Chapter 23: I’m Free

Two stray cats dominated the dark, deserted park, playing freely.

Bodam and Jo Yeon were still sitting on the bench, not even glancing at the small creatures biting, licking, and purring at each other.

“Was it good?”

“Yeah. It was really good.”

Smiles never left the lips of the two, leaning closely against each other’s thick and thin arms.

Sitting pressed together on a bench that could fit four people, they focused on Bodam’s old phone screen.

“It was the best dessert I’ve ever had in my life. Haa… I want to eat it again. Ah, especially this one.”

“Is this sweet too?”

Bodam was showing Jo Yeon pictures of the desserts he had eaten in heaven, one by one.

He excitedly swiped through the screen, explaining the tastes, until the grand picture of the jambon beurre appeared.

It was a perfect photo: thinly sliced ham, luxurious butter, and fresh arugula adding color, all inside a chewy baguette.

“This isn’t sweet, Jo Yeon. It’s a sandwich. Have you ever had jambon?”

“Jambon? Is that the name of a bread?”

Bodam chuckled, with the relaxed air of someone who had eaten it just once, at Jo Yeon, who looked as if he was asking why it was named something so ridiculous.

“Remember jambon beurre. Savory and salty, ugh, I can’t explain it with words. It’s a taste you’ll love.”

“Why is the ham so thin? Meat is tastier when it’s thick.”

“Says the guy who eats three packs of bacon. It’s really delicious! It’s like, wow, just wow—what a flavor.”

“Now that I see it again, it looks delicious. Jambon beurre, okay. Let’s go eat it together. I’ll buy it for you.”

“You?”

Bodam smiled at Jo Yeon, who had habitually blurted out that he would pay.

Bodam, playfully furrowing his eyebrows and tightly curling up the corners of his mouth, brought out ‘that person’ again and asked.

“Is there any reason for you to spend money?”

Bodam’s face was full of happiness, holding a bankbook instead of a wine glass, like the protagonist of The Great Gatsby.

Jo Yeon, who had his hand over his chest saying, “Teacher Yoon,” was also willingly joining in that happiness.

He rejoiced wholeheartedly as if Bodam’s happiness was his own.

“If you even think about opening your wallet when you’re with me, you’ll be in big trouble. I won’t go easy on you, ever.”

“Why does our Bodam look so big? He must be well over 190 cm tall?”

Bodam, who had tried to mimic a stern expression but then burst into a bashful laugh, leaned back on the bench.

He had lost count of how many times Jo Yeon had treated him to snacks and meals.

Jo Yeon wouldn’t let Bodam, who was accustomed to frugality, spend money.

Even if Bodam secretly put money into Jo Yeon’s wallet after Jo Yeon bought him a meal, he would find it back in his pocket or on the dining table at home.

Coffee and small alcohol expenses, when accumulated, were not small amounts. Of course, now they were amounts he could take lightly.

It would be no burden to enjoy various crafted drinks at a cafe instead of just plain iced Americano. Since he had billions in his bank account.

“Bodam, but you’re not going to tell anyone, are you? That you won the lottery.”

“Of course not. I told you because it’s you, because it’s you.”

Bodam, who placed his eco-bag carefully on his lap and patted Jo Yeon’s back emphatically, stressed “you.”

Jo Yeon, whose lips curved upwards, said with delight that Bodam was truly loyal.

He ruffled Jo Yeon’s hair, which was lowered as he watched the old eco-bag, as if combing it.

He messed up his soft hair, like a dog that gets brushed diligently every day, then neatly tidied it again.

Regardless of whether someone touched his hair, Bodam’s gaze was fixed on ‘that person’ in his eco-bag, just as much as Jo Yeon was watching Bodam.

The charm of 3.1 billion won was truly irresistible.

“Then who are you going to tell?”

“Hmm. First, I’ll tell Mom, and hmm….”

Bodam, who had no one to confide in deeply except Jo Yeon, pondered.

He thought about whether or not to tell this to his only precious ‘pig’ at home.

She was his sister, so she wasn’t a bad kid, but her life motto was like their father’s, which was a worry.

“I’m sorry to my relatives, but I’ll keep it a secret….”

“What are you sorry about? It’s your money. What about Bomi?”

“That’s the dilemma. Actually, I won thanks to a dream about her.”

“You dreamed about Bomi? Wow, like a dream where she told you numbers?”

“No, it was a dream where she turned into a pig–”

Bodam launched into a lengthy, detailed account of how he came to buy the lottery ticket.

From how he just wanted to eat Jjamppong to being surprised by a real pig appearing in his dream, his lottery winning story, filled with precise emotions and reviews, was so modest and adorable, it was very Bodam-like.

Jo Yeon couldn’t stop smiling the entire time he listened to the story. He thought it was truly fortunate that such great happiness had come to Bodam.

“You’re going to quit your job, right?”

Bodam gently lifted his eco-bag and replied to Jo Yeon, who asked quite seriously.

“Should I show you the winning amount again?”

“Yes, yes. I just asked, just in case. Just in case.”

Jo Yeon pressed down on Bodam’s hand holding the eco-bag, telling him to put it away neatly because his heart was pounding.

The thought of Bodam, who had endured so tenaciously to meet his self-imposed deadline despite struggling so much, resigning.

Wow, truly.

Wow.

Only those words came out.

“Bodam. Are you feeling itchy here too, right now?”

Jo Yeon pointed to his chest, chuckling with a smiling face.

Bodam replied with the same expression, saying his heart felt like it would burst all day today.

And he added his thanks.

“Thank you for being so happy for me, as if it were your own. I expected you to be, but I’m even more touched.”

“Why are you thanking me all of a sudden? Your business is my business, and your money is my money.”

“No, that’s not it. Really. Thank you. Seriously.”

Bodam held Jo Yeon’s hand and conveyed his sincere feelings.

An inexpressible gratitude was conveyed through Bodam’s warm eyes.

They were eyes looking at his most trusted friend.

“I’ll treat you well my whole life. When you get married later, buy two refrigerators. I’ll get you two. Eat well and live well.”

Jo Yeon, meeting Bodam’s sincere gaze, just smiled.

When Bodam was sick, Jo Yeon would be upset as if he himself were sick, and when Jo Yeon came back injured, Bodam would clutch his timid chest and make a fuss.

The two rejoiced equally even in the face of a miracle bestowed upon only one of them by the heavens.

They shared happy energy, looking at each other like that for a long time.

***

The night air grew chilly, so they got up from the bench and went home.

The ride back to the Esper residential dormitory on Jo Yeon’s motorcycle felt shorter than ever.

It was almost regrettable when the dormitory building quickly came into view.

“Want to have a beer before you go?”

Jo Yeon sighed with deep regret at Bodam’s expression, which pleaded for him to stay and play, and replied.

He had left in the middle of work.

“I have to go back. Yeon Yeok is still on standby too.”

“Your younger cousin? I still haven’t seen him.”

“You don’t need to see him. There’s nothing to see in that guy.”

Jo Yeon clicked his tongue and shook his head, recalling his still immature younger cousin.

When Bodam said, ‘He must be better than my sibling,’ Jo Yeon replied, ‘At least Bomi is pretty,’ and only got cursed at.

“Go safely.”

Bodam got off the motorcycle parked in front of the building entrance and waved.

He wanted to drink all night with Jo Yeon and fall asleep, but it was a weekday, so he couldn’t keep him. He also felt sorry for making him leave work.

“Are you just going to leave?”

Jo Yeon asked the question he had been contemplating.

Since revealing he won the lottery, Bodam hadn’t even mentioned the three members of Attack Team 3 once.

He only spoke happily about the delicious desserts he had eaten and what good things he would do with the money now.

“Are you just cutting ties with those b*stards in Attack Team 3 and ending it?”

“Are you asking if I’m going to make a scene before I leave?”

Bodam chuckled lightly and asked back.

He held his precious eco-bag, like a comfort doll, pressed against his stomach. Both his hands felt very full.

“Everyone imagines winning the lottery, throwing down their resignation, and cursing their heads off, right?”

“I’ll do that much.”

Bodam, rolling his eyes towards the dark sky and deep in thought, continued his answer. He had thought about it to some extent.

“I don’t think I can do more than that.”

“You can’t do it, not that you won’t? Then do it. I’ll help you. You should release all your pent-up feelings and leave feeling refreshed. You should break the waiting room too.”

“I don’t have the guts for that. I got money, but my personality itself hasn’t changed.”

His calm voice, tinged with emotion in the early morning, held no lingering regrets.

It was a voice that wanted a clean and simple ending.

He no longer wanted to expend energy on those b*stards.

He wanted to cleanly excise their presence so that it had no impact on his life whatsoever.

Besides, they weren’t just ordinary crazy people, but truly crazy ones, so there was a higher chance that seeking revenge would lead to exhausting consequences.

“I don’t even remember how hard it was. I forgot everything. My head—”

“It’s not bad. Yoon Bodam’s head is not bad.”

Jo Yeon, who put his helmet back on and tapped his temples emphatically, said firmly.

He wasn’t lacking in self-esteem, but it was sad how often Bodam subtly put himself down. It wasn’t like this until last year.

He wanted to talk more with Jo Yeon, but a nagging call came from Yeon Yeok, his dedicated guide.

Jo Yeon angrily left, irritated by the annoying voice that threatened to exploit the day if he didn’t return immediately.

Bodam watched until the motorcycle disappeared, then returned to the building, humming.

He felt good. There was no reason not to.

He would hand in his resignation tomorrow, say a few words to the team leader, and leave gracefully. He would curse at Lee Tae Hwan.

He truly didn’t want to see Min Ji Oh or Kang Yi Jun’s faces, so he hoped they wouldn’t run into each other.

Please.

“Mmm~ you fcking bstards~”

His humming didn’t stop even as he climbed the stairs. He sang with beautiful melodies attached to all sorts of curses.

This lasted only a moment,

“Yoon Bodam.”

Bodam’s humming stopped at the short, deep voice.

He had just reached the 5th floor and was about to catch his breath.

Bodam, startled by a b*stard standing in front of his door, opened his mouth, then quickly adopted a calm expression.

The anger that had been hidden by happiness slowly crept out.