By Zephyria 
===
Having witnessed that psychopath’s show while in a state of mental collapse, he must have been pushed to his absolute limit. The more he struggled to overcome the situation, the more he would inevitably think of me. Because he wouldn’t be able to deny that I am the key to solving everything.
Today at the earliest, tomorrow at the latest. Even if that prediction was wrong, Eun-won would contact me before the date of our next appointment.
In this industry, where people do whatever it takes for profit, he was too weak and too naive to survive flexibly.
I only hoped that Eun-won would make a smart choice before my interest cooled. That was the extent of the “encouragement” Cha Se-jin could offer right now.
* * *
After waking up from a few hours of fitful sleep at dawn, Eun-won finished getting ready for school and came down to the first floor. In the spotless house, there was no sign of anyone else.
“Young master, please have some breakfast.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t have an appetite…”
“Still, you should eat at least a little before heading to school. Have some fruit. Or even just a sip of milk. Please?”
“…Okay…. Oh, by the way, did my father… not come home yesterday either?”
“…No…. The madam is very worried because she hasn’t been able to reach him. She couldn’t even get up today…”
It had already been three days since his father hadn’t returned home. Eun-won had tried calling several times, but the message that the power was off played every single time.
“Um… Madam…. I mean… uh…”
“You can speak comfortably in front of me, young master.”
“…Is she asleep? I want to go greet her…”
“Go on in. She took some headache medication a while ago, so she probably isn’t asleep yet.”
After greeting Butler Kang, Eun-won headed toward his mother’s room. Standing before the closed door, he remembered the night two days ago. Since his mother hadn’t left her room since that night, he hadn’t spoken a word to her, making it difficult to even knock on the door.
But he couldn’t just stand there in a daze. Eun-won summoned his courage and knocked. He heard a small voice from inside telling him to come in.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and saw his mother lying on the bed in the dim room. Approaching the light of the lamp beside the bed, Eun-won looked down at her with her eyes closed.
“…Are you feeling okay? You don’t seem to have eaten breakfast, so maybe something…”
At the sound of Eun-won’s voice, Yeo Hee-jin opened her eyes. She looked up at him as if she were about to spit out sharp words, then immediately turned her back to him.
“Get out.”
“…….”
“I don’t want to see your face right now.”
“…….”
“Am I okay? How could I possibly be okay?”
Eun-won held his breath at the cold, piercing voice. This frigid rejection stung his heart more painfully than the night she had poured out cruel words while drunk.
“Don’t forget to check the news all day.”
“…….”
“Because an article might pop up saying your father was found somewhere.”
“Why, why are you speaking like that….”
“Get out. I don’t want to hear it.”
There was no room for any further words. In the completely changed atmosphere, Eun-won quietly turned around and left the room.
“…….”
The empty hallway was incredibly quiet. Passing through the hallway, Eun-won looked at the vacant living room. There was no one there.
It was so silent that it was hard to believe that until recently, the living room had been filled with laughter and affectionate conversation.
It all felt like a mirage. If he didn’t grasp the solution called ‘marriage,’ everything he had encountered would vanish in an instant. And….
He would be rejected again. Just like before.
Back then, it was the first time, and he was okay because he had his mother even without his father; he had lived without his father for so long that his presence wasn’t desperate. But now that his mother was gone, his father was his only family. And that father was currently… suffering because of his own selfishness.
“Young master, Driver Oh is here. I’ve packed some fruit, toast, and juice for you to eat on the way. Please make sure to eat at least a little. I’ll take good care of the madam, so don’t worry.”
Snapping out of his daze at Butler Kang’s words, Eun-won took the bag offered to him and passed through the silent living room.
His head felt as if it were collapsing under the weight of too many thoughts.
Throughout his classes, Eun-won searched for his father’s name and the company name on portal sites. His mother’s voice, telling him not to forget to check the news all day, dominated his mind, leaving him with no choice but to search again and again.
Then, whenever a class ended, he called his father before the next one began. Please…. Please, just turn the phone on. He called dozens of times, but the phone never once turned on.
Unable to answer Yoon Ji-woon’s question about why he was staring at his phone so much, Eun-won called his father again. But the phone was still off.
-The power is off…
As the automated guidance he had heard hundreds of times over the past few days played again, he felt something in his mind melt away. As the thought that something truly terrible might have happened to his father crossed his mind, his fingertips grew cold with fear.
“…….”
There was no more time to hesitate. There was nowhere to retreat, and no place to hide in fear. He had to put everything back in its place. His father, his father’s company, and the warm living room filled with laughter. As long as he was the only one out of place, everything else could return to normal.
Eun-won took out his phone and looked at the name saved as ‘Husband’ for a moment. He recalled thinking he should change it, but he had been distracted by other thoughts and hadn’t, leaving the playful and explicit contact name. Seeing it brought Cha Se-jin’s face to mind.
…I have to call. I can do this. I can solve everything.
With pale fingertips, Eun-won pressed the call button. Soon, the two words ‘Husband’ appeared on the black screen, and the ringing sound began.
“…….”
A contradictory feeling crossed his mind: a wish that he wouldn’t pick up, and simultaneously, a desperate hope that he would pick up quickly so this agonizing situation could end.
-Yeah, Darling.
His closed lips parted, and a trembling breath escaped. Strangely, just hearing the voice made him feel as if he were about to burst into tears.
“…Hello. I’m… Seo Eun-won…. Is now a good time to talk?”
-Yeah, it’s fine.
“Could you possibly… now….”
-…….
“…Could you meet me? There’s… something I need to tell you.”
A short silence followed over the receiver. It was a very brief silence, but fearing that it might lead to a rejection, Eun-won waited for Cha Se-jin’s answer, unable to even breathe properly.
-If Darling wants to meet, then we must meet.
“Thank you…. Uh, if you tell me the place, I’ll go there.”
-Yeah, I’ll send the address. See you in an hour.
“Okay….”
A weak response followed, and shortly after, the call ended. Eun-won waited quietly for the message to arrive. Soon, a short vibration rang, and an address appeared on the screen.
Returning immediately to the student lounge, Eun-won packed his bag and left the building. Even as he left the school and boarded the bus toward the meeting place, Eun-won searched for his father’s name until his phone grew hot, and called him just in case—just in case something had changed. But nothing changed.
The place he arrived at after about 40 minutes was a cafe with an atmosphere similar to where he had met Cha Se-jin last time. Upon entering the glass-walled cafe, the employee at the counter greeted Eun-won warmly.
“Welcome. Are you Mr. Seo Eun-won?”
“Ah…. Yes….”
“I will show you to the second floor. The Executive Director has not arrived yet.”
“…Yes.”
Following the employee to the second floor, Eun-won sat by the window as directed and set his bag down.
“…….”
Looking out at the quiet cafe, Eun-won slowly lowered his gaze and let out a long breath. There were things he wanted to ask and words he wanted to convey, but they were all tangled in his messy mind, failing to surface clearly.
“Did you miss me that much? You arrived incredibly fast.”
While he was trying to organize which words to say first, Cha Se-jin’s voice suddenly rang out. Startled, Eun-won looked up and saw Cha Se-jin sitting opposite him. Perhaps because he had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t noticed him approaching, his heart began to thud rapidly in surprise.
“Hello….”
“Yeah, hi. In the end, you couldn’t even last a week, huh?”
“…….”
“What is it you wanted to say? Tell me.”
Catching his breath, Eun-won bit the inside of his lip hard. Feeling the metallic taste of blood, he steadied himself once more and looked at Cha Se-jin.