DI Ch 214
by Springlila“Now you naturally assume I did something.”
I winced at those words as if I had stepped on my own foot. How rude of me to make such an assertion without having seen it with my own eyes. …Wait, but do I really have anything to feel sorry about?
“Right, sure… I guess I must have done something.”
If it was a misunderstanding, I have nothing to say, but would that really be my fault? If he starts accusing me of something like dragging an innocent person into this, I should just tell him to change his profession before saying that. And with that personality that I know so well, he must have done something.
No matter how much I love him and see him as gentle and sweet, Tae Seong-je is still Tae Seong-je. He might willingly cover up injustices done to him in front of me, but he wouldn’t live letting others walk all over him. He probably helped them pay for their sins in his own way.
I wonder if they’re still alive. At the very least, they’re probably crippled. Oddly, I wasn’t even surprised that this thought popped into my mind. I used to be a typical, law-abiding citizen, who would naturally think of things like filing reports, arrests, or jail. You know, the healthier options for these situations… Love must have changed my way of thinking too. As I marveled at my own transformation, hyung asked subtly,
“What do you think I did?”
“Did you bury them?”
“…What exactly have you been watching? Movies? When did you even watch such things?”
“Why? Isn’t that right? Ah, why are you sighing?”
“Do you look for that kind of stuff?”
“The kids at school used to secretly watch stuff like that, and sometimes I’d watch with them.”
“You should be selective about your friends. You’re so picky about your lover, why aren’t you picky about your friends?”
“So, is that not it?”
“No, it’s not.”
The sharpness and tension disappeared from his face as he smiled, so I gently stroked his side. Meanwhile, Sand, perhaps tired from playing, approached us sluggishly and tried to squeeze between us. Though I felt a bit sorry for him, neither of us made space. After persistently nudging with his snout but finding no opening, Sand finally gave up and flopped down onto the ground.
“Then did you just leave them be? You only reported those people who distributed strange drugs, right?”
“Promises between us… are really futile. Didn’t I tell you not to ask about that?”
“I’m saying this because I saw the article.”
“You don’t keep a single word.”
The soft fur on Sand’s head that I wanted to touch swayed gently in the warm breeze. After just staring at the back of Sand’s head swaying temptingly, I finally spoke.
“Why did you do something so unlike you? You should’ve just buried them instead of reporting them.”
“…And you think you’ll make a good lawyer with that mindset.”
“No, shouldn’t that be the only way they can atone and live the rest of their lives without wasting it. In movies, they cement people and dump them in the sea— don’t you ever do that? It’s so frustrating to think that the bastards who gave you a hard time will be out in just a few years.”
Why report them? He said he’d live righteously, but he really acted like a model citizen. He should just be kind to me and bury the rest of them, professionally, of course. That would be a proper way to vent his frustration.
“Seo Seung-won.”
“This isn’t something to be scolded for. Don’t scold me.”
“I’m not scolding you. When have I ever scolded you to make you talk like that?”
“…”
Almost every day?
“Don’t look at it so narrowly. Try to see the bigger picture.”
“Ah, stop going off-topic and just tell me what you did.”
“Think it through.”
“Think what through? I don’t want to. Just tell me.”
“Then, Seung-won.”
“Yes.”
“Why do you think I reported them?”
“Well, obviously…”
Obviously… I started to give a reason but abruptly stopped. My thoughts halted as if realizing this wasn’t the right path. Why? Even if it was anonymous, based on the circumstances, I could tell who it was. But I also knew that filing a report wasn’t exactly like him. Could there have been some secret deal with the prosecutor, like something out of a movie? Something didn’t sit right with me, so I retraced my thoughts. He said he didn’t bury them, but that didn’t mean he didn’t do something else.
“Hyung did something, but you weren’t the one who reported it.”
He smiled as if I’d given the correct answer. For a moment, I was almost captivated by that smile, but I didn’t let my thoughts stop. Telling me not to look at it narrowly but broadly meant there was something I hadn’t seen. Curious, I stared seriously at his lips, trying to figure out what it was.
“You know that bastard, right? That bastard seemed to be involved in everything.”
“…”
“I remembered it because you said that crazy bastard would definitely do something, but I didn’t know he would go as far as orchestrating your kidnapping.”
“…”
For a brief moment, the thought of kissing him crossed my mind, but then a question popped up, and I frowned. Who is he talking about? I have more than a few bastards I could think of. As I quickly tried to figure it out, he noticed and asked, dumbfounded.
“Didn’t you say you read the article?”
“I did.”
I did, but why is he bringing up the article now?
“…The article mentioned the Hyeonseong chairman’s grandson being involved in drug trafficking, but did you miss that part?”
“…”
“…I see.”
His voice and tone were quite gentle, but his lips twisted harshly at the end. This guy, seriously.
“Seo Seung-won, if you asked me for a favor, and then you act like you don’t know, how do you expect me to take that?”
“Um, what did I ask you to do?”
“…Didn’t you ask me to help ruin the life of your senior who got drunk on being the main character?”
Ah! Oh, right. How could I have forgotten about that?
“Wow. That’s right. I forgot I was going to mention it yesterday, but thank you for helping Ji-min hyung get a job. If you hadn’t helped, he would’ve interned at Hyeonseong. If that had happened, his life from there would’ve…”
“…”
“…”
Hyeonseong… Where was Hyeonseong Group again? And who was the Hyeonseong chairman’s grandson? My mind went blank, and I rubbed the stiff back of my neck. Ah, so that bastard was Kang Moo-hyun.
“You asked me to get rid of that bastard who was blocking your senior’s paths, where he thinks he’s the only main character. That son of a b1tch is a crazy bastard who deliberately orchestrated your kidnapping, and he’s even your college senior. And who told me all this? It was Seo Seung-won. Don’t you know Seo Seung-won? Try talking to him more often and get closer. Why is there such a lack of communication?”
“I don’t remember saying it quite like that, but I did make such a request.”
I sheepishly moved closer to him.
“I’m sorry. I had forgotten. I thought you might have forgotten too, but thank you for helping.”
“Why would I forget? You just didn’t trust me. You didn’t think I’d do anything.”
“That’s not true.”
“It’s no use trying to act cute. You say you trust me, but you actually don’t. Forget it. I’m already upset, so don’t make excuses.”
“What? No, that’s not it. You’re the only one I trust in this world. Why do you think I don’t trust you?”
I wondered what I had just done that he considered acting cute, but I praised him anyway. After massaging his shoulders, kissing his cheeks, mouth, and lips, and doing all sorts of things, it seemed his upset mood had already improved as dimples formed on his smooth cheeks.
“A student who doesn’t study and does other things will ruin their life. Even after Kang Mi-hyun serves his time in prison, it’s over for him.”
It’s Kang Moo-hyun, not Kang Mi-hyun. Of course, instead of correcting him, I just nodded. But I had to lower my head at his next words.
“So you should focus only on your studies. That’s what a student should do.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“Yes, you’re right. Of course, that’s what a student should do.”
How did every word he said turn into nagging? I knew he was saying it out of concern for me, but it wasn’t usually this bad. Was this the difference between a two-year age gap and an eight-year one? Anyway, I couldn’t believe Kang Moo-hyun would do such a thing. I had hoped he’d be arrested since his actions were no different from a criminal’s, but now that it’s actually happened, I’m just surprised. But why didn’t Woo Ji-min know about this? Ah, he probably doesn’t even know that Kang Moo-hyun is part of the Hyeonseong Group. Seo Seung-joon and Goo Min-ju must know and be shocked. They probably never thought one of the main characters they created would end up in prison.
“So, did the people who kidnapped me go to prison too?”
Why is he smiling like that again?
“Seung-won, you know what?”
“Why do you always have to drag things out like this?”
“This house has a basement too.”
I barely managed to speak after being momentarily speechless.
“…That’s unsettling. Please don’t keep them there too long and move them somewhere else.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not under the bedroom.”
“As if that makes it any better.”
Tired, I rubbed my dry face vigorously until the skin stung and I had to stop. Despite the calluses, my palms were still sore, rough with scars and wounds from the hardships I’d endured. Staring blankly at my coarse hands that could never return to how they were before, even if they healed, I murmured wistfully:
“Hyung, are we… platonic now?”
I swallowed a sigh that was about to escape.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do it. But can’t we do it just once more?”
He grabbed my chin, tilting my head up. The expression on his face made it clear he was at a loss for words like he couldn’t believe what I’d just said.
“Come on, hyung, I know you want to do it too. I can tell.”
“What do you know? I told you to think before you speak.”
“I did.”
“I doubt it. How can I do that with someone who’s sick? Do you think I dated you just to do that?”
“What are you saying? I’m not sick. I’ve recovered, haven’t I? I’m even faster than Sand now.”
He didn’t answer, just kept stroking my hair. It must’ve been unpleasant to touch since it was drenched with sweat, but he pressed down hard enough that I couldn’t move my head, gently running his hand through it in circles.
“You think being hurt only applies to your body.”