“Lee Ji Wan……”

Hwa Young’s eyes, awkwardly embraced, trembled with embarrassment.

Ji Wan pulled him a little closer with her not-so-broad embrace, and calmly stroked his unnaturally stiff back.

“So has it become a habit now?”

“Wh-what habit.”

“Always keeping an eye on Tae Sung, worrying about him, following him around.”

“When you put it that way, it makes me feel quite dirty.”

“I see. It’s become such a habit that even if you want to quit, you can’t. Without Tae Sung, Hwa Young’s life would lose direction……”

It was an accurate analysis, but he didn’t want to nod in agreement.

So as he remained still, Ji Wan whispered with a deep sigh, just loud enough for Hwa Young to hear.

“Poor thing……”

“……”

“You’re so pitiful……”

Another word of sympathy.

This being his first time experiencing such a thing, Hwa Young didn’t know how to react.

It wasn’t bad that someone felt sorry for him like this, but it didn’t feel quite right to like it either.

What did people usually do when they were pitied?

“You dare pity me? Where does that audacity come from?”

Ah, so that’s why they act all contrary.

Because it’s not bad, but can’t be liked either.

“Don’t do that anymore. You don’t need to become someone else. Hwa Young is Hwa Young, after all.”

Ji Wan spoke as if soothing him.

He thought it was an obvious piece of advice she could give because she hadn’t experienced his life firsthand.

“If I could have done that, I would have lived that way long ago. It’s impossible to do as I please in that household. So don’t try to give half-baked advice just because I vented a little.”

Hwa Young chuckled lightly and broke away from her embrace.

It was a sign that he wanted to end this conversation, but Ji Wan narrowed her teary eyes and gave an even more contrary response than Hwa Young.

“What does it matter if it’s the household or whatever, if Hwa Young wants to do as he pleases?”

“What?”

“Bluntly speaking, are they going to kill you if you don’t? Or what, are they going to replace your son with Joo Tae Sung while you’re sleeping?”

“Ha, listen to you talk?”

“They’re not going to live your life for you, nor are they going to double your one lifetime, so how dare they tell you who to emulate or not. Really quite shameless.”

Seeing Ji Wan speaking angrily as if truly upset, a smile escaped Hwa Young’s lips.

What impressive empathy she had.

It’s as if she grew up under Chairman Choi Yu Ria or something.

“You do realize that the people you’re cursing out right now are my parents, right?”

Hwa Young asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Ji Wan answered boldly without batting an eye.

“What does it matter? I’ll use my mouth as I please. If they have a problem with it, tell them to either zip my mouth shut or change how they treat their child.”

Perhaps that was the model answer.

After all, the more difficult and complex a problem is, the more helpful it is to think about it simply.

“Right, I should live like you. With the mindset of ‘if you don’t like it, just die’.”

Hwa Young’s voice had become much more relaxed as he answered.

The smile on his lips was no longer spiteful, and the look in his eyes no longer bothered him.

Ji Wan, who had been quietly observing him, answered in a voice as calm as Hwa Young’s.

“Not like me, but like Hwa Young.”

“……”

“You look really good right now. Not getting angry like usual. Just live exactly like this.”

Although there was a bit of subtle criticism, it was still a compliment.

He had received many more generous compliments from women in his life, but for some reason, this moment felt strangely unfamiliar, to the point of being embarrassing.

It must be because it was a compliment for me.

Because it was a compliment that only I could hear, not for the shell or facade I had tried to create, or for the superficially good household.

Hwa Young, who had always scoffed at women’s compliments, for the first time didn’t become arrogant after receiving one.

Instead, he chuckled awkwardly and fiddled with his empty glass for no reason.

This was exactly like the 4-year-old Do Hwa Young who, after successfully tying his shoelaces a week before Joo Tae Sung, received praise from his mother for the first and last time.

Of course, Hwa Young, who had no memory of his original self, would be unaware of this fact.

* * *

The bar parking lot where Do Hwa Young frequently appeared.

Tae Sung stepped out of his car and walked with a stern face.

It took him about thirty minutes to find this place.

First, he checked Do Yi Young’s SNS, and then thoroughly searched through the feedback from Do Yi Young’s acquaintances.

With this, he discovered that Do Yi Young was currently attending a friend’s birthday party, but not feeling fully convinced by this, he personally visited the party venue.

After confirming Do Yi Young’s name on the guest list, he then began to seriously track Hwa Young.

There was nothing posted on Hwa Young’s SNS.

This meant he wasn’t meeting with noisy acquaintances, and was a hint that he was meeting someone secretive enough not to even post on his story about daily life that he usually shared so easily.

Tae Sung began contacting places Hwa Young frequently visited, recalling memories that didn’t come easily.

Fortunately, he obtained information that Hwa Young was at the third whiskey bar he contacted, along with a mysterious woman.

After hearing the description from an employee, it was clear that the mysterious woman was most likely Ji Wan.

Upon confirming this, Tae Sung felt somewhat relieved that the person keeping Ji Wan company wasn’t Yi Young, but he was far from pleased.

The process of getting here was very similar to that of a crazed stalker, and he, who despised such types the most, almost came to dislike himself for being so adept at tracking someone.

The whiskey bar he arrived at with such an unpleasant expression.

As soon as the door opened, he saw the backs of a man and woman sitting side by side at the bar table.

While Tae Sung’s face was frozen colder than ice, they seemed to be having so much fun.

Already almost emptying the whiskey bottle, they were excitedly chatting while pouring drinks for each other.

“Really? You drank with Heino? Did you get an autograph?”

“Ha, why would I get an autograph? We’re friends. I’m Do Hwa Young.”

“Ah, you’re lying? I heard he’s famous for not being close to anyone in the entertainment industry. I knew it. There’s no way you could have met the mysterious Heino.”

“It’s not a lie! I really met him! I even prepared a separate gift for him!”

“Where did you meet him?”

“At the launching party for our department store’s new brand section!”

“Ah, that’s just seeing him as a host and attendee on the schedule! I thought you meant you were drinking buddies in private! That’s not interesting at all!”

“Ha, you’re really funny. Honey badger. Do you think you could invite him to your promotion party?!”

Even at a glance, the atmosphere seemed comfortable.

It might not be called affectionate, but it looked friendly enough, making Tae Sung feel a throbbing pain in his temples.

Tae Sung let out a low sigh and took heavy steps towards the bar table.

Feeling the chill without even seeing it, Ji Wan’s gaze turned to him first.

“Tae Sung…?”

Ji Wan blinked her eyes, unable to believe his sudden appearance.

Tae Sung stopped in his tracks, silently staring at her.

Having exceeded her drinking limit, she thought she was seeing things and kept closing and opening her eyes repeatedly.

“Why suddenly Joo Tae Sung?”

Hwa Young followed her gaze and turned his head towards Tae Sung.

“……”

Upon immediately encountering Joo Tae Sung standing like a government official, he frowned deeply.

Judging by how he clutched his chest, he seemed quite startled.

“Wow, I just doubted my eyes. Are you the Grim Reaper? Standing there?”

“Right? I’m not seeing things, am I?”

“Since we’re seeing the same thing, I guess it’s not a ghost. Looks like he came to catch you. Hey.”

Ji Wan couldn’t hide her surprise as soon as she confirmed Tae Sung’s sudden presence.

But Hwa Young, though startled at first, quickly regained his composure.

This time, he could be confident because he hadn’t sneaked her away or brought her here with bad intentions.

However, that reason was only from Hwa Young’s perspective.

Tae Sung, who had taken the remaining steps to approach the two, asked Hwa Young with eyes that had lost their previous composure.

“How low can your intelligence drop?”

“What? Are you saying that to me?”

“The talk about going along with it only to a reasonable extent… have you already forgotten?”

Cold and fierce eyes targeted Hwa Young precisely.

This time, even Ji Wan couldn’t intervene hastily, as such a strong chill swirled around Tae Sung.

Hwa Young, who became the direct target of this storm, answered with his characteristic sneer.

“If someone heard this, they’d think I was having an affair with your wife. I met her by chance today. If you don’t believe me, check my dashcam.”

It was an answer stating only the facts, but Tae Sung’s killing intent didn’t subside even a bit.

Still looking at Hwa Young, he was clearly planning a slaughter in his mind.

Annoyed by such treatment, Hwa Young growled a bit more as he spoke.

“Stop causing such a fuss. I’m the one who comforted the crying kid sitting on the street because of you.”

At this comment, perfect for Tae Sung to misunderstand, Ji Wan’s eyes trembled.

“Wh-why would I cry because of Joo Tae Sung?! And on the street at that?!”

“When I asked if you were abandoned by Joo Tae Sung, you cried, didn’t you?”

“Th-that’s not exactly why I cried……”

“You said you felt hurt. You felt upset. You were drowning your lingering feelings for Joo Tae Sung, who wanted a divorce, in alcohol, weren’t you?”

“No… no… what……”

“No? Should we ask the bartender?”

There was nothing she could deny if asked like that.

Ji Wan’s trembling eyes slowly moved to Tae Sung.

Tae Sung, who had been focusing solely on Hwa Young, had now fixed his gaze on Ji Wan.

“Lingering feelings…?”

Tae Sung asked.

As if he couldn’t process what he had just heard, furrowing his brow.

Ji Wan, who had precisely witnessed this subtle expression, felt her breath catch in her throat for a moment.

She had already been caught feeling something she didn’t want to be caught feeling, and now this was the response.

This is terrible.

At this point, it might be better if the Earth just exploded with a bang!