RB 129

“I should be going now.”

Eunho carefully broke the silence.

Yeorok sat propped up against the half-raised hospital bed. He had just finished a consultation with his doctor. He stared at Eunho without even a single blink.

“Going where?”

“Home, of course.”

Eunho ignored the man’s stunned expression. He gathered his changed clothes and stuffed them into a paper shopping bag. His voice and movements were calm. He acted as though this departure was the only natural conclusion.

“You seem much better now. I don’t think I need to stay any longer.”

“……”

“I missed my part-time jobs for two days already.”

Yeorok found himself speechless. His mind screamed at him to hold onto Eunho, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He had assumed Eunho would remain by his side. The young man had guarded his bedside for the past two days. He thought Eunho’s heart had softened because he finally looked at him directly. All of it felt like an illusion now. His head spun with confusion.

Eunho watched the silent man for a moment and let out a soft sigh. He finished his preparations to leave.

“I know you are in contact with the convenience store owner.”

Eunho’s face was devoid of emotion. He looked cold. His monotonous voice sounded like a reprimand toward Yeorok.

“Chairman, please do not interfere with my life anymore. Stop monitoring me. I will be really angry if you do it again.”

“Sim Eunho-ssi.”

“Wait until I contact you.”

Yeorok forced himself to swallow the words lingering on the tip of his tongue. His throat felt like it was on fire.

“Get some rest.”

Eunho politely bowed and stepped out of the hospital room. Bodyguards in black suits stood watch outside the door. Their faces were familiar. These were the same men who used to follow him at the Haegang mansion.

They offered Eunho a respectful bow. Eunho lowered his head in return. He walked away without a second thought.

He looked exactly as he did when he left the Haegang estate. However, his expression was not bright. Layers of worry weighed on his mind.

He took a taxi all the way to Doksan-dong. The sun shone brilliantly in the post-noon sky. It was a perfect spring day. Eunho turned toward the meat restaurant instead of heading straight home. He wanted to feel the warmth of the sun a little longer.

The owners were already out early to prepare for the evening trade. The elderly couple sat across from each other trimming vegetables. They jumped up in surprise when Eunho opened the door.

“Eunho!”

“Boss, I am so sorry. Things were frantic and I couldn’t get in touch.”

Eunho bowed repeatedly. He apologized for the unannounced absence.

“Are you alright? Did something happen?”

“…A family member got into an accident.”

It was not a complete lie. No word other than ‘family’ could objectively describe the link between Choi Yeorok and himself. But Eunho felt his face burn. The excuse sounded like a clumsy deception to his own ears. The owners did not doubt him for a second. They worried for him as if he were their own. They didn’t pry into the details and comforted him instead.

“Oh dear, you must have been so shocked. I hope it isn’t too serious. We are fine, so don’t worry about us. Can you still work?”

Eunho hesitated. He had intended to quit before he stepped inside. His mind and body were exhausted. He wanted to drop everything and rest. But he couldn’t bring himself to say it once he saw the old couple’s faces. He changed his mind on the spot.

“Yes. It would be hard for the two of you without me.”

“We would be grateful for that. Don’t overdo it. You can start tomorrow. Rest well today since you’ve been through a lot.”

Eunho apologized a few more times. He left the shop with several freshly made side dishes in his hands.

He headed toward the convenience store next. The owner usually handled the day shift himself. Eunho apologized to the man he hadn’t seen in a while. He then explained that he had to quit due to his circumstances.

Eunho was determined to clear away the convenience store job. He wanted to find a normal lifestyle pattern again without staying up all night. He didn’t actually need the night shift money anymore. That job had only been a tool to exhaust his body and drown out stray thoughts.

“Yes, yes. It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”

The owner accepted the news readily. His attitude was strangely polite. He spoke to Eunho as if he were a superior rather than a common part-timer.

Eunho wore a bitter smile. The owner mistook him for a true blood relative of the Haegang family. There was no need to clear up such a small misunderstanding since he was leaving.

He left the store after a polite farewell. He felt like he could finally breathe after settling his affairs.

Eunho sighed and turned toward his house. He put the side dishes in the fridge and took a shower first. He checked the time while drying his hair. It was only two in the afternoon.

The sun was high, but he spread his blanket on the floor without a second thought. He crawled into the bedding like a rabbit hiding in a burrow. He pulled the soft covers up to his chin and lay on his side. He immediately drifted to sleep.

He wanted to think of nothing. The massive problem named Choi Yeorok was still unsolved, but Eunho lacked the energy to worry about it now.

I’ll think after I sleep.

He decided to make a choice he wouldn’t regret once his mind was clearer. Running away was not always the best solution.

He slept like a dead man after that. He let all the accumulated fatigue and emotional weight wash away.

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Eunho finally woke up late at night.

He opened his eyes when he heard the doorbell ring.

Pitch-black darkness had replaced the brightness of the day. Eunho checked the wall clock with an absentminded expression. The hands pointed well past midnight. He could hardly believe ten hours had vanished into a nap.

A heavy thumping on the front door continued despite the late hour. It sounded more like a series of punches than a polite knock. The racket chased away every lingering trace of sleep.

Eunho pushed back his blanket and headed for the entrance. He swung the door open without checking the peephole. A tall man stood in the hallway. Eunho had expected this visit. He faced Choi Yeorok without a hint of surprise.

“……”

Yeorok looked uncharacteristically anxious. He still wore his hospital gown. He must have ran from the ward. Despite the cool night air, beads of cold sweat covered his pale forehead.

“……”

The door had opened just as he wanted, yet Yeorok struggled to find his voice. He looked down at Eunho with trembling lips. A long silence passed before he finally spoke.

“You should buy a new phone as soon as possible.”

“……”

“I couldn’t get a hold of you….”

Eunho had promised to contact him but never set a date. He had also demanded that the surveillance end. He wondered if Eunho realized how much that cold instruction could wither a man’s spirit.

Yeorok had spent the day haunted by a thousand dark imaginings. He feared Eunho might vanish or refuse to ever see him again. The anxiety eventually drove him to flee the hospital.

He had expected to find Eunho at the convenience store, but only the owner was there. He knew he shouldn’t come here, but his desperation had won out.

Now that Eunho was in front of him, he felt both relief and exhaustion at the same time. Yeorok sighed and used his hand to wipe his wet face. He appeared to be about to pass out due to his pale complexion.

“I will do that.”

Eunho replied calmly. He had already decided to purchase a phone.

Yeorok’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected such a compliant answer. Eunho scratched his head. His hair stood up in every direction because he had slept without drying it properly.

“But… are you really allowed to walk around like this?”

“……”

“Come in for a moment.”

Yeorok stepped inside without a second of hesitation. The front door clicked shut. Silence filled the small space. Eunho moved deeper into the house and switched on the lights. He acted with ease, almost ignoring Yeorok’s presence.

The house was humble. It was still an improvement over the previous rooftop room. The furniture was sparse, but the area was relatively clean and spacious.

“……”

Yeorok scanned the room in silence. His gaze landed on the bedding spread across the floor. Eunho reached down to fold the blanket, but Yeorok walked forward and grabbed his wrist.

“…May I stay the night?”

Eunho looked up at him. Yeorok bit his lip and looked troubled. He seemed to realize how suggestive his request might sound.

“I don’t mean anything like that… we still have much to discuss.”

“……”

“I just want to be with you. I know I look pathetic coming here only a day later… but I don’t have the composure to….”

He trailed off. Yeorok furrowed his brow. He looked irritated with his own inability to act with more restraint.

Eunho watched him for a beat and exhaled through his nose. He smoothed out the blanket he had been about to fold.

“Fine.”

He sounded resigned. Eunho got up and went into the bathroom. He took a new toothbrush from the cabinet and put out a fresh towel.

“Chairman.”

Yeorok approached at the quiet call. His large frame filled the entire doorway just by standing there.

“You can use this toothbrush. I don’t have any facial cleanser or things like that.”

Eunho explained, Yeorok attentively listened while his eyes roamed the bathroom.

He had already seen the layout of this house in photos. Seeing it in person was different. The place felt drafty and needed repairs in several spots. It was an old building built over twenty years ago.

Yeorok’s fingers tightened against the doorframe. He hated the thought of Eunho living here. He wanted to take him away immediately, but he lacked the right to do so. He had to wait.

“Go ahead and wash up.”

Eunho stepped aside. He began to rummage through his wardrobe while Yeorok occupied the bathroom. None of his few clothes would fit a man of Yeorok’s size. His things would be far too small.

The hospital gown is probably more comfortable.

The thought was brief. Eunho closed the drawer and sat on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees.

A short while later, the bathroom door opened. Yeorok walked out with a clean face.

Eunho looked up and stared at him. The thin hospital gown served as a constant reminder that the man was not yet recovered. It made it difficult to treat him coldly.

“Chairman, you use the pillow.”

Eunho offered up his only pillow.

“I’m fine.”

“How can a man with a cracked skull sleep on the hard floor?”