Again

Chapter 11 - I'd Still Say Yes

It was one of the few times that the gentlemen would meet. The arrangement for their children was the idea of their fathers and this meeting was more to seal the deal, again at the behest of their fathers.

At a quiet corner in the small restaurant at a quiet street in Seoul, Yoon Keun-Suk and Lee Kang-Joon paid their respects to one another before they sat. 

"Mr. Yoon, thank you for meeting me," Lee Kang-Joon started. "As you know, it is our fathers wish that my son, Jeong Hyeok, would marry your daughter, Se-Ri."

"It seems like the children are getting along so that might happen," Yoon Keun-Suk added.

"Yes, and because of that, we thought we should help out. This is an investment," Lee Kang-Joon handed over a check, written on it was a significant amount that surprised Yoon Keun-Suk.

"Se-Ri does not come with a price," Yoon Keun-Suk said.

"I know. Like I said, this is an investment not a hand out," Lee Kang Joon told him.

"That means we have to repay and I do not know if I can repay this much. This is a small business, Mr. Lee," Se-Ri's father said.

Lee Kang Joon nodded. "Understood. Let's draw the terms of agreement then."

On the other side of town, at Se-Ri's apartment, Se-Ri was frowning and going over her notes once again. Her initial plan for the night was to find out more about Jeong Hyeok's world because that's what couples did, right? He went out of his way to hear about how they commercials or movies are done and she decided to ask about financial markets.

What she didn't count on was that the conversation would turn so serious that she ended up getting papers to write on because Jeong Hyeok insisted that she needs to seriously consider investing her money properly. "Keeping it in savings in a reputable bank is good, but at some point you have to consider investing."

"Like in the stock market?"

That launched the conversation they were having now. He told her about the stock market, then the bond market, other classes of financial instruments. He also started discussing real estate which piqued her interest. 

Her head eventually started to hurt from all the information that she was absorbing, but the more Jeong Hyeok spoke, she couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face. "You're really good at this. And I never realized how passionate someone could be about these things."

Jeong Hyeok pressed the back of his ear, a habit of his when he gets shy. "Thank you. I like the challenge of being in this industry. Do you find it useful though? I don't mean to impose. It's just that I've read a lot of people in the entertainment industry who did not invest well and ended up broke later on in life and I don't wish that on you."

"Thank you. Yes, it's important information. I promise to make an appointment with the bank and get a financial advisor," Se-Ri told him. "Just to wrap this up, I need to look at the risks of each instrument, right?"

"Yes. The higher the risk, the higher the return. However, don't always go for a high risk just for that. Make sure it's something you're comfortable with in case the markets go bad and you lose the money," he cautioned.

Se-Ri slowly nodded. "Just like in acting. I can take a role that's controversial, high risk, and it could go either way. I could get awards and praises or I could get criticisms for a terrible performance."

Jeong Hyeok smiled indulgently. "Yes, but remember it can be split in the middle, too. You get the rewards but you also get criticisms."

"That is true."