The stench of spilled filth—probably animal dung—was so overpowering it stabbed at the nose. Screams and shouting melded into chaos, making it impossible to make out what anyone was saying. In the middle of the turmoil, Kim Dae-hong jumped in, dragging away the person who had thrown the sludge.
Construction workers belatedly joined the fray, pulling people apart from the tangled mess and working to suppress the chaos.
With a calm expression, Ha-jin shook off the umbrella and carefully folded it. Then, turning to Cheon Tae-seong, he asked again if he was alright. Like him or not, this man was his client—and the one paying his salary. Yesterday it was a busted head, today he couldn’t very well let him get splashed with literal shit.
Tae-seong looked thoroughly shaken, his ears flushed a deep red.
…Well, that’s understandable.
He was someone raised like a pampered princess in his grandfather’s mansion. He probably hadn’t even smelled a livestock pen before, let alone something this disgusting. It must’ve been traumatizing. Ha-jin clicked his tongue. He remembered how, in his previous life, Tae-seong had ended up in an ambulance after being drenched in waste.
Still watching Tae-seong’s face, Ha-jin noticed how unsettled his eyes were, flitting about without focus.
“CEO, are you really okay? You look pretty shaken…”
Did something manage to splash him? Ha-jin’s eyes scanned him, eventually landing on Tae-seong’s hand. His fist was clenched so tightly it was bloodless and pale. The memory of him trembling in the car after taking his meds flashed through Ha-jin’s mind. Gently, he reached out to cover the hand, and Tae-seong jolted hard, his whole body flinching.
“I-I’m fine.”
That overreaction only made Ha-jin more concerned. He gathered the hand that had just been shaken off and stepped in closer—but Tae-seong recoiled just as much, backing away the exact same distance.
“Ah…”
Only then did Ha-jin realize the filth was still on him.
“Sorry, I didn’t notice I still had some on me.”
Great. Just great. Ha-jin looked around, trying to find someone else who could take care of Tae-seong. The man was still visibly rattled, his breath coming in quick, uneven pants.
Just then, Manager Yoon appeared with members of the secretary team, hurrying over in a fluster.
“Others are here now, so I’ll step away.”
“It’s not that, Ha-jin—”
Tae-seong’s expression twisted into a mess. At the same time, his pheromones surged, and a floral scent bloomed around them, sweeping away the stench in an instant. Even the noise in the background seemed to fade.
Completely enveloped in Tae-seong’s pheromones, Ha-jin pressed a hand over his chest as his heart began to pound violently. The scent pulsed with something unspoken, surging so fiercely it was almost frightening. His throat tightened without warning.
“Sir, your pheromones—”
Ha-jin started to speak, but Manager Yoon stepped between them just then. The heavy pheromones dissipated in an instant. Even so, Tae-seong didn’t look away from Ha-jin.
“I deeply apologize, CEO Cheon. I swear I spoke with them beforehand, but this kind of disgraceful incident still happened. I’m ashamed.”
People had gathered quickly, forming a circle around Tae-seong. He leaned in and said quietly to Ha-jin:
“…Let’s talk later.”
Saying it, Tae-seong was startled to feel a sense of regret. But it wasn’t just regret—there was something more tangled and unfamiliar surfacing inside him. Before he could examine it, it was swept away by the surrounding chaos. For now, calming Manager Yoon, who looked ready to kneel, took priority.
“As you can see, I’m fine. I was actually planning to discuss a revised compensation plan today anyway, and now this happened. Seems I was too late.”
Pressing his thumb to his temple like he had a headache, Tae-seong sighed. Manager Yoon, who had been expecting him to lash out at the protesting residents, looked stunned and lost for words.
Ha-jin slowly backed away and made his way toward the waiting vehicles. Unlike their arrival, the exit path was flat and smooth. Tae-seong’s large sedan was parked at the front, but Ha-jin deliberately avoided it.
Instead, he walked all the way to the last truck in line and placed the umbrella in the cargo bed. He pulled out some wet wipes and started cleaning the filth from his pant legs when Kim Dae-hong appeared. Without a word, the man knelt down and began wiping Ha-jin’s shoes with a towel he had brought.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah—yeah, I’m totally fine. You really don’t need to do that.”
Flustered, Ha-jin tried to pull back, but Kim Dae-hong quickly stood and grabbed his arm, steering him toward Tae-seong’s sedan. He even opened the door and gestured for him to get in—without a moment’s hesitation.
“There’s filth on me. I really think I should ride in one of the trucks instead…”
“The CEO said to get you back to the hotel as soon as possible. Told me to make sure you got cleaned up and rested. Please get in. You must be feeling gross.”
Honestly, his leg was soaked and it felt disgusting—and the smell was brutal. His shoes were ruined too. He hadn’t noticed it earlier when he was standing beside Tae-seong.
Human perfume… Ha-jin’s gaze drifted to where Tae-seong was still standing. Surrounded by people, he was easy to spot since he was a head taller than most. It looked like he was gathering the angry island residents to negotiate a new compensation plan. In other words, it wouldn’t end quickly.
“…Alright, I’ll get in.”
Ha-jin didn’t turn him down twice and climbed into the car. One way or another, seeing Tae-seong without a drop of filth on him made it all worth it. The car would take care of itself.
As Kim Dae-hong drove along the coastal road, Ha-jin rolled down the window completely. The smell of the ocean rushed in—it wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it didn’t feel bad either.
***
Once they crossed the bridge back to the mainland, it was a short drive to the hotel. The place was dated and tacky, but it was clean and sat right on the beach facing the island.
The moment Ha-jin stepped into his assigned room, he went straight to wash up. Without even underwear, he slipped into a bathrobe and sent his filthy clothes out for laundry service.
He checked the outside of his bag for dirt, cleaned out the inside, and changed the bandage on his face. After all that, his energy drained away.
There were no new messages from his younger brother or Kwak Mari. It hadn’t even been a full day, so that was to be expected. Still, he sent them a quick message asking if they’d eaten, stuffing his worry down between the words.
“Let’s talk later.”
Lying flat on the bed, his thoughts naturally drifted back to Cheon Tae-seong.
Ha-jin pulled out his notebook and tapped the dates. Despite the change in visit schedule, the exact same incident had occurred. Thank god he’d thought to bring the umbrella.
I guess what’s meant to happen… still happens.
Over the past year since returning, events with clear cause and effect had mostly repeated themselves just like before. His grandmother’s traffic accident was a prime example.
During a group trip organized by the livestock association for local seniors, there had been a minor crash. Not many people were hurt—but his grandmother was one of them. She’d fractured her pelvis in the fall and spent a long time bedridden.
After his return, Ha-jin hadn’t been able to stop the trip entirely, but he had pulled his grandmother out just in time. The accident still happened as before, though no one else got hurt this time. He had still felt guilty.
Now, with Tae-seong planning to renegotiate land compensation, maybe the construction site events would start to diverge a little. What would change, and what wouldn’t?
Ha-jin didn’t have the authority or knowledge to interfere with Tae-seong’s business. All he could do was block flying shit with an umbrella, apparently.
But there was one thing he was genuinely afraid of:
The person who’d hired him to drug Cheon Tae-seong. If things stayed on this course, that person would come looking for him again.
What kind of face should I wear when that happens? How do I tell Tae-seong about it? How do I warn him…?
***
“…Manager! It’s Kim Dae-hong.”
Ha-jin had dozed off for a bit and jolted awake at the knock. His phone showed several missed calls. The clock said four hours had passed.
“Ugh, I slept like a rock. Sorry, Chief.”
Opening the door to apologize, he was met not by a face but by a stack of shopping bags. He reflexively grabbed them as they were thrust into his arms. Behind them, Kim Dae-hong beamed at him with an unusually bright smile.
“These are from the CEO. He just got back from finishing up his schedule. Said you hadn’t eaten all day and told you to change and come down to the lobby.”
“Oh… thanks.”
Now that he thought about it, his stomach felt like it was stuck to his spine. The moment food was mentioned, it even growled. Nodding, Ha-jin turned around with the bags in hand.
“…What is all this?”
The day’s schedule had just ended—when had Tae-seong had time to order and prepare all this?
Inside the shopping bags were clothes in his exact size, including underwear. In the second bag: socks and sneakers. In the third: a brand-new smartphone.
There was even a sticky note in Tae-seong’s handwriting on the phone box:
[Don’t use the broken one.]
“…How’d he even know my carrier?”
A bonus for blocking the flying shit, maybe? For a bonus, it was absurdly thoughtful.
Was Cheon Tae-seong always this… caring?
Tilting his head in puzzlement, Ha-jin started unwrapping the new clothes.
Aaah I’m too invested. I hope this means Tae-seong is putting two and two together.