Salt Society Chapter 17

Wait for what? Kihyun’s eyebrows shot up reflexively before a look of realization crossed his face. It seemed Cho Yeonoh had once again made a reservation at the hotel’s Korean restaurant without a word and called for him. Kihyun let out a sigh and replied that he understood. Why did he have to send Manager Yoo when he could have just said so over the phone? To have to work on the weekend and even worry about a boss’s personal relationships… he felt truly sorry for Manager Yoo.

It was the moment he was about to close the door with a word of thanks to relieve the man of his duties. Manager Yoo held out a black bag.

“What is this?”

“It is underwear. The Director told me to bring it to Doctor So.”

Kihyun took the bag without a word. …I mean, what exactly was the reason for specifically sending only underwear through Manager Yoo? Kihyun clicked his tongue. He thought he knew why. Seeing Kihyun’s silhouette through the glass bathroom wall must have made him feel quite unpleasant.

Kihyun swallowed a sigh, barely managed to lift the corners of his mouth to thank Manager Yoo, and closed the door.

Inside the bag was underwear from the brand Kihyun frequently wore. It was absurd that he had the presence of mind to even match the brand in the midst of all this.

…What is it that you truly want from me? Kihyun could not help but agonize over things he had never considered before.

The reason Cho Yeonoh stays by his side. The reason he goes this far for a lover who endured so much and betrayed their friendship. And simultaneously, the reason he stays by Kihyun’s side, choking the life out of him to punish that betrayer.

“…What a nutcase.”

He tossed the bag onto the bed. Even as he buried his face in his palms and rubbed his dry skin, his mind showed no sign of feeling better. Kihyun was fatigued. Immensely.

⏳

There had been signs since he showered, but after walking a few steps, it became clear. The condition of his ankle today was the worst. Kihyun looked down at his left ankle.

—Symptoms like these are close to being psychosomatic. Psychologically, you haven’t overcome the memory of the injury. It depends on your own mindset. From a rehabilitation perspective, Doctor So likely knows better than I do, so you must have known these are psychosomatic symptoms.

That was what the rehabilitation specialist, a senior to Lee Bumhee, had said. He was right. What remained for Kihyun was not the physical trace of the injury, but the emotional scar the injury had clawed into him. On days like today when he had a dream, that scar would throb exceptionally hard.

In the first place, the ankle that had once completely snapped outward had healed long ago. After all, several years had already passed since the day the pins were put in and he waited for the fracture to mend. It throbbed when it rained, but that was all. Since he did rehabilitation exercises consistently, that level of pain didn’t even count as suffering.

“…”

Even though the sneakers stepping on the soft carpet held his ankle steady so it wouldn’t wobble, Kihyun limped like a man whose every step was precarious. He was exhausted even though he had only just left the guest room. Was it because constant tiredness and fatigue are burdens office workers must carry, or was it…

“Mr. So Kihyun, this way please.”

They knew Kihyun’s name at the Korean restaurant. That was strange. Compared to Cho Yeonoh, Kihyun was a nobody, but simply by sharing a table with him, he became someone who was no longer just anyone.

Enduring that irony, he walked behind the back of the manager dressed in a suit. The man opened the sliding door to the room and wished him a good time. While returning a light nod, he thought, what exactly is a “good time”? After all, the person inside was Cho Yeonoh.

“Sit.”

Unlike earlier when he was in workout clothes, he was now wearing a suit. Did he have work even today on the weekend? If so, he thought Yeonoh should have just left earlier instead of insisting on having a meal together. It was a waste that his plans were ruined; he had wanted to brush everything off and eat room service then sleep like a log.

Kihyun let out a sigh and approached the seat across from Yeonoh. Yeonoh, who hadn’t looked at him even when he entered, furrowed his brow.

“There you go again.”

“…”

Knowing it was about his ankle, he simply pulled out the chair and sat down. Cho Yeonoh, sitting opposite him, was wearing only the vest of a three-piece suit. The fact that he wore a scarf instead of a necktie lessened the look of someone working on a weekend. He looked at Kihyun and asked.

“What exactly is the cause? I’ve never heard of accident aftereffects lasting that long.”

I suppose not. It happened five years ago already. Cho Yeonoh only knows it as a simple accident. Since he believes Kihyun stepped on soil collapsed by the rainy season while out on field training and fell down a cliff, snapping his ankle, Kihyun’s gait might seem excessive to him.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault, he was just injured falling down a cliff, but it was understandable why Yeonoh felt frustrated seeing him limp every time he had a nightmare. Cho Yeonoh spoke while wiping his clean mouth with white linen. The bezel of the watch on his wrist sparkled as it caught the midday sun coming through the window.

“I told you to try psychological counseling.”

“If I get something like that, my license in the health sector will be revoked.”

A license wouldn’t be revoked over counseling, but he had to say that much to escape this uncomfortable topic. At Kihyun’s impassive remark, Cho Yeonoh picked up his brass chopsticks and let out a smirk. His tone suggested he had heard something amusing.

“I told you I’d set it up myself. No records will remain, it’s all for your own good.”

Kihyun did not answer. That statement was true. Cho Yeonoh did many things for So Kihyun’s good.

To that end, hadn’t he taken over foundation work he had no interest in and pushed through to acquire the hospital, causing his cousins to become wary? It was as if he had risen up at a time when they were off guard, thinking Cho Yeonoh would remain a sleeping dragon and laze around; for a while, the branch houses of the Haeseong family had been in an uproar.

I know, I know it’s all out of sincerity… but even so, at times like this, he thinks of the goldfish tank in his house. Are they happy swimming there all day? A life where food comes out exactly on time would be much less exhausting and more stable… Well, Kihyun wouldn’t really know, as he hadn’t lived any other kind of life.

“Just eat.”

In the end, that was all Kihyun could say. Yeonoh nodded and chewed his food. He could see the masseter muscle moving on his jaw. Even though his features were delicate, giving the impression of a beautiful person rather than a handsome one, if there were elements that emphasized his masculinity, it would be his thick eyebrows and the jawline that dropped sharply below his earlobes.

Kihyun also opened the lid of the bronzeware and first brought a spoonful of the sticky rice cooked with ginkgo nuts to his mouth. Sure enough, Cho Yeonoh interfered again.

“Eat the vegetables first. Don’t just shovel rice into your mouth and finish the meal in three minutes like always.”

Kihyun nodded half-heartedly. Cho Yeonoh’s nagging began from that point. Nagging that he should never go anywhere again without contact, that if he’s going to stay at a hotel he should come to a Haeseong affiliate, that he’ll buy him a membership so he should at least stop by the spa for a massage—it was endless.

Even while doing so, he maintained the elegant table manners befitting the eldest son of a conglomerate family, never once showing the food inside his mouth.

Kihyun also didn’t lack table manners due to the strict education of his father, who was a school teacher, and the conduct he learned as a cadet at the Military Academy, but he wasn’t as neat as Cho Yeonoh while eating a large amount at once.

Furthermore, Cho Yeonoh even placed things Kihyun wouldn’t eat onto Kihyun’s side plate from time to time. Such was the case with the grilled deodeok skewers and the cold salad with green cucumbers. Kihyun, who swallowed the cold salad since it was tolerable to chew, let out a low sigh looking at the grilled deodeok. It was because he didn’t want to eat it.

Yeonoh, who caught that move flawlessly, clicked his tongue, tsk.

“As always, you don’t eat what’s good for you.”

“Please, you eat it and live a long, healthy life.”

Even at Kihyun’s expressionless curse, Yeonoh only let out a smirk. Unlike his cold and mature appearance, Kihyun, who was a picky eater and the type to eat just to survive, clashed with Yeonoh every time this happened.

It was also Cho Yeonoh who dragged Kihyun around every season to feed him delicacies from all over the country. On his days off, he wanted to lounge at home but Yeonoh wouldn’t help at all; it was absurd how Yeonoh acted like he was coaxing a child when Kihyun finally lost his patience and got annoyed.

“Stop breaking hyung’s heart, Kihyun. My back is breaking trying to date a lover three months younger than me.”

“I see. Has your conscience died? To date someone a whole three months younger.”

When Kihyun replied indifferently, Cho Yeonoh stopped eating and laughed loudly while covering his mouth with his hand. His habit of wrinkling his nose whenever he laughed remained, making the beauty mark on his bridge fold inward and look bewitching. Despite it being a face laughing clearly, the reason he looked somewhat decadent was likely because of that mark.

“I get it, so eat up. Manager Yoo booked the hotel spa, so go get a massage when we’re done.”

“…”

Kihyun did not reply. Since it was obvious Yeonoh would push for it even if he said no, it was more beneficial not to add any words. He likely saw him having a nightmare and booked it expecting him to limp.

It wasn’t the kind of care that would make things better, but Kihyun could not ignore the effort Cho Yeonoh showed him.