“……”
Seo Sihan opened his message window at dawn. Whether he wanted to or not, he contacted the secretary with the intention of persuading him first. Just to find one person.
The next morning, the secretary who saw his boss’s message that looked like a message from some kind of contract killer as soon as he woke up pressed his forehead.
* * *
“Here are the investigation results.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The capable secretary handled both company work and finding a person for several days. He completed even the background investigation thoroughly because he didn’t want to get unnecessary confirmations. Thanks to this, his already scary impression became even scarier. To anyone looking, he looked like a gangster rather than a secretary.
Seo Sihan, who started reading the report he received from the secretary, similarly darkened his expression. Since Seo Sihan also didn’t have a particularly bright impression when he had his bangs down, to other people they looked like a pair from a dark organization. Of course, what they were actually doing right now wasn’t exactly legal.
“…It’s not someone with the same name, right?”
“Yes. It’s the correct whereabouts of that athlete Jeong Minha you look up every day, Director.”
“…I didn’t tell you to investigate me too.”
“I recommend you view it on your personal computer rather than the company computer.”
“Okay….”
Seo Sihan answered blankly in shock. It wasn’t that Jeong Minha had a real health problem. Rather, there was a different problem.
[Currently attending Seoul XX Physical Education University and living alone in a studio apartment nearby, works part-time at a cafe in the alley next to school on both weekdays and weekends. Confirmed to occasionally even work logistics part-time jobs on weekends.]
The point was that anyone could see he appeared to have no money.
Surely a lot of money would have been needed to compete in the Olympics, so he couldn’t have had nothing from the start. Also, since he even won a silver medal, if he continued his athlete career with that money, it didn’t seem like it would be to this extent.
But reading the document more carefully, he learned the reason.
Summarizing Jeong Minha’s major life events was as follows:
Jeong Minha met a coach in middle school and was scouted, and officially signed an athlete contract in his first year of high school. However, that was apparently a fraudulent contract set up by the coach. It seems he himself learned this fact in the middle of the Olympics.
In the end, because of the coach who fled overseas after the Olympics, Jeong Minha couldn’t receive any of the prize money, the training costs that had occurred during that time weren’t paid by the coach but were hung as debts on Jeong Minha’s side, and his mother who had been the only one earning money had to be hospitalized long-term at the hospital due to an illness.
That was right after the Olympics ended, so Jeong Minha was in the state of summer vacation of his first year of university. After staying only at home for the remaining vacation, he took a year off and lived while working part-time during that time.
Then after counseling with the department head at the school, he decided to attend school while receiving a scholarship, and was scheduled to become a fourth-year student soon.
At the beginning, he rotated through various part-time jobs, but currently for about 2 years, he’s been working mainly only at the cafe near school. The capable secretary even found out the times when Jeong Minha works.
At the sudden information, Seo Sihan worried all day. It was an unexpected problem. No money? Scammed? Why did he sign such a strange contract?
However, recalling the conversation with Jeong Minha, Seo Sihan soon understood. That makes sense…. It was because Jeong Minha seemed to lack caution.
Thinking this way, he suddenly got angry at the coach himself. How could he commit such a big fraud against a kid much younger than himself? Was he scouted for that purpose from the beginning? The only fraud Jeong Minha committed was lying that candy was medicine. Thinking of that time again made him laugh, then he immediately became serious. It wasn’t time to laugh.
‘…I should have looked into it beforehand.’
Learning that he himself had been living comfortably making money thanks to Jeong Minha, while Jeong Minha actually lost money and lived with difficulty, made his stomach hurt even more. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he just felt uncomfortable. He wanted to help somehow.
What Jeong Minha seemed to need was money, and coincidentally, Seo Sihan had money overflowing.
But how to help? If he left a bag of money in front of his house, would he take it?
As Seo Sihan stared blankly at the computer and only tapped the desk with his fingers, the secretary who couldn’t stand it anymore said:
“I think you could contract for sponsorship purposes and give him money.”
“……!”
When he took on the Olympics investment project, he had heard stories that other teams sponsored talented athletes. Of course, Seo Sihan had no interest in athletes other than Jeong Minha, so he had never done it.
Anyway, having heard a decent proposal, Seo Sihan immediately made a plan.
He’d hate a contract, so I should just bring a blank document and tell him to write whatever he wants. I want him to get out of that cramped house too…. If I buy him a house, will he accept it? But after contracting, where do we meet? It would be convenient to invite him home. But he probably won’t come… Ah.
“Can we build a shooting range inside the apartment?”
“……Yes?”
Because of Seo Sihan asking with sparkling eyes, the secretary despaired again. It was because after barely finishing the illegal background investigation work, this time a more difficult mission that required obtaining legal permits had arisen.
Like that, the two people made various plans for quite a while. Then Seo Sihan, who suddenly came to his senses, said:
“Why am I going this far….”
The secretary, who had been worried he might say let’s just not do it after coming this far, answered quickly:
“Director, weren’t you a fan of athlete Jeong Minha?”
“……Me?”
Seo Sihan only blinked like someone who heard nonsense. At that reaction, the secretary who became even more dumbfounded recited Seo Sihan’s actions up until now. What was it when you looked up athlete Jeong Minha’s videos and articles whenever you had time at the company? Even on the desktop, what kind of materials…. Hearing up to here, Seo Sihan answered in embarrassment. Fan, I’m a fan. Of course I’m a fan.
Once he affirmed it, Seo Sihan admitted it to himself too. The emotions he hadn’t been able to understand all this time were fan feelings? Well, I want to see Jeong Minha shooting again…. And…….
“……”
At the thought that followed, he doubted whether it was really fan feelings, but quickly erased it. Anyway, it’s true that I want to help. Even if he didn’t know anything else, he sincerely hoped Jeong Minha would be happy. He wanted to repay him for helping him.
Also, Seo Sihan and Jeong Minha’s goals were the same.
[Confirmed to still attend the shooting range every week.]
The dream Jeong Minha had given up was Seo Sihan’s dream.
* * *
January, a snowy night on the street.
Having finished all preparations, Seo Sihan got out of the car. It was in front of a cafe entrance.
Beyond the transparent door, he could see a man lying face-down at the counter.
“……!”
His heart began to beat fast. He was nervous.
Since first meeting Jeong Minha, whenever Seo Sihan got nervous, he would recall Jeong Minha’s words. That everything would go well, but even if he made a mistake, it was okay.
It felt strange to recall those words while going to meet that person himself. But seeing Jeong Minha’s actual appearance made his heart grow even bigger. It wasn’t time to worry about mistakes. He wanted to make him happy somehow. He wanted to see him smiling again.
Seo Sihan opened the cafe door and entered.
“Oh…! I’m sorry, welcome! Ah, but we’re closing soon….”
At the familiar voice he was hearing again, Seo Sihan said while smiling as much as possible:
“Do you have time by any chance? I wanted to talk for a moment.”
“M-me…?”
Jeong Minha raised his head. Their eyes met.
Looking at the face he was seeing for the first time in 4 years, Seo Sihan naturally smiled brightly.
This was the first meeting with Seo Sihan that Jeong Minha remembers.
“I’m busy.”
That was the first thing Jeong Minha said as soon as he saw Seo Sihan’s face. It was a tone as if he didn’t remember Seo Sihan at all. For Seo Sihan it was a moment that changed his life, but for Jeong Minha it was nothing worth remembering.
Seo Sihan rather liked that point more. It meant he had no particular thoughts about helping others to the extent that it wasn’t impressive.
But he couldn’t back down here. It was already an expected answer. He had even debated with the secretary in the car earlier about how much would be appropriate.
Actually, rather than a debate, he just unilaterally got nagged at. That he’d get reported if he brought up big money from the start. In the end, they agreed on 10,000 won. Seo Sihan was dissatisfied, but it worked on Jeong Minha.
“I’ll seat you at a table, customer.”
From then on, he safely obtained even a contract. Seo Sihan, who reunited with Jeong Minha, was nervous inside but did everything he had to do.
Jeong Minha, whom he was seeing after a long time, was quite different from his past memories. He couldn’t really see that confident appearance from back then. He was nervous like someone who was intimidated somewhere.
