Actually, It’s a Messy Melodrama Chapter 96

Haeshin had previously shared a brief conversation with Taejun regarding his mother’s suicide.

At the time, Haeshin had lost consciousness in the hospital and hadn’t heard it himself, but according to Taejun, a man sent by the Chairman had visited his mother’s hospital room before she took her own life.

Taejun speculated that Jin Youngmin was the one who sent that man. While he didn’t know the exact details of the conversation, he guessed that they had likely preyed upon his mother’s guilt.

In other words, Han Taejun was currently in the process of removing the risk factors that had driven the previous timeline to failure. Since Haeshin had opened the floodgates by having an honest conversation with his mother, Taejun was now stepping in to build a sturdier fence around her.

Haeshin bit his lip. He could clearly feel Han Taejun’s heart, struggling with all his might to protect Cha Haeshin.

“From now on, do not worry about anything else and please trust me.”

Taejun said, looking at Haeshin’s mother once more. It was a promise intended for Haeshin as well.

☂️

“You aren’t going to work today, right? I’ll come pick you up later, so stay here.”

“I can get there on my own…”

Haeshin, who had come out to the door to see Taejun off, mumbled unlike his usual self. Everything that had transpired from last night until this morning made Haeshin feel shy all over again.

Normally, since it was the weekend, they would have returned home together, but unfortunately, Taejun had an important schedule this morning. Even though it was a schedule that would only take a few hours, he couldn’t understand why his feet felt so heavy as he stepped out first.

“Um… thank you.”

Haeshin spoke to Taejun, who was lingering at the door out of reluctance to leave. Taejun tilted his head slightly and looked at Haeshin.

“For what?”

“Just, well, for everything. For coming yesterday, and today… for what you said to my mom.”

“I thought it was something serious.”

Taejun replied bluntly, scratching the tip of his nose with his finger as if it were nothing. However, he couldn’t hide his slightly reddened earlobes.

“I know you did all this to… protect my heart. Thank you.”

“Well, yeah.”

Taejun had heard Haeshin say thank you countless times before, but for some reason, seeing Haeshin act more shy than usual made Taejun feel bashful in return, leading to his awkward response.

When it reached the point where not just his earlobes but his cheeks were turning flushed, Taejun, unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, hurriedly said his goodbyes.

“Anyway, I’m off. I told Ingyu to standby nearby, so go out and have a meal with your mother or something.”

“I’ll make sure to eat well, so don’t worry and have a safe trip.”

“Yeah. I’m going.”

And at that very moment, it happened. He certainly hadn’t intended to, but the moment he offered his final greeting, Taejun reflexively leaned down and planted a mwah kiss on Haeshin’s cheek.

“…”

“…”

A suffocating silence flowed between the two, who had frozen instantly. Taejun hadn’t even fully straightened his waist yet.

To make an excuse, Taejun felt truly wronged. While it was true he desperately wished to be in a relationship where he could naturally kiss Haeshin’s cheek—and it wasn’t that he disliked this situation—he still felt wronged regardless.

This was because Taejun really hadn’t planned on doing this. It was as if he were possessed; his body just moved on its own. To be more precise, it would be correct to say he moved out of habit.

It felt as though his body had reacted before he could even process it, like something he had done repeatedly for a very long time.

“I’m leaving.”

With his mind gone completely blank, Taejun eventually couldn’t make any excuses and turned around to flee. On the other hand, Haeshin, who still hadn’t regained his senses, just stared blankly as Taejun moved away.

“Sigh…”

Having boarded the elevator without looking back, Taejun leaned his back against the wall and exhaled a deep sigh. Perhaps because he had broken into a cold sweat for a moment, he felt a sudden chill.

“What was that just now?”

Taejun muttered, staring at the floor with an exhausted face. Ever since he fell for Cha Haeshin, he had acted in incomprehensible ways countless times, but this time felt different. It was too suspicious to be dismissed as the simple act of a fool in love.

Then, Taejun suddenly realized when he had felt this same sense of incongruity he just experienced. It was the behavior Cha Haeshin had shown last night.

Haeshin’s appearance, which was excessively sweet and intimate yet simultaneously unfamiliar; the feeling that he was looking at a subtly different person even though it was clearly the Cha Haeshin he knew; and yet, even that hadn’t given him a sense of anxiety, but rather approached him with familiarity in the end.

Of course, his own action today was much more momentary compared to Haeshin’s behavior yesterday, but for some reason, Taejun felt the two shared a similar texture.

“Hmm…”

A sense of doubt bloomed over Taejun’s face as he let out a short hum.

In truth, there were many parts between the two of them that couldn’t be explained clearly. Why Cha Haeshin regressed, why out of so many people only Han Taejun and Cha Haeshin were entangled to this extent, and why they hadn’t properly recognized each other until now—the questions were overflowing.

However, there were clear problems that needed immediate resolution, and since questions regarding the regression weren’t things that could be figured out just by thinking about them, he had simply set them aside for the time being.

But what if this sense of incongruity Taejun was feeling was leaking out from the cracks of those set-aside problems? What if it was a hint toward the fundamental questions they hadn’t yet uncovered?

Taejun’s eyes deepened. He couldn’t know right now what truth was hidden within their regression. It was also difficult to guess at this stage what kind of impact it would have on the two of them.

But no matter what was hidden, or what kind of tsunami was approaching, he wasn’t afraid. Since Han Taejun already had a firm primary goal, nothing would be able to shake him or make him yield.

☂️

“Youngmin, come over here and sit down for a moment.”

Youngmin, who had returned from work in a good mood while even humming a tune, sat on the living room sofa with a puzzled expression at the sight of his father calling him before he could even change his clothes.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing major, I just have something I’m curious about.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Have you by any chance met with Taejun or talked to him recently?”

“Taejun hyung?”

Youngmin tilted his head as an entirely unexpected name came out of his father’s mouth. They had barely been in contact lately, so he was puzzled as to why his father was suddenly asking about Taejun.

“No. We haven’t really been in touch… Why Taejun hyung all of a sudden?”

“Well, it’s nothing much, but your mother and your maternal uncle spoke on the phone yesterday…”

“Yes.”

“He said he heard that Taejun seems to be seeing someone?”

“What? Really?”

At the sudden news, Youngmin asked with a slight furrow in his brow. His heart began to pound abnormally, as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have. Youngmin’s father nodded and continued.

“He said it’s not certain… but it wasn’t Taejun who said it; the Chairman mentioned it first.”

“The Chairman?”

“Yes. The Chairman asked your uncle if you knew anything, so I’m not sure what’s what.”

“Mmm…”

“So I was asking to see if you knew anything. Since you and Taejun used to be quite close before…”

Youngmin rolled his eyes around and shook his head.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in contact with hyung, too… Besides, he hasn’t really been interested in seeing people. But suddenly…”

“That’s what I’m saying. Anyway… if you have time, try to get in touch with him subtly. If Taejun really is seeing someone, we can’t exactly ignore it, can we?”

“Yes… I’ll do that.”

Youngmin nodded and stood up from his seat. His heart suddenly felt heavy for no reason.

The reason his father cared about Taejun’s dating life was obvious. Depending on which family Taejun became involved with, a tectonic shift would naturally occur within Myeongjin, so it would be more strange not to care.

Fortunately, Youngmin’s mother and Taejun’s father were on good terms, and the families had remained close until now, but there was a clear power dynamic between them. Youngmin’s father, who wasn’t bound by blood, would have no choice but to be more sensitive about it in many ways.

However, the reason Youngmin felt strange right now wasn’t because of his father.

“He’s seeing someone…?”

Youngmin muttered as he plopped down on his bed back in his room. A sigh escaped him for no reason.

In fact, it shouldn’t matter to Youngmin who Han Taejun was meeting. To begin with, Youngmin had never once possessed the desire to compete with Han Taejun.

From a young age, Youngmin knew there was a wall between himself and Han Taejun that could never be crossed. He didn’t want to break that wall down by force, nor did he desire wealth and fame equivalent to Han Taejun’s.

Youngmin simply wished to live in luxury within the small fiefdom where he currently stood. That was all. Therefore, regardless of who Han Taejun dated or married, or how much that marriage helped solidify his kingdom, it wasn’t something Jin Youngmin should care about, nor did he want to.

If he married someone from a family good enough to help him, Youngmin intended to congratulate him willingly. After all, only if Han Taejun’s country remained firm could he also live peacefully while occupying a seat within it.