OMS 36

“I made porridge since you were coming down with a cold. Does it suit your taste?”

Park Dong-sik nodded with his chapped lips. After being sick all night, he felt weak and had no appetite. The housekeeper who came in the morning had hurried to make him some porridge, and he couldn’t ignore her thoughtfulness. After one spoonful, he couldn’t eat anymore and put it down, causing her to let out a soft sigh.

“It’s troublesome having such a weak constitution.”

He agreed. When living as Park Dong-sik, he never caught cold. He could run around in just a T-shirt in cold weather, even sleeping on the street when drunk. Even after drinking until morning, a 30-minute nap would restore him completely.

But Lee Hee-soo was unbearably weak.

Look at him now. His hands were trembling just holding the spoon to his mouth.

“Should I feed you?”

Park Dong-sik shook his head. 

“I’ll eat later. I have no appetite.”

Then he got up and went to the living room sofa. Kim Jun-han had gone into the bedroom after breakfast and hadn’t come out for a long time.

He had been on the phone for business since earlier, and watching this, Park Dong-sik realized that being a CEO wasn’t just about sitting around making money. Moon Ho-cheol would just exploit his employees while pocketing all the cash. If even a big company CEO like Kim Jun-han worked this hard, that bastard really needed to reflect on himself.

As he sat blankly on the sofa, the dog called Typhoon quietly lay down at his feet. Whether because it was elderly or because it was sick, the dog was unusually calm and had very low activity levels compared to other dogs.

When he patted its head, it looked up at Park Dong-sik with black eyes. Seeing those pure eyes without any hostility or suspicion made him feel better too. The dog seemed to like something about him as well, lying close to him while gently wagging its tail.

After petting the dog for a while, he took out his mobile phone. As soon as he turned it on, dozens of missed messages from Kim Tae-han came through. This guy is sick at this point. While sighing, Park Dong-sik noticed a message from Chairman Kim and tilted his head to one side curiously.

[Hee-soo, please contact me quickly when you see this.]

Park Dong-sik got up, put on a thick coat, and went outside. Walking along the outer wall, he saw the warehouse where Lee Hee-soo’s lover had been imprisoned last night. The door was firmly shut and the padlock was gone.

Opening the door just in case, both the metal cage and any trace of the man had vanished completely. Park Dong-sik looked in the direction of the forest. The trees were dense, and it was impossible to tell where they led. Given how cold it was last night, the chances of the man’s survival seemed slim.

Park Dong-sik left the warehouse and went to a secluded spot. He put a cigarette in his mouth and called Chairman Kim, and soon a husky voice came through. He still couldn’t believe that Chairman Kim was Kim Yoon-ah.

[Hee-soo, are you still in Gangwon-do?]

“Yeah, about to leave. What’s wrong?”

[We have a big problem.]

“What?”

[Kim Tae-han came to see me.]

Damn bastard. I warned him not to go anywhere near Chairman Kim.

“I told you not to meet with him.”

[He barged in forcefully, I couldn’t stop him. But that’s not the important part…Do you know what he said to me? He wants to quit films and participate in company management. He asked for my help.]

“Suddenly?”

[I was surprised too. As far as I knew, he had zero interest in the company.]

“Anything else? Did he threaten you?”

[Not at all. I sent him away saying we’d talk later because I wasn’t feeling well. But I’m scared he might come back. What should I tell him? Hee-soo…you’re not planning to divorce and be with him, are you…?]

Park Dong-sik chewed on the end of his cigarette. Well, he could date him if he wanted to. But not yet. He didn’t want to divorce. You could say he’d gotten greedy. Honestly, if he was going to leave, he wanted to leave with a good share. For that, Kim Yoon-ah’s help was desperately needed.

“Wait. Let’s talk when I get there.”

As he returned after hanging up, he saw Kim Jun-han standing at the living room window, drinking coffee and watching him. Park Dong-sik awkwardly waved and went inside. The housekeeper had already disappeared, and only Kim Jun-han remained indoors.

“Why are you alone? Where’s Typhoon?”

“The housekeeper took him. Let’s get ready to leave. Driver Oh will arrive in 10 minutes.”

Then he pointed to the water and medicine on the table.

“Take these.”

Park Dong-sik took the medicine while observing Kim Jun-han’s expression. He seemed unaware of anything. Why had Kim Tae-han suddenly become interested in company management? Hadn’t he said on broadcasts that film was his only happiness in life? Why had he changed his mind?

While Kim Jun-han was getting ready to leave, Park Dong-sik went upstairs to pack and came down. The driver opened the door, and he sat in the back seat, fastened his seatbelt, and looked straight ahead. Kim Jun-han was on the phone some distance away. His profile as he lit a cigarette in his black coat resembled a scene from a movie.

After finishing his call, Kim Jun-han got in beside him, and the car slowly descended the mountain road. It was surprising that the snow had been removed, considering it was a road used by just one person. As he watched the snow-covered trees, the national highway appeared at the end of the road.

Driving along the highway, houses were scattered sparsely, perhaps because it was countryside. Wonder if it gets lonely living there. While thinking this, his phone rang in his pocket. Ah, he forgot to turn it off. Checking quickly, it turned out to be Kim Tae-han as expected.

When he quickly pressed the end button to hang up, Kim Jun-han looked at him.

“Why didn’t you answer?”

“Because he’ll probably make a big fuss.”

“Who?”

“Kim Tae-han.”

Kim Jun-han showed no reaction. He just closed his eyes, seemingly too tired for words. Park Dong-sik wondered what he was really thinking. Whether he truly felt nothing about Lee Hee-soo sleeping with his brother. No, even if that was true in the past, was he really still indifferent now?

Honestly, hadn’t his heart wavered just a little?

“When we get back, stamp the papers. I’ll file them right away.”

Park Dong-sik furrowed his brow. Why ruin things when they were going so well? 

Yesterday had been nice enough. They’d had sex, he’d given him medicine, they’d slept holding each other. After all that, he brings up divorce again?

“Are you that desperate for a divorce?”

“I should be asking you that. Weren’t you the one desperate? You wanted to end things as quickly as possible. I’m trying to give you what you want, or have you changed your mind?”

“Well, that’s…”

“Let’s not talk about preferences. Be honest. Is it about money? Having second thoughts about leaving empty-handed?”

Park Dong-sik carefully considered what to say. I’ve fallen in love with you. I just realized it now. Can’t we forget the past and dream of a future together, hand in hand? If only the other man were naive enough to fall for such bullshit.

“If I admit it’s about money, will you give me a share?”

“If what you want is within reasonable limits, I’ll consider it.”

This guy was absolutely serious about divorce. Part of him thought it wouldn’t be so bad to get some money and make a clean break. Then he could be with Kim Tae-han afterward. He’s crazy about me anyway. While mentally calculating, Kim Jun-han spoke with his eyes still closed.

“I’ll give you a week. No more than that. That’s as generous as I’ll be.”

Park Dong-sik crossed his arms and looked at Kim Jun-han. As his eyes traced over the thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, and stubbornly closed lips, he felt inexplicably angry. I’m not even the real Hee-soo, and I’d hit the jackpot just by leaving with some money, so why do I feel so hurt?

Fuck. Had he actually developed feelings for this cold-blooded bastard? Or were the emotions from last night still lingering? Whatever it was, he couldn’t help but feel like shit.