It would be too wild of an assumption, wouldn’t it? It’s not like Han Inju is the only lawyer at Myeongjin. Eunchan closed all the open windows and ran his hand down his face.
Fuck…… What the hell is Myeongjin? What does Han Inju know that made him assign me this job? Who the hell is Kim Haengbok?
“Eunchan hyung.”
Seeing Eunchan’s troubled appearance, Hyungsik carefully placed a hand on his shoulder and called his name.
“There haven’t been any calls from Han Inju or Myeongjin, have there?”
“Huh? No.”
“If they call from now on, don’t answer. When you have time, just leave work on your own.”
Having spoken rapidly, Eunchan grabbed his coat and phone and stood up. He wanted to go outside and get some fresh air.
“Hyung, where are you going?”
Leaving behind Hyungsik who tried to hold him back, Eunchan rushed out of the office as if fleeing. The setting sunset warmly welcomed Eunchan. However, the sunset light was so bright it made him suffocate. Eunchan looked for shade and entered between alleyways.
It felt like he was standing at a crossroads. It was a perfectly satisfying reality, but all of this felt like a castle built on sand, making him anxious. Did he need to find out more? It could just be a coincidence. His mind changed dozens of times even within a few seconds.
Eunchan leaned against the wall, sat down, and clutched his stomach. A sudden stomach pain came, and his head began to ache too. If the donor really was Kim Haengbok from the orphanage, if the lawyer from Myeongjin’s legal team who handled the orphanage’s defense was Han Inju, then there was a high possibility that Kim Haengbok and Han Inju knew each other.
‘Anyway, young Haengbok went through a lot of hardship. It wouldn’t have been easy to take on.’
‘Revealed to be from A Nursery as part of Myeongjin’s legal team……’
Han Inju must also be Kim Haengbok. Kim Haengbok is the land owner, the mansion is owned by a corporation. Jang Miro and Jang Heewoo’s father’s company, Myeongjin. They’re all connected to each other, but it was difficult to find that connection point. Who was the previous owner before the corporation?
“When did it transfer to the corporate foundation?”
“The name was changed after Kim Heewon-ssi’s death.”
“When was that?”
“Uh…… It wasn’t long ago, 3 years ago.”
“The land was also owned by Kim Heewon-ssi, so if you had come earlier, you could have collected it.”
He needs to find Kim Heewon. Eunchan slowly traced his memory, mulling over the familiar name.
‘Huiwon?’
‘Heewon, you idiot.’
Jang Heewoo’s nanny’s name was Heewon. Is this also a coincidence? Jang Heewoo. Right, let’s meet that person first. Go and ask about Han Inju, and ask if he knows anything about Muan.
Eunchan stretched out his numb legs, stood up, and let out a long sigh. Yes, let’s find out. Let’s prove it…… That I’m not related to this matter, that it was just coincidence upon coincidence. That I don’t know Kim Noeul. That there’s no reason Kim Noeul would be ‘hyung’……
Staggering, Eunchan walked out to the roadside and soon caught a taxi. He had to meet Jang Heewoo. However, as soon as he reached the hospital lobby, Eunchan received a call from Miro and had to quickly change his destination to home.
‘……The stalker came.’
It was an entity that hadn’t shown itself for a while. Miro said he had hurt his hand again in an attack by the stalker who had been waiting in front of the house. In the taxi on the way back, Eunchan bit his nails with worry. His stomach hurt from the accumulating mental fatigue.
When he arrived in front of the house, Miro was standing blankly in front of the gate waiting for Eunchan. Getting out quickly, Eunchan first checked Miro’s hand, and his palm and wrist were a mess as if cut by something sharp.
“Hospital, let’s go to the hospital.”
Fortunately he had come by taxi, Eunchan said as he wrapped his arms around Miro’s shoulders.
“Th-there’s medicine at home. I think it would be fine if Eunchan treated it……”
“What are you talking about?”
Miro’s shirt stained with blood was so vivid that Eunchan swallowed emptily and closed his eyes. His heart pounded and throbbed.
“Eunchan, are you okay?”
Rather worrying about the pale-faced Eunchan, Miro reached out his hand. Miro’s blood spread over the back of Eunchan’s hand.
“See, I’m not hurt that badly.”
Still watching the anxious Eunchan, Miro spread his hand wide to reveal the wound. At the sight of Miro smiling, Eunchan held his dizzy head. Miro sent the taxi away, then opened the gate and pushed Eunchan inside.
“Where is that bastard?”
“He ran a, away.”
“Where to?”
“Your face is pale. Eunchan, are you sick somewhere?”
There was no one left to suspect now. He’d done stakeouts and investigations until now, but he hadn’t even been able to properly check the CCTV, let alone find traces. Eunchan’s fingertips tingled with helplessness and anger.
However, the attacked Miro seemed rather carefree. Instead, he firmly grabbed Eunchan’s waist and supported him as they walked through the garden.
“Why aren’t we going to the hospital……”
Eunchan frowned as he looked at Miro who had finally reached the front entrance.
“It’s okay.”
He hated that smile that closed his eyes and laughed beautifully. In the end, unable to overcome Miro’s stubbornness, Eunchan opened the front door with a sigh. After sitting Miro down on the living room sofa, Eunchan returned with the first aid kit without even taking off his coat. Sitting below the sofa, he carefully held Miro’s hand and rolled up the blood-stained shirt sleeve.
Applying disinfectant to gauze and gently wiping the wound and its surroundings, Eunchan gritted his teeth imagining Miro’s pain. However, in contrast, Miro had a consistently beaming face without showing any signs of stinging pain.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“No.”
“Fuck…… Those are hands that play the piano.”
They were white hands that had elegantly glided over the keyboard. He was already angry every time he saw the scars that still remained, but seeing them hurt even worse made his insides ache.
“It’s on the palm, so it’s o-okay. You can’t see it.”
At Eunchan’s lament, Miro showed the back of his hand without any scars as if to comfort him. As if that could be called words, Eunchan glared at Miro and picked up the hemostatic agent. At least fortunately, as Miro said, the wound wasn’t deep. After applying plenty of ointment, he carefully wrapped the hand round and round with bandages.
“Don’t use your hand for the time being. And tomorrow, go to the hospital with me.”
Still, he wanted him to receive proper treatment from a doctor. Eunchan looked down at his own hand stained with Miro’s blood as he organized the first aid kit. Why do things only get tangled like this? He couldn’t catch Miro’s stalker, and he couldn’t figure out the relationship between Myeongjin and Han Inju, Kim Haengbok and Kim Noeul, just going in circles.
“Eunchan.”
Miro, who had come down below the sofa at some point, quietly called Eunchan’s name.
“What?”
“Why did you go to Heewoo?”
“Jang Heewoo?”
“Yeah. I told you to come quickly so we could eat dinner together. But why did Eunchan go to Heewoo’s hospital?”
Miro’s eyes, filled with pure curiosity, were somehow cold. Eunchan recalled receiving Miro’s call at the hospital lobby.
“Just, just……”
Eunchan couldn’t answer easily and bit his lips. He didn’t want to ask Miro. As Eunchan hesitated and turned his gaze away, Miro grabbed Eunchan’s chin so he couldn’t turn his head.
“Does Heewoo keep bothering you?”
That look. At that persistent observation as if trying to check the very bottom of his emotions, Eunchan closed his eyes.
“Because I feel sorry for him. He’s sick.”
He was a sick person who didn’t know when he would die. Eunchan shouted the excuse that burst out while grabbing Miro’s wrist that held his chin.
“……Heewoo is a very bad person.”
Fortunately, the excuse seemed to work well. Miro opened his arms, embraced Eunchan, and began whispering in his ear about what a bad person Jang Heewoo was. The restraint was firm as if he wouldn’t let him go until he heard everything. Eunchan relaxed his body and buried his face in Miro’s nape. The familiar rose scent mixed with the smell of blood felt a bit nauseating.
“Since childhood, Heewoo bullied me terribly. Hit me and cursed at me every day.”
“Did those deceased parents of Heewoo also bully Miro-ssi a lot?”
“Yeah, they were really m-mean people. More than Eunchan can even imagine……”
“……I’m sorry. You don’t have to give blood to Heewoo-ssi.”
If the gentle-natured Miro cursed like this, the accumulated hatred seemed quite significant. Eunchan regretted his past immature self who had asked him to help Heewoo and begged Miro for forgiveness. At Eunchan’s apology, Miro’s shoulders shook as if he laughed. Soon Miro released the embrace and met Eunchan’s eyes. In his calm eyes, only Eunchan was fully reflected.
“Still, I’ll save Heewoo. Be-because Eunchan will keep worrying about him.”
As if he knew all of Eunchan’s tender heart, Miro answered affectionately while brushing Eunchan’s side hair behind his ear. Eunchan suppressed his suffocating insides and then gestured at Miro’s bandaged hand.
“I said I’d catch him for you, but I’m not helping at all.”
Miro thought of him like this, but he himself hadn’t done anything for Miro. To the dejected-looking Eunchan, instead of comforting him, Miro nodded and stroked the back of his hand as if urging him.
“Yeah, Eunchan just needs to worry about me. You still h-haven’t caught the stalker. Right?”
“……Yes.”
“I’m more pi-pitiful than Heewoo. Look, I even have bandages on.”
When did he say it didn’t hurt, that it was okay, Miro held out his hand in front of Eunchan’s eyes and made a small groaning sound. Eunchan kept stroking Miro’s knee and whispered sorry once again.
“Eunchan has to watch over me from the side. Always, without leaving……”
“I will. I’ll catch him no matter what it takes.”
What use are Jang Heewoo and Han Inju? He didn’t have an obligation to solve the request either. Instead of spending time investigating Kim Haengbok, he should have protected Miro who was right in front of him more.
Eunchan embraced the fragile Miro and promised him protection.
