Among several desks nearby, he sat down on one casually, turning his back. The awkward silence made K uncomfortable, so he turned on the radio softly.

Summer.

Taeseok took a deep breath and thought about Summer.

He didn’t realize for so long and so deeply that things had gone wrong. Was he a fool? Saying he didn’t know could never be an excuse. He wanted to dismiss himself as pitiful and miserable.

It was quite commendable to stand up so boldly, but before thinking about that, anger and guilt overwhelmed Taeseok. He wanted to tear Ji Hyeonjeong to shreds, but the current target of his anger was himself.

Not knowing what was important, not knowing whom to believe.

Vulgarities spilled out involuntarily at his own misery.

So, after all this, who would suggest starting again with someone else? After tormenting her heart like this, leaving her in pain, all the while wishing for her unhappiness.

“Crazy bastard.”

Taeseok wiped his forehead, shedding tears of regret.
The beginning of the wound may have been Ji Hyeonjeong, but what dug the wound deeper was himself. He got angry, thinking he could never break up, never tried to understand any reasons she might have.

That was the kind of woman she was. There was nothing to say to Taeseok.

Even though she claimed to enjoy visiting quaint cafes, Taeseok never heard her suggest going to one. Later, when he asked Hong Director, the answer was absurd.

“No need to go since Oppa can’t go anyway.”

Whenever she said such things, she would smile awkwardly as if embarrassed. Going to cafes seemed like no big deal, as if it were a hobby that could be easily abandoned.

Everything was fine.

“I’m okay with dating at home. The house is huge.”

Summer, who used to spend hours bargaining for unique objets d’art, now mostly shopped online but claimed to be satisfied.

“Photos these days are so intricately taken and uploaded that there’s not much difference from seeing them in person.”

While saying this, she comforted Taeseok by patting his back with her small hands.

She said there was no need for him to accompany her to shop, not to worry. She had said all sorts of pretty words about not being bothered by things she couldn’t do.

“Sorry…”

In the end, Taeseok collapsed. Standing in the midst of hell, Taeseok felt like he was falling even deeper.

“Sorry, Summer.”

For causing her to experience hardship, for not knowing anything. Just everything…

As the frustration reached its peak, suddenly, breathing became uncomfortable. Taeseok unconsciously reached into his pants pocket and rolled a pill bottle of tranquilizers.

“Taeseok, are you okay?”

“I need the bathroom.”

Roughly opening the door, Taeseok hurriedly washed his face and looked in the mirror. A desperately selfish man stared back at him. Unable to erase the thought of wanting to grab him by the collar, he angrily hit the mirror.

After a brief hesitation, he swallowed a few tranquilizers and came out again.

“Hey.”

Watching Taeseok enter the bathroom, Director Hong called K.

“Yeah.”

“Nothing more to see, right?”

“Yeah.”

K replied flatly.

“Okay. Even if there is, don’t bring it out. Taeseok has been acting strange lately. Seems like two years ago.”

K’s expression darkened. It was a statement loaded with implications. Two years ago, K, working overtime like it was nothing, was just a salaried worker, so he couldn’t closely observe Taeseok. However, he knew roughly what had happened through Director Hong.

“Is he going to break down like back then? Is he seeing a psychiatrist or something?”

“Similar state.”

Nodding with pursed lips, K confirmed. Seeing the capable and proud Seo Taeseok falling apart was something he couldn’t bear to watch.

Thinking about Hong Director, who had been watching beside him at that time, it was easy to predict that something unusual was happening.

“Looks like Taeseok really liked that woman.”
“Uh. Even now, it’s the same.”

K expressed anger.

“Is it something like half confessing to that woman, Ji-Hyun Jung?”

“Tae-Seok will have a plan. First, let that guy calm down psychologically.”

Hong Director’s gaze at Tae-Seok, who opened the restroom door and walked out, was persistent. He wanted to find signs of collapse by scrutinizing each step, each action.

Tae-Seok, with empty pupils, looked at his friends alternately and said,

“Help me. K.”

“Yeah. How can I help?”

“First, I’m going to kill that woman.”

Tae-Seok interrupted and stopped breathing for a moment.

“Is it really possible to kill her?”

“Reasonably. Hey.”

Hong Director tapped his arm and protested. Tae-Seok said expressionlessly without any movement.

“It’s a joke.”

“It didn’t seem like a joke at all…”

When K quietly countered, Hong Director tapped K’s arm this time. Then, he complained like a mutter that these two were shameless.

“After the summer drama ends, expose everything so that woman can be socially buried.”

“Got it.”

Tae-Seok spoke again after a long breath.

“And watch that again.”

“Why do I have to watch it again?”

“No. You have to. There was something bothering me.”

K replayed without a word.

“Stop shaking his weakness.”

“Yeah. This part.”

When Tae-Seok spoke, K paused the video by pressing the spacebar.

“His weakness.”

“Weakness?”

Tae-Seok, struggling to keep his blurry mind, thought hard. Hong Director and K also tilted their heads.

“Tae-Seok’s weakness?”

“Tae-Seok has no weaknesses.”

Hong Director counted them one by one, folding his fingers.

“Women. Gambling. Drugs. Drunk driving. Assault. What else? Socially problematic things. Divorce. Hidden children. Absolutely none!”

Then K made a light joke.

“Tae-Seok, do you have a wall?”

“Find out. My weakness.”

Cutting off K’s joke, Tae-Seok said. There was nothing on his face that could be called an expression.

“I don’t even know my weakness.”