#222

His cell phone vibrated. Before getting on the elevator, Lee Seon-jae checked the text message.

「Inspection complete」

He grinned and got on the elevator, along with patients, their families, and medical staff.

“It’s been a while.”

Lee Seon-jae greeted Jeong Eun-hee brightly, who was waiting for him in the hospital room.

It had been almost two months since he last saw her when Prosecutor Jeong Jae-jin was stabbed and hovered between life and death. Unlike then, Jeong Eun-hee’s face looked much more relaxed.

“It has been a while. You look good?”

Jeong Eun-hee welcomed Lee Seon-jae.

Lee Seon-jae had been trying to avoid meeting his Helper until Lee Seok-doo was arrested, but after visiting Prosecutor Jeong Jae-jin, he received a call from Jeong Eun-hee suggesting they meet. Jeong Eun-hee seemed confident that Lee Seok-doo would be arrested this time. She wanted to meet, and Lee Seon-jae was curious about the Dongjam-ri land, so they made an appointment.

Wearing a Chanel two-piece suit, she looked like a wealthy housewife who didn’t know the ways of the world. She was, in fact, a wealthy housewife, but she exuded that kind of atmosphere particularly strongly.

It wasn’t just because she was wearing expensive clothes. Her perfectly made-up face with a strong Korean-American vibe, her elaborately styled hair as if she had just come from the salon, her long artificial nails, her rather bulky accessories, and her brick-red lipstick and high heels—everything she wore and groomed led to that atmosphere.

But beneath that mask was hidden the Helper, who was cold-blooded, quick to assess situations, and even meticulous. She was taking advantage of her true self. This was why stolen contentaria-label="visit [Read on Read BL Novels]our site">visit our siteLee Seok-doo still hadn’t put Jeong Eun-hee on his surveillance list.

Lee Seon-jae looked around the hospital room. It was the room where Jeong Jae-jin had been hospitalized until recently. His official discharge wasn’t until the end of next month, so it was still under Jeong Jae-jin’s name.

“I don’t know why I hate the smell of hospitals so much. I hate it more as I get older.”

Jeong Eun-hee frowned her pretty brow and nodded towards Lee Seon-jae.

“Sit down.”

She deliberately sat with her back to the hospital room door, circling around the table.

On the table was the fruit basket that Lee Seon-jae had bought.

They exchanged brief greetings. Both Jeong Eun-hee and Lee Seon-jae had been busy taking care of their niece and lover, respectively, so their personal lives hadn’t changed much since they last spoke.

“By the way, how are Ji-hye and So-jin doing? I miss the kids so much, I think I’ve grown attached to them.”

“The kids are doing well. Last week, when I visited Seoul, they kept singing about how much they missed their great-aunt.”

“You came to Seoul? You should have called. I bought gifts for Ji-hye and So-jin.”

Jeong Eun-hee glared at Lee Seon-jae, showing a hint of disappointment.

“Next time. When everything is settled.”

At Lee Seon-jae’s words, Jeong Eun-hee nodded with a displeased expression.

“Will it be decided today?”

She muttered to herself.

“I don’t know. I hope so, but it’s unlikely.”

“I heard the arrest warrant will be issued…”

“Even so, he’ll be released soon, using bail or a review of the legality of his detention, or something.”

“You think so?”

“Of course. He has money and connections, so why wouldn’t he be able to do that much?”

Jeong Eun-hee’s expression darkened at Lee Seon-jae’s words.

“You didn’t come alone, did you?”

She glanced back at the door for no reason.

“No. Chairman Shin assigned someone to me.”

“What about your lover?”

“Of course, I assigned someone. It seems Baek Prosecutor also assigned a detective.”

“That’s a relief.”

Jeong Eun-hee smiled faintly and looked inside the fruit basket.

“You bought this?”

She said, taking out an apple. As if she were family, she bit into it without washing it, just like Jeong Jae-jin.

“By the way, what happened to the Dongjam-ri land?”

“I was wondering when you’d ask.”

Jeong Eun-hee chewed the apple with an expression that said she knew it was coming.

“I found the owner. I think they’ll say yes one hundred percent if you offer a reasonable amount.”

“Really? That’s too easy, isn’t it?”

“That’s because they didn’t buy the land because they wanted it.”

“Is the landowner also a victim of fraud?”

“Obviously. They bought the land and lost money.”

Jeong Eun-hee said this and bit into the apple again.

“Buy it for me.”

“You’re too easy, aren’t you?”

Jeong Eun-hee repeated the words Lee Seon-jae had said earlier.

“Not in my name, but in someone else’s if possible. It would be even better if there was a separate manager.”

Jeong Eun-hee immediately understood Lee Seon-jae’s intention and soon agreed.

“This apple is really delicious.”

She exclaimed, but didn’t eat any more and threw it in the trash.

“I’ll go wash my hands.”

With these words, she went into the bathroom, washed her hands, and came right out.

“But does your lover want to go back?”

She asked, wiping the water from her hands with a tissue.

“Yes. I think he finds living in Seoul stifling.”

The the man pretended to be fine in front of Lee Seon-jae, but he was getting more and more tired every day.

At first, Lee Seon-jae thought it was because of the police investigation. But he was waking up frequently in the early morning, and once he woke up, he tossed and turned all night. It seemed to be because he was living apart from the child, but the man himself didn’t seem to be enjoying life in Seoul.

In particular, the man was depressed because he felt he didn’t have many skills. His expression darkened as he spent more and more time being questioned by the police and receiving advice from lawyers. It wasn’t just for a day or two that he was embarrassed to ask and ask again every time because he didn’t understand their words properly. As a result, he had lost a lot of confidence, unlike when he was farming.

If Lee Seon-jae were free, he would stick by the Man’s side like a limb, but Lee Seon-jae was very busy in his own way. It wasn’t just because of work. Outside of work, Lee Seon-jae had been receiving one-on-one lessons from Mr. Kim for almost a month.

Since the lessons were coming to an end, Lee Seon-jae decided to send the man back to Dongjam-ri first.

It was a kind of surprise gift.

“Really? Considering Ji-hye’s future, Seoul would be better than there.”

“Anyway, there’s only a middle school in town, so he’ll have to go out to town or Seoul when he enters high school. Well, Ki-beom and I are going to prepare slowly until then, since there are more than five years left.”

“When you say that, you sound like the child’s father?”

Jeong Eun-hee widened her eyes and looked surprised.

“Really?”

Lee Seon-jae smiled broadly because he liked her words, then scratched his eyebrow, feeling embarrassed for no reason.

“Is married life fun?”

Jeong Eun-hee asked in a subtle tone.

“Yes. It’s good.”

“Look at your face. You’re such a fool for love.”

Jeong Eun-hee teased Lee Seon-jae.

“Anyway, please hurry.”

Lee Seon-jae bowed.

“I can buy it as early as today, so don’t worry.”

Jeong Eun-hee said confidently.

“Yes. And please make the lease agreement as Kwon Il-taek did.”

“I know. You’re so impatient.”

“Please pay special attention to Ki-beom’s rice paddy.”

He emphasized again.

“Oh, if you’re so worried, why don’t you buy it? If you even pretend to take your lover’s land, he’ll eat you alive.”

Jeong Eun-hee shook her head with an expression that said she couldn’t handle him.

“By the way, have you thought about that matter?”

Lee Seon-jae quickly changed the subject, feeling embarrassed for no reason.

Then Jeong Eun-hee sighed, “Ah…,” and nodded.

“I looked into it, and the standards for establishing such a facility are more lax than I thought. Well, I don’t think it’ll be difficult to create an organization.”

“You looked into it that far?”

“Of course. You’re not the type to [visit visit our siteour site]visit our site -->say something like that for no reason, so I had to look into it properly.”

Jeong Eun-hee glared at Lee Seon-jae with an affectionate look.

“I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? I wanted to do something good anyway. Especially something that would help women. There must be more than one or two victims like my sisters in Korea, but we have to do something to reduce the number. Don’t you think?”

Jeong Eun-hee’s face was full of remorse. She acted as if what had happened to her sister and Lee Seon-jae’s aunt in the past was her fault.

“First, I’m going to prepare a place for the mothers and children who were in that unwed mothers’ facility to stay. Give me about two weeks.”

“That quickly?”

“Quickly? The mothers must be anxious. Besides, how can they live without air conditioning in this heat?”

“Was it like that?”

“Yes. That bastard only installed air conditioning in the office where he stayed, and the mothers and babies were barely surviving with just one fan.”

Jeong Eun-hee was angry.

“How can those bastards all live so shamelessly? I’m always surprised, even though I know it.”

Jeong Eun-hee’s gaze went to the ceiling.

She was probably thinking of Lee Seok-doo.

“I was surprised too.”

Lee Seon-jae truly didn’t know that such lives existed.

He thought he was the most pitiful and unhappy person in the world. But what he had experienced was nothing compared to what others had gone through. He felt ridiculous for being so caught up in self-pity.

So he felt sorry for the man and the victims. Even though he had nothing to do with the misfortune that had befallen those young friends, he felt responsible, just like Jeong Eun-hee.

Honestly, he was surprised at himself for thinking that way. The old Lee Seon-jae would never have done that.

“If you’re surprised, then that says it all. You’ve worked hard.”

Jeong Eun-hee patted Lee Seon-jae.

“I haven’t worked hard. Thank you for readily accepting my sudden proposal.”

Jeong Eun-hee only knew a part of what the man and Maria had gone through. Nevertheless, she was outraged and actively stepped forward, saying she wanted to do something for the victims. Thanks to her, they were able to prevent the unwed mothers and children who had nowhere to go from ending up on the streets. Including Maria and the General Manager.

Jeong Eun-hee looked at the wall clock.

Exactly 15 minutes had passed. This was enough.

“Let’s have a meal together next time.”

Jeong Eun-hee stood up first.

“I’ll invite you to my house. Come with your lover.”

“It would be an honor.”

Jeong Eun-hee made an expression that said she couldn’t handle Lee Seon-jae’s jest.

“You didn’t come alone, did you?”

Lee Seon-jae also stood up.

“With my Father. He’s getting a checkup now.”

“Is he not feeling well?”

“No. Regular checkup. He used to go to another hospital, but he’s been living here because of Jae-jin, so he moved here.”

Jeong Eun-hee replied casually and pushed open the hospital room door.

“Say hello to your lover for me. And be sure to contact me when Ji-hye comes. I have to see Ji-hye and [stolen contentvisit our sitestyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]So-jin, even if I don’t see you.”

She turned around and urged him before leaving the hospital room.

“Yes. I will definitely contact you.”

Jeong Eun-hee, hearing Lee Seon-jae’s answer, replied with a beautiful smile and disappeared.

With the matter of the unwed mothers’ shelter somewhat resolved, it was now time to really take care of the remaining work.

It was time to fulfill the lifelong wish.

* * *

“You really won’t regret it?”

Kim Bae-dal asked.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I was going to regret it.”

At the same time that Lee Seok-doo was being arrested, Kim Bae-dal stopped the elevator. It happened to be the time for a regular inspection, and he was wearing elevator company work clothes, so the security guard didn’t suspect anything at all.

“How’s Lee Seok-doo’s side moving?”

“It’s quiet for now.”

“But you can’t let your guard down.”

“I know. Don’t worry about that.”

Kim Bae-dal said casually.

“You’re sure Old the man Jeong doesn’t know about this?”

“Yes.”

“This is something you and I are taking to the grave.”

“Of course.”

“Whether I die first or you die first, it’s a secret. Until the end.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Okay. Go in.”

After telling him to go in, Kim Bae-dal couldn’t turn around. He looked very worried.

“But, are you really confident?”

He asked with a suspicious look. It was a question he had asked more than twenty times already.

“Yes.”

Lee Seon-jae replied with a smile.

“Wouldn’t it be better to have a professional?”

“I’m a professional in my own way. And I want to handle this myself.”

“What if something goes wrong?”

“Then Hyung has to clean up the mess, as promised.”

He said casually.

“No, listen, if you’re going to go anyway, wouldn’t it be better if I handled it cleanly? You just need to see them breatheir last.”

Kim Bae-dal thumped his chest, as if frustrated.

“No. I’ll do it.”

“Stubborn. I won’t be responsible if you get hurt or die. You know that, right?”

“Yes.”

“Ugh, what face would I show Ki-beom if something goes wrong?”

Kim Bae-dal sighed deeply. He worried about the man as if he were his own younger brother.

Seon-jae worried about the man even more. Nevertheless, it was something that had to be done.

“You have to take good care of him.”

Seon-jae smiled.

“Don’t even mention it.”

Kim Bae-dal glared and brushed dust off his suit.

“See you on D-day.”

“Yes. Take care.”

Kim Bae-dal, dressed in a high-end suit, left the Dongbang Construction building with his entourage disguised as secretaries. Seon-jae bowed politely, as if to a customer, and saw Kim Bae-dal off. He opened the door of the car he would be riding in, fulfilling his duty. He watched Kim Bae-dal, who looked like a Dongbang customer, and his car leave.

Seon-jae went straight back to his office and called the Man.

“Where are you?”

Bookstore.

“Again?”

I was just about to leave.

The the man said in an embarrassed voice.

“That’s good. Want to have a nice dinner?”

We had it yesterday?

“Somewhere nicer than that.”

The the man laughed.

Let’s buy groceries and eat at home.

“Shall we?”

Yes. I’ll buy groceries on the way home.

“Okay, then. I’ll buy dessert.”

Ki-beom’s favorite cream cake.

The call ended before he could even say that.

Seon-jae looked down at his phone and chuckled.

The the man had quite the impatient personality. Especially on phone calls, he kept it short and sweet because of the expensive rates. He had always told Bae Young-do and others to ‘keep it short and sweet,’ and he belatedly felt sorry, realizing that was how it felt to hear that.

Seon-jae quickly finished his work and left early.

He bought a cream cake from the bakery and then stopped by the flower shop to buy a large bouquet of roses.

Every day living with the man felt like an anniversary, so Seon-jae often bought flowers. The the man grumbled about wasting money on something inedible, but he loved flowers more than anyone. He changed the water in the vase and sprayed the flowers with water to keep them from wilting.

Yesterday, the roses had wilted, so he plucked the petals and scattered them on the bed, and the man was so angry that he had killed perfectly good flowers that the atmosphere became awkward.

So Seon-jae bought a lot of roses.

Yong pressed the doorbell for him.

“Ki-beom! I’m home!”

Even though he pressed the doorbell, Seon-jae deliberately shouted loudly.

It was partly to show off that he was living with the Man, but it was also because he liked seeing the man rush out, telling him to be quiet so the neighbors wouldn’t hear.

As expected, the man flung the door open and grumbled, “Keep your voice down. The neighbors will hear.” Then he bowed politely to Yong.

“Hello. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

He asked this every time.

Seon-jae was afraid that Yong might jokingly say, “Yes,” so he quickly pushed the man inside. Then he turned around and said, “Good work. See you tomorrow,” and hurriedly closed the front door.

“Why are you like that?”

“Like what?”

“To Yong.”

The the man scolded him and tried to open the front door again, but Seon-jae blocked him with his body.

“Take this. I don’t have any hands.”

When Seon-jae handed him the flowers and cake at the same time, the man reluctantly accepted them.

“Why do you keep buying flowers? They’re not edible.”

“They are edible. Roses are.”

As Seon-jae said this, he opened his mouth wide and pretended to pounce on the roses, and the man hurriedly lifted the flowers up.

Seon-jae chuckled.

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

He asked, following the man inside.

“Spaghetti.”

“You know how to make that?”

“I bought a cookbook at the bookstore.”

The the man said proudly.

Seon-jae deliberately sniffed loudly.

“Wow, it smells amazing?”

Then the man said, “Go change and come out,” and tried to go to the kitchen.

Seon-jae quickly grabbed the man and kissed him. He pecked lightly on his lips and then nibbled on his lower lip. The the man laughed and pushed Seon-jae away.

“The spaghetti will get soggy. Hurry.”

“Okay.”

Seon-jae pouted and headed to the bedroom.

He took off his jacket, quickly washed his hands, and sat down at the table.

A vase with roses was already on the table. The vase was overflowing with flowers.

“Why did you buy so many? I could only put half of them in.”

The the man said, pointing to the bouquet on the side of the sink.

“Should we scatter those on the bed?”

The the man was disgusted by Seon-jae’s joke.

“I’m kidding. What am I supposed to do if you’re so serious?”

Even though he pretended to be sulky, the man didn’t comfort Seon-jae. He held a grudge about plucking the wilted petals.

“Ki-beom, you’re secretly petty.”

Seon-jae grumbled and picked up his fork.

He twirled the spaghetti and ate a mouthful. The the man pretended not to look and twirled the spaghetti on his fork, but his expression was full of anticipation.

Seon-jae found it so cute that he chewed with gusto and deliberately frowned.

“Why? Does it taste weird?”

The the man asked worriedly.

Seon-jae nodded his head exaggeratedly. Then, still frowning, he chewed the remaining food and gave a thumbs up the moment the man showed signs of disappointment.

The the man instantly smiled brightly with relief. He was a fool for love, but his smiling face was more beautiful than roses.

Instead of pickles to eat with the spaghetti, the man made cucumber salad and put it on the table. It was so lovely that he had made something, even though it was the same cucumber, so he ate it up, saying it was delicious, even though it didn’t really go well together.

“I should have told you to buy a baguette.”

“We can just eat rice.”

“That’s not bad either.”

He had never thought of eating pasta with rice before, but if the man said so, then that was that. Cucumber salad instead of pickles, rice instead of baguette.

Seon-jae didn’t argue with the Man’s words if he could help it.

They both slurped up the spaghetti like noodles, mixed half a bowl of rice with the remaining sauce, and patted their stomachs.

“Do you still have room for dessert?”

Seon-jae asked as he cleared the table, and the man smiled brightly, saying, “Yes.”

How could he like cream cake so much?

He was like a the child.

While Seon-jae was cutting the cake, the man made coffee. The small coffee cups with beautiful curves, which he had bought as a set with the dishes they were using now when he went to the department store with the Man, would be empty after three sips, but it was the perfect amount to drink after a meal.

The the man also drank unsweetened Americano when eating cake. He said it was as savory as scorched rice water and surprisingly liked it.

When they were almost done eating a slice of cake each, Seon-jae made the suggestion he had been holding back to the Man.

“Ki-beom, would you like to go back to Dongjam-ri first?”

The Man’s eyes widened as if he was surprised.

“Would that… be okay?”

“Of course. Why, did you think I would stop you?”

He was honestly a little hurt by the Man’s reaction, but he didn’t show it.

“No. It’s not that.”

The the man put down his fork.

“I heard from Lawyer Park that your case is almost over. Of course, you’ll have to go back and forth to Seoul once or twice a week, though.”

“That’s no problem.”

The the man said as if it were nothing. He sincerely wanted to go back.

Seon-jae also put down his fork and wiped his mouth with a tissue.

“You still don’t have your ID, right?”

“Yes.”

“You have a certificate issued by the court, so use that even if it’s inconvenient.”

“It’s okay because I don’t need to use my ID right now.”

The the man smiled brightly. He drank the remaining coffee in one gulp and asked, “Shall I clear the table?”

“I don’t know about that.”

Seon-jae said, getting up from his seat.

The two of them put their plates and coffee cups in the sink side by side.

Seon-jae was about to tell him about the Dongjam-ri farmland lease, but he stopped himself.

If it was Jeong Eun-hee, she was someone who would contract the land as soon as possible, even today. She would probably buy the land in the name of a corporation rather than an individual, and it would take some time because of the process, but the owner of the land would change within a week at the latest.

The the man would know nothing and would sign a new lease agreement with the newly changed landowner. He would own the most fertile rice paddy in the neighborhood, which he had received from Kwon Il-taek, not in the name of Yoon Ki-beom, but in the name of ‘Shim Kang-woo.’

Depending on when Lee Seok-doo was released, he might be able to see that scene up close, or he might never see it at all. It didn’t matter either way.

In any case, Lee Seok-doo was destined to die. So he was relieved.

Even if he wasn’t there, Kim Bae-dal would take care of the man no matter what, and Jeong Eun-hee would also look after the Man’s convenience for the rest of his life. And what about Prosecutor Read [visit our site]on Read BL NovelsJeong Jae-jin? Read on Read BL NovelsAdding Kim, Lee, and Park to the mix, he was as good as a general with a million soldiers.

Seon-jae felt relieved because he didn’t have to worry about the man and the the child even if he wasn’t there.

He also felt a little proud because he had done everything he could for the Man.

On the contrary, he felt sad that the man was packing his bags so quickly. He was just being mean.

Even though he had told him to go, he was grumpy with the man all day. He said nonsense about not cheating, and in the end, he even had the childish thought of hiding the certificate he had received instead of his ID.

He was a petty man for someone who had decided to die.

He took back what he said to the Man.

“Use it without holding back. Call me when you arrive.”

Seon-jae handed over his check card and bankbook.

“Keep it safe so you don’t lose it.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Forget about that, and use it without holding back. I’ll ask Ji-hye. Got it?”

“Okay.”

The the man smiled awkwardly.

Then, in front of Seon-jae, he put the bankbook and card in his inside jacket pocket. Seon-jae tapped the Man’s chest.

“And the phone…, ah. It doesn’t work there.”

Even if it did work, the man wouldn’t call often because of the rates.

“If the phone is nearby, beep me or leave me a text. Then I’ll call you on the company phone. It’s free.”

Seon-jae told the man to spend the company’s money freely.

He put the man on the intercity bus like that.

The Man, sitting by the window, waved at Seon-jae. He gestured for him to go inside quickly.

But Seon-jae stood there like a stone statue until the bus disappeared.

He wasn’t sad.

He was just a little sad that they couldn’t be together for a longer time.

Chapter 223