Intrigue And Deceit In Korea

At some point during my childhood in 1990s New York, I became obsessed with all things Korean. It started with my best friend from school who was a Korean immigrant. I loved the food, the back and forth of the language, and of course the music and dramas. Before too long I was begging my parents to get me a tutor to learn the language and hanging out as much as I could with my friend's family and the wider Korean community. Given I was only 12 at this point, it didn't take me long to become conversational in the language. The advantage of Korean is the script is easily learned and phonetic, there are no Chinese characters. The only real hurdle is the different levels of formality, when to use them, and all the special vocabulary and conjugations.

Fast forward to my senior year in high school, I only wanted one thing, to go to college in Korea. Now I knew, I could never would pass the national entrance exams to one of the Korean "Ivy" leagues, often called SKY, for the first letter of the institution: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. But I also knew that my Korean was strong enough to study in the language, and I wanted to do a business degree so I learned all the terminology correctly and would be fluent in the world of commerce. Lucky for me, I got into Hanyang University, a private university that was considered just below the SKY level.

They say Korean students study hard, and that is true but mostly to get into university. I didn't have the same level of burn-out as my classmates and still had the energy to dedicate myself to my studies. That's not to say I didn't make friends. As the "strange" foreigner who spoke excellent Korean lots of people wanted to get to know me and my story. The good news was as I was at a private university, I was surrounded by the elite of Korean society, particularly the children of chaebol families. I was strategic in getting to know and ingratiate myself with the more connected among my class. My goal was to get into the higher levels of management at a Korean firm, and I made sure to get internships through my friends into the very top firms.

When the time came for graduation, I had my pick of companies to choose from. I decided that the way I would learn fastest was as part of a team of internal consultants tasked with problem-solving and improving the performance of key business units, as well as, engaging in M&A activity. Fast forward, ten years and I was heading the unit, making a name for myself in the Korean business world. I'd even been featured in a number of profiles in business magazines. I always made sure to nurture my relationships from college, and go back to reunion events, and back-scratch my friends by throwing business opportunities their way.

It was at this point that I started to hit the glass ceiling of the company I was working in. It was a combination of factors but, in particular, not being ethnically Korean and not having the right chaebol family pedigree. Neither of which I could solve for. I had, however, decided to naturalize as a Korean citizen which is surprisingly easy if you speak the language well, have lived a while in Korea, and have a good job. This meant I had to do my military service. I chose the Marines, which had the dual advantage of having the shortest conscription period (18 months) and was highly respected.

Of course, the drill sergeants didn't go easy on me. But that was fine. I anticipated the hazing and had got myself into excellent shape, which along with my imposing size at 6'2 and stocky build meant I could take just about anything shit thrown my way. I wouldn't say it was easy, but I came out with numerous commendations.

My old company was keen to get me back, but I wasn't keen on returning knowing the limitations involved. So, I started my job hunt and reached out to several headhunters who worked in my field. I made it clear that my conditions were: significant equity participation, a path to senior leadership, and a decent salary. And this is where my strange story begins.

I had managed to narrow down the list to three companies. Two were in decent shape financially but were on the smaller side. The last one was in trouble financially but on the larger side. I honestly didn't know which to pick. I decided that I would interview with all of them and make my choice down the line after I had more insight into their business models and top management teams.

At the same time as the job search, I was making up for lost time for being a Marine grunt, catching up with friends, and going out to clubs. What I didn't know was I was being stalked through social media. It wasn't as if I had a heavy social media presence, just LinkedIn for business, X for staying on top of breaking news, and Instagram because it is the largest platform in Korea, not that I posted much at all. But it doesn't matter if you post, because everyone else around you in Korea is taking pictures and inevitably your life is shared far and wide.

So, one night I was out at my favorite club with a bunch of my elite chaebol friends, spending money probably a bit more freely than I should have, when I was approached on the dancefloor by a gorgeous, young-looking, Korean girl. She wasn't dressing like a skank like so many club-hopping girls do in Korea. Instead, she looked quite classy. I knew she wasn't underage because the ID requirements to get into a club are very strict in Korea and you have to be 19 years or older. She told me her name was, Iseul, meaning dew, a quite unusual mono-syllabic name and not traditional at all.

After a little light dancing where I made pains to be gentlemanly and maintain an appropriate spacing, I invited her back to sit with my friends at the VIP table. She quickly made friends with everyone and seemed quite at ease which made me think she was also the daughter of privilege. Still, no one knew her around the table. As is always the case at social gatherings in Korea, the drinking can get out of hand and be quite competitive. Because I am large and not missing the gene needed to digest alcohol, I have quite the advantage in that kind of setting. It didn't take long for my Korean friends to drop like flies and beg off to go home. That left me with Iseul who was completely out of it. The protocol in these situations is to look for a bestie on their cell phone history and/or their address on their ID. But try as I might, I couldn't find either on her. That left me with the choice of dumping her somewhere or taking her home with me.

Ever the knight in shining armor, I decided to take her home to my apartment which luckily enough was just around the corner. So, I picked up her small frame and piggybacked her to my place, and dumped her in the guest room after putting a blanket over her. Next, I drank a lot of water, took a shower before bed, something I had learned to do in Korea, slipped into my PJs, and went to sleep. I thought I was having a drunken dream, as my cock freed itself from my PJs, strong and hard, and a wet pussy slid over it to the hilt and then went slowly up and down. It took me at least a minute to reach full consciousness and then I found it was Iseul completely nude riding me cowgirl. She was simply beautiful, eyes closed, focusing on giving and getting pleasure, her moderately large breast gently bouncing up and down. It didn't take me long to erupt a pent-up gusher of cum up her love tunnel. With that, she came herself in strangled gasps and then slid off me to nestle against my shoulder and fall asleep.

There was no consent, no condom, and I had no idea whether she was clean or protected. These were problems to solve for another time. It wasn't as if I could take back my cum or not have ridden her pussy. I fell asleep as well. The next morning, I woke to find Iseul still folded under my arm sleeping peacefully, naked as the day she was born. I couldn't resist having a look at her under the sheets. She had a nice B+ sized chest, a slim long torso, wider hips, well-trimmed pussy hair, and long legs. She wasn't anemic and skinny nor muscular and stocky -- the typical issues with Korean women. Physically she was perfect. Her face was oval, with a narrow nose, nice even features, full lips, and surrounded by a mane of blue-black silky hair.

I decided that I'd make use of my morning wood and wake her up in the same way she had woken me the night before. I detached myself. Then I started gently playing with her clitoris and vagina. Then I brushed her nipples. She let out a sweet soft moan but didn't wake up. When she was sufficiently wet, I lined up my cock with her entrance and slowly entered. Her eyes swiveled open, to take in the surroundings and my face, at first, she had a surprised look on her face and then it changed to a smile as she grabbed my ass and started moving with me. It wasn't long until we both came in a symphony of erotic grunts and groans.

We cuddled some more making goofy faces at each other, and then I got up to make breakfast while Iseul went to the bathroom to freshen up. I had brought along her bag from the club, so I knew she had a change of clothing with her. As I was making an egg omelet, Korean-style, Iseul came up behind me, and put her arms around me, and sighed contentedly. I had a hundred questions to ask her. But in the end decided that we should focus on eating first. Once breakfast was over, I asked her where her ID and phone were, which she simply presented from a hidden compartment in her bag. I could see Iseul Lee was 19 years old and lived in Gangnam like me. Then I rather indelicately asked if she was clean and had any protection to which she replied yes and yes. That took a load off my mind.

It turned out that Iseul had just graduated from high school and had been accepted into one of the prestigious SKY universities. She was enjoying her summer of freedom while her mother was away on holiday and her older sister was studying abroad. Her father had died when she was a young child. We had a week before her mother returned. I made the best of it taking her out to good restaurants, going on a two-day trip to a hot spring, and filling her with so much cum I imagined she might explode!

Eventually, the psuedo-honeymoon had to end, and with her mother coming home I bade her farewell for the moment while we tried to figure out a way to see each other in the future. I kept up with my job search, and eventually interviewed with each company. The last interview was with Minjeong Lee, the female CEO of the larger struggling firm. Her terms were more generous than the competition but getting equity of a failing company doesn't mean much. She also promised me a more significant title and promised that I would be promoted as a business unit head, should I be able to turn the company around. She gave me a warts-and-all look at the company, taking me to meet senior managers, visit factories, and review internal performance data. I was sorely tempted but the situation was a bit of a mess: stagnant product lines, inefficient production, poor marketing, and financing issues.

After several days of meetings, CEO Lee invited me back to the headquarters and her office for the final sales pitch. I was not inclined to take the job given the alternatives but wanted to be polite given the time and effort she had made during what was clearly a trying time for her company. This time around she invited me to sit in a little meeting area along the side of her desk. As she summarized her offer, which by now I had committed to memory, I took a moment to scan the photographs behind her on several shelves. There were ground-breaking ceremonies, meetings with senior political and business leaders, and several photos of a graduating high schooler. It was then that I did a double take and probably went quite pale. The high school graduate, and no doubt, CEO Lee's younger daughter, was Iseul.

How had this happened? Was it a coincidence? Thinking back on that night it was clear that Iseul approached me. She was smart enough to know the company wasn't doing well. She probably had access to the candidates that were interviewing for the turn-around job. She may have known from her mother who were the best ones and what hope the company had of landing them. It was only a short hop across Instagram to find out which club I frequented before she could find me.

I thought back to our first night nearly a month ago and how Iseul had jumped me. Somewhere in the back of my mind a memory surfaced. The first time Iseul has mounted me. An anguished moan. A cold wet feeling of lubricant. Iseul had been a virgin. She was clean, but she had probably been lying about being on protection. Koreans are pretty good about using condoms and staying away from the pill, especially with one-night stands. My attention shifted back to CEO Lee and her sales pitch. My response was non-committal. I said I couldn't accept right way as I needed to do some more due diligence. This was completely true. I needed to see if the business was salvageable by talking with my contacts in the industry and collecting on some of the favors I had made along the way. But more importantly, I needed to check with Iseul what the hell the situation was with the two of us.

So, I called Iseul and told her we had to meet ASAP. I could sense a tinge of fear in her voice. We agreed to meet that evening. Iseul was going to get her friend to cover for her, pretending to be at a sleep-over. I made a simple pasta dinner and waited. Iseul rang the doorbell, and I let her in. She took off her overcoat and I could see she was wearing the cutest little black dress that showed off her assets. We ate dinner in a subdued mood while I plied Iseul with glasses of red wine which she downed quickly. Finally, with enough liquid courage in her, she started talking. She asked me if "I knew". I said, yes, I knew she was the daughter of CEO Lee. Then she started babbling and crying, confessing everything I had suspected.

She had known the precarious situation of the family business. She did know who the turn-around candidates were. She did know that her mother favored me. She had stalked me at the club. She had essentially raped me in the middle of the night and then the shocker came at the end. Not only was she not on the pill, but that week she had been ovulating. She confirmed she was pregnant with our child. With that she went silent, no doubt expecting a torrent of verbal abuse, or maybe a physical beating as is all too common in Korean society. My mind went blank except for trying to calculate the permutations and combinations of what this meant for my life. How would CEO Lee take this? Would I ever get another job in Korea? What exactly were my feelings towards Iseul? Would she keep the baby? What would this mean for her college offer?

I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I walked around the table and put my arms around Iseul telling her she mustn't be scared that we would work this out. I noticeable shudder and release of pent-up breath followed as Iseul processed my mood and words. Then I told her to have a shower, get into her PJs, and join me in bed. The smile on her face could have lit up the Seoul Tower. Iseul had a surprise of her own up her sleeve. Coming out of the bathroom I saw a breathtaking sight -- a goddess encased in the sexiest silk see-though teddy giving tantalizing glimpses of firm breasts, wide hips, and trimmed pussy hair.

I held Iseul in my arms and placed her on her back on the bed. I looked into her eyes and made sure to reassure her. Then I slowly kissed her entire body, sucking on her lips, her neck, her nipples, her stomach, the inside of her thighs, and finally her pussy. Being so inexperienced with sex, she moaned and gasped and started leaking copious amounts of pussy juice. I pulled down my PJ bottoms and fed my engorged cock into her eager and wet hole. Her eyes opened and looked up at me in a defenseless and submissive way. I started slowly at first, and then faster to pound her pussy until I couldn't hold out any longer and let out an anguished cry as I came deeply in her pussy and claimed her as mine. We both fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, I told Iseul it was her decision to keep, or not keep, the baby but that I would support her either way. She said she loved me and wanted to keep the baby. Then we discussed how we would break the news to her mother and my prospective employer. We decided honest was the best approach. Iseul called a family meeting in her household. She pre-briefed her older sister who was back from studying abroad -- so that she would have someone to protect her if her mother went crazy. Her sibling couldn't believe her perfect, straight-laced, A-student, never-did-anything-wrong-in-her-life-sister, had got in this situation. Iseul sat in front of her mother and confessed the whole sordid tale from finding out about me, to our first encounter, to her pregnancy. Then she bowed and held her head down not knowing what her mother would do. The plan was that if, and hopefully when, CEO Lee was receptive I would be invited in to help craft a solution.

Iseul's mother just sat there, her face red, her eyes downturned, with a defeated look. She didn't have the heart to thrash her child. She knew in her heart of hearts that Iseul was only trying to protect her family in the way she thought best. She commanded Iseul to lift up her head and then laid down the law: you will have this baby, you will get married to this man, you will delay your college entry by a year, and you will go to college. To which Iseul meekly agreed.

It was a very different Mrs. Lee I met in her home the next day. She was first and foremost a mother. She apologized for her daughter's behavior. Then she asked me what I wanted to do as a next step. I told her that I wanted to take responsibility for the baby and marry Iseul. Mrs. Lee appeared much relieved. Then she asked what I wanted to do about the job offer to which I replied that since I was joining the family the only right and proper thing for me to do was to protect the family business and do my best to turn it around. We agreed the terms of the employment deal and I accepted.

Our shotgun wedding was a surprise to one and all, but they were happy for us. The birth of our daughter seven months later confirmed everyone's suspicions! I was a devoted father and husband. CEO Lee made Iseul go on birth control right after she had the baby so there were no more "accidents" as she said. Iseul went to college a year late, but wearing a wedding band. Our baby daughter, Seo-yun, had a full-time nanny, and between halmeoni (grandma) and papa we had most of the bases covered.

I made the most of my expertise and connections to turn around the business. Within two years the company equity was worth eight times as much as before. My equity plan gave me a 5% position in the company. But secretly I had leveraged my existing wealth to buy more stock at its lowest point and now held a combined position of 15%. This was not an insignificant amount considering the entire Lee family only owned 40% of the equity, with 51% of the voting rights. I had also anticipated new laws curtailing the power of super-voting stock that allow minority shareholders outsized control. When a Korean chaebol came hunting to take over the company there was much consternation in the extended Lee family. It was then that I came clean that my equity position in the company was not 5% as everyone thought but 15%, and that with the 40% the family already owned we could see off the raiders.

It was probably at that point that the wider Lee family finally accepted me into the fold and recognized that I had saved the company not once, but twice. With CEO Lee's blessing they held a ceremony that formally accepted me into the family clan and I changed my last name to Lee. In a roundabout and somewhat incredible way, my goal as a child had finally come true.