# Chapter 112
The face of the person approaching from behind Ji Haecheon’s shoulder was frighteningly rigid. Dojin silently congratulated himself on his perfect timing.
“This bastard—”
“Ji Haecheon.”
Ji Haecheon, who was raising his arm again unable to control his temper, froze at the sound of his name from behind. Reflexively relaxing his hand, he bit his lip until it turned white.
“It’s been a while, Dojin.”
“It really has been a long time, hyung. Did you enjoy studying abroad?”
“Yes.”
After giving a short answer, he glanced at Ji Haecheon and let out a small sigh.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing to me, Hyun hyung?”
With a sly smile, Dojin tilted his head, turning his gaze toward Ji Haecheon. Ji Wuhyun also looked at Ji Haecheon. With his head bowed low and fists clenched, Ji Haecheon looked up at Ji Wuhyun when he felt the blatant stare.
“…Hyung.”
“You understand without me having to say it.”
“But—!”
“Don’t act rashly.”
Ji Haecheon suppressed his anger at Ji Wuhyun’s words, showing his displeasure as if his pride had been hurt. Nevertheless, he didn’t dare think of rebelling against his hyung.
“…I’m sorry.”
Though it was a very small voice, Dojin nodded with a satisfied smile. Meanwhile, Secretary Lee was looking at Dojin as if he were crazy.
After Ji Haecheon and Ji Wuhyun left, Dojin and Secretary Lee followed, leaving the party venue for the deck.
“Young master, have you lost your mind?”
“Me?”
“Instead of hitting back, why did you let yourself get hit!”
“Ah, that.”
Dojin chuckled as he faced the wind that threatened to dishevel his hair. Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Secretary Lee felt a surge of frustration before eventually sighing.
The feeling of having to watch the young master, whom he had raised since childhood, getting hit in public was indescribably complicated.
“I couldn’t hit him, could I?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Honestly, not getting hit at all would have been best, but getting hit was better than hitting someone. The way he had orchestrated the situation was amusing; to anyone who hadn’t heard the conversation, it would have looked like Ji Haecheon got angry and hit an innocent person.
Of course, nobody would take it at face value. But appearances did matter quite a lot.
“More importantly, how’s the injury?”
“I look like a very handsome man with a story to tell.”
After glancing at the wound, Secretary Lee tried to swallow a sigh. Despite Secretary Lee’s teasing response, as if annoyed at Dojin for deliberately getting hit, Dojin nodded in satisfaction.
“Then that’s perfect.”
“…Pardon?”
Secretary Lee couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Dojin’s words. What did he mean by “that’s perfect”? His carefully composed expression crumbled again at this incomprehensible statement.
“I’ve got a good excuse now.”
Regardless of Secretary Lee’s reaction, Dojin stroked the injured spot and smiled, his eyes curving. He now had a legitimate reason to pull Habin out from being holed up at home.
In fact, this had been his plan for Habin from the beginning.
“I’ll be away for a moment.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have an appointment.”
Secretary Lee, who detected nothing suspicious in Dojin’s actions as he smiled faintly, nodded his head.
“Then I’ll return to the party venue and wait. Please contact me immediately if anything happens.”
“I will.”
Dojin headed toward the cabins with elegant movements. Secretary Lee stood in place watching until Dojin completely disappeared from sight, then suddenly sensed something strange and tilted his head.
“Was there anyone at the party who was close with the young master?”
If his memory served him right, there was no one close enough to have a separate appointment with.
Not a single person.
* * *
Tap, tap. The steady sound of dress shoes echoed through the long corridor. Perhaps because it was quite far from where the party was being held, there was hardly any sign of people. Dojin walked down the corridor without hesitation, as if following a familiar path.
“This place hasn’t changed.”
Stopping in front of a certain door, Dojin confirmed that no one was around and flung the door open without knocking.
“Who the hell—”
“As the main character, I see you didn’t get hit in the face? Unlike me.”
Entering through the door, Dojin quickly closed it and locked it. Ji Haecheon, who had been lying on the sofa, frowned at Dojin and used the momentum to sit up.
“How dare you come in here uninvited.”
“You’re talking like I’ve come somewhere I shouldn’t? We’re friends, after all.”
“Ha, friends? You and me?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Dojin naturally took off his jacket and hung it on a single-seat sofa. He then rolled up his sleeves and approached Ji Haecheon with a deep smile.
“So, where did you get hit?”
“…What do you care?”
“What do I care? I’m going to hit you in the same spot.”
Answering in a voice that was kind yet somehow refreshing, as if offering to apply medicine, Dojin stopped three steps away.
“You’re going to hit me? You, who just got hit by me at the party because you were worried about what others would think?”
“You were the stupid one for using violence in front of everyone. And guess what, there’s nobody here now.”
“Just because no one’s here doesn’t mean there won’t be traces left.”
“Ah, that?”
Dojin snickered at Ji Haecheon, brushing his hair up.
“Even if there are traces, you’ll hide them.”
“What?”
Ji Haecheon’s brow furrowed at the nonsensical statement. Seeing his furrowed brow again, Dojin felt good. Of course, just a little.
“You’d be too embarrassed to say anything. At best, you’d only get a video of yourself getting beaten up by someone you completely dismissed as being weaker than you.”
“You bastard—!”
As Ji Haecheon again lost control of his temper and threw a punch, Dojin blocked it and immediately swept his ankle. Though Ji Haecheon staggered briefly, he quickly regained his balance, momentarily applied force to shake off Kwon Dojin’s arm, and stepped back.
“Kwon Dojin, you—”
“Anyway, I can’t take it anymore.”
Dojin stretched, moving his neck from side to side, and smiled deeply.
“So let’s fight, you son of a bitch.”
* * *
Ding.
At the clear alert sound, he quickly put down his pen and picked up his phone. After unlocking it, there was only an advertisement from a famous fashion brand, as if mocking his expectations.
“…This isn’t it.”
This isn’t the message I wanted.
Though unintended, the strength completely left his voice. He needed to pick up his pen again and continue studying, but strangely, he had no motivation to do so.
Trying to hold back a sigh—he’d lost count of how many times—he slumped over his desk. Maybe it’s because I did something too bad the last time we met, why is there no contact?
He didn’t have the nerve to contact first, but he had the nerve to respond enthusiastically if contacted. And very, very enthusiastically at that.
Tapping the desk meaninglessly, he listened for any incoming messages, but nothing changed. If midnight passed like this, it would be four days since his contact with Kwon Dojin had been cut off.
“If I’d known this would happen, I would have ignored Ji Haecheon or whatever.”
Even knowing it was mutual, instead of progressing, their relationship was regressing. Of course, since I ruined it with my own hands, the one who should complain is Kwon Dojin, but—
“That bastard Ji Haecheon…”
I really want to hit him just once. Because of him, my first relationship got seriously messed up from the start. Did I really want to do that? I’m just an ordinary citizen far removed from fighting and threats, which is why it’s difficult.
Overcoming with the power of love, like in novels or comics, wasn’t really easy.
“Is that why things got complicated? Is it because I don’t have the right mindset for this?”
Haha, even though I’m the one who said it, it’s really ridiculous nonsense. I’m using such excuses now.
He’d been thinking like this constantly since the day he broke up with Kwon Dojin. In other words, he wasn’t in his right mind.
He couldn’t help it—he’d been anxious day after day, worrying about what would happen if Kwon Dojin lost interest and ignored him. Just imagining it made him feel so miserable that tears threatened to well up.
And what if, even after school started again, Kwon Dojin continued to ignore him like this? He might end up going home and crying with his face buried in his pillow.
Moreover, he had no friends in class besides Kwon Dojin. Really, absolutely none.
“What kind of school life have I been living…”
Thinking about his relationships led to involuntary self-reflection. Excluding Kwon Dojin, he had seriously no friends.
While rubbing his forehead against the hard desk and lamenting repeatedly, another alert rang. Feeling that if he were disappointed again, he would be incapacitated for the day, he first shook off even his hopeful feelings.
Closing his eyes, he repeated to himself mentally several times: it’s not Kwon Dojin, it’s someone else, it’s an advertisement. Only then could he pick up his phone and check the message.
“Huh?”
Wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him, he rubbed his eyelids and checked again, but nothing changed. Rather, the name became even clearer, and his lips parted.
“No way.”
Kwon Dojin? Is it really Kwon Dojin?
He shot up, kicking back his chair. The wheeled chair rolled far away, but that wasn’t important right now.
As soon as he realized the sender was Kwon Dojin, he brought his face close to the small screen as if about to bury his nose in it. Whoosh, the screen came closer, and his pupils focused on it.
What did he send? If I were Kwon Dojin, what words would I choose to send? Thinking this, he quickly read the message, and couldn’t help but be surprised.
“…He got hurt?”
What on earth was Kwon Dojin doing that made this kind of message come after so long?
