PAHO 57

“Ah, you’re here?”

Confirming Nam Gyeonhwa entering the doorway, Choi Jiyu yawned and rose from the sofa. Having already run out to the entrance at the sound of footsteps, Nam Haejin hugged Nam Gyeonhwa tightly before he could even take off his shoes, acting childishly. Though out of breath from running, he skillfully soothed Haejin and gave Choi Jiyu a nod of acknowledgement.

“I’m sorry. My schedule got pushed back a bit, so I’m late.”

“It happens.”

At his expression, which was like that of someone who had committed a great wrong, Choi Jiyu smiled reassuringly. To say he was making a fuss over being a little late would be an understatement, as it was already seven in the evening. On average, Choi Jiyu’s assigned field work hours were from noon to five in the afternoon. Since he was well over two hours late, she surely wouldn’t be too pleased, even if it wasn’t a task she had ordered herself.

However, for Choi Jiyu, there was nothing to complain about. Wiyoung-gwan, which was said to exist outside the law, paid overtime with military precision, belying its reputation as a lawless zone. As someone known as a so-called “dragon from a humble stream,” she was earning much better money than in a regular office job that didn’t even pay minimum wage.

On top of that, the babysitting role she had ended up with simply because she was the eldest daughter raised in a household with many children was, contrary to her colleagues’ worries, what one might call a cushy job. Nam Haejin, who would be of school age next year, was one of the most well-behaved children Choi Jiyu had ever seen. Compared to when he was shy at first, he now spoke more often, and compared to when he would only nod at any question, he had become more assertive, but that didn’t diminish his gentle nature.

Her tasks were to go to the hospital with him according to his schedule, help him with his lunch, washing his hands and feet, and brushing his teeth, and make sure he took his medicine with every meal. For the rest of the time, he would just curl up alone in front of the bookshelf reading a picture book full of dinosaurs, or assemble Legos and then call Choi Jiyu over to show her.

“You worked really hard today, too.”

“Not at all. You’re the one who’s having a hard time, Mr. Nam Gyeonhwa.”

He was said to be an exclusive bodyguard. It was, in a way, absurd to think he was protecting Na Taebeom of Wiyoung-gwan, of all people, but Choi Jiyu soon came to fully agree that his special duty was bodyguarding. The key point was just that the targets of his protection were not Director Na Taebeom, but the scumbags who confronted Na Taebeom.

Just two days ago, there had been a huge commotion within the security team. She heard that Na Taebeom had beaten a belligerent customer like he was butchering a piece of meat, for the sole reason that the customer’s yelling—over some trivial complaint after slapping a hospitality department employee in the face—sounded like a pig squealing. With the belligerent customer’s bodyguards joining in, the high-end restaurant had been on the verge of becoming a chaotic brawl that would have made its “high-end” title meaningless, but the fistfight had narrowly ended, and they got off with just a six-month ban from the establishment.

However, the ban was not the issue at all. If Nam Gyeonhwa hadn’t grabbed him and stopped him midway, the man might have become a barely breathing corpse rather than just having injuries that would take a few weeks to heal.

Above all, just seeing the life return to Gwon Jongdae’s face, which had been like that of a timid chihuahua, since Nam Gyeonhwa was added to the security staff, it was clear that Nam Gyeonhwa had taken over the role of emotional punching bag that Gwon Jongdae had held until then. Thinking about it, Choi Jiyu suddenly felt a sense of pity for him.

“Oh, right, the fridge looked so empty, so I bought some eggs and milk. And, right, watermelon. On my way here, Haejin was staring so intently at a watermelon.”

“A watermelon? It must have been heavy.”

“It wasn’t heavy, I only bought half a melon. I bought it at the outlet’s food court, and they even removed all the rind for me. Please be sure to eat it later. I tried some, and it’s very sweet.”

Choi Jiyu, who had been chattering with a smile on her face, covered her mouth with her hand.

“Oh, this isn’t the time for this; you need to rest. I’ve been thoughtlessly holding up someone who’s tired and talking for too long.”

“No, it’s all right.”

At his polite tone and the slight softening of the corners of his mouth, Choi Jiyu sighed inwardly. So he knows how to smile like that. No matter how she thought about it, the pinnacle of this cushy job was undoubtedly the man right in front of her. Gwon Jongdae’s warning not to show any foolish affection crossed her mind, but could she really ignore a situation like this? In the first place, Na Taebeom had never openly indicated that he had a male lover, so wouldn’t it be rude to jump to conclusions and call him a bottom or a lover?

“Come to think of it, it’s gotten quite late. You should be heading home too, Ms. Choi Jiyu.”

“Ah.”

Checking the time on the smartwatch on her wrist, Choi Jiyu smacked her lips. She wasn’t thick-skinned enough to hang around thoughtlessly when he was politely asking her to leave.

Only after seeing Choi Jiyu off on her late departure from work was Nam Gyeonhwa able to catch his breath. He drank a glass of water, tossed his outerwear into the laundry hamper, and collapsed onto the sofa as if drained of all strength.

I’m tired. The words he repeated in his mind flowed out as a deep sigh. He had taken a job at the manpower agency he had been introduced to at the last construction site. It was simple loading and unloading at a logistics center subcontracted by Samwon Biotech, where he would package pharmaceuticals supplied from the Kaesong and Pyongyang industrial complexes and move them onto transport trucks.

He had hesitated for a moment at the mention of a Samwon affiliate, but Nam Gyeonhwa accepted the job. The daily wage was high, and he had judged that in order to comply with Na Taebeom’s proposal to lure and make contact with Samwon, he needed a foundation to indirectly expose his presence, even if he didn’t enter their direct surveillance network.

Compared to a construction site where he had to be tense at all times due to safety concerns, the mental fatigue might be less, but the labor intensity was high as he had to move dozens of kilograms without rest. Still, as hard as the work was, he could receive his daily wage immediately in cash, and they didn’t extort a hazing fee from newcomers, so he was pocketing 100,000 won every day, even after the referral fee. If he went just three or four days a week, he could earn a million won a month as a stable income, so it was not a bad side job.

However, the physical exhaustion was a separate matter. Perhaps because he had been sleeping in snatches recently, the canker sore in his mouth was not healing quickly even with medicine. Should I just slack off a bit today? But I need to have a nest egg in case something unexpected happens.

“Hyung-ah, are you very sleepy?”

Haejin, who had approached Nam Gyeonhwa as he lay with an arm over his eyes, breathing slowly, pressed on his arm. Nam Gyeonhwa, who hadn’t stirred even at the fumbling touch which was Haejin’s version of a massage, suddenly pulled Haejin into a fierce hug and tickled him all over. Twisting his body back and forth in his arms and giggling, Haejin suddenly put his nose to his nape and sniffed. Sniff, sniff.

“You smell like a medicated patch.”

Medicated patches were stuck all over the area connecting his neck, back, and shoulders. Calmly peeling off a loose patch, Nam Gyeonhwa cupped Haejin’s cheeks in both hands. It was something he did habitually to distract Nam Haejin.

“Did you have fun with Jiyu noona?”

“Yup.”

“Is noona nice to you?”

“Yup. Very, very nice.”

Even without asking, he could hear about how Choi Jiyu took care of Haejin through Na Taebeom. Where they went, what they ate, when they went to the hospital, whether he took a nap or not. But only after hearing Haejin’s own account did he feel like he was properly wrapping up the day’s routine.

“What should we have for dinner? What does Haejin want to eat?”

“Um, I want fried rice.”

“Fried rice?”

“Yup, not spicy.”

Not spicy, by Nam Haejin’s standards, meant vegetable or egg fried rice without kimchi. Since he had just gotten eggs, making fried rice would be quick. Even if his whole body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, he had to eat dinner. It was a survival instinct.

It was then. The gravel in the yard rustled, and the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs was heard. Nam Gyeonhwa, who was stirring eggs in a hot frying pan, narrowed his eyes at the unusual presence. Did Choi Jiyu leave something behind? The moment he looked at the intercom panel to check who it was, the door lock opened. At the face that threw the door wide open, Nam Gyeonhwa, who had stepped forward toward the door with a kitchen knife as a weapon, limply lowered his arm.

“…What are you?”

At the bewildered question, Na Taebeom, who was taking off his sneakers at the entrance, gave a slight shake of his head.

“Me.”

“I’m not asking because I don’t know you’re the director. Why are you here at this hour?”

“I’m the landlord, so I came to check on the house. As a housewarming, too.”

“Without saying anything beforehand?”

“Ah,” Na Taebeom let out a sound of realization and shrugged his shoulders.

“No wonder, I felt like I forgot something, but I forgot to ask about that.”

“What?”

His confident attitude was not that of someone who had forgotten at all. So dumbfounded that he pressed his throbbing temples, Nam Gyeonhwa first checked on Nam Haejin, who must have been surprised by the sudden visit. Haejin, whom he had expected to be hiding in fear, was surprisingly nearby, staring up at Na Taebeom. Na Taebeom, who was putting on slippers, frowned.

“What are you staring at?”

“I was just, looking.”

“Just?”

“Yes.”

The reply that came back was surprisingly bold. Haejin, who was fidgeting with his clasped hands, continued.

“And at this time, I’m only supposed to be with hyung-ah.”

“Well, that’s a rule I’ve never heard of in my life.”

“Hyung said so. He said I shouldn’t let in any adults other than hyung at night. And also, he said it’s not good to go to other people’s houses late at night.”

“Then that makes it even less of a problem.”

Bending his waist slightly, Na Taebeom poked Nam Haejin’s forehead.

“This is my house, you see.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why, when I said it’s my house, kid? You’re dumber than you look.”

Just as Nam Haejin pouted his lips at the teasing tone, Na Taebeom gestured with his chin over Nam Gyeonhwa’s shoulder.

“Something smells like it’s burning.”

“Burn…?”

Startled, Nam Gyeonhwa hurriedly turned to look at the electric stove. Acrid smoke was billowing from the neglected frying pan.