Vol 6 Ch 8

“…It’s annoying,” CEO Kim muttered.

 

“You’re one to talk. Why did you bring it up in the first place?”

 

“I only asked Inseop to referee. When did I ever invite him?”

 

“If Inseop comes, that jerk tags along too. Don’t you know it’s a buy-one-get-one-free deal?”

 

The two men whispered as they watched Lee Wooyeon casting his fishing rod from a distance.

 

“Keep it down. You’re scaring the fish away.”

 

Lee Wooyeon scolded the two men.

 

“…Do fish really get caught here?”

 

Bundled up in a jumper and blanket, with only his face showing, Inseop asked Lee Wooyeon in a very small voice.

 

“I don’t know,” Lee Wooyeon replied, staring at the surface of the lake with a blank expression.

 

“This is my first time fishing. I really want to catch a fish.”

 

Inseop responded, his voice a little excited.

 

“Me too. I’d like to catch one as well.”

 

In truth, Lee Wooyeon had no interest in fishing whatsoever. Whether a shark or a corpse was hooked on the line, it wouldn’t make any difference to him. But seeing Inseop so excited, he thought it wouldn’t be so bad if a dumb fish happened to get caught.

 

“Inseop, drink this.”

 

Manager Cha offered a cup of instant coffee he had just brewed. Inseop thanked him softly.

 

“You’re too much. Am I not allowed to drink?”

 

Lee Wooyeon said with a shameless smile, annoyed at Manager Cha for constantly hovering around and taking care of Inseop.

 

“You said you couldn’t stand the taste anymore. You’ve had so much during ad shoots…. Ow.”

 

Suddenly, Manager Cha grabbed his shin after being kicked.

 

“Do you work in advertising?” Inseop asked. He hadn’t been able to properly ask what his younger brother did for a living.

 

“Yes, something like that.”

 

Lee Wooyeon answered with a bright smile while Manager Cha shook his head and returned to his spot.

 

“But is it okay to take such a long break from work?”

 

“I’m a freelancer, so it doesn’t matter.”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

Inseop sipped the coffee, occasionally glancing at his younger brother sitting next to him.

 

…He really looks like he could be a celebrity. Are the beauty standards in Korea different?

 

“Why?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

Lee Wooyeon asked, still keeping his eyes on the fishing float. Inseop quickly diverted his gaze and replied.

 

“…I was just thinking that our mother must have been very beautiful.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You said you look like our mother, so…”

 

“Do you think I’m pretty?”

 

Lee Wooyeon asked with a slight smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. There it was again. Inseop’s heart started pounding. He clenched his fists in his pockets.

 

“Well…”

 

“Not pretty?”

 

When no answer came, Lee Wooyeon turned his body sideways, lowering his head to meet Inseop’s eyes.

 

“Am I ugly?”

 

“…The fish are going to get scared away,” Inseop cautioned quietly, but it was no use. Lee Wooyeon persistently asked if he was pretty, what parts of him were pretty, and how pretty he was.

 

CEO Kim and Manager Cha, tired of Lee Wooyeon’s antics, congratulated themselves for moving their fishing rods to the other side.

 

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

 

Lee Wooyeon flicked Inseop’s reddened nose playfully.

 

“Well, that is… Oh!”

 

Inseop’s eyes widened as the float on his fishing rod started bobbing up and down.

 

“Oh, what do I do? It’s a fish….”

 

Startled, Inseop lifted the rod from the stand, stammering. The commotion alerted the two men, who ran over.

 

“Inseop, did you catch one?”

 

“Inseop, don’t pull too hard. Slowly, slowly.”

 

Both men shouted simultaneously. Even more flustered, Inseop stood there holding the rod, looking helplessly at Lee Wooyeon.

 

“Turn the reel.”

 

Lee Wooyeon moved behind Inseop, guiding him as they turned the reel together. The rod bent under the weight.

 

“No, not like that. You have to do it this way.”

 

CEO Kim joined in. Unable to bear it, Manager Cha jumped in too.

 

“No, not like that. Here, let me do it for a second.”

 

“You rookies don’t know anything. Move aside!”

 

While CEO Kim yelled, the rod suddenly straightened. In that instant,

 

Whoosh.

 

The empty rod sliced through the air. The two men lost their balance and tumbled to the ground. Fortunately, Inseop, supported by Lee Wooyeon, didn’t fall.

 

Only half the bait dangled from the hook.

 

“Ugh, really. You old fart. I told you I’d handle it!”

 

“If you had just tilted it sideways and pulled earlier, we’d have caught it. This is your fault.”

 

“Pulling too hard with brute force. You still don’t know the timing even after all this fishing.”

 

Manager Cha brushed off his clothes, then noticed Inseop standing dazed with the empty rod.

 

“Sorry, Inseop. You almost caught a big one.”

 

“A big fish… really?”

 

“Of course. It was about this big.”

 

Manager Cha spread his hands wide to demonstrate.

 

“No way. I saw it surface for a moment. It was this big.”

 

CEO Kim made Manager Cha widen his hands further.

 

“…Did you see it too?”

 

Inseop turned to Lee Wooyeon behind him. Lee Wooyeon extended his arms, making Manager Cha spread his hands even more.

 

“This big.”

 

Inseop burst into laughter.

 

“No way. Haha. I should have taken a picture. No one will believe I caught a fish. Haha.”

 

Inseop chatted excitedly like a child. The two men fell silent. They watched Lee Wooyeon, who couldn’t take his eyes off Inseop, looking lost and conflicted.

 

Both men turned their gazes away simultaneously, feeling like they had witnessed something they shouldn’t have.

 

“…Sorry, I talked too much and scared all the other fish away.”

 

Inseop hastily closed his mouth. Lee Wooyeon picked up a fallen blanket, shook it off, and draped it over Inseop’s shoulders.

 

“We can always catch more fish.”

 

Lee Wooyeon reassured him in the kindest voice possible. Watching this, CEO Kim felt a pang of guilt. He had driven to Gangwon-do late at night because he couldn’t stand the idea that this beastly jerk might have already taken advantage of the clueless Choi Inseop, as Manager Cha had suggested.

 

“Are you cold?”

 

Lee Wooyeon asked, adjusting Inseop’s clothes.

 

“I’m fine. Thanks.”

 

“If you get cold, tell me. We can go inside right away.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Lee Wooyeon patted Inseop’s back a few times with a smile. Hard as it was to believe, Lee Wooyeon was playing the role of the younger brother quite convincingly.

 

“I’m just going to step out for a smoke,” Lee Wooyeon said, disappearing with CEO Kim.

 

Does he even smoke? I’ve never seen him smoke before.

 

Inseop fiddled with the fishing rod resting on the stand. Since losing the bait earlier, he hadn’t had another bite.

 

“Brr, it’s cold,” Manager Cha said, sitting next to him.

 

“Aren’t you cold, Inseop?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

In fact, he had been feeling a bit cold for a while, but he really wanted to catch just one fish. Lee Wooyeon had playfully asked what he would do with the fish anyway.

 

…Just to give it to you.

 

Inseop swallowed the words he couldn’t say, trailing off instead. Since waking up here, he had relied on Lee Wooyeon for everything—hospital bills, living expenses, even meals. He hadn’t cooked a single meal for himself. He wanted to give something back, no matter how small.

 

“Well, Inseop, you’ve always been pretty determined. Even at work, you were meticulous.”

 

Inseop’s eyes widened at Manager Cha’s hearty laugh and comment.

 

“Did we work together?”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah. You helped out briefly. Anyway, I need to use the restroom. If the float moves, call the CEO.”

 

Manager Cha hurried off, fearing that any slip of the tongue might land him in trouble.

 

Left alone, Inseop blew warm breaths onto his frozen hands, staring at the floating bobber.

 

It was strange. Just looking at the lake’s surface calmed his anxiety. He liked it here. Had he visited this place often before? Had he come here with Lee Wooyeon, like when they went to see the sunrise? …Had they spent quiet, peaceful times together like now?

 

Taking a deep breath of the cold winter air, Inseop blinked. The wind blew, causing the calm lake’s surface to ripple as if shivering. Then he heard it.

 

A large object made a splashing sound as it was thrown into the lake.

 

What was that? It sounded like….

 

“Help! Someone fell in!”

 

Inseop jumped up, looking around. He saw no one.

 

“Please, please, someone… help!”

 

A voice, almost a scream, echoed. His heart raced. A sharp ringing in his ears and a splitting headache overtook him.

 

“Help, please, call 119 or the police…!”

 

Someone cried out with a trembling voice. A powerful emotion surged within him, so strong and clear that nothing else mattered.

 

I have to save them. Somehow, I must….