# Chapter 52
When his thoughts reached that point, Seowoo couldn’t just lie there anymore. The moment he jerked his upper body upright, a shock like lightning ran through his entire body.
Whether it was the damn hangover or not, his arms, legs, waist, and back—everything hurt terribly. No, had a hangover ever made him feel this bad? Had he fallen out of bed after drinking yesterday?
To be honest, he had no memory at all after emptying the first bottle of whiskey. This was exactly why he tried not to drink, but yesterday, because of Dohyun…
“…Seo Dohyun. Where is Dohyun?”
If he was lying in Dohyun’s room, it meant he must have continued talking with Dohyun after his memory went blank, but he couldn’t recall a single detail of their conversation.
This was frustratingly maddening. He’d have to ask about it. He fumbled around for his phone but couldn’t see it near the bed.
He checked the floor and turned over the blanket, but still couldn’t find it. With a hopeful feeling, he left the room and found his phone placed very neatly on the dining table.
“…”
It felt out of place for anyone to believe a drunk Seowoo had casually tossed it there. There was even a hangover remedy placed tidily next to the phone.
From what Seowoo remembered, the dining table had been a mess with alcohol and food, but now it was clean and perfectly organized. Even the dishes had been washed completely.
Anyone could see Dohyun’s touch in this. While examining the hangover remedy bottle, Seowoo glanced into the study. It was completely silent. Just to be sure, he checked the other rooms too, but Dohyun was nowhere to be seen, perhaps already gone out.
“…Did he go to work?”
That busy guy never rested, after all. They weren’t in the kind of relationship where Seowoo should feel hurt or find it strange that he’d left without a word.
When he picked up his phone, a messenger notification immediately popped up. He naturally thought it might be from Dohyun, but the sender was someone he hadn’t expected at all.
“Are you busy?”
The subtly probing tone, the way of dropping hints while deliberately omitting the main point—the more he saw it, the more it reminded him of Dohyun. The sender was none other than Hyungil. A cute puppy emoticon caught his attention strongly.
“…What’s this about?”
He wasn’t someone who would contact Seowoo without reason, so why suddenly? Checking when the message had arrived, it was early morning when Seowoo had been deep in sleep.
He considered replying, but since Dohyun wasn’t home anyway, there was no need to wait. He called Hyungil’s number, and after a short ring tone, the call connected quickly. It was Hyungil.
“Han Seowoo-ssi. Were you busy?”
“No, I was sleeping.”
“Until this time?”
His questioning voice sounded puzzled. Seowoo glanced at the clock and saw it was already well past noon. Normally, Seowoo would never sleep this late, so he must have really drunk a lot.
“I see you enjoy sleeping in more than I expected.”
“…Not at all. I just had some drinks yesterday.”
“Do you enjoy drinking?”
“Not at all.”
A chuckle mixed into Hyungil’s voice. Well, even Seowoo thought his own answer was absurd. Claiming to dislike alcohol while oversleeping due to drinking wasn’t exactly credible.
But truly, he had zero interest in drinking parties, and he especially didn’t want his daily routine disrupted because of them.
“I wonder how someone who doesn’t enjoy drinking ended up drinking so heavily.”
“Well, that’s…”
Though his memory was fuzzy and the latter part was completely gone, the cause that made him drink enough to blur his memories was Dohyun.
Even in his fragmented and broken memories, Dohyun’s expression remained as vivid as if etched into his mind.
But if he said it was because of Dohyun, Hyungil would certainly probe for details. Not only did Seowoo not have clear memories to share, but he didn’t want to either.
After his lips moved silently, Seowoo eventually trailed off and brushed it aside.
“I was drinking with Woojae.”
“Ah, you mentioned you two were close.”
It wasn’t a particularly suspicious reaction. Well, from his perspective, saying he drank with Woojae would be more believable than saying he drank with Dohyun.
Before he could inquire about the details, Seowoo smoothly shifted the subject.
“So why did you contact me?”
“Ah, you remember what I asked last time we met? About the DY Motors chairman.”
Oh, right… Seowoo inhaled sharply. He’d completely forgotten. With Jinhyuk’s situation and worrying about Dohyun, he hadn’t properly registered Hyungil’s request.
He should have naturally asked about it during yesterday’s drinking session, but it never crossed his mind. Seowoo tried to respond as naturally as possible.
“…You mean about the chairman meeting with Dohyun, that appointment?”
“Yes, that one.”
“I do remember. But about that…”
Just as he was about to say he hadn’t found out anything yet, Hyungil cut him off smoothly.
“I’ve found out the date.”
His tone had a hint of pride, as if showing off. Before Seowoo could even process his feelings about this attitude, his eyes widened. So quickly?
“You mean you found out when the appointment is scheduled?”
“Yes. It’s in ten days.”
In ten days—indeed, Hyungil’s claim that it would be soon wasn’t a lie. Seowoo nodded.
“What about the location?”
“I couldn’t find that out. If I could have discovered that so quickly, I wouldn’t have asked you for help. I would’ve found out myself and informed you later.”
“Hmm…”
Still, finding just the date was impressive. Even Seowoo, who saw Dohyun’s face every day, hadn’t heard anything about the appointment, let alone the date.
It made him newly appreciate that Hyungil hadn’t been a prosecutor for so long for nothing.
“How did you find out? You couldn’t have asked Dohyun directly.”
“Well… it’s a kind of trade secret. A method that would be difficult for you to use, Han Seowoo-ssi.”
“When you put it that way, doesn’t it sound rather ominous?”
“Do you think I’d do something I shouldn’t? That’s more your roommate’s style.”
Whether he was being sarcastic or stating facts, Hyungil’s voice remained flat. Seowoo couldn’t refute him. There was nothing wrong in what he said.
“The location should emerge in a few days. It doesn’t have to be specific. Even an outline would help me track it down.”
“…I’ll try my best.”
At this point, the very idea of probing Dohyun for information made Seowoo uncomfortable. Several unresolved questions remained.
In Seowoo’s truncated memories, he had been holding onto Dohyun. He had asked about Dohyun’s expression and actions, and Dohyun hadn’t properly answered. Had Dohyun eventually given an answer later? Was Seowoo simply unable to remember it?
If so, what had Dohyun said?
His temples throbbed painfully. Seowoo pressed his fingertips against the aching spot and sighed.
Hyungil immediately caught Seowoo’s subtly subdued voice and sharply admonished him.
“Trying isn’t enough. Results are what matter.”
“…Yes.”
Though he didn’t say it directly, the implication to snap out of it was clear. Hyungil added, as if seeking confirmation:
“You must do this. I’ll be waiting for good news.”
Good news, huh. He hadn’t even explained what he planned to do with the information.
But would knowing change anything? The fact that this information would put a knife to Dohyun’s throat remained unchanged. Wasn’t that what Seowoo had wanted most?
Shaking his head, Seowoo slumped into a dining chair. He opened the hangover remedy and downed it in one go, but his sluggish body didn’t feel any better.
Seowoo stared at the hangover remedy, resting his chin on his hand. Should he call Dohyun too? He had many questions, but his thoughts were jumbled.
While he stared at the screen like a staring contest, suddenly his phone vibrated on its own. Startled, he looked directly at the display and saw Dohyun’s name appear.
With a mix of surprise, gladness, and bewilderment tangled in his mind, Seowoo hastily answered the call.
“…What is it?”
“Your first words are ‘what is it?’ How disappointing.”
The lazily laughing voice sounded softer than usual, even affectionate. The speech pattern was exactly the same, but it strangely tickled him.
Unable to tell if it was his imagination or real, Seowoo made a petulant complaint.
“I meant the timing is strange.”
“I called thinking you’d be awake by now. Was there a problem?”
“I mean, I just woke up and your call came right then, which feels strange somehow.”
“Ah… your talent for indirectly describing fate is quite impressive.”
Whether these puzzling jokes were habitual, who knew. Seowoo clicked his tongue lightly. By now, he’d grown somewhat accustomed to this way of speaking.
Perhaps Dohyun wasn’t expecting a reply to that comment, as he immediately asked a different question.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“If I were fine, I would have woken up earlier.”
It must have been obvious he was in terrible shape for Dohyun to ask such a question. Since Seowoo couldn’t exactly remember how many bottles he’d drunk or what state he’d been in, he could only vaguely guess his condition from Dohyun’s question.
“Did you leave the hangover remedy?”
“Of course. You drank quite a lot yesterday.”
“…Then I assume you’re also the one who brought me to your room.”
It was a casually tossed remark. An insignificant question, yet the silence that followed was long and heavy, as if weighted.
The silence spread slowly like ink dissolving in water. Seowoo’s lips moved slightly. He didn’t know what to say and wanted to see Dohyun’s expression.
“You don’t remember?”
Seowoo couldn’t be sure what meaning lay behind that questioning voice. That even tone almost sounded like laughter. But instinctively, he could tell with certainty it wasn’t laughter.
“Nothing at all?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
