“What kind of useless project is this? We are not spending any amount for your brother’s stupid idea.”

YHS is all over the floor as Mino presented the project to the board. He actually felt that he did well, and that just made the old man more furious of the situation.

“I personally gave my recommendation to this project, Uncle Yang. Besides, this was Jennie’s project as Mino have mentioned a thousand times over now.” Jiyong tried to hide a satisfied smirk upon the old man’s reactions.

“I think this project is promising. It can help us keep track of our target market too. The problem is, this is not our core competency as a business group. To be able to sustain this project, we need to build a team of IT and digital specialists, but we are still struggling from our losses. We can’t invest too much in this, Kwon Sajang.” Teddy reasoned out.

Mino can see the old man building up a smile on his face, and it sickens him.

“How about we make a partnership with another company, say SMI?” He knows this will drive the old man wild.

“You are just saying nonsense now, Mino. Clearly, you are not taking this thing seriously. How can you let this restaurateur take over---”

“That’s actually a decent suggestion. I’ve heard from a reliable source that EXO Electronics is planning to set up a testing facility for digital startup businesses. I doubt if you can call this a startup, but this can help them boost their recognition as we still hold the interest of the general public.” Sean, who now acts as a consultant, was requested by Jiyong to join the meeting.

Mino almost had his mouth hanging after hearing this. He just wanted to piss off the old rat when he suggested that.

“Then I guess we can draft an extended proposal for this and maybe schedule a meeting with them. Can you do it by Wednesday next week?” Jiyong turned to Mino.

“I’ll make it work.” He quickly answered, ignoring the sneer from YHS.

“Well, of course. I’m sure Jiyong would love to be acquainted with his old friends.” The old man can’t stop dissing both the brothers now.

“Would that be all, Uncle Yang?” Jiyong asked, but he never waited for his reply. "Meeting adjourned. Mino, wait for me in my office.”

Mino walked ahead as Jiyong slowed down his steps to meet his unlikely foe.

“Uncle Yang.”

The old man who was just turning the corner looked back.

“I respect you as a sunbae and as a friend to my father, but I will not tolerate being mocked in front of the people who works for ME.”

YHS sneered at his retort and walked on.

“I’ll get you, old man. Just wait.”

********

Mino worked day and night on the extended proposal with the help of Jennie and Jinhwan, one of the marketing officers under the retail business.

He’s been in front of his laptop and making phone calls for the past week. He has been missing his work at the bistro. Luckily, his assistant cook is now getting the hang of his kitchen duties. They were also able to hire another service crew, Chanwoo.

Mino’s meeting at SMI is set at 10AM, and since it’s just a couple of blocks away from the bistro, he decided to drop by.

“Sorry, we don’t serve customers in suits here.” Seunghoon greeted him as soon as he walked inside.

“Shut up. Am I the last customer?” He asked, looking at the table behind the counter.

“She just left. Looks like she’s in a hurry. I think she misses you, though.” Mino tried to slap his friend’s forehead, but he was quick to deflect it.

“Can I order some toast and omelette with coffee, please?” He sat on the nearest chair beside him.

“Kitchen’s closed. We don’t have our chef here.” Yoyo peeked behind the curtain.

He stood up to greet his assistant, but on his way, he met the newest member of the team.

“You must be Chanwoo.”

“Yes, chef.” He smiled back at him.

Mino walked inside the kitchen, as Yoyo started preparing his omelette.

“How’s the kitchen, kid?”

The young assistant looked at him and gave him a high five. “Not the same without you, Chef Song.”

“Sorry I left you like this.” He muttered as he squeezed the kid’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, Chef. As much as I miss having you in the kitchen, I think you look better in a suit than with an apron.”

“You think so?” Mino asked while straightening his tie.

“I definitely think so.” The younger kid answered back as he transfers the omelette on a plate. Mino took the initiative to get his food ready, settling down on his favorite customer’s usual seat.

Chanwoo set a coffee cup beside him and he gave his thanks while stuffing his mouth with food.

“This looks decent.” Seunghoon was just reading the proposal Mino prepared for the joint project.

Mino shook his head. “I gave it my best. Jiyong hyung even stayed at my place last night til dawn to check up on this.”

His friend smiled at him. “This is nice.”

“What do you mean?” Mino squinted his eyes on him.

“You’re reconnecting with your brother. Ah, it warms my heart.” He put his hands over his chest and closed his eyes.

“Shut it.” Mino growled at his friend, but he admits to it. He actually feels better around his brother now. Maybe this is their chance to mend their differences. Well, it’s mostly just him if he’s being honest.

********

“No way.” Joohyun blurted out the words as Taeyeon broke the news about Jennie’s true identity.

Her boss smiled at her reaction, but this meeting is far from over.

“Kwon Jiyong will be in the building to meet with LSM. Turns out, Jennie is actually interested to work with us for YGE’s first digital project. Their proposal included specific names, a request from them, to work on this. You and Wendy Son.”

Joohyun’s mind is racing. This is too much for her.

“I’ll ask my secretary to send you their draft proposal, so you can check it. We will meet them later at 10.”

She went back to her desk looking dumbfo