OMS 40

“W-What do you mean?”

“You know very well.”

“…”

“When did Tae-han leave? Should’ve told him to stay for breakfast.”

Park Dong-sik’s mouth twitched. Damn, he had heard everything. Come to think of it, it’s not like he didn’t know, right? What could he do? Even trying to be brazen about it, why did he feel so uneasy? As he was searching for an excuse, Kim Jun-han went upstairs. Park Dong-sik followed behind him, making weak excuses all the while.

“Listen. I didn’t do it on purpose. If you think about it, you’re the one who made me feel lonely.”

“Are you seriously trying to blame me?”

“You can’t say you have no responsibility. Like at the villa too. Couldn’t you have just pretended to give in? Did you have to push me into the water and step all over my pride to feel better?”

Kim Jun-han strode forward with an expression that suggested that wasn’t worth responding to. When Park Dong-sik followed him to the bedroom, he suddenly turned around. Startled, Park Dong-sik stepped back as Kim Jun-han leaned against the door with crossed arms, staring at him intently.

“I’m curious about something,”

“Tell me.”

“How did you persuade my father? Did you sleep with him too?”

Park Dong-sik’s immediate reaction was to explode in anger.

“Hey! I have standards too! I don’t even look at anyone more than ten years older! Maybe I’d consider someone like George Clooney, but your father is no George Clooney, is he?”

Ha, Kim Jun-han laughed incredulously before entering his room and closing the door. Park Dong-sik was equally dumbfounded. As he turned around muttering “bastard” under his breath, the door suddenly opened, making him flinch, wondering if he’d been heard.

“Let me tell you in advance, our divorce will proceed as planned.”

What did he just say?

“But your father…”

“My father’s opinion doesn’t matter. What’s important is my decision.”

Before he could argue any further, the door closed in his face, leaving Park Dong-sik standing alone in the hallway. He rubbed his head in frustration and turned away with an annoyed expression on his face. Even though the other man had said that, it still wouldn’t be easy. Even if Kim Jun-han ran the company, Chairman Kim was still alive and well.

Returning to the bedroom, he tried to think positively, but it wasn’t easy. If only Kim Yoon-ah were here so that he could go over this latest development with her. What if the divorce happened sooner than expected? Money aside, shouldn’t he return Kim Yoon-ah to her original body?

The shaman had said it was possible to return as long as there was still breath. So he had no other choice but to believe those words. As he was massaging his neck with a tired face, his phone rang. It wasn’t a saved number, but it seemed familiar.

When he answered with a “Hello,” the other party laughed heartily.

[“Hello, Mr. Lee Hee-soo. Remember me? We met briefly at the department store.”]

After double-checking the number, he clenched his molars. It was surprising enough that Moon Ho-cheol had his number, but he never dreamed he would contact him so boldly.

“I’m not sure. I don’t remember.”

[“Oh, come on.”]

“You’ve got the wrong number. I’m hanging up.”

[“Park Dong-sik”]

His heart sank. As he stood still in shock, he heard chuckling through the receiver.

[“You know him, right? I heard you two were quite close.”]

His legs went weak with relief. Right, there’s no way he could know. Moon Ho-cheol probably just suspected that Lee Hee-soo and Park Dong-sik were having an affair. Park Dong-sik forced out a laugh and tried to act casual.

“I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about, but don’t contact me again. You’ve obviously investigated me, and you know there’s nothing good in messing with me, right? Don’t act tough. Unless you want to die?”

[“Ah, that almost scared me. Our boss has such a pretty face but talks like a thug. Don’t you hear that a lot? Just my type, I’m telling you.”]

Park Dong-sik pressed his lips shut. As he was about to declare he didn’t need to hear more and hang up, footsteps could be heard through the receiver. What’s this? Just then, a groan echoed through.

Park Dong-sik rolled his eyes. What the hell is this bastard trying to do to me?

[“Did you hear that?”]

“What?”

[“What was it again…? Hey, Youngtae! What did this person call themselves? Ah right, the fairy medium. They say she’s a famous shaman in Daejeon, and you two know each other. Why did you go to her shrine and give her money?”]

He almost dropped the phone. Park Dong-sik froze, and his mind went blank. Moon Ho-cheol continued to speak smugly. So smugly that Park Dong-sik wanted to kill him if he were in front of him.

[“I had such a hard time getting information out of her. She kept her mouth shut like a clam. So we had to rough her up a bit. They say even spirits can’t resist a beating. She told us that the one in Lee Hee-soo’s body isn’t Lee Hee-soo. It’s someone else.”]

“…”

[“What nonsense is this? It’s so ridiculous I can’t help but laugh. Haha.”]

“Stop joking around and hang up. I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

[“Then it shouldn’t matter to you. If the shaman dies?”]

Park Dong-sik gripped his phone tightly. If something happened to the shaman, what would happen to Kim Yoon-ah? Could another shaman solve this problem? Moon Ho-cheol definitely wouldn’t let him off easily. He’d either cripple her or kill her, one or the other.

Of course, he could ignore Kim Yoon-ah’s situation. Since when did he care so much about others? But hadn’t he promised to return her to her body no matter what? Kim Yoon-ah was the only person he could rely on since becoming Lee Hee-soo.

Park Dong-sik pondered, and Moon Ho-cheol, seeming to sense this, let the silence stretch.

“What do you want from me? Money?”

[“Let’s meet. I’d like to have a proper conversation.”]

Park Dong-sik bit down on his lower lip. If something went wrong during the meeting, that would be an even bigger problem. There was no one to protect him. And he couldn’t exactly ask Kim Tae-han to come along. After deliberating, Park Dong-sik nodded his head.

“When?”

[“Today. Right now. I’m an impatient person.”]

After setting the place and time, he hung up. Park Dong-sik collapsed into a chair. Covering his face, he ground his teeth with a groan. Damn that bastard Moon Ho-cheol. Even when I was Park Dong-sik, he tormented me like this…

Get it together. Focus. He slapped his cheeks and checked the time. About four hours until the meeting. Park Dong-sik checked his bank balance and went to the dressing room to pack anything valuable into a bag. Hoping money was all the other man wanted.

Afterward, he went to Kim Jun-han’s bedroom. Since the car was totaled, he needed transportation and planned to ask Kim Jun-han. As he raised his hand to knock, he hesitated.

Ah, I don’t want to see him right now. Maybe I should ask Kim Tae-han instead. But that bastard would insist on coming along. While he was contemplating, the door suddenly opened and Kim Jun-han walked out. Park Dong-sik stepped back startled. He seemed to have been working, with a laptop open in the room and cigarette smoke lingering in the air.

“Why are you standing here?”

“I have a favor…could I borrow your car?”

“Why do you need the car?”

“I want to go out. To the department store.”

“I’ll call a driver for you, just wait.”

As Kim Jun-han reached for his phone, Park Dong-sik hurriedly stopped him, grabbing his hand. When Kim Jun-han’s eyes fell to their joined hands, Park Dong-sik quickly let go and stammered.

“I-I want to drive myself…”

“Are you saying you’ll drive without a license?”

Huh? Lee Hee-soo…doesn’t have a license? He thought it was some sort of joke, but looking at Kim Jun-han’s expression, it looked like he was serious. He’d thought he wasn’t driving because of Kim Yoon-ah, but he didn’t even have a license. Looking back, there hadn’t been a car visible even on the day he went to the beach to die.

Damn. What have you been doing all these years? Not even getting a license.

As he stared with desperate eyes, Kim Jun-han glanced at his wristwatch.

“Where are you going?”

“Jongno…”

“Wait. I’ll drive you.”

“No, you don’t need to.”

“I was about to head to work anyway.”

Unable to refuse further, Park Dong-sik pressed his lips shut as Kim Jun-han went inside to get his coat. Park Dong-sik clutched the bag containing valuables and followed Kim Jun-han outside. Getting into the car, his mind was troubled. Kim Jun-han was acting normal. He didn’t ask why he was going there or who he was meeting. Today, his indifference toward him was truly appreciated.