For some reason holding a golf club in his hand, Lee Hyeonseok surveyed us with an expressionless face. When his secretary also looked at us together from behind Lee Hyeonseok with that characteristically blunt expression, I felt awkward for no reason. However, unlike me who was awkward, the guards were tense at the boss’s appearance. The self-proclaimed father-in-law and the people he brought also didn’t look much different. Anyway, I could hear the inner thought of “we’re fucked” from all of them except me.
“CEO!”
“Hy, Hyeonseok-gun…!”
“Fuck, what the hell is this mess.”
The father-in-law tried to approach him first, but Lee Hyeonseok, who wasn’t a Confucian boy, started spewing profanity right off the bat. Though his words were a bit rough, I couldn’t say I completely didn’t understand his feelings. Coming home to find the self-proclaimed father-in-law’s secretary and three guards, me and Lee Hyeonseok’s three guards bickering in the living room—it was indeed a mess, no, a chaotic scene. If it were me, I might have closed the door and run away while calling the police.
“Secretary Cha, how do you think I should take this situation?”
“I think it would be best to report to the police first.”
“I’ll explain everything!”
When Lee Hyeonseok naturally intimidated him as if breathing, the secretary quickly chimed in agreement. The self-proclaimed father-in-law, ignored by Lee Hyeonseok, seemed to realize things weren’t going well and with a pale face, acted servilely toward someone much younger than himself. Seeing this, it seemed he really wasn’t going to be the father-in-law. If it’s Lee Hyeonseok, as he said, he would marry someone of matching status, but seeing such a servile attitude, he was probably one of many people aiming for his father-in-law position.
“And who the hell are you.”
“Wh, what do you mean who. I’m President Choi, our daughter and you have been discussing marriage continuously….”
I had a suspicion, but as expected. Actually, he was so confident I was worried what if he really was going to be the father-in-law, but hearing a definite answer put my mind somewhat at ease. We’re not even in love, so it would be troublesome to get the title of adulterer too, wouldn’t it?
“You there.”
“Yes.”
“Explain.”
When Lee Hyeonseok ignored the middle-aged man and called out the guard in front of me with a chin gesture, he answered in an overly tense posture. Lee Hyeonseok, who had a habit of speaking briefly, tilted his head crookedly and waited for the guard’s answer. I felt like I could even hear the guard’s heart beating.
“Well….”
The guard opened his mouth with a trembling voice, but the content didn’t follow. I know that feeling well. The accident has already been caused, and you need to report to your boss but can’t speak. Rather, that feeling of wanting to submit your resignation, quit, and then go home. I know it very well. Moreover, Lee Hyeonseok was a boss with a completely rotten personality.
Not knowing how he might explode, everyone was busy breaking out in cold sweat, swallowing saliva, and watching for cues. Because of that, even the air was heavy and stuffy, making it truly maddening and frustrating.
“Is the question difficult?”
When the designated guard just stalled, Lee Hyeonseok opened his mouth again. Everyone flinched together. The lack of change in his expression or voice was even scarier. Can I just go into the room now…?
“Why are the bastards I pay money to guard the house letting not just one but five fucking bastards into the house to cause this mess—fucking explain.”
I thought it would be okay since there was no temperature change, but it wasn’t. It got really bad. In a situation where no one could answer, Lee Hyeonseok’s voice eventually became icy. Too scared to make eye contact, I buried my head to the ground.
“Bastard! You surely don’t mean that toward me…!”
“Why is this old bastard who came in without the homeowner’s permission barking so confidently?”
“O… old…!”
“President!”
At Lee Hyeonseok’s unrestrained words, when the president of some company grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed, his secretary was startled and caught him as he fell. I wanted to see this kind of thing only in dramas, not witness it directly. I turned my head, which had been facing that direction, back to the ground.
“Hey.”
“……”
“Hey.”
Lee Hyeonseok seemed to be calling someone again. But they must have been quite frightened—there was no answer. That would irritate Lee Hyeonseok’s nerves even more. People can make mistakes. I was just thinking I wanted to get out of here quickly, but somehow I felt not just one but several gazes.
When I hesitantly raised my head, Lee Hyeonseok was glaring at me to death. Startled, I looked around and everyone in this room was staring at me. Only then realizing that Lee Hyeonseok was calling me, I looked at him again and smiled awkwardly. Lee Hyeonseok smiled back at me, but it was clearly a sneer.
“Why, why… sir?”
Don’t tell me he’s going to scold even me, who only came out once because it was noisy? It was unfair, but the pressure was too great, so I swallowed my saliva with difficulty and answered. Hoping he’d go easy on me even a little, I even used formal speech, but perhaps because I was too nervous, my voice cracked.
“Are you some kind of ostrich? Why do you keep burying your head there acting crazy?”
“Haha….”
Lee Hyeonseok called me with his chin, so I carefully approached. It was like going obediently on my own feet to the grim reaper, but I couldn’t exactly run away either. As I approached, Lee Hyeonseok inevitably spoke harshly to me too, but fortunately his tone was ordinary, as if he wasn’t angry at me. Self-proclaimed father-in-law, I’m sorry for being servile to you. Who am I to dare…. Originally life is meant to be lived somewhat servilely.
“Haha… what. Anyway, you get lost.”
“Where, where to….”
“Jiwoo-ssi, let’s go together.”
Having come before Lee Hyeonseok, he said something pleasing to me for the first time in a while. Though the content was rough, when he’s telling me to get lost, that’s not something to examine deeply. In case he changed his mind, I asked quickly but carefully, and Secretary-nim led me away.
It was good, but I was concerned about Lee Hyeonseok’s guards. When I looked back, sure enough, everyone including Lee Hyeonseok’s guards looked at me enviously. For some reason, Lee Hyeonseok’s guards even sent me looks pleading for me not to go.
“Ah, well, that. Um, uh….”
Though I had nothing to give and nothing I could do, my heart happened to soften, so I couldn’t answer “Yes” right away and looked back and forth between them and Lee Hyeonseok. I didn’t care about the middle-aged man’s side, but Lee Hyeonseok’s guards looked at me so desperately that I unknowingly ended up meddling.
“What about the guards…?”
“Should I let them join us?”
“Where am I going?”
Well, my apologies. I think I did my best. Having grasped that Lee Hyeonseok’s “join us” meant creating the same fate for the guards, I asked Secretary-nim who would let me escape this place.
“I’ve parked the car out front, so please wait there.”
“Yes.”
Fortunately, Secretary-nim responded naturally as if nothing had happened. Trying not to think about what’s behind and follow Secretary-nim, Lee Hyeonseok suddenly grabbed my shoulder and whispered in a low voice.
“Wait obediently, got it?”
“Of course.”
First, I smiled mechanically. Then I raised my thumb and answered firmly. I swear, looking at Lee Hyeonseok’s beastly gleaming eyes, there was no bastard who would dare rebel. Perhaps pleased with my quick attitude, Lee Hyeonseok smiled and sent me off.
“That’s right, yeah.”
Scary.
“……”
I left the house without looking back, and only before the front door closed did I look inside the house—through the gap in the door, I saw Lee Hyeonseok raising the golf club high.
There was no sound from the house that closed with a bang, and only the sound I created myself echoed in my ears.
“Oh….”
“Please get in.”
“Thank you.”
As Secretary-nim said, the car was parked right in front of the common entrance. As Lee Hyeonseok went around with several people, there were also two people presumed to be guards near the car. Just as I was startled because they approached, Secretary-nim opened the back door of the car, so I greeted them and slipped in.
“We’ll depart as soon as the young master comes down.”
“Depart? To where?”
As soon as I got in, Secretary-nim, who got in the driver’s seat right away, talked about something only he knew. In the time I haven’t seen him, has he started resembling the person he serves? If he suddenly says we’re departing, how would I know whether I’m going to hell or the afterlife? I just asked again.
“Didn’t the young master tell you?”
Secretary-nim asked back as if my question was unexpected. Flustered by that reaction, I just shook my head in answer, and he muttered “Even though he was so excited…” then returned his surprised face to normal and closed his mouth.
“Didn’t you receive any kind of hint…?”
“Not that.”
I had no idea what it was, but I just probed once. Secretary-nim, who seemed slightly anxious wondering if perhaps he had made a mistake, let out a small sigh of relief when he heard my words. Since Lee Hyeonseok doesn’t lie to me but often doesn’t say things, I decided to probe a bit more.
“I guess something big would happen if he explained properly.”
“He must have wanted to surprise you.”
“Secretary-nim.”
There really must be something. Secretary-nim’s briefly pleased expression was ominous. I straightened my posture and called him with a serious face. Perhaps understanding my seriousness, Secretary-nim became serious following me.
“Right now my life has more surprises than you could imagine, Secretary-nim, so I don’t need any more surprises. Where are we departing to?”
There were so many surprises I felt like I might die of a heart attack, so there was no need for Lee Hyeonseok to add more. I needed a turn signal. Whether I looked quite resolute, Secretary-nim moved his lips then asked quietly.
“You really did receive a hint, right?”
“I’ll pretend not to know.”
When I maintained an attitude as if I knew but was pretending not to, Secretary-nim finally carefully opened his mouth.
