The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 25. Her Flirtation!

Sizzle.

Thick slices of pork belly grilled over quality charcoal.

Clean oil drips away as the meat cooks to a savory golden finish.

The Crispy Outside Moist Inside Skill applied to perfection.
The aroma is something else entirely.

Snip-snap.

I cut the long strips of pork belly into bite-sized pieces with scissors.

“Tae-ung. Do you work at a meat restaurant?”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“Your grilling is perfect. You cut the pieces to exactly the right size. There’s real skill behind this.”

I came to a pork belly restaurant with Ahn Hyun-ju—or rather, with my older friend.

She was treating me to dinner to thank me for helping her out of an awkward situation.

A friend who buys you dinner is always right.

I have money too.
But this natural atmosphere she’d created, this ease between us—that can’t be bought.

And I wasn’t willing to let the moment slip away so easily either.

She sat quietly, watching me grill the meat.

When she leaned against me for a moment earlier, I was genuinely startled.

Like waking up and suddenly finding yourself holding a sweet strawberry cake.

Before the scandal broke, she’d ranked in the top three for beauty among professional golfers—she was exceptional like that.

It wasn’t just her looks.
Her body was genuinely well-proportioned and graceful.

The sensation she gave me, I think I’ll never forget it as long as I live.

It’s hard to put into words.

This unplanned evening had come together.
A pork belly restaurant in a Cheongdam-dong alley.

Located in the kind of hidden corner that only insiders know.

The sign was modest, but the interior with its drum-barrel grills was quite nice.

She said she came here often.
They grilled pork belly over real charcoal and had a reputation as a top-tier spot.

My meat-grilling skills had a long history.
In the army—enlisted in the special forces—and later at the company, I was always the youngest.

So naturally, grilling fell to me.

Whenever we ended up at a meat restaurant, regardless of the occasion, I was the one holding the tongs and scissors.

I’d never worked at a meat restaurant, but I’d always been good at it from the start.

More than eating, I enjoyed watching someone else savor meat I’d grilled.

Perfectly golden pork belly!
I picked up a glossy piece of meat with chopsticks and held it out.

“Here, say ‘ah.'”

The first bite of pork belly should be eaten plain—no sauce, no salt, no soybean powder.

You have to taste the true flavor of the meat itself.

Jirisan Black Pork Belly has no gamey smell.
That’s why origin matters for everything.

Beef and pork raised in places with good water and air taste better.

Cheongdam-dong prices are steep, but I don’t mind.

…

Looking bashful, her cheeks flushed, she accepted the meat.

For some reason, I’m thinking of my ex-girlfriend.

Gu Hye-jin.
She loved the meat I grilled too.
She said there was real skill in my touch.

…!

As Ahn Hyun-ju was chewing, her eyes suddenly flew wide open in surprise.

“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“What… why does it taste different?”

She finished chewing and swallowed, her eyes growing even rounder.
Genuine shock on her face.

“I added a pinch of love and devotion. Trade secret, really.”
“You… you did?”

She looked slightly flustered by the word “love.”
Her expression was adorable.

“How old are you this year?”
“Why? Twenty-four.”
“A good age.”
“Hey… that’s not something you should be saying, is it?”

I’m a man who lived through his thirties first and came back.

Twenty-four—an age when you can do anything well.
Incomplete time, but I know how precious it is.

“Life isn’t lived by the numbers—it’s lived by depth. A famous philosopher said that.”
“Well, I’ll grant you that.”

Her character is genuinely good.
The way she nods and affirms rather than refuting says everything about her nature.

It’s a refreshing response you rarely see from a woman with an attractive S-curve figure.

That’s why it’s hard to live in a world that judges by stereotypes.

People see a young, sensual body and assume she understands the ways of the world completely.

That’s the misconception of older people.

From the eyes of someone who’s lived through my thirties, Ahn Hyun-ju is still closer to an innocent girl.

Her aura proves her purity.

Cleaner than anyone in her class.
There’s a luminous clarity around her that’s incomparable to certain others.

“How about I mix us up a nice cold Somaek?”
“Somaek? Can you even get the ratio right?”
“Just wait. I have a patented brewing technique.”
“What??”

I’ve mixed it plenty of times during my working years.

I know the Golden Ratio—the one that leaves everyone satisfied.

Even the battalion commander was hooked during my time in the special forces.

If I said I earned leave because of it, would you believe me?

My exclusive Somaek Brewing Technique.

Whish.

The soju mixed perfectly, achieving a uniform taste.

I poured soju into a shot glass first.

Whoosh.

“Try it.”

“I’m in my school uniform. The owner and the staff are staring daggers at this table.”

The owner and the staff are watching intently, worried I might actually drink something.

Even though I’m legally an adult, being in my school uniform meant I had to hold back.

Instead, I poured cola into a glass.

I wanted nothing more than to knock back a proper Somaek, but in this uniform, that wasn’t an option.

“Thank you for today. Seriously.”

“Huh?”

Ahn Hyun-ju, not understanding what I meant, opened her eyes wide and asked silently with her gaze.

“Cheers~. Bottoms up!”

Our glasses clinked, and I downed the cola in one go.

“Ahhh!”

She let out a short exclamation.

“Delicious, right?”

“The Golden Ratio brewing secret is proprietary information.”
“You’re not lying—it really is delicious!”
“That’s the know-how.”
“But… aren’t you supposed to be studying? Your school is brutal.”

It’s midterm exam season for second-year students now.

But there I was, who’d been at driving school.

Only a madman would do something like this during exam season.

The Cheong-hwa High School Written Exam problems are known to be harder than those of science high schools or foreign language high schools.

Top tier—the hardest in the entire country.

“I told you—exams reflect your usual ability. Don’t worry.”

“I’m aiming for Rank 1 in School on this Written Exam.”
“First? Ha.”

She couldn’t help but laugh.

“You don’t believe me?”

Of course you don’t believe me.

First place at Cheong-hwa High means first in the entire nation.

“If you really get first, I’ll grant you one wish.”

“Yeah! Anything you want—just one!”

She made a mistake.

“I swear on it.”

I quickly held out my pinky finger.

“Swear on it~”

She laughed softly and linked her pinky with mine.

Got you.

In the warm, comfortable atmosphere, we enjoyed the pork belly and even had fried rice for dessert.

“Oof.”

She’d drained several glasses of Somaek.

A signal of fullness escaped her lips.

Her cheeks were as rosy as ripe persimmons.

“But…”

“I really overate. I need to manage my weight.”

Even with a body like a perfect Coke bottle and toned muscle, she worried about gaining weight.

A feeling I’d never experienced with my ex-girlfriend.

“Do you know when a person weighs the most?”

I was trying to land a joke fitting for a teenager.

“When you eat as much as you do?”

“Then…?”
“When you grow up.”
“When you grow up?? What?? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.”

It had turned into a dad joke.

She poured out enough refreshing energy to blow away all the stress from today’s events.

Watching her, I smiled too.

Happiness is contagious.

“Tae-ung.”

“What are you?”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“Why do you always feel like my older brother?”

Life experience can’t be hidden, apparently.

Even though my body is in high school right now, my mind is that of a thirty-something office worker who’s seen his share of the world.

To me, this early-twenty-something friend is like a new hire fresh out of school.

Someone who needs kind guidance and genuine interest to help them adjust to society.

Our eyes met.

Softly.

Like a flower just beginning to bloom.

Her clean cheeks, flushed from a few drinks, looked so soft.

“Tae-ung… I have a favor to ask.”

“What are you doing on Sunday?”

She was asking about my weekend schedule.

Could this be a formal date request?

“I have time.”

Her face brightened noticeably.

Her round eyes sparkled.

“So… want to get your hair done with me?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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