By Zephyria Kwon Tae-hee nodded at Kim Jae-sik, who looked like he was about to die any second, as if telling him to speak.
“Head of department Kim.”
“…Yes, Executive Director. So, I, I…”
“Haa…”
Kwon Tae-hee felt irritated, wondering if he was the only one in a hurry. He was about to open his mouth to urge him to explain quickly.
“So, Seo Jeong-won has disappeared. He said he had a stomach ache, so I escorted him here… I was definitely with him until the emergency room. But while I was, while I was doing the admission procedures and coming back—”
Before facing Kwon Tae-hee, Kim Jae-sik had tried to explain the situation to him clearly. He had rehearsed the words he needed to say in his head several times to avoid rambling, and he had narrowed down the information he needed to convey.
But as soon as he stood before him, his mouth wouldn’t open as if it were frozen. In the end, he couldn’t utter a single sentence he had prepared.
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I should have waited a little longer and confirmed before escorting him out, I’m sorry.”
Kwon Tae-hee couldn’t believe it, even as he watched Kim Jae-sik bowing repeatedly in front of him. So, what, where did Seo Jeong-won go, such thoughts that couldn’t be connected and kept breaking off were chaotically intertwined.
“…Wait.”
“I’m sorry, Executive Director.”
“So, are you saying Jeong-won went home alone?”
“…He didn’t even go home, they say.”
Kwon Tae-hee tilted his head back to look at the sky at Chief Jung’s voice, who had hesitated before interjecting. So, Seo Jeong-won disappeared, and both of them were leisurely waiting for him here? He pulled down the tie that was tightening around his neck and took a long breath as if to calm himself. Shit, his chest felt tight. His head was a mess.
“Ha. Seo Jeong-won isn’t at the hospital, and he didn’t go home, so what were you two doing here?”
“……”
“Head of department Kim, I can understand, but Chief Jung…”
As his anger grew too great, his mind cooled down instead. Kwon Tae-hee tried to think rationally. Either way, the only place Seo Jeong-won would go is the flower shop. Chief Jung must know that too, so he was just frustrated as to why he was waiting for him here instead of going there.
“Go home and contact me when Jeong-won returns.”
“Yes? Ah, yes. Yes. I will contact you. I will wait and as soon as he returns—!”
Kwon Tae-hee didn’t even listen to Kim Jae-sik’s reply properly and turned around. There was no reason to waste time here meaninglessly. He only had the thought of going to the flower shop right away.
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Seo Jeong-won was quite satisfied with his impulsive action. He told the taxi driver who asked for his destination to start driving first, and then he pondered where he should go.
Should he go to the terminal? But when he watches dramas or movies, most places with CCTV leave records. Even if he uses an unmanned ticketing machine, the history remains and can be checked. That’s why most people easily find others with money.
“Sir? Where should I take you?”
“Ah… First, uh, uh, just go straight for now. I’ll get off a little further down.”
Suddenly, he thought it would be a good idea to change taxis. The taxi’s license plate might have been captured on the hospital’s CCTV. Even if it wasn’t, he felt like he should change taxis at least once. He was going to borrow the taxi driver’s phone, but he refrained because it seemed like something he shouldn’t do right now.
He was glad that he had listened to his aunt’s favorite dramas, even if it was just eavesdropping. He thought the dramas that aired every weekend exaggerated the situation, but at least he had that information, so he could avoid acting foolishly.
After driving for a while, Seo Jeong-won deliberately changed taxis in a busy area. He told the driver who asked for his destination to go straight, and asked if he could borrow his phone. The driver readily handed over his phone.
“Thank you. I came out in such a hurry…”
“The world is so busy these days. Feel free to use it, feel free.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Even while looking at the unlocked screen, Seo Jeong-won hesitated to contact Song Hae-seop. First, he briefly considered who he could ask for help, excluding him. Should he go to Kang Da-hyun after all? If he asked for help, he would ask why, but he wouldn’t rush him to answer right away. But… Kwon Tae-hee would probably think of Kang Da-hyun as the first person to look for, so he hesitated.
He sighed at his narrow, almost countable, network of acquaintances. In fact, he didn’t remember any other contact information. He had to choose between Kang Da-hyun or Song Hae-seop…
With the thought that it couldn’t be helped even if his last greeting to contact him was just empty words, he dialed the number. Even then, he hesitated for a long time before pressing the call button. The taxi driver hummed a trot song he had never heard before, and when he stopped at a traffic light, he turned his head and called Seo Jeong-won.
“Sir?”
“Yes? Ah, sorry. I have to give you the phone, but I haven’t yet—”
“No, not that, but can I play some music? I’ll turn the volume down so it doesn’t interfere with your call.”
“Yes? Ah, yes. Sure. Of course… It’s your car, sir.”
He laughed cheerfully and said thank you. The space, which had been mixed with the noise of the city, was instantly filled with a colorful medley. The driver tapped the steering wheel busily to the exciting rhythm and sang along to the lyrics. Seo Jeong-won listened quietly and finally pressed the call button.
The ringing tone continued several times. It seemed like he wasn’t answering because it was an unknown number. He was disappointed, but he decided to come up with another plan.
—…Hello?
“Hyung? Hello?”
—Who… Who is this?
“Ah, it’s me, Jeong-won. Hyung. It’s Hae-seop Hyung, right?”
He belatedly asked the question he should have asked as soon as the call was connected.
—What? Did you change your number?
“Ah, no. I lost my phone. I’m in a taxi now, so I borrowed it from the driver. Uh… I have something going on. So…”
—Something? What’s going on?
It was difficult to answer right away to the lightly asking voice. How could he say he was running away? As the silence continued, he heard a voice checking if the call had been disconnected.
—It’s not something you can talk about on the phone, is it? If that’s the case… Do you want to come here for a bit?
“…Is that okay?”
Song Hae-seop’s light laughter came over the cautious question.
—How do you know where this is and ask if it’s okay? You’re really moving without a plan, aren’t you?
“Ah.”
—I’m kidding. I haven’t gone to work yet, so I’m at home. If you’re okay with it, let’s meet near here. Can you put it on speakerphone? I’ll explain the address to the driver.
“Yes, just a moment.”
Seo Jeong-won changed the call mode and called the driver, who was singing along to the song excitedly, and he lowered the volume.
“Yes?”
“I’m not good at explaining the address. Can I ask you to talk on the phone for a moment?”
“Yes, yes! Of course. Sure.”
Even his answer had a strange rhythm mixed in. He was consistently cheerful. Soon, Song Hae-seop and the driver’s short conversation ended.
“Ah, uh… It’s going to turn around a bit. Is that okay?”
“Yes, it’s okay. I asked you to go this way in the first place.”
“If there’s a shortcut, I’ll try to find one and go. Can I keep the music on?”
“Driver, you can just… Go slowly. You don’t have to find a shortcut.”
The driver tilted his head at Seo Jeong-won’s answer, but readily agreed. Seo Jeong-won’s eyes turned to the window. There were many cars going back and forth on the main street. As they repeatedly stopped and started, the driver made excuses, saying that it wouldn’t be Seoul if it wasn’t this congested at this time.
“There are a lot of cars, like you said.”
“It’s relatively quiet on Saturdays, but it’s always this congested on weekdays.”
Seo Jeong-won nodded quietly, listening to the driver humming. Without realizing it, he placed his hand on his stomach and took a long breath. He didn’t know if it was the right decision. He was worried about even an hour from now. What if Song Hae-seop contacted Kwon Tae-hee and he was dragged away as soon as he arrived?
All sorts of thoughts ran through his head the whole way. The imagination of being caught by Kwon Tae-hee and returning to that house, not even being able to escape for a few hours, continued endlessly.
“Haa.”
He shook his head slightly. No, no. Song Hae-seop wouldn’t have contacted Kwon Tae-hee, and even if Kwon Tae-hee thought of Song Hae-seop, it wouldn’t be today. Yes, not asking Kang Da-hyun for help was an excellent choice. As soon as he found out that he had escaped from the hospital, Kwon Tae-hee would head southwest. Almost like a habit. Because he knew his homeless situation better than anyone.
“Sir, it looks like we’re almost there.”
“Yes? Ah, already?”
“Yes. I came quickly and well.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
You could have come slowly, he muttered, but the driver just laughed. As Seo Jeong-won paid the fare and got out of the taxi, Song Hae-seop, who had come out in advance and was waiting nearby, waved his hand and approached.
“We meet again like this.”
“…Hyung.”
“Is it okay to go to my place? Let’s go in. Why did the weather suddenly get so cold? It’s really crazy.”