IPSTDS Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Come to think of it, this wasn’t the first time Seo Dowoong had laughed carelessly in an unexpected situation.

He had also chuckled back in Radena, when I had acted ridiculously cutesy because of Lee Kangil. Almost as if he liked and enjoyed it.

Could this situation now be similar to that time? I really didn’t like his peculiar tendencies.

Unable to get a clear read on Seo Dowoong’s mind, the meal came to an end.

Yoon Taesik, who boldly downed the dessert of cinnamon punch, finally spoke.

“Thanks to our Noah, it’s been a long time since I’ve overeaten like this.”

“I’ve overeaten too. I feel so stuffed, I don’t think I can even make it home.”

“To think Noah knows how to joke. You’ve really changed a lot.”

“……”

Nahyuk gave an awkward smile instead of an answer.

“Even if you lived recklessly, once your body falls ill, doesn’t the world look different? What I realized after growing old, you’ve learned too soon.”

Clicking his tongue, Yoon Taesik shook his head from side to side.

“But don’t worry. I’m getting better.”

“Yes, it must be because your health has improved that you were able to submit such a good proposal.”

Proposal. That was exactly what Yoon Taesik said.

It must have been the project he planned with Seo Dowoong. Nahyuk hadn’t touched that matter, so he didn’t know the slightest thing about what had been planned.

But Yoon Taesik continued.

“I heard everything from Executive Director Seo. He told me you gave him great help when submitting the interim proposal.”

“…What? Me?”

“Yes. I was so proud of you. See? Once you’re given a chance, good results follow you too.”

For the first time since being in the same space with Seo Dowoong, Nahyuk looked straight at him. His eyes were sharp, clearly demanding an explanation.

And as if Seo Dowoong had been looking at him from the start, their eyes quickly met. Seo Dowoong smiled lazily and looked down on him with arrogance.

“Why, Noah? I simply told the Chairman honestly that it was thanks to your help… but you look so embarrassed.”

“Haha, Noah, you’ve made a good friend. A friend who thinks so much of you like this.”

It was an absurd lie.

What angered Nahyuk more than the lie itself was the fact that Yoon Taesik treated Seo Dowoong as a good friend.

Because Nahyuk knew better than anyone how cruel Seo Dowoong had been to Yoon Noah.

Of course, he couldn’t claim that the Yoon Noah in the novel was such a saint that he deserved no criticism.

But at the very least, if he were an old friend, shouldn’t he have comforted Noah even once when he was suffering alone?

Nahyuk recalled the scene of Yoon Noah waking up alone in a dark hospital room.

A good friend? What a load of crap… Nahyuk barely held himself back from saying it aloud.

He wanted to tell the truth. That he had long since withdrawn from that proposal, that he had never met Seo Dowoong, nor even gone to the company.

But just as he was about to open his mouth, Yoon Taesik rose from his seat.

“Then I’ll look forward to your next proposal as well. These old bones ache, so I should get going first.”

“Grandfather, wait. That proposal is actually—”

But at that very moment, Seo Dowoong cut in first.

“Please get home safely, Chairman. Thank you for the delicious meal today.”

“Executive Director Seo, let’s meet again next time.”

“Yes, call on me anytime. We’ll talk a bit more and follow after you, Chairman.”

“Good, good.”

Yoon Taesik patted Seo Dowoong on the shoulder, then even patted Nahyuk’s shoulder. There was nothing but warmth in his touch, leaving Nahyuk at a loss for words.

And not just in his touch.

The gaze Yoon Taesik gave him was nothing but gentle. It was the gaze one gave to family. The gaze Nahyuk had always longed for…

If he spoke the truth, Yoon Taesik’s face would instantly harden. After that, he would never look at him warmly again.

In the end, Nahyuk couldn’t say a word until Yoon Taesik had disappeared. He felt as if he had lost his language.

‘But I have to reveal the truth…’

Once Yoon Taesik was completely gone, Nahyuk looked at Seo Dowoong.

“Because of you, everything got twisted.”

If only you hadn’t said I helped. No, if you hadn’t dragged me into company business in the first place, I could have gotten along with Yoon Taesik just fine…

“I don’t know what you were thinking lying like that. But I don’t appreciate it at all. If anything, I hate you even more now.”

“……”

Seo Dowoong didn’t answer. He only gazed quietly down at Nahyuk. Both of them were still standing, having risen to greet Yoon Taesik off.

“If you’ve got nothing to say, then I’ll be going.”

Nahyuk turned quickly, but his wrist was immediately seized by Seo Dowoong.

He looked down at the hand gripping his wrist. As expected, Seo Dowoong wasn’t about to let him go so easily.

“Let go. I’m leaving.”

“Talk before you go.”

“I don’t want to. I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

Even with that blatant rejection, Seo Dowoong didn’t release his wrist. Instead, he pulled him closer, closing the distance between them.

Nahyuk tried to resist being dragged, but Seo Dowoong’s strength was overwhelming.

With his weak body, he was helplessly pulled, ending up half-draped against Seo Dowoong’s chest.

“Are… are you insane? Let go right now!”

Words harsher than he believed himself capable of came spilling out. Nahyuk shoved at him with the hand that was free.

“If you try to run, I’ll just hold you tighter.”

“……”

Did he really think that kind of threat would make him stay quiet? Far from being still, Nahyuk stomped hard on Seo Dowoong’s foot.

He even kicked his shin for good measure, but Seo Dowoong only winced slightly without uttering a single groan. A ruthless bastard if ever there was one.

“What is it you want to say? I’ll give you ten minutes. Say it within ten minutes.”

It seemed impossible to escape Seo Dowoong’s grip by force. If he at least listened to what he wanted, maybe he’d let go.

And if he got any more forceful, Nahyuk was ready to scream. There was no reason he couldn’t.

“Have you met Kim Daon recently?”

And all he had to say was about Kim Daon?

Nahyuk hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should answer honestly. Would it be alright to tell Seo Dowoong exactly what Kim Daon had said?

But Seo Dowoong, immediately sensing his hesitation, spoke first.

“So you’ve heard it all, huh. That I’m finished with Kim Daon.”

“……”

As expected, his perception was annoyingly sharp.

Even in the novel, Seo Dowoong used that sharp intuition to tidy up his relationships.

He was good at filtering out people who tried to use him or who weren’t sincere toward him. Then he would find those who treated him with genuine feelings and give them a chance to stay by his side. Like panning for gold and finding flakes hidden in the sand.

Yoon Noah was one of those who had never been sorted out.

Seo Dowoong had liked Yoon Noah precisely because he was more transparent than anyone else. At least, until the incident with Park Sangcheol.

“Noah, don’t you think this is your chance right now?”

It pained Nahyuk that quick-witted Seo Dowoong couldn’t recognize his true feelings. He seemed unable to accept that Nahyuk’s heart had changed.

No, perhaps he accepted it with his head but couldn’t embrace it with his heart.

With a sigh in his voice, Nahyuk repeated himself like a parrot. That he no longer liked him.

“How many times do I have to say it…”

“That you don’t like me anymore?”

“Yes.”

“……”

In that instant, Nahyuk’s body spun around. Seo Dowoong had forcibly turned him so they were face to face.

Suddenly confronted, the gaze in Seo Dowoong’s eyes felt unbearably heavy.

“It doesn’t matter. Because now I’ve started to care about you.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I’m thinking about you more than Kim Daon.”

It was not something easy to accept. To someone prone to misinterpretation, it might even sound like a confession.

But Nahyuk knew too well how much Seo Dowoong despised Yoon Noah, so he didn’t misunderstand. And one of Nahyuk’s firm principles was never to misinterpret someone’s feelings.

“So what you’re saying is, because it’s over with Kim Daon and no one’s left by your side, you came looking for me?”

From the outside, Seo Dowoong looked like the kind of man who could do anything alone and never feel loneliness. But he was human, and deep down he longed for someone to stay by him.

And in that sense, it was clear he was seeking out Yoon Noah.

After all, Yoon Noah would have played dead if Seo Dowoong told him to… just how comfortable a presence he must have been for him.

“You’re a real bastard.”

Once again, Nahyuk spat out harsh words that didn’t sound like him. Saying such rough things over and over almost made him feel like he had truly become Yoon Noah.

“I know.”

“Shameless bastard.”

“That too, I know.”

“…I think the ten minutes are up.”

He used time as an excuse to free himself from him. But at that moment, Seo Dowoong’s head, which had been held high, lowered and tilted.

Pressing his forehead against Nahyuk’s shoulder, he whispered softly.

“…I’m sorry.”