Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 4

Previously, Han Taejun and Cha Haeshin had no particular relationship to speak of. Husband’s cousin, cousin’s spouse, that was the extent of their connection.

Even if Han Taejun suddenly appeared before him, it was certainly strange that he acted so impulsively with death just around the corner. Since he would regress in a few hours anyway, it was as if he had only increased the intensity of the final assault.

However, strangely, the moment he saw Han Taejun, he couldn’t resist the overwhelming impulse. It was too much to simply attribute it to his unexpected appearance. It was as if he were possessed by something.

In fact, Haeshin, too, had attended Chairman Han’s birthday event for the first time in a while. He had decided it was pointless after attending a few times. And in those few times, he had never once encountered Han Taejun.

Why did he want to attend that event, which had long since lost his interest, in the last loop? He didn’t know how much time he’d spent trying to win Youngmin’s favor to be there.

He’d fawned over Jin Youngmin, suppressing his rising disgust. Even while doing so, it was an effort he couldn’t understand. But now that things had turned out this way, it felt strange, as if that effort had been solely to meet Han Taejun.

Even now, the question remained. Even though there had been no point of contact between them, there was no one as prominent as Han Taejun among Jin Youngmin’s circle, so why hadn’t he asked for help until now?

Not only had he not thought of it, but Haeshin had almost completely failed to recognize Han Taejun. It felt as if someone had erased Han Taejun from his memory.

It’s inevitable that more and more memories are lost due to countless regressions, but even considering that, it was strange that he couldn’t remember Han Taejun every time.

However, Haeshin put the sporadically arising questions aside for now. It was a waste of time to dwell on answers he couldn’t find immediately. What he would do next was far more important.

“I should have just hung on more instead of coming out quietly….”

Regret washed over him as he recalled Han Taejun’s seemingly serious face. He thought Taejun would push him away, calling him crazy, but he seemed to hesitate as if he had seen Haeshin’s wounds.

He shouldn’t have come out so readily when Jin Youngmin called. He should have caused a scene, acting like a madman, refusing to go. The suddenness of the situation had prevented him from reacting appropriately, and Youngmin’s voice had frozen him in place.

Prolonged violence eats away at a person’s mind. No matter how hard Haeshin tried not to, his body and mind sometimes disobeyed Youngmin’s words and submitted to him.

Haeshin knew that with each loop, he was becoming more and more broken. He had to break free from this curse before he surrendered to Jin Youngmin forever.

The interesting thing was that Han Taejun reacted to his impulse. The memory of the moment of death was always hazy, so he couldn’t remember exactly, but he seemed to have seen Taejun’s face before he died. This meant Taejun had acted on his plea and come to the house. That was the crucial point for Haeshin.

“How do I meet Han Taejun….”

Haeshin muttered, standing before the barred window. The scenery outside looked too peaceful. As if someone wasn’t being killed dozens of times inside a building as luxurious as a palace.

But reflecting on the tragedy of his life had been a luxury even before this curse began. Instead of pitying himself, Haeshin thought about Han Taejun, the variable from the last loop.

“It won’t work this time, but….”

A little over a month until another death, and getting out of this prison would be harder than dying. He needed at least six months. That meant that in this loop, it was important to lie low and endure, gathering even the smallest bit of information about Han Taejun.

“Sigh….”

Despite the stinging pain in his ribs from a bad blow, Haeshin took a deep breath in and out. Even the next month, which would be the most hellish for him, was okay. Because this time, he had gained a new method to try in the next loop.

Experiencing another month of the life he’d lived to the point of exhaustion was nothing. It was just Haeshin’s life. His life had always been terrible, a series of desperate struggles.

Still, within this curse, if he was lucky, he could enjoy unimaginable luxury for a few months. He had to consider that a blessing to endure this life.

If someone had thrown him into this hell, there must be a way out somewhere.

Haeshin hadn’t given up on life yet. Just as he always had in the face of any misfortune.

☂️

“It seems he hasn’t left the house for at least half a month.”

“Is that so?”

Taejun nodded as he listened to his secretary, Choi Jungho’s report. As soon as he regained consciousness, Taejun had instructed him to find out about Cha Haeshin. That was the starting point.

Honestly, Taejun had felt lost for the past few loops. He had always lived believing that every problem had a solution, but in the face of this endlessly repeating, inexplicable infinite regression, his faith had shattered.

If this hell truly was a maze with no exit, he didn’t want to wander anymore. He wanted to stop his pointless efforts. In fact, in the last loop, Taejun had practically given up. He hadn’t made any effort to find a new way, just letting things flow as they may.

Attending his grandfather’s birthday party, which he hadn’t attended since the regression began, was nothing more than repeating his original life.

But it was there that Taejun found a new beginning. Something that wasn’t there, something he hadn’t tried, a path he hadn’t taken. For Taejun now, Cha Haeshin was that existence.

“Have you looked into his hospital records?”

“I’m still looking into it. It’s harder than I thought to access information about Mr. Cha Haeshin. It seems Director Jin has taken steps.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“There’s no problem. It seems he has a regular doctor who visits his home frequently; I’ll find out soon.”

“I’m a little pressed for time.”

“Yes. I’ll report back to you as soon as possible.”

“Alright.”

After Taejun replied, Secretary Choi bowed politely and left the office. Taejun turned his chair to look out at the cityscape beyond the office’s glass wall.

His secretary wouldn’t understand Taejun’s sudden request to investigate his cousin’s spouse. Secretary Choi’s loyalty had been proven over several loops, but as a human being, he was bound to have questions.

However, Taejun had no reason to be cautious now. After all, there was only a little over a month left until the end, and when the end came, everything now would be as if it never happened.

In a loop destined to be discarded, it was important to gather as much information as possible, even if it meant taking risks. Taejun took his phone out of his pocket and found Jin Youngmin’s name in his contacts for the first time in a while. Taejun wasn’t about to just sit back and do nothing.

—Oh, Taejun-hyung. What’s up?

Not long after he pressed the call button, Youngmin answered the phone in a very welcoming voice. Hearing that voice, the image of Jin Youngmin’s crazed face looking down at him in the last loop flashed before his eyes.

And also, the agonizing face of Cha Haeshin as he soaked the garden in bright red blood.

“Hey, Youngmin, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

Taejun replied naturally, loosening his tie. He felt strangely suffocated.

A little over a month until Cha Haeshin’s death. What kind of time were Jin Youngmin and Cha Haeshin spending now? Was Cha Haeshin’s death truly an impulsive and accidental event, or was it a fate that inevitably had to come?

Taejun’s mind, which had been stagnant with boredom and apathy, became complicated again.

—I’m always doing well. You’re always doing well, hyung… What’s with the sudden call?

Taejun focused all his attention, trying to find even the smallest clue in Jin Youngmin’s voice. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but Taejun sensed an inexplicable anxiety in Youngmin’s welcoming voice.

“Well, I had dinner with Mother yesterday, and we talked about you. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you much since you got married. I was thinking we could have dinner together…”

—Oh? Ah… Since getting married… That’s right. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen you, hyung.

Taejun deliberately used the word “marriage.” It was a trap set to elicit a reaction from Jin Youngmin. Sure enough, Youngmin’s voice noticeably wavered.

Cha Haeshin’s death was highly likely to have been repeated. No matter how much he thought about it, Taejun didn’t remember doing anything in the last loop that would have caused Cha Haeshin’s death. But the fact that Haeshin died meant that it happened in the original life too, and that the problems between the couple were still ongoing.

“I was thinking we could grab a meal together. Make some time. It’s fine if Haeshin comes along too.”

—Haeshin… too?

“Yeah. It’s been even longer since I’ve seen Haeshin. I’ll buy you something delicious, so come out together.”

When he mentioned Cha Haeshin’s name, Youngmin’s reaction became more overtly subdued. Even though he couldn’t see his face, he could feel Youngmin’s expression harden. Jin Youngmin’s voice from the previous loop, accusing him of having an affair with Haeshin behind his back, echoed in his ears like tinnitus.