Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 75

It was a voice full of worry. Taejun, certain that something must have happened to him, deeply furrowed his brow.

“My voice is not the problem, what is going on with you?”

“Me? Nothing is going on with me, though?”

But Haeshin’s subsequent voice was only bewildered.

“Didn’t you call because something happened just now?”

“Me? No. It seems like Mr. President is the one who has something going on right now……”

“Ah……”

Only then did Taejun realize that he had become overly agitated. Even though he tried not to, he was especially sensitive to Haeshin’s safety during this run.

In a way, it was natural. Considering what he had experienced in the last run. However, it was also true that he lost his composure too easily, so he did need to be careful.

Taejun messed up his well styled hair and slumped down onto the sofa in the CEO’s office. As the tension eased, strength suddenly drained from his entire body.

“Are you alright?”

Cha Haeshin, who could not have guessed what kind of storm Han Taejun had gone through in a short time, asked once again with a voice full of concern. Taejun was the one who had overreacted out of concern for Haeshin’s well being, but instead, he was the one receiving his concern, which felt comical.

“I am alright. More importantly…… why did you call?”

“Ah, the thing is…… I finished work just now.”

“Yes.”

“But, um, there is a cafe that I really like.”

“……Yes.”

“If Mr. President is alright with it, perhaps……”

His heart, which had just calmed down, started pounding again. This time it was not in a bad way. The hesitation felt in Haeshin’s voice made Taejun incredibly excited.

A favorite cafe. If Mr. President is alright with it.

It felt as if the fragments of the sentences Haeshin had uttered were popping out and hitting his heart.

Surely, surely he is not asking me out on a cafe date. Is he planning on taking me to his favorite cafe? The moment Taejun unconsciously smiled at the pleasant fantasy that stretched out, Haeshin spoke.

“Could I just drink a cup of coffee at the cafe before I go home?”

“Yes, I would also li…… what?”

And Taejun, who was about to rush to accept the date without even listening to the end of Haeshin’s question because he was too excited, stopped abruptly and asked again.

“Yes? What did you say?”

Fortunately or unfortunately, Haeshin, who had not properly heard Taejun’s answer, asked again. Taejun’s mouth was blocked, and he merely gaped until he finally managed to speak.

“No, what I mean is, um, what about the cafe?”

“Ah, I was wondering if I could just drink a cup of coffee at the cafe and go home.”

Taejun’s eyes suddenly became sharp.

“Why do you need my permission for that?”

“Um, because it is work time?”

“Work time?”

“Yes. Did you forget? I am someone who works at Mr. President’s house.”

Haeshin answered in a calm voice to Taejun, who asked several times because he could not understand. Only then did Taejun realize what kind of nonsense Cha Haeshin was spouting, and he sighed and placed his hand on his forehead.

“It is fine if I just buy coffee and go in, but because it is a favorite cafe…… I always used to go and spend time there whenever I was able to go back in time.”

Even amidst all this, Haeshin was explaining in detail why he wanted to go to the cafe. Taejun pressed his temples with his fingers and opened his mouth.

“Cha Haeshin.”

“Yes!”

Haeshin’s voice, answering cheerfully, was so bright that it only deepened Taejun’s frustration.

“If you look closely, you really lack flexibility.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Am I your real boss who signed a contract and hired you? You can go to a cafe as you like. Why do you need permission for something like that?”

“Uh, uh…… But even though Mr. President already provides me with many conveniences, I must adhere to what needs to be adhered to.”

“That is why I am saying you lack flexibility.”

But in the end, a smile was visible around Taejun’s mouth. Even though he complained that he lacked flexibility and was frustrating, Han Taejun ultimately found that side of Cha Haeshin endearing, so there was nothing he could say.

He was brazen but not shameless, he bowed his head easily but was not a coward. This was the reason Han Taejun could not help but love Cha Haeshin.

“You can stay at the cafe for as long as you want and then come back.”

“Oh, that is not right. I will just drink a cup of coffee and go……”

“Instead, send me the address of that cafe.”

“Yes?”

Haeshin made a dumbfounded sound at Taejun’s sudden demand. Taejun, ignoring him, got up from the sofa and repeated himself.

“Send me the address of your regular cafe.”

“Why is that……”

“Just send it for now. I will tell you the reason later. I am hanging up.”

“Yes? Ah, yes……”

Taejun ended the call after Haeshin’s bewildered answer and immediately went out of the CEO’s office. Secretary Choi, who found Taejun moving quickly, reflexively got up.

“Mr. President, where are you going?”

“Uh, uh, I am going to have a meeting for a moment. Jungho, you just stay here.”

“A meeting?”

Secretary Choi, visibly flustered, furrowed his brow. As far as Secretary Choi knew, Taejun did not have any external schedule that could be called a meeting today. However, Taejun did not explain further and merely waved his hand casually before disappearing with a fast pace.

Secretary Choi, left all alone, stared blankly in the direction Taejun had disappeared. He did not know if all unrequited loves were like that, but Han Taejun, who had fallen into unrequited love, was definitely a bit strange.

☂️

Haeshin took a large bite of the whipped cream piled high on the coffee and smiled with a satisfied expression.

To be honest, the cream was not particularly special compared to other cafes. But for Haeshin, this place was special because it provided him with a moment where he could feel lucky even in the middle of misfortune.

Because being able to come to this cafe meant that he had at least returned to a time before being confined to Jin Youngmin’s house.

“I was lucky. This time it is real.”

Haeshin took a sip of coffee, savored the sweet and bitter taste, and muttered out of habit. It was something he said every time he came to this cafe, but today the meaning was distinctly different.

It was different from the time when he consoled himself with the fact that he was not confined. Now, Haeshin was not only unmarried to Jin Youngmin yet, but he had also gained an absolute ally named Han Taejun. There would never be a more powerful colleague, neither before nor in the future.

It was not simply because Taejun was a third generation heir of a rich and powerful conglomerate. Of course, that was an important point, but what was more important was that Han Taejun was someone Cha Haeshin would never lose.

Simply by gaining one person, the entire world surrounding Cha Haeshin had changed. The certainty that no matter how many times he died in the future, even if everyone in the world forgot Cha Haeshin, only Han Taejun would neither forget nor ignore Haeshin, was the most powerful strength he gave Haeshin.

If before Haeshin had not feared death because he had nothing to lose, now he did not fear death because he had one thing he would absolutely not lose.

Haeshin, who was savoring a feeling he had never experienced before, looked out the window and saw a car smoothly pulling into the parking lot in front of the cafe.

“Oh?”

A short exclamation escaped Haeshin’s mouth. It was because the car visible outside the window was the same model as Taejun’s car. The smile that had formed on his mouth out of a sudden feeling of welcome was short lived, as Haeshin suddenly remembered that he had told Taejun about this cafe just a moment ago.

“No way……”

And before Haeshin’s suspicion could fully escape his mouth as a sound, the car door opened, and a man stepped out, displaying his long legs.

A tall and handsome man, Cha Haeshin’s colleague, comrade, and employer.

“Mr. President……?!”

It was CEO Han Taejun.

☂️

“You look as if you have seen a ghost.”

Taejun said to Cha Haeshin, who was still staring at him with a foolish expression, mouth open, even after he sat across from him. Only then did Haeshin blink his eyes rapidly, like someone released from a spell, and open his mouth.

“How did you come here?”

“You told me where it was.”

“No, no, that is not it…… Is it alright for you to come to a place like this?”

“What? Is this a place I cannot come to?”

“No, that is not it, but…… Do you normally come to common cafes like this?”

Haeshin kept looking around as he spoke. Since it was a small neighborhood cafe and it was a weekday, thankfully there were no customers, but the owner standing at the counter visibly seemed flustered even from afar.

Taejun, ignoring him, leaned back in his chair casually and shrugged his shoulders.

“I rarely have a reason to come normally. But well, if I want to come, I come. Is that a big deal?”

“No, but what if rumors spread? We do not know when a customer might come.”

Haeshin even lowered his voice and whispered. His tense posture, looking around in all directions, resembled a cat with its fur bristled, wary of its surroundings. Taejun snorted as if he found it absurd.

“No, can a rich heir not even drink coffee at a cafe? Why is that such a big deal?”

Haeshin tightly closed his mouth and frowned. Theoretically, it was a correct statement, but Haeshin still did not feel comfortable. He felt as if someone would take a picture of Taejun at any moment and upload it to the internet or social media.

His heart was pounding, and he felt as if his liver had shrunk to the size of a bean. But Han Taejun in front of him, showing no sign of tension, was looking around and admiring the cafe.