Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 31

“Boss! Why’d you put so much in here?”

Haeshin, having checked the day’s pay he received from the restaurant owner, asked with wide eyes. The envelope contained a sum far greater than his usual daily wage.

“You deserve that much. Hey, Haeshin. I would’ve been in huge trouble today if it weren’t for you. I had a group reservation, but that part-timer punk said he was suddenly sick and then became unreachable, and my damn son would’ve been no help at all if he came. If it weren’t for you, phew…”

The owner shook his head as if the mere thought was horrifying. It was a barbecue restaurant where Haeshin had worked when he was younger, and the bond he had formed with the owner back then had continued to this day.

Because Haeshin was so personable and a quick learner at work, the owner had often helped him out with his circumstances even after he quit. In return, Haeshin always came to the owner’s aid whenever he could.

Today was one of those times. The owner had suddenly asked if he could come in for a bit at night, and Haeshin had rushed over to work. Haeshin smiled amiably and replied.

“It’s such a relief that I happened to be free. Otherwise, you really would’ve been in big trouble, boss.”

“You’re telling me. Hey, how about you come back to work here? I’ll give you a generous hourly wage. No matter how many kids I pick and choose, there’s no one like you, Haeshin. Huh?”

“Ah, I wish I could. It was really fun working with you, wasn’t it? But the boss at my current job is also very accommodating, so it’s hard for me to just quit. But if I get fired, I’ll definitely come back.”

The owner clicked his tongue at Haeshin’s charming remark.

“Forget it. You think that boss would fire you unless he’s lost his mind? Anyway, thanks. You worked hard. Come by anytime you want to eat some meat.”

“Yes, boss. I’ll get going then. Take care!”

Haeshin bowed politely and left the restaurant. After serving a massive group of customers, his body ached as if he had just worked out. Working at a barbecue restaurant was one of the more strenuous part-time jobs.

But even that was good. It had been a while since he had done such physically demanding work, and the feeling of working up a sweat and being frantically busy was a welcome one.

In a way, he might seem ungrateful, but after being confined and subjected to daily violence, any work he could do outside, no matter how hard, felt wonderful.

“Ah, it’s cold…”

Sniffle. Haeshin shoved his hands into his pockets and hurried home. He could have taken the bus, but he preferred walking right now. He didn’t know how long his good fortune of being able to walk freely on the winter streets would last, so he wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.

The biting, cold night wind brushed against his cheek. He had missed this vivid sensation of the season so much. When he let out a long breath, a puff of white air shattered over the darkening street.

A few days ago, Haeshin had received his mother’s stomach cancer diagnosis. It was an expected result, so he wasn’t surprised or newly despairing. No, if anything, it was a welcome result. They had found it much earlier than before.

Besides, he no longer had to pay off an absurdly high interest, and he could probably explain his situation to Han Taejun in a time of need, so maybe his mother could start her treatment early.

The same went for Jin Youngmin. It had already been a week since he had last seen him. There were many places Youngmin could find him besides the bar, but Haeshin hadn’t seen Youngmin anywhere recently.

On top of that, trusting Taejun, he had even blocked his contact number, allowing Haeshin to enjoy a daily life without Jin Youngmin for the first time in a long while. It was like life before he had ever known Jin Youngmin.

A life without Jin Youngmin was far more thrilling than he had imagined. He finally felt like he was living as a human being. He didn’t want to lose this. He didn’t want to ruin his life anymore. He wanted to seize this opportunity and find the exit to this terribly long maze.

He was dumbfounded, wondering if things had ever gone this well in his life. He even had a vague feeling that everything would be okay.

It was at that very moment that the phone in his pocket buzzed briefly. Haeshin stopped for a moment, sniffled, and checked the notification.

[Why can’t I reach you? Is a debtor allowed to ignore a creditor’s calls?]

A laugh escaped him immediately. The sender was Han Taejun. The basis of Haeshin’s hope and, as he himself had put it, his new creditor.

Haeshin slowly started walking again as he checked the notifications he had missed while being busy at work. There were three missed call records from Taejun.

Haeshin originally had a phobia of missed calls. It was because of the torment he had endured from Jin Youngmin. But strangely, Taejun’s records didn’t feel frightening or unpleasant. In fact, he was even glad to see them.

Feeling this unfamiliar emotion, Haeshin immediately pressed the call button. The line had barely rung a few times when a blunt voice came through, saying, “What’s with you?” Haeshin tried to suppress his laughter and opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry, CEO! I will correct my behavior!”

—Sheesh.

Even the chuckling voice didn’t make him feel tense. Haeshin genuinely felt at ease with Taejun.

“I’m really sorry. It’s not that I was planning to run off with your money or anything, I was just so busy working that I didn’t have time to look at my phone.”

—Work? You already found a job?

“No. Not an official one. An owner I know had a situation today and asked me to help out.”

—Just how many owners do you know?

“You know me. I’m loved everywhere I go.”

Taejun let out a small laugh at his joking remark. It wasn’t a scoff, but a voice genuinely laced with amusement. The sound was so pleasant that Haeshin held his breath for a moment before speaking again.

“But why did you call?”

This time, Taejun was silent for a moment. Haeshin deliberately raised his voice in an exaggerated way.

“Don’t tell me… you really thought I ran off with your money?”

—Do you really see me as that petty?

“No, it’s just that you called yourself a creditor first.”

—And yet you’re not being polite?

“Oh my, that was my mistake. I will correct my behavior again!”

After his respectful reply, he laughed again. A quiet laugh of the same warmth could be heard from the other end of the phone. The moment he heard that laugh, his heart beat slightly faster, and Haeshin quickly bit his lip hard. This was definitely a little dangerous.

Strangely, his guard came down easily whenever he was with Han Taejun. It was absurd, even pathetic, that after what he had been through with Jin Youngmin, he was now laughing and sharing silly jokes with Han Taejun.

If Jin Youngmin was a dangerous person, Han Taejun could be just as dangerous, but for some reason, it was difficult to keep his guard up. Whenever he was with Taejun, he felt as if he had known him for a long time.

As their laughter faded, Han Taejun spoke.

—I just… called to ask if you were okay.

“Ah…”

Haeshin’s steps, which had been climbing the stairs as he arrived in his neighborhood, came to a sudden halt. Han Taejun continued.

—I was wondering if you were okay today, too.

Taejun’s words rang and echoed in Haeshin’s ears like tinnitus.

☂️

“I was wondering if you were okay today, too.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Taejun immediately regretted them. He felt he had been overly honest. But he couldn’t think of anything else to say. It wasn’t like he had a specific reason for calling, and he certainly wasn’t trying to monitor him as a creditor.

He was just curious. Whether Cha Haeshin’s day had been safe, whether someone had harassed him for money again, whether he had gotten hurt at work, whether he had eaten.

Questions he had never been curious about with anyone before repeatedly surfaced and disappeared in his mind.

There was no answer from the other end for a moment. In the silence of the night, Taejun thought he could hear Cha Haeshin’s breathing, so he held his own breath even more. After a sound he couldn’t identify—whether it was the wind, a breath, or nothing at all—Cha Haeshin spoke.

—It was good.

The moment he heard that answer, Taejun exhaled with a whoosh. He hadn’t even realized it, but it seemed he had been holding his breath while waiting.

—Today… was a good day. Thanks to you, CEO.

“…”

—I’ve almost never had a day where I could be at ease, you know? But today, for the first time in a really long time… or maybe it was the first time ever? Anyway, I had a peaceful day.

Taejun bit his lip. There was no way Cha Haeshin’s daily life had become peaceful just because he had settled his debt. He must have known about his mother’s cancer, and while he had escaped being hounded for debt for the time being thanks to Taejun, he would still have to work with less sleep to afford the treatment.

—Thank you so much, CEO.

And yet, Cha Haeshin said he had a good day. He could tell just from his voice that it wasn’t a lie. So it was a truly strange thing. It seemed Haeshin had genuinely had a good day, but for some reason, hearing those words made Taejun’s heart ache with a sense of sorrow.

“…Enough. How many times are you going to thank me?”

Not wanting to reveal that sorrow, Taejun deliberately replied in a gruff manner. He could hear Cha Haeshin laughing. It was a rather pleasant sound. Not wanting to reveal even the fact that he found Haeshin’s laugh pleasant, Taejun quickly continued.

“Did you get home?”

—Yes. I just finished climbing the stairs… huh?

It was at that very moment that he sensed something was wrong. Haeshin had stopped talking as if startled by something, and for some reason, his heart sank. He felt an inexplicable anxiety. And with Haeshin’s next words, Taejun’s anxiety became reality.

—Young… min?

“What?”

Taejun shot up from his seat, his voice raised. Jin Youngmin? Why that name all of a sudden? Don’t tell me, did Jin Youngmin go to find Cha Haeshin? At this hour? To his home?

As the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, the hand holding the phone began to tremble. Taejun hurriedly threw on a jacket and asked urgently.

“Cha Haeshin! What is it, is Jin Youngmin there?”

—W-Well, CEO, wai-!

Taejun couldn’t hear the rest of Haeshin’s reply. The call had disconnected with a dull thud. It sounded as if someone had thrown Haeshin’s phone.