TWELVE 16

“Are you going to come to my house every single day anyway? You don’t necessarily have to stay the night.”

“What if something happens to you while I’m not here?”

Gi Seoin becomes talkative when he doesn’t want to break his own stubborn streak. Right now was exactly that kind of situation.

“You don’t leave a person who is hurt alone.”

“The person who is hurt says he’s fine… Sigh, fine. Fine.”

I didn’t think there would be an end to it if I kept talking, so I decided to back down this time. Since I couldn’t move one arm as I pleased, it was admittedly more comfortable for me to have Gi Seoin stay. Physically, that is.

I couldn’t guarantee whether my heart would be at ease as well. First of all, the fact that Gi Seoin decided to take a week off work because of me was extremely, too, incredibly uncomfortable.

“Gi Seoin, you don’t have any disadvantageous things happening, like getting in trouble for taking leave so suddenly, do you?”

“What is my profession?”

“A lawyer, what else.”

“Have you ever seen a lawyer tolerate unfairness?”

“They could.”

Then again, Gi Seoin was not a person to tolerate anything.

Furthermore, the probability of him experiencing an unfair situation at the law firm he belonged to converged toward zero. Because the founder of that law firm was none other than Gi Seoin’s grandfather. Even if he didn’t receive special treatment, he wouldn’t be put in a position of being wronged.

“Since it’s already turned out this way, just rest up. You were working even on weekends.”

“What did you decide to do?”

As the arrow suddenly shifted toward me, I unknowingly swallowed my dry spit.

“I… have to look for more work.”

“Since it’s already turned out this way for you too, how about taking a good rest?”

“I’d like to do that too, but the money… For now, I’m going to try as much as I can.”

Honestly, thinking rationally, it seemed unlikely that I would find work. Yet, I was making an effort. My throat is a prison. Time would flow selfishly, and the debt repayment date would also arrive without considering my circumstances.

Above all, I was afraid of Jeon Juseok.

‘Woo Seungkyung, have you really lost your damn mind? I waited quietly for you and you’re a whole day late?’

He was a guy who would fly into a rage even if I was just one day late, so how would he react if I said I’d skip a repayment once? Even without imagining it, bitter bile rose up inside me.

Would it be better to contact him and ask to postpone it for just one month? Since I’m telling him in advance, wouldn’t it be okay? Even if he tells me to eat it and die, I have no money, so wouldn’t he let it slide for about a month?

My throbbing head now felt like it was going to explode altogether.

“How much do you need?”

“What?”

“Money.”

I looked at Gi Seoin reflexively and then turned my head the opposite way. The neighborhood I had lived in all my life flickered through my vision.

“…It’s not hard enough to need to borrow.”

I didn’t care if it was obvious that I was lying. As long as Gi Seoin didn’t say he would provide financial help, that was a success. Surely he wouldn’t offer to lend me money when he said he had it. I wanted to prevent those words from coming out of his mouth no matter what.

“Is that true?”

“Should I reveal my bank balance or something?”

At my threat, Gi Seoin didn’t press the matter further.

Immediately after arriving home, I decided on my course of action. First, I would explain the situation to Jeon Juseok and try to ask him to postpone for just one month. Even if I was rejected, I had nothing to lose.

[Hyung. Are you busy?? I hurt my shoulder while working yesterday.. It seems I have to do treatment for quite a long time. Since I can’t use one arm at all, they told me to rest at work too.. So it seems like it’ll be hard to pay back the money right away this month.. By any chance, can you postpone it for just one month?? I will definitely find a way to pay it back next month.. I’m sorry]

“Woo Seungkyung.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah?”

I hurriedly locked my phone and looked at Gi Seoin.

“Wash up first.”

I wondered what he was doing in the room, and there he was holding my pajamas in his hands. It included underwear too. How embarrassing… He is truly a master of taking care of a household.

“Uh-huh… Okay! Thank you, my puppy.”

I tried my best to pretend everything was normal as I took the pajamas and underwear from him. Glancing at Gi Seoin before entering the bathroom, he was opening a suitcase and organizing his things. It was the suitcase I had personally loaded into the car last time. I had used unnecessary strength without even knowing my shoulder was torn.

I locked the bathroom door handle and checked if Jeon Juseok had read the message. It was still unread. Since he was a person busy stuffing his face with alcohol except for the time he slept, it was actually unnatural for him to be reached quickly.

There was no need to wait. The time to talk to that guy would come anyway, whether I liked it or not.

Because I hadn’t deactivated the alarm yesterday either, I woke up to the familiar melody. Even in my groggy state, I sat up to prepare for the day and then realized reality due to the shoulder pain. And another pillow placed next to mine made me fully wake up.

Gi Seoin, who is definitely a morning person, was looking through some documents even though he had taken time off.

“Don’t tell me, are you working?”

Only then did Gi Seoin take his eyes off the stack of papers and look up at me.

“There’s something I had to look at for a moment.”

“That means you’re working.”

I couldn’t tell if he took my words as a reproach or if he simply happened to finish his work just now, but Gi Seoin gathered the files into his bag.

“Wash your face and come out. Let’s have breakfast.”

“Mmm, okaay.”

I stretched and headed to the bathroom. Standing in front of the sink, I turned on the messenger app. Jeon Juseok had read the message I sent yesterday. However, there was no reply. Normally, a series of contacts overflowing with profanity should have arrived already, or the phone should have been ringing off the hook. It was strange. The calm before the storm was excessively long.

Except for the fact that Gi Seoin was on leave and I was unemployed, it was a morning no different from before. Gi Seoin cooked while wearing an apron with a cat character drawn on it over his casual clothes, and I finished every bit of the food, which was ambiguous to describe as delicious but wasn’t inedible.

“Chef, I learned another lesson today.”

I clenched my fist and bowed my head like a martial arts master in a movie. The setting that I had lost the use of one arm in a fierce battle was added.

As expected, Gi Seoin reacted to my nonsense with an expressionless face and then put on bright pink rubber gloves. Someone said that doing the dishes as soon as you eat makes you a psychopath…

“Mr. Gi Seoin? You need to relearn how to rest.”

I slowly approached the indifferent Gi Seoin and tickled his waist.

“…”

At that, Gi Seoin looked down at me with cold eyes.

This isn’t it.

“Are you not ticklish?”

“I’m not.”

“There’s no way. Is it because I’m tickling you with only one hand?”

“No, I’m just not.”

“Ah, no fun. Gi Seoin.”

I stuck my tongue out at Gi Seoin. Oh. Then he chuckles. He didn’t laugh when I was trying to be funny on purpose, but he laughs when I stick my tongue out to tease him. Anyway, his sense of humor is unusual.

“Take it easy since you’re on leave.”

“I am do…”

Gi Seoin, who was looking down at me with a lingering smile on his face, whipped his head toward the opposite direction. I also looked at the same place as him. It was right after a roar that sounded as if a meteorite had flown in and crashed into the front door was heard.

Soon, after glancing at me, he headed toward the front door. I quickly bypassed him and arrived at the door first. Because I thought I knew the cause of that roar. That was…

“Hey! Open up! Woo Seungkyung!”

It was Jeon Juseok.

I lightly pushed Gi Seoin, who was trying to step forward. This was my house, and Jeon Juseok had come to find me. It was right for me to lead.

Jeon Juseok kicked the front door one more time. I thought so because it didn’t seem like he would break it down with his fists. Gi Seoin looked very displeased.

“Go inside.”

Gi Seoin didn’t answer and crossed his arms. It was an action showing a determined stubbornness to stay here. It wasn’t the time to bicker with him. I opened the door before it broke.

“You son of a, f…!”

Jeon Juseok, who was about to hurl curses right as we faced each other, shut his mouth upon discovering Gi Seoin standing behind me.

Jeon Juseok, who scanned him from head to toe, snorted. Soon the guy noticed my shoulder in the brace and scoffed once more.

“You’re really putting on a damn show.”

The guy, who pushed the front door open and came all the way inside, approached right to my feet. Suddenly, the strong smell of alcohol wafted over. It was so foul it made my stomach churn.

“Look at this shit, you’ve made up your mind, haven’t you? Is it even true that you’re really hurt?”

“It’s true I’m really hurt. Hyung, for now…”

“Do you have a medical certificate? I need to see the documents to believe it.”

If that’s what he wanted, I had no choice but to show him. Just in case something like this happened, I had documents I received from the hospital after saying they were for insurance submission. It was a level of preparedness gained as the price of dealing with Jeon Juseok for several years.

“Fuuuuck, Woo Seungkyung. If you happen to be lying, expect to die smelling the dirt.”

Jeon Juseok spat out as he crumpled the documents he checked.

“Still, Seungkyung. How old are you?”

Since he probably didn’t ask because he really didn’t know, I didn’t answer.

“You’re an adult. You have to take responsibility. Huh? Whether your shoulder or your arm is crippled is your business, and I have my own circumstances too. If you don’t pay back the money, I’ll be in a bind.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. Jeon Juseok intended to get the money from me no matter what. I was a fool for hoping otherwise.

“I get it, hyung. I’ll find a way to get the money somehow.”

“Yeah, you brat. You can do it like that, so why are you whining. It’s annoying.”

Since he must have achieved his goal, I hoped Jeon Juseok would just leave now. I was more worried about Gi Seoin behind me than that guy.

To be precise, I was terrified that Jeon Juseok would blabber on about the debt in detail right in front of Gi Seoin. Since he was a guy itching to humiliate me in front of others, it was entirely possible.

Gi Seoin only knew the fact that I had a debt; he didn’t know the detailed inside story, such as how much that debt was. Since he was a guy who wouldn’t be surprised to suddenly withdraw a bundle of cash equal to that amount if he found out the details, I wanted to hide as much as possible regarding the debt.

“Don’t be late, okay? You know my temper, right? Don’t unnecessarily provoke it, Seungkyung.”

“I understand. I’m sorry for making you come all the way here, hyung.”

I thought the guy would disappear quickly if I humored him as much as possible. It also felt like I could hear the sound of Gi Seoin’s stomach turning behind my back. It was enough to drive me crazy having to mind both of them at the same time.

“Right. If you’re sorry, do a good job, you brat.”

Jeon Juseok raised his hand. The guy’s hand flew toward my injured shoulder. I reflexively stepped back. But… Gi Seoin snatched Jeon Juseok’s wrist first.

“Huh? Fuck, what’s this?”

Jeon Juseok glared at Gi Seoin.