# Chapter 14
Why did he suddenly want to see me? Anxiety washed over me. I quickly sent a reply.
[What’s going on?]
[Let’s talk in person]
His response came immediately. What’s this about? Looking at the message history with Seo Hanryul, he had always one-sidedly ignored Cha Jaehyun’s messages. So why would he text first now? And his response speed was incredibly fast too.
What could have happened? It was unusual for Seo Hanryul to text first… And the content of his message was an abrupt request to meet.
I felt somewhat uneasy about completely ignoring the protagonist’s request to meet and just leaving for America. Well, we probably need some closure, and it wouldn’t be bad to meet one last time.
‘Anyway, in the current timeline, I’m not involved with Lee Dojun yet.’
Yes, I don’t know what this is about, but I should meet him. Let’s meet and end things perfectly, cleanly. That one-sided, clingy relationship that Cha Jaehyun had maintained.
[Let’s meet tomorrow at 1. You choose the place]
[XX Cafe. Come there]
This reply was quick too. Meeting Seo Hanryul tomorrow felt surreal. If I had to express my current feelings, it would be 80% worry and 20% anticipation. The reason for the anticipation was because in the novel, Seo Hanryul’s appearance was praised to the point of worshipping a deity.
Of course, I’d already seen photos on Cha Jaehyun’s phone, but I was very curious about seeing him in person. After all, photos and real life are different.
Looks like I’ll meet the novel’s protagonist before studying abroad. Though it’s clearly not for a good reason, I was genuinely curious about his face.
* * *
12:50 PM. I arrived first at the cafe Seo Hanryul had mentioned. I went in and took a seat at the innermost table, where I wouldn’t be conspicuous. Every time the cafe door opened, I stretched my neck like a meerkat to see if he had arrived.
‘Huh?’
He entered. That man is definitely Seo Hanryul.
Insane. Literally insane.
First, his eyes. Eyes like lakes, doe-like eyes—any adjective would be insufficient to describe how marvelous they were. How can a person’s eyes sparkle so brightly? They were literally mesmerizing.
Below those eyes was his sculptured high nose, pink lips, and radiant, translucent skin. His skin was so good that it gleamed without a single blemish. I thought if elves existed in reality, they might look like this. At a glance, he looked like a delicate fairy, but from another angle, he had a fresh, boyish charm.
To sum it up, he had an unfair appearance, as if the author had gone all-in on his looks. He was the type of man who could captivate anyone—regardless of age or gender—with just his appearance. It was even more shocking than when I first saw Cha Jaehyun in the mirror.
“Will you snap out of it?”
That snapped me back to reality. Seo Hanryul sat down in front of me with an irritated voice, but even his irritated voice sounded good.
‘He really is the protagonist.’
Seeing the protagonist with his perfect voice right in front of me, I thought again how unfair it was. I might not understand how a man could be attracted to another man, but from a purely aesthetic perspective, I could see why Cha Jaehyun was so obsessed with Seo Hanryul.
“Cha Jaehyun, can’t you hear me?”
I couldn’t keep showing this dazed expression in front of Seo Hanryul. I quickly slipped back into Cha Jaehyun mode.
“I hear you perfectly well. Why did you call me?”
I frowned slightly and questioned him back. I needed to fully convey ‘I’m not interested in you anymore’ within this hour.
BANG!
Even though I’d just answered, Seo Hanryul suddenly slammed the table as if he was going to break it. Everyone in the cafe instantly turned their attention to us.
Even if he’s a rookie, he’s still a celebrity—can he really act so recklessly? I was dumbfounded by his sudden behavior. I was already afraid that some unforeseen incident might prevent me from studying abroad as it approached, and I absolutely did not want this kind of attention.
“Could you be more careful with your behavior? There are a lot of people here.”
I raised my voice slightly, becoming sensitive in response to Seo Hanryul’s sudden outburst.
“What the fuck are you scheming?”
Good grief. Could Seo Hanryul swear too? I was taken aback by the sudden profanity to my face. Both Cha Taehan and Seo Hanryul keep asking me what I’m scheming. I’ve been trying my best to act like Cha Jaehyun—am I that strange?
I have no idea what Seo Hanryul means by “scheming.” My only crime was telling Han Woojin to let Seo Hanryul go and stop all activities related to him.
Could he possibly have evidence that Cha Jaehyun was the kidnapper? Cold sweat began to form on my forehead.
‘If Seo Hanryul has evidence, I’ll never be able to study abroad.’
No, not being able to study abroad isn’t the problem. I could end up in prison. But there’s no way Seo Hanryul has evidence. After all, Cha Jaehyun has been doing his dirty deeds secretly and flawlessly.
How should I resolve this situation? Should I calm down and say it’s a misunderstanding? I started to think.
“Have you gone mute these past few days? What kind of fucked-up plan are you making to be so quiet this time?”
Thank you, Seo Hanryul. He gave me the answer first. It seems he called me because he became suspicious when I didn’t contact him for a long time.
Well, after clinging to him disgustingly every minute and second of every day, I guess it wouldn’t be strange for Seo Hanryul to suspect that Cha Jaehyun was planning something big when I stayed quiet for almost a week after the kidnapping incident. Fortunately, he doesn’t have evidence of the kidnapping. I continued with renewed confidence.
“Contact? I find it amusing that the word ‘contact’ came from your mouth first. The answer is simple. I’m tired of you. I won’t be contacting you anymore, so drop the nonsense.”
I felt satisfied with this line, thinking it was something Cha Jaehyun would say. Now I just need to keep pushing forward like a bulldozer.
“What? You bastard. You expect me to believe that?”
Seo Hanryul’s face reddened with anger. If we continued this conversation, it seemed like a commotion would break out. I need to say what I have to say and leave quickly. Feeling the situation might escalate, I stood up abruptly.
“I’m leaving now. For America. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ll compensate you as much as you want for whatever it is.”
It was a trash statement, typical of Cha Jaehyun. I felt sorry for Seo Hanryul, but apologizing profusely here would break Cha Jaehyun’s character. If my abnormal state was detected, the situation could turn unfavorable.
The evil acts that Cha Jaehyun had committed against Seo Hanryul couldn’t be compensated by anything, of course. But I still said this because money is all that Cha Jaehyun has. Right now, all I could see was my goal of going to America, and I just wanted to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.
“…Son of a bitch.”
I heard him muttering lowly behind me. A chill ran down my spine for a moment. I thought he might hit me on the head, but fortunately, no such misfortune occurred.
I would gladly give Seo Hanryul whatever amount he asks for if he contacts me. Well, even if he doesn’t, Seo Hanryul will soon become a top star and sit on a pile of money. And he’ll also win Lee Dojun’s love. If I just slip away here, everything will proceed smoothly.
‘Sorry, Seo Hanryul. This is the end for us. Let’s not meet again.’
* * *
“I’m leaving now. For America. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ll compensate you as much as you want for whatever it is.”
That was the last thing that bastard Cha Jaehyun said. Hearing these words, Hanryul’s anger intensified.
After harassing him to a disgusting extent, he ends it on his own terms. Harassing someone in the most vile way was up to him, and ending it was also up to him. Seeing Jaehyun acting according to his own temperament from their first meeting to their last filled Hanryul with rage.
A few days ago, he had been kidnapped and suffered various injuries all over his body. His suspicions were certain, but there was no physical evidence. Since meeting Jaehyun at the charity event, similar incidents, both big and small, had been waiting for Hanryul.
The largest of these incidents was the scar on his abdomen from an intruder. He had fought to avoid injury, but eventually suffered a severe wound when he was stabbed in the abdomen.
“Fuck, you’d better listen to me obediently.”
It happened the very night he ignored Jaehyun’s warning. But he couldn’t find any evidence. Being certain of the culprit but unable to catch him—Hanryul found this reality extremely painful. If he could, he would want to kill Jaehyun and then follow him in death. That disgusting bastard had extended his grasp over him and completely shaken up his daily life.
When the person who had been grating on his nerves every minute and second hadn’t contacted him for days, worry preceded relief. What is this bastard planning now?
He didn’t want to be played for a fool anymore. Thinking he should meet this bastard and settle things, he called him out first.
“I’m tired of you now.”
But that son of a bitch spat out nonsense, and his eyes were different from usual. That dirty, clingy look he used to give him was completely gone.
Only dry eyes with no readable emotions were directed at him, ignoring the anger he displayed, saying this was the last time, saying only what he wanted to say, and then leaving.
‘You crazy bastard, just wait.’
There was one fact that Jaehyun overlooked. Hanryul was the type who couldn’t live after being mistreated by others. He was a person who firmly believed in giving back exactly what he received—give and take.
Right now, Hanryul was feeling anger several times greater than what he had ever felt towards Jaehyun before. If Jaehyun had quipped as usual, asking what scheme he could possibly have, he would have been less angry.
What angered Hanryul most was how Jaehyun seemed to have forgotten all the trouble he had caused, wanting to clean the slate and go to America. This bastard was planning to sleep comfortably in America after turning someone else’s life into a mess. That was absolutely unacceptable.
‘You son of a bitch. I’ll make you kneel before me.’
Grinding his teeth, Hanryul vowed revenge.
Having tasted immense humiliation from Jaehyun, who acted as if he was discarding a toy he had been playing with, Hanryul ground his teeth and pledged vengeance.
