TTD 157

-Side Story 2.5-

“Look at this. I told you I’m a perfectly normal person.”

Wang Lun showed the tablet screen and laughed heartily. It was some kind of test, one that was supposed to check if you were a psychopath.

“Wei, you try it too.”

“He’s definitely not. I’ve known him since he was a kid. He’s actually too full of affection.”

Ja-kyung bit into his bread and waved his hand with a bothered expression. He didn’t want to do that kind of thing. ‘You do it, hyung.’ He couldn’t understand why they were doing that from the morning, but he thought it was because they were wallowing in the sadness of being scammed. In fact, Wang Lun had been living on the internet like someone trying to forget reality for the past few days.

While the three were bickering, the housekeeper, who was preparing breakfast, came out and approached them.

“What have you been doing since morning?”

Looking at her gentle smile, Ja-kyung explained the situation.

At the mention of the psychopath test, the housekeeper nodded.

“I’m sure you three aren’t. If you were such scary people, I would have known.”

The three simultaneously shut their mouths and looked at each other. He didn’t know who was calling whom a scary person. In fact, he couldn’t bring himself to say that the housekeeper might be the scariest of them all. A few months ago, when an intruder broke into the house, she subdued several burly men in an instant, and Wang Lun and Wang Han hadn’t complained about the food since.

She told them that dinner would be ready in 20 minutes and returned to the kitchen. Then, Kang Il-hyun came out of the master bedroom. Ja-kyung was planning to see him off to the airport after he finished preparing for his business trip.

“What are you talking about so interestingly?”

“CEO Kang. Come here and do this.”

Wang Han waved the tablet, and Ja-kyung tried to stop him. Don’t make him do that.

Then Wang Lun chimed in.

“Leave him be. What’s wrong with doing it for fun?”

Kang Il-hyun approached and sat next to Ja-kyung. Then he naturally put one arm around Ja-kyung’s shoulder.

“What is it?”

Wang Han handed him the tablet and pen and began to explain. He told him to check the answers to the questions on here. At the words that it wasn’t difficult, Kang Il-hyun chuckled and then looked at the questions. At the first question, he raised his eyebrows slightly. From then on, he moved the pen without any sign of hesitation.

Wang Lun, who was watching him, flattered him.

“As expected, our CEO Kang is a real man! He’s so straightforward!”

“That’s right. I always say this, but Wei, you’re so lucky. Where else could you meet such a wonderful lover?”

“Yeah. If it wasn’t for CEO Kang this time, we would have lost all our money. Thank you so much. You don’t know how grateful my brothers and I are to you, do you?”

Then Kang Il-hyun chuckled and replied.

“If you’re grateful, please take care of tmy cat while I’m gone. I think he’ll be lonely.”

“C-Cat? Where’s the cat… Ah, right. Yeah. Our Wei does look like a cat.”

“That’s right. I’ve been thinking of you as a cat too. Can you meow? Wei? Are you shy? Haha!”

“In Korea, they call a person who raises a cat a ‘butler,’ right? Then is CEO Kang the butler?”

“Such a cute cat. It must be fun to raise him.”

The two looked like they were dying to tease him. They’d probably milk this for days. On the other hand, Ja-kyung felt resentful towards Kang Il-hyun. He had clearly told him not to make cat noises when he was with other people.

He glared at him without making it obvious, and Kang Il-hyun held out the tablet. “I’m done.” Then he ruffled Ja-kyung’s hair, who was staring with eyes wide like a flounder. “Cute. If you look at me like that, my heart will hurt and I’ll die.”

“Take your hand off before I actually kill you.”

“Wei. Why are you talking like that? CEO Kang is just doing that because you’re so cute… Oh? The score is….”

Wang Lun was silent as he looked at the tablet, and Wang Han leaned in.

“What’s the score? Huh? 40 points? That’s good. Isn’t that normal?”

Ja-kyung also nodded. 40 points is nothing.

Then Wang Lun stealthily turned off the tablet and hid it behind his back.

“I think it’s w-wrong.”

“Why? Is it close? Does it say you have some psychopathic tendencies?”

At those words, everyone agreed without showing it.

Honestly, it would be a lie to say there weren’t any at all.

“That… This 40 points is the maximum score….”

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

Ah…. It wasn’t out of 100 points.

Kang Il-hyun was the only one laughing in a situation where no one could say anything.

“Oh, I’m h-hungry. Is the food ready?”

Wang Han quickly ran away, and Wang Lun followed suit.

Ja-kyung, who was about to follow them stealthily, was grabbed by the wrist and made to sit back down.

“Why, why? What?”

Kang Il-hyun brought his face close and stared into his eyes. When he frowned, he came to a distance where their lips were almost touching. His eyes slowly scanned his face, went down, and then came back up.

“You still love me, right?”

Ja-kyung swallowed hard and nodded. It wasn’t very surprising, actually. He thought this human wasn’t normal when he saw what he was doing. But the perfect score was shocking. Shouldn’t he go to a reliable institution and get it properly checked? Should he ask his older brother? No, never mind. He already hates him, so there’s no need to make the situation worse.

“I don’t think all those things are right…. It’s j-just for fun.”

“I asked if you love me.”

At his serious expression, Ja-kyung glanced around and nodded. “I love you. Very much. To the point where I can’t live without you now.” Then the corners of Kang Il-hyun’s lips slowly turned up. His lips came a little closer, so he pulled his head back slightly.

“Only kiss when we’re alone. I’m embarrassed.”

“Okay.”

He seemed to listen obediently, but in an instant, he pecked his lips and fell away. While frowning, he was secretly happy and smiled, and his eyes met Wang Han and Wang Lun, who were peeking at him from behind the wall. Embarrassed, he looked elsewhere, and he heard them muttering.

“Aren’t psychopaths supposed to have no emotions?”

“Look at those eyes. How can that be a psychopath? He’s a romance master.”

“The test is bogus.”

“I thought he was weird from the start.”

Ja-kyung could hear everything they were whispering. He laughed in disbelief as he looked at them, and then Park Tae-soo appeared. He wasn’t alone; the secretary at Chairman Yang’s house yesterday was with him. Accompanied by an employee, he placed the carefully packaged boxes on the table one by one.

“Chairman Yang sent these. He also asked me to tell you that he is sorry for Director Yang’s rudeness.”

Sorry? Kang Il-hyun mulled over those words once. The old man had changed a lot. It was obvious why Chairman Yang, with his tiger-like disposition, was acting this way. He must have guessed to some extent about his father’s death, and he hoped that a crazy bastard who even killed his father wouldn’t touch his grandson.

From Kang Il-hyun’s point of view, there was no need to deliberately antagonize Chairman Yang.

There were still many powerful people going in and out of the old man’s house.

“There’s no need to do this. Please tell the elder that I’m grateful. I’ll visit him soon to say Happy New Year.”

Then the man took something out of his pocket and placed it in front of Lee Ja-kyung.

“And this, Director Yang told me to give it to you.”

Judging by the fact that he specifically mentioned Ja-kyung, it didn’t seem like good news. Since he wasn’t opening it, the man bowed and hurriedly left. Belatedly, Ja-kyung picked up the envelope. The pretty envelope felt like a love letter at first glance.

Kang Il-hyun took it away without hesitation and unfolded it.

“Let’s see. What did he write?”

Kang Il-hyun’s expression didn’t change as he read the card.

Curious, Ja-kyung sat close to him.

“‘If I catch you flirting with Baek Soo-hyun, you’re dead’?”

After reading the childish sentence, Ja-kyung actually cursed. Flirting? Did he call him a flirt? What does that bastard think I am? He should take care of his lover first. When they met yesterday, it was Baek Soo-hyun who first asked to get close and asked for his contact information. He even said that this was fate.

Of course, Ja-kyung didn’t tell him in the end because he was afraid that Kang Il-hyun would find fault with him.

“Baek Soo-hyun, is that Yang Ho-beom’s lover?”

“I think so.”

“Oh my, I heard that he’s very strict with his lover.”

Honestly, the favor that Baek Soo-hyun showed him wasn’t a sexual feeling. Curiosity? You could say that. He was amazed at how many times they had accidentally run into each other, and he seemed to want to get along with him as a person. Of course, the bastard named Yang Ho-beom didn’t seem to think so at all.

“I know, right? Can’t he trust his lover like that? What a moron.”

“I know, right? A moron, just like someone else?”

Kang Il-hyun crumpled the card in his hand and smiled brightly. There’s one here too. One even worse than Yang Ho-beom. He’s really scary at times like this. Just get angry, you bastard. Ja-kyung scowled and scooted back a little.

“My darling is so popular. With women and men. Damn it, it’s annoying.”

“Why are you being like this? Think logically.”

“Asking a psychopath to be logical.”

“Don’t do that and listen carefully. I’ve only met women for over 20 years, so how can I change overnight? I like you because you’re the director, but I don’t have the slightest interest in men.”

“So you’re saying you can meet women anytime?”

“Wow, seriously! I’m telling you, no! It’s so unfair!”

He couldn’t just show him everything. In fact, after he sincerely started liking Kang Il-hyun, he didn’t give his heart to anyone. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he couldn’t help but feel wronged by this misunderstanding.

“Will you believe me if I open my phone and show it to you?”

“There’s no need to do that. I actually trust you.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m just annoyed. It feels like I’m always the only one who’s jealous.”

When he thought about it, he had never been jealous or envious of anyone since he was young. After all, he didn’t have anything, and he lived thinking that it was natural. But it wasn’t the same with Kang Il-hyun. In fact, he had felt upset when he misunderstood him with the Spanish teacher.

Kang Il-hyun muttered with his forehead on Ja-kyung’s shoulder.

“I wish you would be as fiercely jealous as I am.”

At those words, Ja-kyung laughed in disbelief. Should I get angry and strangle you? When he asked, Kang Il-hyun replied that he might die of happiness then. He shouldn’t have said anything. In the end, this trivial war of nerves was brought to an end by the appearance of the housekeeper.