I suppressed my anxious feelings and asked Hajin about the method.
“How should I…”
– Well, that’s something only you can do… Of course, I could send people to catch him, but if we catch him that way, it’s obvious he’ll run away again. So you must persuade him no matter what. Our lives are in your hands.
This was the first time Hajin had desired something this desperately. If someone as proud as him was speaking like this, I could sense how serious the matter was.
“I understand.”
As soon as I put down the phone, there was a loud noise from the yard, as if it had been waiting for this moment. It was the sound of a car engine. A moment later, I turned my head at the sound of the door being nearly broken down, and there stood Hahyun, panting with rage.
I wanted to run straight to him and ask where he had been, to praise him for at least coming back home, but I tried hard to hold back. I was relieved that he had come to me instead of going elsewhere, that he hadn’t been kidnapped or lost consciousness.
Now I understood why Hajin had remained calm despite Hahyun’s disappearance. He must have thought that nothing had happened, just that Hahyun didn’t want to work. If that was the case, then as Hajin said, I was the only one who could persuade him.
It must mean I should coax this work-averse kid and send him back to the company.
After finishing my thoughts, I pretended not to know anything and said casually.
“Hahyun, you’re early today. That’s good. I was bored.”
“Hyung, we need to run away quickly now. Please, come with me. Please.”
“Why suddenly… I need to know the reason to decide whether to go with you or not.”
“The reason isn’t important right now… Can’t you just come with me? No, I’m the fool. Of course you wouldn’t just follow me.”
Hahyun picked me up at once and began walking toward the entrance. I struggled, hitting his shoulders hard to get away from him, but he didn’t budge at all.
“Hahyun, first calm down and…”
“Does this look like a time to calm down? If you don’t want to be tied up, stay still.”
After confirming Hahyun’s safety, I became worried about Hajin again.
What would happen if Hahyun and I disappeared like this?
If Hajin failed to defend his management rights and Hahyun, who was supposed to replace him, disappeared, Fashion Group H would obviously fall into Secretary Kim’s hands.
However, Hahyun’s current state didn’t seem like he would listen to anything I said.
Everything went dark before my eyes. This crazy Seo Hahyun couldn’t be controlled…
I started by patting him soothingly.
“Okay, let’s go. I like you too, so I want to go anywhere with you.”
Hahyun’s steps, just about to leave the entrance, stopped abruptly.
“Really?”
“Of course, why would I lie? But, Hahyun.”
“…Be quiet. I don’t want to hear anything else.”
“Did you forget I’m a wanted person? If we go out like this and get caught by the police, you might never see me again.”
Hahyun stood frozen in place. He seemed to be thinking deeply as he rolled his eyes, but then shook his head.
“I’ll make sure no one finds out. I’ve prepared a place where no one knows, for us to run away. We’ll switch cars in between to avoid being discovered. I’ve planned all our movements to avoid cameras.”
“What did you say?”
“Ha… It’s obvious, isn’t it? Did you think I would just let you be taken away? If you go to prison, unless I go in too, we might never see each other again… I’ll never let that happen.”
This crazy guy… Judging from the fact that he had even prepared a place, it didn’t seem like this was something he had prepared just a day or two ago.
“When did you prepare all this…”
“From a very long time ago. Back then, you wouldn’t even look at me. Whenever I approached you, you would ask Hajin hyung for help… So you can imagine how anxious I was. I… hic.”
Hahyun started crying again. I couldn’t remain calm seeing his tears anymore, and watching him cry made me feel sad too.
Yes, I understand how difficult it must have been to love someone who never looked back at you. I get it. But…
I couldn’t just follow him out of the house.
“Seo Hahyun. If you want me to continue seeing you even after running away, first tell me the reason. Why we have to run away. If you forcibly take me without doing that, I won’t even look at you.”
“…That’s too much.”
“You’re the one being unreasonable. You’re doing whatever you want without explaining anything to the person you love.”
Hahyun sighed and put me down. Then he securely locked the front door and drew the curtains. The living room was instantly enveloped in darkness.
“You see, while working, something felt strange. Hajin hyung was trying hard to defend, but the more he did, the more it felt like he was getting entangled in Secretary Kim’s schemes.”
“Why did you feel that way?”
Hahyun kept glancing at the clock and answered quickly.
“Whenever I found out something about Secretary Kim, I immediately told Hajin hyung, right? But he didn’t use any of what I told him!”
“And so?”
“The board meeting is tomorrow. Secretary Kim came to me and said he would cause a big incident tomorrow to put me in the CEO position, so I should be prepared. Fuck, does that make any sense? After all the shitty work I’ve done for someone else, he’s saying I’ll become the CEO?”
His face turned red as if even the thought made him heated.
“So, you’re making this fuss because you don’t want to sit in the CEO position?”
At my question, which I threw out in disbelief, Hahyun looked back at me with an even more incredulous expression.
“Are you really not bothered by hearing this?”
If someone told me to take the CEO position right now, I’d be annoyed. Why? Because I don’t know how to do it. But for you, you must have seen and heard things since you were young… I had a lot to say, but since Hahyun and I seemed to have different points of focus, I just kept my mouth shut.
“I’m not okay with it. I don’t want to work without you, hyung.”
I knew it. The only childish reason for Hahyun’s fierce rejection of the CEO position was that he didn’t want to be separated from me. Suppressing my desire to give him a knock on the head, I tried to calmly persuade him.
“You could think of it as taking over until Hajin-ssi reclaims his position.”
“No. Then during that time, you’ll be alone with Hajin hyung. I can’t stand that.”
Hahyun, who had jumped up from his seat, glared at me and said.
“If you’re just going to talk like this, let’s just go. No matter what you say, you can’t persuade me, so just give up. I’ve been too exhausted, really too… too…”
Hahyun started shaking his hands, and eventually his whole body began to tremble. I was angry because I couldn’t understand if this was something worth overreacting to, but since I was dealing with someone who wasn’t in a sane state of mind, I had to be the one to understand.
I pulled Hahyun’s hand. He followed without resistance.
After soothing Hahyun and sitting him on the sofa, I had him rest his forehead on my shoulder. He moved closer and pressed tightly against my side.
“Hahyun, can I ask you something?”
“I’ll listen while we’re running away.”
“Fuck, come on!”
“…Yes.”
When I cursed, it was funny how he answered docilely after acting like he was about to run away with me just a moment ago.
“Have you ever liked anyone besides me? Did you obsess over that person like you do with me?”
“What are you talking about? Suddenly… I don’t like anyone except you, hyung.”
“…”
I was trying to change the topic somehow, calm him down, and then persuade him, but when Hahyun looked at me with a genuinely confused expression, I was left speechless. When I closed my mouth, Hahyun looked at me with suspicious eyes.
“Are you asking if I’ve cheated or not? Are you using that as an excuse not to listen to me?”
“No, why does it turn into that… I didn’t think that at all. And how could it be cheating if it was before meeting me?”
“…I don’t know. But we really don’t have time for this right now. We need to go quickly…”
“No one is chasing us. Think logically. Who would think someone who ran away would go home! Isn’t this the safest place?”
At my words, Hahyun seemed to think so too, as his fidgeting bottom settled obediently on the sofa.
“First, let’s talk more, and if you still think we need to go, I’ll follow you of my own will. How about that? If you’re confident you won’t be persuaded no matter what I say, isn’t it worth trying?”
Hahyun stared at me with a suspicious expression and finally spoke.
“Keep your promise. No going back on your word later.”
“Okay.”
I had put out the immediate fire, but I didn’t know what to say next. What words could persuade this crazy guy?
To buy time, I chose a question that would elicit a long answer and set the mood.
“Hahyun, ha…”
“Why are you sighing? Is it because you don’t want to come with me?”
“No, I just feel frustrated…”
“What’s frustrating? Is it because I won’t listen to you?”
“No, I don’t know how you came to like me. Of course, I like you regardless, but I’ve been bothered by the fact that I’ve forgotten what happened between us.”
Hahyun, who had been staring at me with round eyes and closed lips, came back into my arms. While holding Hahyun tightly, I whispered softly in his ear.
“Can you tell me what happened between us?”
Hahyun, in my arms, nodded.
I secretly checked the time on my phone. If I could stall somehow, Hajin would come and take him away. This was the only option now.
Hahyun, raising his head from my embrace, began his story by saying it would be a very long one.
