“Hey, Jung Kyungwoo!”
He urgently tapped his cheeks. Under the last closing eyelids, the whites of his eyes were visible. Jung Kyungwoo completely lost strength and collapsed.
“Damn it.”
This wasn’t his intention. It was supposed to be something to give and take appropriately and end. He should have saved the recorded video and taken it out in a private room when they were alone. No matter how much he’d reserved the whole place, there were employees in the restaurant.
While pondering what to do, Jaeha draped Kyungwoo’s arm over his shoulder. And firmly grabbed his waist with one arm.
The two feet of the unconscious person dragged along.
“Sir?”
When he exited the bathroom, an employee approached with surprised eyes.
“He drank too much.”
“It wasn’t high-proof wine.”
“I guess he wasn’t in good condition today. Could you have a car waiting outside?”
While smiling, he clearly conveyed with his eyes that he wouldn’t give any other options. The employee hurriedly went outside.
Before the awkward disguise of setting him up as a drunk acquaintance looked even stranger, Jaeha tried to hurry and take Kyungwoo outside. But the stairs were a problem.
There were stairs going up from the restaurant entrance to the establishment. When he took one step down, Kyungwoo’s dragging feet bounced and fell awkwardly. It looked severely unsightly.
“Damn.”
He had no choice but to put his other arm under both of Kyungwoo’s knees. Kyungwoo wasn’t small either, so he weighed quite a bit. But carrying him down the stairs and moving him to the restaurant courtyard was no problem.
When he exited through the door the employee opened, Choi Dohyun approached.
“Executive Director?”
She glared at Jaeha with fierce eyes.
“He drank too much.”
“I’ll take care of him.”
Toward Choi Dohyun extending both hands, Jaeha shook his head slightly.
“He’s completely unconscious, so it’ll be hard to carry him. I’ll move him to the car.”
Choi Dohyun seemed displeased with Jaeha’s words. But she also knew that was the best option.
“This way.”
The car was nearby. Choi Dohyun opened the back seat door. Jaeha carefully laid Kyungwoo down on the leather seat. Since his head turned to the side, he carefully positioned it straight. Then a faint groan was heard.
“I’ll come back later.”
Choi Dohyun said toward the employee. The employee seemed more worried about the regular customer’s condition than the bill.
In the meantime, Jaeha got in on the other side. When he settled into the seat next to Kyungwoo, Choi Dohyun was about to get in the driver’s seat but glared at Jaeha with a strange look.
“Would I come all the way here if I called a taxi? I was forced to come because of your employer, so at least drive me to Seoul.”
Without saying anything, Choi Dohyun alternately looked at Kyungwoo and Seo Jaeha, then had no choice but to get in the driver’s seat. The heavy car started smoothly.
While going down the mountain road, Kyungwoo opened his mouth, apparently having regained consciousness.
“Go home.”
It was a voice that had lost strength, but since the inside of the car was so quiet, there was no problem understanding.
“Your companion is here.”
Choi Dohyun’s question meant whether it was okay to let Seo Jaeha know the address. But Kyungwoo, who had turned his head toward the other window, was silent.
“Just let me off on a main road on the way.”
Jaeha suggested. Choi Dohyun only glanced at Jaeha through the rearview mirror without any reaction.
Before long, the car that had been refreshingly driving along the riverside entered downtown. Choi Dohyun stopped the car before entering a neighborhood with a top-tier luxury residential-commercial complex.
“Please tell him I’ll contact him next time.”
After saying that, he tried to get out, but his clothing was pulled to the opposite side. When he turned around, Kyungwoo was already glaring at him.
“Where are you trying to go?”
“My house.”
“We’re not done talking.”
“You’re not in a condition to talk.”
“I decide that.”
He was stubborn despite having collapsed from a panic attack. Jaeha got back in the car. He also played some role in Kyungwoo’s collapse. It was more comfortable for his conscience to accommodate him appropriately.
Choi Dohyun looked unwilling. However, she faithfully followed Kyungwoo’s orders.
The car entered a luxury building’s parking lot. When the car stopped in front of the elevator, before Choi Dohyun could get out, Kyungwoo opened the door first.
“Executive Director!”
Choi Dohyun tried to catch him as he collapsed, unable to stand properly. But Jaeha was faster.
“Please press the elevator.”
Supporting him the second time was much easier. Seeing Jaeha holding Kyungwoo stably, Choi Dohyun pressed the button with a still-disgusted expression.
When they entered the quickly arrived elevator, Choi Dohyun held up a card key and pressed the top floor. As expected, it was a high place.
The elevator that rose fast enough to make his ears feel stuffy stopped smoothly. As soon as the door opened, Jaeha, about to enter inside, flinched.
Because it wasn’t a common building hallway but an interior.
“This way.”
As if using an entire floor, they followed a passage leading inside without a common entrance. Kyungwoo occasionally tried to gather strength and stand up, but his legs kept giving out.
Still wearing shoes, he walked for a while through the marble-floored interior and laid Kyungwoo down on the sofa.
Even though a sofa set of tremendous size exceeding a king-size bed occupied the center, the living room was empty with too much remaining space.
Choi Dohyun brought indoor slippers from somewhere, took off Kyungwoo’s shoes, and changed them for him.
‘Really devoted, huh.’
Perhaps because of the interior vibrating with wealth, he found Choi Dohyun’s attitude annoying for no reason. Indeed, it was a world where money was power.
Kyungwoo, who too naturally accepted the service of a young woman kneeling to change his shoes, soon staggered to his feet. Choi Dohyun supported his body that swayed like an elderly person with a stroke from close by.
“Choi Dohyun-ssi, go ahead and leave work.”
“Will you be alright?”
“Don’t worry about it. If I say go, then go.”
Kyungwoo got irritated. Then Choi Dohyun looked at Jaeha with distrustful eyes.
“I’ll come tomorrow at 7.”
Choi Dohyun glared at Jaeha until the end before disappearing toward the elevator.
Kyungwoo swayed as if about to collapse as he headed forward. Crossing the interior as wide as a playground, he disappeared into some door. Jaeha followed behind with half worry, half curiosity.
The interior led to another interior. It was like a maze. Among them, he discovered Kyungwoo in front of a marble sink installed in a space that appeared to connect the dressing room and bathroom area.
He opened a small mirror cabinet attached to the wall, took out a pill bottle, and poured it into his mouth. Then, like Americans do in Hollywood movies, he caught water directly from the faucet and drank.
‘He definitely grew up in America, as expected.’
The pill bottle was far from drugs. However, psychotropic medications were also classified as drugs, and there were many bastards who actually used them like drugs. Even if it was ordinary medicine in America, there were many cases where it was classified as drugs domestically.
Jaeha approached and picked up the pill bottle he’d put down. The moment he tried to check the ingredients written in English, Kyungwoo snatched it away.
“Privacy. Don’t you know?”
“Do drug offenders have privacy too?”
“Human rights apply to everyone. If you want to know, bring a warrant. And who are you calling a drug offender? Crazy bastard.”
Kyungwoo put the pill bottle back in the mirror cabinet. Inside the slightly open medicine cabinet, there were clearly dozens of similar plastic pill bottles at a glance.
“Who told you to come in this far?”
The medicine seemed to be taking effect quickly. As Kyungwoo’s breathing calmed down, his temper returned at the same time.
“It was open. And I was invited. It’s not illegal.”
Jaeha shrugged his shoulders and put both hands in his pants pockets. Tendons stood out on Kyungwoo’s hand gripping the marble sink.
“What do you want?”
This time Kyungwoo didn’t grab Jaeha’s collar. Though with his eyes he looked ready to almost cut him to pieces.
“You’re the one who dragged me here. You should state your business.”
“When you took hidden camera footage to blackmail me, that means you want something. Tell me quickly before my patience runs out.”
“So that’s why you told me to come inside the house. Judging by how you sent Choi Dohyun away in advance, she doesn’t know either, right?”
Kyungwoo closed his mouth. It seemed to mean correct.
“Is it a very big secret? Does Jung Taeho know?”
“Where do you dare carelessly mention that name, you son of a bitch!”
When his father’s name came up, Kyungwoo trembled. It seemed like he’d strike down with a blunt weapon if one was nearby.
“You shouldn’t mention parents unless you’re on terms where you’ll kill each other. I made a mistake.”
Jaeha lightly apologized and continued speaking.
“So why do you do such things? The first priority of filial piety is health, and the second is also health.”
“Fuck. Who asked to hear a stubborn old teacher’s sermon right now? What do you want, Seo Jaeha!”
If they continued the war of words, there was a possibility Kyungwoo would have another panic attack. Jaeha obediently answered.
“Right now… nothing.”
“What?”
It probably sounded absurd. No, it actually was absurd.
“What kind of trick is this?”
“Even if you don’t believe it, it can’t be helped. I really don’t want anything right now.”
“Then why did you take the hidden camera footage?”
Avoiding the hand aiming for his collar again, Jaeha stepped back slightly and told him the truth as it was.
“Because it seemed like it would be useful later?”
“Fuck.”
The curse that burst from Kyungwoo’s mouth in his disheveled state was more vulnerable than fierce, and a little cute.
‘So this is why they do decadent concept photo shoots.’
Having gained a great enlightenment about an unknown realm, Jaeha unknowingly nodded. Then Kyungwoo breathed roughly as if dumbfounded.
“At this rate you’ll collapse again. I’ll contact you when I need something. Rest.”
Jaeha patted Kyungwoo’s shoulder a couple times and turned around.
“Wait! You son of a bitch!”
A resounding shout flew from behind. But compared to what Lee Byungdo, the usual incarnation of a raging fire, let out, it was like an opera singer.
Jaeha headed for the elevator. As expected, the interior button worked without a card key.
The moment he got on the quickly arrived elevator and pressed the first floor, Kyungwoo appeared and tried to shout something.
“Rest, Executive Director Jung. Didn’t she say she’s coming to pick you up at 7?”
He waved his hand through the closing doors. Kyungwoo’s figure about to blow his top disappeared and the elevator rapidly descended.
While alone, Jaeha couldn’t hold back his bursting laughter.
Was it because he’d freely played with a fourth-generation chaebol accustomed to power abuse, or was it because it was Jung Kyungwoo? It wasn’t clear. But one thing was certain.
Jung Kyungwoo was very interesting.
Enough to want to keep seeing him… he greatly entertained Jaeha.
