“He said to choose whether you’ll answer the phone properly or cry all night.”
Hearing those words—content utterly shocking yet delivered without any emotion whatsoever—I couldn’t even bring myself to ask again and just gaped with my eyes wide and mouth hanging open. I wanted to confirm with the guard whether I’d heard correctly, but if I had heard it right, I’d have to hear “cry all night” again from someone I didn’t even properly know, someone whose face I was seeing for the first time today. This type of sexual harassment was a first for me, but it wasn’t like I could say anything to the guard about it.
“…Uh…uh… Ah, yes. I’ll call him. Thank you for passing on the message.”
“Yes, then. I’ll be going now.”
Flustered and embarrassed, I lost my words but forcibly regained my composure and answered in an awkward, stiff voice. The guard, picking up on the desperation in my embarrassed attitude and tone for him to leave, went out while maintaining the same expressionless face throughout.
“Crazy bastard.”
Seeing the door close, I spat out a curse and searched for my phone to call Lee Hyeonseok. When was it that he told the guard to tell me to call, even sending him with embarrassing choices? The ringtone continued for quite a while. Lee Hyeonseok answered the phone only when it seemed like it might disconnect.
—Yo.
“What are you trying to pull?”
—…….
This time, I was the one who cut off Lee Hyeonseok’s words. At my utterly cold voice, Lee Hyeonseok was uncharacteristically quiet. Not even a breath could be heard, to the point where I momentarily wondered if the call had disconnected. Hoping against hope, I looked at the screen, but it still showed we were on a call. I wanted to ask Lee Hyeonseok here if he was ignoring me, but I decided against it in case it would piss him off even more.
—I’m having a reality check.
“What?”
After being quiet for a while, Lee Hyeonseok spouted something truly out of the blue and incomprehensible. If anyone should be having a reality check, it should be me, not Lee Hyeonseok.
—I went to all the trouble to look after you, take care of you, protect you. But instead of being grateful, you dare climb all over me?
Was it because we were born different? Or was it because Lee Hyeonseok’s way of thinking was completely different from ordinary people? Either way, I didn’t feel like understanding or wanting to know. In any case, surprisingly, what Lee Hyeonseok was spouting now was clearly sincere. He genuinely believed he had looked after me, taken care of me, and protected me.
“Ha… Wait a minute.”
—What?
I felt absurd, pissed off, and even somewhat wronged. I barely suppressed the impulse to refute him as much as possible, took a long, heavy breath, and asked Lee Hyeonseok for his understanding. Then, without even hearing an answer, I dropped the phone far below me. Not satisfied with just that, I covered the speaker part with my remaining hand so my voice wouldn’t leak out.
“A kid. A fucking kid. He’s a fucking kid, Seo Jiwoo. The other person is an unreasonable, powerful, selfish fucking kid.”
It was difficult enough that my hand gripping the speaker naturally tensed up, but I barely succeeded in calming myself down. Right after, I brought the phone I’d dropped far away back to my ear and spoke to Lee Hyeonseok in a tone as if reading from a book.
“Right, you’re correct.”
—You have a talent for pissing people off.
“Don’t get so pissed off. Since you’re already looking after me well, taking care of me, and protecting me anyway, how about putting in a little more effort?”
I’d said it to try to improve his mood, but Lee Hyeonseok let out a sound as if dumbfounded. Before Lee Hyeonseok spouted bullshit, I’d intended to make him pay for his sexual harassment, but I changed my mind and decided to humor him instead. This bastard seemed to have completely different ideology. They say you shouldn’t try to fix people even if you’re going to see them for a long time. So why would I bother fixing someone I’m not even going to see for long? Lee Hyeonseok wasn’t my household’s son of a bitch; he was someone else’s son of a bitch.
“Did I say that surprisingly, you’re broad-minded and sometimes I’m moved by it?”
—…What the hell did you eat wrong?
“Let’s say you’re looking out for me since I’ve been having a hard time lately. Let’s overlook it multiple times.”
At my considerable nonsense, Lee Hyeonseok asked as if dealing with a crazy person. He even paused slightly, clearly thinking I really had eaten something wrong. Lee Hyeonseok was the one who ate something wrong and went to the hospital, but instead of reminding him of the past, I gently coaxed him.
Fortunately, this bastard regarded me as his toy or something, so if I humored him, he wouldn’t treat me too harshly.
—If you’d been obedient from the start, I would’ve looked out for you on my own.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s okay for him to be this easy.
—You had to go out and get yourself in a terrible situation before you finally listened obediently.
“What terrible situation?”
When I listened obediently without resisting, the words I wanted to hear came out. I couldn’t quite tell whether Lee Hyeonseok was talking about what happened because of Cheon Jaekyung or something else. Wanting to dig out a bit more of an answer, I asked innocently, pretending to know nothing.
—You met Cheon Jaekyung not long ago, yet you act so stupidly—looks like you’ll live life comfortably.
“Let me tell you something: sometimes acting a bit stupid is the shortcut to living life comfortably.”
So what Lee Hyeonseok was pointing to was Cheon Jaekyung after all. True to form for someone who didn’t know how to speak nicely, he spoke sarcastically. Instead of getting angry or annoyed, I shared a tip about society. In school, if you do well or are smart, you get attention and praise, but once you enter society, being competent is the most bothersome thing. Lee Hyeonseok snorted at this tip filled with the sincerity of a former salaried worker, treating it as worthless. Well, what would a rich bastard need my tips for anyway?
—You know what’s an even faster shortcut?
Lee Hyeonseok asked me in a somewhat arrogant tone. Since it was essentially a question with a predetermined answer, I kept my mouth firmly shut and waited for this conversation to end.
—Listening well to what I say.
“……”
Judging that Lee Hyeonseok’s bullshit would go on for a while, I dropped the phone far away, lay down on the bed, and waited for his words to end. With time on my hands, I turned my head and enjoyed the open view. The sunlight and scenery pouring down around 1 PM made reality feel distant, and before I knew it, drowsiness was washing over me.
—Seo Jiwoo!
“Hm? Ah, yeah. Right, of course.”
Lee Hyeonseok called my name loudly, perhaps realizing I hadn’t said anything after rambling on by himself for a while. At Lee Hyeonseok’s call, I quickly brought the phone to my ear. Without knowing what Lee Hyeonseok had been saying all this time, I first responded affirmatively.
—You….
“Yeah.”
Lee Hyeonseok called me in an ominous voice. Seeming to contemplate whether to get angry or not, I pretended not to know and answered gently. Recalling the saying about not being able to spit on a smiling face, I acted as docile as possible, and fortunately, Lee Hyeonseok paused for a long while before just clicking his tongue once. It was as if he found himself absurd.
—Whatever. If you don’t want to have a terrible experience, just stay home obediently.
“Ah, yes.”
Then he suddenly threw out threats. It was out of the blue, but not baseless talk. Just as Lee Hyeonseok was warning, Cheon Jaekyung’s momentum had been truly frightening, so it wouldn’t be strange if something really happened. Until Cheon Jaekyung’s anger subsided, or unless I received a firm promise that he wouldn’t touch me, it seemed I wouldn’t be able to wander around outside comfortably.
Lee Hyeonseok’s advice made enough sense, but on the other hand, I was still utterly confused. It was because of the disconnect of Lee Hyeonseok giving warnings or cautions that parents or friends would give. To put it bluntly, it didn’t fucking suit him. I’d firmly believed that Lee Hyeonseok just wasn’t the type of person to worry about someone, but now that belief was suddenly shaking, I thought, ‘There’s no fucking way I’m wrong.’ Since when did he possess something called consideration?
—Don’t think I won’t know what you’re doing just because I’m not next to you.
Was his future dream to be a stalker or something like that? Now it suited him a bit. I was relieved in a different sense. They say if a person suddenly changes, they die.
—Answer.
“Yeah.”
—If you’re bored, play a game or something.
“A game?”
—Do you have something else you want to do?
Just as I was pondering what to do at home, Lee Hyeonseok recommended I play games. Surprised by the unexpected suggestion, I asked back, and Lee Hyeonseok asked in return. Something I wanted to do—well, there was something. No, actually I didn’t really want to do it, but. Given how things had turned out, I wanted to learn a skill. More precisely, a skill that allowed remote work and suited my aptitude.
It didn’t seem necessary right now, but still, I couldn’t just lie around doing nothing forever. I needed to slowly come to my senses and worry about making a living.
“…No, not really. Yeah, games are good.”
That’s what I should have done, but what came out of my mouth was another irresponsible answer. I couldn’t stay here forever and I had to do it, but I put it off again. Actually, my motivation had completely vanished from the moment my barely-resolved walk fell through.
—And.
—President, are you busy right now?
—Can’t you tell by looking?
“?”
Just as Lee Hyeonseok was about to say something to me, someone called him along with the sound of a door opening. It must have been quite urgent, as even I could feel the other person’s fluster through the phone, but Lee Hyeonseok unfailingly revealed his displeasure at being interrupted. I felt embarrassed on his behalf.
“…Hello?”
Whether Lee Hyeonseok had covered the speaker, I couldn’t hear any sound. Thinking it might have disconnected, I looked at the screen again, but it still showed “Call duration 14:23.” Even as I watched, the numbers were changing, so it hadn’t disconnected.
“Hello.”
Even if the connection was active, if he’d covered it, I couldn’t hear, so knowing it was pointless, I called Lee Hyeonseok once more. It was because I hoped he might hear. But as expected, whether he’d covered it or not, I couldn’t hear an answer.
“……”
Normally, since the other person seemed busy, I would have hung up first and left a text or something, but I couldn’t bring myself to hang up first and just held onto the phone that was only connected, doing nothing.
