By Zephyria 
“I’ll be going now. Grandfather, you’re old, so get some sleep. It’ll be hard on the family if we have to hold another funeral right here.”
I patted his shoulder a few times and walked away. He didn’t stop me, seemingly lacking the desire to make a complete spectacle of himself in front of others.
“Why is the atmosphere here like this? Everyone, don’t be so cautious, please eat more. And bring out another bottle of soju for everyone!”
As I spoke loudly while leaving, the people who came to help with the funeral stole glances toward the inner wake. I felt great seeing the chilled atmosphere, and I found myself humming a tune. Perhaps my personality is just twisted, but I didn’t like the cozy, social-gathering vibe of the wake; now, I was satisfied.
“Oh? Mr. Lee! What are you doing here?”
As I put on my shoes to leave the funeral hall, I spotted someone standing at the entrance like a bodyguard. I hadn’t expected to run into him here.
“Pardon? …I was keeping my post.”
I was the one surprised, but Lee Kyung-jin looked even more flustered as he replied as if I were asking something obvious.
It’s not just the family that suffers every time there’s a funeral. I didn’t realize making someone else’s money could be this hard. Having to follow them around even to funerals.
I patted his shoulder, telling him he was working hard, and then casually draped my arm over it.
“Mr. Lee, did you bring the car? I’d like you to give me a ride.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
I expected him to ask where I was going or to hesitate, but Lee Kyung-jin readily followed my request. He really is a likable person.
“What have you been up to lately, Mr. Lee? To be honest, I was worried you might have been fired.”
“I have been on standby.”
“On standby?”
“Yes. Since the Young Master hasn’t contacted me, I have been waiting in the annex.”
I hadn’t contacted him. No, I hadn’t even thought about it.
I rarely had reason to leave Kwon Yi-kang’s house, and even when I did, Kwon Yi-kang usually drove me. Besides, since I had left home, why would I think to call the driver provided by my family?
“Then you should have just rested at home, why bother coming out and killing time in the annex? Worried they wouldn’t pay your salary?”
“I must report for work, and since I don’t know when the Young Master will arrive, it is correct to be on standby.”
It wasn’t as if Lee Kyung-jin’s lack of tact was a new thing, but I hadn’t really thought about it. I should talk to my Omega father later.
“Still, I’m glad you haven’t been fired. People are getting cut left and right. My second brother’s driver is gone, and my eldest brother’s driver will probably be gone soon. Though they might keep them if they’re the type to put up with filthy behavior.”
“With so many unfortunate events happening, the Young Master must also be very worried.”
“No, I’m not really worried. In fact, it’s better if they just die. For me, and for humanity. I think someone’s death can actually make the world a slightly better place to live.”
Specifically, the eldest and the second one. After uttering such a philosophical statement, I nodded in self-admiration. I looked for a confirming answer, but Lee Kyung-jin chose silence. He was a formidable man.
Leaving the funeral hall and heading toward the parking lot, I called Kwon Yi-kang. Since I told him not to follow me, he would have gone home quietly after work. As always, he’s such an obedient and well-behaved guy.
—Hello.
“Are you home? You’re not sleeping already, are you?”
—…I’m still at the office. Why, did something happen?
“The office? What time is it for you to be at the office? It’s past nine. Are you the one with a problem?”
Even if traffic was bad after leaving at six, he should have been home by seven. Even if he showered, ate dinner, and messed around, shouldn’t he be in bed by now? He said nothing was wrong when we spoke before I came to the funeral; did an emergency suddenly break out at the company?
—Since there’s no one at home anyway, I just thought I’d stay and do a bit more work…
“Hey, who on earth stays at the office to work just because no one is at home?”
I knew he was kind, but I never imagined he had such a pushover personality.
The office isn’t a place to stay after clock-out time. Why does ‘clock-out time’ even exist? It’s the designated time to leave, so why work past it? It’s not like they pay you more for working like that.
The words surged up my throat, but I suppressed them and let out a long sigh.
Kwon Yi-kang has always been kind. I suddenly became deeply worried that he was being taken advantage of and worked to the bone out there.
“I was planning to go home, but if you’re not there, I guess I have no reason to go?”
—You’re coming home? Not staying at the funeral?
“Why on earth would I stay the night there? All the family members have flocked there because he’s the eldest son. Grandfather came right away, too. So I just left.”
—I was just about to leave work. Stay there for a moment. I’ll come pick you up.
‘Just about to leave’ my foot. If I hadn’t called, who knows how long he would have stayed at the office. Nevertheless, I played along and asked, “Really?”
“Then shall we see each other at home?”
—You don’t have a car. Wait. I’ll be there soon.
“Um, okay. Let me know when you arrive.”
I almost told him Lee Kyung-jin offered a ride, but I stopped myself. That way, he’d escape the office a bit faster. If I suggested meeting at home, he might spout something like, ‘I’ll just finish a bit more of this work and then go.’ If you get caught in that once or twice, you become a slave to the company.
“He says he’s coming to pick me up. Shall we stay in the car until then?”
“I will drive you.”
“No, he says he’s still at the office. If I don’t tell him to come get me, he might work more. Where did you park?”
I walked through the densely packed cars in the parking lot and climbed into the parked car. It had been a while since I’d been in this car. I hadn’t ridden in it often since I rarely went out.
“I’ll just sit here for a bit. Mr. Lee, are you staying up for the full three days?”
“I believe so. Will the Young Master be coming for the funeral procession?”
“I think I’ll drop by briefly tomorrow, and then come on the morning of the procession to move together.”
“Then I will come to pick you up tomorrow.”
That’s not really necessary. I was about to wave it off, but then I thought it might be more comfortable for Lee Kyung-jin to do something else rather than just standing around at the funeral home with nothing to do.
Anyway, Kwon Yi-kang would be going to work in the morning, and stopping by in the middle of the day to drive me to the funeral home would be a waste of time and exhausting for him. In many ways, it was right to ask Lee Kyung-jin.
“Would you do that? Then I’ll contact you tomorrow.”
“Yes, I will be waiting.”
“Come out early and get some rest in the car. Or you can go home and close your eyes for a few hours.”
“No, thank you.”
He’s worked for a year or two, but he’s such a principled person. I don’t know if he’s only like this in words and greedy behind the scenes, but at least in my eyes, I’ve never seen him cut corners. I wondered how he’d managed to do this job for so long, and then I wondered if that’s exactly why he’s lasted this long.
“How’s the atmosphere at home?”
“I haven’t had reason to enter the main house, so I am not sure.”
“That makes sense.”
“Judging by how pale Chief Bae looks, it doesn’t seem very good.”
“Maybe he’s just constipated.”
“I don’t think that was the case.”
I let out a giggle at my own joke, and perhaps because it had been a while, Lee Kyung-jin played along with it.
“…When do you plan to return to your residence?”
“Who knows, I’m not sure either. But anyway, once I get married, I’ll have to live with him. If we think of it as cohabitating before marriage…”
“Do you intend to get married?”
Lee Kyung-jin asked, looking genuinely surprised. Does he not know why I ran away from home? I ran away to get married; so I’ll marry Kwon Yi-kang, why would I marry some other guy?
“You know they intended to marry me off anyway. I’m just saying I’ll do it with a guy I actually like, so what.”
“I see.”
“Mr. Lee, you’re worried about what happens if you get fired right now, aren’t you?”
“Ah, no I am not.”
When I poked his side with my finger and asked, he shook his head.
“Eh, I think you are. Didn’t you say you were getting married this year? You probably just had a heart-sink moment wondering what you’d do if you were fired immediately, right?”
“I am not.”
“I want to tell you not to worry, but I’m not sure myself. My thoughts are complicated lately. My parents, and Kwon Yi-kang’s father, probably won’t approve of the marriage. I’d love to tell you that I’ll hire you if you get kicked out, but I think I’ll have to worry about my own livelihood soon.”
Lee Kyung-jin looked at me with a slightly ambiguous expression as I let out a deep sigh.
“What?”
“I… just thought you might not need to worry about your livelihood.”
“Why? If both sets of parents keep opposing the marriage, Kwon Yi-kang and I will either be kicked out or have to leave home to get married. I don’t have any saved money. …I wonder if Kwon Yi-kang has some? It’s a relief that the apartment he’s living in is in his name, but. Ah, I don’t know.”
At my lament, Lee Kyung-jin’s expression became even more ambiguous. He looked like he wanted to say something—like he had so much to say—but was holding it back.
“It’s okay. I’ll manage somehow. That’s how life is. As long as you’re breathing, you find a way to survive. Even when you’re dying to die, you just don’t.”
You just suffer to death. As I waved my hand and said life was nothing special, Lee Kyung-jin continued to look at me with a heavy expression.