Chapter 141: Side Story – Monday Blues Have Disappeared (11)

The same car repeatedly passed the entrance of the apartment complex on the quiet residential road on a weekend afternoon.

A particularly conspicuous luxury sedan was circling the same road, as if waiting for someone or lost.

For a full 30 minutes.

“Just 5 more minutes.”

“Yes, understood.”

Chief Hwang, sitting in the passenger seat, gestured with his chin to the driver who was glancing at the back seat in the rearview mirror.

He never rushed the person he served.

Especially not the youngest son of the Hanseong Group.

“What time is it?”

“It is three fifteen.”

“Ah. I’m late…”

Yi Jun’s low muttering voice echoed faintly in the car.

Yi Jun’s face was not visible from the front seat because he was leaning his head back with a large rectangular frame wrapped in white cloth on his lap.

Yi Jun, who had hidden himself behind the white frame, passed the time, fiddling with the sharp corners.

His breathing, as he took long breaths in and out, was filled with anxiety, fear, and excitement.

It had been almost half a year.

Since he had last seen hyung.

While it could be a short or long time, Yi Jun had been receiving psychological treatment disguised as studying abroad.

The hospital he had attended was indeed overseas, and on the weeks without treatment, he had toured resorts.

He was truly living the life of a rich unemployed person.

“He told me not to be late.”

But throughout the repeating week, the only times Yi Jun felt alive were the short moments related to Bodam.

He still spent his days waiting for Bodam’s contact, and would agonize over a single line of text for hours, gaining vitality from a single reply from hyung.

Kang Yi Jun was still the same.

“Stop the car. To the front of the entrance-. I’m going to walk. You can go home now.”

And yet, he was getting better.

Because hyung had told him to.

He had received treatment well, taken his medicine, and not had any bad thoughts.

He was still just resting because he didn’t have anything he wanted to learn or do yet, but he was planning to do something someday.

Hyung had told him to live like that.

Yi Jun finally got out of the car, putting the frame in his long-strapped bag.

The cold winter wind touched Yi Jun’s cheeks, which were flushed with tension.

Hyung, who had said to see him before the year was over, had really kept his word.

‘So I have to keep my promise to hyung too. Though I’m already late.’

***

Jo Yeon and Yeon Yeok, who had come by motorcycle, couldn’t make it to the appointment time because they hadn’t anticipated the crowded weekend roads of Seoul.

Jo Yeon, who had missed the opportunity to greet Bodam’s family, expressed his regret by hitting the wall.

Bodam comforted him, saying there would be another chance to meet, and finished preparing the food.

“Bodam, shall I move this?”

“Hyung, I’ll do it! Give it to me!”

Yeon Yeok, who had quickly finished looking around the palace-like house, followed Jo Yeon and helped Bodam, who was carrying the food.

Ji Oh, who had almost broken a glass while moving it, just loitered around the table and kitchen, watching them.

Team Leader Kim-nim examined the infused liquor and wiped the water from the already washed glasses.

Even at Bodam’s words to sit down, everyone stubbornly found something to do.

“Everyone’s going to eat a lot, right?”

Bodam asked cheerfully, scooping a heaping portion of rice into a soup bowl, and everyone reacted as if it were a given.

He had made a lot of rice, knowing that.

Once the rice and soup were all moved, they were finally ready to eat.

“Please sit down!”

Everyone marveled at the dishes that filled the long table, which was perfect for hosting a home party.

Even Seung Ho, who had come back from a short call on the veranda, looked surprised at the number of dishes.

It was not on a level to be eaten at home.

“Kang Yi Jun said he’s going to be a little late. The traffic must be bad.”

“That kid has no sense of time.”

Ji Oh, who had been about to curse more severely but had swallowed his words after noticing Bodam’s gaze, was genuinely surprised after taking a bite of the galbijjim.

All those who had started their first bite with the glistening galbijjim showed a reaction worthy of a cooking show.

“You made this at home?”

“I want to scold every galbijjim I’ve ever eaten. Wow, hyungnim. Wow.”

“Eat a lot, everyone. There’s more.”

Exclamations of “delicious” followed one after another.

Only Seung Ho quietly ate the side dishes from the plate closest to him.

Still, it seemed to suit his taste as his swallowing speed was faster than usual.

“Hyung. You bought the soy sauce marinated crab, right? If you made it, you have to sell this.”

“Did your mother own a restaurant?”

Yeon Yeok and Team Leader Kim, who were tasting Geun Young’s cooking for the first time, didn’t rest their hands and mouths, saying “delicious” a hundred times.

Of course, Jo Yeon and Ji Oh were not behind in their reactions.

“Shall I set you up with a restaurant?”

Bodam, who had snickered at the seriously asking Ji Oh, telling him to just eat, felt like he was already full.

Seeing everyone eat so deliciously made him forget all the trouble of preparing the food.

As expected, Mom’s galbijjim was the most popular.

‘Ah, Lee Tae Hwan likes galbi too. He likes chicken, and he eats seafood well too…’

Bodam, who had again habitually thought of Tae Hwan, ate the foods he liked deliciously in his stead.

Tae Hwan, who was not a picky eater, had a good food compatibility with Bodam.

The two had their most filling meals when they ate together.

“Bodam. Eat slowly.”

Jo Yeon, who couldn’t stand to watch the hurriedly eating Bodam, calmed him down.

Bodam had been stuffing his mouth with land, sea, and air, thinking of Tae Hwan.

“Let’s eat one by one, one by one. You said there’s a lot of food.”

“Yeah, there is. You eat up too.”

Seung Ho and Ji Oh watched Bodam chew his food thoroughly, following Jo Yeon’s words.

When they told him to eat slowly, he would snort and not even pretend to listen, but as expected, he listened well to what Jeon Jo Yeon said.

“Team Leader-nim. You have to finish all that rice.”

Bodam, who had noticed Seung Ho’s slowing chopsticks, quickly pointed it out.

Bodam’s goal for today was to make Seung Ho, who had no interest in food, overeat.

He hoped that he, who often skipped meals, would get proper nutrition for at least this one day.

‘How nice would it be if he just ate heartily like Lee Tae Hwan.’

“Suddenly Esper Lee Tae Hwan-nim?”

Just then, Yeon Yeok, who was sitting next to Bodam, tilted his head and asked.

The gazes of everyone sitting at the table focused on Bodam.

‘Ah, I said my thoughts out loud again.’ Bodam, who had frowned at the belated realization, made an excuse as he tried to scoop some soup with his chopsticks.

“No. He just eats really well.”

“And you suddenly thought of that? Even though he’s not here?”

Jo Yeon, who never missed an opportunity to tease, jumped in with a mischievous smile.

Team Leader Kim, who welcomed such conversations, also joined in.

“It seems you think of him even while eating. That’s a serious case.”

“I’m going to eat two bowls of rice, Bbo-dam. But you still don’t see me, do you. Hmm?”

“Hyungnim. I can eat three bowls too. I eat well too.”

The three, who were even more excited seeing the speechless Bodam, teased him, telling him to think of them too.

Ji Oh, who couldn’t bring himself to laugh, just chewed on the soy sauce marinated crab.

“You’re really making me lose my appetite!”

Bodam, who had stood up with a stern expression, warned them to stop with the nonsense and focus on the food.

He was dying of embarrassment at being naturally linked with Lee Tae Hwan.

He didn’t even deny it anymore.

Bodam ran to the kitchen as if to escape and opened the refrigerator to refill the empty side dishes.

Then he ran into Seung Ho, who had come to the kitchen with his bowl.

“Do you need something?”

“I want to eat more.”

Seung Ho’s rice bowl, who had said he wanted to eat more, was not even half empty.

Bodam, while telling him not to overdo it and eat in moderation, was already smiling.

He was satisfied, thinking that the Team Leader-nim had finally set foot in the world of overeating.

“I’ll scoop it for you.”

Bodam, who was excited, thinking that the food suited his taste, scooped some more rice for Seung Ho.

Seung Ho’s gaze also moved diligently, following his small, nimble hands.

Yoon Bodam, who looked most lively when he was eating, also looked happy when he was serving food to others.

Seung Ho liked that sight.

“Yoon Bodam.”

“Yes.”

Seung Ho, who had been watching the fluffy rice pile up in the bowl, surprised Bodam with some out-of-the-blue words.

“You’re closest to Lee Tae Hwan.”

“What?”

“After Esper Jeon Jo Yeon.”

Bodam, who had flinched at the sudden question, answered vaguely as he handed over the rice bowl.

“Uh… I guess we’re more comfortable because we’re the same age. Why?”

It wasn’t a question Seung Ho would ask.

Seung Ho, who had taken back the warm bowl, replied in a nonchalant tone, “Because you seem close.”

Bodam couldn’t find anything else to say and just scratched his cheek.

“Don’t scratch.”

Seung Ho, who had thrown out the indifferent words, lowered Bodam’s hand, which was scratching his face.

Bodam’s pale cheeks, with his weak skin, would turn red with just a scratch of a fingernail.

He stared at Bodam’s already red-marked cheek with a slanted gaze.

It was a gaze that made one nervous for no reason.

Bodam was still sometimes nervous in front of Seung Ho.

“Team Leader-nim, do you have something to say?”

But it was a little different from the nervousness of the past.

Even if he stiffened at Seung Ho’s actions and intimidating aura, Bodam didn’t hold back what he wanted to say like before.

He had never felt scared even when his heart raced sometimes at his touch.

It was a strange difference that couldn’t be expressed in words.

“Do you have nothing to say?”

Bodam, who had met Seung Ho’s gaze, which was staring intently at his face, up close and gulped, asked again.

He felt for some reason that he was putting off something he had to say to him.

Bodam diligently lifted his head to face the frustratingly taciturn Seung Ho.

Seung Ho met the clear eyes waiting for an answer for a long time and made a sound before Bodam’s wide patience could waver.

“You look a lot like your mother.”

With his characteristic indifferent voice, Seung Ho, who had broken their eye contact, returned to his seat.

‘Is that all?’

Bodam, who had seen Seung Ho’s retreating back, felt for some reason that his heart was not at ease.