Compared to Choi Hwan’s average monthly income, it was truly an extremely small portion of money. If anyone saw it, it would be an amount that would make them say he was treating his parents stingily despite earning so much money. However, Yeonrok scoffed. If he had already sent them money amounting to billions of won, hadn’t he already fulfilled a lifetime’s worth of support? It wasn’t like Choi Hwan was their only child either.
He wasn’t even just sending money to his parents. His older brother and older sister were also consistently extorting money from him. It was under the pretext of business expenses, living expenses, or his nephew’s education fees. Yeonrok couldn’t understand at all why Choi Hwan had to pay for the education fees of a nephew who had perfectly able-bodied parents. Even that amount was enormous. Without hesitation, he cut all of this out as well.
Looking at the history of chaotic exploitation, the asset manager clicked his tongue, saying it was such a waste of all the capital gains tax paid until now. He also stopped all the cards that family members were using. In preparation for protest calls, he changed Choi Hwan’s number and firmly instructed the agency to handle things well. As a result, this month’s settlement amount was enormously large.
‘At this rate, he’ll become rich quickly, right?’
Even though he earned this much, since Yeom Cheonho was covering living expenses and other dignity maintenance costs, all that was left to do from now on was save. Yeonrok brought the bankbook with a proud heart. Choi Hwan looked through the bank account details without much thought and blinked his eyes.
“…This much really remains?”
“You’ve been too much of a filial son until now, so it’s okay to be a bit unfilial from now on.”
Choi Hwan stared at the bank account details with a complicated expression. Actually, seeing him being exploited so harshly, Yeonrok had even suspected whether Choi Hwan was really their biological child. As if reading that thought, Choi Hwan answered.
“I am their biological child.”
“Huh?”
“Junho hyung was curious about it before too. I thought you might be too, so I’m answering. My family just doesn’t like me very much.”
Saying it nonchalantly, Choi Hwan asked the inwardly flustered Yeonrok.
“How much can I spend freely from here?”
“Well…”
Yeonrok recalled the advice the asset manager had earnestly given. Apart from his family’s exploitation, the story was that luxury item expenditures were too excessive compared to his income. However, he felt a bit sorry for the other person, and since it wasn’t his money anyway, he answered like this.
“This month, buy what you want to buy. It’s your money anyway. But don’t overconsume. I mean don’t cut your entire fortune in half.”
Since he usually had no savings, this month’s settlement became his entire fortune, which was an absurd situation. At least it was fortunate there was no debt.
“I’ll only spend a little!”
Choi Hwan excitedly ran out holding his card. And a few days later, he suddenly thrust something at Yeonrok. It was a small, flat gift box. Yeonrok, who had been proudly arranging the completed terrarium in the indoor garden, was bewildered.
“What’s this?”
“An apology gift. You accept this and forgive me for what I did wrong before. Now it never happened, okay?”
Since he kept emphasizing and re-emphasizing it was an apology gift, he was curious what could be inside. When he unwrapped it and opened the box, there was just a car key inside. Yeonrok’s eyes flew open as he immediately recognized the logo engraved on that key.
“What’s this? Are you joking around?”
He was bewildered and suspicious first.
“Have you lived being fooled all the time? Come here, quickly.”
Choi Hwan excitedly grabbed and pulled Yeonrok’s arm. Following him out with a just-in-case feeling, there was a sports car parked in front of the house. The car body with graceful curves gleamed brilliantly. Unable to believe it, Yeonrok asked.
“You’re giving this as a gift?”
“Yeah! Try getting in, quickly.”
Still dazed, Yeonrok muttered that this was too much but still opened the door. When he sat in the driver’s seat, a “wow” naturally came out. Choi Hwan, who had smoothly gotten into the passenger seat without even being asked, bounced his body.
“How is it? Killer, right! Originally you have to wait over a year to receive this, but luckily one got canceled so I could receive it right away.”
Yeonrok turned on the engine with a pounding heart. The engine sound that growled and vibrated the car body was like a beast. He knew he should decline, but he liked it too much to bring himself to speak. It was even more so because although he had indulged in some luxury under Yeom Cheonho’s support, he had never dared to consider something like this.
Eventually, after much deliberation, he placed his foot on the pedal. After carefully driving around the house once and coming back, Yeonrok said to Choi Hwan.
“I forgive all your sins.”
* * *
Waking up in the morning, Yeonrok rushed out in front of the house as soon as he finished eating. The sports car Choi Hwan bought him was a brilliantly sleek red color. Since Yeonrok kept going back and forth to the indoor parking lot to see his car, the bodyguards now took it out in front of the house in advance around the time Yeonrok woke up.
Admiring the car like that once, finishing exercise with the bodyguards, and then chatting was his recent daily routine. Today’s topic was nicknames.
“How about Red Hare? The logo is also in the shape of a horse.”
“Getting tacky, suggesting a name like that? Then how about Cherry, Scarlet, or Red?”
“Uh… I’ll think about it.”
Chatting with the bodyguards, Yeonrok polished and re-polished the car he had also polished yesterday and the day before until it was shiny. It was too expensive an item to handle carelessly. He was scared so he couldn’t go far, but after going around the neighborhood several times and coming back, the morning routine was over.
“Should I drive it to the next knitting meeting…?”
Seeing that Park Chungseong and Jeong Boeun also liked it, it seemed good to get off near the meeting place and then let the two of them ride to their heart’s content.
After that, he ate, watched movies, and even did hobbies diligently. Late in the afternoon, looking down at his car from the rooftop garden, Yeonrok muttered.
“It would be perfect if every day going forward was like these days.”
He didn’t know when his fickle mind might change again, but he had become quite close with Choi Hwan, and his relationship with Moon Gyeonwoo wasn’t bad either. Yeom Cheonho was needless to say, friendly. And recently, Yeonrok’s thoughts were half about the gifted sports car and half about Yeom Cheonho.
Although they were all the same Name Partners, somehow Yeonrok felt Yeom Cheonho was a bit more special. Was it because he had been affectionate from the beginning, or because he paid off his debt, or because they had kissed twice…? Of course, there was the uncomfortable aspect of the Bluebeard’s room, but he was trying hard to pretend not to know.
‘I don’t want a headache from stirring things up for no reason.’
He just wanted to live peacefully and comfortably for a while, please. As Choi Hwan said, he might have gotten a nosebleed. Maybe there was nothing special in the room and he just unnecessarily probed his intentions… Thinking such thoughts while just looking down at his sleek car from above.
“Oh, it’s Moon Gyeonwoo.”
He was walking home in casual clothes. When spending time coming up to the rooftop late in the afternoon like now, he could often spot Moon Gyeonwoo returning from exercise after finishing work on time. Though not as much as Yeom Cheonho, he also often worked overtime, so perhaps that’s why he seemed to take care of his stamina in fits and starts by running on his way home. Watching Moon Gyeonwoo without much thought, Yeonrok muttered.
“But where did he leave his bodyguard?”
He wasn’t someone who ditched bodyguards like Choi Hwan, so it was a bit strange. As he continued watching, Moon Gyeonwoo, who had come close to home with about two blocks remaining, slowly slowed down. Perhaps listening to music, he took out his earphones from his ears and was operating his phone when someone suddenly jumped out from the alley. And they struck Moon Gyeonwoo with a blunt object. Yeonrok’s eyes widened.
“Wha, what?!”
Moon Gyeonwoo, who was hit in the head, collapsed on the spot. They dragged him and loaded him into the back seat of a parked vehicle. Yeonrok jumped up from his seat without thinking twice. An alarm sounded in his head. It was an alarm coming from instinct that his Name Partner was in danger. He had an intense intuition that he had to follow right now.
It didn’t even take 10 seconds to slide down the stair railing like that, run out quickly without even wearing shoes. He tumbled into the sports car, turned on the engine, and stepped on the accelerator. Glancing back, Jeong Boeun and Park Chungseong were surprised by Yeonrok’s sudden action and were just opening the door and running out. That was more reassuring. Yeonrok focused on his target.
“Could that be that stalker from last time?!”
Fortunately, it was mostly where rich people lived and the buildings were sparse, so population density was low. Since it was a neighborhood where hardly anyone usually walked around, Yeonrok stepped on the accelerator at his discretion and barely caught up with the vehicle that had been visible in the distance. Then came the dilemma.
“What do I do? What do I do…?!”
His head spun rapidly amid worry, concern, and anxiety. Ram them from behind? No, Moon Gyeonwoo is in the back seat. If I go a bit further from here, it’s the main road. Then won’t I lose them? If they get caught at a light, if they get trapped between vehicles…
