# Chapter 34
The voices of opposition that had been popping up from everywhere with each statement were now silent. Euntaek stood as if rooted to the floor, saying nothing.
“Even though this storytelling is rather crude, our actor was with me all day before he briefly stepped away. There wouldn’t have been enough time to go back and forth from here.”
“…”
“Kang Euntaek, next time you plan to commit fraud, you should thoroughly research beforehand.”
Though he was smiling, there was hardly any humor in his voice. Anyone could tell these words were spoken mockingly. After a moment of silence among the residents, a belated voice erupted.
“The kid might have misunderstood something. Not many people use that path, so that could be why. Right, Euntaek?”
Euntaek slowly rolled his eyes in all directions as if gauging what answer he should give. Perhaps seeing this as a sign of unease, the man added another remark.
“He seems to have made a mistake because he doesn’t know better…”
“Because?”
“Well, why don’t you listen to what the kid has to say a bit more? There might be unavoidable reasons.”
Looking at the man who came forward beside Euntaek with a good-natured smile, Dohyun opened his eyes wide.
“Why should I be curious about the reasons?”
“…Pardon?”
“Whatever his reasons for telling such lies, we’re the ones who suffered the loss. Considering the disruption to filming and the mental damage, do you think I’d feel like applauding while listening to that friend’s story here?”
Dohyun shook his head as if disgusted. Euntaek, whose spirit was completely crushed, didn’t seem to have any intention of saying a word in the first place, but he looked surprised and dumbfounded, as if he hadn’t expected this kind of approach.
After a brief consideration, Dohyun took out his business card. He also pulled out a small pen from his inside pocket. With nimble movements, he seemed to scribble something, and soon he bent down to meet Euntaek’s gaze.
“You’re still a minor, right?”
“Yes…”
“Your parents?”
“…They’re out working, not here right now.”
“Hmm,” exhaling a low sound, Dohyun grabbed Euntaek’s wrist and firmly pressed the business card into his palm. Euntaek looked down at the card, bewildered, where dozens of numbers were frantically engraved.
“Now, listen carefully because you’ll need to explain this to your parents later? This is my account number, this is the amount of money to be deposited, and this is the deadline. If you look at the back, there’s a phone number here, right? If you’re unsure about anything, call.”
His tone was exactly like a kindergarten teacher coaxing a child, but what he was saying was anything but. After kindly explaining each detail while pointing to the front and back of the business card, Dohyun met Euntaek’s eyes as if to ask, “How about it?”
“Uh…”
“Ah, I calculated the money clearly. The actor’s injury, the lost filming time, being falsely accused as a criminal and suffering unfairly… I’ve summed it all up and even gave you a discount considering you’re a minor, so keep that in mind.”
Even with a discount, wasn’t it still a significant amount of money? This wasn’t a compensation discussion involving lawyers; could he just decide this forcefully? Without any procedure, he was extorting like a gangster. Even though the other party might be in his late teens, he was still a child. Seowoo, who had been listening to the conversation, turned as pale as Euntaek.
“So you’re saying I need to make a deposit by this time…?”
“Why are you trembling? You don’t seem so small-minded as to be shocked by a few hundred.”
“…What?”
“It’s not like you secretly took 1,000 or 2,000 won from a friend’s wallet. Seeing how you were eyeing that money pool, weren’t you planning to take at least tens or hundreds? Of course, your preparation was too sloppy for something like that…”
The omitted words were replaced by a gaze that looked Euntaek up and down. Whether it was an impulsive choice or lack of caution, it was clear his thinking had been short-sighted.
“Whether you stole it yourself or helped someone else steal it, being surprised at the claim amount considering what you were capable of isn’t respectful to the homeowner who was robbed.”
As Dohyun said, it was already certain that the child was either the perpetrator or an accomplice. Certainly, this was no longer an issue to be laughed off… But the real victims were the homeowners, and police mediation would be necessary for resolution.
But for all the grand talk of compensation, it was Seowoo who was hurt, Seowoo who was caught and suffered, and Seowoo whose filming was delayed. Without even a single discussion about what to do, Dohyun was arbitrarily giving out such a business card. Seowoo, who had been watching from a step back, had a deeply contorted expression.
“Wait a moment!”
“Hmm?”
With a swift movement, Seowoo stretched out his arm. The business card that had been awkwardly held in Euntaek’s hand now landed in Seowoo’s. Dohyun raised his eyebrow obliquely. Euntaek’s surprised eyes fixed on Seowoo.
“Oh my, Seowoo-ssi. What is it? Do you have something to say to this student?”
“No, now’s not the time for that. Just come here for a moment.”
“You mean me, not that friend?”
His tone wasn’t one of misunderstanding and asking again. It was a kind of confirmation. The smile didn’t fade but didn’t spread further, lingering on Dohyun’s lips. As if trying to confirm Seowoo’s intention, his usual straight gaze unwavering, looked directly at Seowoo.
“A secret meeting is fine, but now’s not an appropriate timing. Shall we meet separately after this is handled?”
For all his tendency to do anything without refusal, he never easily accommodated such requests. But Seowoo didn’t think he would readily agree anyway. Instead of backing down immediately, Seowoo grabbed Dohyun’s forearm.
“…I have something to say right now.”
Now. Emphasizing it once more with force, Dohyun smiled, creating deeper creases at the corners of his mouth.
“If that’s the case, I can’t help it. I’ll be right back. The criminal’s been caught, so please handle the resolution yourselves?”
Dohyun glanced once at Euntaek with a chin gesture, and once around at the villagers. Neither intimately as before, nor roughly, an awkward silence descended.
❖ ❖ ❖
“What is it?”
“You’ll have to tell me what you’re asking about so I can give an appropriate answer.”
A place where neither the filming team nor the residents could hear their conversation. As soon as Seowoo entered the alley along the road and realized there was no one around, he immediately raised his voice.
Heated, he stepped forward briskly, and Dohyun retreated just as much. When Dohyun’s back hit the wall with nowhere left to retreat, a low exclamation or sigh escaped from him.
“You didn’t call the police, you didn’t bring a lawyer. What are you trying to do? Is this outright thuggish behavior?”
With a rough hand gesture, Seowoo pulled out the crumpled business card and waved it in front of Dohyun’s eyes. Dohyun merely raised an eyebrow as if the action had no impact on him.
“Is giving a business card also thuggish behavior?”
“It’s not about the business card. When did you even calculate the money?”
“Ah, you mean the compensation?”
With a skilled gesture, Dohyun snatched the card and scanned the text he had scrawled himself.
“Rather than involving intermediaries and losing fees, a one-to-one transaction benefits both parties. Think how much time and money would be wasted going to the company, calling a lawyer, and arguing.”
“You didn’t even ask the actual party who should receive the compensation—me.”
As if he had heard something strange, Dohyun pulled his lips to the side and pressed them together. He seemed to be mulling over the expression of “asking.”
“Maybe I should have asked once instead of just calculating in my head?”
“I’m saying why are you naturally taking the lead when I didn’t even demand anything?”
“Why? Because I agreed to do it that way. Isn’t that right?”
Dohyun faced Seowoo squarely, who was glaring at him fiercely, and grinned. His outstretched hand grabbed Seowoo’s shoulder and slowly kneaded it. While it felt like encouragement at first glance, it was a considerably forceful action.
“Let’s distinguish between the public and private domains, our respective territories. This is T&C’s way and my method.”
It was pressure. Anyone could detect the sharp blade hidden within a voice armed with suggestion and kindness. The eyes that met his shone coldly, like that first time, scanning Seowoo’s face.
Even as time passed and he became familiar with that gaze, the tension didn’t dissipate. Reflexively, the back of his neck straightened and his lips closed tightly. But Seowoo had no intention of backing down. Hadn’t Woojae said it? It was essentially a fight about who would bite first.
“This isn’t me being swayed by personal emotions; this matter is within my domain. Since it’s related to me, I can handle it my way.”
It was a clear rebuttal that he had no intention of letting Dohyun have his way. At Seowoo’s firm voice, Dohyun merely smiled, pulling up the corners of his lips.
“If the person involved wants to handle an accident, why have a manager or a company?”
“Who asked for the authority to handle it? This is embarrassing to even call an accident. From their perspective, it might be an accident, but from mine, it’s a happening.”
“A happening?”
“I’m saying it’s not worth going this far.”
It’s true that Seowoo’s mood was ruined, and the situation wasn’t pleasant. But it wasn’t something that warranted taking that much money.
However, Dohyun didn’t seem to think that way. His eyebrows rose like mountains in response to Seowoo’s answer, as if replying with puzzlement.
“They rudely put their hands on you, and as a result, your ankle was twisted. They’ve thoroughly messed up this filming scene where you especially need to use your ankle continuously. If the CEO had just said, ‘Let’s let it go nicely,’ would Seowoo-ssi have been in such a good mood?”
Rarely, Dohyun’s tone was overtly sarcastic. For someone who usually covered his emotions with a smile and a drawling snake-like tone, it was quite an aggressive statement.
It wasn’t passionate enough to say he was angry, but it wasn’t his usual self either. Staring at Dohyun’s face with narrowed eyes as if peering into his inner thoughts, Seowoo soon shook his head.
“…Thank you for your concern. And for helping.”
If it hadn’t been for Dohyun, it probably would have taken longer to come to his senses. He might have been just shouting helplessly and following where he was being dragged. Though it was a false accusation that would have been easily cleared up, a prolonged situation would have been a different problem.
But that was that, and this was this. Without hesitation, Seowoo snatched the numbered business card back from Dohyun’s hand and tore it apart in one go.
“Still… I don’t like what you’re doing.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
