#93

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“I’m not a fan of things that are too trendy, but seeing it in person, I think it looks quite nice. The wall color reminds me of when I traveled to Morocco. Shall we go with this from the entrance to the living room? What do you think, Jung-hyun?”

Kwon Jung-hyun tried to focus on the list in front of him. It was a thick file containing interior building materials.

“Anything is fine with me.”

“You’ve been saying everything is fine for a while now. Is that really true?”

Kyung Seung-hee asked with a slight sigh.

The story he had told Shin Ho-jae—that his family could cover up the article—was half-true. After the article was published, Kyung Seung-hee had contacted him quietly. He offered to use his father’s and sister’s connections to end the police investigation as quickly as possible and even handle the settlement.

He didn’t know if Kwon Ki-hyuk had planned this far ahead, but thanks to that, the situation settled down with a speed that was almost anticlimactic.

“This is the interior for our newlyweds’ home, so I want to decide it together with you, Jung-hyun. Was I asking too much?”

“…No. It’s just that everything you suggest really is fine. I don’t have an eye for these things.”

Jung-hyun answered cautiously, taking care not to offend Kyung Seung-hee. He felt it every time they spoke, but even mundane conversations were exceptionally draining.

He could guess why. It was because their expectations of each other were different. While he, who had neither will nor affection for this marriage, simply wanted to handle things formally, the other person wanted it to be based on affection.

Strictly speaking, he was in a position to be grateful. A man who was the son of a current Vice Minister had readily proposed marriage to a discarded piece of trash like him, hadn’t demanded a breakup even after such an article came out, and had even resolved the issue.

The problem was himself. Despite knowing this in his head, he couldn’t open his heart.

“Then shall we look at something easier first? Manager Kim, please bring the ring samples.”

Kyung Seung-hee snapped the material file shut and spoke to the personal shopper standing beside them.

Soon, the shopper, wearing white gloves, entered with a transparent tray. On the tray, several pairs of rings were lined up, ranging from plain bands to those studded with diamonds.

“These are the rings I picked out in the first round. I thought you’d find very flashy ones burdensome, so I chose the simpler styles.”

“…….”

“Our engagement rings.”

For some reason, his throat tightened sharply.

“Which one do you like best? Take your time and choose. You can try them on.”

“…Then, this one.”

He wasn’t so clueless as to say anything would be fine here. Jung-hyun chose the simplest and least conspicuous one.

“I’m telling you, our tastes are really similar. I thought that one was the prettiest too. Anyway, I find overly flashy things uncomfortable when I’m working.”

As he spoke, Kyung Seung-hee smiled brightly. Jung-hyun smiled back reflexively.

“Give me your hand.”

Kyung Seung-hee held out his left palm.

“I want to check the size.”

Jung-hyun slowly extended his left hand. Soon, their palms met.

At that moment, Jung-hyun felt a sudden wave of nausea and jerked his hand away as if he had been burned.

“Jung-hyun?”

“Ah, sorry. I think I got a static shock.”

“And here I thought you hated holding my hand. Give me your hand again.”

“…….”

Jung-hyun swallowed hard and placed his hand on the other’s palm once more. Just like before, the moment their hands touched, his vision wavered and distorted.

It felt as if something was flowing into him from the fingerprints of his fingertips. As he instinctively pulled his hand away, this time Kyung Seung-hee grabbed his hand with a playful expression. Then, he slipped the ring onto Jung-hyun’s ring finger.

He felt the same sensation not only from the palm but also from Kyung Seung-hee’s other hand holding the ring.

Simultaneously, Jung-hyun smelled something. Something heavy and sweet, like the acrid scent of incense.

“The size is a bit large. But it’s still so beautiful.”

A surge of nausea, strong enough to make him gag, rushed up.

Without even properly asking for an excuse, Jung-hyun bolted from his seat. Covering his mouth, he ran into the restroom.

Almost collapsing, Jung-hyun knelt in an empty stall, gripped the toilet, and poured out the contents of his stomach.

After he had squeezed everything out, the nausea finally subsided, and Jung-hyun breathed heavily.

He had been feeling unwell throughout, but was it to the point of vomiting? He frowned, wondering why.

Then, he heard Kyung Seung-hee’s voice from behind.

“Jung-hyun… are you feeling unwell?”

Jung-hyun hurriedly flushed the toilet and wiped his mouth. Kyung Seung-hee was looking down at him blankly.

“In the future, if you’re this sick, please tell me in advance. I don’t want to be a rude person who drags a sick person around shopping.”

“…I’m sorry.”

As he leaned on the tiles to stand up, the other reached out to support him. Jung-hyun stood up without taking his hand. The touch felt uncomfortable.

“I’ll just rinse my mouth and come out. Do you want to go wait outside first?”

“Alright. I’ll wait outside then.”

Jung-hyun rinsed his mouth at the sink and, while he was at it, washed his face with cold water. The chill seemed to bring him back to his senses.

Come to think of it, he had been feeling indigestion lately. Along with a slight sense of vertigo, as if he were constantly motion-sick.

It seemed his body was breaking down in various places because he was in poor condition. When dizziness occurred, he often became easily nauseated by even small smells.

Jung-hyun carefully dried his face and hands and left the restroom. In the lounge, Kyung Seung-hee was sitting alone, drinking tea. He spotted Jung-hyun and smiled.

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

“Yes.”

Jung-hyun smiled faintly and sat down. He chose a spot slightly further away than before, fearing their hands might touch again. Kyung Seung-hee offered him some tea.

It was a green tea-based tea that Jung-hyun liked. After one sip, he felt his stomach settle slightly. Jung-hyun drank a bit more.

Watching Jung-hyun’s face blankly, Kyung Seung-hee spoke quietly.

“My parents would like to see your health examination results before the wedding.”

Jung-hyun looked up at those words.

“……As for an exam, I have one from last year. Should I give them that?”

When he asked slowly, Kyung Seung-hee gave an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry. My father insisted that you get a new one… My family members are very sensitive about health. You know, right? I was sick for a long time when I was young.”

“…….”

“Actually, I had forgotten about it until a moment ago, but seeing you today, I’m worried too. Don’t feel too pressured, and just come to the hospital where our family doctor is sometime.”

Jung-hyun looked at him with quiet eyes. A health exam.

Was it just his imagination to think that they weren’t actually curious about his health, but rather wanted to check if there was any flaw to find fault with?

Jung-hyun nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

He didn’t feel great about it, but he had no grounds to refuse. Seemingly pleased with the answer, Seung-hee smiled broadly.

“And Jung-hyun, you dropped your ring earlier.”

“Ah….”

“I think it was because the size was too large. So I asked them to bring a new one immediately. Try it on.”

Perhaps remembering Jung-hyun’s earlier reaction, Kyung Seung-hee handed over the silver ring in its case instead of putting it on him personally.

Jung-hyun tried to smile, but for some reason, he couldn’t manage his expression well. He slowly reached out and put the ring on himself.

It was just a ring on a finger, yet it felt as if he were struggling to breathe, just like when a tie is tightened too much.

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Time passed quickly.

The Blue Wolves played their thirtieth game, and their ranking fluctuated between 3rd and 5th.

Since they had to be in the top four to advance to the playoffs, the players gritted their teeth in every match, but the opposing teams were the same, so it wasn’t easy.

Shin Ho-jae’s play became increasingly aggressive. Every game day, Shin Ho-jae lunged at the opposing players as if there were no tomorrow. It reached a point where Du-min and Min-chul seriously asked him if something had happened.

Acting Coach Yoo Gu-hwan raged and yelled, but ironically, thanks to this style of play, the Blue Wolves’ home games were always packed with crowds.

The players’ dissatisfaction with Acting Coach Yoo Gu-hwan remained. This was because he continued to insult and shout at the players, undermining the team’s morale.

However, even Moon Seung-yeol and Lee Sang-gon could not voice their complaints to the acting coach. It was because the Korean hierarchical relationship had been ingrained in them since childhood.

Thus, Shin Ho-jae was the only one who actively expressed his dissatisfaction to Acting Coach Yoo Gu-hwan. Sometimes, Ho-jae would gather the players’ opinions and raise complaints as their representative. Of course, Yoo Gu-hwan viewed such a Ho-jae as a thorn in his side.

As the clashes between Yoo Gu-hwan and Shin Ho-jae increased, the players strangely began to follow Shin Ho-jae. They asked for Ho-jae’s opinion during training and just before games, and it was evident that they relied on him during the matches.

Now, only one month remained until the playoff deciding match.

Dressed in a suit, Shin Ho-jae visited Jangchung-dong, Seoul, instead of the stadium. The grand red brick building and the scenery overlooking Namsan Tower were now quite familiar.

Today, a party celebrating the 50th day since the birth of Vice President Kwon Ki-hyuk’s son was being held in the banquet hall of the MJ Hotel. A few days ago, Kwon Ki-hyuk had contacted Ho-jae separately, saying he truly hoped he would attend.

He wondered if it was appropriate for him to attend such an event, but since his benefactor’s baby had been born, he felt it was only right to offer his congratulations and expressed his intention to attend.

“May I see your invitation? Yes, Mr. Shin Ho-jae. Confirmed. Please have a meaningful time.”

Shin Ho-jae showed the mobile invitation with a special code to the staff in front of the banquet hall.

Just in case, he had withdrawn some cash, but he noticed a sign decorated with fresh flowers that read, ‘Congratulatory money is politely declined.’ Shin Ho-jae smiled bitterly and put the envelope back into the inner pocket of his jacket.

Through several meetings with Ki-hyuk, he had come to realize something.

The world the chaebols lived in was completely different from the world he lived in.

Every time he faced that world, his chest felt tight, as if he finally understood what the ‘things I cannot give’ that Jung-hyun mentioned were.

At the same time, he realized how distorted his relationship with Jung-hyun had been.

Kwon Ki-hyuk was a very polite, courteous, and flawless adult. He was different in every way from Kwon Jung-hyun, who had abruptly proposed a sponsorship deal at their first meeting.

He treated Shin Ho-jae truly as a ‘good player’ and never sent blatant looks or demanded kisses.

He was the picture-perfect image of a ‘patron,’ just as the late Chairman Kwon had been.

Right. It was a wrong relationship with Kwon Jung-hyun from the very beginning.

To have liked such a person—he must have momentarily lost his mind.

94 – Puck Drop