“Did you hear something funny somewhere? Even if that’s true, I kept my promise. Don’t think about threatening me with baseless rumors.”
I want to stop being dragged around by Seo Hanryul. Though he’s a hopeless troublemaker, I entered the body of an incredible guy in his own way, yet until now I haven’t enjoyed a single benefit and only handled cleanup duty.
‘I’ve done enough.’
“Why are you so prickly? Did you get seriously on someone’s bad side at home?”
“Should I try doing what you do every time? Remember the contract clause. If we spend six months without problems, there are no additional demands. Why are you bringing this up at the end?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen that expression. It really seems like the real Cha Jaehyun has returned. You don’t need to get that angry. Aren’t you curious how I found out?”
Seo Hanryul asked me back with a gentle attitude. Does he even know the emotion I’m feeling right now? Still, it was true that I was curious where he’d picked up such a story.
“Wherever you heard whatever, it’s not for me to be involved in. But I wish you wouldn’t talk nonsense. So don’t talk nonsense.”
“Remember that day you ditched me and left?”
He ignored my words and continued his own. The day I ditched him—he seems to be talking about the day Cha Taehan suddenly came to the house.
“You lie just as childishly as you. Then you should’ve not gotten caught. I knew you were lying from when you said an important guest was coming. Why do you think I let you go graciously? …Our Jaehyun, what will you do when you can’t manage your expressions like that?”
He’s saying things like “our Jaehyun.” Seo Hanryul seemed to be attempting another pathetic threat against me. Something inside me slowly began to boil.
“…”
“You always nag me to manage my expressions, speak properly, right? It’s not the time to worry about others. The problem is you. You turn red at the slightest fluster, and your face goes white whenever something happens…”
“Just get to the point.”
Seeing his roundabout attitude, irritation surged. It seems impossible to part with this bastard in a good atmosphere today.
“Right, the point. You really like getting to the point too. You were suspicious that day, so I went to your house. You had a record of bailing on the first day too, saying an important guest was coming. And what happened? Your face was a complete mess.”
“…”
“The Executive Director of Daejin Electronics came out of your house? I couldn’t even sense your presence.”
Summing up Seo Hanryul’s words, he’d ultimately made assumptions about everything. I’d wondered if he’d heard some rumor, but it seems he spread his wings of imagination based solely on seeing Cha Taehan at my house.
“Is there any reason the Executive Director of Daejin Electronics shouldn’t come out of my house? An Executive Director is definitely an important guest. Are you writing a novel based on just that?”
“Don’t think about escaping. I have no intention of being fooled. Cha Taehan. …You look quite similar. He really hates you. What on earth did you do that his eyes completely change just at your name? He told me to tell him all the damage you caused? Said he’d help.”
All sorts of things happened when I was passed out drunk and out of my mind. I’m an idiot for passing out. I even thought that if I don’t take a single step out of the house and just sit still, my life wouldn’t get tangled.
“After all this, you must have questions?”
As Seo Hanryul said, I want to ask him. What did he confess to Cha Taehan? But my mouth wouldn’t open easily. Seo Hanryul wants to toy with me, so even if I ask, he’ll just rattle off strange things and grin.
“Right, you’re so smart. What do you want to do with me? Use me up as much as you can and now send me off?”
“Lower your gaze a bit. If you come at me like that, I feel too wronged. He gave up first because I insisted nothing happened. But the Executive Director is scary. I understand why you hesitate whenever family talk comes up.”
Why didn’t he say anything? If it were me, I would’ve spilled everything. His attitude of smiling enigmatically and freely revealing information I didn’t even ask for while was very suspicious.
“…”
“I told you everything, but you’re keeping your mouth shut tight? So it’s almost over?”
“…What do you want?”
“Praise?”
“Ha… What’s the reason for this? Right, I know very well that you hate me. If you hate me that much, you shouldn’t have made absurd demands in the first place. But you made a strange demand, and I followed your words exactly. Now stop…”
“Why have you been angry by yourself since earlier? I’m telling you nothing happened then. And I have no intention of saying anything going forward either. Just know that I did such a commendable thing before you leave.”
From the fact that he said nothing when meeting Cha Taehan to the attitude he’s showing in front of me now—I couldn’t understand any of it.
It doesn’t make sense to freely talk like that simply to let me know. He must have something he wants, which is why he’s acting like that.
“…Let’s keep our promise. I’m asking you.”
“Why borrow trouble? You should know that I’m looking after you this much.”
Though I questioned how to interpret Seo Hanryul’s attitude, since he’s demanding praise out of the blue, I should play along with his rhythm. Otherwise, he’ll keep holding onto me and drag out tiresome talk.
“Right, thanks.”
“Just paying lip service? Shouldn’t you at least buy me a meal before you leave?”
“Fine. Do as you please.”
That damn meal. I’ll buy him so much his stomach bursts so he can never open his mouth again. I don’t know why he acted to look after me, but it’s not something to ask about either. When we’re parting ways, there’s no need to hear that reason.
* * *
The short time of only a few days passed quickly. During the remaining period, Seo Hanryul no longer brought up stories related to Daejin.
If he intended to let me spend it this quietly, why did he bring up Cha Taehan and unsettle me? Since he’s simpler than I thought, I thought perhaps he really said it without much meaning, just for me to be grateful.
“Today’s the last day. You should give some closing remarks, right?”
After finishing the schedule, we arrived at Seo Hanryul’s house, but instead of thinking about quietly going home, he asked for closing remarks or something.
“I’m so happy I can’t express it in words. Your personality is trash, but your face is handsome, so do well going forward. Whether you do well or not isn’t my concern though.”
“Unlucky bastard.”
“This is the best well-wishing I can give you. Now go.”
“I said I’d buy you a meal before you leave. Contact me. If you wipe your mouth clean and run, you’re dead.”
Seo Hanryul suddenly pulled out his phone, thrust it in front of my face, and shook it once. Only after making an unfunny provocation did he leave. I silently watched him enter his house from inside the car.
‘Well, it’s bittersweet.’
There were many difficult times, but it was fun and rewarding in its own way. If not for this bad relationship, it wouldn’t have been bad to have a guy like Seo Hanryul as a friend. Though such thoughts are meaningless when we’re parting.
The saying that even hate can turn to affection is true. I got irritated every time we faced each other, but now that I think we’re parting, I feel empty. After all I’ve been through, to have such scary feelings.
It was a ridiculous situation even to myself, but the feeling of emptiness in one corner of my heart was an unavoidable emotion.
‘I’m really a funny guy too.’
**CEO:** Come to the CEO’s office right now.
As soon as I started the engine, an alarm came to my phone as if on cue. Lee Dojun suddenly summoned me to the CEO’s office. What time is it to tell me to come right now, and on top of that, it’s an openly unpleasant tone.
‘Anyway, there are no normal people.’
Right, since it came to this, when I arrive I should say my manager work is over too. In pitch darkness, unable to go home, I began driving toward Youth.
* * *
“Seo Jiwon-ssi, what is this? Explain. No, should I call you Cha Jaehyun-ssi now?”
I don’t even have the strength to give a hollow laugh anymore. When I entered the CEO’s office, Lee Dojun threw a document envelope at me. Inside were all the misdeeds Cha Jaehyun had committed.
Drugs, one-night stands, assault… Even Seo Hanryul’s private photos that I thought I’d cleanly deleted from the photo album.
How did he get his hands on this? Other than Cha Taehan and Han Woojin, there’s been no one else who could know this information until now. Who is the culprit who handed all this over to the wrong person?
“You have nothing to say for yourself, right? While pretending to be innocent on the outside, you did all this behind the scenes.”
Lee Dojun smiled a smile that made the viewer feel disgusted.
“What are you trying to do?”
“A bastard child who had no sense and caused all kinds of trouble, then recently went to America. But you urgently returned after two months. Even changed completely as a person. On top of that, you’re volunteering as some celebrity’s manager and even using a ridiculous alias called Seo Jiwon. Isn’t it quite funny?”
Lee Dojun openly interrogated me, but gradually I couldn’t hear his voice. Because the scene when Seo Hanryul presented that absurd demand letter came to mind.
Every single character here seems hopeless and despicable. They firmly grasp Cha Jaehyun’s weakness, and whenever I try to straighten out my life, they block me from the front. I barely held back my head spinning and about to explode.
“Stop. Stop it. However I live isn’t something for CEO-nim to be interested in. And what are these photos again? They’re at a level that would suit a third-rate gossip rag, so I’m not even fazed.”
I tried to at least spend money freely because I was wronged to enter this absurd novel, but money my ass—I just did manager work to my heart’s content. Now when I think I can finally straighten out my fate, another bastard appears and plays a low-quality prank.
There’s no pushover like this pushover.
I thought going to prison would be better. This is the limit now. I can no longer endure the schemes of bastards trying to control me.
“I knew you’d come out like that. That’s the only method you can use right now anyway.”
Lee Dojun raised one corner of his mouth and looked at me.
