By Zephyria 【The citizens are in shock due to the assault on Choi Won-joon, President of Sehwa Construction, last night. Some speculate that this was a planned crime targeting a conglomerate. The police state that nothing has been confirmed yet and will provide a briefing as the investigation progresses.】
“All day, it’s just Choi Won-joon this, Choi Won-joon that. Even when that congressman got stabbed, it wasn’t this bad, was it? He’s incredibly popular. Did you see the comments on the articles? People need to be good-looking first and foremost. He’s practically dying, and everyone’s just talking about his face.”
Nam-soo showed him the comments, and a large portion of them were about his appearance. Nam-soo explained that Choi Won-joon’s popularity was comparable to that of a celebrity due to his exposure in the media from several incidents.
“Did Sunbae go visit him?”
“Visit who?”
“Choi Won-joon at the hospital.”
No. Lee-eum shook his head. Instead, he heard the news from Yoo Seol-ah on his way to work. She had gone to see her father and stopped by Choi Won-joon’s room to check on him, and he seemed healthier than expected. It was truly a relief.
“Do you think someone was paid to do it?”
Kim Ji-cheol came to mind, but he considered that it could be someone else. From observing Choi Won-joon up close, he seemed like the type to make enemies. Besides, he was shocked and out of his mind when the first incident occurred, but the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Even if it was a surprise attack, was Choi Won-joon just standing there while he was being stabbed? Others might think of him as a precious young master, but the Choi Won-joon that Lee-eum saw was like a human weapon. He didn’t want to suspect a sick person, but there were more than a few suspicious things.
“The world has become so brutal. Stabbing people in broad daylight, oh…?”
Nam-soo, who was talking while looking at Lee-eum, suddenly looked like he had seen a ghost. Not only him, but everyone else as well. All eyes were focused on Lee-eum, and sensing something was wrong, Lee-eum turned around and almost screamed.
Standing before him was Choi Won-joon, looking down at him with a pale, bloodless face.
“H-how did you get here?”
As he hurriedly stood up, the murmuring of the people grew louder. Isn’t that Choi Won-joon? Is that really Choi Won-joon? Wasn’t he in the hospital after surgery? Why is he here? Even amidst all this, news about Choi Won-joon continued to pour out. Panels were speculating about who stabbed him and why.
“Detective Kim. I have something to say, can you come out here for a moment?”
Choi Won-joon smiled brightly, not at all like a patient, and turned to leave. Lee-eum quickly followed him. Seeing him walk so casually made the news about him being stabbed seem like a lie. Director Lee was waiting nearby outside. Facing each other, Lee-eum’s gaze was fixed not on Won-joon’s face but on the side of his abdomen where he had been stabbed.
“Are you okay? Is it alright for you to be walking around like this? Why are you here instead of in the hospital?”
Choi Won-joon’s smiling face was somehow eerie.
“Were you worried?”
Lee-eum hesitated before nodding. Since he was indeed surprised and worried, he didn’t think there was any need to lie.
“If you were, you should have come to see me today.”
Lee-eum felt somewhat wronged.
“Your family is there, why would I go? And also…”
“Also, what?”
He was trying to think of something appropriate to say, but Choi Won-joon’s posture was slightly off from his usual self. Lee-eum went closer and opened his jacket, his eyes widening as he discovered blood seeping through his shirt.
“Oh, blood! You’re bleeding?”
“Don’t change the subject. Also, what? Why couldn’t you come? Shouldn’t you have come if I was about to die? Even if we decided to break up, you should have worried about me first. You went to see a musical with that guy? Do you know how scared I was when that bad guy stabbed me? But I only thought of you. Even when I woke up in the operating room, I only thought of you, and this morning too. But you, Darling, are you even listening to me?”
Lee-eum wasn’t really listening to Won-joon’s words and ran to Director Lee to tell him that he was bleeding. Director Lee, who rushed over, looked grim.
“It seems like it would be better for President to go back.”
“Go back? I’m about to go crazy because of Kim Yi-eum. Tell me, Kim Yi-eum. Were you really planning to end things completely with me? Is it because of that phone call? Actually, that was…”
Lee-eum put his hand over Won-joon’s mouth to stop him from talking. After yelling at him for bleeding, he dragged him to the car. He lifted the shirt and saw bloodstains on the bandage. As soon as Director Lee hurriedly got into the driver’s seat, Nam-soo called out from behind, “Sunbae!” Turning around, he saw him gesturing.
“We’re deploying. There’s a hostage situation!”
Seeing that even the other team members had come out, it seemed like an emergency. As Lee-eum was about to close the car door, Won-joon grabbed his arm. Their eyes met, and his eyes were filled with disappointment. Lee-eum pulled his arm away and bit his lip.
“I have to go now. Get good treatment, and I hope you recover quickly.”
“I came all the way here to hear you say that…”
“Goodbye.”
Without listening to the end, Lee-eum closed the door and ran to Nam-soo. Won-joon, left alone in the back seat, smiled in vain before his expression gradually turned fierce. Director Lee, noticing his mood, started the car without permission, and Won-joon, unable to contain his anger, kicked the front seat before groaning and bending over in pain from the abdominal pain. Ah, damn it….
❖ ❖ ❖
“You’re here?”
As he entered the chicken restaurant in front of his house, his Noona and Hyung waved at him. After getting off work and showering, he was spacing out when he received a call from his Noona. She suggested that the three of them have some beer nearby with Kim Mid-eum. He was going to refuse because his mind was in turmoil, but he pulled on a hat and came out, and his Hyung laughed as soon as he saw him.
“Kim Yi-eum looks like a high schooler with that hat on.”
“Why are you like that? He’s cute. It reminds me of our youngest when he was little. When he walked around the neighborhood, he shone brightly from afar.”
“What light? Isn’t your memory distorted? Do you already have dementia?”
“You’re asking for it. I haven’t hit you enough lately, have I?”
“Hey, I’m just kidding. Here, Noona, have a chicken leg.”
Lee-eum, who had been watching them bicker, laughed silently. When his mind was complicated, it wasn’t bad to have such a chaotic conversation. But then his Hyung suddenly brought up Choi Won-joon.
“Is Choi Won-joon okay?”
“Why are you asking Yi-eum that? You made such a fuss about them breaking up.”
“Was it just me? Noona said she didn’t like him either.”
“That’s because I didn’t know the circumstances back then. Now, I wouldn’t oppose it even if they were dating.”
“No, I’m against it. Kim Yi-eum, you don’t still have feelings for him, do you?”
Lee-eum didn’t answer and downed his beer in one gulp. In fact, he had felt suffocated ever since Choi Won-joon had visited him during the day. What was he thinking, showing up in such a state and making him anxious? Did he get proper treatment? He was a person whose thoughts he couldn’t understand at all. After talking about Choi Won-joon for a while, Kim Malk-eum and Kim Mid-eum soon switched the topic to their father’s seventieth birthday party.
“Let’s have Dad’s seventieth birthday at a hotel. We spent his sixtieth with just the family, but for his seventieth, it would be better to invite acquaintances.”
“Do you think Dad would want that?”
“You know him. He secretly wants to brag about his children.”
“Let’s split the cost evenly.”
“Come on, let’s not split it evenly. Yi-eum hasn’t been working for many years yet.”
Lee-eum nibbled on the chicken and said one word.
“I have some savings too. I’ll pay.”
Kim Mid-eum put his arm around Lee-eum’s shoulder and swaggered.
“See, he said he’ll pay. Our Kim Yi-eum has saved up some money? How much have you saved? Tell your Hyung secretly.”
“Don’t tell him, you can’t fall for Kim Mid-eum’s tricks. He’ll ask you to lend him money.”
“What are you talking about? What would I use pocket change for?”
“I know you lost it all in stocks, don’t I?”
Kim Mid-eum looked taken aback and looked around. Then he lowered his voice. “Noona, did you illegally investigate me?” Kim Malk-eum took a sip of beer with an amused expression and laughed.
“What are you? Why would I investigate a mere prosecutor? I was just testing you, but you fell for it like an idiot.”
Kim Mid-eum got annoyed as he watched Kim Malk-eum laugh, and Lee-eum, while watching the two of them, couldn’t concentrate on the conversation at all because of a certain person who kept invading his mind. After the meeting ended, they each fried a chicken to give to their families and parted ways.
After watching his Hyung and Noona leave, Lee-eum sat alone in front of the convenience store and drank a few more beers. The humid weather continued until night, so there were few people walking around, and the complex was deserted.
He came outside to clear his head and walked down the street, and before he knew it, he was in front of the taxi stand. An empty taxi waiting for customers was parked there, and Lee-eum stood there for a long time, just staring at it. The driver, who had come out for a cigarette, asked Lee-eum.
“Are you going to take it?”
Lee-eum hesitated and shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.” As he turned around, he heard the driver grumbling. Lee-eum stopped by the convenience store on the way and bought more alcohol. It seemed like he would only be able to fall asleep if he got drunk today.