Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 18

Haeshin, who had been like that, decided to take his mother to the hospital again. He felt like it might work this time. If they did the tests now, they would be able to detect the cancer sooner.

He knew they wouldn’t be able to afford treatment right away. Cha Haeshin still had no money. There was no solution unless he accepted Jin Youngmin’s help. Nevertheless, Haeshin wanted to discover the illness as early as possible. Who knows? An unexpected solution might magically appear.

“Even if you say so……. Will you have the time?”

Haeshin nodded at his mother’s question. If he talked to the owner of the store where he worked during the day in advance, he could probably delay his starting time a little.

“Yes. I’ll tell you again when the time is set.”

“Alright. Wash up and rest quickly.”

“You too, Mom. Go back to sleep.”

Haeshin stared at his mother’s back as she walked into her room, stepping on the moldy linoleum. His gaze fell on his mother’s limping right leg. That, too, was a scar left by the man he didn’t even want to call his father.

The repeating regressions were definitely painful. Haeshin could no longer escape from his misfortune, not even through death. Even the peace that was given equally to all humans had been taken from him.

Still, if there was one advantage to this curse, it was that his mother would never know about his death. But Haeshin wasn’t satisfied with such a paltry advantage. He couldn’t be.

“This time will be different.”

Muttering to himself, lost in thought, the image of the man standing in front of his house in the winter dawn, holding a lollipop, came to mind. The very person who made Haeshin decide to take his mother to the hospital again. The groundless hope, now almost like a friend to Haeshin, swelled up again.

He knew he was overly excited. But Haeshin didn’t bother to control his anticipation.

They say you’ll be disappointed if you get your hopes up too high? Haeshin’s life always went to the worst, even without any expectations. He rarely even had the chance to entertain futile hopes.

So it would be alright. Even if things didn’t work out, he would just die again. Haeshin savored the fluttering feeling he was experiencing for the first time in a long time.

☂️

“Let’s put some people around Jin Youngmin.”

“What level of surveillance do you require?”

Even though Taejun abruptly spoke in the car on the way to work, without any prior explanation, Secretary Choi responded naturally as if he had expected it. Taejun continued, his gaze fixed outside the car window.

“No need to follow him tightly, just need to know where he goes and what he does.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Taejun’s gaze shifted to the cell phone in his hand. After meeting Cha Haeshin yesterday morning, Taejun saved his number. Cha Haeshin. He had hesitated for a long time before writing down those three words, as if it were some difficult task.

Even now, it felt strange, as if just adding one number to his numerous contacts was a significant event. He felt like deleting it right away, and at the same time, he wanted to call the number for no reason.

A needless worry came as a bonus: What if Jin Youngmin visited him again today? He told himself it wasn’t something to be so concerned about, but then the image of Haeshin’s face, saying awkwardly, “There aren’t many people in my life who say things like that to me,” came to mind, making his heart sink.

The tattered wallet that looked like it would rip any minute, and the business card preciously kept inside. The unexpected scene from the winter night filled his vision.

“CEO, by any chance……”

It was Secretary Choi’s voice that broke Taejun’s train of thought. Taejun quickly looked up at the driver’s seat. Secretary Choi spoke.

“Do you think Director Jin Youngmin has some other ulterior motive?”

It seemed Secretary Choi also had a lot on his mind. Indeed, Taejun’s recent behavior must have seemed unusual from his perspective.

He couldn’t tell him everything about the regressions, but hiding everything wasn’t the answer either. Even without an explanation, Secretary Choi would follow Taejun’s instructions, but he couldn’t treat him like a mindless minion who blindly obeyed orders. Taejun spoke.

“I’m not sure yet. There’s no need to worry too much. It’s just…… he seems different from the person I knew, so I need to check.”

This wasn’t entirely a lie. In the last loop, Jin Youngmin, suspicious and enraged by the relationship between Han Taejun and Cha Haeshin, killed Haeshin. That meant he was capable of doing things other than murder.

In this loop, Taejun had intervened between the two of them earlier and more subtly. Jin Youngmin might try to bring down Han Taejun before he completely lost it. Secretary Choi nodded as if he finally understood Taejun’s recent actions.

“In that case, Mr. Cha Haeshin could prove useful later on. That is, if Director Jin Youngmin’s interest is genuine.”

Taejun faltered for a moment. It seemed Secretary Choi assumed that the reason Taejun approached Cha Haeshin was to prepare for a potential confrontation with Jin Youngmin.

Strictly speaking, that wasn’t wrong. While the one Taejun was fighting wasn’t the insignificant Jin Youngmin, but a much larger world, it was true that he needed Cha Haeshin for that fight.

“……That’s right.”

Taejun replied after a short silence. How would Cha Haeshin be useful to Han Taejun? What kind of weapon could he become in escaping this hell? It was something he couldn’t know yet.

☂️

“Cha Haeshin is doing well. But there’s something rather puzzling……”

Jin Youngmin, who was receiving a report while scanning through the approval documents, looked up at his secretary with raised eyebrows.

“Recently…… CEO Han Taejun visited Cha Haeshin’s store.”

“What?”

Startled by Youngmin’s suddenly raised voice, the secretary continued cautiously.

“He went into a private room with Cha Haeshin and talked for about ten minutes? No one knows what they talked about.”

“What is he…… doing?”

Jin Youngmin muttered with a displeased look. He didn’t understand what Taejun was doing. It was absurd enough that someone who barely contacted him suddenly interfered in his life, but now he’d even gone to see Cha Haeshin?

“Was that whole ‘making fun of Myeongjin’ thing just an excuse……?”

After dismissing his secretary with a wave of his hand, Youngmin muttered to himself. It was a strange intervention. It wasn’t as if he was planning to do anything with Cha Haeshin right away, so why did Han Taejun, who wasn’t even his parent, step in? It was unnatural.

What was even more puzzling was that Youngmin’s parents seemed completely unaware that he was pursuing Cha Haeshin. Then how did Han Taejun find out that Youngmin was frequenting that bar because of Cha Haeshin?

While Han Taejun had always been amicable towards Youngmin, Youngmin knew that it wasn’t genuine affection. Taejun treated him well because there was no reason to be hostile. Because Youngmin wasn’t presumptuous or bothersome.

But now he’s personally concerned about who Jin Youngmin is seeing? It didn’t make sense unless he had some other motive.

“Damn it, what the hell……. How does he even know Cha Haeshin?”

Youngmin’s voice, muttering incessantly, was laced with anxiety. If it was truly out of concern for the family’s reputation, it would be fine, but he was uneasy because he couldn’t grasp Taejun’s true intentions.

“He can’t possibly have feelings for Cha Haeshin……”

Youngmin’s lips trembled. While he thought it was impossible for the exalted crown prince of Dae Myeongjin Group to have such feelings, a corner of his heart felt uneasy. Cha Haeshin’s pretty face was a problem, but his attitude, knowing exactly how to win people over, was an even bigger problem.

Not to mention women, there were plenty of guys who would fall for Cha Haeshin if he flashed a charming smile and flattered them with “Hyung-nim, Hyung-nim.” Even in that bar, Cha Haeshin received special treatment among the crowd of rough-looking guys who worked there.

So, if Han Taejun had seen Cha Haeshin in some way, whether by chance or because of Youngmin, if he had gotten to know Cha Haeshin and, like Youngmin, had become captivated by him……

Suddenly, Youngmin felt a burning jealousy he hadn’t known existed within him. If that were the case, would he have to concede Cha Haeshin to the great Han Taejun? A cold glint flickered in Youngmin’s eyes.

☂️

“Ah……”

Haeshin, on his way to the bus stop after finishing his part-time job at the convenience store and heading to his shift at the bar, stopped when he saw a car suddenly pull up beside him and honk shortly.

He could tell who was inside just by looking at the car. It was a car Haeshin had ridden in countless times. Still, he couldn’t be the first to acknowledge him, so Haeshin peered into the car as the window rolled down, feigning curiosity.

“Are you going to work?”

As expected, it was Jin Youngmin who spoke from inside. Perhaps wanting to leave a good impression on Haeshin, he continued to use honorifics with Haeshin until their marriage. In fact, at first, that image-making worked quite well on Haeshin.

“Oh, Director Jin! Hello. Yes, I’m on my way to the bar.”

Haeshin hid his true feelings and greeted him warmly. It was pointless to act colder to push Youngmin away. That would only accelerate his obsession.

It was better for Haeshin to make Youngmin mistakenly believe that he reciprocated his feelings, as that was the most peaceful way to postpone the marriage. Youngmin was much more understanding if Haeshin appeared to have feelings for him but was troubled by family opposition or other realistic obstacles.

Youngmin said with a gentle smile,

“Get in. I’ll give you a ride to the bar.”

“Oh? No, Director Jin! It’s just a short bus ride. I’m really okay.”

“I have to go that way anyway. It’s so cold, come on in.”

“Ah…… Then, excuse me.”

Without further refusal, Haeshin quickly got into the car. He hadn’t expected to be able to refuse in the first place. As he settled into the passenger seat, warm air enveloped him.