Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 52

“Boss, is something wrong?”

—Wrong? What could be wrong? I just called because I was curious how you were doing. And to hear your voice while I was at it…….

Haeshin, who had just finished washing the dishes after dinner, went into his bedroom to continue the welcome call he hadn’t received in a long time. It was from the owner of the bar where Haeshin used to work. Haeshin sat down on the one-person sofa in his bedroom and continued the call.

“I should have called you first, but I’ve been so out of it. I’m sorry.”

—Goodness? Why are you acting so polite? It’s unsettling.

“Come on, boss. As if there was any young man as polite as me.”

—Now that you’ve quit, you’re just making things up, aren’t you?

Laughter escaped at the silly jokes they hadn’t shared in a while. During the difficult daily life he always wanted to escape, the moments spent laughing and sharing pathetic jokes with people rolling in the mud alongside him were the only times he could smile.

—So, is everything okay with you? You’re doing alright, right?

After the laughter faded, the boss asked in a slightly softer voice. Even though he wasn’t right in front of him, Haeshin nodded.

“Yes. I’m doing very well.”

—Good. Then that’s all that matters. I was just so nervous because some big shots suddenly started looking for you.

“You know me. I’m the type of guy who’ll do fine no matter where you drop me.”

Over the phone, the boss snickered again.

—I know, I know. You’re the type who would survive even if you were dropped in the middle of a battlefield.

“So don’t worry about me, and worry about yourself, boss. And drink a little less.”

—There you go again! If you’re going to nag, I’m hanging up!

“And stop picking on the other kids!”

—Hey, I said I’m hanging up!

The boss sounded fed up, but he didn’t hang up first, just grumbled continuously. It was mostly his usual repertoire, like how he’d raised a tiger cub, or how Haeshin had gotten even more ill-mannered since he stopped coming to the bar.

“But, um, boss.”

Then, suddenly, Haeshin remembered a worrisome face and spoke cautiously. As if sensing the change in Haeshin’s mood, the boss also stopped his playful huffing and listened to Haeshin’s words.

—Yeah, what is it?

“Um… does Jin Youngmin still come to the bar these days?”

The boss began to speak as if he had expected this question.

—I was about to ask you about that too, man. For a while after you stopped coming, he kept looking for you, and later, it seems he tried to get information out of the other kids. But lately, there’s been no contact, and I haven’t seen him at all…

“Yeah…”

—But Haeshin, you know how it is. The fact that it’s too quiet is actually what makes it more unsettling and suspicious.

The boss’s voice was endlessly serious.

—It’s not like I have any proof, but I just have a bad feeling. I wasn’t sure when he was here acting all gentle, but seeing him persistently look for a guy who said he wasn’t coming back, I figured you should be careful. Did he, like, show up where you are or anything?

Haeshin bit his lip. The memory of him coming to his house and threatening him flashed vividly in his mind. Barely suppressing the urge to whine about what that bastard did to him, Haeshin answered.

“No, he didn’t do that. I’ve changed my phone number now, anyway. I don’t know if he’s still trying to contact me or not.”

—Right. As long as he didn’t go to you, that’s good. Be careful just in case. Got it?

“Yes. I will. Thank you. I’ll come visit you soon, boss.”

—Hey, don’t bother. There are plenty of guys here whining about why you’re not coming. Don’t get tangled up by coming here for no reason. If you can stay away, staying away is the best thing.

Haeshin bowed his head at the boss’s sincere advice. Haeshin had thought he was living under a terrible curse, but looking back, there had always been people in the mud who tried to help him. Just like this boss.

“Then let’s just have a meal with Inchan-hyung. That’s okay, right?”

—Sure. That’s fine. Inchan is going crazy saying he misses you anyway.

“I’ll call hyung too. Thank you, boss. And if anything happens, be sure to call me. Got it?”

—What’s gonna happen to me? You just take care of yourself. Don’t overstep your bounds and get into trouble.

Though expressed crudely, it was ultimately a worry that he shouldn’t get into a rough situation by being needlessly greedy.

“‘A pine caterpillar must eat pine needles’! I’ll keep that in mind.”

—Alright. Hang up.

“I’ll call you again.”

—Okay.

After finishing the call, Haeshin sat on the sofa for a moment and looked around the room. Just a short while ago, Haeshin was either being subjected to violence by Jin Youngmin in a nice house or fighting the cold in a moldy one.

But now, he was in a nice house, sitting on a one-person sofa no less, talking on the phone without any fear of violence.

When he first moved into Taejun’s house, he had been afraid that this place would just become another prison with a different view. Separate from whether Taejun was a good person, the terror from the memories of terrible abuse made Haeshin shrink.

But now, to Haeshin, this space was no different from a giant safe house. The kind of place Jin Youngmin could never invade, no matter how obsessively crazy he was.

Feeling a strange, indescribable emotion, Haeshin slowly came out to the living room. Han Taejun, who had been nagging him from the side while he was cleaning the balcony before he went to take the call, was sitting in the living room.

“What took you so long on the phone?”

The blunt voice now sounded incredibly comfortable to Haeshin. Haeshin picked up the cleaning rag he had briefly set down in front of the balcony and answered.

“I know. It got long since it’s been a while.”

“Who was it?”

“Who was it?”

Taejun, who had asked without thinking, only realized his question was strange after Haeshin asked back with a puzzled look.

Who was it? Even if Cha Haeshin answered, it was obvious it would be someone he didn’t know. It was a pointless question. Even if it was someone he knew, there was no need for him to be briefed on every detail of Haeshin’s private life.

Worried that Haeshin might have felt like he was being interrogated, Taejun quickly added.

“I mean, well, you don’t have to ans—”

“The owner of the bar I used to work at. He called to see how I was doing.”

However, Haeshin, immediately erasing his puzzled expression, answered easily as if telling him was no big deal. Taejun, who became even more flustered, hurriedly blurted out an excuse.

“Hey, it’s not like I was asking to pry into your private life.”

“Come on, how is this even considered a private life?”

“Huh?”

“You’re the one who created my private life for me right now, so it’s okay for you to ask that much. It’s time I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy anyway if it weren’t for you, sir.”

Taejun wore a blank expression at Haeshin’s unexpected answer. Haeshin was being sincere.

Things like talking freely on the latest phone while sitting on a soft, plush sofa in a space called ‘my room’, which he had for the first time in his life, even if it was in someone else’s house, would not have existed in the first place if it weren’t for Han Taejun.

But Taejun’s feelings on hearing those words were different. It wasn’t that he didn’t know why Haeshin treated him like a savior. It was true to some extent. And yet, strangely, it was becoming more and more uncomfortable to hear such words. It was even more so when he thought of the future Haeshin would have faced if not for his regression.

Taejun, making sure his tone didn’t sound sharp, opened his mouth.

“I didn’t give it to you; you made it.”

“What?”

“I’m not helping you because some god suddenly descended upon me. You earned it through your own efforts. By clinging to me, asking for help.”

Literally, Cha Haeshin had struck Taejun’s life like a lightning bolt. Even though Jin Youngmin’s abuse must have acted as a mental shackle, he had mustered the courage to kneel before Han Taejun and beg. Please help me. Save me.

Asking for help from Taejun, who was Youngmin’s cousin, could not have been easy. He must have been afraid of being rejected and facing even greater retaliation. Nevertheless, Cha Haeshin came to Han Taejun solely with his own courage, and as a result, Taejun was here now, in front of Cha Haeshin.

“It wasn’t something I did for you; it was something you, Cha Haeshin, did. Don’t forget that.”

You called me. You made me see you dying and made me want to help you. Taejun’s heart screamed. He wanted to tell Haeshin everything he had accomplished and watch his reaction.

As much as he was looking for the right moment to persuade- no, to explain to, Secretary Choi, Taejun was also looking for the moment to tell Haeshin the truth.

He wanted to build enough trust that Haeshin would believe his words, even if he wasn’t a regressor like himself. Things would only get more difficult if he ended up making Haeshin wary of him while in a situation where he had to protect Haeshin from Jin Youngmin. Taejun barely managed to swallow the truth that had risen to the tip of his tongue.

Haeshin, who had been listening to Taejun with a dazed expression, soon broke into a refreshing smile.

“I was right.”

“Right about what now?”

“You really are a very kind person, sir.”

“…What nonsense is that now.”

“This is how I feel, so please don’t mind it.”

Haeshin, without erasing his smile, walked back to the balcony. It seemed he was about to resume the cleaning he had stopped for the phone call.

“Ah, wait.”

Taejun hurriedly called Haeshin to a stop. In fact, there was a reason Taejun had been eagerly waiting for Haeshin’s call to end. He had almost forgotten what he wanted to say while talking about other things.

“Yes?”

“Come and sit for a moment. I have something to say.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Just a moment.”

Haeshin, perhaps conscious of his hands that had touched the cleaning rag, rushed to the kitchen to wash them and sat down next to Taejun. Taking a short, deep breath, Taejun carefully brought up the words he had been contemplating how to say since that afternoon.