I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 61
“Seo Jaewoo.”
Jaewoo tensed at the sound of that cold, rumbling voice. He couldn’t help but wonder what might happen if Mujin suddenly attacked him like he had before. When he’d started strangling him, he’d truly thought that he was going to die. He was wondering if it might be better to just open the car door and make a break for it, and started fiddling with the handle.
“Trying to run away?”
Jaewoo removed his hand from the door as naturally as possible.
“No.”
“If you want to run away, you should try to knock me out first. That is, if you have the confidence to handle what would come next.”
Jaewoo cringed at the icy voice, even as he couldn’t help but think that this was really unfair. After all, it hadn’t been his fault that things had turned out this way. But he didn’t have the guts to say that to Mujin’s face, so he just kept his mouth shut.
There was a long pause before Mujin finally opened his mouth again.
“So, do you like Director Yoon that much?”
“No.”
Jaewoo immediately denied it. Did Mujin really think he’d gone with him because he liked him? He’d gone because Jiheon was too powerful to refuse. Mujin had to know that, so Jaewoo didn’t know why he was acting this way.
“Then why did you go with him?”
“You know why, don’t you?”
“Tell me.”
“I’m not in a position where I can refuse him.”
Slowly, Jaewoo’s anger grew. If he could have refused him, he would have! Multiple times! Jaewoo could only try to relieve his anger by glaring out the window right in front of him.
Mujin’s fearsome expression softened.
“Alright, I understand. Regardless, this is the second time you’ve violated our contract.”
A curse welled up in Jaewoo’s throat. He’d known that Mujin would gladly seize any minor infractions, but the fact that he was counting this as one of them still pissed him off.
“So…”
Mujin raised his head and looked at Jaewoo. His face was in shadow, with only his eyes shining a bright blue, staring at Jaewoo with naked desire in them. Jaewoo unconsciously reached for the door handle again. He had the immediate urge to try and escape from this situation.
“You said you weren’t going to run away.”
Mujin sat up straight to his full height. Jaewoo swallowed hard. It was like a crouching animal had suddenly stretched out its body to reveal a predator. He looked away, hoping to find something that could resolve this dilemma he found himself in.
“Don’t look away from me.”
Mujin’s hand came closer and closer, until it eventually touched Jaewoo’s face. His thumb rubbed against Jaewoo’s cheek before moving up to begin stroking the shell of Jaewoo’s ear.
‘Ahhhhh!’
Jaewoo swallowed back his scream.
“Wh-why are you doing this?”
“You know.”
“I don’t!”
“Then you should figure it out.”
What was there to figure out! Jaewoo’s whole body was pressed against the car door. At the sight, Mujin let out a soft huff of laughter.
“You look like a rabbit when the hounds are after it.”
“I’m not a rabbit.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Mujin’s hand dropped down, no longer caressing Jaewoo’s face. His initial violent fury seemed to have subsided, but Mujin was so capricious that Jaewoo didn’t dare to let down his guard.
“How should I punish you for breaking our contract a second time?”
“That wasn’t in my control! Should I even be punished at all?”
“A contract is a contract.”
Jaewoo was disgusted with Mujin’s answer.
“Seo Jaewoo.”
“Yes.”
“Be mine.”
“Huh?”
Jaewoo was startled by the unexpected words.
“You said that you’d do anything I asked.”
He had, but what Mujin was asking for was too much. Jaewoo shook his head.
“I belong to myself.”
“Yoo Hyunjin.”
At the sudden sound of Hyunjin’s name, Jaewoo’s face suddenly became tense.
“I’ll clear all of his debt.”
He’d clear all of his debt? Jaewoo swallowed hard. If his debt was cleared, then Hyunjin would be able to live a comfortable life. That nebulous future that he had been dreaming of could finally become reality.
But the price for Hyunjin’s future would be Jaewoo’s own. He needed to consider this carefully.
“Wh-why?”
“Why?”
Mujin looked at Jaewoo with an expression of pity. Despite wanting to cry again, Jaewoo did his best to organize his thoughts, one by one, before he finally reached a conclusion.
“Do…”
Jaewoo bit his lip, then just blurted his question out.
“Do you like me?”
Mujin laughed softly at those words.
‘Oh, that wasn’t it?’
Jaewoo scrubbed his hands over his red face in embarrassment.
“You’re not very bright. Definitely lacking in the brains department.”
“I did well in school?”
“No. You’re an idiot.”
Mujin spoke decisively.
“Otherwise, you wouldn’t just be figuring this out now.”
As Mujin continued speaking, Jaewoo almost forgot how to breathe. This was Choi Mujin, the man who had been obsessed with Hyunjin to the point of madness. That Choi Mujin liked him? And Hyunjin had also said that he liked him. Jaewoo couldn’t figure out how the story could have gotten twisted to this point. This had to be a lie, right? Jaewoo was so confused.
“So what’s your answer?”
“You’ve made a mistake.”
Jaewoo said firmly. This had to all be a terrible mistake. Mujin’s fate wasn’t connected to his own.
“This is all just a fantasy, a mirage.”
Mujin tapped on the steering wheel with his fingers.
“You’re saying I’ve made a mistake?”
“Yes. I’m not Director Choi’s match.”
Jaewoo said it with confidence, because he knew it for a fact, but Mujin seemed to take it differently. The smile disappeared from his face, and his expression became as cold as Jaewoo had ever seen it.
“How interesting.”
He didn’t look like he found it interesting at all.
“Then who is this unknown match of mine?”
It was Hyunjin. Jaewoo knew that, but his mouth refused to open. Logic told him to mention Hyunjin’s name and then start distancing himself, but Jaewoo’s heart refused to listen.
‘This is the right thing to do.’
He remembered Hyunjin’s face when he’d told him that he liked him, and the sadness that had then enveloped him. As soon as that face crossed his mind, he found himself unable to say anything.
‘Am I already in too deep?’
He’d realized it too late, but now he knew: He refused to hand Hyunjin over to Mujin.
‘I just want Hyunjin to be happy.’
More than that, he wanted Hyunjin to be happy without relying on Mujin. Yes, Mujin could make Hyunjin happy, but he was also a person that could cause him great pain.
Hyunjin’s happiness couldn’t be reliant on his suffering, so Mujin wasn’t allowed to approach him.
To only realize this now… maybe he really was as stupid as Mujin claimed. Jaewoo smiled bitterly.
“I don’t know either.”
With those words, silence fell in the car once more.
“Hmm.”
Left alone in the restaurant, Jiheon ordered a drink and an extra shot. The alcohol was said to be an artisanal spirit, handcrafted with great care, and the taste was smooth but very strong. Luckily, Jiheon had a high tolerance for alcohol, so he was able to stay clear-headed.
“I think I have it right.”
Seo Jaewoo. Originally, he was a scumbag with a boring life, but when Jiheon met him in person, he appeared completely different. He’d double checked several times and ordered a background investigation, just to be sure.
And now, finally, Jiheon was completely convinced. Seo Jaewoo was indeed his old friend.
“Why him?”
In the original novel, hadn’t Jaewoo died partway through? Of course, things seemed to have changed quite a bit since then. Mujin was desperately clinging to Jaewoo’s hand, refusing to let go, and Hyunjin was leaning on him for support.
‘If he keeps going like this, it’ll just make things harder.’
Eventually, Jaewoo had to return to their original world. So Jiheon would prefer that he not get too close to anyone here, just in case they managed to convince him otherwise.
‘He’s always had a soft heart.’
He’d just have to take things into his own hands, then. Jiheon filled his glass again and laughed.
‘Still, at least I found him.’
He’d thought that it would take a while longer, but whatever. This was great.
So now, who should he start with first? Mujin? No, no. Mujin had power and wealth on his side, and enough backing to make things difficult for him. He’d need to approach him with caution. There were some things that were troublesome, even for a third-generation chaebol.
So who was the easiest person for him to reach?
‘Yoo Hyunjin.’
Hyunjin could be fierce, but he didn’t have a cent to his name and was riddled with weak points. He was the perfect person to work on. He almost felt a bit sorry for targeting someone who was already having troubles, but Jaewoo was more important to Jiheon than that.
He’d return with Jaewoo to their original world, and then the two of them would live in peace together. He wasn’t going to waste time feeling guilty. After all, that wasn’t the sort of person he was anyway.
‘Let’s get things moving.’
Jiheon put down the empty bottle of alcohol, his mind clear.
Things had gotten out of hand. Jaewoo didn’t even know what he’d done once they’d arrived back at Mujin’s apartment. He’d tried to use the commute home to come to his senses, but he was still in a daze.
‘I have to cook dinner for the kids.’
Jaewoo moved sluggishly, grilling sausage and frying tuna and eggs. He didn’t know what he’d done to cause them to like him so much. He’d just fed them. Why had the story gotten so turned around?
Walking like a zombie, he placed the food on the table, adding the dry side dishes that he’d prepared in advance as well as the ones he had just cooked for the kids. For the soup, he had made soybean paste soup.
Even though it was a simple meal, the kids still ran over in excitement. Seeing them happily eating their food helped Jaewoo to calm down a bit. After all, growing kids needed their nourishment.
When Mujin had sent Jaewoo home, he’d told him that he knew he’d be back again. If it had been anyone else saying that, Jaewoo wouldn’t have worried about it, but knowing Mujin’s temperament, the thought made his head ache.
“They’re saying it might rain tomorrow!”
“Yeah, the weather forecast is calling for heavy rain.”
In the meantime, the children had finished eating and helped clear the table, chatting about what they had seen on their phone.
“Then I guess we should take umbrellas when we go out.”
“An umbrella!”
“I’ll make sure to take one.”
“Good.”
Meanwhile, Hyunjin also arrived home from work. However, unlike most days, today he arrived home carrying something.
“What did you buy?”
“I bought a book to help me study for a crane operator’s license.”
Hyunjin spoke shyly and showed Jaewoo the book. All he’d done was purchase a book, but it was enough to make Jaewoo want to cry with joy.
Hyunjin was looking towards the future and making plans. He wasn’t like before, when he was so busy trying to earn money that he was practically withering away, unable to do anything to stop it.
Jaewoo didn’t want to see Hyunjin’s future ruined. But if Mujin tried to lay hands on him, there would be little that Jaewoo could do to stop him. That’s why he was having such trouble figuring out what he should do.
What was the right thing to do, and what was wrong…
