Chapter 5: The Unexpected Guest

“You little shit—acting all disinterested and now you’re rushing me!”

This ajusshi really has no idea how important this is to me!

“Ah, just tell me already!”

“Alright, alright! I’m not entirely sure, but it sounded like they said Black Dragon Faction.”

“And then after mentioning the successor, they started swinging knives around?”

I’d already seen a gun, so a knife wasn’t that surprising, but still—a knife, a knife…!

“Yeah! When one of them got hit with a knife, the rest started screaming ‘Hyung-nim!’ and went crazy.”

“And then? What happened next? Wait a minute. Ajusshi, when knives come out, you should’ve run away first—you can’t just stand there watching!”

“Aigo, so many worries for a young guy. This old man has some experience from his younger days back in the hometown—one little knife doesn’t scare me. It was actually nice to see something fun after so long. I was so into it that I even dropped my cigarette because my grip loosened. If it weren’t for that, I would’ve followed them to see where they went. Too bad, I guess.”

“…Huh? You lost them…?”

Wait, how long were you staring at that dropped cigarette that you lost them…? That doesn’t make sense. I’d been listening earnestly, even worrying about the ajusshi’s safety, but I was suddenly dumbfounded. He must’ve read the disbelief in my eyes, because he cleared his throat awkwardly, scratched the back of his head, and spoke again.

“Ah, while I looked away for a second, I heard them yelling something like ‘Catch that bastard and kill him!’ I looked up and there was no one there.”

“…No one… Wait, how focused on that cigarette were you in that situation… Hah… That ending is so typical of you, ajusshi.”

“It was entertaining, but I dropped a cigarette I paid for. Finding it was more important at the time. Anyway, the guy who got stabbed was definitely the ‘hyung’ of the group. You could tell by how everyone panicked when he got hurt.”

“By any chance—was ‘that bastard’ the one who got stabbed?”

I asked with the desperate sincerity of a prayer. Please no. God, please no. It seems like it is, but please no!

“Probably, right? After that, some mean-looking bastards were searching that whole area with murderous intent. Whoever got stabbed and hid somewhere—if they get caught, they’re dead. Anyway, it was quite a show after a long time. Hah—this is what it means to be a man—”

With that, the ajusshi started rambling about his own fighting skills and episodes from his glory days, but obviously I stopped listening.

f*ck. Those mean-looking bastards who were searching around with murderous intent—that guy is holed up in my house right now!

“Sunbae-nim. I mean, Taehyuk hyung.”

“Kimchi.”

“Ah, yes. Let me tear it a bit smaller… No, that’s not it. Hyung, by the way, what happened that day that you got so hurt?”

“Big.”

“It’s already torn, and now ‘big’ is a bit too big… Ah, hyung! Don’t dodge the question—why did you get stabbed?”

“…Fight.”

You bastard, of course you got stabbed in a fight—did you slice your stomach open while cooking? Ah, seriously. I can’t even curse at you openly.

My frustration was eating me up inside. As expected, the gun at my death was because of Choi Taehyuk.

I finally realized just now that I’d casually brought the most dangerous man into my house, all for the sake of surviving that future day.

If the people searching for him with blazing eyes find out I saved and treated him, won’t that get me killed even faster? Of course, in the past life, Chae Yeryeong didn’t suffer any harm… No, that’s not right. There was harm. He got kidnapped. Come to think of it, this incident could have been the butterfly effect that led to the kidnapping!

Let me sum it up: There’s a group that pulled out knives and tried to harm Choi Taehyuk. But Choi Taehyuk escaped, so they didn’t fully achieve their goal. And then someone appeared, treated his wounds, and nursed him back to health, so Choi Taehyuk made a complete recovery.

Of course, the group that tried to kill him would be pissed, right? And wouldn’t they also be pissed at whoever suddenly butted in and acted all high and mighty by treating him? These are bastards who don’t hesitate to pull knives in broad daylight—kidnapping and beating up someone who pissed them off would be nothing to them.

The important thing here is that in the past life, Chae Yeryeong filled the role of ‘the one who treated him,’ and now I’m in that position. In other words, I tried to avoid getting entangled and kidnapped, but I might have actually chosen the path that makes me the target instead…

Haha… Kim Jinho. Think positively. The kidnapping is about a year from now, so there’s a chance it has nothing to do with this. And even if this incident is the trigger, I poured my soul into nursing this bastard back to life this time around. Surely he won’t forget that favor.

…Eh, it’ll be fine.

“…Hyung, the food is good, right?”

“I wash your hair nicely too, don’t I?”

“You must be stiff from staying indoors all day, so starting today I’ll give you massages too.”

The bastard just nodded like a robot to everything I said. I wanted to give him a noogie so badly, but I held back—not just because I needed to shower him with favors for the year ahead, but because the fact that knife-wielding bastards were looking for Choi Taehyuk right now had my heart in a vise. I’d love to stay far away from the typhoon, but since I’m already caught in it, I might as well stay in the eye of the storm.

“So please, hyung. Stay in my house as long as you can.”

I feel safer while that bastard is here.

Ignoring his puzzled gaze, I diligently shoveled food into his mouth.

Ah. Living is f*cking hard, really.

Zzzzz—

Ah, shit. I’m in the middle of showing off—who is it?

“Hello?”

– Jinho!

I answered without even looking at the screen, ready to hang up right away, but the most unwelcome voice I could hear right now came through. I really need to fix this habit of answering calls immediately.

“What.”

The moment Chae Yeryeong’s voice came through, Choi Taehyuk’s gaze on me sharpened. Whether it was a warning not to talk or a reaction to Chae Yeryeong’s voice, I wasn’t sure, but I carefully kept my eyes on him as I continued the call.

I’d told him I was working a side gig in the evenings for a while, so he probably wasn’t calling to hang out. What business could he have that he had to call right during mealtime with the bastard? If it’s nothing important, I’ll just hang up.

“What’s up?”

– Oh, Mom went on a trip and bought you some souvenirs.

Ah, that’s a cheat code. Can’t hang up now. Avoiding Choi Taehyuk’s piercing stare, I got up from my seat.

“Really? Then I’ll come pick them up right now—”

– No need!

“Huh?”

It’s not like I don’t know her—she definitely told him to bring it over right away. What was he talking about? I mouthed to Choi Taehyuk that I’d step out for a bit and turned around. That’s when I saw it. The lock on my front door, which I hadn’t touched, was turning.

“I came to drop it off…! Huh? You were home… Taehyuk sunbae?”

…Why did I give him a key to my house? I must be a real idiot.

I sighed and pressed my palm to my forehead.

“So, sunbae-nim ended up staying at Jinho’s place?”

“Yeah.”

I obediently kept my head down like a mouse. It wasn’t because I was afraid of how Choi Taehyuk would react after Chae Yeryeong left, or because I felt guilty about lying to my friend—it was the despair of my biggest obstacle appearing before I’d gotten close enough to him that kept me from lifting my head.

Despite my mumbling explanation, Chae Yeryeong somehow understood everything and answered cheerfully, but neither Choi Taehyuk nor I felt particularly cheerful. A sidelong glance at Choi Taehyuk’s face showed it was cold.

“Jinho could’ve been in big trouble if he hadn’t found you.”

Chae Yeryeong’s face showed genuine relief. Anyone watching would think some long-lost brother had come back from the dead. I felt like pouting and muttered to myself, then pulled my knees to my chest and opened my mouth with a hopeful thought.

“Hey, you can’t tell anyone about this.”

“Huh? Why?”

“There are reasons. Just keep it to yourself.”

I didn’t realize it before, but having someone else share a secret that only I knew didn’t feel great. Especially when that someone was Chae Yeryeong, whom I’d been most wary of—it felt a little… shitty. Hahaha.

“Ah… Okay. Like our little secret?”

Despite my gruff tone, the bastard put his index finger to his lips and whispered cutely. Our little secret… If only it were something that cute.

But I couldn’t tell him that his ability to keep his mouth shut determined whether I lived or died.

I’d left out the brawl story when I explained, so it was frustrating that I couldn’t mention it. He wasn’t the type to blab, but I couldn’t shake the anxiety—just in case. He’s a terrible liar, so if anyone asked, he’d get caught for sure.

That aside, I can’t stop this guy from coming and going now. I wonder if he’ll come over when I’m not here and hang out with Choi Taehyuk.

Even back in college, he was closer to them than I was, and I know Choi Taehyuk likes Yeryeong, so he’d probably rather be with him than me… Damn. Then I’ll end up on the sidelines again, drifting around until Choi Taehyuk leaves.

“Must be hard taking care of sunbae-nim alone. I can—”

“No! I’m fine!”

“It’s fine.”

As expected. Right on cue, Chae Yeryeong, with his kind and pretty heart, offered to help lighten my load. I reflexively yelled out the words I’d been dreading most.

But what was surprising was that Choi Taehyuk also refused Yeryeong’s offer. At the exact same time as me.

That means he refused just as urgently… Why? Shouldn’t he be happy that the person he likes is offering to help…?

“Haha—I wasn’t even finished talking.”

Right. I could say I was just being hasty, but why did he… No, that’s not important right now. First, I need to fend off this guy’s interference. Choi Taehyuk must have his own reasons too.

I put my hand on Chae Yeryeong’s shoulder—he looked a bit flustered by our intense reactions—and flashed the most ‘reassuring smile’ I could muster.

“Sorry. But I’m really not that tired.”

“Still…”

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