<58>
“Attorney Lee. We need to re-sort all the information we’ve gathered so far.”
“What? All of this?”
“Yes. It seems there were some issues with that company’s new product development process. We’ll need to compile a new list of partner companies first. I suppose it’s impossible to finish today, right?”
“Team Leader, I’ll die… I’ve already been working overtime for four nights straight…”
“Okay. Then get the relevant materials from Songwon and organize them by tomorrow morning. Send them to my email. It’ll be too late if we wait until next week’s workday.”
The junior attorney’s shoulders slumped, having been excited at the thought of finally enjoying freedom after believing the trial preparations were in their final stages. The team had made remarkable progress under a team leader who barely participated in the preparation process, yet instead of praising them, he offered razor-sharp feedback on the team members’ reports whenever he came in once a week. The team members unanimously complained that if this was the case, they would prefer Han Jaekyung to come to work every day.
“Let’s stop work here for now. Everyone should get dinner first.”
The clock already showed six-thirty. Han Jaekyung began to feel anxious thinking about Jang Yeonhu, who had messaged that he was leaving exactly at six o’clock. With only an hour and a half for dinner, it would be better to eat near the office rather than waste time traveling through Seoul’s congested rush hour traffic.
Let’s see, I heard during lunch that there’s a nice new restaurant nearby…
> [I’m almost there. Meet you on the first floor.]
The message he’d been waiting for arrived just in time. Jaekyung smiled and jumped up from his seat.
“Oh? Team Leader, where are you going?”
“It’s dinner time. I’m going to eat.”
“Aren’t you eating with us?”
“I’m trying not to be that oblivious boss. Ah, I’ll leave the card here, so get yourselves something nice to eat.”
He heard several calls of “Team Leader! Team Leader!” from behind, but Jaekyung never looked back. Jang Yeonhu was coming to meet Han Jaekyung. Who would have thought that something so ordinary until a few months ago would now feel so extraordinary?
He hurriedly pressed the close button on the elevator, though it would have closed on its own, and as soon as the doors opened, his strides toward the lobby grew wider. The person he was meeting wasn’t going to run away, yet he felt restless.
“Has he not arrived yet…”
Anxiously, he checked the stairs leading from the underground parking lot to the first-floor lobby, the area in front of the elevators, and various spots around the lobby, but Jang Yeonhu was nowhere to be seen. Six thirty-four. Jaekyung decided to wait until six forty, then make a call.
He was alternating between checking his wristwatch and his phone screen, urging the hands of time to move faster, when a familiar voice called out, “Attorney Han!” and caught his attention.
“Haa, haa, haa… Thank goodness. I was worried we might miss each other.”
“…Choi Eunseong.”
It was Choi Eunseong.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re busy, but I couldn’t reach him, and it was so frustrating. I asked the office manager, and they told me you were coming in today, so I came looking for you without thinking.”
“I’m really sorry,” Eunseong said again, bowing his head. Who should be apologizing to whom, really? A faint sense of guilt mercilessly clawed at Jaekyung’s heart.
If Choi Eunseong knew what malicious intentions Han Jaekyung harbored, he would never utter the words “I’m sorry.” Perhaps he might slap him while cursing, though that too seemed more like something Han Jaekyung would do. Someone like Choi Eunseong would probably just shed useless tears, asking how could you do this. Jaekyung made these assumptions freely.
“I… I can’t take it anymore. I need to see hyung, even just once. Please help me.”
What should he do? He never intended to deceive Choi Eunseong for long anyway, and had planned to contact him soon to boldly deliver what amounted to a declaration of war, regardless of Yeonhu’s memory. Even so, today seemed too early.
“I promise I won’t say anything strange to hyung. It’s fine even if I just glimpse his face from a distance. I’m just… so worried, and I miss him so much, that’s why…!”
When Jang Yeonhu first woke up. The shock of questioning him without knowing his memory was gone, and ultimately causing him to faint, must have been traumatic for Choi Eunseong too. Fortunately, when Yeonhu regained consciousness, that incident seemed to have been completely washed from his mind, but…
With his voice now dampened with emotion, Choi Eunseong repeatedly begged, promising not to say anything that might interfere with Jang Yeonhu’s condition.
“Attorney Han, please. You know you’re the only one I can ask for this favor…”
Choi Eunseong, who had no route to approach Jang Yeonhu except through Yeonhu himself or Han Jaekyung, was too pathetic to be considered a rival. He looked as fragile as a long-necked deer. Perhaps an ordinary person wouldn’t even think of turning a cold blade toward someone like Choi Eunseong.
If his experience had simply ended with losing Jang Yeonhu, he might have gritted his teeth and willingly yielded all glory to Choi Eunseong, even if it meant his heart would be torn into a thousand pieces.
But the current Han Jaekyung had already lost Jang Yeonhu once, and had now tasted his love again.
He didn’t want to lose him again. Being a bastard to someone to avoid that? Not frightening at all. Nothing in the world could be more terrifying than the meaning behind the sentence “losing Jang Yeonhu again.” That was already true in Han Jaekyung’s world.
“Listen, Choi Eunseong.”
He opened his mouth, pretending to gather his resolve. If it weren’t for the well-timed shout of “Jaekyung!” that came at that moment, he would have mercilessly slashed Choi Eunseong’s tender heart with a sharp dagger, over and over again.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry… I’m late. I was almost here, but traffic got jammed at the entrance just ahead. Did you wait long?”
Jang Yeonhu came running toward Jaekyung, waving his hands, with the brightest smile on his face, as if it was impossible to be any happier.
Hearing the voice he had missed so much, Choi Eunseong suddenly turned around and froze like a block of ice.
Yeonhu’s quick, long strides brought him to the two of them in the blink of an eye. As he got closer… his bright smile began to harden into a cold expression.
“…”
There was no room for misunderstanding. Jang Yeonhu’s gaze was entirely focused on Choi Eunseong’s face. Jaekyung hurriedly stepped forward, trying to shield Choi Eunseong behind his back, but it was already too late. Jang Yeonhu gently pulled Jaekyung’s shoulder toward himself to clear his line of sight, then even lowered his head to meet Choi Eunseong’s eye level.
“What, what’s going on, Jang Yeonhu? Why are you acting like this?”
“Hmm…”
His hands and feet grew cold with tension. What if, what if really. The terrible thoughts he wanted to avoid quickly invaded his mind.
Despite Han Jaekyung’s question, Jang Yeonhu didn’t offer a single word in response. He only frowned more intensely.
Considering Jang Yeonhu’s usual friendly demeanor toward everyone he met, at least outwardly, this was an unexpected abnormal reaction. Choi Eunseong remained frozen, barely breathing under the intense stare.
“We…”
“…”
“Have we met before?”
“…!”
“We have met before, haven’t we?” At that simple question, Jaekyung felt his heart might jump out of his mouth. Choi Eunseong’s surprise was likely of the same magnitude.
Could his memory be returning? Was it because he met Choi Eunseong, the person he had wanted to be with so badly that he’d resorted to pathetic tricks… Could it be this simple, this instantaneous…
“I don’t think I’m mistaken. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“Do, do you remember me? Do you think you’ve seen me somewhere before?”
His voice, filled with emotion, began to tremble faintly.
“Of course I remember you.”
“Oh my god…!”
As Choi Eunseong called out “Yeonhu hyung!” and tried to embrace Jang Yeonhu, Han Jaekyung couldn’t bear to watch anymore and tightly closed his eyes. Meanwhile, Jang Yeonhu smiled at Choi Eunseong.
“How could I forget you?”
Showing his teeth, clearly expressing hostility.
“You… You came here before and clung to Han Jaekyung, didn’t you?”
It was a vicious smile, as if he might grab him by the collar at any moment.
“I, I…”
“Who are you exactly? What kind of person are you, always coming around looking for Han Jaekyung and being a nuisance?”
“Yeonhu! It’s not like that.”
Despair and hope alternated rapidly. Now, despair seemed to have sided with Choi Eunseong rather than Han Jaekyung.
His memory hadn’t returned. It seemed he had coincidentally seen Choi Eunseong talking with Jaekyung at the first-floor cafe last time. Jaekyung turned toward Jang Yeonhu, trying to calm his surprised heart. However, Jang Yeonhu, who had always been terribly intolerant of strangers approaching Jaekyung, already seemed thoroughly irritated.
“Yes. Just a moment, Jaekyung. I’m talking to this person right now.”
“Jang Yeonhu!!”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
