PHUW 18

Was this a declaration telling Haeri to drop his pride from the start?

But for an orphan with no home to go back to and who might not even have a college diploma on hand, isn’t the price of dignity at an annual 50 million won basically being paid extremely well? Besides, how many companies these days look out for their employees’ dignity when they hire them?

If a stranger put 50,000 won on the line and told you to bark, could you honestly bark? Ahn Haeri would. He might even bark ten times and then grab the guy by the collar and demand 500,000 won. If it’s 50 million won a year with room, board, and medical expenses all covered, he can play the puppy a bit. Just think of it as taking a job at a Small and Medium Enterprises where the boss is a bit of a nutcase.

The one thing that worried Haeri was that he was offering as much as fifty million to someone like him when there weren’t even any real conditions attached. If he’d said twenty million, he’d have believed it. Fifty is too much.

Is he planning to use Haeri for something illegal, or, even if it’s not illegal, something morally sketchy? In construction, he can believe that kind of thing is common.

But does Haeri need that high a salary even if he has to swallow all that? Or, if this is a scam and he won’t actually get all that money, would he still do it?

After a brief think, his conclusion was still yes. In his situation, he should be grateful for even a job like this.

“When should I start? Should I report to your house, boss?”

“So you’re taking the job?”

“For now.”

Jeong Mok held out his hand for a shake. Haeri’s right hand wasn’t at an angle where he could extend it, so he was about to offer his left instead.

Knock, knock.

Perfect timing, someone knocked.

“Hm?”

Just as he was about to shake on it, Jeong Mok turned toward the door. Hey, at least seal the deal before you go. His left hand, raised with effort while ignoring the pain in his back, felt useless.

“Who is it?”

“Hello, we’re from Solsoop Law Firm.”

A young woman had come, saying she was an attorney.

“How did you get here?”

“I got a call from the CEO and came to meet Mr. Jeong Mok. I’m Shin Chaehee.”

The lawyer handed over her card, and Jeong Mok took it and checked it. In that moment, Haeri’s eyes met Attorney Shin Chae-hee’s.

What the?

At first he thought he was seeing things wrong. Haeri tilted his head back, squeezed his eyes shut, and opened them again. No, he’d seen right.

She had her long hair tied back in a single loose ponytail and wore no makeup. To be charitable, it was neat; less charitably, a bit dowdy: a navy pantsuit and thick horn-rimmed glasses even a model student wouldn’t wear. She was obviously not trying to doll herself up, and yet she was so stunningly beautiful his eyes went wide.

What is this? With that face, why didn’t she become a celebrity instead of a lawyer?

Haeri stared blankly, and Shin Chaehee smiled softly. They only exchanged glances for a moment, but she looked like she knew he’d fallen head over heels for her face. Haeri felt stupidly embarrassed and his cheeks burned. A noona that pretty, and she’s a lawyer, on top of that.

“Are you badly hurt?”

Even her voice was gentle and soft.

“Uh… well…”

“The patient needs rest, so let’s talk outside.”

While Haeri was stammering, Jeong Mok cut in. For a guest, his tone and manner were cold. Shin Chaehee gave Haeri a small nod and left with Jeong Mok. Somehow that took the wind out of Haeri.

“We could talk here.”

They’d mentioned a criminal complaint. Haeri suppose they’d come to have a quiet, serious talk. Still, there’s a sofa set right there, no need to go outside, is there? When he’s worked in uncomfortable positions before, what was that all for?

Haeri buried his head back into the pillow and grumbled for no good reason.

Shin Chaehee didn’t stop back by the room and left. Jeong Mok didn’t explain the details of what they’d discussed either. He only said that Shin Chaehee would handle the criminal case related to Kim JeongWook and that she’d also draft and send Haeri’s employment contract.

“Thank you, boss.”

“‘Boss’ sounds too old-fashioned. How about hyung?”

“…”

Since when do job titles have ‘old’ or ‘young’? When Haeri rolled his eyes, the corners of Jeong Mok’s mouth lifted.

“If you don’t like hyung, oppa works too.” (what a woman calls an older man)

“Hyung-nim. I’ll call you hyung-nim.”

As if I’d call you oppa.

“Good.”

“Hyung-nim” is just as old-fashioned and corny as “boss,” but that one he’s fine with.

Was it really a good idea to decide to work under a boss with a streak of crazy? Haeri would like to take time and think it over seriously, but his damned no-answers life didn’t leave room for deliberation.

***

Discharge came quickly. The risk of sepsis was gone, and instead he was told to get complete bed rest at home until the bruising subsided. They also scheduled an outpatient appointment for a head exam.

“I’ll bring the car, so wait here.”

“Okay.”

This time Ahn Haeri did exactly as told and stayed put. Otherwise Jeong Mok looked ready to tie him down somewhere. A moment later, the car he brought wasn’t the dark navy sports car he’d seen before. It was a huge black sedan, the kind politicians or corporate heads ride around in. Obviously one of those cost-a-fortune models.

While Haeri added weight to the rumor that he might be some chaebol chairman’s secret son, Jeong Mok got out of the car and personally opened the passenger door for him. He’d done this before, too. Back then Haeri had just been discharged. He had just been discharged now as well, but, was this necessary? And a CEO for an employee?

“…Thank you.”

It felt unfamiliar, but Haeri gratefully climbed into the passenger seat. His back still hurt, so he couldn’t fasten the seat belt properly; Jeong Mok did it for him. He closed the door too, not with the usual thunk of a strong push most men use, but pressing it shut very gently. Even a new dad driving a newborn wouldn’t be this careful.

So considerate.

When Jeong Mok got into the driver’s seat himself, he was ordinary enough. Maybe the door had some special feature; even when he pulled it hard, it closed smoothly without a big noise or jolt. Guess that’s where the “expensive” shows.

Hand on the wheel, Jeong Mok started the engine, then paused.

“We’re going straight to my place. That okay?”

“Sure. Yeah.”

They hadn’t signed the employment contract yet, but the verbal agreement was done. Even if Haeri didn’t move in today, he had nowhere else to go. He could skip the facility tour at this point.

The car pulled out of the hospital parking lot and cruised along. Since he’d said “home,” Haeri naturally assumed they were heading toward some new-town apartment complex, but the direction was farther out. Instead of turning off onto a side road into the mountains, they went straight, passing here and there a big-box mart, a warehouse-style furniture store, and shops whose wares Haeri couldn’t guess.

A little farther on, huge cafes started appearing on both sides of the two-lane road in turn. Why were there such big, stylish cafes out here? And every cafe lot was jam-packed with cars.

“This area’s a famous cafe strip.”

“I see.”

At the three-way junction at the end of the cafe strip, we stopped at a light. Jeong Mok pointed to the road heading right. It was a secluded way angling toward a nearby mountain.

“That way’s a camping area. The construction site where the accident happened is over there too.”

Haeri looked down the road, then turned to study Jeong Mok again.

“Do you think I came here to camp?”

“That’s what I thought at first. While you were in the hospital, I asked all around the camping area, but no one knew you. Tomorrow I’m thinking of asking around the cafe strip. Most cafes have CCTV, so you might show up on it.”

Turns out that the whole time Haeri was hospitalized, Jeong Mok had been personally searching for anyone who knew him. When Haeri asked why, he glanced over at him as if the question itself were absurd.

“Even when you find a stray dog, you try to find its owner first. Intentional or not, I hurt you, so I figured I should take responsibility and look for your guardian. The police are too busy.”

They didn’t look busy so much as uninterested.

Haeri kept sneaking glances at his profile as he watched the road. Despite the high bridge of his nose, the solid jaw, and the firmly set mouth, what came through was a very human kind of remorse.

Yes, Haeri got hurt because someone threw a tool, but there was no need to worry and feel guilty to this extent. He was at fault too, barging into someone else’s construction site and spooking people.

He covered the hospital bill, talked about some weird “live-in employee” thing, and said he’d take responsibility for Haeri for a while. And when he called out of the blue, Jeong Mok even came to find him.

In the process of rescuing Haeri from that beating, he ended up hitting someone and now faces a criminal complaint. It’s lucky he’s rich, so a lawyer is handling it; anyone else would be in serious trouble.

On the other hand, Haeri can’t help suspecting his motives. Even if it’s just a lure to smooth a settlement, it’s too much. Who pours money, time, and attention into some amnesiac orphan who popped up out of nowhere?

He claims it’s because he’s like a cute puppy and he can’t help fussing. Haeri is not naïve enough to swallow a ridiculous reason like that whole.

Maybe it really is a surge of love for humanity, but he can’t rule out some warped, kinky impulse like Kim Jeongwook’s. Haeri also saw the look in his eyes when he went after Kim Jeongwook. If something went sideways and he snapped, there wouldn’t even be bones left of him.

Is this really okay? Right?

If Haeri had friends or parents, he’d ask them. Sadly, he’s an egg abandoned by the Nakdong River, worse, bobbing in filthy floodwater after a sudden cloudburst.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“Sorry?”

“Why are you staring like that?”

Only when he pointed it out did Haeri realize he’d been staring. He hurriedly faced forward.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“Not really. You’re just… handsome.”

“Ridiculous.”

He scolded Haeri, but he seemed pleased because he was smiling.

A kind smile on a handsome face has a powerful way of wiping out doubts about ulterior motives in a flash.

Well, he’s already in the car. What can he do now?

Honestly, even if he suddenly whipped off a magician’s hat and went, Ta-da–just bluffing! there’s no way to roll this back. Haeri is an orphan from a failed group home. He tried leaning on the state and only got a harsher taste of how brutal life can be. Even if things get more tangled, could it really get worse than this?

Even if it’s a feint angling for a settlement, fine. Even if there’s a dash of perversion mixed in, Haeri can live with that. Every kind of unearned windfall comes with risk. And an all-expenses-paid deal, full treatment costs covered, fifty million a year, plus room and board? That’s worth throwing himself in.