“I’m not going.”
Do-hwa took a step back after breaking free from his embrace. The surging fear fueled resistance, constricting even his breath. Rebelling here was much better than being alone in a confined space. Min-jun’s eyes briefly showed surprise but soon turned into a puzzled expression.
“I understand that seonbae refuses, but right now…”
Do-hwa ignored his words and took a step back. Regardless of the reasons, he couldn’t simply overlook the violent tendency of throwing a fire extinguisher. In that moment, he felt a shadow looming behind him.
“Dangerous!”
“Ahh!”
Screams erupted around them. Only now did Do-hwa face the glass door crashing down on his back. The frame was all that remained, but the irregular shards of glass posed a severe threat. It was too late to escape.
At that moment, his body twisted with a sensation wrapping around him. It simultaneously felt like he was losing balance and about to fall. Do-hwa was terrified as he tightly shut his eyes. In that instant, a firm grip seized his back and waist, turning him into a dangling figure like a puppet.
He sensed something gradually falling, but there was no accompanying pain.
It was a situation that was difficult to imagine, let alone implement. Do-hwa collected his dazed thoughts and opened his eyes. Min-jun was holding onto him, and the menacing door was suspended over his back.
People, including security guards, grabbed hold of the door frame in shock. Thanks to that, Min-jun and Do-hwa could easily slip away. Do-hwa’s head was spinning.
“Ah, young man, are you okay? What’s going on, really?”
An ajumma was worried while looking at Min-jun. However, he casually reassured her and then took Do-hwa’s hand.
“Seonbae, are you really not injured? You shouldn’t get cut by the glass…”
As Min-jun spoke, transparent glass particles were visible in his hair.
What on earth…? This guy…? It seemed like the world was revolving in reverse. After threatening with the fire extinguisher that things wouldn’t go his way, Min-jun, without hesitation, protected Do-hwa when he was in danger and was now asking about his well-being.
“Are you really hurt? Why won’t you answer?”
“I… I’m fine. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Min-jun, an indescribable eccentric, had managed to avert the accident. He could not help but feel concerned.
“If seonbae is okay, then I’m okay too.”
His smile was truly harmless.
ꕥꕥꕥ
Do-hwa returned to the hospital room. The time had unnoticed passed 9 in the evening. The scheduled time had not just been delayed but was now completely ruined. It was truly a chaotic and maddening situation in every aspect.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Zjs P tjcu sbeg mbja bc atf tjcufg?”
Zlc-pec fzafcvfv tlr tjcv lc j nfgs ufcaifwjcis wjccfg.
“Ft…”
Gb-tkj olgra abbx boo atf rajlcfv mbja, yea ktfc la mjwf ab tjcvlcu la bnfg, tf ofia j yla jqbibufalm. Vb tf tfrlajafv ilxf j wjioecmalbclcu gbyba.
“Ljcv la bnfg delmxis.”
Zlc-pec rcjamtfv atf mbja jcv lwwfvljafis obmerfv bc atf rajlc. Ktf vfqat bo Gb-tkj’r fwyjggjrrwfca vffqfcfv ecvfg tlr wfalmeiber ujhf. Lbkfnfg, rlcmf rlifcmf kjrc’a jc bqalbc, Gb-tkj gfiemajcais bqfcfv tlr wbeat.
“I bumped into someone carrying coffee earlier, and that’s how it happened.”
“Seonbae, are you okay?”
“Yeah, and I tried to clean the stain myself… but it didn’t go well. I’m sorry, it’s an expensive coat, right?”
Do-hwa was nervous. Not only had things gone awry, but he also felt like a culprit for ruining the clothes.
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t that fond of it anyway; I was planning to get rid of it.”
Min-jun replied nonchalantly, but to Do-hwa, it seemed like an exquisite and perfect coat. So, instead of saying he would like it if it was going to be discarded, he swallowed the words. He didn’t want to appear silly with a presumptuous gesture.
Min-jun hung the coat on the hanger and headed towards the dressing room. His back was visible—there was dust on his black shirt, and fragments of glass were noticeable. Reflecting on it again, the duality of Min-jun, who had thrown the fire extinguisher yet also shielded and protected him, was confusing. Thinking back, even at the hotel yesterday, Min-jun had been both intense and affectionate when embracing Do-hwa.
The only fitting choice of words that could describe him was ‘crazy.’
“Seonbae, I’ll go through the discharge process and come back.”
“Ah…”
This meant that Min-jun would be covering the hospital expenses. Though the sex wasn’t something Do-hwa wanted, in the end, thanks to Min-jun, he had overcome the crisis. Due to his own poor physical condition leading to unconsciousness and the hospital visit, it seemed like Do-hwa would have to foot the bill. The problem was that, being in a VIP room, the cost was likely to be exorbitant.
“Then, let me know how much the hospital bill is.”
“It’s okay, seonbae. Don’t worry about it.”
“Why? I got hospitalized because I was sick.”
“It happened because I fucked you hard, so I’ll take care of it.”
Is he unable to speak normally in this situation? Do-hwa felt a momentary dizziness.
“And I have to take responsibility for my person. Once the procedures are done, let’s go home together.”
“Gasp.”
In the end, does it mean going to that house where one has to live together with that guy’s lies without being able to say a word? Do-hwa felt a sense of defeat once again.
He wondered what had happened to his own place in such a short time. However, grabbing Min-jun by the collar and asking what on earth had happened to that room was not something he could do right now. So, he tried to soften and redirect the question as much as possible.
“Um, what happened to the studio apartment I was living in?”
Do-hwa pretended to have lost his recent memories, a time frame that conveniently started after meeting Min-jun this year. Since he had been living on his own for the past five years, there was no chance of getting caught in a lie with such a question.
“I explained the situation to the landlord and took the room. Since the contract period was about to end anyway, it was easy. I’ve also sent the security deposit to seonbae’s account.”
It was the truth. Do-hwa was on the verge of terminating the lease for his studio apartment. If a new tenant was found promptly, it would only last until the end of this month. Min-jun had apparently gone to Do-hwa’s place during the time he was unconscious and retrieved his belongings.
‘To be honest, I was planning to suggest becoming roommates with you, seonbae.’
Come to think of it, Min-jun said this yesterday. Perhaps he had originally planned to take Do-hwa to his own residence. Do-hwa felt uneasy, wondering if his lie had provided an opportunity for this guy. However, he couldn’t fundamentally figure out why Min-jun was doing this to him.
“Oh, right.”
Min-jun’s eyes widened, and he took out a phone from his pocket.
“This is seonbae.”
“Why did it come out of your pocket?”
After searching for it earlier, he wondered where it had disappeared to, and now this creepy guy had it… He had put a pattern on it earlier, thinking that the guy had no business with it. But now that the situation was like this, he felt uneasy. The guy had thrown a fire extinguisher, so undoing a pattern seemed like a light matter.
“The charger in the hospital room was broken, so I said I would charge it with my car charger.”
Min-jun casually explained and handed the phone to Do-hwa. As he said, the battery icon at the top of the screen was fully charged.
“Just in case, even if I say you’re my person, I respect privacy. So, don’t worry, I haven’t touched anything on your phone except for charging.”
Do-hwa shivered once again, seeing him express Do-hwa’s concerns exactly. Perhaps an extremely dominant Alpha doesn’t have mind-reading abilities after all…
“Then, please wait a moment.”
Min-jun flashed a playful smile before quickly leaving the hospital room.
“…An unlucky guy.”
Do-hwa muttered as he looked at the closed door. It seemed like there was consideration for him on the surface, but underneath, it felt filled with ominousness.
“Why on earth is he doing this…?”
A series of childish, clumsy, yet frightening lies. Do-hwa couldn’t comprehend it. The more he thought about it, the more his chest tightened. Going to Min-jun’s house and pretending to continue having amnesia was uncomfortably suffocating.
“I want to disappear like this.”
It would be great if Min-jun slipped on a banana peel, fell, lost consciousness, or got injured so badly that he couldn’t walk. As the desire to escape this situation intensified, childish fantasies continued.
“Ha…”
Do-hwa was frustrated as he let out another sigh. What a mess in just one morning! It was maddening. Do-hwa furrowed his brows, and then his eyes caught the wall clock. He suddenly remembered the appointment he had been caught up in, and he hastily picked up his phone.
He unlocked the screen and went into his messaging app. There were several group chats piled up, and there were also personal messages from Lee Jihoon and Woo Ji-min. From the previews, it seemed like formal greetings or messages with information he didn’t urgently need to open and check.
Do-hwa scrolled past all those messages and saw the saved contact named ‘Na Jio’. There were two messages sent by the protagonist, who had agreed to meet Do-hwa at 8 p.m. today.
<Let’s change the interview date, too. Kim-ssi said they have an urgent matter, so today is not possible.>
The message had arrived around 7 p.m., around the time when Do-hwa had hastily put on Min-jun’s coat and left. The moment he had put effort into being careful not to be late for the appointment now felt empty and futile.
<And if Koo Jong-pil contacts you, don’t answer.>
Do-hwa’s complexion turned pale at the name ‘Koo Jong-pil.’ When his sigh grew even heavier, this time, the phone started ringing. The screen displayed the two letters, ‘Mother.’
There was no way he could have a conversation with his mother in front of Min-jun. It was uneasy to answer without knowing when Min-jun might come in. In the moment he was contemplating responding with a message to call later, the call ended.
Do-hwa felt relieved for a moment, but it was short-lived. The phone rang loudly again, and judging by the momentum, it seemed like it wouldn’t stop until someone answered. Do-hwa hurriedly went into the bathroom. It was a decision made to avoid Min-jun. After confirming that the door was securely closed, he answered the call.
[Now you answer.]
The low voice of a middle-aged woman seemed to weigh heavily on Do-hwa’s heart.
“…Yes.”
[Why haven’t you been in touch?]
“Ah… I had some things going on.”
[What happened?]
“I was a little sick…”
Do-hwa couldn’t tell the truth, so he had to come up with a vague answer.
[Why is a young person like you sick? You have a job now, don’t you? Have you applied for a leave of absence?]
At the mention of a leave of absence, Do-hwa’s pupils darkened even more.
“I’ll do it soon.”
[What? You still haven’t done it? You should start working in January; why are you so late?]
“I just have to submit it by the end of February, so don’t worry.”
[Don’t cause trouble. Last night, Koo Jong-pil came and caused a scene, demanding money. How long do we have to suffer from loan sharks…]
Do-hwa’s shoulders shrank at his mother’s voice.
Thanks for the update..like reading it.
BTW Why do parent expect children to pay their debt. Even leave school on that basis. Don’t think its right … maybe there are unknown circumstances.. mehhh let me keep reading. I will know later..
Debt of gratitude, filial piety.
Min-jun ah, look! This is the reason he’s leaving!!!
IK its still early in the story but I dont like the tone of her mother in this ch
thanks for translating this story!!