Looking at Ha Joon, who still referred to Hyun Seong and Hye Seon as chairman and madam, he had guessed that Ha Joon hadn’t yet opened the door to his heart.
However, when his guess became a reality with just one sentence from Ha Joon, feelings of sadness took precedence.
Perhaps Ha Joon’s remark was quite a shock, as Si Woo and Ji Hoon were unable to continue their conversation for a while.
“Did we go too far, considering he must have been shocked about our uncle?”
Suddenly recalling Ha Joon’s pleading gaze, Ji Hoon broke the silence.
“Right. Ha Joon wouldn’t be able to figure out what’s wrong on his own.”
“Really, he’s a lot of trouble.”
Ji Hoon clicked his tongue in a resigned manner, getting up from his seat.
“He’s probably still worried. Should we talk to him now?”
“Yeah, let’s go downstairs.”
As they hurriedly went downstairs, the housemaid in the kitchen, hearing their footsteps, poked her head out.
“Do you need any snacks?”
“No, we’re fine. Please don’t mind us.”
Ji Hoon smiled and turned his head to scan the living room.
“Hey, Min Ha….”
When he didn’t see Ha Joon, whom he had assumed would be there, Ji Hoon trailed off.
“Huh? Looks like Ha Joon left.”
Following Ji Hoon downstairs, Si Woo also noticed the empty sofa and spoke in surprise.
“Um, over there…”
The housemaid, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, licked her lips.
“Ma’am, did Ha Joon leave? When did he go?”
“Well, about that…”
The housemaid hesitated, recalling Ha Joon’s words telling her not to speak.
“Feel free to tell us. Did something happen?”
Ji Hoon asked, taking a step closer.
“Master Ha Joon told me absolutely not to say anything, but I’m a bit worried.”
“What are you worried about?”
“A while ago, I heard a strange noise in the kitchen, so I went out to see, and Master Ha Joon was struggling to breathe and was drenched in cold sweat.”
“What? Ha Joon?”
Hyun Seong, who had been there at some point, asked in a raised voice.
“He looked like he was about to faint, so I said I would call the chairman, but he said absolutely not to say anything and then left.”
“If his condition was that bad, regardless of him saying not to tell, you should have told us.”
There was resentment in Hyun Seong’s voice.
“I’m sorry. He said he would be fine if he went home and rested a bit…”
The housemaid averted her gaze, not knowing what to do.
“Why are you talking to her like that? Calm down.”
Hye Seon, who had come out with Hyun Seong, spoke in a calm voice.
“It’s okay, ma’am. Thank you for telling us now. Go on with your work.”
At Hye Seon’s words, the housemaid returned to the kitchen.
“I didn’t mean to get angry, it’s my fault.”
Hyun Seong, whose forehead was creased with a sense of guilt as if this was his fault, suddenly widened his eyes.
“Wait a minute. He said he was going home? So he drove in that condition?”
At Hyun Seong’s words, the family quickly checked the CCTV.
“Ha Joon’s car is still in the parking lot?”
Ji Hoon found Ha Joon’s car in the video capturing the underground parking lot.
“So how did he…”
After a moment of thought, Hyun Sung pressed the rewind button, and everything on the screen started moving in reverse, as if time was being rewound.
If there was a rewind button in my life, how good would that be? I would go back without hesitation to the time before I hurt you.
A deep sigh slipped from between Hyun Sung’s lips at that time.
“Ah! It’s brother!”
Si Woo, spotting Ha Joon’s figure on the screen, raised his voice.
Hyun Sung quickly pressed the play button, and soon confirmed Ha Joon getting into a taxi with a staggering gait as he left the house.
“I’ll call Ha Joon.”
If he took a taxi, wouldn’t he have arrived home by now? Ji Hoon quickly picked up his cell phone and pressed the call button.
Pick up. Pick up the phone.
He muttered the same words while waiting for the call connection, but the call didn’t connect in the end.
He tried several times, but the result was the same.
“Is he not picking up?”
At Hyun Sung’s question, Ji Hoon just nodded his head without a word.
“Maybe we should report it to the police first.”
As Hyun Sung reached for his phone, Ji Hoon grabbed his hand.
“The roads might be congested, so he might not have reached home yet. I’ll go to Ha Joon’s house to check first. I think it would be better to report it afterwards.”
“Alright. Then hurry and check. If he’s not home, I’ll file a report right away.”
“Yes. Then I’ll borrow Uncle’s car.”
Ji Hoon, who had come with Ha Joon in his car, remembered that he didn’t have the car key and received it from Hyun Sung.
“Brother. I’ll go too.”
Si Woo turned towards Ji Hoon, who was about to step away.
“No. I’ll look for Ha Joon, so you stay here. You should at least be by his side.”
Ji Hoon pointed at Hyun Sung and Hye Sun with his gaze.
“……Alright. Then you must contact me as soon as you find anything.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Ji Hoon grabbed Hyun Sung’s car keys and quickly headed out the front door.
Exhaling a ragged breath, Ha Joon barely managed to escape from Hyun Sung’s house, and the place where he stopped was the rooftop of his own studio apartment.
He didn’t know how he managed to climb up here, but when he came to his senses, he found himself on the rooftop.
Perhaps, as always, he had unconsciously headed towards a high place.
After his mother’s departure, whenever Ha Joon encountered painful moments, he always sought high places.
The place closest to his mother.
To Ha Joon, a high place meant getting closer to his mother, and just by climbing up to such a height, his heart became peaceful as if he was being held in his mother’s arms.
It was the same that day.
In the painful memories of the past and unbearable agony, Ha Joon unconsciously sought out the rooftop.
What was the problem, really?
The unsolved problem was still stirring up his mind.
Then suddenly.
Even if I find the answer, can I go back?
My father, who left with such an expression, never came back. Would they be any different?
……Am I being abandoned again, in the end?
Dark thoughts, as black as pitch, followed one after another.
The memories of the past plunged Ha Joon into the dreadful abyss of despair, and he sank endlessly downward.
lu lu lo la ▪️ net (lululola.net)
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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