The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 38 - An Uncomfortable Meal (2)

 

 

“I don’t even know why it turned out this way.”

 

The moment my grandfather stepped out to take a call, Seo Do-hwan was the first to speak up.

 

“Seriously! We just happened to meet here by chance!”

 

“I didn’t even ask.”

 

He was already making excuses, even though no one had accused him of anything. I let out a dry chuckle and raised my hand.

 

“Sir, two bowls of soondae gukbap, please.”

 

There wasn’t any space left on the table to order more.

 

“You ordered a lot—boiled pork and even meat pancakes.”

 

“Lee Yoo-seong said he wanted to eat them.”

 

“Well then, of course you had to.”

 

Even at nineteen, he was still growing. Boys could continue to grow even after joining the army, so the more he ate, the better.

 

I wrapped boiled pork and kimchi in a lettuce leaf and stuffed it into my mouth. Seo Do-hwan stared at me curiously.

 

“What?”

 

“No, it’s nothing…”

 

He poured water into my cup and muttered,

 

“Every time I see you eat, I can’t help thinking—you really know how to enjoy your food.”

 

“Try living a thousand years somewhere without kimchi or soybean paste. You’d end up like me.”

 

“What are you even talking about?”

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

I brushed it off and turned to Kang Ye-seong.

 

“Kang Ye-seong, you should eat too. You said you haven’t had dinner yet.”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

The main dishes hadn’t even arrived yet, but the boiled pork and meat pancakes alone were enough to fill us up.

 

I reached for another wrap—this time with boiled pork, kimchi, and a bit of salted seafood on top. Just as I was about to take a bite—

 

“You said you had to go to the office because of work.”

 

Seo Do-hwan grumbled, clearly dissatisfied.

 

“If I’d known we’d run into each other like this, I would’ve told you honestly. I didn’t want you to worry if I said I was going to the police station.”

 

“Worry? As if.”

 

Seo Do-hwan snorted, but Lee Yoo-seong looked genuinely concerned.

 

“You went to the police station with Ye-seong hyung?”

 

“Yeah. The guy who tried to kidnap him turned himself in.”

 

“Really? That’s a relief!”

 

Lee Yoo-seong beamed at Kang Ye-seong, fully aware of what Kang Ye-seong had almost gone through.

 

Kang Ye-seong then said,

 

“Thanks for worrying about me, Yoo-seong. But that criminal didn’t seem to be in his right mind… I wonder if he’ll even be properly punished.”

 

“Don’t worry about that.”

 

After finishing another lettuce wrap, I reassured him.

 

“The man who tried to kidnap you will pay for his crimes, one way or another.”

 

I’ll make sure of it.

 

“Thank you, CEO.”

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

I shrugged lightly with a smile just as the steaming bowls of soondae soup arrived.

 

“Oh, the food’s here.”

 

Grandfather, who had stepped out to take a call, returned.

 

I picked up my spoon with a smile.

 

“Grandpa, have you eaten dinner yet?”

 

“Not yet. I was chatting with your friends, Yoon-hoo, and didn’t get a chance to eat.”

 

Sure enough, his bowl of soondae soup was untouched, looking exactly like the fresh one that had just been served.

 

“It looks cold already. Should I get you a fresh one?”

 

“Even if it’s cold, it still tastes good. Don’t worry.”

 

Grandfather smiled and picked up his spoon. That’s when I noticed his bangs were damp. It wasn’t raining outside, and yet only his bangs were wet. Something felt off.

 

“Grandpa.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“I just noticed… why are your bangs wet?”

 

“Puh?!”

 

Seo Do-hwan almost spat out his water.

 

“Kuh—cough, cough!”

 

He began choking and hurriedly wiped his mouth with a napkin. I ignored his fussing and asked Grandfather again.

 

“You don’t look like you got caught in the rain or anything…”

 

“Ah, this.”

 

Grandfather gently brushed his wet bangs aside and smiled.

 

“I just got a little splashed. It’s nothing. My bangs will dry soon, so don’t worry. Eat up.”

 

It felt like he was hiding something, but I nodded and let it go. Just as I was about to lift my spoon—

 

“The young man sitting next to our Yoon-hoo… I feel like I’ve seen that face somewhere.”

 

Grandfather turned to Kang Ye-seong.

 

Kang Ye-seong stiffened and put down his spoon before replying.

 

“I’m Kang Ye-seong, leader of Victory. My stage name is Muse.”

 

“Kang Ye-seong, you got the introduction backwards,” I said.

 

“Ah! Right. I’m Muse, leader of Victory. My real name is Kang Ye-seong. It’s an honor to meet you, Chairman Kwak Jin-tae!”

 

“So you know who I am?”

 

“Of course! There’s even a saying that if someone in Korea doesn’t know Chairman Kwak Jin-tae, they must be a spy!”

 

“Goodness. Hearing such praise from a handsome young man makes me flustered.”

 

Grandfather laughed heartily.

 

“Ah yes, now I remember. Yoon-hoo came to me saying he insisted on managing you guys.”

 

I never said that—but Grandfather knows I never did. Still, he mentioned it, probably to make a good impression on Kang Ye-seong.

 

‘I appreciate it.’

 

I smiled. “It’s because I was a fan. Still am, actually.”

 

“Then thanks to Yoon-hoo, I might just become a fan of yours as well.”

 

Kang Ye-seong blushed, clearly flustered.

 

And so, in that warm and cheerful atmosphere, dinner came to an end.

 

***

 

“Grandpa, are you heading back to the company now?”

 

“Yes, I should.”

 

Grandfather pulled out a few 50,000-won bills and handed them to me.

 

“Enjoy some time with your friends before heading home.”

 

Friends, huh.

 

Well, I guess that wasn’t wrong. Smiling, I replied, “Alright, Grandpa. Get home safely. I’ll call you later.”

 

“Alright.”

 

After his reply, Seo Do-hwan and Lee Yoo-seong quickly offered their farewells.

 

“Sir, please get home safe!”

 

“Goodbye, Chairman!”

 

Kang Ye-seong also bowed deeply.

 

Grandfather waved with a warm smile before stepping into his car. As soon as he left, I turned to Seo Do-hwan.

 

“So… what happened between you and my grandpa?”

 

“N-nothing happened!”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really! I swear! Absolutely nothing!”

 

Was that so?

 

“Yoo-seong.”

 

“Well… actually, Do-hwan hyung kind of… spat out the water he was drinking—right on your grandfather’s face.”

 

“Hey! Lee Yoo-seong!”

 

Seo Do-hwan shouted in protest.

 

I froze.

 

“Wait—you spat water? On my grandpa’s face?”

 

I wanted to believe Lee Yoo-seong was joking, but judging by Seo Do-hwan’s reaction…it was true.

 

“T-that’s… well…”

 

He stammered, completely flustered. I asked sharply,

 

“You did apologize properly, didn’t you?”

 

“Of course I did! I even wiped his face myself!”

 

Unbelievable.

 

As I rubbed my temples, fighting a headache, Seo Do-hwan muttered, “Your grandfather knows everything.”

 

“…Knew what?”

 

“That you were the one who had me hospitalized.”

 

He pouted.

 

“That’s why I freaked out! He suddenly brought it up out of nowhere—how could I not be shocked?!”

 

“Shocked enough to spit water all over my grandpa? Really?”

 

“Fine, fine! I committed an unforgivable sin! Happy now?!”

 

Grumbling with a sulky face, Seo Do-hwan added,

 

“You only treat me like this. With Lee Yoo-seong and Kang Ye-seong, you’re all buddy-buddy.”

 

“Yoo-seong’s still a kid, and Kang Ye-seong is younger than us, too.”

 

“We’re not that young!”

 

Lee Yoo-seong and Kang Ye-seong shouted in unison.

 

Still, from my perspective, they were kids. Even Seo Do-hwan, if you went by looks alone, could pass for one.

 

“Well, anyway, since Grandpa gave us money, let’s go to a café. Kang Ye-seong, you free?”

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

Just as I reached for my phone to look up a nearby café—

 

Bang—!

 

A loud crash echoed nearby. Thick white smoke billowed up, and screams followed.

 

“Call 119! Someone call 119!!”

 

“Someone’s trapped under the car!”

 

Hearing the desperate cries, I ran without a second thought. Of course—because the sound had come from the direction where Grandfather’s car had gone.

 

“Boss!”

 

“Hyung!”

 

“CEO!”

 

Different voices called after me, but I didn’t stop.

 

“Grandpa!!”

 

The sight that greeted me as I burst out of the alley was devastating. More than five cars were tangled together, overturned and smoking on the road. And among them—was my grandfather’s car.

 

My heart sank.

 

…Why? Why did this accident happen? Had something like this ever occurred before?

 

No. Never.

 

Even having dinner with my grandfather and the others at the gukbap restaurant today had been a first.

 

Or… was it really the first time?

 

My head spun, thoughts scattering like the wrecked cars on the street. But even then, I forced myself to move.

 

“Grandpa!!”

 

I had to find my only family. Thankfully, it didn’t take long.

 

“Ah… Yoon-hoo…”

 

My grandfather, leaning on his driver for support, tried to reassure me.

 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry too much. More importantly—step back.”

 

“What are you talking about?!”

 

“Yoon-hoo.”

 

His low, weary voice carried on.

 

“This old man doesn’t want you in the public eye just yet.”

 

It wasn’t hard to understand what he meant.

 

All eyes were already on the massive accident at the intersection. And soon enough, people would realize that AMA’s Kwak Jin-tae had been caught up in it.

 

Even now, I could hear the whispers. People’s gazes kept flicking toward him, though I wished they’d spend that energy helping the injured instead.

 

“You understand, don’t you?”

 

Reluctantly, I nodded. I had no choice but to step back.

 

The moment I did, Seo Do-hwan gripped my shoulder.

 

“Boss, don’t worry about your grandfather.”

 

Then the ambulance arrived.

 

With the driver’s help, my grandfather climbed inside. As the doors shut, I bit down hard on my lip. Seo Do-hwan spoke again.

 

“I’ll go with him. You should head back with Kang Ye-seong. There’s no benefit in being seen here.”

 

He was right.

 

Neither Kang Ye-seong nor I had anything to gain by drawing attention at the scene of a public accident.

 

And yet—

 

‘Why?’

 

Why did this accident have to happen? Why did my grandfather have to be hurt?

 

I thought I had already faced every possible scenario across 365 regressions. Was I wrong? What if it happened again? What if next time, his injuries were worse…

 

“CEO, are you alright?”

 

“Ah.”

 

Like a splash of cold water, my thoughts cleared.

 

I couldn’t let myself drown in fear of the future. Even if there were variables I hadn’t encountered before, all I could do was prepare for them as best I could.

 

‘Yes. That’s what I need to do.’

 

Taking a slow breath, I forced a smile at Kang Ye-seong.

 

“I’m fine. But Yoo-seong, I thought you were going to the hospital with Seo Do-hwan…”

 

“Do-hwan hyung told me to stay with you.”

 

I wasn’t a child anymore. 

 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Seo Do-hwan’s consideration, and beside Lee Yoo-seong, Kang Ye-seong watched me with the same worried look.

 

“CEO, are you sure you’re okay?”

 

“Yes. I’m fine. Grandpa didn’t seem too badly hurt either. This must have been a shock for you too, Kang Ye-seong, so let’s head back.”

 

“…Are you really okay?”

 

“Of course.”

 

But the smile on my face lasted only a moment.

 

“CEO?!”

 

Before I even realized it, I was already running—toward someone.