By Zephyria Clearing his throat slightly to calm his agitation, the Butler continued in his usual businesslike tone.
“Would you like to go yourself? Shall I prepare the car?”
“Right now…”
Winston, who was hurriedly getting up while speaking, suddenly stopped. Ignoring the Butler’s questioning gaze, he buried his nose in the doll he was holding and took a big sniff, then frowned. Before he knew it, the doll was full of his sweet scent.
“Wash this right away.”
He quickly spat out, handing the doll to the secretary as if throwing it.
“Wash it clean and dry it so that it doesn’t smell like pheromones, until I get back.”
“Understood.”
He couldn’t say he couldn’t do it even if his mouth was torn. Winston, who was about to turn around and leave this time at the Butler’s polite response, inadvertently stroked his chin and was startled again. The unpleasant sensation felt on the palm of his hand made him uncomfortable. The more he thought about what he looked like, the worse he felt.
He turned around and headed for the bathroom with large strides, almost running. The face reflected in the bathroom mirror was more of a mess than he had expected. His cheeks were sunken and gaunt, and dark shadows were heavily cast under his eyes. His red, bloodshot eyes seemed to show how long the sleepless nights had been, and above all, the beard that had grown thickly on his chin was no different from a homeless person sitting on the street.
As if showing how messed up his life had been since Yu-jin left.
Ha, a sigh of disbelief came out involuntarily. As he stood there staring at himself in the mirror, the Butler, who was watching him, spoke from beyond the bathroom door.
“Um, what should I do? Shall I prepare right away?”
“…No.”
He paused before opening his mouth.
“In 5 minutes, no, in 10 minutes.”
And Winston closed the bathroom door without waiting for an answer and threw off his clothes onto the floor. Even when his mother scolded him in disgust, he was simply annoyed, but now that he was about to meet Yu-jin, he couldn’t just let it go. His pride would never allow him to admit that Winston had become such a mess because he had run away. Under the cold water, he impatiently poured detergent and roughly rubbed it on his body.
***
“Welcome, thank you for visiting.”Yu-jin was bewildered by the manager’s bright smile and greeting. All he was doing was exchanging a check for cash, but the manager had come out to greet him in person. Did they always do this for first-time visitors? He didn’t have much experience with bank transactions, so Yu-jin felt clumsy about everything. But the manager was, well, a manager. Despite his awkwardness, she listened patiently to Yu-jin’s explanation in a kind tone, unfazed.
“I see. Don’t worry, Mr. Grant is a long-time customer of our bank. We will do our best to ensure you have no inconvenience.”
“T-thank you.”
Yu-jin, dumbfounded by the excessive hospitality, could only stammer out those words. The manager nodded briefly and led him to her office. Crossing the spacious bank, she opened the glass door in the center of the wall, made entirely of clear glass, and gestured for Yu-jin to enter. He obediently followed and sat down, and the manager spoke to him affably.
“Would you like me to prepare something to drink while you wait?”
It was a kind offer, but he didn’t have time to dawdle over a drink right now.
“Oh, no, thank you.”
“Daddy, milk.”
He refused with an ingrained greeting, but Angela had other ideas.
“Angie…”
“Alright, then, a glass of milk? Cold?”
Yu-jin, who had been trying to quietly dissuade her, blinked in surprise at the unexpected words. But Angela, oblivious to his inner turmoil, smiled brightly and nodded vigorously. Hehe, the child’s face looked so happy that Angie couldn’t help but agree. The manager smiled along with them, and Yu-jin awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth, unsure of what to do with his needless embarrassment.
“Here you go. Wait patiently.”
She soon returned with the milk herself, gave Angie a gentle smile, and then turned her gaze to Yu-jin.
“She’s a really cute child. How old is she?”
“Ah… she’s four years old.”
“I see, she looks a lot like her daddy.”
Yu-jin simply gave an ambiguous smile to the customary remark. He glanced at the clock on the wall, and the manager, noticing this, said with a wry smile.
“Please wait a moment. It takes time to verify the check. The amount is quite large…”
“Ah, yes.”
Yu-jin nodded readily, but it wasn’t an invitation to take his time. He simply accepted that it couldn’t be helped. He tried his best to calm down and be composed, but the manager spoke again.
“How is Mr. Grant doing these days? He used to come to our branch often, but it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen him…”
* * *
The car was speeding down the road, but it felt too slow to Winston. He had finished showering, hadn’t even dried his hair, and immediately changed clothes and got into the waiting car. Inside the car, which skillfully weaved through the congested traffic, Winston tapped his fingers anxiously on the armrest.
This time, it had to be.
Anger surged as he recalled the memory of missing him right before his eyes last time. Rage flowed through his veins, pounding against his heart. He didn’t know what he would do if he came face to face with Yu-jin. What was certain was that Yu-jin would face this immense anger head-on. And he would pay the price for it.
When he met Yu-jin again.
Suddenly, the driver reported from the driver’s seat.
“We’ll be there as soon as we turn the corner.”
His tightly clenched fist turned white at the knuckles. The large sign of the bank finally appeared in his gold-tinged eyes.
* * *
“Excuse me.”
Unable to control his growing anxiety, Yu-jin finally spoke. It had already been 30 minutes since he entered the bank.
“Is there a problem? How much longer do I have to wait?”
He hadn’t gotten the cash in his hands yet, even after Angela had finished her large cup of milk. As time continued to pass uselessly, Yu-jin, unable to bear it any longer, asked, and the manager, who had been stalling with idle chatter, looked embarrassed.
“I’ll go check on it. It shouldn’t take this long.”
Yu-jin frowned as he watched her awkwardly add those words and walk out of the office.
Okay, calm down.
He sighed and stroked his chest. He was concerned about staying in a public place for too long, but Winston would never imagine that Yu-jin would be in a place like this. Okay, reassuring himself again, he thought about the next steps as calmly as possible. Once he got the cash, he would buy a prepaid phone and check the train schedule for tomorrow. Then he would go back to the motel, finish the remaining settlement, and pack his bags. The first train leaving at dawn would be good. How would he get to the train station? He had no choice, he would have to take an Uber…
The mere thought of taking a taxi already made him feel nauseous and dizzy. Haa, haa, he breathed roughly, his shoulders shaking, and then he tilted his head back and took a deep breath. Once, twice, three times.
Whew.
He finally calmed down to some extent and opened his eyes. Was the manager coming back? He turned around out of curiosity.
…Huh?
At first, he didn’t realize it right away. That was because it was the figure of a man who could never be in this place, who shouldn’t be in this place. The bank had become quiet before he knew it. Or perhaps Yu-jin couldn’t hear any sound. Everyone in the spacious bank was looking at them. The tall man, conspicuous anywhere, was talking to the manager with several bodyguards in black suits behind him, as always.
Yu-jin blinked a few times, and then his brain slowly began to move. As if an old, worn-out clock was forcing its gears to turn, very laboriously. And then the man’s gaze, which had left the manager, turned to Yu-jin. As if watching a video playing in slow motion, so very slowly.
“…Hic!”
Yu-jin was startled and jumped up from his seat. Winston narrowed his eyes. As if time had stopped, Yu-jin couldn’t move from that spot.
His mind went blank. Despite making eye contact, Yu-jin couldn’t move at all. He couldn’t feel any sense of reality. Only the faint hope that this moment was just a dream vaguely lingered in his mind. But Yu-jin was the only one who had frozen. Yu-jin’s world had stopped, but Winston’s clock began to move slowly. Yu-jin could only watch as he turned towards him. Winston began to walk. One step, then another. But to Yu-jin, it felt as if he was walking through water, so very slowly.
His frozen brain couldn’t send commands to his body. Yu-jin could only stare blankly at Winston. Until he got close enough that he could no longer deny reality.
“Winnie!”
A sudden shout startled him. Following that, Yu-jin’s eyes widened as he saw Angela shout and run towards Winston.