OMS 22
by Cherry“Are you crazy…?”
That was the first thing Madam Song said when she encountered Park Dong-sik at the guest house. It was the phrase he’d heard most often since becoming Lee Hee-soo. Of course, he wasn’t crazy. He’d just become a different person.
Park Dong-sik held his head high to show off the gleaming gold necklace. When he tucked a bag under his arm in a show-off manner, Madam Song covered her mouth, shook her head repeatedly, and stormed off.
“Good heavens. She must be possessed by something. Oh, Lord Father.”
Strange, someone who used to talk about ghosts at the shaman’s was now calling for God. Did she convert recently? Park Dong-sik entered the house, massaging his neck while grumbling.
“Damn…should’ve gone with 30 don.”
Blinded by greed, he’d impulsively bought a 50-don piece, but it was unbearably heavy. His neck felt strained as he massaged it, and Kim Yoon-ah came up behind him. She looked at him with concern.
“Is your neck…okay?”
“Of course. You know what they say. He who wishes to wear the crown must bear its weight. I’m bearing it like hell right now.”
“…”
“But it’s too heavy. It feels like my neck’s gonna break.”
“Wait a moment.”
Kim Yoon-ah disappeared, and Park Dong-sik couldn’t bear it anymore and took off the necklace. Crown or whatever, his neck felt instantly lighter. While he was still massaging his sore neck, Kim Yoon-ah returned with a hot compress.
“Put this on your neck.”
He leaned back on the sofa, supporting his neck as instructed. Kim Yoon-ah, sitting across from him, looked like she had a lot to say. Her feelings must be especially complicated. He understood. After all, she knew Lee Hee-soo better than anyone. But Park Dong-sik couldn’t pretend to be the Lee Hee-soo she knew.
Kind, considerate, modest Lee Hee-soo who enjoyed tea ceremonies and flower arrangements…
Park Dong-sik asked while tilting his head back, “Were you surprised earlier? I’ll try not to worry you with things like that in the future.”
“No. I’m more worried that you might have been startled, Mr. Hee-soo. Those strange people causing trouble…”
“Is that all?”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t you think I’m strange too? Like a different person?”
“No…”
“You always say no. Be honest.”
“I…understand. I think when suppressed emotions burst out all at once, this can happen. People have many sides to them. And you look healthier now…so I don’t think it’s bad.”
Lee Hee-soo didn’t live in vain. He had a completely loyal ally. He lived much better than me.
“Thank you for saying that.”
“However…”
“Yes?”
“I wish you’d be careful. It won’t benefit you if people start gossiping, and it could work against you later.”
“You mean about the divorce?”
Kim Yoon-ah pressed her lips together. Though she didn’t mention it directly, it seemed divorce talks with Kim Jun-han had been ongoing for a while. It wasn’t surprising, as he’d expected it. Given that man’s behavior, it wouldn’t have been strange no matter when it came up.
“Alright, I’ll take your advice. I’ll be careful.”
“Thank you.”
Sitting back on the sofa, his eyelids kept drooping. Just sex in the morning and moving around for about three hours, yet he was disgustingly tired. With his eyes closed, Park Dong-sik thought about ways to change this body’s poor stamina. Should he start running every morning? Or hire a personal trainer?
Honestly, the only exercise he’d ever done was pull-ups at the neighborhood spring water station. Still, he always had abs and good muscle mass. He never tired even running around all day, and could work fine even after drinking all night.
While lost in old memories, he heard footsteps. Neither hurried nor leisurely, but carrying weight. He barely opened his eyes to see Kim Yoon-ah standing up. Park Dong-sik barely had the energy to wave, sprawled out as he was.
“You’re early?”
Kim Jun-han looked at Kim Yoon-ah while completely ignoring Park Dong-sik.
“Manager Kim, you can go home now.”
“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He called out to Kim Yoon-ah’s retreating back, thanking her for her hard work and telling her to get home safely. Then he struggled to sit up.
“What are those clothes?”
Park Dong-sik looked down at what he was wearing.
“Bought them at the department store. With your card.”
“I’m perplexed.”
“Why? Because I spent too much?”
“No. Because they’re tacky.”
How much does he think these cost? And he only wears stuffy suits anyway. Though, that’s what makes him sexy…
While internally consoling himself with grumbles, Kim Jun-han sat down across from him. With his legs crossed, he looked like a model from a suit catalog.
Park Dong-sik tried to ignore his building saliva and asked gruffly, “Did you come to see me? At this hour?”
“There’s something I’m curious about, but I can’t figure it out.”
“What? Curious about why I bought these clothes?”
“This is more interesting than that.”
“Tell me.”
“You went to the funeral home on the 15th, right? With Manager Kim.”
His words caught in his throat. How did he know? Is this guy having me followed? Come to think of it, it’s not surprising. Don’t rich people monitor each other, track locations, and install cameras in their own homes?
At that thought, his gaze automatically went to the ceiling. Could there be cameras here too?
“I-I don’t remember well.”
“That can’t be. You even paid your respects in person.”
“…”
“Let me ask directly. What’s your relationship with Park Dong-sik?”
Park Dong-sik quickly racked his brain. Kim Jun-han’s visit to the funeral and offering condolences meant he knew Park Dong-sik died trying to save his wife.
“I heard he tried to save me…That’s why I went to pay respects. People should observe proper courtesy.”
“Strange. I’m the only one who knows that fact. I collected all the dashcam footage from nearby vehicles, and even the police don’t know. So how does Lee Hee-soo, who was the first to fall in, know about it?”
“…”
“It sounds like there’s a rat by my side.”
Park Dong-sik deliberately acted confident.
“Why go that far? Ah, I just found out somehow. Wait. Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated? What are you trying to say? I can pay my respects if I want to. I don’t need your permission for something like that.”
“Then why delay the cremation? Even paying extra to Park Dong-sik’s father.”
Damn it. How much does this guy know…? Could he be fishing with information he already has? Cold sweat ran down his spine and his heart pounded in his chest. The opponent was too formidable to just brazenly deny everything.
Then he had a thought. Kim Jun-han was planning to divorce anyway. So what did it matter what relationship existed between Lee Hee-soo and Park Dong-sik? Maybe he’d let this slide.
“Actually…Park Dong-sik was…my secretly hidden…”
“Hidden?”
“Lover…”
After all, he’d had lovers before and even slept with her brother-in-law, so what difference would one more lover make? And Kim Jun-han wasn’t the type to bat an eye at such things.
“That day we were supposed to meet, and seeing the water made me want to jump in impulsively. You know how severe my depression was. I never thought this would happen. That he would die trying to save me…”
Park Dong-sik put on a regretful expression.
“That’s why you delayed the funeral?”
“Yes…”
“Why? It’s not like Park Dong-sik would come back to life.”
“…”
“Sometimes people believe the dead can be resurrected. Is that it?”
“Something like that…?”
“You must have cared for him deeply.”
“Well…I suppose so…How long do we have to continue this conversation? My eyes are filling with tears. If you’re collecting evidence for divorce, you already have more than enough. Or are you recording this too?”
“Is it difficult to talk?”
“It’s not comfortable.”
“Then let’s stop here.”
“That’s it?”
“Talking to someone unwilling to be honest seems like a waste of time.”
Park Dong-sik flinched and forced out a smile. Kim Jun-han stood up. Watching him turn away, Park Dong-sik let out a small sigh of relief. What exactly is he suspicious of? It’s impossible to tell. Still, it’s fortunate it ended like this.
That was when it happened.
“Mr. Park Dong-sik.”
“Yes?”
Park Dong-sik froze. Kim Jun-han looked at him with an unreadable expression, and Park Dong-sik’s mouth fell open. Caught off guard, when his name was called, his cursed mouth had responded automatically.
“W-Why did you just call me Park Dong-sik?”
“I didn’t call you that, I was about to say we can’t delay Park Dong-sik’s funeral any longer. Keeping the body in storage will only deteriorate its condition.”
“Ah…”
“So, have you returned?”
“What…”
“You seem to remember quite a lot about Park Dong-sik.”
“…”
“Or is Park Dong-sik all you remember?”
Right. I’m supposed to have amnesia.
Park Dong-sik’s mind went blank.
“You’re right…Wow, looks like my memory is coming back a bit. That’s great! Haha!”
He forced himself to clap and laugh, but Kim Jun-han stared intently. Ah, that penetrating gaze that seemed to dissect his mind. He really hated it. To avoid revealing his true thoughts, Park Dong-sik deliberately lifted his chin and met his gaze defiantly.
Kim Jun-han smirked.
“I just had an interesting thought.”
“What…?”
“When Mother said you were possessed by a ghost, I laughed it off, but if Park Dong-sik’s soul possessed you, it would make sense.”
“…”
“Of course, that’s only possible in movies.”
“…”
“I’m leaving. Rest well.”
Kim Jun-han’s footsteps echoed as he disappeared down the stairs past the pillar, gradually fading away. Once he was completely gone, Park Dong-sik let out the breath he had been holding in this entire time and collapsed face-down on the sofa. Whoa, fuck.
When he opened his tightly clenched fist, it was soaked with sweat. Seeing his trembling fingertips, he must have been properly scared. At this rate, he might not live out his natural life but die here…? If he couldn’t go back anyway, maybe it would be better to get divorced quickly.