DI Ch 55

After sending the message, Seo Seung-won’s parents came to mind. I wondered if Seo Seung-joon had contacted them. Somehow, it didn’t seem likely.

Living Seo Seung-won’s life in his place wasn’t just about pretending to have lost my memories. They unconsciously poured out Seo Seung-won’s memories. As time went by, they started to subtly ask if I remembered certain things. On the other hand, Seo Seung-joon was much more direct. He showed me all sorts of pictures and delved into Seo Seung-won’s life. It only quieted down after I got a nosebleed, but it was clear that he hadn’t given up.

Seo Seung-joon had always been particularly protective of Seo Seung-won, especially when his parents, especially his father, tried to scold him even a little he would often step in and intervene to protect Seo Seung-won. If he was in a state of shock, I doubted he would have the thought to contact his parents on his way back.

I felt like I should at least say that I had sent him back. I pressed my sore temples with my fingertips. Next was Park Kang-woo. I arranged the contacts in order and checked the time, only to realize that an hour had passed since Tae Seong-je left. Seeing that made me realize how much pain I was in, to the point where I couldn’t even feel the passing of time.

Suddenly, I remembered that Tae Seong-je had said he would send me porridge, and I got up from my seat. Maybe a delivery came, but I couldn’t hear it, so the delivery man could have left it on the doorknob. But was there a porridge shop in this neighborhood?

“Argh!”

The timing was terrible. As soon as I opened the door, it smashed someone’s face. The scream was so loud, it echoed down the hall. It must have been pretty painful because the front door was wide open. Even though it hurt so much that I was in a daze, I also acted without thinking.

Feeling guilty, I cautiously spoke to the man who was groaning while hunching over with his hands on his waist.

“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Ugh, I should be okay…”

“I’m really sorry.”

I opened the door wide and started to approach the man, but paused short when I felt a strange feeling. It was because of the atmosphere emanating from this man, which made me wonder who it reminded me of. It made me feel both uneasy and alert at the same time.

“Oh, it feels like my nose is broken. Wow, you’re really strong…”

“I’m sorry…”

The man groaned with a voice that seemed to be dying out. My head involuntarily drooped as if I had become the one to blame. I felt embarrassed for a moment, thinking that I had suspected the wrong person, but when I met the eyes of the man, I corrected my thoughts.

The man’s eyes were disproportionately large and intensely focused. I flinched and lowered my gaze as I noticed a hint of madness in his eyes. As I was doing so, I noticed a sketchbook-style tattoo densely filled between the sleeves. Suddenly, I felt a sense of dread as if the kidnapping scene was about to unfold.

My bag. My heart sank and a chill ran down my spine. My hand on the doorknob trembled. My eyes kept trying to go back inside. It was right behind me. No, the contents have been taken out. It would take a while just to put it back together.

My heart was pounding like crazy. They wouldn’t give me time to prepare, these kidnappers weren’t that stupid, no matter how reckless they were. I had prepared for this moment, but I couldn’t use any of it, and I was about to be taken away. My breath caught in my throat and I felt suffocated.

I looked back at the man. He seemed small. For a moment, I thought I might have a chance to overpower him. However, his solid physique and the peculiar aura he exuded made it impossible for me to believe that I could win. Perhaps I couldn’t hide my extreme tension, because the man suddenly stood straight and spoke.

“Oh, I’m not a suspicious person…”

There’s nothing more suspicious than a suspicious person saying they’re not suspicious. Whatever. I was about to close the door when, at that moment, the man slipped his hand through the gap in the door and caught the doorknob to stop it. I almost screamed at how quick he was. The man’s hands were covered in calluses and scars and looked very rough.

With fear and wariness, I reached behind to grab something that could serve as a weapon. I fumbled around desperately, but there was nothing to grasp. My mind went blank. Just as I thought I was about to be captured, the man suddenly opened his eyes wide as if he realized something and shook his head from side to side.

“My bad. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Take your hand off my front door before I call the police.”

“Oh, I was just going to give you this and leave. What the hell is going on?”

The man grumbled in frustration and then let go of his hand. I slammed the door shut, making a loud noise. The bag on the man’s wrist rustled loudly, mimicking the sound of a forehead being struck outside the door. I shut all the locks and stopped at the sound. Something about the logo on the man’s bag bothered me. I racked my brain trying to figure out where I’d seen it before, and then I realized it was the logo of a famous porridge restaurant. In an instant, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place in my mind.

Curious and somewhat incredulous, I spoke to the man beyond the door.

“Um, did you…”

“Yes, yes. I am listening.”

“Is that porridge for me?”

“Oh! Right, Hyung-nim told me to leave it on the doorknob for you…”

The man who seemed to be in a hurry stopped talking and mumbled.

“Shit, it happened. He told me not to talk to him.”

Upon hearing his words, I immediately confirmed that the man was indeed one of Tae Seong-je’s subordinates. I locked the handle and slightly opened the door, and the man awkwardly smiled while glancing around.

“I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”

“…”

His attempt to use polite language seemed quite ridiculous. Seeing that he appeared more silly than scary in his actions, my fear subsided. The initial impression and subsequent feeling were so different that I started to doubt if he truly belonged to Tae Seong-je’s group. As the tension eased, my stiff body relaxed.

“Are you… Seong-je hyung’s subordinate?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

He was a subordinate in some ways, so neither of us was lying. We laughed awkwardly as if we didn’t know each other, and when the laughter died down, I looked at the man’s nose bridge.

“Is your face okay?”

“Oh, yes! Of course! I have a tough skull, so there’s no problem.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Um, just a moment…”

I went inside the house and took out a drink from the refrigerator, then handed it to him through the crack in the door. I couldn’t open the door wide yet, as I still had a slight suspicion. Even if the man complained about me for being rude inwardly, I couldn’t help but be scared.

“If you’re okay with this… for your face…”

“Hehe, you’re taking care of me like this. Thank you.”

With both hands tightly gripping the drink, he immediately opened it and started gulping it down.

“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to drink it. I meant for you to rub your face with it…”

“Oh! Wasn’t I supposed to drink it?”

“Well, you can drink it…”

“That’s it.”

“Then, it’s fine.”

He smiled widely, revealing a childlike innocence. His big eyes were a bit intimidating, but seeing his smiling face made him appear somewhat gentle…

“I couldn’t go out right now, so I asked Hyung for a favor. Sorry for bothering you. I didn’t know that hyung would send his subordinate…”

At my explanation, the man had a puzzled expression on his face.

“Yes, well… it’s okay. It’s not a difficult task.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure not to do that anymore.”

“Oh, no. I do this because I enjoy it. It’s not a lie. It makes me proud to help others, even if it’s just providing a meal.”

The man spoke without blinking his eyes. As his voice quickened, his intonation became more pronounced, indicating his uneasiness. Neither this man nor I could act. Nevertheless, I had to trust him, there was no other choice.

“That’s why lately, it’s not a big deal for me to take care of my boss’s love-, I mean, his dear brother, and provide him a meal.”

“Oh, I see…”

The words trailed off as we nodded at each other in the awkward atmosphere. I tilted my head, peering into the bag I’d been handed through a small gap in the awkwardness.

“There’s quite a lot in here, isn’t there?” 

“Oh, I don’t know what you’ll like, so just take what you want.”

“There are still too many… But what is this drawing?”

“I specifically asked to include a single flower.”

The man scratched his head in embarrassment but soon began humming a tune.

“Well, there’s no florist here, and there’s also hardly any wildflowers, and I don’t have time… but I do have a pen, so I thought I’d…”

“Oh? So you drew this yourself? Wow.”

I exclaimed in admiration, and the man smiled unexpectedly.

“I drew it well, right? I’m quite skilled in art.”

He seemed quite self-assured. But it was understandable. The hastily torn paper with a pen-drawn flower was crude, but the drawing itself was delicate and realistic considering the rush. But why suddenly a flower? What could it mean? I tilted my head in wonder, but I felt his gaze and raised my head.

The man looked at me intently as if he were observing me, then smiled when we met eyes. I thought I would be swollen because I cried a lot, but I didn’t pay much attention. But now that someone noticed, it felt a bit embarrassing. My cheeks flushed, and I pretended to casually scratch my neck as I spoke.

“Did I swell up a lot? I just, uh, cried a little bit.”

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just that you looked so young, and I got a bit surprised…”

It was a relief that he didn’t mention my swollen face. Suddenly feeling frustrated talking through the gap, I unlocked the latch and swung open the front door wide.