RB 124

Every time he sensed a presence outside the door, his head turned toward it. Most of the time, it was just a passerby, and each time, Euho felt toyed with. He felt pathetic, looking like someone waiting for Choi Yeorok. What annoyed him most was that he kept doing it even though he knew better.

The man who had shown his face every single dawn hadn’t appeared for three days. There was absolutely no reason to care, yet his entire focus remained fixed on the entrance.

Euho sighed toward the floor, finding his own behavior ridiculous. At the end of his lowered gaze sat a folded black jacket. He had been keeping the jacket Yeorok left behind on the counter shelf, intending to return it if he came back.

He figured his behavior was because of this item. Since the ownerless jacket was sitting there in plain sight, it bothered him every time he saw it.

Euho walked around the counter, clutching the jacket. He stuffed it into the trash bin as if it were a jinxed object. Then he went back to his spot and sat on his stool as if nothing had happened.

It was supposed to be a peaceful dawn, but heat rose to his head. Euho rummaged through his pants pocket. He took out a packet of medicine he’d brought just in case. He opened and emptied the pills into his palm.

Recently, Euho had started going to a hospital. He thought the tightness in his chest and the aching in his solar plexus were just physical issues, but they turned out to be stress-related.

His body still tenses up whenever he enters a psychiatric clinic. His distrust of psychiatrists remained, but he had no choice if he wanted to survive. An elderly doctor told him his chest was filled with “Hwa” (suppressed anger) and prescribed him sedatives to take whenever things got difficult.

A stress-induced ailment. It was a perfect description of his condition.

Euho crushed the empty medicine wrapper, hoping the effects would kick in quickly. Perhaps because he was unlucky today, the pills got stuck in his throat. The grimace on his face was surely because of the bitter taste. Choi Yeorok no longer had any influence on his life.

The medicine usually made him drowsy. Euho fought off sleep all night and was finally able to switch shifts with the morning part-timer at 7:00 AM.

His steps were heavy on the way home. While others were starting their day, Euho was as lethargic as a person with a dead battery. As he trudged through the alleyway, the sound of slow footsteps followed behind him.

“…….”

Euho let out a sigh heavy enough to sink the ground. He knew who it was without looking back. It was a good thing he had taken the medicine in advance; otherwise, his anger would have flared up again. Thanks to the remaining traces of the drug, his reaction was slow.

Yeorok took long strides and easily caught up, walking side-by-side with Euho in the narrow alley.

“I believe I left my jacket behind last time.”

Yeorok asked casually. To anyone else, he sounded friendly, as if they were close.

“Did you throw it away?”

“…….”

Euho didn’t react. He was used to Choi Yeorok’s shamelessness by now. It was best to ignore him. He kept his mouth shut and looked only at the ground while walking. However, his slow pace quickened slightly.

Yeorok easily kept up with Euho’s speed. He was dressed refinedly even in the early morning. Euho could feel he was wearing a fine suit without even looking.

While he was still a mess, Choi Yeorok alone was consistently flawless and perfect. Euho felt the anger he had barely suppressed starting to rise again.

An odd companionable walk continued without a single word exchanged. When they arrived in front of the building, Euho stopped and looked up at the sky for a moment. A deep breath escaped from his lungs.

“Are you planning on following me inside?”

“…….”

Yeorok said nothing. Euho’s gaze naturally turned fierce.

As Euho turned his head to look at the man standing beside him, he momentarily lost his words. Now that he saw him clearly, Choi Yeorok looked haggard, like someone who had been sick for days.

His styled hair and flawless attire were the same as always, but he had lost a lot of weight in his face. It wasn’t that his handsome face had become unsightly; rather, the dark shadows under his eyes and his already sharp jawline were simply more pronounced.

As Euho stood there staring, Yeorok smiled. There was an uncharacteristically fragile aura about Choi Yeorok, who usually disguised himself with dignity. That moment made Euho unable to move.

“I’ve seen your face, so that’s enough. Go get some rest.”

He stepped back readily, as if seeing Euho’s face had been his main objective.

“…….”

Euho bit his lip. There was no reason to hesitate. He punched the code into the common entrance door lock and went inside the building for all to see.

Yeorok remained in that spot for a long time. His gaze naturally went toward the third floor where Euho lived. He let ten minutes pass even after the third-floor sensor light turned on and off before he slowly turned away.

Not far away, a large black sedan was waiting for him. As soon as Yeorok got into the back seat, he looked over the briefing materials handed to him by Hong Namyeong.

Meanwhile, the sedan merged smoothly into the congested traffic. Yeorok’s day was just beginning. Having barely survived a severe flu over the past few days, he had a pile of work waiting for him.

It was a predictable outcome that a body, which had never suffered even a minor illness, would break down. Since the moment Euho was dragged to the hospital, Yeorok had not slept or eaten properly. In reality, the warning signs had been there for a long time. He had known and ignored them, so it was only natural he fell ill.

Even now, his condition was near its worst. But, he couldn’t stay bedridden forever. He let out a small sigh while checking today’s schedule, which left him no room to breathe.

At least it was a relief to have seen Euho’s face. Yeorok squeezed out what strength he had left.

Starting with an irregular board meeting at 9:00 AM, reports from executives followed one after another. Yeorok devoted himself to his work without a single hair out of place. On the surface, nothing seemed different from usual. In fact, he acted even more thorough than normal, so no one suspected the state of his health.

After finishing a meeting with the CEO of a partner company, Yeorok returned to the chairman’s office, took off his jacket, and lay down on the sofa. Hong Namyeong, who followed him in, administered an IV drip to Yeorok’s arm as if this were a familiar routine.

Yeorok had skipped lunch as well. It wasn’t because he was busy or lacked an appetite. It was more that his tonsils were so severely swollen that it was difficult to swallow anything.

“How much time do I have?”

“You have about an hour of leeway.”

Yeorok covered his eyes with the back of his hand. A long, exhausted sigh escaped from his lips, which he couldn’t hide.

After a brief moment of recharging, he returned to his usual, composed self. Since officially taking over the succession, the number of external events requiring his presence had increased compared to when he served as the foundation chairman. Today, he stood before reporters and the media again, showing a solid image to the crowd.

Choi Yeorok was never one to show his struggles in front of others. He couldn’t stand the idea of his weaknesses being exposed to anyone.

Only after finishing the major schedules did Yeorok return to his own space. He leaned against the edge of his desk and silently took in the view through the floor-to-ceiling window. The sun was already setting.

“…….”

Days passed like arrows. Busy and fleeting.

This was a familiar routine to him. Fatigue had long since become chronic. The sense of achievement and self-satisfaction gained from it were the driving forces that moved him.

But suddenly, he wondered if this was really the life he wanted. The view from the skyscraper was the position he had desired for a long time. He held everything from the highest point, yet his heart remained empty.

Yeorok, who had been staring at the glittering city with his arms crossed, stepped away from the desk as if he had sorted his thoughts. He pressed the call button on the internal phone, and after a knock, Hong Namyeong entered.

Though he now held a formal title as a director, Hong Namyeong was still used to being called “Secretary Hong.” His attitude hadn’t changed either. If anything, he served Yeorok even more devotedly and politely.

“No more schedules, right?”

“Yes.”

“Shall we have dinner?”

Yeorok suggested casually.

“…….”

Secretary Hong looked up silently. Looking at Yeorok’s face as he leaned against the desk, he couldn’t honestly say it was a good idea, even as a formality.

“You were very busy today. And your condition isn’t good yet. Wouldn’t it be better to rest early?”

His voice was full of concern. In front of his loyal right-hand man, Yeorok let his expression relax. There was no reason to hide things from Hong Namyeong.

“I know I’m on the verge of collapsing.”

“…….”

“That’s why I’m going to go rest.”

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The meat restaurant was usually more crowded in the evening than during the day. Today, there was a large group, making it even more chaotic than usual.

The owner moved busily through the cramped restaurant. Since it was impossible to handle the customers alone, Euho helped with the serving. Because the kitchen auntie’s cooking was so good, requests for side dish refills came in constantly. Moving around left him no time for idle thoughts.

Just as the evening business reached its peak, the door opened. Two men in suits stepped into the restaurant filled with charcoal smoke. They were customers with an atmosphere that didn’t fit the shabby diner.

Euho, who was stocking beer in the refrigerator, turned around reflexively and froze.

“For two? Please sit at that table over there.”

The owner, knowing nothing of the situation, welcomed the guests in a cheerful voice. Thanks to the newcomers, the restaurant was finally full. Choi Yeorok and Hong Namyeong shamelessly took their seats.