CTL 37

“Ah, right. Let’s go there again. oppa, you still have time, right?”

“Where?”

“To the claw machine arcade!”

“Why are we going there again?”

He had gone to the trouble of winning one for her, yet when he asked why they were going there again, Seoyoung glared at him fiercely. Seohwi, who was being dragged there under her piercing gaze, remembered that there was a doll that looked like Yoongeon there and followed quietly.

It was a short distance from the restaurant to that place. As soon as they arrived, Seohwi watched the three of them run inside with excited faces. When he asked if they could win one in the time they had left, they all looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“We have 30 minutes, don’t we?”

“Is 30 minutes enough?”

“In 30 minutes, we could probably win thirty of them.”

“…”

Looking at his three younger siblings spouting nonsense so casually, Seohwi swallowed his pride and said.

“Alright.”

What was that stupid pride, anyway? He could have just asked them to win one for him, but he couldn’t bring himself to say that one thing. Now that it had come to this, he was thinking of staying put for two or three hours, even after work, and was stepping back when Beomseon sidled up and whispered.

“hyung… There’s something you want to win, isn’t there…?”

“…”

“What is it…?”

He whispered so softly that his words trailed off repeatedly. At Beomseon’s timid question, Seohwi thought for a moment before pointing to the tiger doll that resembled Yoongeon.

“I want to win it myself.”

“Then, umm… should I show you how?”

“…There’s a method to winning that?”

Beomseon nodded and led him to the front of the machine. Without paying any attention to Seoyoung and Baek Cheongha, who were engrossed in winning a dopey-looking water deer doll next to them, Beomseon showed him the position.

“This, this is… umm…. Like this…. You do it like this. This claw is light, so you have to adjust it well to grab the doll.”

“Ah.”

Seohwi felt a strange sense of defeat. The direction Beomseon had shown him and the direction he and Yoongeon had adjusted didn’t seem all that different, but when he did as Beomseon said, the doll was actually lifted.

“I have over a hundred dolls at home…”

He said he already had over a hundred because he won one with every try. Swallowing his pride, Seohwi asked how he could win one in a single attempt, only to get the lame answer, “just because.”

“Just because?”

“Yes…. It’s easy….”

Seohwi, who had never imagined he would feel this kind of defeat in his life, clamped his mouth shut, his pride 괜히 wounded.

“But, hyung. Why are you winning this? You don’t like dolls.”

“Huh? oppa, you won a doll?”

He was staring quietly at the rather fierce-looking doll when Seoyoung and Baek Cheongha, each with a doll in both hands, came over, peeking curiously. Now that he looked, it seemed there was more than one type of water deer doll.

“It’s not a very popular character these days.”

Seoyoung said, pointing to the machine piled high with water deer dolls.

“That one is all the rage these days. If you wanted to win one, you should have gone for that one, oppa.”

Seohwi looked back and forth between the dolls they had won and the one he held in his hand.

“I like this one better.”

He said while looking at the doll that resembled Yoongeon more and more, to which Seoyoung replied, “Really…?” and then promptly lost interest.

“Hmm…”

Just then, Baek Cheongha, who had been looking at the doll Seohwi won from the side, grinned.

“Yeah, well. It suits him.”

“…”

“But I wonder if he’ll like it. He doesn’t seem the type.”

In fact, Seohwi thought the same. Yoongeon and a doll, wasn’t that a terribly ill-fitting combination? But it closely resembled the doll that a young Yoongeon was holding in the photo his mother had shown him before, so he really wanted to give this to him as a gift. Thinking back, hadn’t the young Yoongeon been holding a doll just like this one?

What kind of expression would Yoongeon make when he gave this to him? A smirk unknowingly appeared on Seohwi’s face. His expression looked so much like someone thinking of a loved one that for a moment, Baek Cheongha, Seoyoung, and Beomseon exchanged glances and muttered that it was suspicious.

A little while later, after sending his siblings off and returning to the company, Seohwi saw the empty Executive Director’s office. He had been inwardly flustered, having expected Yoongeon to be there when he arrived, and he looked at his team members.

“Where did the Executive Director go?”

“The Executive Director? He’s out on business.”

“He went out on business during his lunch break?”

“He was called out while working without even eating lunch in the first place, you know.”

Wondering if he had been that busy, he asked, and Assistant Manager Jeong spoke up.

“There are times when the Executive Director seems a bit scary. Because he just works all day long.”

“…”

“Ah, but he hasn’t been doing it as much since Mr. Yoon Seohwi came. Originally, he’d be at the company when we arrived for work, and he’d stay alone at the company when everyone left for the day… One time, I left my phone and came back to the office, you see? It was a Friday, and it was around 12 AM… He was still at the company then. Ah, I really thought he was a ghost that time.”

To be honest, even now, Yoongeon was handling too much work by himself. But to think this was a reduced amount… Seohwi sighed inwardly.

“By the way, are those people treating you well? They’re not picking on our Mr. Yoon Seohwi or anything, are they?”

“Who… Ah. No. Everyone is treating me well.”

“I wonder why they keep calling for Mr. Yoon Seohwi… They don’t usually request employees from other teams this much. I thought it was strange.”

He was saying this was the first time he had experienced such a thing in his company life.

“Well, I guess they’re calling him because there’s a good reason, right? Even though the people on our team often have to work overtime because of those people.”

Assistant Manager Jeong grumbled, saying that the presence or absence of one person makes a big difference.

“Ugh, it feels so unsettling these days. Mr. Yebin isn’t here either… the office feels so empty.”

“When is Mr. Yebin said to be coming back to work?”

“The Executive Director says he’ll be back soon, but… I’m not sure. I’ve tried contacting Mr. Yebin, but he doesn’t give me any clear answers…”

Assistant Manager Jeong pretended to cry, saying it felt very strange not seeing the people he was used to seeing, but at Chief Ha’s nagging to get back to work instead of doing that, he straightened up and began to work.

“…”

Seohwi glanced around the office. Just as Assistant Manager Jeong had said, it felt somewhat empty. He stared at the empty Executive Director’s office for a moment, then turned his head away.

✧ ✧ ✧

“Eat more.”

Just as he was about to finish his dinner, Seohwi, uncharacteristically, raised an objection. Yoongeon looked down at his empty bowl and asked.

“I’ve eaten enough.”

“You didn’t eat lunch either.”

“Does not eating lunch mean you eat more for dinner?”

Yoongeon was the type who would eat his usual amount for the next meal even if he skipped one. He did not particularly like the heavy feeling of being overly full, so he usually stopped eating when he felt his stomach was full.

“This is enough.”

“But…”

It was then, as Seohwi uncharacteristically clung to his words, as if something was bothering him, that Yoongeon’s phone rang.

[Executive Director, good evening. Is this a good time to talk?]

It was a call from Manager Lee, who rarely ever contacted him first. Wondering what it was about, he answered, and the manager offered a brief greeting in a slightly urgent-sounding voice.

“What is it.”

[That, the fighter you sparred with before. The one the Executive Director took a liking to.]

“And?”

[He contacted me saying his younger sibling went into emergency surgery, and asked if he could possibly get an advance on his pay. I’m sorry. I couldn’t handle this at my level, so I called you. The situation seems very bad.]

Since he had never called about such matters before, the manager’s voice was full of apprehension. He was clearly afraid, likely thinking he didn’t know how Yoongeon would react and that the deal could be cut off if things went wrong.

“Let’s process it as a payment, not an advance. Get it ready.”

However, Yoongeon spoke without even asking what was wrong or how much the surgery cost.

[Th-thank you. I’ll get it ready right away. Please give me 40 minutes.]

The call soon ended. As Yoongeon cleared his plate, Seohwi asked what the call was about.

“He asked for an advance because he urgently needs money for surgery.”

“Who?”

“A fighter.”

Yoongeon did not even properly remember the fighter’s name. This was natural for Yoongeon, who never paid much attention to anything unless it concerned Seohwi.

“Who’s having the surgery.”

“He said it was his younger sibling.”

Yoongeon placed the bowl in the sink and drank a glass of water. When he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Seohwi followed him in and stood next to him, brushing his teeth as well.

“…Do it in your bathroom.”

He looked at him with an expression that said he was doing all sorts of strange things, but Seohwi simply brushed his teeth, seemingly unconcerned. Yoongeon, who found it difficult to speak further with a toothbrush in his mouth, soon gave up. Right, had there ever been a time he had won against that guy’s stubbornness?

“What is it?”

A short while later, Yoongeon came out after brushing his teeth and changed into workout clothes. However, when he came out to the living room, Seohwi was also in workout clothes.

“Are you going to work out?”

Yoongeon, who had never seen him work out before, asked, and Seohwi nodded.

“There’s a Hangang Park just a short walk away. We can run there.”

“No, I’m not running.”

Yoongeon, who naturally assumed he would be running since he said he was working out, was about to tell him the location when Seohwi shook his head.

“Then what are you going to do.”

“Sparring.”

“…What are you talking about. Say it so I can understand.”

As always, Seohwi, who never gave a proper, step-by-step answer to anything he was asked, frustrated Yoongeon again with a short reply.

“I’m going to spar with you, Yoongeon.”

“Didn’t you hear me tell them to get a fighter ready?”

“I’ll watch then. Let me know when you’re done. How to spar.”

“…Didn’t you dislike that kind of thing?”

“When I actually tried fighting, it didn’t feel unfamiliar.”

“…”

“Besides, it seems like things like that happen around you often, so it would be good for me to learn too.”

“There’s no need for you to step in.”

“Alright. Then let’s just say it’s to protect my own body.”

The battle of wills began again. When Seohwi said he would fight alongside him, Yoongeon refused, and as if it were a matter of course, Seohwi once again did not listen.

“No, hah…”

His head aching, Yoongeon put a hand to his forehead.

“What is it that you don’t like this time.”

“There’s nothing I don’t like.”

“Just say it. I’ll listen.”

“I have no intention of stopping you from sparring.”

“…”

He said that, but somehow, it didn’t inspire trust. But even if he didn’t trust him, what could he do? He had no history of ever winning against Seohwi’s stubbornness.

“Do whatever you want, fine.”

In the end, it was Yoongeon who gave up.

“Just don’t come climbing into the ring as you please trying to stop the sparring match.”

“I understand.”

Even though he says that, I feel like he’ll step in as he pleases anyway…. Yoongeon looked at him with suspicious eyes, then decided it would be better to show him in person rather than continue like this, and led him down to the basement floor.

“…You have a ring in your house.”

Looking at the large ring that seemed like it could only be seen at a match venue, Seohwi let out a disbelieving scoff. Yoongeon, unconcerned, climbed onto the ring and called Seohwi over. He helped him put on his headgear and gloves and said.

“There are no restrictions on the techniques you can use in sparring, and the match goes on until the opponent is knocked down or calls out their surrender.”

“…”

“I don’t go easy. There are guys who end up being carried to the hospital sometimes.”

He checked Seohwi’s headgear, then tapped his head with his fist.

“Still, we usually agree not to hit each other here, the head, if possible. It’s a hassle to deal with if the opponent gets a concussion. We let it slide because they have their own lives too.”

Naturally, Yoongeon spoke assuming that it would be his opponent, not himself, who would get hurt, but Seohwi, who also didn’t think Yoongeon would lose, didn’t raise any objections.

“Sometimes we wear gloves, and sometimes we don’t.”

Sometimes, he wanted to clash with his opponent freely without such protective gear. But thinking about it after saying it, it seemed there were more days he didn’t wear them than days he did.

“The opposing fighter will arrive soon, so I can’t teach you right now, but keep this on. Start by practicing enduring it even if it’s stifling.”

“I’ve learned boxing too, Yoongeon.”

“I know. Still, do it.”

The Seohwi of today was different from the past. Since he hadn’t fought by clashing with opponents like before, it was obvious he would be unskilled in fighting. Therefore, Yoongeon intended to teach him step by step with the thought of protecting him. He wouldn’t be able to bear it if he seriously injured him, even by mistake.

He was in the middle of telling him again not to take it off even if it was frustrating. The manager brought the opposing fighter and bowed deeply. Yoongeon looked at him and asked nonchalantly.

“The surgery.”

“It finished safely and he just entered the intensive care unit. …Thank you, Executive Director.”

That was the end of the greeting. The opposing fighter, who was used to Yoongeon not asking any more questions, immediately got into a ready stance, and the sparring match began without warning.

The sparring match ended about 40 minutes later. Even after the opposing fighter called out his surrender, Yoongeon couldn’t calm his excitement and threw a couple more punches before finally stopping. He had been so focused throughout the fight that the muscles and veins all over his body were taut, making him look menacing.

“Hoo…”

Yoongeon tilted his head back toward the ceiling, catching his breath, and pointed to a duffel bag in the corner. The manager scrambled over, brought the duffel bag, and placed it in front of the fighter. The man staggered to a sitting position, hugged the bag, and bowed his head.

“Thank you… so much.”

“…”

“I know this is absurd, but still…. If there’s anything I can do, I will risk my life for you, Executive Director, just once.”

At the overly solemn words, Yoongeon looked down at him with a blank expression.

“What’s with all that.”

“If I can just save my brother, I will do anything. Even if you tell me to kill someone… I will do it.”

“…Really?”

Yoongeon’s question was chilling. The fighter swallowed once and nodded.

“Yes. I won’t even say the Executive Director ordered it. I will get it done, even if it means I go to prison alone.”

Looking at the face that seemed to have made a firm resolve, Yoongeon tilted his head as if in thought, then abruptly said this.

“Instead of killing someone, how about getting a job?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying you should completely give up on living as a boxer.”

It was an excessively cold and harsh thing to say to someone who had chosen that path because they loved boxing, even if they couldn’t earn a lot of money. But he knelt and nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

“Yes. I’ll do it.”

“I’ll send you an address, so you can start living at that house tomorrow morning. The person you have to protect is my younger brother, and though you’ll be told you’re working in 3 shifts with the security staff of that house, it probably won’t work out that way. Because I’m going to order you to provide 24-hour security.”

“…”

“When my brother is at work at the company, you’ll have three hours of free time in the morning, so you can visit the hospital then. You are to stick by Yebin’s side for the rest of the time, and it goes without saying, but you report to me, not the old man of that house. Understand? The old man will think you’re filtering things appropriately, so be quick on the uptake.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll pack my things and move immediately.”

The man staggered to his feet and bowed his waist once more.

“Thank you.”

“Any bastard who approaches my brother carelessly, regardless of whether they’re a man or woman, block them all, and if necessary, subdue them with force. I will handle the cleanup.”

After he finished speaking, Yoongeon gestured as if to chase them out, and the fighter and the manager left without another word. He sent the house address to the manager and called his mother to explain the situation, that he had hired a bodyguard. At the news that he had found someone to protect Yebin exclusively, his mother sounded greatly relieved.

“Yes. Take Yebin and go home now. Yes, yes. Right now. He’ll start tomorrow morning. Yes. But Ko Yoonchul isn’t there, so, yes.”

After answering all of his mother’s questions, who seemed worried, Yoongeon ended the call and turned his head. Seohwi, who had been watching him intently all that time, climbed into the ring.

“You didn’t get hurt today.”

“He wasn’t as good as usual.”