#072
Gyo-ha thought he and Hwi-kyung were in a budding relationship.
If Hwi-kyung had heard this, he would have reacted with thoughts of killing Gyo-ha… but it wasn’t entirely wrong. If there hadn’t been the huge issue of “regressing when getting a job at a black company” in front of them, something might have really started between the two.
From the beginning, once Gyo-ha knew the other person liked him, he tended to pursue them no matter what. He wasn’t as cautious as Jung Hwi-kyung, nor was he inexperienced in dating.
So he thought that once the regression and system window issues were resolved, dating Hwi-kyung wasn’t just a pipe dream. He was at the point of thinking, “I’ve even thought about going to America with you to register our marriage.”
What could be more difficult after achieving cohabitation? While managing Kim Tae-pung, newly recruited to BK Entertainment, Gyo-ha moderately invested in programs that were expected to be big hits. He also didn’t forget to regularly check Ok-ja’s diagnosis results.
While treatment might be difficult in Korea, there were quite a few overseas specialist clinics trying new treatment methods. Since they had failed to watch the Kim Tae-pung concert safely this time too, to aim for the next one, they needed to make Ok-ja at least a bit healthier.
Surgery requiring general anesthesia was difficult due to Ok-ja’s age. But Gyo-ha had money and connections that Hwi-kyung didn’t. Rather than sitting idle and watching Hwi-kyung despair over Ok-ja’s death again, it was right to maintain Ok-ja’s health and manage Kim Tae-pung’s future to look forward to the next concert.
Even in a situation where he might return to the past at any time, Gyo-ha only thought about the future. At this point, even going back to the first day of his master’s first semester wasn’t so scary. After all, he could just come to Korea to find Jung Hwi-kyung.
“I’ll leave work first.”
Gyo-ha checked his watch and got up from his seat. The best thing about suddenly starting to live together was that he could pick up Hwi-kyung if he left work early. When Gyo-ha, in his high position, left first, the employees’ expressions noticeably brightened.
Hwi-kyung always threatened Gyo-ha not to come pick him up and to just do his work, but Gyo-ha didn’t even pretend to listen. It was because he knew that Jung Hwi-kyung cared about him when he came to pick him up like this.
While it might seem like he was pushing thoughtlessly at a glance, Gyo-ha was always careful when dealing with Hwi-kyung. He was afraid of possibly giving him new wounds.
[I’m planning to work overtime today]
[Don’t come pick me up]
[I’m busy]
Gyo-ha, who was in the middle of packing sandwiches as a light evening snack, checked Hwi-kyung’s messages and drooped the corners of his eyebrows.
[You seem to be working overtime too much]
[Are they paying you properly for it?]
[Let’s quit BK International after all]
[How about transferring to Entertainment?]
In a way, it was natural for Hwi-kyung to work overtime. How could there be no work when he had skipped work all along and only came in on Friday? Even if the HR team said they were relaxed except for certain months, after resting that much, karma was bound to hit.
However, Gyo-ha, the cause of the unauthorized absence, understood this fact but still planned to go to BK International. Even if he couldn’t stop the overtime, he wanted to at least provide dinner. After buying the jambon-beurre that Hwi-kyung had enjoyed eating, he checked his messenger, so he had enough reason to go see Hwi-kyung.
Given his personality, Jung Hwi-kyung would clearly try to finish work without eating anything unless someone asked him to have dinner. Gyo-ha parked his car in the basement of BK International, intending to just provide a simple meal.
But what was this? Lee Gyo-ha had to doubt his eyes.
“I told you to come down as soon as I finished.”
“I’m not done with work.”
“Don’t lie.”
“It’s true.”
Jung Hwi-kyung, who was supposedly busy working overtime, was with Lee Sung-ha. Shocking! Gyo-ha was so surprised that he dropped the packaged sandwich he was holding. If Hwi-kyung had seen it, he would have nagged about what he was doing to the imported car.
But the car seat wasn’t important right now. The most important thing was that Sung-ha had gotten Hwi-kyung into his car. Gyo-ha, like a dog that had failed to catch a chicken, stared endlessly at Hwi-kyung in another car.
[Are you still working overtime?]
He barely came to his senses and sent a message to Hwi-kyung, but the reply was shocking.
[Yes]
[Have dinner first]
I just saw you leaving in Lee Sung-ha’s car in the middle of overtime! Hwi-kyung was blatantly lying.
Weren’t we in a budding relationship…?
Gyo-ha wanted to chase after Hwi-kyung right away and demand how leaving with Sung-ha could be considered overtime. But even to the flower-brained Gyo-ha, that seemed excessively petty.
In the end, Lee Gyo-ha decided to follow Lee Sung-ha’s car leaving the underground parking lot like an industrial spy. Hwi-kyung! A flower brain is better than a mad dog, right? A two-year age gap is better than an eight-year one, right? With such stupid thoughts…
* * *
Strictly speaking, Jung Hwi-kyung was really working overtime. Since he couldn’t go home after work due to his superior’s unwanted attention, this was indeed overtime.
Even now, the system window was constantly flashing about the superior’s! personal feelings! and whatnot! Though not as much as the system window, Hwi-kyung also detested office romance.
Having to deal with company people even after work? That was a bit hard even if you loved them. Dealing with company people was always draining, no matter how nice they were.
And a trip home with a superior rumored to be crazy, not even a nice person? That was no different from going on a business trip. Hwi-kyung had a headache because of Sung-ha who insisted on dragging him out.
Thanks to coming to work after a long time, there was a mountain of overdue work. Despite having work to do, Sung-ha summoned Hwi-kyung forcefully. Hwi-kyung gritted his teeth inwardly. He couldn’t do it openly because dental braces were expensive.
Is being a vice president everything? I’m so upset, I’ll become a vice president too… But becoming a vice president without blood ties was very difficult. No matter how hard Hwi-kyung worked, he would have to be over fifty to become a managing director.
Damn class society. Hwi-kyung wanted to rebel against Sung-ha, but he held back for now. To leave on good terms, he couldn’t throw coffee in the vice president’s face.
Endure a hundred times, and you’ll avoid using your fists. The thought “Wouldn’t using your fists once save you from enduring a hundred times?” kept coming to mind, but Hwi-kyung tried hard not to break Sung-ha’s nose twice.
If he shattered the nose that had just been fixed, this time he might really incur the wrath of the chaebol family. Lee Gyo-ha might say he did well, but who knows what Lee Baek-gyeong, Lee Sung-ha’s father, would think.
It would be troublesome for Hwi-kyung if he got a criminal record. They say it’s difficult to get a job if you have a disqualifying factor for overseas travel.
“I know everything.”
“…Know what?”
“That you like me.”
Hwi-kyung’s heart raced. It wasn’t fluttering, his heart was beating fast because he wanted to hit Lee Sung-ha just once. Ah! All the brothers in this family are so annoying! Of course, Lee Gyo-ha was better than Lee Sung-ha.
But Jung Hwi-kyung, who had suffered a lot from Lee Gyo-ha in the thirteenth iteration, resented Lee Baek-gyeong, the chairman of BK Group. He was on the verge of telling him to raise his children properly.
It was natural for a crazy Chihuahua not to speak human language, but Hwi-kyung couldn’t figure out how to react to this nonsense beyond his imagination.
“That’s why you helped me, right? Isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“I told you to play hard to get.”
“It really isn’t.”
“Hah, okay. I guess it’s hard to speak your true feelings easily since you’re still dating Gyo-ha.”
At this point, the nonsense became so serious that Hwi-kyung felt sorry for Chihuahuas. Hwi-kyung couldn’t understand why Sung-ha was under such a delusion. He had never shown any favor, yet Sung-ha was masterfully playing both sides on his own.
“I really don’t like you, Vice President…”
“Would someone who doesn’t like me give me a USB?”
“That was…”
“No, you like me.”
Of course, someone who enters a carpeted house in Korea with shoes on couldn’t be normal. Hwi-kyung briefly considered opening the car door and jumping out. He probably wouldn’t die even if his body got a bit scraped on the asphalt…
But just because he wouldn’t die, jumping out of a moving car wasn’t a good choice. If he got hurt, Ok-ja and Gyo-ha would obviously be sad.
That’s why Jung Hwi-kyung endured this nonsense. He decided to run away as soon as the car stopped. That’s why he held back from cursing.
However, the ancient sage’s teaching that patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet had long since become outdated in modern times. Surprisingly, the place where Sung-ha’s car stopped was in front of a hotel.
“You’ll know if we sleep together once.”
“……”
“That I’m better than Lee Gyo-ha.”
What is this real madman saying…? Hwi-kyung really felt like crying.
