DFLT 26

“I won’t do it again, Executive Director.”

“How do you plan to clean up water that’s already spilled?”

Ji Yeonoh crawled closer on his knees, bowing deeply as he pleaded.

“I’ll quietly resolve it so it causes no harm to you, Executive Director. I’ll live as if I’m dead, truly. Please, please reconsider the firing.”

“You’ve already harbored other intentions behind my back. How can I be sure these words aren’t lies?”

Lightning streaked across the sky, accompanied by a deafening crash. Ji Yeonoh, pressed flat to the floor, flinched with every thunderclap. Heonyoung turned his head to glance at the window. From the look of things, the rain wouldn’t stop all night.

“Answer me, Ji Yeonoh.”

Heonyoung crouched down, closing the distance with Yeonoh. As his voice, once distant, came closer to Yeonoh’s ear, Yeonoh slowly raised his bowed head. His face was streaked with tears.

“Did you think the way you act so carelessly with others would work on me too?”

“W-What do you…”

Seo Heonyoung’s hand reached for Ji Yeonoh’s black tie. The cheap fabric’s rough texture irritated his fingertips, souring his mood further.

“I’m asking if you thought I was pathetic enough to fall for your filthy nature.”

Ji Yeonoh shook his head vigorously. Tears pooled in his eyes, dripping onto the tie in beads.

“What’s so easy about this? You think kneeling and crying makes it all go away?”

“I… I have debts.”

Ji Yeonoh’s first words, forced out with difficulty, came through gritted teeth.

“…If I lose my job, my family’s livelihood will be at risk. I swear I’ll never speak falsely as you fear and will only do as you instruct. I’ll behave so as not to cause any trouble.”

Ji Yeonoh pleaded with a voice choked by swallowed sobs, desperately appealing to avoid being fired. But Seo Heonyoung wasn’t kind or indulgent enough to be swayed by such pleas.

“Then you absolutely shouldn’t have harbored those feelings.”

“…….”

“You had to borrow money to spend, fool around with whoever you wanted, and nurse a one-sided crush. Quite busy, aren’t you, Ji Yeonoh?”

The corner of Seo Heonyoung’s mouth curled in a sneer. Perhaps offended, Ji Yeonoh’s lips twitched as if choosing words to protest but soon clamped shut. Yes, staying silent was the right move. Heonyoung straightened up, his low voice snapping out.

“Get out.”

Ji Yeonoh, frozen like a statue, seemed to cling to the foolish hope that staying would earn forgiveness.

“I told you to remove that filthy body.”

Who could have predicted such improper intentions lurked behind that neat face? That’s what infuriated him. Why hadn’t he suspected anything? Surrounded by people waiting to stab him in the back, he’d always checked and double-checked everything, so why had he let his guard down with Ji Yeonoh without a shred of doubt? Seo Heonyoung was angry at himself for not noticing that audacity.

But what enraged him even more—

“Get out on your own before I call someone to drag you out.”

Even so, he could have treated it like stepping in something foul, removed Ji Yeonoh from his sight, and forgotten it. So why was he expending so much emotion on this? Not knowing the reason fueled his frustration further.

Finally realizing his last warning was one hundred percent sincere, Ji Yeonoh stood, wiping his tears haphazardly. Still composed enough to bow deeply, he turned and bolted out.

Kim, the office manager, arrived hurriedly through the pelting rain because of Ji Yeonoh, turning on his tablet. Sitting on the sofa with a cigarette in his mouth, Heonyoung lit it with an impassive gaze.

“Upon your request, Executive Director, I found that Mr. Yeonoh has about seventy million won in debt.”

“Seventy.”

Seo Heonyoung let out a hollow laugh, taking a drag of his cigarette. That’s a lot of other people’s money he’s spent.

“It’s not from loan sharks but from what’s called ‘capital,’ second-tier financial institutions. We only did a background check before hiring, not a credit check, so we didn’t know Mr. Yeonoh had debts.”

Kim muttered with a small sigh, but Seo Heonyoung, his expression unchanged, exhaled cigarette smoke into the air and asked again.

“What did he borrow that much money for? It doesn’t seem like a lease loan given the amount.”

“Well…”

Kim Jinhwan, staring blankly at the tablet, hesitated.

“What is it?”

When Heonyoung asked with slight irritation, Kim reluctantly continued.

“Six years ago, his father, Mr. Ji Sangkyu, a taxi driver, had a heart attack while driving, causing a traffic accident. The insurance company refused to pay the settlement for the bereaved and victims.”

Heonyoung’s hand, flicking ash into a crystal ashtray, froze for a moment.

“And his younger sibling, Ms. Ji Seowon, was treated for acute leukemia for several years, and it seems they started accumulating debt from then.”

A scoff escaped through his teeth.

“What a sob story.”

Nothing about it didn’t grate on him. Heonyoung’s hand, crushing the cigarette butt into the ashtray, turned agitated.

“But why suddenly ask about Mr. Yeonoh’s debt…?”

He couldn’t answer easily. Why had he even asked for this? He could have ignored it. Firing an employee wasn’t a big deal. Betrayal, anger, disgust. Among the surging emotions, not one could be clearly pinpointed. It was pathetic.

“Executive Director, if I may, Mr. Yeonoh has diligently performed his duties despite his debt.”

Kim spoke cautiously, but who didn’t know that? He’d been so diligent that Heonyoung hadn’t even noticed those feelings. His head throbbed, and Heonyoung pressed his temple, answering.

“Transfer the loan to a first-tier bank contracted with the company.”

Kim’s eyes widened briefly at Heonyoung’s unexpected kindness, but realizing the reality, he spoke with regret.

“With second-tier interest rates nearly three times higher, I’m not sure if that’s feasible. I’ll look into options.”

“Alright. Oh, and.”

Heonyoung, muttering low, turned toward the window. The relentless raindrops continued to plummet toward the earth.

“Starting tomorrow, Office Manager Kim will handle my commute again.”

Surprise flickered across Kim Jinhwan’s face. He might think Heonyoung was out of his mind. But it didn’t matter. The fleeting thought that getting drenched in this downpour without an umbrella would soak him through wasn’t something a sane person would entertain.

Standing at the residence entrance, Yeonoh reached out toward the outside. The moment his fingers crossed beyond the eaves, they were soaked. The forecast said the ferocious rain would continue until early tomorrow morning.

“Haa…”

Yeonoh let out a long sigh. Perhaps because it was raining across Seoul, no taxi came even after ten minutes of waiting. It would take at least five minutes to walk to the station, and on a day with a downpour like this, it could take even longer. But waiting for an uncertain taxi might be less practical than getting a bit wet.

With that decision, Yeonoh took off his jacket, held it over his head to shield himself, and plunged into the rain without hesitation. Despite the jacket, he was drenched like a drowned rat in seconds. Puddles pooled everywhere, soaking his pant hems quickly. His shoes and clothes, heavy with moisture, made it feel like he was stuck in a vast swamp, unable to move despite running.

Out of breath, Yeonoh stopped in the middle of the street. He looked around to stop at a convenience store for an umbrella but soon realized avoiding more rain was pointless since he was already soaked. Panting and taking slow steps, the rain mercilessly pounded his shoulders.

Ignoring passersby’s stares, Yeonoh crossed his arms to hug himself. His drenched shirt was now a rag, and the chill enveloping him stung like a knife. Shivering from the piercing cold, he thought of Seo Heonyoung’s icy sharpness, which somehow hurt less.