By Zephyria Yoon Joo-ho, who had been silent until then, let out a cynical chuckle.
“Hyung.”
“What.”
“Sang-ho Hyung.”
“What is it, man.”
“It’s time to get used to it. When will you get accustomed to it?”
His tone was as if he were talking about someone else’s problem. But Song Hyun-soo didn’t believe that indifference. He could never get used to being betrayed by someone.
“Just check carefully if any more items are missing.”
“How am I supposed to know what’s missing?”
Yoon Joo-ho, replying as if annoyed, walked out of the kitchen, drinking his beer. He brushed past Song Hyun-soo without making eye contact.
“It’s because you have so many things that you don’t even notice when they’re gone, that these guys start having other ideas.”
“So. Is it my fault that those guys stole?”
“Man, I’m not saying that…”
Director Bang sighed deeply and slumped onto a stool in front of the island counter. He must have been very upset to say that.
Song Hyun-soo looked back and forth between Director Bang, sitting on the stool, and Yoon Joo-ho, sitting in a lounge chair by the large living room window. Then he went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and gently pushed it towards Director Bang.
“Thank you. Thank you, Hyun-soo.”
He seemed quite touched by just a glass of water.
“Would you like some headache medicine, Director?”
“Hyun-soo, you even know where the headache medicine is?”
“Ah… right. If you tell me where…”
“No, no. It’s okay. Water is fine.”
Director Bang, having drunk half the water, looked up at Song Hyun-soo, who was standing blankly in front of him instead of going to Yoon Joo-ho. His gaze seemed to hold some meaning, so Song Hyun-soo calmly looked back at him.
“Hyun-soo, I’m sorry.”
“Yes? Me? Why?”
“About Joo-ho’s watch going missing…”
Director Bang’s gaze slid down as if he couldn’t bear to look directly at me. He squeezed the water glass with both hands. Song Hyun-soo thought he understood the meaning hidden behind those words.
“Ah…”
“No, no. I didn’t specifically suspect you, Hyun-soo. Please believe that.”
“Yes, I know. I believe you, Director. It’s just that you had to consider anyone who could possibly be a suspect. I’m fine.”
Song Hyun-soo gave Director Bang a smile, who still couldn’t relax his expression. The words he spoke to Director Bang were entirely sincere.
After all, the number of people who came and went from this house could be counted on one hand. If Song Hyun-soo were in Director Bang’s shoes, he would have had to consider all of them suspects.
Song Hyun-soo looked back at Yoon Joo-ho, who was sitting in the living room. He was reclining halfway in a chair as magnificent as a work of art, gazing out the window.
Perhaps… did Yoon Joo-ho also…
Did he think, even for a moment, that I might have taken it?
“Joo-ho was right.”
“…What?”
When I looked back at Director Bang’s voice, he was smiling at Song Hyun-soo with a slightly relieved expression.
“Joo-ho insisted that it absolutely wasn’t you.”
“When did I say that??”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been acting as if he had no interest in our conversation, as if he couldn’t even hear it, suddenly raised his voice and interjected.
He sat up from his reclining position on the chair and scowled in our direction.
“He’s like that, you know? Hyun-soo, you know, right? How he acts childishly for no reason sometimes.”
Director Bang, clicking his tongue, continued his story, ignoring the indignant Yoon Joo-ho.
“Remember the day you visited a while ago?”
“The day I was working?”
“No. The day you left after eating jjampong.”
“Ah…”
Song Hyun-soo nodded, then suddenly frowned.
The day I left after eating jjampong. That was the day after Yoon Joo-ho and I had gotten thoroughly drunk at a members-only bar run by a man named Seohae.
“Director, you came that day? After I left?”
“That’s right. I came to see what this guy was up to, and there were two jjampong bowls.”
That day, Yoon Joo-ho had been rushing me to leave, as if someone else was supposed to come over. It wouldn’t be a lie to say I was disappointed. I had been anxious, wondering if he was planning to see someone else. But the person who came after me was Director Bang. Hmm. So he wasn’t calling someone else over?
Forgetting that I had just been rejected minutes ago, Song Hyun-soo’s lips twitched, trying to suppress a smile that threatened to escape.
“The watch went missing, and Hyun-soo happened to have stayed over yesterday… I said I needed to check the CCTV. Then this guy started glaring at me like he was going to eat me, asking if there was proof the watch went missing yesterday…”
“He was growling and snapping, right?”
“Huh?”
“Ah, no. Never mind.”
“He got so prickly, like a teenager, because I suspected him… Mmph! Mmph!”
Yoon Joo-ho, unable to hold back, rushed over and covered Director Bang’s mouth with his hand from behind.
“If you’re just going to ramble on pointlessly with the kid, then please exit, Director Bang.”
Director Bang removed his hand and said firmly, turning around.
“Where am I going? Didn’t you hear me? We need to discuss how to handle this.”
“Handle what.”
“Whether to report it to the police or send a certified letter to Cha Gyu-min.”
“Forget it. It’s a hassle. Just let it go.”
Is he really bothered by it? Yoon Joo-ho walked towards the refrigerator, waving his hand dismissively as if swatting away a fly.
From the moment he covered Director Bang’s mouth, Song Hyun-soo’s gaze had followed him, but he pretended not to notice, not giving him any attention.
Nevertheless, Song Hyun-soo could endure it.
It was fine if Director Bang or someone else suspected him. Listening to the situation, it was understandable, and he didn’t care.
But if Yoon Joo-ho had, it would be a different story. Even if his mind understood the situation, his heart would be bleeding.
The joy of him trusting me offset the bitterness of being rejected. At this moment, that was certainly true.
Director Bang raised his voice towards Yoon Joo-ho’s back.
“Just let it go? Do you know the value of what that guy took?”
“If I report it? If I send a certified letter? It’ll become news and I’ll be the one criticized. Why would I waste time and effort escalating things? I’m not doing it.”
Yoon Joo-ho answered indifferently, without even looking back, while opening the refrigerator door.
He remembered seeing articles years ago about a manager misusing a star’s credit card, or a stylist pilfering designer items…
A top star, worth billions, reporting a manager’s petty theft. There were many comments mocking such reactions. One manager had used over seventy million won over two years, yet…
Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen such articles for a long time. It wasn’t because similar incidents didn’t happen, but because they had stopped revealing them to the world altogether.
“Are you going to let yourself be taken advantage of like this every time?”
Yoon Joo-ho closed the refrigerator door. He hadn’t taken anything out.
“There’s no benefit to adding another scandal at a time like this, is there?”
He turned back, empty-handed, his eyes looking tired. This time, instead of pretending to be unfazed, he spoke to Director Bang pleadingly.
“Just focus on coming to Look Planning.”
“You’re the victim, Senior.”
The words slipped out before I knew it, and Yoon Joo-ho finally looked at Song Hyun-soo.
“You’re the victim, so why are you getting criticized?”
“Someone who has a hundred things and complains about losing one is not a victim, they’re just making a fuss. Didn’t you know that?”
Yoon Joo-ho replied, then ran his hands over his face several times and put his hands in his robe pockets.
“If you’re both so bored, just finish the contract.”
“And you?”
“I’m tired. I need to rest.”
Yoon Joo-ho walked quickly towards the Master Zone, and Song Hyun-soo called out to him urgently.
“Senior.”
“Don’t look for me, just finish the contract with your brother.”
“It’s not that, I have all my clothes and luggage inside.”
Sighing, Yoon Joo-ho ran a hand over his face as if to erase it. Then he spoke to Director Bang.
“Bring it.”
“I’ll just go get it myself…”
Song Hyun-soo, who had taken a few steps, stopped in his tracks. Yoon Joo-ho stood blocking the doorway, staring intently. He could read the meaning in those eyes. Unfortunately, he knew Yoon Joo-ho well enough for that. It was like a gesture of refusal, his eyes saying, Don’t come any closer.
“There’s no need. Your brother will bring it out.”
Turning his back on Song Hyun-soo, he unlocked the door lock and disappeared inside.