IOB Ch 22

“I didn’t expect you to contact me. It was quite unexpected.”

Choi Jaeyoung. Age 45. Yisak’s older hyung. The new powerhouse of Jaeyoo Group. A major overhaul of the management team under the banner of innovation. His intention to strike down people on his father Choi Byunggwan’s side is blatant, causing internal conflict within the company.

I looked at the man in front of me and recited the information I had on him in my head. With a little searching on the internet, it was easy to find basic information about who Choi Jaeyoung was. Even private stories such as his marriage and childbirth were on display.

He is the type of person the teacher hated the most. The teacher said to be wary of those who try to make themselves known to the secular world.

Do not be persuaded by the words they whisper to attract the attention of others. We must be separate. To shed the human shell and escape the realm of desire, we must be separate. We must not mix. Follow the words of the heavenly one. Conform to the teachings of the Great Brahma King. You must not believe the words of the deluded. Among them, demons are hiding…

It had been a long time since I left that place, but I could recite it as if I had heard it yesterday. Even though I had not paid much attention to it. The power of language seemed to be great. The people of Sudowon were immediately fascinated by the words, and their thought processes gradually changed accordingly. Doubt disappeared and only fanaticism remained.

The reason I alone was particularly indifferent among them was that I focused more on the sound or the pitch of the voice at the time of utterance rather than the content of the words. It was always the sound, not the meaning, that was important. While listening to the teacher’s words, I would play by superimposing melodies on top of that voice and editing it in my head.

But today, for the first time in a long time, the teacher’s language came to mind, and a related question followed. Is Choi Jaeyoung truly the demon the teacher spoke of?

Whether he was a demon or not did not really matter to me. But if he made Yisak suffer, then that would be a problem.

Whenever Yisak talked on the phone with Choi Jaeyoung, his complexion darkened. From what I could gather, it seemed he was taking care of Choi Byunggwan at Choi Jaeyoung’s request. Yisak hates his father. To be asked to take care of someone he hates. It was a malicious request.

Choi Jaeyoung stared at me and said.

“I am curious how you got my number.”

“I saw it on the director’s cell phone.”

“Secretly? Didn’t Yisak say he doesn’t know you’re meeting me today?”

I silently received Choi Jaeyoung’s gaze without answering. It is true that while Yisak was sleeping, I held his finger to unlock his cell phone with his fingerprint and searched through his contacts.

It was not the first time, anyway. I would often go through Yisak’s message box like that and obtain useful information. Though Yisak seemed to have no idea. He is a surprisingly careless and cute person.

Well, it was something I did secretly without Yisak’s consent, so it probably was not an ethically correct action. But it was for Yisak. I did it because I love Yisak. I wanted to be of help to Yisak.

To do that, I needed to find out more about Yisak’s surroundings. Choi Geonyeong, whom I met last time, was a very annoying and foolish person, but it did not seem like he would harm Yisak. What about Choi Jaeyoung? Why is Yisak so intimidated by Choi Jaeyoung?

Recently, I discovered a very bothersome content in the messages the two had exchanged.

[Choi Jaeyoung: Don’t make excuses about being busy and come right away when I call. Stop dawdling with your lover.]

In context, ‘lover’ was an expression referring to me. Up to this point, my heart was full and I was so happy.

[Choi Jaeyoung: If you want to keep that lover of yours in one piece, just do what you’re told properly.]

From this point on, an unpleasant premonition washed over me.

Choi Jaeyoung said with a nasty smile.

“Yisak went through a lot because of you. And he still is. He might faint if he finds out that the person in question walked right up to me on his own two feet.”

No matter how I look at him, for a brother, he does not resemble Yisak at all. His voice sounds like a gloomy wave.

“I know. The director is overexerting himself because of me.”

“You’re not completely clueless, are you.”

I already know that Yisak had been doing a background check on me separately to protect me. He is a truly transparent person, more so than he thinks. Every time I told him bits of my past stories, Yisak would be shocked and angry, and seemed to be steeling his resolve by himself, saying he would never let me get involved with them again.

A while ago, Yisak installed a location tracking app on my cell phone. The number of CCTVs in the house increased, and someone always followed me whenever I went outside, even for a moment. Today, I had a little trouble shaking off the security to get here.

Yisak wanted to show me off to the world, to boast about me to everyone, yet he also wanted to lock me away where no one could see me. I preferred the latter. I would be very happy to live locked up in Yisak’s house. No, if I had my way, I would be on the verge of asking him to do so.

Because the moments of monopolizing Yisak’s worry and attention were ecstatic. I have thought many times that I wish Choi Yisak was the only audience in my life.

But I do not like it when Yisak hurts himself in the name of protecting me. I want him not to be in pain. When I am covered in these feelings and my heart aches, I am once again certain that this is truly love.

Tap, tap. At that moment, Choi Jaeyoung tapped the table, bringing me back to my senses. It seems I was lost in thought about Yisak for a moment, spacing out.

“Mr. Woo Seonrim, I am busy. I don’t have much time to spare for you. Just tell me the reason you were so bold as to contact me first.”

I stared at Choi Jaeyoung for a moment and then said, as if muttering.

“I was just… curious. About what kind of person you are.”

It seems there are too many demons around Yisak that need to be eliminated. My poor lover. The only way is for me to raise my guard even tighter and protect him.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“Are you angry?”

Choi Jaeyoung’s face hardened coldly, and he shot up from his seat. His intention to intimidate me and break my spirit was blatant. I quickly stood up from my seat and snatched his arm.

“What the?”

Choi Jaeyoung scowled and glared at me. As if having his arm grabbed was some terrible insult. He immediately tried to swat my hand away, but I did not back down, tightening my grip. Choi Jaeyoung’s eyebrow twitched.

“What do you think you’re doing now.”

Under my palm, I could feel Choi Jaeyoung’s arm muscles tensing up. The human body is a strange thing. No matter how hard you try to hide your emotions, the body honestly reveals itself.

“Fuck, you’re so skinny, what kind of strength…”

“Sit down and let’s talk more.”

“……”

“I didn’t come here to fight with you, Mr. Choi Jaeyoung.”

“Which bastard does this asshole think he is laying his hands on.”

Choi Jaeyoung’s voice and tone, which had been feigning a refined manner of speaking, became rough. I stared into Choi Jaeyoung’s eyes and tried to calm him down calmly.

“Let’s have a conversation together.”

“What?”

I had no intention of fighting with Choi Jaeyoung today. It was an appointment made really to observe what kind of person he was.

“Ha, that Choi Yisak bastard is caught up with a real crazy one.”

Choi Jaeyoung, though at a loss for what to do with his displeasure, eventually sat back down in his seat. I obediently let go of his arm.

It is a relief that the commotion did not get bigger. Everything is about timing. If I had my way, I would have killed Choi Jaeyoung and Choi Byunggwan right away, but I have recently become aware that committing such an act out of the blue in modern South Korean society can be quite tiresome. As much as possible, it had to be left as a last resort.

This place is different from Sudowon. You should not kill someone just because you do not like them. Of course, I would not mind killing one person and going into hiding in the mountains. Being imprisoned in a jail would not be bad either. Anywhere would be better than that place.

But Yisak is different from me. He, surprisingly, quite dislikes seeing others get hurt because of him, is timid, and is a weak human who cannot live without money. I did not want to rashly get him involved in something that is a headache and complicated.

Besides, Yisak needed soft blankets, food made with fresh ingredients, and a home with proper heating and cooling. He needs to continue to be protected within the various safety nets he enjoys as a member of the Jaeyoo Group.

If Choi Jaeyoung or Choi Byunggwan were to suddenly disappear, the Jaeyoo Group would also momentarily stagger. I also recently learned that the owner’s health is directly linked to the stock price.

Yisak despises his family to the bone, but he cannot live completely separated from his family. Of course, that duality is lovely.

He is like a being born in a greenhouse filled only with poisonous herbs. If he were to leave the greenhouse because it is agonizing, he would wither away without lasting long. I wish I could just chew up and get rid of all those poisonous herbs for him someday.

I tried to show Choi Jaeyoung, who looked bewildered, a polite and harmless expression as I said.

“I love Director Choi Yisak.”

“What the fuck are you saying? Why are your eyes like that when you look at people? It’s creepy.”

“Ah, I hear that a lot.”

“I really don’t know why you came to see me.”

“I told you. I want to have a conversation and get to know you. By the way. Do you perhaps want me to break up with the director? That is what I am most curious about first.”

“I didn’t care who he was sleeping around with, but now I’m starting to care.”

“Ah… I have no intention of breaking up.”

“Who do you think you are, showing such nerve. Taking care of a bastard like you is no big deal.”

“I do not have much greed for life. You cannot threaten me with words like that. I would not regret it even if I died now.”

This is actually a bluff. I want to have sex with Yisak and then die.

“Rather, if you dispose of me like this, wouldn’t it be Mr. Choi Jaeyoung who gets into trouble?”

“What?”

“You are using me as a weakness to exploit the director, aren’t you.”

Suddenly, Choi Jaeyoung swung his arm and threw whatever he could grab at me. A small glass vase that had been on the side table flew precisely towards my face.

Crash! The vase that grazed past me hit the floor and shattered into pieces. If my reaction had been a little slower, glass shards might have been embedded in my face.

Is being hot-headed genetic? I felt a slight sense of déjà vu watching Choi Jaeyoung act impulsively, unable to control his anger. My first impression of Choi Jaeyoung was that of a cold man who would not shed a single tear. But it seems he is Choi Byunggwan’s son after all.

Choi Jaeyoung bit his lip tightly once, then composed his angry expression and said.

“What, using him? Yisak may not look it, but he’s so timid he’s not much help.”

“That’s right. He does have a somewhat timid side, more so than you would think. That’s why he’s so cute…”

“I’m saying I have no reason to tolerate you. Keep acting like this. I can just throw away both you and Choi Yisak.”

Choi Jaeyoung’s face was cold and hard, but I noticed that he was bluffing to some extent. It was something I could feel instinctively. It was thanks to having learned how to predict and coax people’s emotions for over a decade.

In the first place, if Yisak was not of much use to him, he would not have taken the time to meet me today, nor would he have contacted Yisak at every turn to rush him. Fundamentally, Choi Jaeyoung seemed like a person who disliked wasting his time on others unnecessarily.

I waited until Choi Jaeyoung had regained some composure before speaking.

“If there is anything I can help you with instead of the director, please let me know. As you know, the director has a lot of thoughts and worries.”

I wanted to continue maintaining a personal relationship with Choi Jaeyoung. Preferably, without Yisak knowing. That way, if anything happened, I could react quickly and protect Yisak. Depending on the need, one must temporarily join hands even with a demon.

“Where did two psychos meet…”

Choi Jaeyoung shot me a look of disgust. Then, as if intending to provoke me, he began to bring up Yisak’s story.

“That Yisak kid has been broken since he was a child. He takes right after his mother. Oh, did he tell you how his mother died?”

“……”

“Well, he probably said she died in an accident.”

I remembered Yisak’s face, his eyes clouded over as he mumbled his words.

“No, that woman hung herself from the light in her room. The first witness was Yisak. How old was he then? Twelve? Thirteen?”

This was an unexpected, completely new story. An unexpected harvest.

“The funny thing is that Choi Yisak doesn’t remember it at all. He genuinely believes his mother died in an accident. Try bringing up the fact that his mother committed suicide in front of him sometime. He’ll suddenly have a seizure and faint.”

“……”

“No reaction. I wonder if you’re even listening to me, fuck.”

“Ah, I was listening to everything. It’s just not that big of a deal. It can happen. Well, my mother burned to death. I saw that too.”

Forgetting is a blessing. Yisak is a lovely person, so he has been blessed by the heavens.

“Choi Yisak is a psychopath pretending to be normal.”

“The part where he pretends to be normal is the most lovely part.”

“Two nutjobs met and are acting up…”

“Thank you. We are quite fateful.”

A faint smile appeared on my face without my realizing it. Choi Jaeyoung stared at me for a long time with a displeased expression, then suddenly scribbled a phone number on a memo pad and handed it to me.

“When you get a call from this number later, pick it up where Choi Yisak isn’t around.”

It was probably one of the burner phones he uses. I glanced at the number and then immediately put the memo in my mouth and chewed it.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Gulp, after swallowing the paper, I answered.

“I memorized it. Don’t worry. I will save it.”

Today’s meeting was a success. I was able to figure out the kind of person Choi Jaeyoung is, and I also imprinted my existence on him.

And above all, after talking with him, my love for Yisak deepened.

I left Choi Jaeyoung’s office and walked for a long time before turning on my cell phone, which I had kept off the whole time. Missed texts and calls flooded in. They were all from Yisak. When I called Yisak, an angry voice immediately came from the other side.

— Hey, you son of a bitch! Where did you go? Why was your phone off? Do you want to die?

“I love you.”

— Fuck, you think you can get away with anything by saying things like that…

“You didn’t answer my calls either when you went down to the provinces a little while ago, Director?”

— That was because of circumstances… Why are you being so picky? What, are you trying to pick a fight? An eye for an eye? Mechanical equality is not a good thing.

“Let’s just call it petty revenge.”

— Don’t be ridiculous. Where are you?

“Are you coming to pick me up?”

I sat down on a bench on a random street I did not know. Summer had arrived before I knew it. The sunlight pouring through the leaves of the roadside trees was hot.

“Come quickly. I miss you.”

My face grew warm. It was an afternoon full of love.