DI Ch 62

Of course, I knew who he was talking about. And it was also clear that I couldn’t reveal who he was or what he did. This was equally true for Tae Seong-je. I had to wait until Tae Seong-je himself mentioned it before I could know. So, revealing what I had learned from the book was out of the question. Ah, then how should I explain this to him?

“Just. He just works for his father.”

In Part 2, he was so unrivaled that he didn’t look like someone who worked under anyone, but given the circumstances, it wasn’t a lie to say that.

“Oh. Is it like a family business? Like Kwon Joong-hyuk?”

“Probably similar.”

It may seem strange to compare gangsters and restaurant workers, but if they consider themselves a family and work together, it could be called a family business. I averted my gaze from him and refilled his glass.

Gangsters still remained a terrifying presence for me. However, maybe because Tae Seong-je didn’t quite fit the image of a gangster, it didn’t feel real even if he might be doing terrible things at the moment. Although in reality, it might be different when I saw it for myself, for now, that was how I felt.

Honestly, he was someone who seemed more suited for the title of “an actor playing the role of a gangster.” The way he hit people didn’t seem to match… I sipped from the glass to quench my thirst, and suddenly, I remembered my first encounter with Tae Seong-je. He was hitting someone’s cheek and threatening them. …Ah, I wonder what that man had done wrong.

“I thought he was an actor and went crazy. Wow, I had all sorts of thoughts at that time.”

I couldn’t even understand my own feelings inside, and it was bothering me. However, when Park Kang-woo told me that he thought of him as an actor like an actor, just like I did, I felt a little pleased. Ah, so he must have recalled all sorts of scandals from that time. I even let out a slight laugh at the thought. My laughter seemed to irritate Park Kang-woo, and he pouted his lips.

“Is that funny? Sure. We can talk about it now while laughing, but back then, I was genuinely surprised, you know? Ah, but come to think of it, if someone like that were a celebrity, I should have found out who he was sooner. So I thought he probably wasn’t a celebrity.”

“That’s right. He’s handsome, isn’t he?”

“…”

I said it without any thought, but for some reason, his expression looked quite displeased.

“Why.”

“No, just.”

Hungry. I put a few pieces of chicken onto a plate to appease my hunger. As I ate, Park Kang-woo suddenly spoke.

“But… I found that Hyung a bit intimidating.”

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry. He’s got great social skills.”

“…”

Park Kang-woo covered his face with both hands and rubbed them as if tired, then let out a groan. After a while of muttering, he suddenly leaned forward and asked seriously.

“Are you having a good time with him?”

The question came out of nowhere. Why was he asking about this now? I blinked, taking a moment from eating. Even when he contacts me occasionally, he never brings up anything. Well, considering Tae Seong-je’s aura and intimidation, it’s not the kind of thing you can easily forget. I could understand why he would have such concerns.

“Yeah, I’m having a good time.”

Why was he in such a hurry? There was food in my mouth, so I couldn’t answer right away. I took a sip of soju to help with the response and nodded slowly.

“Yeah. He’s kind.”

“I’ve seen something that contradicts that kindness.”

Park Kang-woo retorted, seeming frustrated.

“At that time, there might have been some misunderstanding. Normally, he’s not like that. Of course, he would let me know before he comes over. I said he has good social skills, right?”

“…”

“He’s usually good at knocking on doors too.”

“…”

Seriously… The look of disbelief was so strong that I couldn’t say anything more. If he had asked me if Tae Seong-je was a good person, I would have avoided answering. But since he asked if he was kind, I said yes, but he didn’t seem to believe it.

“You’re frustrating.”

“No, who’s complaining?”

Park Kang-woo was furious and refuted my words. He said that since he had seen something, it was natural for him to have doubts and worry.

“Well, okay then. He’s got great social skills and he’s kind. Let’s say you’re having a good time. So, as a… friend, you really don’t have any complaints about him, right?”

“…”

I was at a loss for words. Seeing each other’s faces was so rare that we could barely have a typical movie date, our texting was almost non-existent, and our intimacy was intense. When aroused, he loses control of his strength and leaves bruises all over the place. If I say things like this, I’m sure he’s not going to get any good marks. It makes him sound like a really bad lover.

Still, I was satisfied with Tae Seong-je’s affection for me as a lover, so I had no significant complaints. In fact, he treated me even better than I had anticipated, to the point where it had become a bad habit. I needed to play hard-to-get a bit more, but he often crossed that line.

“… He’s a good person. There are some flaws, of course, but how can anyone be perfect?”

Park Kang-woo looked at me as if he couldn’t decide which side of the fence to stand on, then sighed and said.

“Okay. If you think that way, then so be it. But I don’t know why I’m so worried. Maybe it’s because you act tough despite your appearance not matching. Or maybe you’re just stubborn about not admitting when you’re in pain.”

This guy has been nagging for a long time. It’s an annoying nagging that I’ve heard for a year, so I’m used to hearing it in one ear and letting it out in the other. hen, as if he suddenly remembered, he widened his eyes and said,

“Oh, by the way, you fainted again before, right?”

“Ah, that.”

“‘Ah, that?’ It’s driving me crazy. You talk about it like it’s nothing important. It’s not like you fainted during a nap or something.”

Because it’s really not a big deal. Licking the leftover soju off my lips, I rolled my eyes. In response, he pounded the table and scolded me.

“Don’t play it down. Do you know how surprised I was when I heard that you fainted and had to go to the hospital from Seungjun?”

“What? You contacted him?”

“Well, where do I have people I don’t contact? Just answer the question.”

Park Kang-woo waved his hand as if to say I shouldn’t be surprised when I frowned at the mention of Seo Seung-joon, which made me remember his face that was stained with my blood. He was right, so I relaxed my expression. However, Park Kang-woo’s reaction was quite unusual. He had seen quite a few instances where I collapsed in the classroom and then recovered without any major issues, so it should have been something he could easily pass over without much concern.

“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like I passed out badly enough to prevent me from coming to Daegu.”

“Anyway, it’s a peaceful world. What’s so great that everything is just fine? You even told Seung-joon that it was nothing to your parents, right? I can tell without even looking.”

“…”

I don’t know why he knows me so well…

As we engaged in this rather trivial conversation, Park Kang-woo suddenly straightened his back, extending his glass like a waiter. He started raising his eyebrows and staring off into the distance. Feeling a bit concerned, I tried to step back, but Park Kang-woo gestured behind me and said,

“This is from the person over there.”

When I turned around, Kwon Joong-hyuk was there. The face I hadn’t seen since high school graduation was the complete opposite of the innocently smiling Park Kang-woo. Kwon Joong-hyuk, who was looking around, frowned as soon as he spotted us. The expression on his face and the way he walked were still the same.

“You guys are insane. How can you be drinking so much so early?”

“You should drink this much to start.”

“Look at your twisted tongue.”

Kwon Joong-hyuk crossed his arms and used his toe to kick Park Kang-woo in the shin. Kwon Joong-hyuk, who had been bickering with Park Kang-woo, looked at me. It was strange to see the guy who had been chatting so happily suddenly glaring at me with such intensity.

“Long time no see.”

Although it was an awkward greeting, Park Kang-woo nudged me subtly because it seemed like Kwon Joong-hyuk wasn’t going to speak first. Then he frowned and spoke harshly.

“You’re talking like it’s been a long time. Yeah, it’s been a long time. You bastard.”

Kwon Joong-hyuk, who was very annoyed, pushed me inside. He gulps down the cool water as soon as he sits down. Was this the end? It was a rather lukewarm response than I expected. I wasn’t expecting much, but I thought he might grab my collar as soon as we met…

“Are you all right?”

“Huh? No…?”

“But can you still drink?”

“It’s not that bad to the point where I can’t…”

Kwon Joong-hyuk looked at me with a meaningful look, and suddenly lifted my glass and said.

“I’ll forget everything with this one glass without saying anything. With this, there will be no more disappearing, and there will be no ill feeling.”

I turned my head to Park Kang-woo with a dumbfounded look on my face. I asked with my eyes, ‘What is it, has he become a Buddha?’ But Park Kang-woo was too busy trying to hold back his laughter to even look up and notice my gesture.

“What are you doing? Can’t you hear me?”

“No.”

Wait, that’s my glass. Despite feeling wronged, Kwon Joong-hyuk’s stubborn face makes it unlikely that he will return it. Finally, I took out a new glass and filled it myself with alcohol. But before I could do that, Kwon Joong-hyuk pushed that shot glass aside and placed a beer glass in front of me with a thud.

Even without asking, I knew the meaning of pouring soju into a beer glass. I gave him a dejected expression, but he didn’t back down. I raised the glass with a trembling hand, and Kwon Joong-hyuk narrowed his eyes and shouted in a resolute voice.

“Listen carefully. When I say ‘diving,’ there’s only death waiting behind it.”

“…”

“Diving!”

“Do we have to do this…”

“Seo Seung-won, I can’t hear your voice! Come on. Diving!”

“Only death…”