Chapter 296: The Lonely People
When Bae Joo-hyun heard Jiang Shu’s words, a perfectly timed look of surprise appeared on her face, followed by a gentle smile.
“Yes, I’ll return the food cart first,” Bae Joo-hyun said, pointing to the cart in front of her.
“Go ahead,” Jiang Shu waved his hand. “Since you’re here, I’ll show you something good later.”
“Then I’ll look forward to it,” Bae Joo-hyun replied with a smile.
Watching Bae Joo-hyun push the food cart out, Jiang Shu also closed the karaoke software. Counting the time, the New Year’s Eve gala was about to begin.
Last year, it was Bae Joo-hyun who celebrated New Year’s Eve with him, and he didn’t expect it to be her again this year.
After all this, it’s still you?
Tsk.
About a minute later, Bae Joo-hyun returned.
She hadn't had a chance to look closely before, but upon closer inspection, she noticed Bae Joo-hyun’s hair was very fluffy, falling on both sides of her fitted sweater. This type of winter sweater was very form-fitting, and when it hugged the bra, it could elevate the visual effect, which originally didn’t seem too strong, by several levels.
The charm of this kind of sweater, those who know, know.
“Come here,” Jiang Shu beckoned to Bae Joo-hyun. Once Bae Joo-hyun came over, he pointed to the desk behind him.
“Bring the red wine from the desk.”
“Yes,” Bae Joo-hyun responded, walking over.
The wooden box felt heavy in her hand, quite substantial. She weighed it slightly before bringing it over.
“President,” Bae Joo-hyun placed the wooden box in front of Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu took the wooden box, opened it, and took out the red wine inside.
Artists receive training on luxury brands; this is some common knowledge K-pop artists need to understand.
Although romanee-conti is not common in reality, it is one of the essential red wine brands to know.
Looking at the brand logo on the bottle, Bae Joo-hyun’s eyes widened slightly.
“romanee-conti?”
“That’s right, this bottle is about sixty million korean won.”
“Daebak!” Bae Joo-hyun’s already widened pupils grew even more astonished. Sixty million korean won? For a bottle of red wine?
“Are we drinking this tonight?” Bae Joo-hyun looked at the red wine, then at Jiang Shu, asking in shock.
“Of course, even the best red wine is meant to be drunk. Today is New Year’s Eve, so no red wine is too good,” Jiang Shu said with a smile.
“Then I’ll follow the President and properly savor this sixty-million-won red wine,” Bae Joo-hyun wasn't pretentious. Since Jiang Shu said so, why should she be polite?
Seeing Bae Joo-hyun not refuse or decline, Jiang Shu smiled and pulled out two stemware glasses.
“Take these to wash.”
“Yes,” Bae Joo-hyun responded, while Jiang Shu arranged the dishes on the table.
Knock knock knock.
“Come in.”
“President, the main course is ready,” the female chef said, pushing the food cart in.
“Put it here.”
While the female chef was arranging the dishes, Bae Joo-hyun had already returned with the washed stemware.
“Bae Joo-hyun, are you eating? Should I ask the cafeteria to make another portion?” Jiang Shu asked Bae Joo-hyun.
The female chef’s heart tightened. If Bae Joo-hyun also ate, her off-duty time would be delayed again.
“No need, I can just have a little,” Bae Joo-hyun said, shaking her head with a smile.
“Good,” Jiang Shu nodded upon hearing this, then looked at the female chef. “You can tell everyone in the cafeteria that they can go home now.”
“Yes! Thank you, President!”
“Go on,” Jiang Shu waved his hand with a chuckle.
After the female chef left, she also closed the office door. Bae Joo-hyun sat down and noticed the content playing on the screen.
“Is this… the show we watched last year?”
“Yes, this year I participated with Sakura, and our performance time is earlier,” Jiang Shu said, glancing at the time. It was past eight in Seoul.
“We’ll be up in two or three more acts at most.”
“Will the President still be playing the piano accompaniment this time?” Bae Joo-hyun asked.
“No, this time I’ll sing, and Sakura will provide harmony,” Jiang Shu uncorked the romanee-conti, valued at fifty-eight million korean won. “The hotel said this bottle needs to breathe for half an hour, and I don’t have a decanter here, so how about we drink it as it breathes?”
“I have no problem.”
Whether red wine needs to breathe depends on the wine type, as this can make the red wine’s taste fuller.
But neither of them were red wine connoisseurs, so they weren’t particularly serious about the taste, and thus didn’t need to be so particular.
He poured about half a glass into both stemware, then reinserted the cork.
The difference in taste between aerated and non-aerated wine is the astringency. If you don’t drink red wine often, it’s hard to notice these differences. But if it’s over-aerated, the taste difference will be very obvious, because…
It tastes like vinegar.
“You’ve aerated this into vinegar” is not an exaggeration; over-aerating really will make it taste like vinegar.
“You could say it makes sense for me, a foreigner who hasn’t started a family, to be alone every New Year’s Eve,” Jiang Shu placed the stemware in front of Bae Joo-hyun.
“But you, a true Korean, how is it that every New Year’s Eve you end up pairing up with me?”
Although Jiang Shu was joking, it was also a form of inquiry.
To this, Bae Joo-hyun smiled slightly and gave her answer.
“I’m almost thirty. My peers are already married or having children. Now that I’ve come to Seoul from Daegu, my situation is essentially no different from yours, President.”
“Every New Year’s Eve, we end up together. Perhaps this is how lonely people attract each other and avoid solitude?”
Jiang Shu looked at Bae Joo-hyun, his eyes full of agreement.
“Well said! Come on,” Jiang Shu raised his stemware with a smile. Bae Joo-hyun quickly raised her glass with both hands.
Jiang Shu waved his other hand.
“You don’t hold red wine with both hands; be more relaxed. Tonight, we’re celebrating New Year’s Eve as friends, with no superior-subordinate relationship.”
“Yes,” Bae Joo-hyun smiled, lowered her hand, and also held the glass with one hand, mimicking Jiang Shu’s action.
Clink.
A crisp sound rang out, then both brought their glasses to their lips. The dark red wine met their mouths, and the rich fruit aroma and the faint astringent taste from the tannin fermentation burst in their mouths.
Bae Joo-hyun didn’t like drinking, whether it was beer, soju, or high-proof liquor; alcohol simply didn’t taste good to her.
But now she really wanted to use the word “delicious” to describe this red wine.
It had an alcoholic taste, but more so a full fruit aroma and the unique taste of red wine tannin. The lack of a decanting process, which resulted in an astringent taste, reminded her that it was an alcoholic beverage, yet it created a unique charm.
A wonderful experience.
“I used to think the difference between high and low-priced red wines wouldn’t be particularly great, but today I’ve truly learned something,” Bae Joo-hyun couldn’t help but exclaim.
Drinking quality red wine is truly wonderful.