Chapter 14 (Part 6)

As Seongjun was leaving work, Jinwon hurriedly followed him.  

“Director, I have something to say.”  

Without stopping, Seongjun replied,  

“What could a team leader possibly have to say to the director? Don’t you think you’re skipping too many steps?”  

Following closely behind, Jinwon pressed on.  

“More accurately, I have something I want to hear from you.”  

Seongjun ignored him and continued walking.  

Jinwon, watching him, continued speaking.  

“They say that when people face their end, they reflect on their past mistakes.”  

Seongjun stopped in his tracks and glanced back at Jinwon.  

Jinwon, with a grave expression, slowly began to speak.  

“Director—no, Uncle, don’t you feel the same?”

For a moment, Seongjun’s eyes wavered. But his voice, when it came, was calm.  

“What nonsense are you spouting now? Can you speak more clearly? What’s with suddenly calling me Uncle?”

Jinwon, just as composed, replied,  

“Didn’t you know that I know?”  

Seongjun’s eyebrows twitched in confusion.  

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”  

Jinwon, never taking his eyes off Seongjun, said again,  

“I heard you’re suffering from a terminal illness.”  

Seongjun closed his eyes tightly. Then, a faint smile appeared on his lips.  

“Now I understand why you’re acting this way. But no, there’s no terminal illness. Seo In-ah must have misunderstood.”  

Jinwon, his expression unchanged, continued to stare directly at Seongjun.  

Seongjun found this gaze unbearable and waved him off irritably.  

“So stop tiring me out with baseless rumors and go back to work.”

With that, Seongjun turned and walked away.  

Jinwon was left speechless. 

It was a lie?  

***

unclear

Seong-tae stormed into his house, fuming, all the while repeatedly trying to make a phone call.  

“Why the hell isn’t this bastard answering?!”  

He hurled his phone toward the wall.  

As the sound of the phone shattering echoed, Seong-tae began throwing anything he could get his hands on.  

Even after that, his anger didn’t subside. Breathing heavily, he rolled his eyes in frustration.  

That bastard dared to threaten me? Since when did he know?  

It had been about five years since Seongjun and Seong-tae had approached Jinwon.  

Claiming that Jinwon’s father had left unpaid debts, they had sought him out.  

They also accused Jinwon’s father of betraying their trust.  

Thus, they had constantly harassed Jinwon without reason, and Jinwon had endured it all in silence.  

He even offered to repay the debts his father had left behind.  

But now, Seong-tae’s mind was in turmoil. This was like a lit fuse on a time bomb.  

How could I extinguish this fire?  

Now was not the time to be angry. It was time to come up with a plan.  

Seong-tae sank deep into thought.  

***

Late at night, In-ah rushed to Jeong-ho’s bar.  

She had learned of Jinwon’s whereabouts after Jeong-ho answered Jinwon’s phone.  

“You’re here?”  

Jeong-ho greeted her and gestured toward a table where Jinwon was slumped over.  

“How much has he had to drink?”  

Checking on Jinwon’s condition, In-ah asked Jeong-ho urgently.  

“Has it been four hours?”  

Jeong-ho shook his head.  

“You know, don’t you? It’s only been about two hours. But he drank so quickly, I’m not sure if he’ll be okay even after four hours.”  

Looking at Jinwon, who was passed out on the table, In-ah wore a conflicted expression.  

What on earth is going on?  

“Why don’t you just go home? Jinwon will sober up by the time we close, and I can take him home.”  

“No, I’ll…”  

At that moment, Jinwon, with drowsy eyes, looked up and smiled at In-ah.  

“Oh? It’s In-ah! In-ah’s here.”  

He then pulled her into a tight hug.  

“I can’t breathe. Let go of me.”  

Trapped in Jinwon’s arms, In-ah slapped his arms and shouted.  

Startled, Jinwon quickly released her.  

“Our In-ah mustn’t suffocate.”  

Then he flopped back onto the long bench and lay sprawled out.  

In doing so, his well-toned abs peeked out from under his shirt.  

The female customers, who had been sneaking glances at him, suddenly focused their attention.  

Panicking, In-ah hurriedly tried to pull his shirt down, but it was stuck under him.  

In desperation, she reached for an apron nearby and used it to cover his abs.  

About two hours later, Jinwon opened his eyes and looked down at himself, puzzled.  

When did I put on an apron?  

“You’re awake?”  

Jeong-ho, who had just returned from serving customers, spoke to him.  

“Yeah. Did I sleep?”  

Still lying down, Jinwon asked.  

“Of course. Do you remember In-ah coming?”  

Jinwon shot up in surprise.  

“In-ah was here? Where?”  

“She went to the convenience store. She’s determined to get you a hangover cure. Such dedication!”  

Jinwon gulped down the water next to him. Watching him, Jeong-ho clicked his tongue.  

“How long are you going to keep this to yourself? Aren’t you going to tell In-ah?”  

Lowering the cup, Jinwon muttered,  

“What would change if I told her? Instead of just me being in pain, we’d both suffer. That’s not right.”  

Jeong-ho threw down his apron and grumbled.  

“Fine, I’m the bad guy for telling you to do something you shouldn’t. Happy now?”  

Jinwon chuckled.  

“You’re laughing? You think this is funny? Making your friend the bad guy?”  

“Why are you the bad guy?”  

Curious, In-ah approached the two of them.  

Jeong-ho began to lament dramatically.  

“Exactly. I’m the kindest person alive, but whenever I’m with this guy, I get a bad rap.”  

“What bad rap? That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend.”  

Suddenly, Jeong-ho clutched his chest dramatically.  

As In-ah gasped in surprise, he straightened up and said,  

“Is it fair to hit someone where it hurts? In-ah, don’t you know any nice girls to introduce me to?”  

Relieved, In-ah smiled gently.  

It was nearly midnight when In-ah and Jinwon left Jeong-ho’s bar.  

A man walking from the opposite direction bumped his shoulder against Jinwon’s.  

As Jinwon turned around, the man, as if waiting for this, picked a fight.  

“Ah! You just bumped into me!”  

The man leaned in to check Jinwon’s face and then broke into a smile.  

“Oh? I know you. Don’t you know me?”  

Jinwon stared straight at the man’s unpleasant grin. It was an unfamiliar face.  

However, In-ah felt that the man looked somewhat familiar.  

She soon remembered that he was the same man Jinwon had spilled coffee on a few days ago.  

“I’m sorry. Let’s go, oppa.”  

In-ah grabbed Jinwon’s arm, trying to pull him away quickly.  

But the man blocked their way, placing his hand on Jinwon’s shoulder.  

“Where do you think you’re going? You should apologize first! And compensate me! If you just leave like this with the victim standing here, isn’t that a hit-and-run?”  

This was absurd. It wasn’t even about laundry costs this time—compensation, for what?  

Just as In-ah was about to argue, Jinwon calmly removed the man’s hand from his shoulder and flicked it away.  

Then, with sharp eyes that looked as if they could throw him to the ground at any moment, Jinwon glared at the man.  

The man trembled.  

“Wow, scary. Your gaze could kill someone. Fine, fine. Let’s leave the introduction at that.”  

In-ah glanced nervously between the man and Jinwon, worried something might happen.  

“Don’t you recognize me?”  

Jinwon stared at the man’s face but showed no sign of recognition.  

Sensing something unusual, In-ah stepped in front of Jinwon and shouted at the man threateningly,  

“Stop beating around the bush and just say what you want!”  

At that moment, the man’s phone started ringing loudly and persistently.  

Annoyed, the man frowned, pulled out his phone, and checked the caller ID.  

“Someone’s desperate, huh?”  

Jinwon and In-ah watched the man warily.  

The man, ignoring their stares, continued speaking as if to himself.  

“When someone’s in need, they should act like this. It makes things more interesting, doesn’t it?”  

With a crooked smile directed at Jinwon, the man finally turned and walked away.  

As the man disappeared into the distance, In-ah quickly tugged at Jinwon, eager to leave the place.