Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 80

Taejun would not have bothered to ask if it had seemed like a simple nightmare. However, not only did Haeshin come to Taejun at that hour, but he even asked if he was alright. This was an action he would not have taken if Taejun had not appeared in his nightmare in some way.

“Hmm…”

Haeshin hesitated to answer. There was nothing he could not say to Taejun given the situation, but he felt awkward telling the person himself that he had a dream where he died.

Haeshin stirred the innocent soup and cautiously opened his mouth.

“I just had a dream where Mr. President got badly hurt because of me…”

“…”

“If it were not for me, Mr. President would not have been in such danger, so… even though it was a dream, I felt so sorry and guilty.”

Haeshin spoke with appropriately moderated intensity. He was reluctant to lie completely to Taejun, even if it was about something trivial.

Taejun, who was staring intently into Haeshin’s eyes, soon shrugged his shoulders as if it were nothing serious.

“Well, I somewhat expected it, but it is just a silly dream.”

“A silly dream?”

Haeshin’s eyes widened at the unexpected word. Taejun continued calmly.

“Yes. Because it is something that will never happen.”

“That is true. Why would Mr. President instead of me…”

“Because I have the power to protect you, Cha Haeshin, without getting hurt myself.”

Haeshin wore a dazed expression. For a moment, Taejun’s words sounded like a very powerful magic spell. Magic that would never be broken by anyone.

“…You are right. What kind of person is our Mr. President?”

Haeshin managed to answer as if nothing was wrong after a long while. He almost disgraced himself by shedding tears. It seemed the lingering effects of last night were still present.

“If you know that, now hurry up and eat.”

Taejun pointed to Haeshin’s rice bowl, which he had not touched, with a nod. Haeshin vigorously answered, “Yes!” and started moving his spoon.

It was a small secret of that morning that Haeshin, who had taken Taejun’s words at face value because he spoke so naturally, secretly suppressed a laugh upon noticing that Taejun’s earlobes were flushed red.

☂️

“Yes, Mom, I will come tomorrow, so make sure to eat well. Yes, yes. Goodbye.”

Haeshin blankly looked down at his phone after a short call with his mother ended.

“Whew…”

A sigh naturally escaped. He tried to act normal during the call, but he felt suffocated the whole time. He thought it would get better after a few days, but Haeshin still felt his heart sink whenever he thought of his mother.

He usually recovered quickly after the regression, no matter how terrible the experience was, but strangely, the aftereffects lingered for a long time this time. His heart started pounding at the thought of having to meet his mother tomorrow.

This symptom would eventually improve, but the problem was the lack of time. His mother’s illness would be progressing even at this moment, and Haeshin had to quickly persuade her to start treatment.

“Stop it. Stop it.”

Haeshin punched his head with his fist as if it were a habit. He was pathetic for still being hung up on the previous cycle when it had been so long since he regressed. Furthermore, he was angry at himself for not being able to control his emotions and hesitating over an important matter like his mother’s health.

Haeshin tried to shake off the image of his mother that kept appearing whenever he closed his eyes. He never wanted to see his mother as a cold corpse without any color in her face again.

At that moment, the convenience store door opened with a cheerful ringing sound, and a customer entered. Haeshin thought it was a good thing, opened his eyes, and greeted the customer cheerfully.

“Welcome… Ah…”

However, the corners of Haeshin’s mouth, which had been smiling professionally, stiffened the moment he saw the face that entered.

“Mr. Haeshin, have you been well?”

The person who entered and greeted him with a gentle face was Jin Youngmin, the face Haeshin least wanted to see right now.

“Ah…”

“Oh, are you very surprised? I came without telling you on purpose so you would be.”

Youngmin strode right up to the front of the counter, made eye contact with Haeshin, and asked. It was a disgustingly gentle face.

“Ah…! Oh, General Manager. Hello! Wow, I am really surprised.”

However, instead of cursing and vomiting at that face, Haeshin greeted him cheerfully. Haeshin’s eyes curved nicely. It was a face that clearly showed he was glad to see Jin Youngmin. Youngmin’s expression relaxed into a wide grin.

“Is that so?”

“Yes! What brings you here? I was just thinking I should contact you, too…!”

Saying that, Haeshin slightly shook the phone he was holding. His heart was unpleasantly pounding, but it probably did not show.

“Is that so? Well, recently, I just… felt like we were drifting apart. I wanted to see your face.”

Youngmin subtly leaned against the counter. Haeshin barely managed to stop himself from taking a step back involuntarily. Confined within the narrow, walled counter, Haeshin felt the pressure of a space he could not easily escape from.

“That is, um…”

“Is something wrong? You have been out of touch lately, so I came to see if you were alright.”

Youngmin’s tone was infinitely tender and gentle, but Haeshin knew the true meaning hidden beneath it. He was pretending to be worried, but Jin Youngmin was actually chiding Haeshin right now.

He was displeased with Cha Haeshin, who, despite being a nobody, not only failed to contact him regularly but dared to not even respond to his calls properly. He did not know it before, but Haeshin could now read the true emotion reflected in Jin Youngmin’s eyes.

Haeshin carefully chose his next words. This was not the time to cross Youngmin. He needed to move more cautiously and deliberately. To do that, he had to give a plausible reason that Jin Youngmin could accept.

“The truth is… um, I had a little trouble at home.”

“At home?”

“Yes. My mother has been a bit unwell lately… so I did not have the mind to think about anything else because of that. I am sorry. You were worried, right?”

“Ah, why are you apologizing again?”

The slightly sharp look in Youngmin’s eyes instantly sparkled. Haeshin felt nauseous because he knew too well what thoughts were reflected in those eyes.

Jin Youngmin regarded this as an opportunity. He had been hoping all along that Cha Haeshin would be pushed further to the edge of the cliff, quickly cornered into a dead end. That way, he would no longer be able to refuse the hand he extended.

Haeshin’s hand, holding the phone, began to tremble slightly. He had endured well until now, he had survived even worse moments, but facing Jin Youngmin today was not easy for some reason.

His mother’s death, his own suicide, and Han Taejun, Han Taejun, who had to witness those scenes right in front of him.

Han Taejun, who was entangled in the unfortunate cursed relationship between Jin Youngmin and Cha Haeshin, repeating an endless hell, yet never knew how to utter a single word of complaint to Cha Haeshin.

Haeshin bit his lip without realizing it. If he did not, he felt like he would immediately spit at Jin Youngmin and unleash a stream of curses. What sin did Han Taejun commit, what did he do wrong, that he had to roll around in the hell created by this bastard with him?

“Mr. Haeshin, are you alright?”

And just as Haeshin thought he could no longer hold back the surging anger, the convenience store door opened, and another customer entered.

“Oh, welcome.”

Haeshin instinctively greeted the customer. At the same time, the emotions that had been swelling up burst and his energy suddenly drained. He almost messed things up because of a momentary emotion.

Why had he become so weak? Haeshin self-reproached internally and smiled faintly at Youngmin. It was an expression he deliberately put on, knowing it would make him look exhausted and pathetic to Youngmin.

“Yes, I am fine. It is just that lately, I feel like… I am being pushed to my limit.”

The mere presence of another person in the convenience store significantly reduced the pressure, and his mind started working properly again. For now, safely escaping this situation was important.

Youngmin also put on a sympathetic face.

“I understand. You must have had a hard time. How is your mother?”

“I do not know yet. I think she needs to get a proper checkup. Please understand if I am a bit preoccupied for the time being.”

“Of course. Do not mind me. All I want to say is…”

Jin Youngmin’s eyes sparkled again. It was a wicked goodwill that he had faced countless times but could never quite get used to.

“You have not forgotten that I told you I am ready to help Mr. Haeshin anytime, have you?”

In the days when he knew nothing, Haeshin had thought this might be a lifeline miraculously sent down to him.

“As I said, I am alright even if Mr. Haeshin does not love me right now. So, do not feel pressured.”

Jin Youngmin’s words contained an unspoken pressure that he must love him someday, even if it was not now. At that time, Haeshin did not know how frightening that kind of pressure was.

At that moment, Haeshin recalled a man who readily extended his hand to help him.

The man who asked for no recompense from Haeshin, made no unspoken demands, and was willing to save his life in the name of pity and compassion, Han Taejun.

“…Yes. I will think about it carefully. Thank you always, General Manager.”

To end that man’s hell, Haeshin smiled at Jin Youngmin with a much more relaxed mind. It was an endeavor that was worth it.