Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 25

Haeshin, having snugly covered himself with the blanket again, stared into the void and blinked. In vain, the sensation of the moment he plunged the knife into Jin Youngmin’s side came back vividly.

It was a dream Haeshin was already used to. Whenever he was emotionally cornered, he would kill either Jin Youngmin or his father in his dreams. He’d had it so many times that it didn’t even feel like a nightmare anymore. Considering what they did to him, they probably couldn’t complain about being killed off in a dream.

He just figured he must have been more stressed than he’d realized, seeing as he had such a dream when he hadn’t felt this regression was particularly overwhelming.

Perhaps yesterday’s panic attack had an effect. Haeshin thought little of it and closed his eyes, savoring the sense of security that no one who could harm him existed in this place.

☂️

Taejun, who had been sitting on the living room sofa drinking coffee since morning, heard bustling sounds from the bedroom and stood up to head to the kitchen.

“We can prepare breakfast now.”

“Understood, sir.”

The housekeeper, who replied politely and began to move busily, had a subtle sparkle in her eyes. She had worked in this house for over five years, but this was the first time Han Taejun had a personal guest, aside from family, stay the night.

Judging by the shoes, it didn’t seem to be a woman, so who on earth could it be, to be sleeping in the CEO’s own bedroom, of all places?

The housekeeper pressed down her surging curiosity and moved her hands busily. In any case, it was sure to be an important person, so she had to prepare the table properly.

“What’s he doing that’s taking so long.”

In the meantime, Taejun had returned to the living room, pretending to have no interest in the likes of Cha Haeshin by looking at his work tablet. He grumbled when Haeshin didn’t come out. If he’s up, shouldn’t he come out and at least say hello?

Not even realizing the tablet screen was off, Taejun held it in his hand and kept glancing towards the bedroom, until he finally couldn’t stand it and got up to go to the bedroom himself. It was at that very moment that the bedroom door burst open and someone swiftly darted out into the living room.

“Hey, you’re just getting up……”

“Sir! I’m so sorry! I overslept! I’m sorry! Thank you for yesterday. I’ll call you! I’m sorry! Thank you!”

Cha Haeshin rattled off everything he had to say before Taejun could even finish asking if he had slept well. Then, without giving Taejun any chance to stop him, he crossed the living room at the speed of light, opened the front door, and went straight outside.

“Hey! Hey, Cha Haeshin!”

A flustered Taejun called out to Haeshin belatedly, but Haeshin had already left the house.

“What the……”

Taejun, left alone in the middle of the living room like a lost child, muttered with a dazed expression.

All the worries that had kept him up most of the night—what to talk about with Cha Haeshin tomorrow, what kind of face to greet him with in the morning, whether to eat at home or just go out, had all become meaningless.

A delicious smell of food was already wafting from the kitchen. A specially prepared breakfast for two was being set, but unfortunately, Han Taejun was the only one there to eat it.

☂️

“Jungho, what do you think.”

“……”

“Does this make any sense? Huh?”

Secretary Choi, who had come to pick up Taejun and ended up getting a free breakfast at his house, watched with interest as Han Taejun, uncharacteristically worked up, delivered a passionate speech.

At his gaze, Taejun realized his voice had gotten a little loud, cleared his throat ahem ahem, and then continued in the same excited voice.

“I don’t know what grand work he’s doing, but isn’t it right for him to be more mindful of me than his boss over there? Am I wrong?”

“That is true, but……”

“But?”

“As I’ve mentioned before, you don’t pay Mr. Cha Haeshin’s salary, sir.”

Taejun was at a loss for words.

“Wouldn’t Mr. Cha Haeshin be in trouble if he were to lose his job?”

Secretary Choi thought that Han Taejun’s words had some merit. It was true that Han Taejun was a far more formidable person to fear than a convenience store owner or a neighborhood cafe boss.

However, the one who put food on Cha Haeshin’s table right now was not the CEO of Myungjin Group, but the owner of the shop where he worked. Secretary Choi found himself understanding a little more why Cha Haeshin had abandoned Han Taejun and bolted.

“It’s not that I didn’t know that when I said it.”

Taejun muttered in a somewhat subdued voice. For a moment, the thought ‘how much could that measly salary be, anyway’ had crossed his mind, but he had enough sense left not to say it out loud. That was a relief.

“In any case, thanks to this, I’m getting quite the treat.”

Secretary Choi said lightly, adding nothing more. Secretary Choi often ate at Taejun’s house, but it seemed this was the first time he’d seen such an elaborate meal.

“……She must have thought he was an important guest and put in extra effort.”

“Since you brought him home yourself, sir, she would have had no choice but to judge so.”

At Secretary Choi’s reply, Taejun glanced at him. It didn’t seem like Secretary Choi meant anything by it, but for some reason, he kept feeling a guilty conscience. Feeling embarrassed, he wondered if he shouldn’t have told Secretary Choi everything.

He had been so dumbfounded that Cha Haeshin had ditched him and just left that he couldn’t help but tell someone. But it’s not like he could start complaining to the housekeeper about it.

To Taejun, Choi Jungho was not just a secretary but also the only person he could confide in about everything, like a friend. It wasn’t strange that he had vented his bewildered feelings. It was just that an inexplicable embarrassment made his face flush.

“So, what do you think?”

Taejun asked, forcing his voice to sound casual. Now that the useless whining was over, it was time to talk about what was important.

Without needing a precise explanation, Secretary Choi understood Taejun’s question perfectly.

“Are you referring to the fact that Mr. Cha Haeshin had a panic attack?”

“Yeah.”

“It is true that Mr. Cha Haeshin’s father passed away when he was in middle school. As for the abuse, we would need to look into it in more detail.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Even if that is true, it is a bit puzzling that he would react so violently when you hadn’t even asked him to do anything yet, but……”

“Right?”

That was the very point that Taejun found suspicious. Haeshin’s words made sense. If one tried to understand, it wasn’t impossible. But there was still something that didn’t sit right about believing his words at face value.

It was in the realm of instinct, something that couldn’t be clearly explained. It was in the same vein as the strange sense of incongruity Taejun occasionally felt from Haeshin.

“However, since I don’t have experience or knowledge in that area, it’s also true that it’s difficult to conclude that it is necessarily a suspicious matter.”

“That’s true too……”

Taejun nodded. Secretary Choi was right. When you thought about it, Taejun was also suffering a pain that others couldn’t even imagine, but its aftermath had never led to panic or seizures. This meant he knew nothing about the issue.

Since there was no evidence to back up Han Taejun’s suspicions other than a ‘feeling,’ Taejun held his tongue for now.

“Nevertheless, I will continue to keep a close watch on the situation between Jin Youngmin and Mr. Cha Haeshin. There may still be parts we have not yet grasped.”

Taejun nodded quietly. Suddenly, he remembered what Secretary Choi had said a little earlier.

It’s true that Han Taejun, the CEO of Myungjin Group, is a more difficult person than the convenience store owner, but the person who has more influence on Cha Haeshin’s actual life is the one who employs him. If Jin Youngmin was more deeply involved in Haeshin’s life than Han Taejun thought, it was possible that Haeshin would fear Jin Youngmin more, even in front of Taejun.

The once boisterous breakfast table grew quiet. In the end, Taejun had to leave for work without even having more than a few spoonfuls of rice.

☂️

“What? I don’t need to come to work?”

Haeshin, who had received a call from his boss while waiting for the bus to go to work at the bar as usual, raised his voice at the sudden notice. He hadn’t been fired from his morning part-time job even after being outrageously late, so he wondered what this was all about.

“Boss, are you firing me right now? For real?”

—No, no. Hey, Haeshin, listen to me. Who’s firing you? Don’t you know I adore you?

“Suddenly telling me not to come to work, this is firing!”

—Hey! How is it firing if I’m paying you!

“……Huh?”

Haeshin, who had been raising his voice without caring that people were looking, this time made a strange sound. Being told not to come to work was absurd enough, but he couldn’t understand what followed even more.

“What do you mean by that?”

—Kid, I told you to listen. I’m going to pay you your salary as usual, but you don’t have to come to work, you brat.

“Why?”

—I don’t know either. Hear the details from Han Taejun.

“Han Taejun…… the CEO?”

Even after hearing the boss’s explanation, none of his questions were resolved. Why on earth was Han Taejun’s name coming up here again?

—I’m the one who wants to ask. Haeshin, are you dating Han Taejun?

“Geez, what nonsense are you sprouting all of a sudden.”

—Look at this kid’s mouth, talking to his boss like that. I spoil you and you’re climbing all over me?

“You thought it was cute when I climbed all over you. Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now! Han Tae……! What did the CEO say?”

Haeshin finally became mindful of his surroundings and corrected his words. The name Han Taejun was just too high-profile. In the meantime, a bus Haeshin was supposed to take passed by, and the boss also continued in a lowered voice.

—His secretary suddenly came and asked me to let Mr. Cha Haeshin not come to work for the time being.