Chapter 156 |
“That can’t be.”
At that short reply.
“…….”
Kang Mina’s gaze was fixed solely on Lee Jaehun.
A strange feeling, a sense of unreality she couldn’t describe, bound her little by little.
Ever since becoming an adult, she hadn’t once attributed meaning to dreams. Kang Mina vaguely considered it a childish, immature act, so she had unconsciously tried not to dwell on them. Dreams held such little significance for her, a concept distant and vast.
“…….”
“Senior Associate Kang, are you hurt anywhere?”
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Yet, she had never experienced such a vivid dream.
For me, who had never experienced such a graphic dream.
That you were alive was, though ludicrous, a startling fact.
“…Sorry, I think I’m a little out of it.”
“That can happen… But are you really not hurt anywhere?”
“You’re the one who’s hurt, Manager.”
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“…….”
“Uh… Just saying.”
Gradually, she felt a sense of dissonance within herself.
Why did she feel a need, not a sense of duty, to search for survivors? Why did she follow Jung Inho without hesitation, as if familiar with the path? Why did a pang of anguish hit her every time she looked at Manager Lee Jaehun, and why did nonsensical words keep trying to escape her lips?
She was preoccupied with things she shouldn’t be thinking about now.
“Manager, are you okay?”
“…I’m alright.”
“I see.”
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Once again, a familiar distrust welled up.
‘You can’t be alright.’
If I had left you alone, there’s no way you wouldn’t have left us. There’s no way you wouldn’t have sacrificed yourself if you had stayed with us. The conviction she had built so firmly, like a sandcastle, tinged Kang Mina’s vision with red as she looked at Lee Jaehun.
Because the manager always lied for the greater good. He always hid the truth from them, preparing to distance himself, hoping that one day, it would be okay even if he disappeared….
“…….”
She was foolish to believe so implicitly.
After all, this fear stemmed from a dream that should have vanished.
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***
“Ahjussi.”
“Yes?”
“Ahjussiiii.”
“Okay, okay, we can play after you eat.”
It was hard to make a living.
With a half-hearted expression, Lee Jaehun carefully fed bite-sized pieces of fish to young Choi Minhong, and the child readily accepted the food from the unfamiliar man. At the little chick’s behavior, devoid of any wariness, Lee Jaehun patted the child in his arms with his other hand.
“At this rate, he’d smile even if he were kidnapped.”
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Doctor Ha Sungyoon subtly interjected at the hollow voice.
“If the kidnapper were you, Manager, I don’t think it could really be called kidnapping.”
“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden, Mr. Ha Sungyoon?”
Honestly, Ha Sungyoon seemed to be enjoying it. He was clearly, thoroughly enjoying Lee Jaehun’s suffering as he was thrown into the very real world of childcare. Not just Ha Sungyoon, but most of the group present.
But Lee Jaehun couldn’t do anything about it.
“Minhong, ah.”
“Aaah.”
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“Good, you’re eating well.”
The child wouldn’t eat unless he was hand-fed.
‘And only by me, no less.’
Looking at young Choi Minhong, sitting still in his arms without any intention of moving, Lee Jaehun barely managed to suppress a sigh. He wasn’t so thoughtless as to sigh in front of a child who was eating well.
But it was still ridiculously frustrating. Trying to wake him up to eat, the child had turned his head this way and that, only to toddle over to Lee Jaehun and demand to be fed. It couldn’t help but be amusing. Anyone would think I was his dad, you punk.
Clicking his tongue inwardly, he gently rubbed the child’s chest area.
“Is your tummy rumbling?”
“No.”
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“Good, you’re strong. Do you want some water?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not ‘yeah,’ it’s ‘yes.’”
“Yes.”
How dare he spoke informally to an adult.
Lee Jaehun handed over the boiled and cooled water, and the child cleverly tried to hold the bottle with both hands. However, since the bottle was large compared to the child’s hands, Lee Jaehun lightly supported the back of it.
“…….”
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“…Dad…”
“Who said that just now?”
“Sorry.”
The culprit was Noh Yeonseok.
As Lee Jaehun stared at the intern with a dumbfounded look, a mix of inexplicable betrayal and strange indignation bubbling ⁱnsⁱdㅌ him, Owner Yoon Garam, who had been quietly observing the situation, burst into laughter. Her voice was like a delicate spray of baby’s breath.
“See, everyone feels that way.”
“So you’re making a single, grumpy old man like me into a married man?”
“What’s a ‘grumpy old man like you,’ supposed to mean?”
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“…….”
He was momentarily speechless.
“…Single and bad-tempered…”
“At least your vocabulary’s improved in front of a child. How fascinating.”
“You seem to be teasing me.”
“To be honest, I am, a little.”
“Was it necessary to admit it so readily?”
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“But it really is fascinating.”
Yoon Garam’s eyes curved gently as she gazed at Choi Minhong, who had finished his water.
“It seems like you like children.”
“…….”
“My, look at you, unable to even deny it in front of the child.”
She burst into laughter again, and the sight of Kwon Yeonhee, sitting next to her, with her lips twitching was quite irritating. But he couldn’t say, ‘No, I hate kids’, with Choi Minhong clearly listening, so Lee Jaehun just endured the rising annoyance.
Finally, as some of them chuckled, Moon Sangun, who had been silent until then, spoke.
“…Have you met Minhong before? Judging by what you said earlier, it seems like you’re acquainted.”
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“…I don’t know if you’d call it acquainted, but we’ve met before.”
Finally, the conversation seemed to be heading in the right direction, so Lee Jaehun let out a tired breath.
“But it wasn’t under pleasant circumstances.”
As he glanced at Choi Minhong, who was starting to doze off, the perceptive Moon Sangun nodded and closed his mouth. It seemed he understood Lee Jaehun’s intention of not wanting to bring up unpleasant memories.
‘His mouth had finally opened, only to shut again—but oh well..’
Since the other side had opened the floodgates, there was no need for Lee Jaehun to hesitate any longer.
“Mr. Moon Sangun, are you injured anywhere?”
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“Ah, well… I’m fine.”
Not ‘I’m not injured’, but ‘I’m fine’. In other words, it meant, ‘I am injured, but I’m not significantly hampered, and I don’t particularly want to form a deep connection with you guys right now, so I think I’ll be fine as I am’.
As if he didn’t care about such thoughts, Lee Jaehun continued casually.
“If you’re hurt, talk to that pale guy over there.”
“Calling someone ‘pale’ is rude, Lee Jaehun.”
“He’s a doctor by profession, so he’ll be of great help. I owe my life to him.”
“Well, knowing that…”
Ha Sungyoon, who had a disgruntled expression as if he was dumbfounded, raised his hand and gently rubbed his earlobe before returning his face to its usual state. The same gentle and kind smile as always.
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“I haven’t really done anything for him, but I am indeed a doctor. It’s better for people like me if you tell us about any injuries in advance.”
“Uh…”
“It’s a pain for everyone if you hide it and it develops into something else. Don’t hide it and cause trouble for innocent people, like that half-dead guy over there. Just tell us comfortably.”
At those words, Lee Jaehun spoke.
“Are you scolding me right now?”
“If that’s how you felt, I have nothing to say.”
“Huh.”
“You do admit that things have been hectic, don’t you?”
“That’s a separate issue, isn’t it?”
“You know very well that it’s not, and yet you say such ridiculous things.”
“This guy, really…”
As he frowned to show his bewilderment, Dr. Ha Sungyoon simply smiled with his eyes closed. That smile was so similar to Owner Yoon Garam’s that it made him feel strangely annoyed.
Watching them, Moon Sangun rubbed the back of his neck and spoke.
“…Thank you for the offer, but it’s really nothing. I’d be embarrassed to receive treatment.”
“There’s no such thing as an embarrassing injury.”
“It’s just a few scr*pes and cuts…”
“They could get infected.”
Having said that, Ha Sungyoon let out a small laugh.
“Actually, even though I say this, I don’t have any disinfectant. The best I can do is clean them up so they don’t get worse.”
“…No, even that would be appreciated.”
With the conversation having progressed this far, it seemed difficult for Moon Sangun to refuse. Moreover, it appeared he was gradually relaxing, likely due to the relatively amicable atmosphere of the group.
However, there was something slightly unexpected…
‘His guard isn’t coming down easily.’
It wasn’t common for someone to act this way towards those who had saved them and their group. Moon Sangun was pretending not to, but he was cautiously looking around, figuring out escape routes in case something happened. This meant that Song Inmyeong had initially managed his image quite well.
If that trash had shown his true colors from the start and acted like a lunatic, Moon Sangun would have quickly relaxed, comparing the atmosphere then to the atmosphere now. Since their relationship had been relatively okay until Song Inmyeong killed someone, Moon Sangun seemed worried about being betrayed again.
There was one piece of information Lee Jaehun could glean from this.
“Manager, Minhong seems to be asleep. Where should we lay him down? It must be tiring to keep holding him.”
“Ah… Please, then. Be careful not to wake him.”
The fact that Moon Sangun was still so wary increased the likelihood that he, Song Inmyeong, Choi Minhong, and the unknown person had been traveling together before Song Inmyeong caused the incident.
‘He seems to know that there are multiple survivors, but his reaction suggests this is the first time he’s seen this many people gathered together… So, that’s probably about right.’
After confirming that Owner Yoon Garam had gently laid the sleeping child down, he discreetly glanced at Moon Sangun, who still seemed hesitant about something, and took a drink of water. He wasn’t a particularly difficult person to begin with, so Lee Jaehun figured that if he prodded him patiently, he’d eventually reveal his true feelings.
After finishing his water, he spoke to Moon Sangun.
“Would you like some water?”
“…Ah, yes. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Lee Jaehun handed the water bottle to Moon Sangun.
‘How should I coax him?’
Ultimately, the reason for his hesitation was likely the uncertainty of whether he could handle the consequences of revealing everything. He probably didn’t trust the group completely, and he must be worried about any repercussions that might come from being associated with Song Inmyeong. That was Lee Jaehun’s impression.
Of course, since Moon Sangun was still on edge, it seemed best to let tonight pass as it was.
“Those who have digested their food, let’s get some rest. It’s been a long day for everyone.”
“It is indeed quite late.”
As Ha Sungyoon agreed with Lee Jaehun, Moon Sangun blinked a few times. He seemed puzzled or perplexed by the fact that they were moving on without asking any further questions.
As the atmosphere settled, Moon Sangun opened his mouth.
“…Um…”
“It’s alright.”
“…….”
“Relax.”
With that firm statement, Lee Jaehun continued in a casual tone.
“There’s no problem.”