Enrique stepped out of the elevator, still absorbed in thoughts about his conversation with Mr. Kim. The veiled threat from the man still echoed in his mind, and he was determined to find a way to rid himself of Mr. Kim's influence. However, he decided to postpone any action for now, choosing instead to observe the man's steps and wait for the right moment to act.
Upon exiting the elevator, Enrique headed to the gym, where he had scheduled a training session. As he entered the space, he was greeted by the sound of weights and heavy breaths. His eyes scanned the area, searching for a familiar face, when he noticed a young blonde woman pointing at him and speaking loudly.
"Look, it's the business guy!" the young woman exclaimed, drawing the attention of other gym-goers.
Enrique was perplexed, not understanding what the young woman meant by that phrase. He didn't know her, and he had no idea why she recognized him that way. A sense of discomfort washed over him, and he quickly moved away, heading to his trainer to start the session.
Enrique whispered to himself, "Every crazy person here..." and began focusing on his training. However, the blonde woman seemed unwilling to leave him alone. She approached him, smiling provocatively.
"Hey, aren't you the business guy?" she asked, her voice loud enough to be heard over the noise in the gym.
Enrique stopped training and looked at the young woman, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice firm but curious.
"The café, earlier today," the young woman replied. "I was there with my friends, Ji-Hyun and her brothers. And I saw you talking to Mr. Kim."
Enrique frowned, suspicious. "And what do you want to know about my conversation with Mr. Kim?" he asked, his voice now a bit firmer.
"I just wanted to know what you were discussing," the young woman answered, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Ji-Hyun seemed really interested in your conversation."
Enrique hesitated for a moment before replying. "It's nothing important," he said, trying to downplay the situation. "Just a business deal I'm working on."
The young woman smiled again. "I don't believe you," she said, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "But I won't insist. By the way, my name is Sophia."
"I'm Enrique," he said, extending his hand for a handshake.
Sophia shook his hand, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Enrique."
Enrique smiled back. "The pleasure is mine. And you said your name is Sophia...?"
Sophia nodded. "Yes, that's it."
Enrique raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem Korean," he said, curious.
Sophia laughed. "I'm not. I'm Russian, but I've been living here in Seoul for a few years."
Enrique nodded, intrigued. "What do you do here?" he asked.
Sophia smiled mysteriously. "I do many things, Enrique. But I can tell you that I'm very interested in you and what you do."
Enrique frowned, suspicious. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice a bit firmer now.
Sophia laughed again. "I mean that you seem like a very interesting man, Enrique. And I'd like to know more about you."
Enrique looked at Sophia coldly, his expression impassive. "I'm not in the mood to talk," he said, his voice firm and direct.
Sophia huffed, her face flushed with irritation. "Fine," she said, turning to leave.
But before she could walk away, Ji-Hyun arrived with her older brother, Sung-Min. They approached Sophia, who was still visibly upset.
Ji-Hyun noticed Enrique training nearby, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Enrique?" she said, her voice loud enough to be heard above the noise in the gym.
Sung-Min also noticed Enrique, and his face darkened with suspicion. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice firm.
Enrique stopped training and looked at Ji-Hyun and Sung-Min, his expression neutral. "I'm just training," he said, his voice calm.
Ji-Hyun looked at Sophia, still standing next to her, and then back at Enrique. "What's going on here?" she asked, her voice slightly tense.
Sophia smiled mysteriously. "Nothing, Ji-Hyun. I was just talking to Enrique here."
Enrique felt uncomfortable with the situation and stood up, distancing himself from Ji-Hyun, Sung-Min, and Sophia. Sung-Min tried to follow him, calling out.
"Enrique, wait!" Sung-Min said, his voice firm. "Leave my family alone, okay? And stay out of the market business. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."
Enrique stopped and turned to Sung-Min, a defiant expression on his face. "What do you mean by 'you don't know what you're getting into'?" he asked, his voice low and threatening.
But before Sung-Min could respond, Enrique interrupted, his voice rising in tone. "Fuck it!" he said, turning and walking away.
"Sorry, God," he murmured to himself as he walked away. "I couldn't hold back."
Enrique left the gym, still laughing to himself after the exchange with Sung-Min. He wasn't in the mood to train there anymore and decided to look for another place to work out.
After finding a new place, Enrique put on his headphones and began training, focused on his workout routine. The loud music and sweat dripping down his face helped him concentrate and forget about the earlier confrontation.
As he trained, Enrique began to reflect on the situation. He knew that Sung-Min and Ji-Hyun were trying to protect their interests, but Enrique wasn't willing to back down. He was determined to find out what was going on and figure out a way to get out of the situation.
Enrique began to think about possible allies who could help him understand the situation better. He knew he needed to be careful, as he didn't know who was on his side and who was against him. But he was determined to find answers and fight for his rights.
Enrique finished his workout and returned home, tired but satisfied with the exercise. Upon entering the building, he headed for the elevator, preparing to go up to his apartment.
However, as he entered the elevator, he was met with an unpleasant surprise. Ji-Hyun, Sung-Min, Mr. Kim, and his wife were all there, looking at him with various expressions.
Mrs. Kim, however, didn't seem aware of the tension between the others and smiled at Enrique. "Hello, sir...?" she said, extending her hand.
"Enrique," he replied, shaking her hand.
"And where are you from, Enrique?" Mrs. Kim asked, curious. "You don't seem Korean."
Enrique smiled, appreciating Mrs. Kim's kindness. "I'm from Brazil," he said. "I just arrived in Seoul not long ago."
Mrs. Kim nodded, interested. "Ah, welcome to our country! Are you enjoying Seoul so far?"
Enrique hesitated for a moment, looking at the others, who were silent. But then he smiled again at Mrs. Kim. "Yes, I'm really enjoying it. The city is very different from what I'm used to, but it's very interesting."
Enrique smiled again at Mrs. Kim, but then made a comment that seemed innocent, but had an ironic tone. "Yes, the Korean people are very... hospitable," he said, looking at the others in the elevator.
Mrs. Kim didn't notice the ironic tone, but the others did. Mr. Kim frowned, his face reddened with irritation. Ji-Hyun and Sung-Min also looked at Enrique with suspicion.
Mr. Kim approached Enrique, his voice low and threatening. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.
Enrique smiled again, but this time with a challenging tone. "Nothing, just that the Korean people are very... interesting," he said.
Mr. Kim became even more irritated. "Are you referring to us?" he asked, his voice louder now.
Enrique nodded, his gaze challenging. "Yes, I'm referring to you. You're very... curious."
The elevator stopped on Enrique's floor, and he exited, leaving the others behind. But before he left, he looked at Mr. Kim and said, "See you later, Mr. Kim. I hope we can talk again soon."
Mr. Kim became even more irritated, his face flushed with anger. "You'll pay for that," he said, his voice low and threatening.
Enrique entered his house, closing the door behind him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself after the confrontation with Mr. Kim.
He went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of water. As he drank, he thought about what had happened in the elevator. He knew he had provoked Mr. Kim, but he didn't regret it.
Meanwhile, next door, the Kim family was discussing what had happened in the elevator.
"What just happened?" Mrs. Kim asked, her voice worried.
Ji-Hyun explained to her mother about the rivalry between Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee. "Dad and Mr. Lee are business rivals," she said. "And now Mr. Lee has teamed up with Mr. Enrique, which is making Dad very upset."
Mrs. Kim seemed concerned. "This is not good," she said. "The rivalry between your dad and Mr. Lee is bad enough. Now, with Mr. Enrique involved, things could get even more complicated."
Mrs. Kim continued to express her surprise. "But Enrique seems so young... how could he already be working at that level?"
Before anyone could respond, there was a knock at the door. Mr. Kim got up to answer. "Let's find out now," he said, opening the door.
It was a worker from Mr. Kim, who was quickly pulled inside the house. Mr. Kim closed the door and sat down, with the whole Kim family watching the worker.
"What did you find out?" Mr. Kim asked, anxious.
The worker began to speak, with a serious expression. "Enrique is the son of a man who was considered a criminal in Brazil. His mother was very young and poor, and both of them died a long time ago. Enrique has no family."
The Kim family listened intently, eager to learn more.
"I gathered information about him," the worker continued. "Records, files, everything. And what I found out is that Enrique is an honest person, with no crimes or legal issues. He started his career as an affiliate in Brazil, then invested in an online store that became physical and is now the largest in Latin America."
Mrs. Kim's eyes widened in surprise.
"Also," the worker continued, "Enrique is also a model and was considered the most handsome young man in Latin America. He is a great fighter, skilled in 9 martial arts and at all high levels. He has over 37 technical course certificates and is considered the smartest man in South America."
The Kim family fell silent, impressed with the information.
"This is incredible," said Mrs. Kim, finally. "We didn't know Enrique was so... talented."
Mr. Kim frowned, thinking. "This changes everything," he said. "We need to reassess our strategy."
Mrs. Kim looked at the worker with curiosity. "How old is he?" she asked.
The worker quickly answered. "Only 20 years old, Mrs. Kim."
Mrs. Kim looked at Mr. Kim with a serious expression. "We're not going to fight against him," she said.
Mr. Kim was confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Mrs. Kim explained her position. "Enrique must have suffered a lot to be where he is now. He has no family, nothing. And now, he's built a life for himself. I won't support you in destroying what he's worked hard to build."
Mr. Kim frowned, dissatisfied. "But he's a threat to our business," he said.
Mrs. Kim shook her head. "No, he's not a threat. He's just a young man trying to do his best for himself. And I won't let you destroy him."
She turned to her children. "And I want all of you to treat him well. He's a guest in our house, and we will treat him with respect."
Ji-Hyun and Sung-Min looked at their mother, surprised, but agreed to treat him well. Mr. Kim, however, still seemed displeased.
In the middle of the night, Enrique was sleeping deeply, but his sleep was interrupted by a terrible nightmare. He heard an agonizing cry, followed by sounds of banging, each one making the cry grow more intense.
Enrique woke up startled, his heart pounding in his chest. He put his hand to his head as if trying to push away the pain he was feeling.
"Mom..." he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.
Enrique sat on the bed, breathing deeply, trying to calm down. He looked around the room, trying to remember where he was and what had happened.
But the nightmare was still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling of pain and sadness he had felt.
Enrique got out of bed and went to the window, looking outside into the dark, silent night. He felt a tear roll down his face, and he let it fall, not trying to wipe it away.
At that moment, Enrique realized that despite having built a successful life and achieved his goals, he still carried the pain and sadness of his past.
But he also realized that this pain and sadness were a part of him, and he didn't have to be ashamed of them.
Enrique took a deep breath, feeling a sense of peace and acceptance. He knew he would still face challenges and obstacles, but he was ready to face them, knowing he was strong enough to overcome them.
And with this sense of peace and acceptance, Enrique lay back down on the bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep, knowing that tomorrow would be a new day, full of possibilities and opportunities.