Even though it had been over 18 years since they met, when Junghyun finally put into words what he had never dared to say before, Juwon looked at him strangely.
“Why are you suddenly doing something you’ve never done? Like you’ll never see me again.”
“It just came to mind suddenly. I’ve always been thinking it though. You’re healthy for now, so maybe… 10 years? No, in 20 years, I’ll change your diapers.”
“Where did this 20 years come from?”
“For 20 years, I need to enjoy my youth and live freely.”
“Out of all the people I know, you already live the most freely. Are you saying you’ll live even more freely than you have been?”
At Juwon’s objection that the only thing left for Junghyun would be crime, Junghyun nodded in agreement.
Actually, he’d already been to the police station several times, just without getting a criminal record, so all that remained now was a real trial and conviction.
“Well, that’s fine too.”
As Junghyun spoke in a tone suggesting he might try it as a good life experience, Juwon jabbed him in the side with his elbow.
“Just try it. This time I really won’t bail you out. Go to jail for all I care.”
“Alright. I won’t do it. I’ll live properly now. I’m almost thirty anyway.”
“Do you really know that?”
“I’ve always been good at understanding my place.”
As Junghyun laughed, saying he just had no intention of living accordingly, the elevator stopped at the third basement floor.
As the doors gradually opened, Junghyun gestured with his head.
“Go. Drive carefully. Be careful not to catch a cold. Wear warm clothes, and no matter how annoying it is, exercise a bit. Not just breathing exercises.”
“Who’s worrying about whom?”
“You complain so much.”
“Shut up.”
“Go.”
After the final farewell, Junghyun silently watched as Juwon exited the elevator.
As if trying to engrave the sight of his back into his retina.
Quietly, and for a long time.
* * *
Winter days are short.
After lunch, Junghyun had traveled an hour away to take care of some business, and by the time he finished, the sun was already setting.
It was barely past five o’clock, but the streets were already dark.
Following the rapidly deepening twilight, Junghyun got into his car parked in the outdoor lot and quickly started the engine in the chilly interior. Then, just as he turned on the seat and steering wheel heaters and was about to take his phone out of his pocket, he paused.
His fingertips had caught on thermal paper.
With an odd feeling, he fiddled with the paper using his fingertips when his phone in his pocket began to ring.
It was a message notification.
At that sound, he quickly released the paper and took out his phone to check the screen—it was Jaehyuk, as expected.
[Mountain Ginseng] I think I’ll finish early. Are you at the office?
As soon as he got out of the car, the message arrived, and Junghyun immediately sent a reply while walking.
[I just arrived at the parking lot. I’ll leave work right away.]
As Junghyun crossed the somewhat busy parking lot filled with departing vehicles, his phone rang immediately, and he pressed the answer button.
“Hello.”
“The office?”
“Yes. I’m on my way up now.”
“You’ve been going on business trips often lately?”
“Not business trips, just long-distance meetings. Our partner companies are scattered all over.”
Junghyun answered naturally to Jaehyuk’s casual question as he entered the building and stood directly in front of the elevator.
As he pressed the button and waited, the doors soon opened, and people streamed out.
“Aren’t they working you too hard when you’re about to quit?”
“It’s partly for the handover process.”
Though he was going around alone, which contradicted that explanation, Jaehyuk sighed as if there was nothing to be done about it.
“Until when?”
“For now, until early March.”
“Then at least until then, when you go far, could you move with a driver?”
“That would be a bit ridiculous, don’t you think?”
As Junghyun entered the elevator and pressed the button, saying it would be strange to move around with a secretary or driver from another company while doing his company’s work, Jaehyuk seemed to accept his point.
“It would be ridiculous. It’s not like you’re contracted labor.”
“I might become an SNS star for power harassment.”
“You wouldn’t care about that anyway, right?”
“That’s true. Nobody would recognize me anyway.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
At Jaehyuk’s slightly amused tone, Junghyun watched the elevator numbers changing rapidly when Jaehyuk changed the subject.
“I have a rare weekend with both days off, so I was thinking of going snowboarding. What do you think? Or winter camping would be nice too.”
“No. I’ll pass this year.”
“Are you still not feeling well?”
“I don’t like going far originally. Tomorrow I just want to rest at home.”
“That’s fine too. Well, if I leave now, it’ll take about 20 minutes.”
“Okay. Please call when you arrive.”
“I will.”
Just as he finished his final greeting, the elevator doors opened. Perhaps because it was quitting time, Junghyun pushed through the densely packed people waiting in the hallway and entered the office, which was completely empty.
It wasn’t a busy period, and since Yongwoo hyung had reduced the workload out of consideration for him, the company was in a semi-closed state.
That seemed to be why they weren’t hiring additional staff.
Clicking his tongue at how inadequate that person was, Junghyun put down the bag he had brought out of courtesy and opened his desk drawer.
As he was putting his laptop inside, he paused. A diary placed in the back of the drawer caught his attention.
Thinking he might take it out and look at it briefly since no one was around, he was about to reach for it when the phone in his pocket rang.
At that sound, he quickly closed the drawer, locked it with a key, and checked his phone screen—it wasn’t Jaehyuk hyung.
It was the person he least wanted to contact right now.
He immediately replied to the message asking him to get in touch.
[Jaehyuk hyung will be arriving soon, so it would be better if you didn’t message me.]
After sending that reply, he sat in the chair and began checking messages he hadn’t been able to see while driving.
There were greetings from friends asking why he’d been so well-behaved lately and a message from his uncle saying he was processing documents.
Other than that, it was still quiet. No contact from the private investigator yet.
As things weren’t progressing as easily as he had hoped, Junghyun exhaled a small sigh, feeling anxious.
And he muttered quietly, “I’m running out of time…”
Chapter 17
Habit brings inertia.
Wake up at 7, arrive at work at 9, lunch at 1, leave work at 6 unless there’s something special.
And business trips and meetings that happened every two to three days.
Sometimes in the morning, and occasionally in the afternoon.
Ranging from four hours to seven hours when including lunch time, and if extended, from morning until 7 PM.
Repeated routines soon make people careless.
Junghyun, holding a hot can, climbed to the rooftop of an unfamiliar building, sat down on a frozen bench, and opened the lid of the can.
Then, holding the can preciously with both hands, he took a sip of the hot cocoa.
As mid-February passed, the days were getting warmer again.
Unmistakably abnormal temperatures.
According to the weather bureau, these warm days would continue for a while.
Spring flowers were already blooming in some places.
It seemed like spring would arrive a bit early this year.
Unlike his cool mind.
* * *
[Mountain Ginseng] Still in the meeting?
Just as he got out of the car, a message arrived, and Junghyun immediately replied while walking.
[I just arrived at the parking lot. I’ll leave work right away.]
As Junghyun crossed the somewhat busy parking lot filled with departing vehicles, his phone rang immediately, and he pressed the answer button.
“Hello.”
“The office?”
“Yes. I’m on my way up now.”
“You’ve been going on business trips often lately?”
“Not business trips, just long-distance meetings. Our partner companies are scattered all over.”
Junghyun answered naturally to Jaehyuk’s casual question as he entered the building and stood directly in front of the elevator.
As he pressed the button and waited, the doors soon opened, and people streamed out.
“Aren’t they working you too hard when you’re about to quit?”
“It’s partly for the handover process.”
Though he was going around alone, which contradicted that explanation, Jaehyuk sighed as if there was nothing to be done about it.
“Until when?”
“For now, until early March.”
“Then at least until then, when you go far, could you move with a driver?”
“That would be a bit ridiculous, don’t you think?”
As Junghyun entered the elevator and pressed the button, saying it would be strange to move around with a secretary or driver from another company while doing his company’s work, Jaehyuk seemed to accept his point.
“It would be ridiculous. It’s not like you’re contracted labor.”
“I might become an SNS star for power harassment.”
“You wouldn’t care about that anyway, right?”
“That’s true. Nobody would recognize me anyway.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
At Jaehyuk’s slightly amused tone, Junghyun watched the elevator numbers changing rapidly when Jaehyuk changed the subject.
“I have a rare weekend with both days off, so I was thinking of going snowboarding. What do you think? Or winter camping would be nice too.”
“No. I’ll pass this year.”
“Are you still not feeling well?”
“I don’t like going far originally. Tomorrow I just want to rest at home.”
“That’s fine too. Well, if I leave now, it’ll take about 20 minutes.”
“Okay. Please call when you arrive.”
“I will.”
Just as he finished his final greeting, the elevator doors opened. Perhaps because it was quitting time, Junghyun pushed through the densely packed people waiting in the hallway and entered the office, which was completely empty.
It wasn’t a busy period, and since Yongwoo hyung had reduced the workload out of consideration for him, the company was in a semi-closed state.
That seemed to be why they weren’t hiring additional staff.
Clicking his tongue at how inadequate that person was, Junghyun put down the bag he had brought out of courtesy and opened his desk drawer.
As he was putting his laptop inside, he paused. A diary placed in the back of the drawer caught his attention.
Thinking he might take it out and look at it briefly since no one was around, he was about to reach for it when the phone in his pocket rang.
At that sound, he quickly closed the drawer, locked it with a key, and checked his phone screen—it wasn’t Jaehyuk hyung.
It was the person he least wanted to contact right now.
He immediately replied to the message asking him to get in touch.
[Jaehyuk hyung will be arriving soon, so it would be better if you didn’t message me.]
After sending that reply, he sat in the chair and began checking messages he hadn’t been able to see while driving.
There were greetings from friends asking why he’d been so well-behaved lately and a message from his uncle saying he was processing documents.
Other than that, it was still quiet. No contact from the private investigator yet.
As things weren’t progressing as easily as he had hoped, Junghyun exhaled a small sigh, feeling anxious.
And he muttered quietly, “I’m running out of time…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Thank you for the chapter!
It seems like the latter part of the translation is just repeated part of the one from the above