BCRD 14

I went outside, secured the door, and went up the half-flight of stairs. My steps were incredibly light. It was always like that when I went to meet Baek Sahyeon. It was not just my footsteps, but my whole body felt unusually light. It was probably because of my desire to get there quickly and the excitement of being able to see him soon.

I climbed the stairs in a single breath and reached the villa’s entrance. I stopped for a moment and checked the state of the sky. It was said to be clear all day, and indeed it was a deep blue without a single cloud. The good weather seemed to add a sense of freshness to my excited mood.

It was when I took a step forward while looking up at the sky.

“Yeon Haejin?”

An unfamiliar call caught my ankle.

I paused and looked toward where the sound came from, and saw men standing by the opposite wall. Among them, a man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth grinned at me. Then he spat the cigarette onto the ground and mumbled to himself.

“It is him. That face.”

They were clearly people I had never seen before… but strangely, I felt a sense of déjà vu. It was probably because of their appearance, which made it obvious what kind of people they were. No matter how I looked at them, they were people of that sort. That is, gangsters, or mobsters.

What was confusing was whether they were people affiliated with Baek Sahyeon. I had seen a few people coming and going from the office, but at least these people were not in my memory.

“…Who are you?”

“Us? We’re errand boys. Let’s go together. Our boss wants to see you.”

“What boss?”

“You’ll know when you get there, won’t you?”

Ah, so they were not Baek Sahyeon’s people.

I could tell instinctively.

Suddenly, his words from two days ago flashed through my mind.

‘Some bastard touched me, trying to take over a construction company. And he did it by mentioning you.’

The warning lights in my head began to flash. My guard also rose quickly. Was there any reason not to classify these people as dangerous?

…No. I do not think so.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go with you. I was taught not to follow strangers.”

I tried to express my intention not to follow them for now. Of course, it was not going to work. The other person immediately retorted, as if mocking me.

“Did I say ‘please come with us~’? I said ‘let’s go together~’. The head of a bastard who goes to a good university is so….”

Tap, tap. The man trailed off his sentence and tapped his temple. He was mocking me, saying I was very stupid. Anyway, to summarize the man’s words, it was this. I did not have the option of not following them.

I quickly rolled my eyes to the side. With the thought of running away if things got hairy. But the man, who noticed this, raised one corner of his mouth crookedly and said threateningly.

“Student, we’re busy people. If you make us waste time with useless things, you’ll be in trouble, okay? Let’s just go. Huh?”

“…….”

“What’s with that expression? I mean, did we say we were going to eat you up or something?”

“…At the very least, it doesn’t seem like you want to see me for a good reason.”

“Ah, you little shit. Look at you talking back. You’re fucking brave. That Director Baek, now I see his taste is quite unique, huh?”

Director Baek. It was clearly a title referring to Baek Sahyeon.

When I flinched and showed a sign of being shaken, the man’s smile deepened.

“Well, whatever. Come along when I’m asking nicely, student. That’s better than being dragged away badly, isn’t it? You can check if it’s a good thing or a bad thing when you get there. Isn’t that right?”

It was infuriating, but he was right. If I was going to go anyway, it was better to follow than to be dragged. It did not seem possible to escape from these men who had already caught on in this narrow alley.

There was no other way. For now, I had to follow them and see.

I deliberately replied calmly.

“Yes. Then I’ll follow you nicely and check.”

But my palm, gripping the strap of my bag, was already full of sweat.

---

Following the men, the place we soon arrived at was a restaurant with a sign written in Italian. Honestly, it was unexpected. It was completely different from the scenery of the destination I had imagined.

I had imagined a place like a container at some port, or an old, shabby factory that had been abandoned for a long time, or a basement warehouse where the phone did not even work well, or something like that, but what was this. A restaurant located right in the bustling streets of Seoul, and in Cheongdam-dong at that….

But it was not just the destination that was off from my expectations.

“Oh, you’re here?”

The identity of the ‘boss’ the men had mentioned was just as unexpected. It was understandable, because I had imagined a man with a stern impression like Hyunki-hyungnim, a man with an appearance that would make anyone think ‘he’s a gangster’… but he was completely different. No, it was not just different, it was the complete opposite. For one, the gender was different.

“Sit there. You haven’t had lunch yet, have you?”

The person who greeted me, sitting alone in the middle of the spacious restaurant, was a woman wearing a white suit jacket over a black t-shirt. The men who had brought me had greeted her respectfully as soon as they saw her, so it was clear that this person was the boss who had called me. But… no matter how I looked at her, she did not look like someone from that line of work. It would be more believable if she were the owner of this restaurant, but a gangster? Even Baek Sahyeon seemed out of place just by his appearance, but the person in front of me was even more so.

“What are you just standing there staring at? Why, are you thinking, ‘who is that woman?'”

“Yes?”

“Why is some ahjumma sitting there? That’s the expression you’re making.”

I felt a little guilty because it was true that I was surprised she was a woman. But I did not think of her as an ahjumma. Well, she definitely looked a bit older than Baek Sahyeon, but…. Huh? Then is she an ahjumma? After all, Baek Sahyeon is a mister. …No, this is not what’s important.

“I didn’t think that way….”

“Really? That’s a relief. Then will you sit down now? Actually, my neck hurts a little.”

It would be awkward to keep standing anyway, so for now, I sat down in the seat opposite her as she told me to.

Snap! As soon as my butt touched the chair, the woman raised one arm and snapped her fingers. The person who responded to the sound that meant a summons was a server who was standing far away. The woman said to the server who approached with quick steps.

“A guest has arrived. Bring out the food.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll prepare it for you right away.”

“Ah, wait. What about wine? Is it okay? You can drink it, right?”

It seemed she had already ordered, but as if it belatedly occurred to her, the woman asked for my opinion. Wine…. I could drink it, but I was not in the mood to, so I shook my head and refused.

“No. I think I’ll be fine with just water.”

“My goodness. What kind of combination is meat with water. Forget it, kid. Since an adult is giving it to you, just think of it as medicine and drink it. Give me the white.”

…I wonder why she asked then.

The server who took the order retreated from the table. In the meantime, the men who had brought me also moved far away to the window side and stood in a line.

By the way, why are there so few people?

Suddenly, the overly quiet interior bothered me, and I looked around. Even if it was an unpopular place, was it possible for there to be so few people during the peak of lunch time? Could it be maintained? It was a scene that made me feel uneasy even though it was someone else’s store.

But as if she had noticed what I was thinking, the woman abruptly told me the reason for the quietness.

“It’s a store run by a younger brother I know, and I borrowed it for a while. To have a comfortable chat with Haejin-student. If there are too many listening ears, there are restrictions on what you can say, you know? I hate that kind of thing.”

Ah, I see. A store run by a younger brother she knows… that’s one thing. Haejin-student? She knew my name correctly even though I had not told her yet? This meant she had done a background check on me. Well, she had even sent people to my house. If she knew where I lived, it was perhaps natural that she knew my name.

The woman smiled brightly at me, who was displeased. And then she added in a cheerful voice.

“But our Haejin-student is much better in person than in the photo. Ooh, handsome and pretty, you’ve got it all. I like you so much.”

Putting aside how she had seen my photo, for now, it seemed like a compliment. So, I expressed my gratitude, albeit reluctantly.

“Ah, yes. Thank… you.”

“Right? You’re thankful, right? Then will you switch from Director Baek to me?”

I knew it was a joke because of her playful tone, but I did not know how to react and just blinked my eyes. Then the woman burst out laughing. She looked just like a childish adult who enjoyed teasing a child.

Anyway, the Director Baek the woman just mentioned was clearly Baek Sahyeon. And she had probably mentioned him on purpose. With this, it became clear that the reason I was semi-forcibly taken here was because of Baek Sahyeon. The problem was whether the intention was good or bad…. As of yet, I could not tell which it was.

“I’m sorry, but may I ask why you wanted to see me?”

Following my principle that it is best to ask what you do not know, I asked straightforwardly. To my question, the woman placed both her arms on the table, clasped her hands, rested her chin on them, and gave an answer.

“Of course you can ask. But, haven’t you already noticed?”

“Mister… no, up to the point that it’s because of Director Baek-nim.”

“Yes, that’s right. I called you because of our Director Baek, who caused a big accident the other day.”

An accident?

…Ah, was she perhaps talking about what happened at the drinking party two days ago? My gut pointed in that direction for now.

“I’m curious, you know. Our Director Baek, who had been playing the role of a monk for a long time, suddenly acted like a madman, and it was because of some blood clot he was supporting and pouring his efforts into, huh? How could I not be interested?”

It was just as I had guessed. The violence he had committed at the drinking party was the reason the woman had called me. But from what I had heard, the person who was assaulted by Baek Sahyeon that day was a man. And the woman in front of me looked perfectly fine, without a single injury. But why? Was she perhaps close to the man who was hurt by him? Was she trying to use me for revenge or something?

The unclear intention gave birth to a plausible guess. That guess hardened the guard that had momentarily softened. I sharpened my gaze toward the woman.

As if she noticed me raising my guard, the woman frowned, stuck out her lips, and clicked her tongue like she was soothing a child.

“Oong, why are you suddenly so scared. Don’t be like that. This auntie may not know much, but she would never touch a blood clot. Especially Director Baek’s? Oof, then I can’t touch it even more. I heard my chin would be ground off if I got caught. No. Was it the cock, not the chin? I’m suddenly confused. Hey, Cheolwoo-ya!”

Suddenly, the woman turned toward the window and called someone. The person who answered the call was one of the men who had brought me. The man, who was standing with his hands behind his back, took a step forward and answered “Yes!”, and the woman threw a question.

“Jongsu, where did he get wrecked?”

“Both his chin and his genitals, ma’am. His chin can recover, but I heard his genitals cannot be restored.”

“Did you hear? That’s what they say. Oh my goodness. How can Director Baek be so cruel. Right?”

The woman cupped her cheeks with both hands and made a frightened expression. Honestly, it was a little… funny. Her over-the-top tone and exaggerated expression felt like watching a stage actor with bad acting.

It was then. The server approached the table, pushing a cart with food.

“The food is here.”

The round table was quickly filled with food. Salad, soup, pre-dinner bread, cheese, and even steak…. It was full of dishes that I would not buy with my own money for now.

After pouring the wine, the server retreated, and the woman extended her hand to me and offered the food.

“Eat up. You’ll be in trouble if you leave any.”

Honestly, I did not think I could eat. Not because of the menu, but because of the person I was eating with. But it was not an atmosphere where I could refuse, and it did not seem like she would harm me for now, so I had no choice but to pick up a fork.

“Thank you. I will eat well.”

For a while, the meal took place in silence. The food was as delicious as it looked. But still, it did not digest well. Rather, it felt like everything I ate was getting stuck inside.

By the way, steak….

Suddenly, a laugh escaped through my teeth. The current situation, where I was eating steak, which I had never eaten with Baek Sahyeon who seemed to suit a restaurant well, with a person I had just met, somehow felt absurd. Moreover, now that I thought about it, even though I was the one who said it, the expression itself was a little funny.

But at that time, he really looked like that. It was as if he felt like a person in another world. Perhaps the restaurant and the steak were a kind of metaphor. A condensation of my feelings for him, who had felt farther, bigger, and more difficult than he did now.

“What are you thinking about that makes you laugh like that?”

The woman’s voice cut into my consciousness, which was reminiscing about the past, like an uninvited guest. I quickly came to my senses and looked at the woman. A smile that was hard to read was on the lips of the woman who was looking at me while twirling a wine glass.

As our eyes met, the woman, as if she had been waiting, hit the nail on the head.

“Are you perhaps thinking of Director Baek?”

I was so accurately pierced that I just opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish.

“It must be true. To the point where you think of him and laugh in the middle of a meal…. You two must be very close. Right?”

“No, that’s, I….”

This time, I managed to get my voice out. But somehow, my appearance seemed more ridiculous than before. A goldfish would have been better; now I felt like a fool who could not even speak properly.

“So I’m asking, Haejin-student, what exactly is your relationship with Director Baek?”

It was a question in a more direct form than the previous one. This time too, I could not give a clear answer.

“Huh? What’s your relationship?”

“…….”

At the continued questioning, my mouth closed instead. I remained silent. To be precise, it was closer to giving up on answering. It was not that I did not want to say it. It was because I did not know what to say. What could I possibly define my relationship with him as, when he was not family, not even a friend, and not yet a lover?

The woman looked at me intently, who was not answering. Fortunately, she did not seem to be displeased with my silence, as if she knew I was not ignoring her.

It was when the woman’s lips were about to move, showing a sign that she was going to say something to me. A dull noise caught my ear. It was a sound that resembled thunder. As if I was not the only one who heard it, the woman also stopped trying to speak, narrowed her eyes, and tilted her head.

The woman, who showed a sign of concentrating on the noise for a moment, soon raised the corners of her mouth and muttered.

“As expected, you’ve come.”

Who?

Wondering, I unconsciously turned my head toward where the sound was coming from. Just then, the store door opened and men in suits flooded inside. Only then did I realize what the thunder-like sound I had heard earlier was. It was the sound of their footsteps.

“This is perfect. I can just hear about your relationship from that side.”

From the woman’s words, I could vaguely guess the identity of the men. And not long after, Baek Sahyeon came inside. Not betraying my expectations.

“Oh!”

My mouth fell open in surprise and delight. As if he had heard my voice, Baek Sahyeon’s gaze immediately turned to me.

He walked toward me with long strides, his gaze fixed on me. The men who had come in with him also walked in step, surrounding him as if to protect him. My body automatically flinched at the force, as if a pack of black beasts were rushing in all at once.

His strides were long, so he quickly approached and stopped next to me. Then, he said to the woman.

“Your way of inviting is quite rude, Ms. Gwon.”

Anyone could tell it was a provocation. Nevertheless, the woman smiled brightly and offered Baek Sahyeon a seat.

“Welcome, Director Baek. Shall we sit down and talk for now?”

“Is there a reason for me to sit down?”

“There is. If we talk like this, my neck will get stiff. It’s only natural for someone who is tall and much younger to be considerate, isn’t it?”

“If you wanted to be treated with consideration, you shouldn’t have gotten on my nerves with this kind of stunt, shouldn’t you?”

“Oh my. What have I done to make you so prickly already? Don’t you see? I’m feeding Director Baek’s kid right now. With my own money. Is this something to be criticized for?”

“In my standards, it’s an act that corresponds to kidnapping, so it is something that can be criticized.”

“Ooh, your standards are so strict. But this is not a kidnapping, it’s an invitation, you know? Right, Haejin-student. Did I drag you here? No, I didn’t.”

There was a coercion that was not quite coercion, but it was true that I was not dragged here. I did walk here on my own two feet. So when I nodded reluctantly, the woman pointed at me with her finger and shrugged, as if to say, ‘see?’.

Haah. He tilted his head back and let out a sigh into the air. That sigh, full of annoyance, felt like a criticism directed at me, and my blood ran cold.

“Sit down. Huh? Let’s sit, Director Baek. You know. I have no intention of fighting with you at all. Honestly, I’m very disappointed right now? Weren’t we quite a close pair? Who was it that helped Director Baek, who suddenly rolled in after pulling out the old stone, to take root here? It was me. But you’re giving me the cold shoulder like this? Do you know what they call this? It’s called ingratitude. Ingratitude.”

I could feel a formidable experience from the woman, who was not pushed back in a battle of wills with Baek Sahyeon, but instead played it cool and acted relaxed. It was not an experience formed only by her innate personality or energy. The fact that Baek Sahyeon consistently used honorifics, and the nuance that she had helped him get settled…. These were clues that showed that, regardless of rank, the woman’s career in that field was superior to Baek Sahyeon’s. I even thought that the woman’s age might be much older than I had expected.

Soon, Baek Sahyeon sat down in the seat next to me. He placed one arm on the table as if resting it.

My gaze naturally went to his hand. It was definitely the one he had injured two days ago. But there was no bandage. It was a bare hand. It was not a wound that would have healed in that time….

While I was distracted by his hand, Baek Sahyeon began to speak.

“Let’s get straight to the point without beating around the bush. What is this situation?”

The woman answered leisurely while cutting her meat with a knife.

“What do you mean. I was just trying to check something.”

“Check what?”

“A check on what kind of value that blood clot has to Director Baek?”

After finishing her words, the woman put the cut meat in her mouth and grinned at me. I felt somewhat burdened and unconsciously glanced at Baek Sahyeon. But he did not even glance my way. He was only looking at the woman.

“Is it really necessary to check in this way?”

At first glance, his tone seemed calm, but to my ears, it was very emotional.

The woman only responded after chewing and swallowing the meat with wine.

“There is. Look. You, who acted like a stone statue no matter how many times I poked you to have a meal together, came running like this, dropping everything.”

Ha, he let out a sound that could have been a laugh or a sigh.

“By the way, seeing our handsome Director Baek’s face is so nice. And that blood clot too, my eyes are really feasting today, aren’t they? It’s even a little touching, you know? As you know, the kids under me are so…. The kids are nice, but they’re not much to look at.”

If nothing else, those words seemed to be sincere. The expression she made as she glanced at the window side seemed to be… a little….

“Oh, did you finish your talk with CEO Jang? What did Haejun-i say? He said you did well, right?”

CEO Jang? Haejun-i?

Both the title and the name were very unfamiliar. I did not know who they were, but judging from the title of CEO, it seemed they were higher in rank than Baek Sahyeon and that woman.

“You should ask him yourself. You two must be close.”

“Close? He’s so prickly. Honestly, he’s not my type. My type is Director Baek.”

No, but why has that person been saying things that bother me since a while ago? Calling him ‘my dear’, or ‘my type’, or ‘I like him’…. It did not seem like they had a personal relationship, but it was still grating to hear.

…Am I perhaps the jealous type?

“That’s why I support Director Baek as an executive.”

Was it just my imagination? The woman’s tone seemed to have changed a little suddenly. It felt like the playfulness was gone. Her expression was the same. She was still smiling, but there was a sharpness that was not there before.

“You probably already know, but I’ll tell you properly. Our Jaeil kids are on Director Baek’s side. Not to mention CEO Jang, who has been leaning toward Director Baek for a long time.”

“I believe I have already told you that I am not interested. Clearly.”

“Oh my. If you weren’t interested, shouldn’t you have stayed quiet until the end? But you caused trouble. I’m talking about Jongsu. You really trampled on him, didn’t you?”

“I just disciplined a bastard who was being presumptuous and arrogant, it has no meaning beyond that.”

“Right, right. He has been too arrogant lately. So you did well. Bravo.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap. The woman put down her utensils and clapped her hands finely. It did not seem to mean pure praise, but it did not seem to be sarcastic either.

“But, Director Baek. I’m sure you know what it means to have messed with the Kangho line in the current situation. What you did? From their perspective, it’s no different from being declared war, a challenge to go head to head for real. The switch has been flipped.”

“……”

He, who had been retorting without hesitation, fell silent for the first time. It seemed less like he was not refuting her and more like he was unable to. In other words, it was tantamount to acknowledging the woman’s words.

At Mr. Baek Sahyeon’s silence, which implied his agreement, the woman’s smile deepened.

“Director Baek. The thing you touched, that’s a beehive. You poke a beehive carelessly? You get into trouble. Real, proper trouble. To put it bluntly, what are you going to do with that little brat? Even I caught him this easily, so what about Executive Director Seok? You think that son of a bitch will just stand by? When a subordinate he openly cherished was treated like that?”

The muscle under his eye twitched. It was a reaction that signified agitation.

“So what should you do? Huh? Wouldn’t it be better to burn it down and get rid of it completely before trouble starts?”

“……”

“That’s what we want. I’m guessing CEO Jang probably said something similar, am I wrong?”

Pfft. He, who had just been listening, suddenly let out a scornful laugh and tilted his head to the side. Then, he let flow a voice as cold as ice.

“People here and there sure take their time telling me to be their hitman.”

“What can we do? CEO Jang says he’s going to back Director Baek, so we have to follow along. Whether you like it or not, the stage is set and you’ve already entered, so isn’t it time for you to run? That’s why I’m saying, let’s get this straight right here and now.”

Suddenly, the woman pointed at me with her chin. A question followed the blatant gesture.

“What are you going to do with that little brat?”

Flinch, my hand resting on my knee trembled.

“The man who acted like everything was a bother bares his teeth just because I made a show of touching the kid, and he rushes over without a second thought even though he knows I brought him. But you’re not keeping him by your side? Why is it so ambiguous?”

“……”

Mr. Baek Sahyeon’s response to the woman’s指摘 was a cold silence. His expression, colder and more subdued than I had ever seen before, clearly showed his displeasure. Nevertheless, the woman paid it no mind.

“You know better than I do, but in this business, ambiguity is a weakness. The more weaknesses you have, the more dangerous it is, and danger invites defeat.”

“……”

“Whether that young thing becomes a weakness or your Achilles’ heel is up to Director Baek. You know what I mean, right?”

Afterward, a chilling silence descended.

Mr. Baek Sahyeon and the woman fixed gazes as sharp as blades on each other, and the people around us, including me, contributed to the silence, not daring to intervene.

An amount of time that was impossible to gauge as either long or short had passed.

Finally, he opened his mouth.

“Hyunki-ya.”

Tap, the sound of footsteps was heard. At the familiar name, my head turned back on its own. Only then did the figure of Hyunki hyungnim, who had been invisible to me earlier, come into view.

“Yes, haengnim.”

Hyunki hyungnim, having been called, answered in a sharp, disciplined voice. Perhaps that was why. Even though it was a familiar voice, it sounded exceptionally strange today. His expression was the same. He was so expressionless that he seemed like a different person.

“Take the kid home.”

He commanded.

“Yes.”

Hyunki hyungnim, having received the order, immediately came to my side.

“Let’s go. Get up.”

I couldn’t get up readily and looked at Mr. Baek Sahyeon. However, he still did not spare me a single glance. I couldn’t tell if he was deliberately ignoring me or if he didn’t even have the leeway to look at me.

It was a shame, but for now, it seemed right to follow Hyunki hyungnim out. To be honest, I also wanted to quickly escape this uncomfortable situation.

“Well then… I’ll be going.”

First, I bowed my head to the woman. She didn’t seem to have any intention of holding me back, as the woman smiled and waved her hand at me. I stretched the corners of my lips and responded with a listless smile.

Next, I spoke to him.

“I’ll be going, Mister. ……I’ll see you next time.”

He gave no reply.

---

“Did I make a mistake?”

It was on the way back home in Hyunki hyungnim’s car.

I cautiously spoke up after a long time of observing hyungnim, who was unusually quiet today. Thankfully, hyungnim did not ignore me and answered with a sigh-laced voice.

“A mistake, what mistake. You were dragged there against your will, weren’t you.”

“It’s similar. I did try to resist, saying I wouldn’t follow, but it didn’t work….”

“Is that so. You did well. If they come lookin’ for you again, just tell ’em ‘get lost, you motherfuckers’ and cuss ’em out. They still can’t touch you. ……Well, we should make it so they don’t come lookin’ for you in the first place, but still.”

Tsk, the sound of him clicking his tongue was added at the end. No matter how I looked at it, his expression was troubled, making my heart heavy as well.

“It’s true that Mister is in a difficult situation because of me, right?”

Judging from what I heard at the restaurant earlier, Mr. Baek Sahyeon’s act of violence against the man who had provoked him using me a few days ago seemed to have become the starting point for some problem within the organization. Even if it wasn’t my mistake, circumstantially, it seemed correct that Mr. Baek Sahyeon had gotten into trouble because of me.

Even hyungnim seemed to find this hard to deny, smacking his lips with a jjyeop.

“Well, it has gotten a bit troublesome.”

My heart went cold. It was due to the self-blame that stemmed from the fact that I had caused harm to the person I liked, even if it wasn’t my intention.

Perhaps he sensed my mood. Hyunki hyungnim quickly added a word of comfort.

“Hey! Why the long face like you’ve committed a crime! It’s not your fault. To be honest, haengnim couldn’t hold back his temper, so the timing just got moved up. Even if it wasn’t you, it was something that would have blown up someday. It was already festering to the point of rotting, and he just went and poked it with a needle.”

“But….”

“Ah, for goodness’ sake! Enough with the ‘buts,’ just stop worrying about it now. It’s somethin’ for haengnim to handle.”

It was impossible. How could I stop caring when I knew that a person who made a living from illegality and violence had a problem, and that it was because of me? What’s more, I had even witnessed his injured hand just two days ago. I would never be able to stop caring until he told me with a perfectly fine face that everything was taken care of. I was certain that starting tonight, I wouldn’t even be able to sleep, worrying about what might happen to Mr. Baek Sahyeon.

“Mister, it’s not dangerous, is it?”

“Good heavens, dangerous, my foot! We’re just lancing a big boil. Does lancing it mean, what, that the body’s gonna be crippled or somethin’? That’s enough! Haengnim just acts all calm, so it doesn’t look like it, but he’s a pro, a pro! I’d rather say this is a good thing.”

It didn’t seem like he was just forcing out words simply to appease me. It appeared that hyungnim was genuinely pleased with this situation.

“Anyway, it’ll take a little time, but it’ll all get sorted out. Until then, you don’t think about anything else and just study quietly. Fulfill the duty of a student. Got it?”

“……Yes.”

“And don’t come to the office for a while.”

“Yes. ……What?”

I answered absentmindedly, then was startled. Not to come to the office……. For me, that was the most important and only enjoyable thing. But he was telling me not to do it. On top of that, with a vague deadline of ‘for a while.’ It was truly like a bolt from the blue.

“But, why…….”

“Why do you think. It’s because it’s dangerous, of course.”

“But…… do I really have to?”

“Hamo. You really have to.”

Hyunki hyungnim’s intention was firm. It was clear that even if I said I didn’t want to, it wouldn’t make a lick of difference. On the contrary, he might even smack me on the back of the head, telling me to get a grip. His tone was that resolute.

But in truth, I couldn’t just stubbornly insist that I didn’t want to. It was because, for now, there was nothing I could do for Mr. Baek Sahyeon. It was also true that it was dangerous, just as Hyunki hyungnim said……. The only thing that I, who was just an ordinary person, could do right now was to wait quietly while doing what I had to do. Even though I knew that, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated and annoyed.

“Haaah…….”

Hyunki hyungnim, who heard my sigh, clicked his tongue again. However, he didn’t add any more words. He probably knew that no matter what he said, he wouldn’t be able to lift my mood.

Soon, a familiar landscape appeared outside the car window. He could have just dropped me off at the entrance of the neighborhood, but hyungnim insisted on navigating the narrow alley and took me all the way to my front door.

“Go on in. Got it? I told you clearly to stay quiet for a while.”

Hyungnim warned me one more time. Out of a sense of pointless rebellion, I didn’t give any reply. At that, he urged my compliance by saying “Tsk!” as if to scold me. I had no choice but to nod my head and answer.

“Yes.”

After getting out of the car and seeing Hyunki hyungnim off, I stood outside for a long time, unable to enter the house. Haaah! A deep sigh burst out unexpectedly. I looked up at the sky and muttered.

“Just how long is ‘for a while’ anyway…….”

It’s frustrating.

Just a while ago, when I was leaving the house, I was just happy at the thought of being able to see him, I was so excited…… but now I was just frustrated.

There were so many things I wanted to do today. To make the excuses I couldn’t bring myself to say because I couldn’t wake the sleeping him, to check on his wound, to have dinner together, to gain one more experience……. This was my plan. But I couldn’t achieve any of it. Instead, I was just forced into an indefinite wait. I did at least get to see his face, but it wasn’t enough to quench my accumulated thirst.

Suddenly, a hollow laugh escaped.

“It’s not easy…….”

I thought that once I became old enough to have a drink, everything would work out.

I thought that if I approached him diligently, I would be accepted by him.

I believed that if I showed him my heart, he would respond in kind.

And so, I thought we would always be together.

But the path to him is farther than I thought. I thought it was level ground, but it seems to be an uphill road, and I thought it was a well-paved road, but it seems to be a bumpy dirt path.

Of course, even so, I had no intention of stopping. If the road is long and arduous, I can just take my time. Because as long as I eventually arrive, even if slowly, that’s all that matters.

“Right. That’s all that matters, what of it.”

‘For a while’ didn’t mean ‘forever.’ He didn’t tell me to get lost, he just told me to be quiet, didn’t he. He even said it was a measure for my own safety. So it wasn’t something to be upset about.

Thinking like that, my heart felt a lot lighter.

But, as might be expected, I couldn’t fall asleep that night after all. Tossing and turning from the worry of ‘what if’ and the expectation of ‘what if.’

💳

One day, two days, three days…… and a week.

Again, one day, two days, three days, four days…… and two weeks.

After that, two Wednesdays passed. As of today, the fifteenth day, no word has come. Not from Hyunki hyungnim, nor from him.

I was enduring and waiting, thinking it was probably because the problem hadn’t been resolved yet, but as the days went by, the weight of the stuffiness settled in my chest inevitably grew heavier. If he was just busy with work, I would have been disappointed but would have accepted it. However, since it was clear that he was going through difficulties because of a problem I was entangled in, I couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye to it. I grew more worried, became anxious at every free moment, and felt troubled all day. Because of that, if I had nothing to do, I would just hold my phone and stare at the screen. At night, I even had trouble sleeping due to all kinds of negative imaginings.

As might be expected, my collapsed daily life and unstable mind had a negative impact on my work as well.

“Mr. Haejin, are you not going to get your act together? What do you mean making something different from the order! Don’t you know all these ingredients cost money? Should I deduct it from Mr. Haejin’s salary?”

It was the first mistake I had made. The feedback that followed was incredibly sharp. Only after repeatedly bowing my head and apologizing, saying I was sorry and that I would treat the wrongly made item as my own purchase, could I escape the manager’s piercing gaze. The sandwich I made wrong while distracted by my phone ended up becoming my dinner.

After closing up and leaving the store, I finally called Hyunki hyungnim on my way home. What came back at the end of the long ringing tone was an automated message saying the call could not be connected. I considered calling again, but since hyungnim had never ignored my calls before, I gave up, thinking he would check later and call me back.

However, even by the time I got home, washed up, and lay down…… no, even until past 3 a.m. when my eyes closed from exhaustion, no call came.

And again, one day, two days, three days, four days……. Time passed endlessly, and along with it, the indefinite wait stretched on.

💳

It had been a month. There was still no news I was waiting for. There was also no contact.

How can there be no word at all?

He should know that I’m waiting?

They say no news is good news, but it didn’t feel that way to me. Rather, it was just interpreted as bad news itself. It was one thing for Mr. Baek Sahyeon, but it was strange that there was no news even from Hyunki hyungnim, who had never ignored my calls.

Could he be hurt?

The ever-deepening stuffiness soon gave birth to an ominous assumption. Honestly, it was a high-probability event. There was no way violence wouldn’t be involved in a problem that occurred in that world. In the first place, the starting point of the problem was his violent response to the opponent’s provocation using me, wasn’t it? They said violence begets greater violence. A group conflict that started with an individual’s violence. This must be the reality of the big boil Hyunki hyungnim mentioned.

The ominous assumption that sprouted in my heart stimulated my imagination. The image of him collapsed and covered in blood or lying unconscious in a hospital bed kept popping into my mind. The wound on his hand I had witnessed a month ago added credibility to the imagination.

My patience finally reached its limit. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I called again. All day, whenever I had a chance, I kept calling not just Hyunki hyungnim but also Mr. Baek Sahyeon. But neither of them answered. The only thing that came back from dozens of attempts was the automated message that the call could not be answered.

The call I tried as soon as I finished my part-time job and came out was no exception.

“Ah, really……!”

A surge of irritation stabbed at my mind. The anxiety, which had already reached a dangerous level, seemed to deepen even further.

Just in case, I stood still and waited for a call. Should I say as expected? No matter how long I waited, the phone remained silent. At this point, I was confused. Whether the continued silence was intentional or unintentional. It would be better if he was intentionally ignoring me even though he could answer the calls. As long as it wasn’t a situation where he was unable to check his phone and thus couldn’t be reached. The problem was that I couldn’t rule out the latter possibility.

Eventually, I started biting my nails. Even though I instinctively knew that no call would come no matter how much longer I waited, I couldn’t give up and just stared at my phone. In the midst of that, a thought suddenly occurred to me. That instead of doing this, I should just go and check on him myself.

I immediately checked the time. 11:37 PM. It wasn’t a time when the office would have its lights on. Well, it wasn’t an ordinary office, but still.

Should I just go, just in case?

……But Hyunki hyungnim’s instruction not to come to the office held me back. This was also an assumption, but I also had a thought that perhaps my periodic visits to the office were what made me stand out to the people who were in conflict with Mr. Baek Sahyeon. If that was true, then going to the office at this point, not knowing whether the matter was resolved or not, was definitely a dangerous thing to do.

Then where should I go?

Where do I have to go to see Mr. Baek Sahyeon?

I have a destination in mind, but I don’t know the actual destination. I had no idea where I had to go.

The growing anxiety soon gave birth to impatience. My legs were trembling. It was hard to stand still, but I couldn’t move because I couldn’t even get my bearings, so I was trembling.

What should I do?

Where should I go?

What should I do?

What can I do?

I didn’t give up and kept asking myself questions. They say that as long as you don’t give up, a way will eventually appear. One of the persistent questions floating in my mind finally found an answer and brought it to the surface.

“Ah, that’s right!”

The house.

His house, which I had been to only once.

I hailed a taxi without a second thought. I would have walked if I had to, I never take taxis because they’re expensive, but I had no choice. The apartment where he lived was a bit far from the subway station on the map, and it would take an hour by public transportation.

I know it’s too late to visit someone else’s house. I know that ringing the bell at this hour is in itself a breach of etiquette. But because of the growing anxiety and the increasingly brutal imaginings, I couldn’t help it. If I went home like this, I would surely fail to sleep again today and would spend the night with my eyes open, clutching my phone.

Since it was late at night, the roads were clear, so it didn’t take long to reach the destination. While I was paying by card, the taxi driver looked up at the tall apartment building beyond the car window and joked that I must live in an expensive place. It felt awkward to reply that it wasn’t where I lived, so I just smiled awkwardly.

I got out at the entrance and walked into the complex. Although it was an apartment building, it had a structure somewhat like a hotel, so there was only one building, and I reached it right away without getting lost. However, there was one hurdle. The entrance was blocked. It was a system where the door would only open after entering a security code.

I had no choice but to try calling, so I was looking closely at the keypad. Suddenly, the door opened and a person wearing a helmet came out from inside. It was timing that perfectly fit the expression ‘just in time.’

I thanked the person who opened the door for me in my head and quickly went inside.

The lobby desk was empty. The memory of the security guard’s suspicious expression when I ran into him on my way out of here last time came to mind, making me feel guilty for no reason. In case I ran into him, I headed towards the elevator as if running. Fortunately, one of the elevators was stopped on the 1st floor, so I was able to get on quickly.

The elevator went straight up without stopping. When the number on the display, which started from 1, passed 38, my ears felt a little stuffy. It was something I had vaguely felt when I first came, but it was really too high. I thought the rooftop apartment I used to live in was quite high, but this place was incomparable to that.

When it reached the 45th floor, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. I cautiously took a step outside. It seemed like no one was around, but perhaps because it was late, I felt self-conscious for no reason.

After passing through the long hallway, I finally reached the entrance of the house where he lived. I was about to press the bell without thinking, but then I thought ‘oops’ and took out my phone again to check the time. 12:10 AM. It was past midnight.

“Ah, is it too late.”

Having come all this way, I hesitated. Even though I knew it was not polite, I had just come here for my own peace of mind……. For whatever reason, I couldn’t deny that it was a selfish act, so I was a bit reluctant to actually press the bell.

But I didn’t want to go back just like this. Since I had made up my mind to come, wouldn’t it be better to just cause a little trouble once? At the very least, I wanted to check on Mr. Baek Sahyeon’s current condition. Whether he was okay, if he was hurt anywhere, if he was even alive…….

“Hoo…….”

After a short hesitation, I took a deep breath and finally pressed the bell. Click, a sound indicating it had been pressed properly was heard. Then, a sound came from inside. It was very faint, but it sounded like a doorbell.

I leaned down and pressed my ear to the door to listen for any signs of life. But after the doorbell sound stopped, it was just quiet. Not only did the door not open, but I couldn’t even hear the sound of someone asking ‘who is it’ through the intercom.

I was flustered. Why is there no sound? Don’t tell me he’s not home? Why would he not be home at this hour…… well, he could be. Not everyone is at home at this hour. For people in that line of business, it was even more likely.

Still, I couldn’t be sure. There was also the possibility that he didn’t hear the doorbell. For reasons like he was taking a shower, or he was sound asleep……. Or, he could be unconscious.

The ominous guess suddenly scared me.

It was a thought I wouldn’t have had for an ordinary person. It was an imagination that wouldn’t have felt so real if I hadn’t witnessed his injured hand.

I reached out my hand to press the bell one more time. But then, thud! The door suddenly moved with a heavy sound.

“……!”

Startled by the surprise presence, I unknowingly took a step back. Soon, the door was pushed outward. My heart was already pounding wildly even before I could identify the person who came out from inside.

The person who revealed himself through the slowly opening door was, as one might expect, him. Mr. Baek Sahyeon, standing there uninjured and perfectly fine. Our Mister, whom I had wanted to see so much.

Ha! As soon as I saw him, a sigh of relief burst out. The dense anxiety also evaporated in an instant.

“Ah, hello!”