking that the two seemed close, Yeonjae gave a brief explanation of what she could understand.
“[Why? I gave you a royal seat on purpose.]”
Jeheon’s gaze, which had been fixed on Jepkin, suddenly drifted toward Yeonjae.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
“[Just because. It was more comfortable that way.]”
“[Typical of an oddball like you.]”
Yeonjae, who was in the middle of telling Hyekyung that Jepkin seemed to have gotten the tickets for him, trailed off.
She remembered the empty seat beside her throughout the recital.
She had wondered who would be a no-show for such an expensive seat. Of course it was him.
In the meantime, Jeheon walked over to Yeonjae.
Then, he introduced Jiwoo, who was hiding behind her back.
“[This is the kid I told you about. Your biggest fan.]”
“[Are you Jung Jiwoo?]”
Looking at Jepkin, who had stepped right up to him, Jiwoo barely managed a nod.
“[Jiwoo says he has something for you.]”
At Jeheon’s prompt, Jepkin knelt before Jiwoo to match his eye level.
“Th-this… is a congratulatory present.”
Jiwoo’s face flushed bright red as he held out the flowers to Jepkin.
His cheeks were so hot they looked ready to burst.
Finding the boy adorable, Jepkin smiled warmly.
“[I saw your Salut d'Amour. You were quite good. I really hope we meet again someday when you become a wonderful pianist.]”
When Jeheon translated Jepkin’s words, Jiwoo was beside himself with joy.
To the young boy, praise from his idol was sweeter than anything in the world.
Even after leaving the waiting room and walking out of the building, Jiwoo remained in a daze.
He looked as if he still couldn't believe it was real.
“Mom, are we going back now? Seoha is hungry.”
A glance at her wristwatch showed that dinner time had long since passed.
Because of the awkward recital schedule, they hadn't eaten dinner and had come straight here.
That was why she had intentionally booked a late train back.
“Is that so? We should grab some dinner, then.”
Just as Hyekyung pulled out her phone to see if they could eat near the train station,
“I’ll guide us to dinner.”
Jeheon, following behind, stepped up to them.
“I’ve already made a reservation at a restaurant, so let’s head over.”
Though speaking in a calm tone, his eyes remained fixed solely on Yeonjae.
* * *
The place Jeheon led them to, saying he had a reservation, was a fine dining restaurant.
From the moment he said they were going to a place he knew, she had felt anxious.
Because any restaurant familiar to him was bound to be like this.
The large private room was decorated in warm wood tones, creating a comfortable atmosphere.
Yeonjae and Jiwoo sat opposite Hyekyung and Seoha at a large table meant for six.
“Gasp. How can the menu be this expensive? Jiwoo’s mom. Don't tell me… we’re not splitting the bill, right?”
Hyekyung, who had been scanning the menu, whispered to Yeonjae in sheer shock.
Looking over at the menu, Yeonjae saw that the course was 500,000 won. And that was per person.
I knew it.
She should have seen it coming the moment he refused to tell them where they were going.
When Jeheon, who had stepped out to use the restroom, returned, she would have to ask if they could go somewhere else.
He wasn't the type of man to bring people to a place like this and make them pay for themselves.
Even so, spending over a million won on a single meal felt like an absolute waste—even knowing that this amount of money meant nothing to him.
Heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway gradually drew closer.
Soon, the door to the room opened, and Jeheon stepped inside.
Having loosened his tie, Jeheon walked in with his suit jacket and vest draped over his arm.
“There’s only one course here, so I’ve already placed the order.”
Yeonjae wasn't even given the chance to suggest leaving.
Cutting off any objections by stating the food was already ordered, Jeheon hung his jacket and vest on the coat rack.
Then, he walked over to the table.
There were plenty of open seats.
The spots next to Hyekyung and Seoha were wide open.
Yet without a shred of hesitation, Jeheon walked straight over and took the seat right beside Yeonjae.
“For the record, I’m paying for today, so please enjoy yourselves. You can think of it as an after-party for the autumn concert.”
“An after-party! Oh my, so it’s like a company dinner?”
“You could say that.”
“CEO, you’re truly generous. This place is incredibly famous. Thanks to you, we’re going to have an amazing meal. Thank you so much.”
Hyekyung’s earlier worries vanished without a trace, replaced by pure delight.
Jeheon and Hyekyung exchanged small talk until the course began.
With Seoha and Jiwoo chiming in from time to time, the atmosphere grew warm and harmonious.
The only one who couldn't join in was Yeonjae.
“Oh, but you know what? With the three of you sitting like that, you look like a family.”
“…”
“I hadn't noticed before, but looking now, CEO and Jiwoo resemble each other a lot, don't you think?”
Hyekyung looked back and forth between Jiwoo and Jeheon, letting out a cheerful laugh as she continued.
“I’d believe it if someone told me Jiwoo was your son, CEO.”
It was a careless, offhand remark, but Yeonjae’s heart dropped straight into her stomach.
