# Chapter 32
[Sorry to deliver this kind of news from the very first day.]
After seeing Jaehyun’s text, Hanryul concluded that the bastard hadn’t changed one bit. Acting normal on the surface while blowing off his schedule from day one. As expected, he thought, the guy’s mental state was rotten to the core.
Of course, he knew the contents of the contract he’d presented were absurd. But since there was something that hit home, he must have signed it without saying a word.
‘I guess he thinks my demands are some kind of joke?’
Seeing Jaehyun act cocky from the very first day made him snort, and he opened his GPS app.
It was true that the bastard was at home, as he’d said. But the part about having important guests was obviously a bald-faced lie. He was probably drinking himself stupid or preparing to throw some wild party.
He’d have to make an inescapable surprise raid. Hanryul was irritated by how lightly Jaehyun was treating the contract. He thought the guy would at least do things properly for one day.
‘I overestimated that bastard.’
He’d go into the house and give him a final warning. That this would be the last time he’d go easy on him. If something like this happened again, he planned to declare the contract over without any further consideration.
He arrived at the front entrance of that bastard’s house. He smoothly entered the password Jaehyun had given him and boldly made his way through the luxurious hallway to the living room. Then he scolded him for blowing off his schedule from the very first day.
After that, strange things immediately caught his eye.
Wasn’t he supposed to be drinking? Contrary to Hanryul’s expectations, not a single liquor bottle was visible in the spacious living room. However, there were broken glass shards and pools of liquid scattered messily across the floor, as if some major incident had occurred.
The bastard’s face was quite a sight too. His left cheek was severely swollen as if he’d been thoroughly beaten by someone, and dark red blood had dried around his nose as if he’d been bleeding until just moments ago. The white t-shirt he was wearing had become a rag. Messy bloodstains had left vivid marks all over it.
Moreover, whether from mental shock or because his face hurt, the bastard’s face looked haggard like someone whose soul had left their body, and he appeared extremely exhausted.
He’d intended to shout at the top of his lungs that this was the last time and there wouldn’t be a next time. But no matter how much he disliked Jaehyun, seeing his face pale white as if he were about to die, he couldn’t bring himself to raise his voice.
“You came? Sorry about this from the first day.”
Whether he knew about Hanryul’s flustered state or not, Jaehyun glanced at him once and casually spat out an apology. Even if it was an act, was this bastard actually capable of apologizing?
When he’d seen the apology text, he thought it was some cheap, unfunny trick. But seeing the situation before his eyes, he could tell that the bastard definitely hadn’t been lying.
“Seo Hanryul-ssi, I don’t know what kind of appointment you made, but can’t you see the Young Master’s condition right now? Don’t you think entering someone’s home by punching in the password and barging in without warning is a major breach of etiquette? What you just did constitutes trespassing. I think it would be best if you returned home for today.”
The secretary standing next to Jaehyun suddenly attacked Hanryul. He might understand if Jaehyun had said those words, but who was this guy to try to kick him out? Seeing the secretary speak on Jaehyun’s behalf made him think the roles had been completely reversed.
Hanryul automatically frowned as he recalled the brazen way this man had read someone else’s demands without permission last time.
‘Why has this person been getting in my way since last time?’
“Secretary Han, I’m fine. Thank you for treating me today. And Seo Hanryul, sorry about this from the first day. There won’t be any more incidents like this. Even though it’s late, let’s go out now.”
Secretary Han. What was that bastard’s name? He was about to sharply retort to the man who was getting on his nerves, but Jaehyun obediently said he’d follow him out. Even the secretary beside him seemed unable to predict Cha Jaehyun’s reaction.
“Seo Hanryul, come on. Let’s go to the agency.”
Whether he didn’t realize that his clothes were too stained to be embarrassing to wear outside, Jaehyun went out the door and called for him.
Seeing the disaster before his eyes, he’d been willing to give him a day of rest. But at his sudden behavior, Hanryul also said nothing more and followed him outside.
Even in front of the elevator, Jaehyun said nothing. Without him saying anything, you could tell his condition was drooping and dejected to the extreme. He didn’t know what had happened, but it was obvious he’d suffered greatly mentally.
The two walked without any conversation and soon arrived at the parking garage.
“Hey, get in the passenger seat.”
Looking at Jaehyun’s state, Hanryul seemed to have decided something and put him in the passenger seat while taking the driver’s seat himself.
* * *
Crack—
Cha Jaehyun, with his cruel and despicable nature.
One of the reasons Woojin had been able to endure his temperament all this time was because he could occasionally see Jaehyun getting mercilessly beaten by Taesan and Taehan. The sight of him pathetically tucking his tail and bowing his head in front of those two was quite satisfying to watch.
But now he felt not even a trace of that gratifying emotion. The moment Chairman Cha Taesan’s large palm touched that small face, a single tear rolled down from one of the bastard’s eyes. That sight was utterly pitiful.
Watching the chairman point fingers and shout at Jaehyun, Woojin instead felt rebellious toward him. Did he think Cha Jaehyun had come back to Korea because he wanted to?
If it weren’t for that bastard Seo Hanryul, Cha Jaehyun would probably be studying hard right now, preparing for midterm exams. Maybe he would have approached him first asking for help studying during exam period, like during that team project last time.
Jaehyun’s appearance after the chairman left looked like a puppy abandoned on the street. Those dark eyes that seemed full of wounds, his trembling body. If he’d seen this sight before, he would have gone home and danced with joy.
His pale cheeks were swollen as if they might burst, and blood was flowing from his nose. Seeing his drooped appearance, Woojin felt a mixture of emotions.
‘Why did you foolishly sign that ridiculous contract…’
Looking at his cheek, he suddenly realized there was no time to be lost in thought. Looking closely, there was a small scratch on his cheek. If not treated immediately, it could leave a scar on his face.
Woojin set aside all other thoughts and began applying ointment to his face. He could see eyes that were holding back tears. When he looked into those eyes, Jaehyun seemed embarrassed and quickly turned his eyes away, which he found cute and made him laugh.
No, now beyond thinking he was cute, he wanted to warmly embrace him and comfort him. When he’d touched his forehead on the plane last time, he’d been startled, so what expression would the bastard make if he hugged him? As Woojin was having these random thoughts while fighting the urge to hug him, he heard the sound of someone entering a password.
Seo Hanryul. It was that bastard. It was true that Jaehyun had wronged Hanryul greatly. But separate from that, Hanryul’s behavior was utterly shameless.
How did he know the house password to boldly barge in like this? Even when he threw out a reproach, the man made an expression as if there was nothing wrong with his attitude at all, which turned Woojin’s stomach.
But Jaehyun nonchalantly even apologized to Hanryul and followed him out as if nothing had happened. What exactly was weighing on his mind so much that he was being dragged around by this Seo Hanryul character? Now Woojin’s hostility began to turn toward this Hanryul person rather than Jaehyun.
[I heard that father visited younger brother’s house. Please provide detailed information.]
As soon as Jaehyun left, a text from Taehan arrived as if by magic. Reading the text, Woojin felt an uncontrollable displeasure.
Those sad, wounded eyes flickered before his vision. Even in this situation, he didn’t want to report every detail about Jaehyun. That night, for the first time, Woojin couldn’t bring himself to reply to Taehan.
* * *
Although I’d suffered the misfortune of offering one cheek to Cha Taesan, unexpectedly Seo Hanryul didn’t throw a big tantrum.
However, because Cha Taesan’s aftermath was so intense, this fact wasn’t entirely pleasing.
Seo Hanryul seemed quite shocked seeing my appearance and the state of the living room, as the aggressive momentum he’d had when barging in angrily quickly softened.
“Seo Hanryul, come on. Let’s go to the agency.”
At my words, Seo Hanryul followed obediently without much objection. Although I’d been hit hard enough by Cha Taesan to make my eyes pop out, seeing Hanryul’s gentle attitude gave me relief that tonight could pass quietly.
“Hey, get in the passenger seat.”
What a bland bastard. I guess he was somewhat worried about my condition. He slyly took the driver’s seat. When he suddenly appeared in America and grabbed my collar out of nowhere, I thought he was crazy, but I guess he really is a protagonist with some compassion after all.
Sitting in the passenger seat reminded me of earlier.
“What you just did constitutes trespassing.”
I remembered what Han Woojin had said. Thinking of how he’d secretly broken into my house from America and then seriously scolded Seo Hanryul reminded me of the old saying “the pot calling the kettle black.”
“Pfft…”
Finally, a chuckle escaped.
“What are you cracking up about by yourself?”
“Just. Something funny suddenly came to mind.”
“You’ve got plenty to be happy about with your face swollen up like soggy tofu.”
‘Geez, can’t you speak more nicely?’
A pretty exterior with not-so-pretty words and actions. That’s Seo Hanryul exactly.
“Hey, but what’s the name of that secretary who’s always stuck to your side?”
First my home address, then my password, and now my secretary’s name—he sure has a lot of curiosity. But since my house password had already been compromised, there was nothing I couldn’t tell him.
“What are you going to do knowing that? It’s Han Woojin. That’s why I call him Secretary Han.”
I looked out the window during this trivial conversation and noticed something strange.
‘This isn’t the right road?’
“This doesn’t seem like the way to the agency? Are we going somewhere else?”
“You don’t need to know.”
He didn’t answer when I asked. It seems like we’re veering off to somewhere other than the agency. Where is this bastard going at this hour of the night?
