Chapter 54
Once he makes a decision, he never hesitates.
And even if his decisions don’t yield the desired results, he never regrets them.
That was Igeon’s life philosophy.
Moreover, since he believed everyone experiences failure and frustration at least once in their life, he wasn’t particularly concerned about failing. He thought life was fair to everyone.
So Igeon contacted Jae-woo as soon as the day broke. When Jae-woo received Igeon’s call at 8 AM, he mumbled with a voice not fully awake. But as soon as Igeon said, “I’ll do it,” he replied with a clear voice, suggesting they meet immediately. So the two met again at Igeon’s office at 9 AM.
“Thank you so much.”
“I should be thanking you for choosing me. What exactly do I need to do? Be Han Taekyung’s bodyguard? Is that it?”
“Yes, that’s it. Just stay by hyung’s side and protect him. I’ll tell hyung about it today.”
“How long will this last?”
“Well… I can’t give you a definite answer right now. Just until hyung is safe… That sounds too vague and irresponsible, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm, no. It’s fine. That’s exactly what I was thinking too.”
Igeon hoped that Han Taekyung would become safe as quickly as possible. So the period might be shorter than expected. And he sincerely hoped it would be short.
“We’ll prepare the employment contract. We absolutely won’t include any unfavorable conditions for Igeon hyung. You can read the contract and make modifications or additions. Oh, and regarding the compensation…”
“I already received it.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve already been compensated.”
“…What? But I haven’t given you anything.”
“You told me about Han Taekyung. That was actually the most frustrating part, but you cleared things up for me yesterday, and it was a relief. Holding a grudge against someone is harder than you might think. So I’ll consider that as payment.”
Jae-woo, who had been listening blankly to Igeon, shook his head.
“No. That can’t be considered compensation. What Igeon hyung will face from now on might be more dangerous and difficult than expected. So I think you should receive appropriate compensation for that. We’ll include the compensation details in the contract. Just stamp it later. We won’t disappoint you. And… Igeon hyung, you’re still the same.”
Jae-woo smiled. He resembled Taekyung a lot, but as expected of an omega, there was a beautiful line somewhere that caught people’s attention. It reminded Igeon of what Taekyung had once said about how any alpha who would take Jae-woo would have to go through the family’s strict scrutiny.
“So… there’s one thing I’m worried about.”
“Worried? About what?”
“As I told you yesterday… hyung isn’t the same as before. He might be very different from what Igeon hyung imagines. So you might be surprised… and disappointed. You might even want to quit, and regret your choice. But I’m asking you. Please don’t push him away.”
Jae-woo, who had been smiling happily until just now, suddenly became serious. How much had Han Taekyung changed to make him say this?
“I firmly believe hyung will return to his former self. It’s just that his recovery isn’t complete yet.”
Jae-woo was desperate. Igeon nodded and patted Jae-woo’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be the one to let go of him first. So, Jae-woo, you need to persuade Han Taekyung well. Make him allow me to stay by his side. Understand?”
“…Yes! Leave it to me!”
Jae-woo said he’d take care of everything, so not to worry, and stood up. That night, after talking with Han Taekyung, he informed Igeon that Taekyung wanted to meet tomorrow. Igeon thought somewhat positively about how readily he had accepted. It seemed like Han Taekyung remembered him in some way, regardless of how.
The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Igeon washed up and put on a well-ironed black suit. It was his only suit, but being custom-made, it fit his muscular body well, making it a cherished item.
Leaving his house for the office, a car sent by Jae-woo had already arrived. He had said there was no need for this and that he could go to the company on his own, but Jae-woo had begged him to accept everything, so he reluctantly ended up riding in a chauffeured car. Doesn’t this make the role of bodyguard a bit strange? he thought, but that thought gradually disappeared as the NI building came into view, replaced by growing tension. Feeling his heart beating faster, Igeon brushed his chest area once and took a deep breath.
After about 10 more minutes of driving, the NI building was much larger than he remembered. Originally, there was just one building, but now there were three similar buildings around it, connected to the existing one to create a city. He’d heard that in just about 10 years, it had become one of the world’s top five companies and grown tremendously, and seeing it in person, he could understand. So Han Taekyung is here.
“Igeon hyung.”
As they entered the lobby, Han Jae-woo raised his hand and called out to Igeon. People who recognized Jae-woo greeted him, and Jae-woo acknowledged their greetings while approaching Igeon.
“Wow, hyung, you look really cool.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“I’m not just saying that. I was really surprised. Seo Igeon the taekwondo athlete was already impressive… but Seo Igeon the bodyguard is cool too.”
Jae-woo’s compliment wasn’t unwelcome. It was proof that he had dressed appropriately for the occasion. Following Jae-woo, they moved not to the main entrance elevator but to an elevator a bit further inside. There were no buttons inside the elevator; instead, Han Jae-woo took out his phone and touched it, and the door closed. It seemed like a private elevator that went directly to a different floor than the regular ones. When the elevator doors opened after less than a minute, well-dressed people stood in front and greeted Han Jae-woo.
“Where’s hyung?”
“He’s waiting inside.”
“Thank you.”
“Director, Director Han has arrived.”
Director? Director Han? The person who appeared to be a secretary knocked and announced the titles. Is the person in that room a director, and is Han Jae-woo, who is standing here with him, a director?
There was no answer from inside, but the secretary nodded and opened the door. The first thing visible was Seoul’s sky and the Han River landscape through a full-glass window. Igeon was amazed at the beautiful Seoul scenery he had never seen before in his life. The next thing that caught his eye was the bright light. And then… he saw Han Taekyung, who looked exactly the same as before, making the 9-year gap seem non-existent.
Despite having suffered a major accident, undergone surgery, and lived like a vegetative person for a year, he hadn’t changed at all. He didn’t even seem to have aged. Even his body, which Igeon had thought would have lost muscle and become withered, looked better than when he was 20. Han Taekyung’s presence seemed even larger and more radiant than before, making the huge and wide marble desk look small.
“Hyung.”
As soon as the door closed, Jae-woo took a step forward and stood in front of Han Taekyung. Han Taekyung put down the tablet he had been looking at on the desk and looked at his brother.
At that moment, Igeon understood why Jae-woo had said, “Hyung has changed.” His eyes were different. Those golden eyes, which had been affectionate and warm… eyes that seemed like they would smile at Igeon no matter what he did, had turned red. They were definitely golden eyes before. He had liked them because they resembled his younger father’s eyes… And there was no expression on his face. His face was still handsome, but whereas before it had been a friendly face, now it was frightening. A face whose thoughts were impossible to read. That face was looking at Igeon after 9 years. Was it because of the red eyes? Igeon found Han Taekyung more unfamiliar than expected.
“Taekyung hyung, I brought him.”
Jae-woo brought Igeon in front of Han Taekyung. If it had been like before… of course, this situation wouldn’t have happened, but still, if it had been the Han Taekyung of the past, he would have jumped up and embraced Igeon before he could approach, or extended his hand and greeted him warmly. But the man in front of him showed no interest in Seo Igeon. Igeon had planned to punch him in the face when they met, but that seemed off the table now.
“It’s been… a long time. Do you remember me?”
Waiting for him to greet first seemed futile, so Igeon smiled and asked cautiously.
“It has been a long time.”
It was an unexpected greeting, but he couldn’t say “I remember you.” His eyes remained cold.
Han Taekyung got up from his seat, circled around the desk, and stood in front of Seo Igeon. He seemed a bit taller too. They used to be similar in height. Han Taekyung extended his hand. Igeon also shook hands in response to his gesture. As expected… Han Taekyung doesn’t remember him.
“Belated congratulations on your Olympic gold medal.”
Something felt like it was cracking. This was the message he had wanted to hear from Han Taekyung more than anyone else. He had waited and waited for just that one sentence. And finally, after 9 years, he heard those congratulatory words from the person he had been waiting to hear them from, but they were as casual as greetings to a passing dog, a mere formality… just words without any meaning, simply delivered.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
