What is somewhat less the same is the presence of Jaeha's sister, too, standing up from where she'd been sitting on the same sofa Jaeha did last time.

"Kang Jaeha-shi, how good to see you! And this must be Suwan Masaharu-shi? It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Good afternoon, Kang Jaeha-shi, Suwan Masaharu-shi," says Dal-seo, bowing slightly.

"Good afternoon, Nam Hee-seo-nim, Kang Dal-seo," says Jaeha, bowing lower for his mother and not at all for his sister.

Haru can do bowing, though he does it like a Japanese person who had dyspraxia when he learned how. "Nam Hee-seo-nim; Kang Dal-seo-shi, good afternoon." Jaeha said he could omit the honorific for Dal-seo but if anything it feels weirder to be doing it for only one of the strangers in the room. How many times is he going to have to listen to Suwan Masaharu-shi, bleah.

Nam Hee-seo is on her feet and gesturing towards the sofa as she walks there. "Please, sit. Would you like anything to drink? Tea, coffee, juice, water?"

"A triple espresso, no sugar, please," Jaeha says, moving to where he's been instructed to sit.

Haru sits right next to him. "What kinds of juice have you got on hand?"

She looks at her secretary who's still hanging by the door.

"Plum, orange, grape, passion fruit, apple, pineapple, and melon, I believe."

"Ooh, passion fruit, you've tempted me, thanks."

"I'll have some water."

"Tea, please."

"I'll be back momentarily," he says, bowing lower than Jaeha did, and closes the door behind himself.

Hee-seo finally takes her own seat. "Dal-seo will be here just to watch our meeting, since I expect it will be instructional.

"Now, I was pleasantly surprised when you suggested Suwan Masaharu-shi participate, Kang Jaeha-shi."

"Well, this will touch upon his future as well as mine, or at least has a reasonably big chance to. And I think you would like to meet him, too."

"I was surprised too, at least by the prospect of involving myself in capacities other than the parental, but apparently corporate conglomerates are even more nepotistic than I realized. I'm largely content with being an esper who does esper things, but given a lever long enough and a place on which to stand..."

She blinks at him, momentarily stunned by the brazenness, and looks at Jaeha.

Or, well, so he surmises, but since he's scrupulously ethical he's not checking. And, for a change, he's not even tempted to. 

"I think Haru would prove himself a quite capable manager, should the offer ever present itself, and if I am to be Kang Jaehyuk's heir I am most certainly going to want competent managers around me."

"But even regardless of that, if he and I have a future together, he will be a part of Kang Moon-il group, in fact even if not in name."

"And you're quite confident he will be in your future?"

"At least as much as you were in Kang Jaehyuk's, Nam Hee-seo-nim."

Dal-seo inhales sharply and looks at her mother, eyes as big as frying pans.

"Hmm," she says, in a neutral tone. "Indeed."

(Jaeha told Haru yesterday that he and Nam Hee-seo were likely to be talking half in subtext at all times, and they agreed that Jaeha would add subtext translation when necessary. His suggestion of subtitles made Haru laugh, which made Jaeha feel very proud and was a plus to the plan.)

(Here's what they said.)