Midday Guest Chapter 53

Cha Seokjoo gestured toward Yiwon with a tilt of his head, but Park Junseo only glared at Cha Seokjoo while gnashing his teeth.

“I’m going to report you to the police. You hear me?”

“And who was it that committed kidnapping and illegal occupation of property?”

“…”

“Isn’t that usually called turning yourself in?”

Park Junseo’s eyes widened sharply.

“If you scare and threaten a person like this, do you think anything will change?”

Cha Seokjoo tilted his head to the side. He held up a hand to stop his subordinates, who were rushing forward from behind him muttering, “This piece of trash dares to talk to the Director like that,” and looked at Park Junseo.

“I don’t bother with scaring or threatening.”

Cha Seokjoo stepped up in front of Park Junseo. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed a handful of Park Junseo’s hair as he knelt on the ground and threw a punch.

The sound of flesh tearing echoed brutally. Every time his body tilted backward, unable to withstand the force, Cha Seokjoo grabbed Park Junseo by the hair to sit him back up straight.

“…Ugh, ack…”

Cha Seokjoo bent his knees and sat in front of Park Junseo. After examining the face that had become swollen and burst in an instant, he turned his gaze toward Yiwon.

“Baby.”

“…Yes.”

“Let me see your face.”

It was an abrupt request. Still, feeling that he shouldn’t refuse, Yiwon met Cha Seokjoo’s eyes. He turned his head away, muttering that Yiwon looked like even more of a mess now that they were in the light.

Cha Seokjoo laid Park Junseo out on the ground and stomped on him with his boots. He particularly rained kicks down on his shoulders and ribs. It was the exact same spot where Yiwon had been kicked countless times while being dragged here.

“Stop… S- cough… stop, stop!”

“What were you planning to do with him?”

Consumed by terror, Park Junseo flailed his arms as the words spilled out.

“…A deal… I take Jung Yiwon… Taesan gets the land…”

“Unbelievable. Is there more?”

“N-no. There really isn’t.”

Then, he rubbed his hands together and begged for his life with everything he had. It was just as Cha Seokjoo, with his hands curled into fists, was staring blankly at the sight. Park Junseo, who had been sprawled on the ground, suddenly grabbed a stone and swung it.

Yiwon shouted out instinctively.

“…Director!”

“Die! If only you weren’t here… if only you hadn’t existed!”

Cha Seokjoo dodged the attack with ease.

“Even when given a chance, you do this.”

Cha Seokjoo picked up the rod Yiwon had discarded. After repeatedly tossing it into the air and catching it, he looked down at Park Junseo. He kept his eyes fixed on the back of the hand Park Junseo was using to brace himself on the ground.

“A-aaargh!”

The rod was suddenly driven deep into the earth. With a face pale with shock, Park Junseo crawled away across the ground. The crotch of his pants was soaked through.

Letting out a long sigh of disgust, Cha Seokjoo pulled Yiwon close by the shoulder and issued a warning. He told him that if he lunged again, his neck would be the thing pierced next time.

“You’ll be contacted within a few days. Go and participate in the investigation faithfully.”

Yiwon looked down at Park Junseo, who was collapsed on the dirt floor. On a night when even the grass insects no longer chirped, the rod driven into the abandoned flower farm did not sway even in the summer breeze.

Home sweet home.

Returning home made him feel like he could live again.

“Scruffy, go wash up first and come out.”

“Thank you…”

He couldn’t even manage an empty courtesy of telling the other man to wash first.

Yiwon went straight into the bathroom and showered. He scrubbed every inch of his body, which had become a mess from staying in the vinyl greenhouse for several days. He worked up a lather with the soap three times during the process.

After changing his clothes, he walked naturally toward the guest room. He poured himself a glass of cold barley tea and dried his hair under the cool breeze of the air conditioner. It was nothing short of paradise.

Ah…

For a while, he sat there blankly with his legs stretched out and his upper body hunched over. He placed the cell phone he had finally recovered beside him but didn’t bother to check it. He didn’t want to do anything right now.

Instead, he turned on the TV.

The screen was introducing seasonal foods, and today, abalone dishes were the main feature.

After the huge ordeal, having run around the flower farm with a body that hadn’t even eaten well, his stamina was depleted and hunger rushed in.

Haeundang had been empty for a few days, so there wasn’t much to eat. There were a few bags of ramen, but… he would rather starve than look at ramen for the time being.

He decided he should have another glass of barley tea. It was just as he was about to get up and head toward the kitchen. He heard the sound of Cha Seokjoo, who had said he was going to wash up, talking to someone outside.

“Good work. You can head out.”

“Yes, Director. Then, please get some sleep.”

It was Ma Haeyoung. Thinking he should at least see the person who had come all the way to Haeundang, Yiwon peeked through the sliding door, but he was already starting the car and driving away. He was certainly fast.

The sound of Cha Seokjoo stepping onto the wooden porch followed. Soon after, the door was pulled wide open, and Cha Seokjoo, with a towel draped over his shoulder, entered the guest room carrying a paper bag.

“You should at least eat dinner.”

“…Oh.”

A savory scent wafted through the air.

It was a familiar smell. Sniff, sniff. As Yiwon showed interest, Cha Seokjoo set the table in front of him. It was abalone porridge.

Coincidentally, the abalone porridge was shown in a close-up on the TV. Yiwon’s eyes went round, and he alternately pointed at the TV and the porridge with his finger, letting out an, “Oh.”

“You’re surprised by the smallest things. Come and eat.”

In the meantime, side dishes were brought out one by one. Water kimchi and beef braised in soy sauce. Yiwon sat across from Cha Seokjoo and took the initiative to set out the spoons and chopsticks.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Yeah, eat a lot.”

The abalone porridge was a hundred, a thousand times more delicious than the water-drenched ramen Park Junseo had made.

“Did that guy not feed you?”

“He gave me ramen. But he boiled it so badly it tasted awful.”

“The guy didn’t even have the basics of kidnapping down.”

Cha Seokjoo’s gaze drifted to Yiwon’s face. His eyes lingered for a moment, but he didn’t say anything else and ate his food in silence. Instead, Yiwon opened his mouth first.

“I’m not going to contact him anymore.”

“Good.”

“Even if we run into each other, I’m going to pretend I don’t know him.”

“The baby is smart.”

Having said that, Cha Seokjoo picked up a generous portion of the beef and placed it on top of Yiwon’s spoon. The tender meat dish descended like a reward.

They ate together, organized the takeout containers together, stood side by side to brush their teeth, and laid out the bedding side by side to lie down.

In the dawn where the lights were out, Yiwon quietly turned toward the direction where Cha Seokjoo was lying. He was lying in a proper posture with his eyes closed.

“Director.”

“What.”

“…Just because.”

He didn’t feel like a guest in the room, but more like someone who lived together at Haeundang.

He slept for two full days after that.

Once the tension was released, sleep poured over him, and he had no choice but to stay in bed. In the meantime, it seemed a doctor had visited. An IV line appeared and disappeared, and the color of the fluid bags changed several times.

By the time Yiwon truly regained his senses, more than three days had already flashed by.

“Baby.”

“…Yes.”

He answered in a daze. To be honest, he was still very sleepy. However, the sensation of Cha Seokjoo’s hand brushing back his hair was so pleasant that he focused on it, and his senses slowly began to return.

“You have to stop sleeping now.”

“…I know, but I keep feeling sleepy.”

“Open your eyes. Even if you sleep, eat something first.”

Now that he heard about food, he felt like he might be hungry. When he rolled around with a groan, Cha Seokjoo brushed Yiwon’s hair away and said:

“The boys said they’re bringing pizza and beer.”

“…Pizza?”

“Come down if you want to eat.”

And so, in Cha Seokjoo’s office, he ended up having a sort of company dinner with the employees who had run around the flower farm.

Cha Seokjoo’s employees, including Oh Taesik and Ma Haeyoung, welcomed Yiwon warmly as he made his first appearance in a while. They asked about his condition and if he was truly okay now.

Yiwon blended in naturally. From a certain point, he no longer felt afraid of these people, despite their massive frames and rough manners. It was a strange thing.

“Thank you for the food.”

“Sure thing.”

Oh Taesik pushed one pizza topped with meat and another with shrimp toward Yiwon. Yiwon took a bite of the shrimp pizza first.

“Wow, I’ve come to see the little boss in a new light because of this incident.”

Oh Taesik folded two slices of meat pizza in half and bit into them while speaking passionately. He was in the middle of vividly sharing the heroic tale of what happened at the flower farm with the office staff.

“He was standing right there in that pitch-black field where you couldn’t see a thing, holding a club high up in the air…”

“…Mister.”

I wasn’t quite at that level. Oh Taesik just replied with a, “Yeah, yeah,” and then pointedly lifted Yiwon’s wrist and said:

“Look here, it’s mental strength over physical build. From now on, any of you guys who get caught slacking to save your own skin better know you’re dead meat in my hands. Got it?”

“Yes!”

The employees replied in unison. Oh Taesik, looking satisfied at the disciplined response, handed Yiwon a fresh Hawaiian pizza.

“Eat a lot, little boss. Seeing you charge in even while you’re constantly fainting, I reckon you’ve got the most grit out of anyone here.”

“…Thank you.”

“Eat up. Fold it right in half. Crack open a beer too.”

Only after taking care of Yiwon did Oh Taesik offer pizza to the employees. At that, another loud shout of, “Thank you for the food!” thundered through the office.

“You lot are doing quite the job. Sitting the kid down like that.”

“Director, you’re here!”

“I told you to stop doing that.”

Oh Taesik, who had been bowing at a 90-degree angle, only lifted his head to gauge Cha Seokjoo’s reaction.

“Still, we have to greet the Director…”