Gutter Chapter 21.2 - Gutter Extra

“Come to think of it, Yeonjo hyung, why are you taking the GED?”

“I know, right. You fit in the least in our class, hyung.”

“I was working and I’m on a short break, so I’m taking this opportunity to get it. Jaemin, you said you were going to get a job, right?”

“Yes, well. But it’s hard to do anything with just a middle school diploma… I can’t just keep going from one part-time job to another, you know.”

“Why did you quit school again? Is asking this kind of question a bit much?”

“Not at all. Everyone already knows. I got into a fight with the group I used to hang out with in high school, so I just quit.”

“But don’t all part-time jobs these days hire college graduates? It’s so tough.”

“I know, right! This damn credentialism.”

While everyone was chattering and sharing stories about each other, Park Ingyu, who was sitting at the very end of the table, remained silent. With his hoodie still pulled down over his head, he was only looking at his phone. The other students, as if already accustomed to such an attitude, did not bother Park Ingyu.

“Excuse me. I will serve the appetizer made with red tilefish first.”

Just then, a restaurant employee who had knocked entered and set the dishes from the tray onto the table. Saying the plating was pretty, the students each took out their phones and busied themselves with taking pictures.

“Ah, and this is a complimentary service to thank you for visiting again. It is an aperitif, and while the alcohol content is a bit high, its aroma is sweet, so even those who are not good with alcohol tend to enjoy it.”

The employee placed the un-ordered alcohol and glasses, and gave a separate greeting to Yeonjo. Yeonjo, too, had visited several times and vaguely recognized the employee’s face, so he bowed his head in acknowledgment.

“Thank you.”

“Later, please tell the head chef to stop by again when he has time.”

“I will.”

“Well then, please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, please let me know at any time.”

As soon as the employee left, Kim Jaemin quickly picked up the bottle and poured the alcohol into everyone’s glass.

“Wow, but hyung. You must come here really often. I had a feeling, but…”

“Aren’t you an acquaintance of the chef?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then how does the staff recognize your face? You made the reservation just yesterday, too.”

“I think they recognize me because I’ve been here a few times with my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend? Mr. Yeonjo, you have a boyfriend!”

A student who had been relatively calm no matter what was happening until now showed excessive interest with sparkling eyes.

“Mr. Yeonjo’s boyfriend must be rich, too. The employee even spoke to you separately. They seemed like they wanted to make a really good impression.”

“Is your boyfriend a gold spoon like you, oppa?”

“What are you talking about?”

As if this was their chance, the students poured out the questions and doubts they had kept bottled up until now.

“Ah, why are you being so coy? Is there anyone at the academy who doesn’t know you’re rich, hyung?”

“I know, right. You always ride in a foreign car, and you even have a driver. And that driver even packs you a lunch box.”

“I heard the watch you wore last time costs thousands, too. And they said all the clothes you wear are new season luxury brands. The ring you’re wearing right now looks like it would be incredibly expensive, too.”

“What… what is all this.”

Flustered by the flood of attention, Yeonjo struggled to find the right words to answer. When did I ever wear a watch to the academy? He wasn’t the type to pay attention to every little detail, so he couldn’t remember well. He did have a few that Boss Gu had gifted him, but he had never thought about how much they cost.

“Tell us honestly, Mr. Yeonjo. What do your parents do?”

“To be able to book a famous restaurant like this with a single phone call… Are you a chaebol? Is your boyfriend a model? A celebrity?”

“Aren’t you just a building owner?”

Having never been mistaken for a rich person in his life, this kind of attention felt confusing and overwhelming to Yeonjo. He had always lived his life scrambling for money, so to be called a chaebol.

“None of that is true. I just happened to come here a few times by chance…”

“No, I mean, how do you happen to come to a place like this several times? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe like… a chaebol’s hidden son… the secret of his birth… something like that…”

“Jeez. That’s going too far. Stop watching dramas and use that time to study.”

“Ah, is that so?”

The more absurd the speculations ran wild, the drier his mouth became. Yeonjo picked up the cup in front of him and gulped down the water. But for some reason, his parched throat now felt as if it were burning hot.

“Hyung, that’s alcohol.”

“Huh?”

“Doesn’t your throat hurt? It seemed to have a pretty high alcohol content…”

“Cough! Cough, cough!“

The moment he belatedly realized what he had gulped down was alcohol, Yeonjo, who had choked, let out a series of coughs. A hot sensation spread down his esophagus to his solar plexus. It was a different kind of irritation from coughing because of a sore lung.

“Water, water! Here you go.”

Kim Jaemin hurriedly offered his own water glass to Yeonjo.

“Hey, isn’t that a wine glass too?”

As Yeonjo chugged the glass Kim Jaemin handed him, Park Eunbin shouted in surprise. However, Yeonjo had already drunk everything in the glass.

“Oh my god. Crazy. I’m sorry, hyung.”

“What’s wrong with Kim Jaemin.”

Fortunately, thanks to drinking from the glass Kim Jaemin had offered, the coughing stopped quickly. A sweet alcoholic aroma filled Yeonjo’s mouth. As a result, Yeonjo had become someone who had just chugged two glasses of alcohol.

“I wasn’t supposed to drink today… Sigh. I feel like such an idiot.”

Finding the situation absurd even to himself, Yeonjo let out an empty laugh. At that, the students who had been watching quietly also burst into laughter.

“Pffft! Ah, I’m sorry. It’s so ridiculous but it’s funny in a weird way… Are you okay, Mr. Yeonjo?”

“No, I’m not okay.”

At Yeonjo’s reply, which was mixed with a hollow laugh, the students’ laughter grew louder. While everyone was excitedly adding their own comments, only Park Ingyu sat in his seat with no expression, picking at his food.

Picking at the food that was being served one after another, Park Ingyu stared blankly at the students who were happily chattering amongst themselves. Even though a long time had passed since they started eating, none of them seemed to have any intention of getting up.

Suddenly craving a cigarette, Park Ingyu got up from his seat. Perhaps because they had also been drinking, the students’ voices were unnecessarily loud.

“Is there anything you need?”

As he came out of the private room, an employee approached him with a smile so friendly it was burdensome. Park Ingyu did not react and walked out of the restaurant building, searching his pockets. After pulling a cigarette from the pack and putting it in his mouth, he saw that the alley was excessively wide and clean, and didn’t seem like a suitable place to smoke. He hated open places like this.

“Ah, shit.”

Park Ingyu, who had been looking around, walked into the side alley. He found a spot that at least felt like a corner and lit his cigarette. The sun had completely set by then, and the signs of the shops were flashing in various parts of the alley.

“He’s putting on all sorts of shows just to show off how great he is.”

Park Ingyu grumbled as he recalled Yeonjo laughing among the students. In his memory of their first meeting, Cha Yeonjo was definitely not this unlikable.

On his first day of being forced to go to the academy after getting caught paying for things in-game with his parents’ card, Park Ingyu had seen Yeonjo for the first time in the parking lot. Yeonjo, getting out of a car with completely black tinted windows, shone from head to toe. Even his neatly styled hair sparkled unrealistically, as if he had paid real money to apply a special effect to it. His appearance oozed the vibe of a young master from some wealthy family.

Honestly, he never even imagined that someone like that would have come to a GED academy to take classes. However, contrary to his expectations, Yeonjo was in the same class at the same academy as Park Ingyu. Moreover, listening to his self-introduction on the first day, he was even around the same age as him.

Why would a young master from such a fine, no, a magnificent household be preparing for the GED so late? He must have some unspeakable circumstances. Just like himself.

Feeling a sense of kinship, Park Ingyu worked up the courage to talk to Yeonjo first. However, Yeonjo showed no interest in conversation and repeatedly gave only insincere, one-word answers. Even though he was making such an effort, the person named Cha Yeonjo was thoroughly indifferent to Park Ingyu.

Who does he think he is?

Park Ingyu thought. And he decided not to speak to him first or give him any attention anymore.

But the stupid and childish kids at the academy were fooled by his sleek appearance and made a fuss trying to get in a word with Yeonjo somehow. Yeonjo must be inwardly finding it pathetic and laughing at every single student in this academy. They were all empty-headed brats.

“So damn annoying, fuck.”

Park Ingyu threw away the shortened cigarette and put a new one in his mouth. He was just about to light it with his lighter when he got a call. It was an acquaintance he knew from a game. As soon as he answered, the acquaintance pestered Park Ingyu about when he was going to log on.

“I can’t get on right now. You know that bastard I told you about before, the one who acts up so much at the academy.”

—The one you called a concept character?

He had bad-mouthed him a few times to his acquaintance, so the conversation flowed easily. A crooked smile appeared on Park Ingyu’s previously expressionless face.

“Yeah, that idiot. I came out to eat with the academy kids today, including him, and that bastard is acting up like crazy today too.”

—What kind of bastard is he to be acting like that at his age? If he’s at an academy, he should be fucking studying hard.

“That’s what I’m saying. He also has the kind of face that’s perfect for playing politics.”

—Really? I’m so curious.

“Ah. I have a picture I secretly took, want to see it? It’s his side profile, not a frontal shot.”

—Send it. You said he only wears fakes, right? Ugh, what a loser. What is he doing, so pathetic? Ah, right. So what time are you logging on today?

“I’ll get on later tonight. Anyway, because the young kids who don’t know anything suck up to him, he thinks he’s something special, fuck. I don’t know why he’s like that. Hey, don’t hang up, wait. I’m looking for the picture.”

Park Ingyu, not even noticing that a man had approached him closely, was diligently searching through his album with the call still active.

—Hurry up and send it. But how did you know it was fake? If the kids are fawning over him that much, he could be a real gold spoon.

“Ah, don’t be ridiculous. Does a gold spoon come to get his GED after turning 30? From what I heard earlier, it seems like he has a girlfriend, and from what I can see, he’s probably leeching off his girlfriend… huh?”

It was the very moment Park Ingyu found the picture of Yeonjo he had secretly taken before in his album. A hand wearing a jet-black glove entered his field of vision without warning and snatched the phone Park Ingyu was holding.

“Wha, what the.”

Park Ingyu, who had his phone suddenly snatched away, turned around to identify the person. And his eyes immediately met those of a large, unfamiliar man.

“…Who… are you?”

Not understanding what was happening, Park Ingyu’s pupils trembled. The man, wearing a black turtleneck, was at a glance easily a handspan taller than the average man. Standing next to him, Park Ingyu felt so overwhelmed by the intimidating physique that his body instinctively flinched.

“There’s no need to be this pretty. Right?”

The man, with a rather emotionless face, muttered as he flicked through Yeonjo’s photos on Park Ingyu’s phone screen.

“What, what are you doing?”

“Shh.”

The man brought his index finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet. Soon after, as if it was uncomfortable to touch the screen with his gloved hand, he bit the tip of the glove with his teeth and pulled it off.

“Gasp! Th-th-that, there…”

Park Ingyu’s face, who was watching the scene frozen in place, was colored with horror. The back of the man’s hand was bizarrely distorted, as if the skin had melted and stuck together in wrinkles.

As Park Ingyu, who had instinctively sensed danger, stepped back, four sturdy men in black suits slowly revealed themselves from the end of the dark alley.

“Aaaah! Wait a minute, wait a minute. Wh-why are you suddenly doing this?”

Screaming as if he had seen a grim reaper, Park Ingyu collapsed pathetically onto the ground.

“Sheesh, does this motherfucker even have a dick?”

“We didn’t even do anything and he just falls on his own.”

“Who are you to do this to me…”

Watching Park Ingyu who was trembling with his back hunched over as if he had shrunk, the man searched his pockets. He looked for a cigarette out of habit, but realized a beat too late that he had quit and wasn’t carrying them, and spat out a “fuck”.

Every time the man opened his mouth or moved, Park Ingyu flinched and had a fit.

“Chief.”

One of the sturdy men surrounding Park Ingyu, taking the hint, took a candy from his inner jacket pocket and offered it to the tallest man. The man, who looked like he should be naturally putting a cigarette in his mouth, unwrapped a lollipop and rolled it in his mouth as he looked down at Park Ingyu. The sight was so incongruous it made one doubt their own eyes, which somehow made it even more terrifying.

“Excuse me. Please, can you… can you not tell me why you’re doing this? I’m a job seeker, so I d-don’t have any money.”

“Who’s talking about money when you’re dressed like shit. You really think I’d shake down a broke ass like you?”

“Well now, this friend has a great imagination.”

The sturdy men laughed at Park Ingyu.

“If it’s not money, then why… are you doing this to me…”

“Why do you think.”

The man asked in a voice so low it was chilling. He approached threateningly, as if he would slam Park Ingyu to the ground like a dog and inflict painful violence on him at any moment.

“I asked because I don’t know… First of all, do-don’t come closer, hic! and explain… with words, hic! if you could…”

The man pressed his brow with his hand as if in thought. Even in that brief moment, Park Ingyu, whose legs had given out, struggled on the ground several times.

“What should I do.”

The man cracked his neck from side to side with an expression that showed not even the slightest hint of pity for the scrawny Park Ingyu quivering at his feet. A crack, crack sound came from his thick neck.

“If I touch him, I think Cha Yeonjo will hate it.”

“Wouldn’t it be fine if we touch him and clean it up quietly, Chief.”

Park Ingyu, who was listening to the conversation, jumped in shock and looked back and forth between the men.

“Cl-clean up! Clean what up?”

Shouldn’t he be screaming at the top of his lungs to ask for help from passersby? Even as his mind raced as if his head would explode, only a crawling sound came out of Park Ingyu’s throat, as if someone were gripping and squeezing his vocal cords.

“Besides this, have you ever taken pictures of Cha Yeonjo?”

“Ye-yes? Ah… pictures. Ah, n-no. This was the first and last time. R-really. This one too, I was originally trying to take a picture of something else and by chance… somehow.”

Even as he babbled incoherently in fear, Park Ingyu instinctively lied. It was because he felt like the man before his eyes would really kill him if he said he took it on purpose.

The man listened quietly, then threw the phone he had snatched from Park Ingyu onto the ground and stepped on it with his shoe. The flat phone instantly crumbled and rolled across the concrete floor.

And just then, the man’s phone rang. He stopped crushing Park Ingyu’s phone, took out his own ringing phone from his pocket, and checked the screen.

“I have to go.”

“Chief, then this bastard…”

“Leave him for now.”

“Understood.”

“And persuade him so he never thinks of loitering around Cha Yeonjo again.”

“Yes, Chief!”

“Jungpil, my glove.”

“Here it is.”

The subordinate handed over the leather glove the man had taken off a moment ago. After putting the glove back on his hand, he turned his body and leisurely walked out of the alley.

The Gutter

Side Story

<The Gutter> Side Story

The feeling was strange. Every time he stepped onto the carpeted hallway, he had the illusion that his vision was rippling like a piece of paper. Conscious of the other employees following behind, Yeonjo tried his best to keep his mind straight.

Only one more hour to endure, and then he could leave work. The pre-closing meeting usually just involved sharing any special notes and finishing, so perhaps it wouldn’t even be an hour.

The only fortunate thing was that his breathing wasn’t getting heavy and he wasn’t coughing. It meant the possibility of it leading to a respiratory attack was low.

“Manager. Are you okay?”

As soon as he entered the employee break room, Yeonjo’s strength gave out and he leaned against the wall, and an employee standing behind him came over and asked.

“Ah, yes. I was just… feeling dizzy for a moment.”

“Your face seemed pale since a while ago…”

Anyway… there isn’t much work left… if you’re tired… you can leave early… and rest… it’s okay….

The voice of the employee speaking right next to him felt increasingly distant. Yeonjo, who barely managed to understand the content, forced himself to nod his head.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead and he began to feel nauseous.

Ah, this was the limit. Probably after this, his heart would start beating like crazy and his whole body would go limp.

“Haa, haa. Huk…!“

The problem was that he hadn’t been properly managing his condition recently. He was busy with work, and on weekends he always went up to Seoul to spend time with Boss Gu, so he had no time to rest alone. The time he spent alone with him wasn’t difficult, but perhaps the act of traveling between Seoul and the resort every week was in itself too much.

Belatedly, Yeonjo took out the inhaler from his pocket and put it to his mouth. But his condition did not improve much. He took a step to endure the dizziness and sit in a chair, but at that moment, his vision flipped completely.

“Manager! Manager!”

Just as he had anticipated, the strength drained from his limbs and he collapsed to the floor. Someone came over and helped Yeonjo up, but his pupils dilated and his vision was suddenly plunged into darkness.

After that, his memory cut off.

🚬

When he opened his eyes, he was in a hospital room. He had been vaguely aware of it even before he regained consciousness. The hospital air was familiar to Yeonjo to a sickening degree.

As the blurry image gradually came into focus, his eyes met Boss Gu’s, who was standing with his arms crossed, looking down at him. Yeonjo silently parted his parched lips and rolled his eyes.

“……”

“……”

The two of them locked gazes for a while without saying anything.

“I told you not to overdo it.”

The one who broke the silence first was Boss Gu. His voice was raspy and metallic, like someone who hadn’t had a sip of water for days, as if he had been standing leaning against the hospital room wall without moving for a very long time.

“Two days and five hours.”

Boss Gu, who had checked his watch for a moment, answered immediately. Yeonjo nodded his head faintly. I slept for quite a long time. Two days.

“Anywhere it hurts.”

“…No. My body feels refreshed after sleeping for a long time.”

At the nonchalant remark made after waking up after two days, Boss Gu stared at Yeonjo as if he was dumbfounded.

But it was true. For a few days before he collapsed, his shoulders had been heavy, and sometimes it was difficult to breathe as if his chest was being pressed down, but now those uncomfortable symptoms had completely disappeared.

Yeonjo briefly glanced around before, as expected, taking off the oxygen mask that had been placed on him. As he did, a slight feeling of tightness settled on his chest. It wasn’t that he couldn’t breathe without the respirator, but perhaps due to his lung function being damaged again from the recent fire, there was always a certain level of discomfort, as if the deep part of his throat was blocked.

“What did the doctor say was the reason for collapsing this time?”

“Overwork.”

“……”

Yeonjo swallowed a sigh. It was a relief that there wasn’t a serious diagnosis. However, he felt gloomy at the fact that he might have to lie in bed like this for days every time his condition worsened in the future.

“Did you get any calls from the resort while I was asleep?”

As Yeonjo cautiously asked while watching his expression, Boss Gu shook his head.

“The CEO didn’t say anything?”

“I don’t know what’s going on outside. I’ve been here the whole time.”

“…For the entire two days?”

Yeonjo asked again, unable to understand his words.

“So you’re saying I should have gone home alone when you collapsed?”

Boss Gu immediately retorted in a voice suppressing his anger. Yeonjo, who had been parting his lips to say something, soon couldn’t find the words and turned his head away.

“I guess I have been overdoing it lately…”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to overdo it. You’re even cleaning up after those useless bastards…”

“Ah, I’m dizzy.”

As his voice started to get louder, Yeonjo slowly crawled back under the covers. Even though he knew he was feigning, Boss Gu didn’t ignore his words about being dizzy and shut his mouth, his brows furrowed.

He moved closer to Yeonjo and placed a hand on his forehead to check for a fever. Relieved that his temperature was normal, he opened the cap of the water bottle on the nightstand and handed it to Yeonjo.

“Drink some water. I’ll go get the doctor.”

“It’s not that serious.”

Yeonjo grabbed Boss Gu’s arm as he was about to turn away. The man’s obsidian-black eyes dangerously scanned his pale face.

“Then what do you want me to do.”

“I’m asking you to stay by my side.”

As Yeonjo smiled, his eyes crinkling, Boss Gu’s face crumpled this time. Staring down at Yeonjo with a murderous expression, he gritted his teeth as if frustrated that he couldn’t get any angrier.

“Fuck, you foxy thing.”

“There’s nothing you won’t say to your hyung.”

Boss Gu was furious at Yeonjo’s endlessly calm demeanor, even though he had just suddenly collapsed, lain in bed for two days, and only just woken up. Not even knowing how much his own insides were burning up.

He silently kicked the hospital room wall with his foot. Thud.

“I’d rather die than be sick, shit.”

Even as he said that, he did not leave his side as Yeonjo had asked.

🚬

In the end, he decided to take a break from work for the time being. The resort’s CEO granted him a leave of absence, along with a request to be sure to come back once his body had recovered.

For Yeonjo, who was discharged and returned home, nothing was permitted except for eating and sleeping. This was partly due to Boss Gu, who was reacting with excessive sensitivity, and partly because Yeonjo’s recovery was actually slower than before.

He would be sleeping fine, then suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and cough like a fit until he threw up, or a fever that came on for no reason wouldn’t go down for days. Since there was no other treatment he could receive at the hospital besides a prescription for medicine and an oxygen mask anyway, Yeonjo lay limply on the bed like a waterlogged cotton ball, waiting only to get better soon.

While he had been making Boss Gu worry for over a week like this, Yeonjo once again woke up in the middle of the night.

While the surroundings were pitch-black, he could feel a warm body temperature from the side of the bed. Especially the back of his neck, which was resting on Boss Gu’s arm, was even toasty. The hard arm, which had not a single soft spot, was for some reason endlessly comfortable and cozy for Yeonjo.

“Cha Yeonjo.”

“Huh…?”

Boss Gu called his name, how on earth did he notice that Yeonjo had woken up. He had only opened his eyes and hadn’t even tossed or turned.

“Why are you up.”

“Ah, just because? I think I’m a little hungry.”

Yeonjo, who had barely been eating for the past while due to a complete lack of appetite, was for once feeling hungry.

Before the words “I’m hungry” were even finished, Boss Gu sat up straight in bed like a soldier.

“What do you want to eat.”

As it happened, there was something Yeonjo was desperately craving.

“White porridge.”

“Porridge?”

The white porridge his grandmother used to make for him whenever he was sick. The pale, milky porridge, drizzled with savory sesame oil and boiled to a bubble, flickered before his eyes. However, it didn’t seem likely that any porridge shops would be open at this hour. As he was thinking about whether he should cook it himself, Boss Gu completely threw off the covers and got out of bed.

“I’ll make it for you.”

“…You’ll make porridge?”

Yeonjo turned on the lamp and his eyes widened as if he had heard something unbelievable. It wasn’t that white porridge was a grand dish, but Yeonjo had never seen him cook, nor had he ever imagined it.

“You said you wanted to eat it.”

Contrary to Yeonjo’s surprised reaction, Boss Gu spoke with his usual expressionless face.

“Do you know how to make porridge?”

“Isn’t it just putting in rice and boiling it.”

“That’s true, but.”

“Stay in bed.”

“No, it’s okay, I can just make it myself…”

“Cha Yeonjo.”

As Yeonjo tried to get out of bed to follow Boss Gu, he reprimanded him in a low voice. Even if he ignored his words and went out to the living room, he would probably forcibly bring Yeonjo back to the bedroom. There was no way Boss Gu would tolerate Cha Yeonjo, in his sick state, puttering around in the kitchen trying to cook in the middle of the night.

Boss Gu’s hand gently pressed on Yeonjo’s shoulder, laying him back down on the bed. He didn’t press hard, but his hand was so large and thick that it felt heavy, as if a rock had been briefly placed on him and then removed.

“Wait here.”

He gave the one-sided instruction and then left for the living room. Left alone, Yeonjo checked the clock on the wall while lying down and sighed. It was impossible for him to feel at ease, having effectively sent his boyfriend out to the living room to make white porridge at 3 in the morning.

Moreover, it was questionable whether he could even really cook. He’s probably turned on a gas stove before, right? Since he had lived alone until he started living with me, maybe he can do the basics.

Gu Muncheon cooking in the kitchen. Cooking. Kitchen. Gu Muncheon. It was a bizarre combination that was impossible to imagine.

Yeonjo covered himself with the blanket and chuckled to himself. Because of the lingering fever, his temples throbbed. Just from this slight movement of his body, his solar plexus began to sting as if he was about to cough again, so Yeonjo quickly grabbed the inhaler from the nightstand next to the bed, put it in his mouth, and injected the medication into his throat. After taking a few deep breaths in and out, the stabbing pain in his insides gradually subsided.

“Phew.”

Yeonjo relaxed his body and lay quietly in bed. All he had done since waking up was exchange a few words with Boss Gu and then inhale the medication, but sleepiness quickly washed over him.

It didn’t seem like he would whip up white porridge in a flash, so he decided to sleep a little longer. Yeonjo turned off the lamp and slowly closed his eyes.

Crash!

Clang!

A sharp, shattering sound rang out of nowhere. Yeonjo, who had been lightly dozing, shot up in surprise.

Shit. The low voice muttering the curse faintly flowed through the crack in the door.

“Gu Muncheon?”

Yeonjo hurriedly got off the floor and went out to the living room.

“What is that sound?”

As he approached the kitchen, Boss Gu was standing in front of the gas stove like a scarecrow. He heard Yeonjo’s voice and belatedly turned around and shook his head.

“Don’t come closer.”

The pot, pieces of a broken plate, and spilled water were scattered messily on the living room floor.

“This, how did this…”

“I’ll clean it up. You might get hurt because of the glass, so you stay there.”

He ran a hand through the back of his hair as if annoyed, then bent down and picked up the overturned pot first. Looking closely, it seemed he had dropped it while washing the rice, as even white grains of rice were spread across the kitchen floor like mud.

It’s going to take a while for him to clean all that up by himself. Yeonjo felt a pang of pity and turned his gaze to Boss Gu. He was picking up the large items that had fallen on the floor quite quickly.

Deciding that a dry cloth was needed to wipe the wet floor first, Yeonjo started walking towards the bathroom. As he was thinking about whether it would be better to bring a large towel instead of a cloth, his wrist was caught.

“I told you not to move, Cha Yeonjo.”

“Ah.”

When did he get here. Surprised, Yeonjo looked up at Boss Gu, who was loosely holding his wrist.

“Are you hurt.”

He bent down to check if Yeonjo, who was quite far from the kitchen, was hurt by any chance.

“I’m not hurt.”

As if he hadn’t heard the answer, he personally flipped over Yeonjo’s pale feet one by one and checked them thoroughly. Only then, relieved, did Boss Gu stand up straight and push Yeonjo toward the bedroom.

“See. I told you I wasn’t hurt.”

“Go inside the room.”

“Mm-hm.”

He once again gently pushed Yeonjo inside the bedroom door. The feeling that he was consciously trying to reduce his strength whenever he dealt with him made his insides feel ticklish for some reason. In a way that was subtly different from when he was about to cough.

“Why.”

As Yeonjo kept standing there stubbornly without going into the room, Boss Gu’s expression hardened. Instead of forcibly pushing Yeonjo in, he placed a hand on his round forehead to check for a fever.

“You still have a fever.”

Yeonjo felt his gaze fall on his face and lowered his eyes. He liked his consistently careful gestures, which were unbecoming of his burly frame. Even his blunt way of speaking, devoid of emotion, somehow felt sweet.

“I’ll just order porridge.”

“Good idea.”

In the end, it seemed Boss Gu had decided that cleaning up the mess he had made and cooking porridge again was impossible to do today. Without caring that it was late at night, he took out his phone to call his subordinate.

“White porridge, right?”

He touched Yeonjo’s forehead, which was warm with a slight fever, and then ruffled his hair near the crown of his head as he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Anything else you need.”

“Nothing.”

Yeonjo shook his head and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist, hugging him. At that, he could feel his already firm body tense up even more.

“Cha Yeonjo. I have to let go to make a call.”

“Do you want me to let go?”

At Yeonjo’s childish whining, Boss Gu wrapped his arms around his waist in return. At the same time, the subordinate on the other end of the line answered the phone with a sleepy voice.

“Buy a bowl of white porridge right now. And send one person over to clean the house.”

Boss Gu ordered brusquely before his subordinate could even properly ask what was going on. Yeonjo pressed his cheek against his chest and just listened quietly to the phone conversation.

Not long ago, his characteristic low, monotonic voice had been nothing but scary, but now it sounded only sweet. He felt a bit unfamiliar with himself for having such frivolous thoughts when he had been lying sick in bed for nearly ten days. Moreover, despite being dizzy, he felt good. It was clear that his head had gone strange from lying down for too long.

He had felt good when he had the flu in his teens and his grandmother took care of him, but back then, he didn’t have the time to relax and enjoy it like this because of guilt.

“What are you so happy about, grinning like that. Have you finally gone mad from just lying around sick?”

After ending the call, Boss Gu lifted Yeonjo’s chin to make him meet his eyes.

“I think so.”

At Yeonjo’s answer, Boss Gu’s eyes narrowed.

“You don’t like it if I’m mad?”

“It’s even better if you’re mad. I can just lock you up at home.”

“…What am I supposed to do if I’m at home all the time.”

“I’ll have to make you look only at me.”

Boss Gu murmured in a dry voice.

This time, Yeonjo’s eyes narrowed. Is he being serious? Or is he joking. It was difficult to gauge his intentions from his expression or tone of voice. At his answer, which was somehow detached from common sentiment, a chill gradually ran down Yeonjo’s spine.

As Yeonjo instinctively moved his body back and took a step away, Boss Gu obediently let go of the arms he had wrapped around his waist, allowing him to break free from his embrace.

When he sneakily raised his eyes to check, the corners of his mouth were faintly, almost invisibly, turned up.

🚬

The leave of absence was longer than expected, and accordingly, Boss Gu also seemed to have adjusted his schedule, as the time he spent at home increased significantly.

As time passed, his fever completely went down and his coughing lessened, but that didn’t mean his condition was particularly good. It might even take a few months for him to fully recover.

Even so, though he was noticeably better than when he first collapsed, his worries did not diminish in the slightest. It was a given that he received reports or monitored Yeonjo’s outings, and he personally checked every single move Yeonjo made at home, from what he did to what he ate. He even insisted on following Yeonjo to the front of the door when he went to the bathroom, causing trouble several times.

At first, it was uncomfortable to have to lie at home motionlessly under his surveillance, but as time passed and he got used to it, it had its own advantages. First of all, since he was taking a break from work and not straining his body, he felt at ease. There was the disadvantage of the rather strict surveillance, but above all, being able to see Boss Gu as much as he wanted every day was the best thing.

Recently, Boss Gu had been maintaining a pattern of going to work late around 10 in the morning and returning home before 5 in the afternoon. There were times when he went out in the middle of the night while Yeonjo was asleep, but it was not a common occurrence. Seeing that the faces of the subordinates he occasionally ran into were always grim, it seemed that they were taking care of the aftermath as much as Boss Gu was working less.

Although they were separated for about six hours a day, Yeonjo found himself waiting for the time he would return home right after he left for work. It was closer to a feeling of excitement, not the tormented and scary feeling he had when he was locked up before.

Boss Gu rarely came home empty-handed when he returned from work; one day he would buy flowers, and other times he would bring back takeout of food Yeonjo had mentioned he wanted to eat in passing. In addition, he diligently bought and brought everything from books and daily necessities that Yeonjo had requested early on, to small snacks like fruit.

“Does it taste bad?”

Once, while sitting opposite each other at the dining table eating dinner, Yeonjo asked Boss Gu. It was a reasonable question, because no matter what food he ate, he would mechanically put it in his mouth, chew, and swallow, without ever showing any reaction such as “it’s good” or “it’s not good”. It was the same even when he ate food that he himself had brought as takeout from a famous restaurant.

“No.”

As Yeonjo asked while observing Boss Gu’s expression, a lukewarm answer came back. To have such an impassive reaction while eating such delicious beef hot pot and boiled pork slices. Yeonjo suddenly became curious about Boss Gu’s indifferent thought process.

“Then why are you eating with that expression.”

“What’s wrong with my expression.”

“It doesn’t look like you’re eating something delicious.”

Boss Gu put down his spoon and chopsticks and touched his jaw once.

“Then how am I supposed to eat.”

“What. Did it really taste bad?”

“I’ve never thought about it like that.”

Yeonjo mulled over the words he had just heard for a few seconds, trying to understand them. Does he mean he has never even thought about whether food tastes good or bad? Is that even possible?

“You can feel salty, sweet, and sour tastes, right.”

“Yeah.”

“But you still don’t think about whether it tastes good or bad?”

“I eat it because it’s necessary. Do I really need to distinguish such things?”

“……”

He knew that even if he wasn’t at the level of being taste-blind, his sense of taste itself was originally dull. But isn’t this serious?

“…Have you been to a hospital?”

“For what.”

“Not being able to taste well… that’s still an inconvenience, isn’t it.”

“It’s not like I’m dying.”

Right. You don’t die from not being able to taste. But you have no joy in life. Yeonjo found Boss Gu’s dry response quite frustrating.

“I don’t know if I should call this unusual… But usually, people have at least one food they like and dislike.”

“Is that so.”

“……”

“Maybe it’s because I bit my tongue before to fix my speech.”

“Ah.”

Yeonjo recalled Boss Gu’s past, which he had heard from Hong Kihyuk before. He had desperately corrected his slurred speech to survive in the organization. By biting his own stiff tongue. In that process, it was highly likely that he had severely damaged his sense of taste.

Even though it was a cruel environment where a normal person would have found it difficult to survive, the corners of Hong Kihyuk’s eyes had been curved in a smile the entire time he was explaining his brutal past. The thought of Boss Gu having lived through such terrible things made his insides feel all jumbled up, but he himself was always indifferent whenever he mentioned his past, as if he were talking about someone else’s story. As if he didn’t dwell on his desperate and painful past in the slightest.

Perhaps Rags’s sense of taste had become duller because food was closer to a means of survival for him. It was like that at the orphanage, and after joining the organization, he probably didn’t have the luxury of taking care of his meals.

Yeonjo suddenly had the cruel thought that it was a good thing Hong Kihyuk had died at the hands of Boss Gu a long time ago. He didn’t know how Hong Kihyuk had died, but he just hoped that he had struggled in as much pain as possible before he stopped breathing.

🚬

It was right after finishing dinner with Boss Gu, who had come home from work early as usual. As soon as Yeonjo put down his spoon and chopsticks, he craved ice cream for dessert.

Was there any ice cream at home? He thought he might have seen the hired help buy some before.

“Where are you going.”

“To look in the fridge.”

As Yeonjo tried to get up from the table, Boss Gu questioned him insistently. In truth, the only places Yeonjo could move to in this house were the bathroom, bedroom, balcony, and kitchen, yet he, as if it wasn’t a bother, was curious about his destination every time.

“If you need anything, have someone get it.”

“Is there anything you need?”

The hired help who was clearing the dishes in the kitchen quickly approached.

“Is there ice cream in the freezer?”

“There is. Shall I bring you one?”

“Don’t eat anything cold.”

Before she could even ask what flavor he wanted, Boss Gu cut her off.

“Why. One is fine, isn’t it.”

“Eat it when you’re all better.”

“I’m all better at this point.”

“Not yet.”

Come to think of it, it has been almost a month since he had eaten any cold food. For two weeks after he collapsed, he was stuck eating only porridge and soft side dishes that were easy to chew, and even after he started eating food comfortably after that, he had never drunk anything like an iced beverage. He wasn’t even someone who particularly enjoyed cold food, but suddenly a stubbornness of unknown origin surged, wanting to eat ice cream right now.

“Um, then, the ice cream…”

The hired help looked back and forth between Boss Gu and Yeonjo with a troubled expression.

“I’ll go get it.”

“Cha Yeonjo.”

As Yeonjo, who was sitting diagonally, tried to get up from his seat, Boss Gu immediately grabbed his hand and sat him back down. Because he had removed as much strength as possible from his hand so as not to grip it too tightly, the point of contact was loose.

A look of fear appeared in the hired help’s eyes, but Yeonjo was not the least bit afraid of Boss Gu.

“…How about you have it next time if possible?”

“Right. Have it next time.”

“I’ll just have one.”

“……”

“Or half? Let’s get one and share it.”

Yeonjo, on the contrary, put strength into the hand that was being held by Boss Gu and clasped it tightly. At that, as if flustered, the strength in the large hand was completely released. Yeonjo, who barely held back a laugh, gently shook the rough, clasped hand and met his eyes.

“Hm?”

Yeonjo had long since learned how to win against the man named Gu Muncheon in arguments like this.

“……”

At the sight of the eyes with their neat double eyelids curving softly, Boss Gu’s brow furrowed minutely.

As Yeonjo tapped the top of his foot with the tip of his own under the table, he clenched his jaw as if swallowing some surging emotion. The twitching of his jaw muscles was noticeable even from the outside.

Boss Gu put strength into their clasped hands and pulled Yeonjo towards him. Then he bent over and kissed Yeonjo’s lips.

“Umm…“

After being cooped up at home, being fed and put to sleep for several weeks, Yeonjo had gained some weight and was exuding a sweet scent that one would only find on a child. His white skin, lips, mucous membranes, all of it clung to his tongue wherever it touched, as if it would melt and disappear.

Yeonjo, as if begging for a kiss, entangled his feet under the table and stretched his neck forward. The sound of his panting breath was as delicate and delightful as a baby bird chirping to its mother for food. The two of them were completely focused on each other, without a moment to be conscious of the hired help.

Before Yeonjo could run out of breath, Boss Gu pulled his lips away first.

“We could have done more.”

Yeonjo muttered as if disappointed.

“When you’re all better.”

“Everything is ‘when you’re all better’.”

“The ice cream, too, eat it when you’re completely better.”

“I don’t want to.”

Yeonjo was stubborn, biting his plump lower lip with his front teeth. Boss Gu, who had been watching him for a moment, was the one who finally backed down first.

“…Then just one.”

Perhaps the answer had been decided from the very beginning. As Yeonjo smiled, Boss Gu turned his head to the side. The thick column of his neck was a very slight shade redder than usual.

Yeonjo, who had gotten a vanilla ice cream from the freezer as he wanted, hummed a tune as he tore open the wrapper. Boss Gu never got up from his seat until Yeonjo’s meal was completely finished, so the two were still sitting together at the table.

When he first offered the ice cream to Boss Gu, asking if he wanted a bite, he shook his head. As Yeonjo took a bite of the ice cream, a sweet vanilla flavor filled his mouth. It felt good because it was cold.

It wasn’t just now, but Yeonjo’s entire life recently had been like that. The house was filled with the scent of flowers that Boss Gu had brought, and from him now came the smell of lollipops instead of the bitter scent of cigarettes.

The two looked at each other to their heart’s content, and lay side by side in the same bed until late in the morning, lazing around. The moments he spent with him were so enjoyable that he wondered if it could get any better than this.

This was the first time he had lived such a stable life since becoming an orphan. At some point, Yeonjo was so satisfied with the comfortable recuperation that Boss Gu provided that he couldn’t believe he had ever been disappointed about not being able to go to the resort.

🚬

Time flew by quickly, and the day he had to go to the hospital arrived. Regular check-ups were something he had gotten so often that they were no big deal to Yeonjo, but since collapsing at the resort, Boss Gu became even more sensitive on the days he had to visit the hospital.

He woke up early in the morning, fed Yeonjo breakfast, and then immediately put him in the car. His appearance as he drove the car himself was somewhat stiffer than usual. He wasn’t usually one to show his feelings on his face, but today he looked particularly rigid.

Come to think of it, Boss Gu had skipped breakfast too. When Yeonjo sat at the table, he would usually sit next to him even if he had no appetite, but today he didn’t come out of the bedroom until Yeonjo’s meal was over.

Yeonjo glanced at Boss Gu’s side profile as he held the steering wheel, then turned his gaze out the window. In the distance, the large hospital building began to come into view.

After undergoing the same tests he had every time he came for about two hours, Yeonjo was finally able to enter the doctor’s office. His body wasn’t tired, but from the moment he set foot in the hospital, he felt drained for some reason. He was tired of seeing the downcast faces of the patients walking around the hallway. The test results would probably not be much different from before anyway.

“I’ll prescribe the medication for a generous period just in case. As of now, there’s nothing I can say other than to continue with medication and maintain a regular lifestyle. Absolute rest is essential in daily life as well. You must refrain from any activity that makes you short of breath or any strenuous physical exertion.”

“Will I get better than now as time goes by?”

As Yeonjo asked with a calm face, the doctor blinked awkwardly several times and let out a small sigh.

“Well. There are patients who are lucky enough to have their condition improve through good management. But that’s a really rare case.”

“……”

“The human body is different depending on environment, genetics, and age. Of course, I’ve seen patients who get worse, and there are also cases where they maintain this state. In patient Cha Yeonjo’s case, since you’ve been in a fire scene twice now…”

The doctor trailed off and hesitated for a moment.

“To put it bluntly, it’s difficult to say that the prognosis will be good.”

The doctor avoided Yeonjo’s gaze and turned his head to the X-ray of the lungs displayed on the monitor.

“Of course, it’s better than when you fainted and were hospitalized a while ago, but looking at the state of your lungs, any activity that puts a strain on your body is still off-limits. I don’t think I can promise anything for now. Let’s wait and see for a bit longer.”

In short, it meant that it could get worse from here at any time. Of course, there were cases of dramatic recovery, but the doctor went out of his way to explain that it was difficult to expect something like that to happen to Yeonjo.

“I understand.”

Yeonjo nodded calmly. After the doctor mechanically explained the points to be careful about, Yeonjo came out of the office. A nurse asked him to wait for a moment and returned to the desk.

Boss Gu, who had been standing close behind Yeonjo the entire time he was listening to the doctor’s opinion in the office, said nothing even after they came out into the hallway.

“Let’s go now.”

Yeonjo said to Boss Gu with a smile, but there was no reply. He just stood there motionless like a stone statue.

Yeonjo, who had been watching him for a few seconds, approached Boss Gu and gently took his fingertips. For some reason, he was bare-handed today. He knew that he never forgot to wear his gloves when going out, so it was puzzling. As he gently rubbed the back of his hand, where the burn scars were dark, he clenched his fist tightly.

“What are you thinking so hard about.”

“……”

“The check-up is all over, so we should go home now.”

“You.”

As soon as Yeonjo finished speaking, Boss Gu opened his mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed 크게 as if he were suppressing something.

“You don’t feel anything?”

“……”

Not knowing what to say, this time it was Yeonjo who fell silent. It seemed he was not happy with the check-up results. But from Yeonjo’s perspective, it was an expected opinion. Yeonjo’s lung function had been poor his entire life since ‘that day’, and to experience another fire in that state, he had resigned himself to the fact that it was impossible for his health to improve.

Since he had no expectation of getting better from the beginning, he felt no particular emotional stir at the doctor’s negative diagnosis. But it seemed Boss Gu was different.

“It’s okay.”

“Don’t you even hate me.”

At his words of “it’s okay,” Boss Gu immediately pressed him. His question was so unexpected that Yeonjo’s eyes widened.

“You must want to kill me. Just say it honestly.”

“……”

“I pushed you into a fiery pit twice and in the end, I’ve made you half a cripple. Tearing me to pieces wouldn’t be enough, I bet. You might as well just say it honestly and throw a punch. Don’t just smile so mindlessly like that!”

Although he yelled at Yeonjo like a thunderbolt, Boss Gu did not loosen his grip on their clasped hands in the slightest. Yeonjo took in every detail: his stiff neck, his minutely trembling pupils, and the muscles around his mouth twitching as he lost his composure.

He seemed angry, and also sad. At a glance, he also seemed to be afraid. Perhaps it was all three. It was both fascinating and pitiful that such a variety of emotions could be read from such a dry man.

Yeonjo slowly blinked his eyes. And he squeezed the large man’s hand, which was holding his so tightly it was cutting off circulation as if afraid he would let go, even harder. At that, the sound of Boss Gu taking a deep breath could be faintly heard.

How could he stab him with such sharp words when he was crying out with his whole body not to hate him.

“You went into that fiery pit with me both times, so why would I hate you.”

“…Don’t lie.”

“It’s true.”

“You don’t have to force yourself to say nice things. Look at yourself, Cha Yeonjo. Because of me, you’re like this.”

“……”

“Like this…”

Boss Gu couldn’t finish his words and gritted his teeth.

Has this kid only ever been deceived in his life. Yeonjo met the eyes of the man who was stubbornly glaring at him.

As the man with such a massive build stood menacingly in the middle of the hallway, the people passing by were also slowly avoiding the area. He might look threatening to others, but Yeonjo was not the least bit afraid of him.

Usually, it didn’t quite hit him that he was six years younger than him, but at times like this, he thought, a younger man is a younger man. Seeing him throw a huge fit and be strangely stubborn.

“What should I do to make the baby believe my words…”

As Yeonjo tilted his head and muttered as if to himself, Boss Gu’s eyebrows shot up fiercely.

“You used to believe everything I said in the past.”

“What nonsense are you suddenly…”

Before Boss Gu could finish his sentence, Yeonjo wrapped his arms around his waist.

“……”

“……”

Contrary to his demeanor just moments ago, which seemed like he would immediately push him away and raise his voice asking what he was doing, he showed no reaction.

Feeling the warm cheek against his firm chest, Boss Gu obediently lowered his head. Soon, the man, who had relaxed his tensed body, buried his face in Yeonjo’s shoulder and let out a long sigh.

“Haa.”

“It will get better with more time.”

Even though he had never once had a hopeful thought about his own health, Yeonjo decided to lie for the man who was leaning limply against him.

“If it doesn’t get better.”

“Then… you’ll have to keep feeding and supporting me.”

Yeonjo muttered playfully and patted Boss Gu’s back. Even though he was tall enough to cover his entire body, Yeonjo felt that he was endlessly delicate. Is it because he’s still young?

“You smell like the candy kids eat.”

The more Boss Gu rubbed his forehead on his shoulder, the more a faint sweet scent spread. Recently, he had been strictly quitting smoking, and he often had a lollipop in his mouth instead of a cigarette. He had been sucking on it in the car, too. At some point, whenever he was close and breathed, the scent of fruit candy would subtly waft from him.

“You don’t like it?”

“I like it. You’re like a baby.”

It’s not that he’s like a baby, he actually is a baby… But not a real baby. It was ambiguous to express it precisely.

Anyone who heard it would be horrified, but Yeonjo still found Boss Gu cute.

“Then I should eat it more often.”

He raised his head and murmured as he looked at Yeonjo. Although his voice was still dry and his face was blunt, it seemed his mood had improved a lot.

🚬

The next day.

Yeonjo anxiously checked the clock. It was already close to midnight. The house was unusually quiet today, and the empty space next to him in bed felt particularly large.

“Haa.”

Letting out a sigh, Yeonjo meaninglessly turned the bedside lamp off and on repeatedly.

He had received a call earlier that Boss Gu’s return would be late and that he should go to sleep first, but he just couldn’t fall asleep. Without the large figure who was always next to him, it felt more than just empty, it felt strange. Moreover, Boss Gu hadn’t said he would be late himself, but it was a message delivered by his subordinate, which made it weigh on his mind even more.

Glancing at the spot where Boss Gu usually lay, Yeonjo bit his lower lip. Did something happen? The person who had been coming home sharp at 5 in the afternoon for several weeks had no news even as it was nearing midnight, so from the perspective of the one waiting, his insides couldn’t help but burn.

Could he have gotten hurt or caught up in something dangerous? It didn’t seem like he was doing any physical work these days.

In the end, Yeonjo couldn’t stand it and picked up his phone to call Boss Gu. However, just like the previous call, it didn’t connect this time either.

“……”

It has to be nothing. If something had really happened to him, he would have been the first to be contacted. So perhaps it was more of a relief that there was no contact.

Yeonjo tried to compose himself and closed his eyes to go to sleep. However, as soon as he pulled the covers over himself and decided to just sleep, the image of Boss Gu getting injured and being taken to the hospital began to float in his mind against his will.

“Haa…”

Letting out the sigh he had let out hundreds of times today, Yeonjo finally came out of the bedroom. Yeonjo, who had brightly lit the dark living room, meaninglessly touched the flowers that Boss Gu had bought a few days ago. A bright fragrance spread from the fully bloomed flowers in the vase. Yeonjo tapped the petals meaninglessly with his fingernail.

While he was killing time aimlessly like that,

Bang, bang, bang.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the front door. Yeonjo lifted his head with a start and his eyes widened.

The noisy sound of several pairs of dress shoes was echoing from outside the front door.

“Who is it?”

On the intercom screen that he checked with a tense face, he saw the familiar faces of Boss Gu’s subordinates. Only then did Yeonjo feel relieved and press the unlock button to open the door. At that, three sturdy men noisily stumbled into the shoe closet as if they were being pushed.

“Please step aside for a moment. We’re coming in.”

“What is this…”

Yeonjo was at a loss for words as the subordinates pushed their way into the living room without any proper explanation. They were carrying Boss Gu piggyback on their backs.

The fact that Boss Gu had been carried in by his subordinates made Yeonjo feel a vague sense of fear.

“What happened? Is he hurt somewhere?”

As the subordinates laid Boss Gu down on the living room sofa, Yeonjo rushed over to check his condition.

“Huff, huff. Hurt? Huff, don’t worry.”

“Then why was he carried in?”

“He was carried in because he’s drunk. Haa.”

Yeonjo’s action of lifting Boss Gu’s collar to check where he was hurt came to a halt.

The three subordinates were panting and shaking their heads as if to say, don’t even ask.

“Wow, really. I almost died.”

“He’s not a person, he’s a boulder, a boulder. I’d rather do manual labor. I can’t do this again.”

“Haa, the Chief had a bit to drink today.”

“He’s not hurt, he’s drunk?”

“Yes. He’s perfectly fine without any injuries.”

At Yeonjo’s question of whether he was hurt, the subordinate answered with a snort.

“My goodness. To see the Chief this drunk. I’ve lived long enough to see everything.”

“You’re just a young punk, spouting nonsense.”

While the subordinates were whispering, Yeonjo stared blankly at the face of Boss Gu who was sprawled out asleep on the sofa. Apart from being relieved that it wasn’t an injury, it was a very bewildering development.

Come to think of it, the living room was filled with the smell of alcohol. The culprit was, of course, the only man sprawled out here, Gu Muncheon.

To be so out of it that he had to be carried home by three able-bodied men, it was clear that he was not just a little drunk.

“How did he end up drinking this much?”

He had seen him drink a few times, but it seemed like he was always fine no matter how many glasses he had…

“I’m not sure. This is the first time we’ve seen him this drunk too…”

“Wow, the Chief is so tall, his weight is incredible. I thought my back was going to break.”

One of the subordinates complained, cracking his neck from side to side.

“For some reason, I thought he seemed to be in a slightly bad mood since he came to work today, and then he suddenly started chugging vodka like this and ended up like this…”

“Hey, stop blabbering and get out of here now, take the hint. If the Chief finds out later that you talked for a long time with the madame, he’ll kill you.”

“Gasp. Understood, hyung-nim!”

The subordinate who was explaining the situation properly quickly shut his mouth when the one next to him stopped him. Even without having to hear the full story, Yeonjo could guess that Boss Gu had ended up like this because of what had happened at the hospital yesterday.

“Well then, madame. We’ll be on our way, so when the Chief wakes up, please make him a glass of honey water or something.”