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Fortunately, the ice pack quickly reduced the swelling on the top of his foot. Though some bruising would remain due to his sensitive skin, Han Jaekyung himself didn’t care much. It was an area that wouldn’t be visible to others anyway once he put on socks and shoes.
“Doesn’t it hurt? Should I wrap it with a bandage?”
“It’s fine. Don’t overreact.”
Perhaps his head had cooled down after all that commotion. For someone who had just been flailing in shock and turning the room upside down, Jaekyung maintained a remarkably composed attitude. It was the result of gathering all his meager pretense of being fine in front of Yeonhu.
“How’s your headache? Should you take medicine right away?”
“Mmm, it’s throbbing a bit… but I’m okay. I want to eat porridge first.”
Though not quite sick, Jaekyung preferred porridge over rice after drinking or when his stomach felt rough. Yeonhu, who still remembered this and took care of it, was achingly missed even though he was right in front of him, then unbearably resentful… His emotions kept jumping up and down like a teenager going through puberty.
“Here, eat quickly. I asked them to add lots of mushrooms, just how you like it.”
Yeonhu smiled brightly as he transferred the vegetable porridge to a bowl and offered a spoon. Jaekyung found it hard to gauge. He couldn’t tell if this level of kindness was something that should naturally be expected from a friend or not. Setting aside Moon Yeonu, who had disappeared for ten years in the middle. This was because Han Jaekyung didn’t have a single “friend” besides Jang Yeonhu. He had far more casual blind dates or people he briefly dated after meeting through work.
“What are you doing? It’s going to get cold.”
“…Aren’t you eating?”
“I had cereal this morning, so I’m not hungry.”
After briefly sitting across from Jaekyung watching him blow on the porridge before eating it, Yeonhu soon got up and started finishing the organizing he hadn’t completed last night.
The more diligently he moved, placing new items and scrubbing away old stains, the more rapidly what was once Jaekyung’s officetel was transforming into an unfamiliar place.
Come to think of it, even the dishware Jaekyung was eating porridge from now had childish cat patterns on it. Something Han Jaekyung would never buy voluntarily.
“Jang Yeonhu, who on earth chose this bowl? Don’t tell me your taste has been leaning this way?”
Though he asked with trepidation, Yeonhu, who had been watering the plants by the window, burst into laughter, holding his stomach. Fortunately, though he might have paid for it, it seemed Yeonhu hadn’t personally selected the item.
“Haha, ha… Oh, that’s funny. I admit, even to me it seems… well, excessively cute.”
“Are you crazy? Is your vision skewed? How is this cute? This is just childish. What is this? Even elementary school students these days wouldn’t use such designs.”
“Sorry to Eunseong, but I can’t bring myself to disagree.”
Are they pretending to be newlyweds or something? As I thought, Choi Eunseong must have chosen it. Jaekyung’s appetite suddenly disappeared, and he put down the dishware with a clatter, waving his hand at Yeonhu to bring out some headache medicine instead.
“You’re not going to eat more?”
“No. I lost my appetite. Your boyfriend has absolutely no sense of style, seriously.”
“But it’s cute, isn’t it? Try to see it more favorably.”
“Stop talking crap. It’s only pretty in your eyes.”
Compared to Han Jaekyung’s face, which was beautiful in an inhuman way, Choi Eunseong’s appearance was quite pretty for a man who had even completed military service. Of course, Jaekyung had no inclination to be considerate of such circumstances.
“Eunseong starts his first day of work tomorrow.”
“Why, afraid your precious boyfriend won’t be properly attended to?”
“You know it’s not like that. Why is our Jaekyung being like this again?”
“Then what?”
“Just, please take good care of him.”
Even if he makes mistakes, please be lenient for my sake. He doesn’t have any ill intentions. When I taught him while keeping him close, he had quite nimble fingers and learned quickly. Yeonhu’s endless requests continued. Jaekyung suddenly felt irritated.
“Do you think I’ve only worked in society for a day or two? I’ll strictly separate personal and professional matters. Him entering my office as an administrative assistant without an interview is already excessive preferential treatment. There won’t be any more biased treatment.”
“Jaekyung, that’s not what I—”
“What do you mean that’s not it? Seeing how desperate you are to protect him from the start, it’s obvious what’s coming. With Jang Yeonhu looming, who would dare assign him work?”
“…The poor thing. He’s already struggling to get by, and I feel sorry that I’m just becoming another burden to him.”
Jaekyung, who had jumped up and was breathing heavily, stood right in front of Yeonhu and asked confrontationally.
“Then what about me?”
“Huh?”
“Am I not pitiful?”
Han Jaekyung, who had lost Yeonhu and everything Yeonhu had permitted him in the blink of an eye. He didn’t have the right to pity himself.
Instead, Jaekyung wanted at least Yeonhu to pity him. If he was determined never to return… If he intended never to return that pushover who used to put Jaekyung as the top priority in his life. At the very least, he should pity him to barely make the balance even.
“Ha. Where have all your years gone, our Jaekyung? What’s so pitiful about you? Your current salary is easily four or five times what I make as an assistant manager.”
As if hearing something ridiculous, Yeonhu laughed sarcastically while rubbing Jaekyung’s cheeks mercilessly with both hands.
“Please take good care of my boyfriend.”
So what could he do? He couldn’t get rid of that boyfriend anywhere, and he couldn’t pour more harsh words on Yeonhu, who still wore his forehead wound like a medal.
“I’ll only trust you, Jaekyung.”
“…Whatever.”
In the end, he was still in the palm of Yeonhu’s hand.
* * *
After finishing a client meeting, when Jaekyung entered the team office they shared, employees who seemed to have just returned from lunch greeted him one by one.
“Attorney, you’re back!”
“We always eat without you, what should we do? Should we wait for you tomorrow?”
“No need. I picked at various things during the meeting. Please eat comfortably.”
“But still…”
It had always been like this lately because the client for a newly accepted case said they only had time during lunch hours due to their business. Among the associates under Jaekyung and the two office workers who assisted with the work, Choi Eunseong’s shiny face was also visible.
His youthful appearance, smiling like a country puppy, definitely stood out in the rigid and businesslike law firm.
“Attorney, Attorney. Here.”
After briefly acknowledging the greeting, as Jaekyung headed toward his own office set up in the innermost part, Eunseong followed him scurrying along and thrust out a coffee cup.
“They say this is a limited coconut latte that’s only on sale until today. We all had a cup each when we came back from lunch. I really wanted to get one for Attorney Han too, so I bought it separately.”
His face and voice were so bright that one could almost see an imaginary tail wagging. Since he said he bought it specifically for him, it would be awkward to refuse outright, so Jaekyung accepted the coffee cup. But before he could say a word of thanks:
The other employees, surprised that Jaekyung, who normally never accepted anything from others regardless of what it was, quietly took the coffee without saying anything, each added their own comment.
“That’s unfair, Senior Han. When I offered to buy you coffee before, you refused without even listening further.”
“Wow, they said he’s a friend’s younger brother, and indeed the treatment is different. Lucky intern student!”
“Hehe, it’s nothing.”
It was approaching nearly two weeks since he started work, and Eunseong was being called an “intern student” — “administrative assistant” was too formal, and “assistant student” sounded awkward.
Since he had a contract only with Jaekyung’s direct team and didn’t support other law firm work, Jaekyung had been concerned about whether other team members would be uncomfortable with his sudden arrival and whether he would adapt well, but these worries were unfounded.
There wasn’t anyone twisted enough to dislike a bright and friendly student who diligently moved around. In less than a week, Eunseong had naturally blended into Jaekyung’s team.
Jaekyung sometimes wondered. Although the situation had naturally evolved this way, as if mixing alcohol with alcohol or water with water… Still, to Eunseong, Jaekyung was the person who had directly handed him an envelope of money on behalf of Yeonhu’s parents and demanded they break up. Putting himself in Eunseong’s position, it would be quite awkward to face him. Hostility would be natural.
Yet Eunseong approached him casually like just now, speaking in a friendly manner and greeting him with bright smiles. Seeing Eunseong like this, Jaekyung felt a twinge in what might be his conscience, which he hadn’t known still existed.
After exchanging pleasantries saying he would enjoy the coffee, and as soon as he sat down and turned on his work PC, a series of messages started flooding his phone.
> [Moon Yeonu: I’m escaping unemployment starting tomorrow]
> [Moon Yeonu: Now even special lecture fees are frozen ã… ã… ]
> [Moon Yeonu: Since I’m starting graduate school classes right away, tonight is the last time I’m free in the evening]
It seems he finally signed a contract after deliberating where to go. Moon Yeonu, who had entered the country for security consulting for a domestic company, had originally planned to return to the U.S. after the consulting schedule, but in the meantime, he had received professor position offers from several schools and was seriously considering which school to choose.
While it’s said that in the IT field, with so many young talents, it’s not uncommon for people in their early 30s to serve as professors at major universities in the U.S., it’s a very rare case in Korea… From the atmosphere of the faculty in the department where he would work to the members of the laboratory, there must have been many things to consider.
> [Moon Yeonu: Let’s play.]
Let’s play, Han Jaekyung, let’s plaaay, why aren’t you replying. I said let’s play! How is it that just reading his texts sounds noisy? Before Jaekyung could write a congratulatory reply, persistent messages to play kept coming in.
With one eyebrow raised in annoyance, Jaekyung closed the message window and called him directly. Before the ringtone could even sound a few times, Yeonu answered immediately.
-Hello…
“Stop acting like a damn dog. It’s annoying.”
-Hmm, Han Jaekyung. Are you angry?
“Not angry, just annoyed. I can’t even reply. And I’m working late today. Play by yourself or find another friend.”
-I don’t have any other friends in Korea besides you.
“What a thing to brag about.”
Despite only having Moon Yeonu and Jang Yeonhu as friends himself, Jaekyung snorted derisively as if scolding him.
-So, when do you finish? I’ll wait.
“I don’t know. At least 10:30.”
-Eeeh. What? That’s not too bad to wait. Then I’ll come pick you up, one drink, call?
“Stop with that ‘call’ nonsense. Don’t you start work tomorrow too?”
-Hmm. Then let’s have coffee by the Han River.
“What’s with two men going to the Han River… Anyway, do as you please, come or don’t. I’ll contact you when I have a rough idea of when I’ll finish, so please shut up and stay quiet. Unless you want me to work even later.”
-Got it, see you later.
Today is a day when the entire team has to work overtime, so Eunseong would be leaving late as well… I wonder if Yeonhu will come to pick him up. Jaekyung glanced at Eunseong’s head peeking through the blinds, then irritably ruffled his bangs and shook his head. The coconut latte that Eunseong had thrust upon him was still delicious, though.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
