44
As usual, he stepped out carrying several binders to distribute work to employees who had free hands after receiving reports from staff. Originally, this should have been Seo Yunyoung’s job, but since she wasn’t there, Ji Seunghyeok took care of it himself. Though Seunghyeok would issue warnings if someone crossed certain boundaries, he didn’t have the kind of authority complex that made him think, “How could I be doing this kind of work?”
When he mentioned that Yunyoung had been in an accident and would likely be unable to come to work for a while, the employees showed signs of unrest. Seunghyeok waited until they quieted down again before continuing.
“Mr. Heo Seongjae, please take care of these bonds. And…”
Seunghyeok glanced at Lee Youngsun once before shifting his gaze toward Kim Seonyeon, who was standing next to him.
He was in his mid to late thirties and was known to be quite discreet.
“Mr. Kim Seonyeon, I’ll give you an address, so please go there.”
“Yes, understood.”
As people filed out of the conference room, Kim Seonyeon approached him.
“Sir, where should I go?”
Seunghyeok wrote an address on a memo and handed it to him. As Kim Seonyeon looked down at the paper, Seunghyeok said:
“It’s my home address.”
Kim Seonyeon’s head snapped up. Seunghyeok handed him a key card.
“You only need to stay until I return from work. Don’t let anyone in except me.”
“Yes, sir!”
He seemed suddenly full of enthusiasm.
Not many people knew Ji Seunghyeok’s home address. Given the nature of his work, it was information known only to a very limited number of people, and entrusting someone with security at his home was also a symbol of trust. Watching Kim Seonyeon’s back as he walked away with energetic steps, Seunghyeok returned to his office shortly after.
After handling some urgent business, he would need to stop by the hospital Jeong Taejun had mentioned.
Sitting in his chair and scanning through documents, his phone rang. It was Jeong Taejun.
* * *
After Ji Seunghyeok left for work, Jo Junghyun prepared and ate breakfast-cum-lunch alone in the empty house.
While eating, Junghyun played a video on his phone. The noisy sounds filled the empty space, but he still felt like a small object rattling inside a large box.
He was used to eating alone. Rather than eating something because it tasted good, a more accurate description would be that he ate because he had to. It was strange. The same food had tasted so delicious when eating with Seunghyeok. Junghyun stared down at his remaining food.
When he was with Seunghyeok, delicious food tasted even more delicious, and amusing stories felt even more amusing. He belatedly regretted not hearing Seunghyeok out when he’d said he would eat lunch before leaving.
Feeling like he’d been too childish with him, he’d pushed Seunghyeok to go to work, but the result was only realizing how dependent he’d become on Seunghyeok. Sighing softly, Junghyun took a sip of water.
Thinking useless thoughts would only make his food colder and less appetizing. Just as he was resolving to eat more diligently, the intercom rang.
Wondering who it could be since he wasn’t expecting anyone, Junghyun tilted his head in confusion, then widened his eyes when he saw who was on the screen.
“Junghyun! Junghyun, are you in there?”
It was his parents.
Junghyun couldn’t believe his eyes. How did his parents get here? How did they know he was here?
Joy and confusion mixed chaotically. His mother’s voice reached his ears once more.
“Junghyun, open the door, will you? Hmm? Have you been well? Won’t you show your face to your mother?”
Junghyun didn’t know what to do, but eventually opened the door in response to those words. When he went to the entrance, he heard the sound of the door opening and saw his parents.
Their clothing looked more disheveled than before, and he could tell their complexion had deteriorated somewhat compared to when they had parted.
“Junghyun, oh my. Our son.”
His mother hugged him tightly.
‘Our son’? This was the first time she had called him by such an intimate term. He was inwardly perplexed because this was the first time his mother had expressed emotions so passionately and intimately. But he thought perhaps she was just that worried about him.
Seeing them in person, he could feel even more clearly how haggard they had become than when he’d seen them through the intercom. His mother’s hair, which had always been well-styled, now hung long, and there was no scent of perfume from her. It pained his heart to think she might not have had the luxury to wear any.
The enormous debt of 2.3 billion won in principal and the incident where they had sent Junghyun to Seunghyeok with documents crossed his mind, but seeing their faces made his heart ache. His father also patted Junghyun’s back. The touch was rough, but he could feel affection in it.
“Um, Mother. Father. How, have you been well? How did you get here?”
“How did we get here? We came to take our son home. Quickly, let’s go now.”
“What? W-Wait a moment.”
Junghyun was startled by his mother’s words as she grabbed his hand, and he stood firm on his legs.
His father spoke up.
“Why do you think we showed up now? We’ve paid off all the debt to President Ji.”
“You don’t know how hard we worked to save money to bring you back, Junghyun.”
Junghyun couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“You paid, all of the, money?”
“Of course. How else could we come here? After sending you away, my heart was torn to pieces. You must have resented us a lot, our son.”
His mother’s voice trembled slightly at the end, and Junghyun’s heart lurched at the sound.
The confirmation that their previously cold relationship wasn’t really like that shook Junghyun. Following his mother’s words, his father continued.
“President Ji said to take you away without regrets once he received the money.”
“…What?”
Junghyun froze at the words from his father’s mouth.
Seeing Junghyun’s reaction, his mother rubbed his arm.
“How do you think we got in here? It’s all because President Ji allowed us to enter. Let’s hurry. He said to leave everything here. That money-obsessed… Ah, no. Anyway, hurry, son.”
Junghyun looked at his mother’s and father’s faces one by one.
He doubted his ears. No, for a moment, he doubted his parents.
The Ji Seunghyeok that Junghyun knew would never say such things. Just a while ago, he had clearly…
His eyelids blinked slowly.
Like the sea freezing over, Junghyun’s thoughts slowly came to a halt.
‘Mr. Junghyun, you really only see the good in people.’
‘Your sincerity, your effort to do something even in difficult situations. And surprisingly, I like that you speak your mind and stand up for others. I also like how you try to view the world positively.’
‘Call me hyung one more time, Junghyun.’
‘Was I? That’s nice. Shall we go sometime during the week?’
All the gentle words Seunghyeok had whispered to him so far rose and then sank.
And over Junghyun’s frozen mind, the memory of when he first met Seunghyeok was superimposed.
‘What will you do for me if I keep Jo Junghyun? Do you have anything to offer me?’
“…”
He felt his body sink downward. He recalled all the actions Seunghyeok had shown him, those words, those gazes. It couldn’t be a lie. Yes, all of it couldn’t be a lie. Rather than that, it was certain that his parents had misunderstood something. That’s right. That must be it. It had to be.
“N-No… Still, I should, I should confirm directly…”
He had made a promise. Not to follow anyone else. He had even stamped his seal on it.
That’s when it happened.
“Mr. Jo Junghyun.”
An unfamiliar voice was heard. They weren’t the only ones who had come to the house.
Through the gap in the open front door, a man appeared.
He was the man who had previously guarded the front door under Seunghyeok’s orders.
“All of this has been approved by the president.”
Junghyun could only stare at him with blank, wide eyes, forgetting what to say.
* * *
As soon as Ji Seunghyeok answered the call, Jeong Taejun’s voice poured out rapidly like a machine gun.
“President Ji, is Lee Youngsun in the office now?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“Check quickly!”
After hanging up, Seunghyeok immediately got up from his seat and went outside to look around. Lee Youngsun wasn’t at his desk.
“Where is Mr. Lee Youngsun?”
“Ah, sir.”
Someone called out to Seunghyeok. It was Kim Seonyeon. The person to whom Seunghyeok had just given instructions to guard his home. Seunghyeok felt his facial muscles tense rigidly.
Kim Seonyeon came up to Seunghyeok with an apologetic look and reported:
“Mr. Lee Youngsun left for your house 30 minutes ago, sir.”
“I remember giving those instructions to you, Mr. Kim Seonyeon.”
He could feel his pheromones flowing out without control. Although Kim Seonyeon was a beta, he seemed to sense that Seunghyeok’s mood was ominous, as his expression changed and he straightened his already upright posture even more.
“Youngsun asked me to switch with him, he pleaded earnestly. He said he wanted to make up for his mistakes. And since he had taken the position once before, I told him to go ahead…”
This is what you call an explanation now?
As Seunghyeok’s jaw twitched, Kim Seonyeon’s complexion grew increasingly pale before he could even finish his sentence.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
