Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 47

“Mr. Han.”

So, rather than refusing, Haeshin decided to give him some more realistic advice. Han Taejun did not know Jin Youngmin. No matter how different their weight classes were, a fight where one didn’t properly understand their opponent could be dangerous.

“Jin Youngmin is a scary person.”

At the change in Haeshin’s tone, Taejun’s expression turned serious as well.

“He might not just give up. He could struggle to attack you in any way he can, and his methods might be so insidious and malicious that someone like you couldn’t even imagine them.”

Killing a person is a much harder and more difficult task than one might think. Even when you know the other person is trying to take your life, it’s not easy to end that person’s life with your own hands. If killing an enemy is like that, it goes without saying that killing someone you once loved is even harder.

Jin Youngmin was a person who had done such a thing. He was someone who, blinded by jealousy, could kill a person who had become his family. Haeshin was worried that Taejun, who didn’t know the deepest abyss of Jin Youngmin, might be put in danger.

“You talk as if you know Jin Youngmin really well.”

However, contrary to Haeshin’s worries, Han Taejun already knew Jin Youngmin. To Taejun, Haeshin’s warning was suspicious in a different way. Despite having met Jin Youngmin only a few months ago, Haeshin was speaking as if he knew Youngmin better than his own cousin, Taejun.

“I’m good at seeing the rock bottom in people.”

Haeshin answered without a hint of being flustered.

“That’s how you survive in this business.”

Instead, Haeshin swallowed a bitter, self-deprecating thought. He had lost too much as the price for not seeing Jin Youngmin for who he truly was. Haeshin sincerely hoped that Taejun would not go through the same thing he did.

Even if this was a world that would disappear if Cha Haeshin died, he hoped that Han Taejun would not suffer such terrible pain. He knew it was an presumptuous thought, but he felt it nonetheless.

Taejun stared at Haeshin silently for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Right. Jin Youngmin might lose his mind and come at me. I don’t care. That’s the whole point.”

“What?”

“No matter how much they call me the crown prince of Myungjin or whatever, I can’t just kick out a family member like Jin Youngmin without any justification. It’s not like I’m some kind of tyrant.”

“Ah…”

“But what if Jin Youngmin tries to harm me for whatever reason? What if he attempts to? That would be reason enough.”

The corner of Haeshin’s lips trembled faintly. He had clearly heard all of Taejun’s words, but he couldn’t quite understand.

“So you’re saying you’re going to get rid of Jin Youngmin…”

“A department head at the company using that name to do something as pathetic as stalking. I can’t let a bastard like that stay at Myungjin.”

“Because of me… you’re going to kick out Jin Youngmin? Jin Youngmin is your cousin.”

“So what if he’s my cousin? Is that a big deal? Trash is just trash.”

“But you don’t know Jin Youngmin well. No, I mean… is it okay for you to do that… just by listening to what I said?”

Haeshin asked as if he were the one trying to stop Taejun. It wasn’t the attitude of someone who had been begging to be saved from Jin Youngmin until now. But Taejun could sense the true intention behind Haeshin’s demeanor.

He wanted to trust Han Taejun. He wanted to rely on him, and so he was seeking reassurance. Taejun willingly answered his question.

“No. I’ve experienced it myself. I’ve experienced enough to know what kind of guy he is, already. I didn’t get to this position for nothing, you know.”

Literally, Taejun knew Jin Youngmin well enough. He had, even before getting this close to Cha Haeshin. Taejun grinned at Haeshin, who was making a dazed, foolish-looking expression.

“So trust me a little more. It’s not like you have anyone else to cling to besides me, anyway.”

Han Taejun’s hell cannot be ended or changed by his own will. Even now, Taejun worries about what he would do if the end were to come here.

But if Cha Haeshin’s hell was caused by Jin Youngmin, Taejun could end it. If not in this round, then in the next, and the next, and the next, Taejun was planning to do his best to save Cha Haeshin.

☂️

“Boss, thank you so much for always being so accommodating.”

“What are you saying, between us, Haeshin? I was actually looking for someone because it’s been hard for me to work in the mornings lately. I’d feel at ease if it’s you.”

“Really, I don’t know how I would’ve survived without you, boss.”

“Oh, stop it! You think I’m the only one who adores you this much? I know it even without seeing it.”

Haeshin burst into a bright laugh at the convenience store owner’s smooth compliment. Haeshin had just moved his afternoon part-time convenience store shift to the morning.

Taejun wanted Haeshin to quit all his jobs, at least until he was safe from Jin Youngmin. He had said that if Haeshin worked at his house doing things like cleaning, he would pay him a bigger salary than what he was earning before.

For Haeshin, it was an offer he had no reason to refuse. No matter how big Taejun’s house was, it couldn’t possibly be harder than the other jobs Haeshin usually did, and what reason was there to decline when he was offering more money?

And yet, Haeshin hesitated for a long time. It wasn’t for reasons like it bothering his conscience. It was just that Haeshin was honestly afraid of a situation where he was cut off from the outside world, doing only what Taejun told him to do, solely within Taejun’s house.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t trust Taejun now. He no longer suspected that Taejun would harm him in some way like Jin Youngmin. Nevertheless, it wasn’t easy to accept Taejun’s proposal.

The countless memories of being trapped in a huge house and dying without anyone’s help made Haeshin shrink back. It wasn’t that Haeshin didn’t trust Taejun; he didn’t trust his own life, which had never once turned out well.

“You found a good job, right?”

The owner asked. Haeshin had partially accepted Taejun’s proposal. He decided to quit most of his jobs, but they agreed that he would continue working one part-time shift in the morning. That alone significantly reduced Haeshin’s feeling of pressure.

After his convenience store shift ended, he would return to Taejun’s house to do housework. There weren’t any specifically assigned tasks; he would just do all the housework and errands he could, starting with cleaning.

The salary Haeshin received for that would be used to pay off his debt to Taejun, so in the end, it was like paying back Taejun’s money with Taejun’s money. Taejun acted like it was no big deal, so Haeshin decided not to feel uncomfortable about it either. Haeshin smiled and nodded at the owner, who was looking at him with a slightly worried gaze.

“Yes. It seems to pay a lot and the work will be comfortable.”

“That’s great. Where did you find a job like that?”

“Ah, another boss liked me so much that I got some good terms.”

“See, what did I tell you? Anyway, be careful, and come in on Monday morning.”

“Yes, I will! You be careful too, boss.”

Haeshin bowed politely and left the convenience store. As soon as he stepped outside, a cold wind seeped through his old padded jacket. It was cold. For a while, he had been so busy enjoying his freedom that he hadn’t even noticed the cold, but now he could feel it.

“Is spring coming…?”

Haeshin muttered while standing blankly on the street. To some, spring might be a season that comes as a matter of course, but to Haeshin, the next season was a gift he could only get if he was lucky. That’s why, for a time, he lived as if he had forgotten the seasons altogether. Because if you wish for something, you’ll be disappointed.

“I hope spring comes.”

For the first time in a very long time, such a Haeshin dreamt of a season. It was a coincidence that the coming season, the season he had come to hope to greet, was spring.

Would the spring that Cha Haeshin wished for ever arrive in his life?

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cold winter air, and began to walk. It was time to return to a home where no one threatened him, where he didn’t have to worry about getting hurt or dying, a place that was not cold, not lonely, and not painful.

☂️

“Mr. Han, you’re here?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah…”

The moment he saw Haeshin, who had come out to the doorway to greet him politely, Taejun froze. He was of course aware that Haeshin was in the house, but seeing him welcome him home from work so gently was unexpected.

“What, what is this?”

Taejun asked, unable to hide his bewilderment. Honestly, his heart was pounding so hard in that moment that he was flustered, and in his attempt to hide it, an overly gruff expression and tone of voice came out.

Taejun worried that his reaction might have offended Haeshin, but Haeshin answered with an unconcerned face.

“You’re my employer now, so I will serve you with due respect.”

“Cut it out. What employer…”

“Strictly speaking, you are both my employer and my creditor…”

At the words that followed, Taejun’s eyes narrowed fiercely, and Haeshin quickly let out a breezy smile with his characteristic wind-like expression. Heeh. It was an obvious attempt to appease the flustered Taejun. Only then did Taejun also let out a chuckle and speak.

“You’re probably the only person in the world who would call me a creditor.”

“I’m pretty brave, aren’t I?”

“It’s not brave, it’s reckless.”

“That’s true too.”

“Let’s just drop it.”

Taejun, who had never once won a battle of words with Haeshin from the very beginning, shook his head and entered the living room.

Haeshin naturally followed him and took Taejun’s overcoat. This time too, Taejun momentarily froze and tried to stop him. But he soon thought that Haeshin was taking his duties seriously, so he obediently handed his coat over to Haeshin. Taejun didn’t want Haeshin to feel like he was just receiving pity for free in his house.