HPK 90

After taking a shower, Taejung went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. He took out a Coke Zero and began chugging it down. Water dripped from his hair, which he had not dried properly, but he did not seem to care in the slightest.

Wooseung looked at the water spots dotting the rug. The back of the sofa where Taejung had rested his head was also already stained dark with water.

“What do you want to eat.”

“Let’s eat whatever you want to eat, President. I do not mind……”

While Taejung was sending a text to Junseok, Wooseung kept glancing at the wet sofa. Even though it was not his, it bothered him. In the end, Wooseung discreetly rose to his feet and reached a hand out to him.

“Shall I dry your hair for you?”

“What?”

Taejung, who had been looking at his phone, jerked his head up in surprise. His somewhat relaxed face looked unfamiliar.

“It keeps getting wet here……”

“……”

“I think it needs to be dried.”

Taejung slowly sat up straight. Then he checked the part of the backrest where he had been leaning his head. He seemed to ponder for a moment, then he grabbed the towel he had tossed on the table and threw it to Wooseung.

“Dry it then.”

Wooseung caught the towel, unfolded it, and approached Taejung. He could see Taejung flinch, but he pretended not to notice.

Even though his hair was soaking wet, it was not tangled at all and swayed lightly with the movement of the towel. He rubbed his scalp and meticulously dried the hair all the way to the ends.

Taejung’s fingers, holding his phone, wandered about, not knowing what to do. When he put his hand deep into his scalp and ruffled it, his ear would twitch. Flinch.

“……”

Although he should not have, he honestly felt like laughing at the blatant reaction. Seeing Taejung become noticeably subdued, Wooseung cautiously began to speak.

“Yesterday……”

“……”

“Did I drink a lot?”

He had actually intended to ask what was in the file in the study. But completely different words came out of his mouth. Wooseung said, “I think it’s all dry now,” and lowered the towel.

Taejung rubbed the nape of his neck and his jaw awkwardly as he lifted his head. He wore a sullen expression, but his subtly flushed cheeks revealed their true color completely under the bright light.

“You don’t remember?”

“……No.”

Taejung scoffed.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to drink.”

That was something Wooseung also admitted. He was the type where one drink led to another. Once he felt a buzz, his mood would suddenly lift, and he would keep drinking even if someone tried to stop him. Because he liked the tipsy, flushed feeling, because he liked the oblivion that made all his worries and anxieties evaporate like smoke. He could not control it well. He would always lose his memory and have to feel his heart drop with a thud when he opened his eyes in the morning, but a bad habit once formed was not easily broken.

“You fucked someone and now you’re saying you don’t remember.”

“……”

“What’s the last thing you remember.”

Wooseung folded and unfolded the towel, glancing at Taejung. It was hard to say what he remembered last. The memories were patchy, and he could not tell which came first and which came last.

“I remember…… calling you Taejung-ah.”

Taejung’s lips parted slightly.

“You fucker, you’re doing it on purpose again……”

He fumed for a good while, like someone who had been ambushed. Then he glared at Wooseung and asked abruptly.

“Anything else.”

“……”

“Is there anything else you remember?”

When he shook his head, Taejung made an unreadable face. It was an ambiguous expression that seemed both disappointed and relieved.

After looking at him like that for a long time, he suddenly said something unexpected.

“Do you want to start speaking informally while we’re at it?”

Wooseung could not answer readily and just watched his reaction.

“I said drop the formalities.”

“Why, all of a sudden……”

“We’re the same age.”

They were only the same age; they were not on equal footing. Speaking informally would not straighten out their tilted relationship. That was why Wooseung was just bewildered by Taejung’s demand. He could understand doing it while drunk, but to tell him to continue speaking informally from now on…….

“I’ll just gradually start doing it.”

“What do you mean, gradually? Just do it now.”

“……I don’t want to.”

At the rather firm refusal, Taejung’s face crumpled into a scowl.

“Then are you going to keep calling me President when we’re fucking having sex?”

“……”

“Why don’t you just call me customer, then.”

He emphasized the word ‘customer,’ his tone dripping with sarcasm. Something had set him off again, and his face was thoroughly annoyed.

In the end, Wooseung let out a deep sigh. He now knew very well that when Taejung was like this, he was difficult to soothe with any words. He had learned that much from living with him for several months.

“Okay, I will.”

“Okay.”

“……Okay.”

“Taejung-ah.”

He was about to repeat it just like that but hesitated. Taejung raised his eyebrows with a look that said, well, look at you.

“……Taejung-ah.”

He replied cheekily in a low voice. Only then did he smile, as if satisfied, a truly annoying look on his face.

“You’re good at it.”

A hand reached out and gripped his jaw. The thumb swiped across his left cheek. Swipe. As if a line had been crossed, physical contact had become natural at some point.

Wooseung stared blankly at Taejung, whose cool smile was fixed on his face. It felt strange.

♡

In the end, he could not ask Taejung what that file was. While Taejung was out of the house, he rummaged through the study, but the file had vanished. It seemed Taejung had probably taken it with him on his way to the store.

Why on earth was there a document with a printout of the texts he and Director Jeong had exchanged?

Could it be because of the salary advance?

Wooseung had received an advance from the store, and he could only pay it off by showing up for work.

“……”

His smooth brow furrowed slightly.

After thinking it over carefully, it did not seem to be because of the salary advance. Taejung had never even mentioned the word ‘advance,’ let alone offered to pay it off for him. And it was not as if he needed to see his text messages with Director Jeong to find out how much debt he had left.

Director Jeong, Soohyun, was someone he had grown somewhat fond of at the main building. He had taken pretty good care of him, as he was shyer than the other hosts. The reason was that he reminded him of his youngest brother, who was in middle school back in his hometown. Of course, he sometimes nagged him and took his anger out on him for no reason, but whenever there was a problem in the room, he always stepped up to defend him.

That was why they had kept in touch occasionally even after he came to the annex. When they ran into each other on the first floor, they would talk for quite a long time.

He had not done anything to feel guilty about, so why on earth…….

Vzz, vzz—. The phone he was holding in his hand vibrated irregularly. The name Chanil was displayed on the screen. It was a text from an unexpected person, so he checked it immediately.

[Web Message]

[▷Obituary◁
We regret to inform you of the passing of Mr. Oh Seungmin on July 8, 20XX.
Wake: Doongjak XX Hospital Funeral Hall, Room 5
Seoul: XX-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul
Funeral Procession: July 10, 8:30 AM
Burial Site: XX Memorial Park]

“Uh……”

For a moment, Wooseung thought the text had been sent to the wrong person.

[Did you get the text?]

Normally, Wooseung and Chanil had absolutely no personal contact. But for the first message to come from Chanil to be an obituary notice.

The moment he wondered who Oh Seungmin was, a conversation between Hyojun and Chanil came to mind.

‘I was on the fence, but seeing what that bastard Hyungho is doing, I think it’s true. Remember before? Oh Seungmin also went in and out of the boss’s room for a bit and then bought a car.’

‘A Maserati? I heard the Dongoh Trading madam bought it for him.’

‘The madam? Don’t be ridiculous. He bought it himself with the money he got from running errands.’

Wooseung hurriedly sent a reply.

[What is this?]

[Oh Seungmin died, yeah. Suicide]

Wooseung did not really know Oh Seungmin. He knew he had been at the main building before moving to the annex, but that was all.

‘You idiot. Kim Hyungho just worked for money like Oh Seungmin did.’

He had only occasionally heard the other hosts mention Oh Seungmin’s name like they were shelling peanuts for a snack. But why would Chanil send him an obituary notice?

[By the way hyung, are you in touch with Park Hyojun??]

But the moment he checked the next message, Wooseung did not hesitate and called Chanil.

“Uh, Chanil-ah, why Hyojun all of a sudden?”

—Are you in touch? With that bastard?

He had lost all contact with him since he left the country. Wooseung pressed his palm against his left chest, which was stirring with anxiety, and answered.

“No, I’m not……. And what’s with the text? I don’t really know Oh Seungmin.”

—No, the thing is, Oh Seungmin, he used to go in and out of the President’s room before Kim Hyungho. And then he suddenly bought a car, no, that’s not the important part. The thing is, Kim Hyungho has also completely disappeared now, and then suddenly I get this text saying Oh Seungmin died, so it feels a bit weird, you know?

Unlike his usual self, Chanil rattled off words without a pause.

—Someone who went to the funeral hall told me the chief mourner said it was a heart attack? But they say that’s what parents make up when their kids commit suicide. Well, it could have been a real heart attack. Anyway, damn it, I can’t get in touch with Park Hyojun either. So I was wondering if you were in contact with him.

“Ah……”

—If you hear from him, let me know too. I feel like shit right now because this is so fucking weird.

“Okay. I’ll tell you right away. You should also, um, let me know if you hear from him.”

—Yup.

Even after the call ended, Wooseung stared at the blank phone screen for a long time. He was confused, wondering what was suddenly happening. In these times, when the suicides of young people in their twenties were a daily topic in the news, Oh Seungmin’s suicide might not be anything special. Because it was so hard to find a job and life was just tough.

But…….

‘No, the thing is, Oh Seungmin, he used to go in and out of the President’s room before Kim Hyungho.’

The fact that he had run errands before Kim Hyungho weighed on his mind.