In the VIP room of a restaurant with a great view, a middle-aged man sat alone, gazing out the window.
Kim Hyosan, having tidied up his appearance, approached the man politely and greeted him.
“Welcome, President Makimiya.”
“Ah, Chef Kim, good to see you.”
“I’ve prepared the freshest ingredients for today. You can look forward to it, President.”
“Haha, aren’t you getting me too excited from the start? I couldn’t focus on work all day, thinking about having your cooking today.”
“It’s an honor.”
“By the way, I have something to ask.”
“Feel free to ask anything.”
“I heard from our Executive Director Park that he had a matsutake mushroom dish here at the hotel last week, even though it’s not in season. You know I love matsutake, right?”
“Of course. That’s why I’ve been setting aside ingredients every day, waiting for you to visit. Fortunately, we received some matsutake in top condition today.”
“Thank you. As expected, there’s no one like you, Chef Kim.”
President Makimiya lightly tapped Kim Hyosan’s elbow.
“But who is this guy?”
Makimiya then noticed the man in his 30s standing behind Kim Hyosan, looking curious.
“He’s a new addition to our hotel. Although he hasn’t worked here long, he has enough skill to soon become a sous chef. I brought him to introduce him to you.”
“Oh, so he’ll be taking over when you’re not around, Chef Kim?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Please take care of him.”
At Kim Hyosan’s signal, Jeong Seokwu stepped forward and bowed politely.
“My name is Jeong Seokwu. I look forward to working with you, President.”
“I look forward to it as well. Could I perhaps try this young man’s cooking today?”
“Then I’ll include two of his dishes in today’s course.”
“Let’s do that.”
Kim Hyosan bowed politely once more and left the VIP room with Jeong Seokwu.
As they headed to the kitchen, Jeong Seokwu asked,
“Hyung, who is that person?”
It wasn’t because he didn’t recognize the VIP.
“Why does he speak Korean so well even though he has a Japanese name? His pronunciation is completely native.”
“He is Japanese, but only by nationality.”
“Only by nationality?”
“He’s a second-generation Korean-Japanese. His grandparents and parents are all Korean. He made a big success in real estate in Japan and has also started a large distribution business in Korea.”
“Ah, I see.”
“His wife is also Korean. Since his business in Japan is stable, he focuses solely on his business in Korea. He spends more than half the year here in Korea. He has a residence in Hannam-dong.”
“He must be really wealthy.”
“He owns some real estate in Tokyo, and I think his rental income alone is about 15 billion yen a year. That’s about 150 billion won in our money.”[1]
Jeong Seokwu couldn’t close his gaping mouth.
The numbers were staggering just to hear.
“150 billion won in annual rental income? Then how much is the real estate worth?”
“Probably around 4 to 5 trillion won. I know he’s invested over 500 billion won in Korea alone.”
“…He’s really an incredible person. Isn’t he practically a chaebol?”
“He’s a well-known real estate tycoon. We must never make a mistake with him. He’s generous and forgiving, but we still can’t afford to make any mistakes.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Makimiya went to find the restroom.
As he unbuckled his belt to relieve himself, his face twisted in discomfort.
Taking a deep breath, he began to urinate, and a sharp pain coursed through his prostate and urethra.
“Ugh…!”
He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
Even after finishing, the sharp pain lingered.
When he looked in the mirror to wash his hands, he saw sweat trickling down his reddened forehead and cheeks.
After a quick wash, he dried off and returned to the VIP room.
A little later, Kim Hyosan returned with Jeong Seokwu personally pushing a cart into the room.
“The appetizer is a soup made with thinly sliced matsutake mushrooms and mashed potatoes.”
“My mouth is watering already.”
As Kim Hyosan politely placed the dish and removed the lid, he flinched.
He noticed Makimiya’s flushed face.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Oh, I just came back from the restroom.”
“Ah… I see. I’m sorry.”
Jeong Seokwu found their conversation puzzling but kept his mouth shut.
Makimiya picked up his spoon with delight.
“It looks delicious. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Yes, please enjoy it.”
The two chefs bowed politely and left the room again.
As soon as the door closed, Jeong Seokwu lowered his voice and asked eagerly,
“Hyung, what was that about? Why did you apologize when he said he came from the restroom?”
“The President has a chronic condition. He suffers from severe urethral pain.”
“Oh, really?”
“Every time he urinates, he says it feels like his urethra is tearing. You know, there’s a parasite in the Amazon or somewhere that smells ammonia and invades the human urethra. He says it feels like that parasite is escaping through his urethra every time he urinates.”
“Wow, that must be incredibly painful. But can’t someone with that much money get it treated?”
“He even went to a big hospital in the U.S. for tests, but they couldn’t find the cause. There’s nothing wrong, but he experiences pain every time he urinates, so it’s driving him crazy. He says it feels like he’s risking his life every time he goes to the restroom.”
“Wait. Then what about with women…”
“He said that’s really risking his life. But he also said he’s someone who values his life. This is something all our kitchen staff knows.”
“Is it okay to share such sensitive information about a VIP? If the higher-ups find out, there’ll be chaos.”
“It’s fine. The President himself talks about it to the chefs like he’s venting. Once, he gathered all our kitchen staff for a dinner and mentioned it again under the influence of alcohol. He’ll probably vent to you after a drink soon, so make sure to visit the restroom beforehand.”
“Why the restroom?”
“Once he starts drinking, he’ll vent for over two hours. Are you going to ask for permission to go to the restroom in front of someone who risks his life every time he goes?”
Jeong Seokwu understood with a blank expression.
“You’re right. I should make sure to visit the restroom before meeting him.”
“When he starts drinking, you can go then. Fortunately, the pain eases a lot when he drinks.”
“Then he must drink often.”
“No, his liver is weak, so he can’t drink much. If he finishes about half a bottle of wine, he gets a splitting headache the next day from the hangover. It’s like spreading the pain from below to above.”
“…That’s really unfortunate.”
As always, the dishes were overall satisfying.
The main dish, grilled matsutake skewers, was particularly exquisite.
President Makimiya, having cleaned his main dish plate, was very pleased and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“It seems the food suited your taste.”
“It was truly the best. I feel like I’ve never tasted matsutake like this before. It’s not in season, so where did you get such matsutake?”
“It must be frozen matsutake. I’m also amazed at how defrosting can bring out a texture and flavor that surpasses wild ones.”
“Well, it’s not matsutake season, so it must be frozen.”
Every course dish, except for dessert, included matsutake.
Thanks to this, Makimiya’s satisfaction was higher than ever, and Kim Hyosan felt a sense of fulfillment inside.
“I enjoyed the meal.”
“Thank you. Please visit us again.”
After settling the bill, Makimiya returned to his Seoul residence and felt the urge to urinate as soon as he entered the foyer, grimacing.
I didn’t even drink much water, and already?
He was annoyed but had no choice. Makimiya found the restroom, biting his lip as he unbuckled his belt.
And then…
“What? It doesn’t hurt? Honey! Honey!”
[1] 150 billion won is about $100 million
