Chapter 12: Thirty-Two and an ‘Uncle’

“Money…,” Si-hyeon muttered.

“You said you didn’t really need money,” Cha Hae-jun replied.

“I have to pay you back, don’t I? Besides, it’d still be good if I find it…”

Even Si-hyeon thought his answer sounded inconsistent. Squatting beside a trash can, he lifted a rain-soaked envelope and pretended to focus on something else.

The wallet itself wasn’t the real issue. What mattered was what was inside it. That was why he was desperate. But explaining that truth felt awkward.

Maybe it was because of the unlucky man beside him, or because he had been called a “twenty-year-old kid” so often lately that his ears practically rang from it.

“What urgent need for money could a twenty-year-old possibly have right now?”

There it was again, kid. Si-hyeon puffed his cheeks.

“Why wouldn’t I? I should repay as much as I can before I go back to Korea.”

“I’m going to Korea too, so we can go together,” Hae-jun said casually. “Anyway, since signing that IOU, you’re hardly a free man.”

Just like their first meeting, Hae-jun answered everything, precisely and inconveniently.

“Still, there are other reasons. And CEO, shouldn’t you save money? If you spend like that when you’re young, you’ll end up broke later.”

Si-hyeon offered the advice with a straight face. Hae-jun tilted his head slightly, giving him a look that suggested the concept was foreign.

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been without money.”

“Wow… you realize that’s an incredibly obnoxious thing to say, right? You shouldn’t solve everything with money. There are lots of things you can’t buy.”

“Give me an example.”

“Time, for one. You can’t buy time. Or friendship. Or love. Uh… trust between people?”

It sounded exactly like something a naive young man would say. Hae-jun suppressed a dry laugh and replied patiently.

“You can buy time with money. You can buy people’s emotions too. Trust? That’s not particularly important in the real world.”

“Your life must be pretty bleak, CEO. Do rich people all think like that? Then again… you did buy my time with money.”

Since the conversation had gained him nothing, Si-hyeon shot him a glance and resumed scanning the alley carefully. Soon he looked ready to dig through the trash.

Hae-jun watched Si-hyeon’s busy back as he shuffled around. Then he slipped a hand into the inside pocket of his jacket.

Si-hyeon’s wallet was there, cleaned and disinfected.

Maybe he should just toss it somewhere nearby and pretend it had been found here.

His gaze lingered on the pale nape of Si-hyeon’s neck before flicking down to his watch. The gears ticked steadily. 2:23 p.m.

‘Time to head back soon.’

He pressed his palm against his tired eyes.

A short distance away, Si-hyeon was staring into the filthy alley with a deeply serious expression. After making a disgusted sound, he tiptoed inside.

“CEO ! You’re still there, right? Stay there! Don’t leave me! He’ll get really mad if you do!”

Hae-jun pulled the wallet from his pocket and tossed it casually into a shadowed corner.

“Watch your language.”

“Are you a boomer or something?”

The word briefly ignited irritation in him, but he suppressed it. Over the past few days, he had realized something about Bae Si-hyeon: whenever things didn’t go his way, he reacted without thinking first.

‘Odd human.’

And exactly the type Hae-jun disliked the most.

“You should at least have enough verbal discipline to express your feelings without vulgar language.”

“That’s exactly what a boomer would say.”

Muttering to himself, Si-hyeon hurried out of the alley, clearly unable to hold his breath any longer. He exhaled sharply while gripping the wall.

“Ugh… that smell is horrible…”

After a moment, he glanced at Hae-jun.

“If we stay together like this, you’re deducting ten thousand won each time, right?”

“You said you didn’t need money. Turns out there’s a money ghost here.”

“Anyway!”

“Even if I deduct it, do you think you can repay everything? At ten thousand won per minute, you’d spend your whole life single and paying off debt.”

“Wow… that’s basically a curse. Oh, but once this cast and the hole in my head heal a bit, I’m going to work. Don’t worry.”

Si-hyeon tapped the large bandage on his head and crouched awkwardly again. Watching him, Hae-jun sighed.

“I doubt a few jobs will earn more than the time I’m buying.”

“You’re problematic because you’re always right.”

After checking the corner thoroughly, Si-hyeon stood again and wandered around. Noticing Hae-jun still at the alley entrance, he muttered to himself.

“No matter how I think about it, I’m really unlucky. Meeting you should be good luck… I guess? I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.”

He lifted the trash can lid. The smell hit him instantly and he dropped it with a grimace. Even a homeless man might not live like this, he thought bitterly.

“They say reality is stranger than movies, right? That’s totally me. Otherwise how would I come all the way to New York, get my wallet stolen, get uppercut by a thief, and then somehow end up responsible for a ridiculously expensive painting?”

Hae-jun, watching Si-hyeon chatter nonstop, quietly released a small amount of pheromones.

Not long after, Si-hyeon’s eyes widened slightly, then a faint crease appeared between his brows.

“Why?” Hae-jun asked casually.

“Well… honestly, it kind of felt like a lie,” Si-hyeon admitted. “How can just standing next to someone reduce debt? Even a ten-year-old kid wouldn’t believe that.”

“And?”

Si-hyeon stretched his cramped legs and stood up. After brushing off his wrinkled clothes, he walked closer and lightly grabbed the hem of Hae-jun’s jacket, smiling brightly.

Instantly, Hae-jun shoved him away.

His expression hardened as if he hadn’t expected Si-hyeon to approach so suddenly.

Si-hyeon laughed awkwardly and raised both hands.

“Sorry for coming close all of a sudden.”

“…”

“Anyway, I’m lucky, right? I met a CEO who’s kind but speaks harshly, and I can reduce my debt peacefully. Since you’re already helping me… how about buying my time for one hundred thousand won? I’m actually very high-quality labor.”

Hae-jun opened his mouth a few times as if he wanted to ask something, then waved his hand dismissively.

“Even ten thousand seems too generous for fair labor compensation. Should I lower it?”

At his sarcasm, Si-hyeon pouted and grumbled. Then suddenly he changed the subject.

“By the way, CEO, how old are you?”

“…Why?”

“I can’t call you CEO forever. But we’re not close enough for me to just use your name.”

“I’m a little over thirty. Thirty-two.”

Si-hyeon, who had been glancing around, froze briefly.

‘Thirty-two? Not twenty-two- thirty-two?’

“Wow… you’re an uncle.”

‘Uncle?’

Hae-jun’s mouth twitched with displeasure. He wasn’t that old.

“I have no children. I’m not married either. ‘Uncle’ seems inaccurate.”

“Look at you getting serious. If you’re over thirty, you’re an uncle.”

“You say that as if you’ll never age. Your turn will come soon enough.”

“Thanks. I’ve still got nine years left. I’ll enjoy them properly.”

Hae-jun watched the round swirl of hair on Si-hyeon’s crown. It looked oddly cute.

“If I don’t help you, you won’t last nine years. You’ll be signing a body-forfeit agreement soon.”

“CEO, did I mention you’re still young? Wow, you’ve got a handsome face and you’re in your prime. Wait, not CEO- hyung! Hyung!”

His change in attitude was immediate. Si-hyeon clearly knew how to calculate advantage.

“Forget it. Just call me what you were calling me.”

“Okay.”

Leaning against the wall, Si-hyeon studied Hae-jun’s neat face before scrunching his nose.

Maybe because he had smelled it a few times already, but the scent in the air felt strange. His toes tingled. His throat itched.

As Hae-jun stepped closer, the scent grew stronger.

Si-hyeon struggled to keep his expression normal. Their eyes met suddenly.

He forced a smile and scrambled for a topic.

“Hyung.”

“Call me what you were before. It sounds better.”

“Yeees… anyway, CEO.”

“You called me, so talk. Don’t drag it out.”

At the sharp response, Si-hyeon fidgeted with his fingers.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“For insisting we come here. And… thank you.”

It had been troublesome, but not unpleasant. Hae-jun had barely had any free time in New York, so he had agreed partly out of convenience.

He hadn’t expected it to drag on this long.

Still, the walk had been refreshing. Si-hyeon’s constant chatter hadn’t been as irritating as he expected.

But what came out of his mouth was something else.

“If you know that, then that’s enough.”