Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 73

Actually, this was a part that Haeshin had not even thought of. The shantytown where he originally lived was within walking distance, but Taejun’s house was even farther away, so it would take at least an hour to walk.

Since he would not have been able to get a ride in Inchan’s car, if Taejun had not come, Haeshin would have ended up walking for a full hour in the early morning.

“Even so, to come personally at this hour… I’m touched.”

For a moment, Taejun thought to himself, ‘Oh no, did I make too much of a fuss?’ but he answered, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

“I can’t call Secretary Choi at this hour to bring you.”

“Wouldn’t there be more people who would call him regardless of the time if they needed him?”

“I would have called him tomorrow.”

“Ah, right, that’s true. Bringing me is not official business.”

Haeshin nodded as if he agreed, but there was still a hint of wonder in his eyes as he stared intently at Taejun.

Haeshin was surprised by the mere fact that he cared about his way back. He found it fascinating how a pampered third-generation heir, who grew up wealthy, could be so meticulously observant of others.

“What are you looking at so much?”

“As expected.”

Haeshin nodded to himself with a satisfied expression.

“As expected?”

“No, I just thought my judgment of people is accurate, as expected.”

Han Taejun was kind and delicate, unlike the world’s prejudices or impressions. Haeshin was confident in his judgment again today.

“What on earth are you mumbling about? Anyway.”

“Yes.”

Ignoring Haeshin’s words, which he could not understand at all, Taejun now started to say what he wanted to say.

“If I hadn’t come to pick you up, were you going to get into that guy’s car earlier?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean the guy who was standing with you.”

Taejun knew too. That this was not a question strictly necessary for the current situation. He had no reason or justification to ask such a thing. Even though he knew that, he could not stop his mouth from moving arbitrarily.

“Ah, Hyung Inchan.”

Hyung Inchan.

He did not like the name that smoothly flowed out of Haeshin’s mouth. While Haeshin still called him Mister President, he seemed to have no trouble using familiar affectionate names for others.

He had heard about Inchan several times already. He was one of the employees, along with the manager, who took good care of Haeshin at that store. Through the incident in the last regression cycle, Taejun knew that Haeshin held him in high regard.

However, if he was asked if the two looked like they were more than friends, the answer was no, but recalling the look in Inchan’s eyes, who had been standing close to Haeshin and was wary of him just moments ago, made him feel bad.

He felt so bad that he nearly got out of the car and picked a fight, asking him who he was.

He barely managed to restrain himself from getting out of the car, clutching the steering wheel tightly, for fear that the news of Han Taejun having visited might reach Jin Youngmin’s ears, but the sight of the two of them together was strangely offensive to him.

“No. Of course, I couldn’t get in. How could I ask him to drive me to Mister President’s house?”

Taejun breathed a small sigh of relief at Haeshin’s answer and started the car. If Haeshin had abruptly tried to get into Inchan’s car simply because he was a trustworthy person, his stomach would have twisted several times more than it did now.

Taejun, whose mood had improved a little, just a teeny tiny bit, relaxed his stiff shoulders and asked.

“Then were you going to just walk home?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe I would have called Mister President and asked you to pay for a taxi?”

Haeshin’s subsequent answer was clearly a joke to anyone who heard it. And Taejun did not like Haeshin, who could only ask for that much, even as a joke.

“What taxi fare?”

“It’s a joke, a joke. I’m not that shameless…”

“Call me to pick you up.”

Haeshin, who had been smiling playfully, was left speechless with a dazed expression at Taejun’s voice, which interrupted his words and answered. Taejun briefly glanced at Haeshin, who was just blinking without even being able to ask again, and repeated himself.

“If that really happens next time, call me. I’ll go pick you up.”

“Even if it’s not a dangerous situation?”

“Yes.”

“Even at two in the morning?”

“Yes.”

“What if I interrupt Mister President during an important meeting or something…”

“It’s fine, just do it. I have the ability to solve something like that.”

Haeshin quickly turned his head to look straight ahead, tightly clasped his two hands together on his lap, and bit his lip. His heart was suddenly pounding too violently, and he felt like the sound of his heartbeat would leak out if he opened his mouth.

Haeshin’s life had many people’s pity and goodwill. But this was the first time for a sustained and unconditional favor, like the one Taejun was currently giving him, in any regression cycle.

One might think that Taejun was helping because if Cha Haeshin died, Han Taejun’s life would also end, and he had to prevent Haeshin’s death for Taejun to live normally without regressing, but Haeshin knew that was not the case.

Even when he did not know that Cha Haeshin was the cause of his regression, Taejun consistently helped Haeshin, and if the goal was simply to prevent regression, there were plenty of more efficient ways.

Silence descended upon the car driving through the city streets in the early morning. Haeshin just kept moving his lips but could not easily speak.

He usually just had to cheerfully accept Han Taejun’s kindness by saying, “Thank you!” like he always did, but strangely, the words did not come out easily. It felt ticklish beneath his breastbone.

It was the first time he had someone he could trust, someone he did not have to hide secrets close to his shame from, someone he could freely ask for help when things were difficult. It was the first time for such a person, even after countless repetitions of life.

The bewildered feeling kept violently throbbing. In the end, Haeshin could not even say thank you to Taejun until they arrived home.

☂️

“Um… Mister President, thank you very much for today.”

“Why thank me again? It’s fine, just rest.”

“Yes.”

The two people, having returned home, exchanged somewhat awkward greetings in the living room. It was because both of their hearts were in turmoil, but neither of them realized that the other was also being clumsy, thinking that only they were feeling awkward.

“Um, then I’ll go in first.”

“Uh huh.”

Haeshin, feeling embarrassed that they were both just standing there stiffly, moved first. For some reason, his face kept feeling hot today, and he did not want Taejun to notice it. But after only a short distance, Haeshin suddenly stopped walking. There was something he wanted to say.

When he turned his head, he saw Taejun still standing there, looking at him.

Don’t be nosy and just go in, go in and sleep. A loud voice in his head tried to stop Haeshin. But Haeshin decided to listen to the small voice that resonated in his heart instead.

“Mister President.”

“Yes.”

“Have a good dream.”

“Ah….”

Taejun’s face, which let out a small murmur, seemed to relax subtly. The small voice in Haeshin’s heart felt joy. He felt glad that he had said it.

“If you happen to wake up again from a nightmare in the early morning and don’t want to go back to sleep. If you simply need someone to talk to, just wake me up.”

“…”

“Just as I can call Mister President anytime and ask you to come pick me up, Mister President can also wake me up anytime and ask me to stay with you, to talk to you.”

Haeshin smiled faintly at the end of his words. He still felt embarrassed, but his heart felt light. If he had not conveyed these words, he probably would not have been able to sleep all night.

“Even if I’m not particularly scared?”

Taejun said after a brief silence. Haeshin, who heard the words, relaxed his stiff expression from awkwardness and laughed.

‘Even if it’s not a dangerous situation?’

The question he had asked Taejun echoed in his ears. The feeling that Taejun’s heart and his own heart were resonating at the same temperature at that moment made him feel incredibly excited.

He felt as if he was safely protected from all the evil in the world, and he could feel that Taejun was looking at him with the same sentiment.

“Yes. Even if you’re not scared. I have the ability to grant that much anytime.”

‘It’s fine, just do it. I have the ability to solve something like that.’

Taejun chuckled, realizing that Haeshin was returning his own answer to him.

“Okay. I will.”

“Then… good night, Mister President.”

“Sleep well.”

The two of them now exchanged proper goodbyes and headed to their respective rooms. It was a night when neither of them could yet know that they both did not want to be apart from each other.

☂️

“What are you thinking so much about?”

Secretary Choi, who was driving the car in the front seat, asked, checking Taejun through the rearview mirror.

His face looked unwell since he left the house, as if he had not slept properly, and his mind seemed incredibly complex as he remained silent even after getting into the car.

“Is something wrong?”

Secretary Choi asked again toward the silent Taejun. If Taejun had a serious problem, he, as his close secretary, needed to know about it.

This was true for public matters as well as private ones. Because Secretary Choi was not only Taejun’s employee but also his friend.

“Jungho.”

Fortunately, Taejun did not seem to intend to hide his problem from Secretary Choi.

“Yes, Mister President.”

“If I feel bad seeing Cha Haeshin talking to someone else.”

“…Yes?”

Secretary Choi’s face, which had been serious, followed Taejun, but now it became strange. Regardless, Taejun turned his gaze back to the window and continued speaking, lost in his own world.

“I guess I was jealous, right?”

Taejun did not have a nightmare last night. Because he did not have time to have a nightmare. He had so many thoughts that he was practically up all night.

It was fine up until he exchanged the ticklish goodnight with Haeshin and went to bed. A smile did not leave his lips even while lying in bed. The problem started when he began to ruminate over the events of the day while in that bed.