“Driver, thank you!”
“Don’t do this kind of thing next time.”
“Yes, thank you again. Drive safely!”
The driver ahjussi quickly disappeared from my view.
My choice was right. By taking the motorcycle, I was able to arrive in front of my house in 15 minutes and secure a full 5 minutes of spare time.
As soon as I arrived, I ran quickly and reached my house in 2 minutes.
“Huff…”
My breath was so short that my heart felt like it would jump out of my mouth, but there was no time to rest. As soon as I arrived home, I turned on the lights first, and started placing empty cups and snacks suitable for wine on plates on the table.
“That damn dog training is pretty harsh.”
After completing the crude guest table, I let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the chair in front of the table.
Did you arrive safely at that personality-ruined bastard’s house?
Quick-witted Seo Hanryul immediately sent me a messenger message.
‘How did he know right away? Ah… Right. GPS.’
Thinking of the GPS, I thought I really was that guy’s dog.
‘I can’t live feeling so wronged… Let’s endure just a little longer.’
Thanks to you, I arrived safely. Thank you so much. Rest well too.
You said with your own mouth that you’d serve me well next time, personality-ruined bastard. I’ll clearly remember that.
Why did he suddenly fixate on my house? Well, I shouldn’t try to understand this guy’s thought process with a normal person’s thinking.
Don’t worry. I’ll prepare so grandly you’ll be shocked. Just don’t act like a country bumpkin and be surprised when the time comes.
Ding-dong-
‘He’s here.’
As soon as I heard the bell sound, I ran to the intercom, and Cha Taehan’s face was on the screen. I ran to the front door, patted my chest a couple times, and caught my breath.
‘I can’t just avoid him. I can’t act stupidly.’
“Executive Director-nim, it’s been a while.”
I smiled so brightly my face twitched as I opened the door and welcomed Cha Taehan.
“You’re cleverly at home at this hour.”
Cha Taehan openly mocked me as he entered my house.
“You can sit here.”
“I didn’t know you were a guy who knew such manners.”
He glanced at me slightly, perhaps having seen the table. But this time, I didn’t pathetically avoid his eyes.
‘No matter what you say today, I’m going to dodge it all.’
I thought while riding the motorcycle and running on the road. Now that I’d returned to Korea, receiving Cha Taehan’s surveillance was unavoidable. Moreover, it was obvious that Han Woojin would be reporting my stories to Cha Taehan every day.
If I just avoided him like when I was at the Chairman’s house last time, I thought it would rather raise his interest even more. I didn’t know why he came all the way to my house, but I resolved to at least not show him a cowering appearance. If I showed such an appearance for no reason, I might be branded with the image of still doing something sinister and wrong behind the scenes.
“Executive Director-nim, why do you say such things? What brings you here so suddenly?”
“Ah, I didn’t know. Does one need a special reason to visit their younger brother’s house?”
‘What kind of younger brother?’
For the word “younger brother” to come out of Cha Taehan’s mouth first. But the behavior Cha Taehan showed after that caused even greater distress.
‘Vodka?’
Vodka that looked like it would easily exceed several tens of degrees. Cha Taehan naturally placed that alcohol on the table.
‘Crazy…’
I thought I knew Cha Taehan’s intention. He intends to make me drink that terrifying alcohol and conduct a drunken interrogation. Since Cha Taehan also knew well about Cha Jaehyun’s dog-like drinking habits, I thought it was a truly clever move.
“Haha, Executive Director-nim. How did you come bringing alcohol?”
“I can’t come to someone else’s house empty-handed, right? Without long talk, let’s open it right away.”
Cha Taehan was about to pour alcohol as soon as he came to someone else’s house.
“Executive Director-nim, I’m sorry but my stomach isn’t feeling well today and I have a schedule from tomorrow morning, so drinking will be difficult. How about a simple beverage?”
I gently refused the alcohol with a smile. Drinking with him wasn’t in my plan.
“Are you refusing my request now? How do you think that makes me feel?”
But quick-witted Cha Taehan absolutely didn’t fall for my trick and rather placed a subtle threat. If I didn’t drink when he came out like that, it was obvious something big would happen.
‘Why does he hate Cha Jaehyun so much?’
This way, it becomes a drinking battle. Cha Taehan was clearly someone who could hold his liquor. However, I had no freedom to refuse his strong insistence.
‘Right, it’s about willpower. I just need to knock him out first.’
“Executive Director-nim, you must really crave alcohol. Haha, I know well. There are days like that sometimes.”
I looked at Cha Taehan’s eyes and smiled brightly as I filled the glass in front of him, and he also filled my glass.
‘You want to have a go, is that it?’
A death match that would only end when one person died had begun.
‘I think I’m going to vomit.’
Cha Taehan was a more powerful opponent than I thought. Even after drinking several glasses of vodka that was over 40 degrees, not a hint of color came to his face.
In contrast, my body was gradually experiencing abnormal reactions. Warning sounds began ringing in my brain that I shouldn’t drink anymore. I had to retreat.
“Executive Director-nim, I’ll stop drinking now. My stomach is churning too much. I’m afraid I might commit a great discourtesy in front of Executive Director-nim at this rate.”
My brain was already getting twisted, but I held onto my sanity with extreme willpower and spoke clearly.
“Really? Then let’s just have one more glass.”
Cha Taehan smiled slyly and offered me one more glass. It felt like a certain situation I experienced in America was overlapping.
‘Cha Taehan, this vicious bastard.’
“Alright. How could I dare refuse the alcohol Executive Director-nim offers? Then I’ll drink just one more glass.”
‘I’m screwed.’
But I had no choice but to desperately surrender before the last drink. I tried to endure somehow, but before I knew it, I collapsed forward onto the table and lost consciousness.
* * *
Thud-.
The disgusting bastard couldn’t overcome the alcohol and collapsed.
‘He’ll reveal his true nature soon.’
Taehan wore a satisfied expression as he approached the collapsed Jaehyun and began shaking him.
“Cha Jaehyun, get up.”
“Hiiing…”
At Jaehyun’s strange moaning, Taehan began to feel even greater disgust.
“Who are you acting disgracefully in front of right now? Get up while I’m being nice.”
The reason Taehan suddenly visited Jaehyun’s house today was to directly grasp his true colors and intentions. Since he had to wake up the guy making a spectacle in front of him, he suppressed the displeasure in his heart and didn’t stop shaking him.
“Ah… Who is it? …It’s Taehan hyung-nim. Right, look at my mind. I was drinking with hyung-nim.”
Finally, Jaehyun raised his collapsed upper body again. However, the reaction shown was very trivial, not satisfying Taehan at all.
If he drank this much alcohol, he should reveal his true nature. Rather, Jaehyun called him hyung-nim and let out an embarrassing laugh. Could it be that even when drunk, he acts differently depending on who’s in front of him? Facing Jaehyun’s strange attitude, Taehan felt nothing but extreme disgust.
‘Let’s see how far you go.’
“Who dares to use the word hyung-nim to whom right now?”
“…Hyung-nim, I’ve been so upset since last time. I can’t call father father, I can’t call hyung-nim hyung-nim either. It’s the 21st century now. I’m not Hong Gildong or anything, and if you make such a serious face just because I said ‘hyung-nim’ once, my heart hurts so much.”
Jaehyun made a sulky expression and began clinging to Taehan’s arm beside him. At Jaehyun’s inexplicable attitude, goosebumps rose all over Taehan’s body, and he pushed him away strongly and returned to his place.
“Ha… Even stupid you have thoughts. What kind of scheme is it this time?”
“Hyung-nim… What do you mean I have some plan…”
Anger rose at Jaehyun’s continued hyung-nim calling, but at Jaehyun’s appearance starting to speak, Taehan waited quietly like a predator who had captured an opportunity.
“…I’m old enough now that I should live with my head on straight. It’s true I’ve done many wrongs. But I don’t remember committing any wrongs against hyung-nim… Yet hyung-nim seems to hate and detest me more than necessary.”
But only unexpected words came from Jaehyun’s mouth.
“Hyung-nim, you know what? From hyung-nim’s eyes… Hic, ah… I really think I’m going to vomit.”
Jaehyun continued the spectacle that might not stop in front of Taehan.
“What about my eyes?”
“…Ah, was I talking about eyes? …I remember. Right, eyes. Every time you shoot lasers from your eyes, my whole body feels like it’s burning. Do you know that’s really scary? Ha… Just thinking of hyung-nim’s name makes me so scared I can’t sleep…”
Jaehyun was saying incomprehensible nonsense by himself, then collapsed forward onto the table again. Jaehyun’s hand accidentally knocked the glass on the table, and the unfortunate incident occurred where Taehan’s pants, unable to avoid it, got completely soaked.
“This crazy bastard…”
Looking at his wet pants, Taehan briefly suspected that Jaehyun had devised a sophisticated strategy to mess with him, but seeing Jaehyun who was completely gone in front of him, he had to accept the fact that he had lost his grip on consciousness.
“Interesting. You want to have a go with me?”
Taehan glared at the sleeping Jaehyun once frighteningly and headed to the dressing room to change clothes.
Ding-dong-
The bell sound reached Taehan’s ears as he was moving his steps. When he checked the intercom, he saw a familiar face.
Seo Hanryul.
A man Cha Jaehyun had persistently harassed a few months ago.
At the constantly unfolding curious situation, Taehan even forgot the fact that his pants were wet and headed toward the front door.
“Who is it?”
“Hello. I’m Seo Hanryul.”
The man in front of Taehan smiled lightly and introduced himself. This sight was enough to arouse Taehan’s interest.
