ANTITOXIN Chapter 31

Extremely flustered, Seolwon even trembled at the lips, stammering his words. Cha Jaeyi rubbed his chin, looking as though he was pondering deeply. The answer did not take long.

“Well? Because you’re unusual?”

No, rather than an answer, it was closer to talking to himself.

After looking as though he was pondering for a bit longer, he eventually shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll tell you when I find out later. Anyway, if we want to have sex, we have to get close first. Even though I might not look like it, I’m someone who values the proper order of things. One-night stands, sex partners, and things like that are, how should I put it… vulgar. They don’t suit me.”

To be completely honest, Seolwon felt that that side suited that man much better. Perhaps because of his light way of speaking, he subtly exuded a sort of flyweight, rebellious vibe, making it seem like he would pursue impulsive pleasure rather than a normal romantic relationship.

“But that’s as far as it goes for now. Frankly, I’m not sure if this interest will continue either. It could develop further, or it could just end here.”

He drew a clear line. It meant that it was nothing more than mere curiosity, not yet at the stage of affection. In a way, it was only natural.

In reality, interest does not unconditionally lead to affection. On the contrary, there were plenty of cases where it degenerated into hatred. Which way would that man’s interest flow? Seolwon could not read that either. The divine energy, which used to manifest itself willfully whenever it wasn’t needed, was terribly well-behaved only in front of this man.

However, either way, Seolwon’s sentiment remained the same. Whether it became affection or hatred, the interest itself was unwelcome. It was simply burdensome.

“Is that answer enough? Shall we move on to the next now? Anything else you’re curious about?”

There wasn’t. However, feeling like he had to squeeze something out this time as well, Seolwon rolled his eyes and pondered.

“That… why… are you Happy?”

He carefully brought out the curiosity he had barely managed to think up. Now that he had said it out loud, he actually became curious this time too. Leaving aside a perfectly fine name like Cha Jaeyi, why on earth had he engraved something like a dog’s name on his business card? Cha Jaeyi’s response to that was truly simple.

“Because doing whatever happily is my life motto.”

…Surprisingly, the meaning was good.

“Killer, right? You can be amazed. My mom was moved by it.”

…Honestly, it wasn’t amazing. It was just to the extent of thinking, ‘Ah, it’s a name that carries far too heavy a meaning compared to how it sounds.’

Wait, but mom?

“Your mother is… alive?”

Even though he knew that the sob story spun yesterday was a lie, Seolwon was taken aback.

“She’s living incredibly well. In my view, she’ll easily make it to 100. She’s richer than me.”

“Your father too?”

“Yep.”

“That shouldn’t be. You have a face that says you would have lost both parents at an early age—”

Heph! Seolwon could not finish his words and hurriedly covered his mouth. It was because the words had popped out without passing through his brain. There were times like this on occasion. A fortune-telling reading would pop out abruptly without him realizing it.

“…”

Cha Jaeyi stared intently at Seolwon, who had frozen in sheer shock at what he had just said himself. It was impossible to gauge what kind of emotion was contained within that expressionless face. While he naturally appeared displeased, surprisingly, he also seemed to find it fascinating.

Suddenly, the corners of Cha Jaeyi’s mouth curled upward.

“Wow, I have a face that says I would have lost both parents at an early age?”

Seolwon’s wide-open eyes shook minutely. Toward Seolwon, who utterly failed to deny it, Cha Jaeyi soon tilted his head.

“You’re right. My biological parents passed away early.”

Ah.

Seolwon lamented inwardly. Meanwhile, his brain whirled rapidly. Both of his parents are alive, but his biological parents passed away early. If that was the case, it meant that the ones who are currently alive are his adoptive parents.

“I-I’m sorry… Sometimes it just pops out on its own wildly…”

With a heavy heart, Seolwon lowered the hand that had been covering his mouth and sincerely apologized. Bringing up something the person involved had not disclosed of their own accord was clearly a discourteous act.

Fortunately, Cha Jaeyi merely shrugged his shoulders as if it were nothing.

“It’s fine. It was flustering and entertaining after a long time.”

Saying so, he brought the coffee cup to his lips. His gaze remained pinned to Seolwon.

Seolwon dropped his gaze downward, avoiding that persistent look. The man said it was fine, but the feeling that he had touched upon something he shouldn’t have wouldn’t go away. Cha Jaeyi, who had been staring at Seolwon—who was fidgeting with only his fingers, at a loss for what to do—as if dissecting him, soon pulled his lips away from the coffee cup.

“Put that aside, what else.”

Else? What else should he ask? Seolwon, who truly had nothing more to be curious about now, felt troubled and sniffled his nose for no reason.

It was then.

Beep.

A short electronic sound was heard from behind his back. Immediately following that, with a click, came the sound of a door opening. Startled by the sudden intrusion of a human presence, Seolwon flinched and looked back.

Presently, rhythmic footsteps ensued, and someone stepped into the dining room. Seolwon’s eyes widened upon seeing him. It was because it was a familiar face. It was the broker he had met at the drinking gathering just yesterday… no, the fake weapon broker.

“What is this. We have to leave right now, so how can you still not be ready?”

As soon as the fake broker saw Cha Jaeyi’s face, he burst out in sudden irritation. The atmosphere was a world apart from yesterday, when he had been completely calm and businesslike.

“Eh. Do I have to leave?”

Cha Jaeyi reacted as if it was completely news to him. At this, the fake broker’s expression turned even more ferocious. Gritting his teeth, he said,

“I explicitly told you that you have an appointment at 2 o’clock today.”

“When?”

“Yesterday evening, and this morning. I told you twice.”

“Ah, is that so. I must have forgotten. I was busy.”

At this moment, Seolwon heard a certain sound. Something close to a snap. It was a sound coming from the fake broker’s head.

“Hahaha. What could have made you so busy?”

“Hahaha. I went to work out, and as you can see, I was busy running a business.”

“A business?”

“Yeah, a romance business.”

Cha Jaeyi pointed his finger at Seolwon. Only then did the fake broker, recognizing the presence of another person, startle. Soon, after confirming Seolwon’s face, his eyes flew wide. He had recognized him. That he was the person who was at the drinking gathering yesterday.

“This person is…”

“Yeah. Him.”

After scanning Seolwon up and down for a moment, the fake broker displayed his doubt.

“Why is this person here?”

“He’s here because I brought him. Didn’t Woosik and Jwasik tell you?”

“Tell me what.”

“That I decided to hit on him. Oh, for your information, they say he’s not just a shaman, but a half-shaman.”

“What kind of…”

…bullshit is that.

The remaining words that the fake broker could not bring himself to spit out were heard by Seolwon’s ears. Seolwon humbly agreed. Even if spoken seriously, it was a sound that would code as bizarre. But coming from that man, it sounded even more like bullshit.

“You know my taste, right? Number 1, something unusual. Number 2, something pretty. Look, he’s perfect. So we were in the middle of a blind date.”

As if lost for words, the fake broker alternately looked between Seolwon and Cha Jaeyi with a dumbfounded expression. That too was brief; soon, his expression grew serious.

“Что—то я в замешательстве. Планы поменялись?”

The words that followed from the fake broker were in a language Seolwon could not understand in the slightest.

Conversely, Cha Jaeyi, who understood without any trouble, countered nonchalantly.

“Yeah, I changed them. It can’t be helped. What can I do when he suddenly appeared? By the way, how does he look to you? He’s much better in person, right?”

“No, what on earth… …haa.”

The fake broker stopped mid-sentence and pressed his hand to his forehead. It was literally an expression that said his head was hurting.

“Ah, whatever. Anyway, hurry up and get ready. We have to leave within 10 minutes. Mi—”

The fake broker, who was laying out words in Korean again, faltered in the middle. He then stole a glance at Seolwon, checking his reaction, and cleared his throat with a ahem. The words he spat out next were, just like before, an unfamiliar language to Seolwon.

“Волков уже вышел из аэропорта. Он будет на месте через 30 минут.”

“Already? Why is his personality so impatient?”

Cha Jaeyi grumbled. What returned to him was a sharp rebuke full of irritation from the fake broker.

“It’s not that that person is impatient, it’s that you, Director, are excessively laid-back.”

The title ‘Director’ was one thing, and the things he was saying were another… Seolwon could finally, for the first time, figure out the identity of the fake broker. He had wondered why the smell of paper was somehow thicker than the smell of gunpowder… It appeared he was a secretary.

“I got it, so remove the thorn in your eye. It hurts.”

At the secretary’s attack, Cha Jaeyi pouted his lips.

“I really wish it did hurt.”

“How cruel. Why is our Joongsik so insolent?”