20.
“Why is this a delusion?”
Sion murmured again, his voice filled with sorrow. But Cheolsu didn’t comfort him as he usually did. Instead, he looked at Sion with a cold expression. Sion felt the gaze and fell silent.
Haseo, standing awkwardly between them, looked at the clock on the wall of the break room. He had only intended to quickly retrieve his phone and leave, but more time had passed than he thought. As he glanced at the two of them, Cheolsu sighed and embraced Sion. He then pointed to the door behind him.
“Love, I love you.”
Haseo heard Sion’s murmured words and carefully moved away. He felt a bit embarrassed but not angry. Sion’s situation reminded him of his own. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
By the time he returned home, it was already evening, but Director Choi Mujin had not yet returned. Being alone in the large, empty house felt strange.
“No, that’s not right.”
Haseo lightly slapped his cheek. He was a live-in housekeeper, paid to do his job. He shouldn’t be relaxing just because no one was watching. He dusted the decorations with a feather duster and used a steam cleaner on the floor. Then he organized the laundry and went to the kitchen.
Since Director Choi Mujin hadn’t specified when he would return, Haseo decided to prepare dinner. But as he started cooking, he felt overwhelmed.
‘The food at the restaurant was much better than this.’
He wondered what the secret to cooking like that was. He turned on his phone and searched for cooking tips, but he didn’t find anything useful. Meanwhile, the day had turned into night.
“He’s not coming.”
Director Choi Mujin still hadn’t returned. Haseo was glad he hadn’t set the table early. He put the side dishes back in the fridge, thinking he could reheat them later. But Director Choi Mujin didn’t return, even as the night grew late.
* * *
Thud!
Haseo was trying to fall asleep in the guest room when he was startled awake by a loud noise. He looked at the clock; it was 4 AM. He heard commotion in the living room and got out of bed to investigate. He opened the door and saw Secretary Ahn and Director Choi Mujin in the living room.
“Director!”
Secretary Ahn’s voice was sharp, unlike his usual calm demeanor. Something must have happened. Haseo rushed out to see Director Choi Mujin taking off his suit jacket, revealing a gray dress shirt underneath. The shirt was soaked with blood around the side, and Haseo could see that it was torn. Director Choi Mujin took off his leather gloves with his teeth and examined the wound.
“I’m fine. It’s not deep.”
“But you’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“That’s because I was moving around, taking care of those bastards. They were the ones who came after me, after all.”
“You didn’t have to handle it personally.”
“It’s fine. Sometimes you have to show them who’s boss. Besides, they were after me.”
“Still, shouldn’t you see a doctor?”
“I can handle this much on my own.”
Secretary Ahn looked worried but eventually left at Director Choi Mujin’s insistence. Haseo watched him go and then approached Director Choi Mujin.
“Are you okay?”
Director Choi Mujin turned to look at Haseo, his eyes sharper than usual. But Haseo was more concerned about his wound.
“Oh, you’re here.”
Director Choi Mujin’s belated realization made Haseo’s heart ache.
“Well, I am the live-in housekeeper.”
Haseo replied calmly, and Director Choi Mujin looked at him with an unreadable expression.
“Right. Go back to your room and rest.”
Haseo could have just gone back to the guest room and slept, but he didn’t want to.
“I’ll help you with the treatment.”
Director Choi Mujin was injured, after all.
“What can you do to help? Have you seen blood before? Have you ever been stabbed?”
Director Choi Mujin asked, amused. Haseo felt a pang of frustration. He was just a housekeeper, but he wanted to help.
“Get out of here while I’m still being nice.”
Director Choi Mujin’s harsh words made him sound like a wounded animal. Haseo stubbornly stood his ground. Director Choi Mujin shook his head and walked to his room, with Haseo following cautiously behind.
In his room, Director Choi Mujin opened a closet and took out a first aid kit. He took off his shirt, revealing his well-defined muscles. Haseo couldn’t help but admire his physique, but his attention was quickly drawn to the bleeding wound.
“Were you stabbed?”
Haseo asked, approaching Director Choi Mujin. He didn’t answer but opened the first aid kit. It looked like an ordinary kit, but the contents were anything but. There were syringes, various medical tools, and bandages.
“Do you have a medical license?”
“Do I look like I do?”
“Then should you really be treating yourself?”
“If I don’t, I’ll die. Didn’t I tell you to get out?”
Haseo fell silent. Director Choi Mujin laid out a towel and plastic sheet, then poured disinfectant onto his wound.
“Agh!”
Haseo cried out in pain, even though Director Choi Mujin remained silent. He watched as Director Choi Mujin expertly cleaned and stitched his wound. Haseo wanted to help but didn’t know how. He could only watch and assist with cleaning up afterward.
He put the blood-soaked towel in the washing machine and disposed of the plastic sheet. Once the wound was bandaged, Haseo’s racing heart finally calmed down. Director Choi Mujin injected himself with something and took some pills.
“Have you eaten dinner?”
Haseo asked belatedly. Director Choi Mujin shook his head.
“You shouldn’t take medicine on an empty stomach.”
Haseo had done it before, but he didn’t want Director Choi Mujin to do the same.
“I’ll make you some porridge!”
Haseo rushed to the kitchen. He didn’t have time to cook rice from scratch, so he used pre-cooked rice and boiled it with water. He brought a tray with the porridge, soy sauce, and a spoon to Director Choi Mujin’s room, but he wasn’t there.
Haseo knocked on the study door next to the bedroom. There was no answer, but he was sure Director Choi Mujin was inside. He opened the door and found him sitting at his desk with a tablet.
“You’re a patient, you know.”
Haseo set the tray down on the desk.
“Eat something.”
“Just leave it and go.”
“You won’t eat if I leave, will you?”
Director Choi Mujin didn’t answer. Haseo’s stubbornness grew. He scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to Director Choi Mujin’s mouth. Director Choi Mujin looked at him in disbelief.
“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see?”
“That’s why I’m asking.”
Director Choi Mujin put down his tablet and stared at Haseo with his dark eyes. Haseo had thought he was street-smart, but now he realized how naive he was being. Director Choi Mujin had just come home with a stab wound, and here he was, acting like this. Director Choi Mujin clicked his tongue.
He had said Haseo resembled a puppy, but he hadn’t meant it literally. Puppies could be large and fierce, like huskies, or small and cute, like Maltese. Haseo was more like a small, cute Maltese. But this small puppy was being stubborn and reckless.
‘Is this what they call loyalty?’
If Haseo were a real puppy, it wouldn’t matter. But he was a person, and Director Choi Mujin felt he needed to teach him a lesson. He had just exerted himself physically and was feeling heated. He often had violent tendencies and would usually have Secretary Ahn bring him a woman to release his tension. But this time, he hadn’t asked for anything. And now, here was Haseo, fearless and stubborn.
