I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 77
The night passed quickly, and morning came. The daylight streamed in through the window and hit Hyunjin’s closed eyes, but he wasn’t ready to wake up yet. He was afraid that if he opened his eyes, he’d be back in the dorm, far from those he loved.
“I guess he’s really sleepy.”
Just then he heard a voice speaking, followed by a small laugh.
“Brother!”
“Woohee, shh! Let him sleep some more.”
“Yes, shush!”
Woohee’s voice was as energetic as always.
“Then what should we do for breakfast?”
“Can we all eat breakfast together once Hyunjin wakes up?”
In comparison, Hyeonu’s voice was a bit calmer. Unconsciously, Hyunjin found himself smiling. As he did, he became aware of something clutching his hand tightly. Only now did he realize that someone had been holding on to him while he slept.
“If you’re awake, open your eyes.”
Hyunjin resolved to be brave. He opened his trembling eyes and saw the faces that he’d been missing for so long.
Jaewoo, Hyeonu, Woohee.
“Did you sleep well?”
“… … I did.”
Hyunjin’s voice quivered with overflowing emotions. Slowly, he began to remember what had happened before he fell asleep, when he’d begged Jaewoo to hold his hand. He must have continued holding it all night long, which was why his hand was so warm and sweaty now.
“Then are you ready for breakfast?”
When Hyunjin looked over at the clock on the wall, it was already past 10 in the morning. Maybe it was because he was finally able to relax, but he’d slept for a long time.
“If you were hungry, you could have eaten without me.”
“No, it’s been so long since we’ve all been in the same place, it’d be a shame to not eat together. Then, shall we go start cooking?”
Saying that, Jaewoo tried to stand up, but suddenly came to a stop and almost fell over again. Hyunjin still hadn’t let go of his hand.
“Hyunjin?”
When Jaewoo called his name, Hyunjin answered.
“I’ll help you out too.”
“No, I can do it alone. You should get some more rest, or maybe go wash up.”
It was only after hearing those words that Hyunjin realized what he looked like. Because he’d spent so much time running around yesterday, the clothes he was wearing reeked of sweat. He let go of Jaewoo’s hand, abashed, and went into the bathroom to wash up. He was so embarrassed he forgot to grab a change of clothes, but Hyeonu found some and placed them inside the door for him.
For the first time in a long time, Hyunjin washed himself thoroughly and dressed in clean clothes. It was just a basic T-shirt and pants, but they had a pleasant scent to them, like they’d been air-dried in the sunshine.
When he left the bathroom, the table was already out. There wasn’t anything on top of it yet, but judging by the sounds coming from the kitchen, it looked like it wouldn’t be long. Hyunjin quietly went towards the kitchen and looked inside.
Woohee was vigorously stirring some eggs in a bowl. Behind him, Jaewoo was doing something with a frying pan. From the looks of it, he was frying some kimchi.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nope!”
Woohee answered cheerfully before handing Jaewoo the well-beaten eggs. Like the day before, Hyunjin stood on one side of the kitchen and watched Jaewoo cook.
Everything felt like a dream. Had he really escaped Mujin’s grasp?
Hyunjin clenched his fists. Was such a thing possible? There was no way he would have let him go so easily. There was definitely some reason for it, and the only person here who knew that reason was Jaewoo.
Hyunjin’s anxiety suddenly returned. He wanted to grab Jaewoo’s shoulder right that moment, turn him around, and interrogate him. What in the world had he promised Mujin in return?
If it was only money, that would be the best case scenario. All he’d have to do is work non-stop like he had before and repay Jaewoo over time. But if it was something else? Mujin had been lusting after Jaewoo for as long as he’d known him. There was no way such a person would’ve accepted money in exchange for letting him go.
He clenched his hands so tight that his palms began to bleed.
“Done! Now all that’s left is to eat.”
Jaewoo looked back over his shoulder and smiled at him, but Hyunjin couldn’t bring himself to smile in return.
“Hyunjin?”
“I need to ask you something, Jaewoo.”
“Okay, one moment. Woohee, how about you go eat breakfast first? I need to talk to your brother for a bit.”
“Can’t I stay?”
“No, sorry. It’s something that’s only for adults.”
At those words, Woohee pouted his lips.
“This isn’t fair!”
But despite that, he still did as Jaewoo said. As Woohee left the room, Jaewoo closed the kitchen door.
“What did you want to ask me?”
Hyunjin moistened his dry lips.
“Do you know what I’ve been doing?”
“… … Roughly.”
“I’ve been working for a gangster to pay off my debt.”
Hyunjin tried to speak as calmly as possible. He wanted to hide as much of the darkness as he could, so that Jaewoo wouldn’t find out what he’d gone through and become worried.
“But last night I was suddenly told that they were letting me go.”
Hyunjin leaned down and thumped his forehead against his fist.
“That person, who I thought would never release me until the day I died, suddenly set me free.”
Jaewoo didn’t respond at all.
“Jaewoo. My brother, Jaewoo. What in the world did you do?”
Hyunjin’s voice was shaking like crazy, unable to contain his surging emotions. He felt like he was going mad. Why was he so weak that he couldn’t even protect those he loved? Why, why?! His heart ached with a despair that echoed inside of him until he felt like he was going to die.
Seeing Hyunjin in that state, Jaewoo asked softly.
“Why do you think it’s because of me?”
“Is there anyone that could have saved me apart from you? My mother ran away, my father’s a gambling addict, and I’ve long since lost touch with any of our other relatives. The only person that might want to help me is you.”
“First of all…”
Jaewoo raised his hand and approached Hyunjin slowly.
“Let’s calm down a little. You’re getting worked up.”
“Me?!”
Hyunjin grabbed Jaewoo’s hand and pulled him closer.
“Don’t I have a reason to be?”
Jaewoo looked Hyunjin in the eyes without letting out even a single groan of pain, even though Hyunjin was clutching his hand hard enough to hurt. He simply patted him gently on the back with his free hand.
“I know why you think that, but you’re wrong.”
“You liar.”
“Really. It’s true that I asked for help, but I didn’t make a deal with Mujin.”
“Then who was it?”
“Yoon Jiheon.”
At that name, Hyunjin frowned.
“That person you claimed was your friend?”
“That’s right, my friend. We’re actually pretty close. He’s a third-generation businessman, and he was able to help me out.”
“… …Out of the kindness of his heart?”
“Not exactly. All that money? I promised to pay it back in installments moving forward.”
Jaewoo spoke calmly, but Hyunjin couldn’t bring himself to believe it. In his eyes, Yoon Jiheon was no better than Choi Mujin – they were both people who’d do anything to get what they wanted.
“That’s all?”
“Isn’t that enough! It ended up being twice as much as originally.”
The hand moved from patting his back to pinching his nose scoldingly. Based on how Jaewoo’s hand tensed, it seemed like he was using all his strength, but Hyunjin barely felt it. But that wasn’t what he needed to be focusing on just then.
“Double? Are you crazy?”
Hyunjin protested valiantly.
“No, more importantly, why are you the one that has to pay it back!?”
“Because I offered.”
“You can’t! I’ll be the one to pay it!”
“That much debt? How long do you think it’ll take?”
Jaewoo asked with a grumpy expression. The original value alone had been massive, but double that amount? It definitely wasn’t something that could be easily repaid, but that was all Hyunjin could think about.
“I’ll pay it back somehow.”
“How?”
“I’ll leave at dawn and go back to the construction site.”
“At this time of year?”
“Then I’ll keep studying for that certification. If I pass, my wages will go up.”
“Have you thought about doing something else instead?”
Jaewoo asked with a strange expression on his face.
“Something else?”
“Have you ever worked as a waiter in a restaurant?”
“I have.”
He’d done most jobs at least once, before he’d had to settle on the one that paid the best.
“Were you good at it?”
“I did pretty well.”
“Then let’s try this. I’m good at cooking, so I’ll make the food, and you’ll help me to sell it.”
“What?”
“Let’s open a business together.”
Hyunjin blinked hard at the unbelievable proposal, but nothing changed.
“So, you’re saying we should sell food together?”
“Exactly! We’ll start off with a small restaurant, and sell a lot of delicious food there. Once someone has tried it they won’t be able to get enough, and they’ll come back again and again. My friends were always telling me to do that.”
“Running a restaurant is harder than you think, though. There’s a huge difference between what people like to eat at home and what they’ll buy. You also need a lot of physical strength.”
“I’ll build up my stamina, don’t worry.”
Jaewoo grinned. Hyunjin looked at him and smiled back without realizing it.
“Hey, you’re smiling. I like you much better when you do.”
“Really, Jaewoo?”
Hyunjin raised his hand and covered his face. He just didn’t know anymore. Things were already out of his control – the emotions were swelling up in him until he couldn’t take it any longer. He felt like he was floating, and all he could think about was being with Jaewoo. He didn’t want to hide anything anymore.
“Jaewoo, I love you.”
“Huh?”
For the first time, a blush appeared on Jaewoo’s face.
“I love you.”
“Wait, wait!”
Jaewoo stepped back, blinking.
“I love you more than anyone in the world.”
“Stop!”
Before he knew it, Jaewoo had stepped forward again, covering Hyunjin’s mouth with his hand.
“Don’t do that!”
What could Hyunjin do now that Jaewoo had covered his mouth? He had no choice but to express his emotions in other ways. Hyunjin’s eyes crinkled as he chuckled. When he saw that, Jaewoo’s face turned bright red.
“Don’t laugh either!”
So what did Jaewoo want him to do? Hyunjin gently tilted his head to the side. The blush had spread across Jaewoo’s face until even his ears were red.
Beep!
Just then, the rice cooker finished.
“L-Let’s eat!”
Jaewoo removed his hand and ran over to the rice cooker, almost stumbling as he careened through the small kitchen.
“The rice looks good.”
Jaewoo opened the kitchen door and called the children.
“The food is ready! Come set the table.”
Meanwhile, his ears were still bright red.
