While Jaehyuk was seriously contemplating easy and simple ways to kill Junghyun, Junghyun called a staff member to order food. Crab meat nurungji soup, jajangmyeon, and sweet and sour pork. Having finished ordering as he had said, Junghyun leaned back comfortably in his chair and initiated their first proper conversation.
“It’s been a while, but you’ve gotten thinner. One size? No, you’ve probably lost about two sizes.”
“Thanks to whom.”
“You should have eaten better.”
“That’s not something you should say.”
At the somewhat sharp retort, Junghyun obediently nodded his head.
“That’s true. But you found me well. I hid pretty hard.”
Honestly, it was difficult, Jaehyuk admitted. For three days after Junghyun left, he tried to comfort himself saying it was actually better this way and pretended not to notice his devastated emotions, but starting from the fourth day, he began vomiting and could barely eat. And a week later, insomnia suddenly started as well. Unable to eat or sleep, his daily life continued until he finally couldn’t stand it anymore and went to the hospital, but the doctor’s diagnosis was simple. It was a psychological or mental problem. There was nothing wrong with his stomach or brain. So eventually, he gave up being stubborn around that time and decided to look for Junghyun. But as Junghyun had said, it wasn’t easy. Ridiculously, he found Junghyun’s mother quickly, but finding Junghyun was difficult. So he contacted Yoonho just in case, and Yoonho immediately put Yongwoo on the job, which led to discovering that Junghyun had hired a detective agency to find his mother. Of course, the detective agency wouldn’t give up information about Junghyun, so he had to take a somewhat complicated detour, but after that it went relatively smoothly.
“It was difficult. If it wasn’t for Yongwoo.”
“Ah…”
So it was that bastard after all, Junghyun nodded his head.
“I wondered if borrowing Yongwoo’s help was a bit concerning… as expected. That guy would spill even my bank account password if you bought him a catcher.”
“That doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Your bank account password would be your house password anyway.”
“Wow, you’re really smart, aren’t you?”
“You’re not such a complicated guy.”
You’re just twisted in weird ways, Jaehyuk added with a laugh, and Junghyun asked again.
“So, did you buy the catcher?”
“Got a catcher and added one more pitcher. Plus made a championship promise for this year too.”
Junghyun suddenly laughed. As if it was absurd.
“My price is expensive.”
“Is it really a price?”
Or is it the price of a life? After omitting that phrase, Jaehyuk laughed, and Junghyun seemed to understand the meaning as he avoided eye contact and scratched his neck. That habit was still the same. He used to worry that scratching would leave marks on his skin, but now he had a different kind of worry. His neck was gaunt. Just a month ago, he had gained some weight, but he had gotten thin again. It was funny that someone with that temperament would gain weight, but still, he was too thin. Somehow annoyed by that face, he clicked his tongue, and Junghyun took a sip of water, put down his glass, and changed the subject.
“That person earlier, hyung sent him, right?”
“Probably.”
Otherwise, how would I have gotten there right away? At his brief comment, Junghyun slowly nodded.
“I thought so. No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone who would work at a detective agency. If someone knows about a 100 million won table from a designer brand that’s not officially imported domestically, they must definitely be someone who works with the upper class, so I had a suspicion. It was also unusual that the shop had a reservation in the first place.”
Actually, Junghyun hadn’t not thought about making a reservation. But he had moved so urgently, and when looking for information about the shop, besides the explanation that only customers with reservations could enter, there was no guide on how to make reservations. And that meant it was ultimately operated through introductions from acquaintances or as a membership, so he thought reservations wouldn’t be easy and chose to stake out instead.
“He’s someone who manages Father’s work overall.”
“I thought so. But how did you find my mother?”
“Why do you think I found her?”
“That detective agency is quite skilled, but just three days ago they were only saying they absolutely couldn’t find her. Then suddenly saying she entered Korea ten days ago didn’t make sense.”
The timing was too good to be a coincidence. Just before he was about to cross over to America, his mother entered Korea and the detective agency dramatically found out about it. Detective agencies don’t regularly check immigration lists, and accessing immigration lists itself isn’t easy, but finding that out in just ten days felt more like inevitability than coincidence.
“It’s true that I found her, but it was Choi Seojun who told me the location.”
“…Seojun?”
“About a month ago, after you left, that guy contacted me. He said he found someone who could contact your mother. So I found her quickly. Rather, it was harder to locate you… Yoonho worked hard on that part. He made contacts here and there and immediately connected me when Yongwoo seemed to know something.”
And when they contacted Yongwoo, he made a deal saying he would tell them how to find Junghyun if they bought a catcher, and when they agreed and added a pitcher to the catcher plus made a big championship promise, Yongwoo immediately took the bait. Since Junghyun had commissioned a detective agency to find his mother, he would return once he found his mother. And he even personally leaked information to the detective agency that Junghyun’s mother seemed to have entered Korea. He had heard that he was quick-witted and clever, and it was exactly as expected.
“Yongwoo did something very Yongwoo-like. Anyway, thank you. Thanks to that, I saw my mother and felt relieved.”
Sungjun, who had guided Junghyun, had said the same thing. Junghyun looked comfortable and seemed very satisfied. But Jaehyuk found it hard to believe those words.
“…I heard you came out without saying anything?”
“I was only planning to check if she was doing well anyway.”
“Why?”
“To avoid the obligation of support.”
“Since she didn’t raise you anyway, there wouldn’t be an obligation of support, would there?”
“It gets a bit troublesome if you want to refuse the support obligation.”
Not only writing the refusal document, but if you’re unlucky enough to get caught up in it, you have to go to trial, which is quite bothersome and consumes time and money. At his answer that he didn’t want to bother with it, Jaehyuk asked with a puzzled look.
“…Do you really plan to never see her again?”
“Yes. I just saw her face so I wouldn’t feel guilty later. Thinking about it quietly this time, I’m apparently the type who doesn’t think blood relations are very important.”
“Just blood relations?”
At Jaehyuk’s tone that seemed to openly criticize, Junghyun smiled bitterly.
“Your personality has gotten quite twisted while we haven’t seen each other.”
“Only as much as you?”
“And you blame others more now too.”
“Responsibility should be clear.”
“You have a really annoying personality, more than you look.”
“Stop introducing yourself.”
“You’re really burdensome as always, hyung.”
“Talk all you want while you can.”
Let’s see after the meal, Jaehyuk answered, and at that moment the food they ordered came out. Looking at the dishes being placed on the table one by one, Jaehyuk sighed as if he had no choice and picked up his utensils. Then Junghyun also fumbled around to pick up his chopsticks. Junghyun also seemed to have been starving continuously, so he started eating, but he worried whether the food would actually go down, but surprisingly it went down well. And that evening meal, he didn’t vomit.
**Chapter 19**
“Well then, I’ll go straight up.”
The moment they finished eating and left the restaurant, Junghyun pointed to the guest rooms with his finger. Since he had come this far anyway, thinking there was no need to hide anymore, when Junghyun openly announced his destination, Jaehyuk looked at Junghyun with an incredulous face.
“You’re not thinking I’m going to let you go up to a guest room, are you?”
“Then what?”
You’re not going to take me with you, are you? At Junghyun’s gaze, Jaehyuk frowned as if asking him to ask what he should ask.
At that moment, Junghyun showed emotional disturbance for the first time.
“Am I being arrested from now on?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you going to lock me up and interrogate me?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“It’s more convenient to dispose of the body if I kill you at home.”
“I understand your feelings, but don’t stake your life on someone like me. Your life is too precious for that, hyung.”
“I decide where to stake my life.”
“It’s a waste of time.”
“That’s also for me to decide. So…”
Coming to the elevator and pressing the button, Jaehyuk paused the conversation for a beat, then continued.
“Shut up.”
“Your mouth has gotten quite rough in a month.”
“Just my mouth?”
“You seem very angry.”
“Extremely.”
“…I guess I’d better not say more.”
“Yeah. That would be better.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
