Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 28

Taejun shrugged. He couldn’t even think of an excuse anymore. It was obvious that the line “this is all to be wary of Jin Youngmin” wouldn’t fly when he was digging into Cha Haeshin’s dead father.

“Yeah. You’re right. I don’t know what’s what either, but that’s the situation for now.”

“Yes. Now that I am also aware, please just speak comfortably from now on.”

Secretary Choi spoke in his usual tone, without any particular reaction. Taejun’s expression brightened considerably. Although he had somewhat expected it, Secretary Choi’s consistent attitude in every timeline was always like a ray of light for Taejun.

“Thank you, always.”

For always believing in and helping me in every moment of every timeline.

“Don’t mention it. That’s what I’m here for. I will take my leave now.”

“Okay.”

Taejun watched Secretary Choi leave and then picked up the phone he had placed beside him. The image of Cha Haeshin climbing the long stairs to go home late at dawn in the dead of winter kept flashing before his eyes. He also remembered the sight of him rushing out without even eating breakfast, saying he was late despite the early hour.

If you calculated the time, it meant he usually got barely three hours of sleep, if that. And with the money earned from working like that, he was paying off the gambling debts a piece of trash had incurred. It wasn’t even his problem, but his stomach churned and his head grew hot.

“You said you’d accept any kind of pity…”

Taejun muttered in a somber, low voice. If he truly desired nothing, not marriage, not sexual gratification, nothing, would Cha Haeshin really accept everything Han Taejun gave him? Taejun was now curious about that.

☂️

“Hyung!”

Startled by the sudden voice calling him, Haeshin, who had been standing blankly while organizing convenience store goods, turned around. It was a high school student, a regular who often stopped by.

“Oh? Oh, hey, you’re here?”

“What were you thinking about so hard that you didn’t even notice a customer come in?”

“Thinking about what. What brings you here at this hour?”

Haeshin walked over to the counter, striking up a conversation with practiced ease.

The owner of this convenience store doted on Haeshin and, knowing his circumstances all too well, was very considerate. It was a place where he could quit if a better job came along, and then, if he had a gap in his schedule, he could always come back and pester the owner to hire him again.

The owner was great at coordinating schedules and looked after him like a son, so Haeshin, in return, often helped with the owner’s personal errands. Thanks to this, Haeshin had worked here for quite a long time and naturally had many customers who had become as comfortable as friends. The high schooler in front of him was one such customer.

From this very spot, Haeshin had watched the kid go from being a middle schooler to a high schooler. The student might have seen Haeshin just a few days ago, but for Haeshin, it was as if he was seeing him for the first time in years, which made him feel strangely sentimental.

“I stopped by on my way to the academy. Is there anything new and delicious? I’m sick of lunch boxes…”

“Have you tried that bread?”

“Whoa… Hyung, don’t tell me, is it that one? That one?”

“Wait a second.”

Giving a light smile to the kid who was pointing and saying “that one, that one” without even finishing his sentence, Haeshin soon went to the storage room and brought back a loaf of bread that was so hot these days it was almost impossible to find.

Over that one piece of bread, the high schooler went wild, punching the air in excitement.

“Ah, for real! This is why I like you, hyung!”

“I had a feeling you’d be looking for it. That was the last one.”

“You’re truly the best, hyung-nim!”

The high school student bowed deeply like a gangster’s lackey, greeting him playfully. This kind of reaction was so entertaining that it made him want to give him extra things every time. Haeshin had no siblings, but he always thought that if he had a younger brother, he’d want him to be like this kid.

It seemed the kid’s family was well-off, but his parents were in discord, so he couldn’t seem to find peace at home. Funnily enough, Haeshin felt sorry for him. Not that he was in any position to talk, working himself to the bone to pay off private debts.

Just then, the door opened with the chime of a bell and a customer entered.

“Welcome.”

Haeshin greeted without looking at the door, scanning a barcode. The high schooler, even after paying for the bread, didn’t leave and leaned against the counter, chattering away.

“Thanks, hyung. By the way, are you not working the late-night shift anymore?”

“Probably not? I’m working another job at night.”

“That’s a shame. It was fun stopping by the convenience store after the academy late at night and chatting with you.”

Haeshin replied with a face that said he was disappointed too.

“I know. There’ll be other chances. Hey, hurry up and go. You’ll be late for the academy.”

“Okay! I’m off!”

The high school student, who had greeted him with the familiar air of a real family member, soon left the convenience store. Feeling a renewed sense of nostalgia, Haeshin was staring blankly at the door the boy had left through when he heard a familiar voice from the side.

“You make friends wherever you go.”

“Huh?”

Startled, Haeshin’s shoulders jumped as he turned his head. Standing in front of the display shelf he had been organizing a moment ago was Han Taejun.

“When did you get here?”

Haeshin asked, surprised. Taejun replied without even looking at Haeshin.

“When do you think? You even greeted me.”

“Ah, so the customer who just came in was you, sir.”

“Does it make sense for an employee not to even look when a customer comes in?”

Only then did Haeshin study Taejun’s face. His voice, and his face, seemed sullen for some reason. Haeshin came out from behind the counter and approached Taejun, asking.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you because I was ringing someone up. Were you offended?”

“What’s there to be offended about whether you look at me or not. I’m just talking about your work attitude.”

“Ah… It’s fine. I’m good at my job.”

Taejun furrowed his brow. At times, he seemed overly submissive, but at times like this, it felt like he was completely playing with people. And on top of that, he’d wear an expression like he didn’t know a thing, leaving only the person being swayed utterly baffled.

Right now, too, regardless of whether Taejun’s brow was furrowed, Haeshin simply resumed organizing the items on the shelf and asked cheerfully.

“But what brings you here?”

Taejun fiddled with a product he had no interest in and answered.

“I was just passing by…”

“Aha, so you were just passing by and decided to drop in.”

This is exactly the kind of situation he was talking about. Twisting someone’s insides with an insignificant remark. Taejun turned his body to the side, faced Haeshin, and spoke menacingly.

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Me? Doing what?”

Regardless, Haeshin just blinked his eyes innocently. In the end, Taejun, having become the sensitive one all by himself again, sighed and shook his head.

“Forget it, forget it. Anyway, who was that kid who just left?”

Therein lay the reason for Taejun’s sullenness. He was miffed that Haeshin was so busy chattering away with some student that he didn’t even notice him come in. Is this really something to be miffed about? The question did arise, but since being miffed was being miffed, he didn’t bother to question it further.

“Oh, yes. He’s a regular who’s been coming to our store for a super long time. I’ve known him since he was in the 1st year of middle school, so… it’s already been 4 years.”

“You’re very sociable.”

Taejun muttered sarcastically. No matter how much of a regular he was, Haeshin knew how old the kid was, and from the atmosphere of their conversation he’d briefly overheard, they seemed almost like brothers.

Was that all? The bar was the same. According to Secretary Choi, it seemed everyone from the boss to the manager doted on Haeshin quite a bit. On top of that, considering there were many regulars who cared more about the employee than the hosts, he could guess what the atmosphere was like with the bar’s customers as well.

No, he didn’t even have to look that far. No matter how special the circumstances, Taejun himself was being drawn in by Cha Haeshin’s ways in a short period of time. At this point, it could be considered a skill.

“Well, there’s no harm in being on anyone’s good side.”

“Is that so.”

“You probably don’t know how much Korean society is swayed by personal affection, do you, sir? The owner of this convenience store, for example, will grant any request if I ask to adjust my hours, but he’s merciless with the other part-timers.”

Haeshin said as he skillfully continued to arrange the display.

“When I was in high school, loan sharks would come a few times a month, wreck the house, and threaten me, you know? Now they come once every three or four months to ask if anyone is bothering me, and then they leave.”

“What…?”

“It’s primarily because I’m diligently paying back the money, but a big part of it is that I consistently earned points by wagging my tail and calling them hyung-nim, hyung-nim. I also diligently passed on information I got from the bar.”

For a moment, an image of Cha Haeshin flashing coy smiles and fawning over loan sharks appeared before Taejun’s eyes. Just the thought of it made his stomach twist.

“That’s the way I’ve survived. Even if they’re not a chaebol, or some powerful figure, there are many people who can make my life better, even by a speck. Getting on their good side is what you could call a survival strategy for someone like me.”

Haeshin placed the last item in an empty spot on the shelf, then turned to Taejun and grinned. He looked like a person who had mastered life.

“Of course, sometimes you meet the wrong person in the process…”

Then, Haeshin suddenly muttered in a bitter voice. It was a tone tinged with regret. But before Taejun could even register that emotion, Haeshin opened his mouth again with a brightened expression.

“Anyway! Since you were just passing by, is there anything you want to buy?”

“…Just give me a candy.”

“Ah! A lollipop!”

Haeshin’s face lit up with recognition. The lollipop he had seen Taejun with that day had remained a strong impression.

“Should I pack one of each kind for you?”

“Do whatever.”

“I like chocolate better than candy… Are you eating these instead of smoking, by any chance??”

“How did you know?”

“You were holding it exactly like you’d hold a cigarette.”

Did I? Taejun watched Haeshin ring up the candies while trying to picture himself holding a lollipop, something he had never considered before.

He had come to find Cha Haeshin because his head was a mess and he wanted to sort it out, but after talking with Cha Haeshin, his head became even more of a mess, making him wonder what on earth he was doing. It was the same right now.

He couldn’t shake the image of Cha Haeshin flashing a coy smile at a loan shark. The face of the loan shark, whom Taejun didn’t know, became the face of the bar’s boss, then the face of the high school student he’d just seen, and finally, it became the face of Jin Youngmin.

Cha Haeshin must have known that the kindness he relied on was so flimsy and unstable that it could turn into a threat at any moment. And yet, the only place for him to lean on was a rock at the edge of a cliff.