My Bloody Valentine - 106

Chapter 106

Han opened the door to Taeshin’s suite with the entry card he had received from Myungseop.

Han had boldly asked Myungseop to lend him the entry card for Taeshin’s room, saying that if there were any consequences, he would take responsibility.

Of course, Han had expected Myungseop to refuse, but surprisingly, Myungseop thought seriously about it and handed over the card.

Now, Han was back at the place where Taeshin was staying, the suite. It was the place that had once felt like a prison, and yet Han had returned to it willingly.

It had been about a month since Han had last been here, and he looked around the room with a nostalgic expression, as if he were returning home after many years.

Every space carries the traces of those who have stayed there. As Han entered the room, he could smell a familiar scent. It was the scent of the wood-based perfume that Taeshin used, mixed with the heavy smell of cigarettes.

It was a scent Han had come to associate with a strange sense of comfort.

What Han didn’t know was that this particular perfume, which Taeshin had started using after meeting him, was meant to cover up the scent of bl00d that sometimes clung to his body.

The things Taeshin did casually were beyond what ordinary people could even imagine, and he never wanted to remind Han of those things, especially since Han was terrified of them.

“Haa…”

With a face that seemed to be that of someone returning home after a long journey, Han let out a deep sigh.

According to Myungseop, Taeshin was supposed to attend a quarterly shareholder meeting and then return after a dinner with the executives.

When Han had been confined here, he used to sit blankly on the sofa, watching TV and passing time. Now, he sat on the sofa with his knees pulled up, lost in thought.

Suddenly, memories from the time he first arrived in Taesenda passed before his eyes.

Han’s life had always felt like a watercolor painting, diluted with too much water, vague and faint. But the moments spent here stood out with bold and clear brushstrokes.

The day he was kidnapped on his way home from the convenience store and brought here, the day he accidentally hid in Taeshin’s room while running from Sunwoohee, the day he met Jaegu and Jeong, the day he discovered the familiar scar on Taeshin’s knee and hated him for it, and later when he met Oh Seongjin, the man who had kidnapped him and nearly killed him…

“Uh…?”

As Han was thinking back to his first memory in Taesenda, something caught his attention, and he stopped the flashback midway.

When Oh Seongjin had first come to Taesenda, Jeong had been sitting next to him, and Han had been serving drinks and changing the ashtray while wearing a waiter uniform.

Then Taeshin had suddenly walked in, and Oh Seongjin had looked at him suspiciously, offering him a drink and a piece of fruit on a fork.

“You’re drinking well. Here, some snacks.”

Han had taken the fruit without knowing what it was, and only realized it was a peach when Taeshin suddenly slapped his hand, sending the fruit flying to the floor.

At the time, Han had dismissed it as a coincidence, but now it strangely nagged at him.

Had it really been a coincidence? Did he still linger in Taeshin’s mind, even in the smallest way?

As he thought about it, Han remembered more things that reminded him of Taeshin’s childhood, besides the scar on his knee.

Taeshin often did things without thinking that reminded Han of his younger self. Like when he asked who had made him cry, or when he would offer his hand without hesitation when Han was suffering from hot food.

And the way he slapped the peach away might have been his unconscious way of protecting Han, who had a severe allergy.

If those memories still existed within Taeshin, hidden deep in his unconscious mind… How could Han confirm that? How could he bring those memories out?

Just then, a thought flickered in Han’s mind like a light bulb.

Han hadn’t realized how adventurous he had become. Since meeting Taeshin again, Han had often found himself acting in ways that were uncharacteristic of him.

Approaching the console table in the living room, Han flipped through the room service menu. He picked up the phone and dialed the concierge’s number. A woman answered in a soft voice.

“Hello, I’d like to order room service. There’s something called a fruit platter on the menu.”

“Yes, guest. Should I prepare the fruit platter for you?”

“It says just ‘various fruits’ on the menu… But does it include peaches?”

“Since they’re in season, it should be available. Would you like me to check with the kitchen and confirm?”

“No, that’s fine. It’s not necessary…”

“Okay, we’ll bring it up to your room as soon as it’s ready. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thank you.”

Less than 30 minutes later, the hotel staff rang the bell and brought in the food. On a shiny silver plate, there were grapes, kiwi, watermelon, and other fresh-looking fruits, all neatly arranged.

Han’s eyes immediately fixed on a peach placed in one corner of the platter. The tension made him swallow dryly. His body knew what would happen if he ate it, and his spine stiffened.

It must have been when he was about seven. He had eaten canned peaches without knowing about his allergy and had ended up in the emergency room. Taeshin had clung to him, crying so hard, telling him not to die.

Looking back, the scar on Taeshin’s knee had also been from the peach. He had climbed a tree to pick a persimmon for Han, knowing he couldn’t eat peaches.

While Han was reflecting on these memories, the door to the suite opened with a click. Taeshin, loosening his tie, stepped in and stopped when he saw Han sitting on the sofa.

Their eyes met, and there was a brief moment of silence.

Han thought Taeshin looked a bit thinner. The dark shadows under his tired eyes made his already cold face look even sharper, like a finely honed knife.

It was Taeshin who broke the silence first.

“I need to deal with the bastard who opened the door. Was it Nam Junho or Myungseop?”

“…”

“It must have been Myungseop. That damn coward.”

Taeshin took off his jacket and draped it over the sofa. Ignoring Han, he walked straight toward the bathroom. Han spoke to his back.

“Have a drink, with me.”

“What?”

Taeshin turned around as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have. There was a look of disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I’m saying let’s have one last drink. We’ve never had a drink together, right?”

“…….”

He had received a report that Han had successfully gone through the departure procedures. Han should have been in the clouds by now, on a plane, and Taeshin couldn’t even find the time to wonder why he was here at this hour.

Han suddenly appeared, asking to have a drink. This was definitely not part of the scenario Taeshin had expected.

Then again, it was always like this. Han never reacted the way Taeshin expected. Whenever Taeshin thought he had caught him, Han would run away, and when Taeshin pushed him to run, Han would stay by his side.

Taeshin, with a reluctant expression on his face, as if he hoped Han would leave after they had a drink, quickly brought whiskey and glasses from the minibar and sat across from Han.

Taeshin filled both glasses quickly, handed one to Han, and said in a lazy voice.

“Drink quickly and leave.”

“…….”

Han carefully picked up the glass that Taeshin handed him. He needed a lot of courage for what he was about to do, so having the help of alcohol didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Han swallowed the whiskey in one gulp, like taking bitter medicine, and quickly gasped for air.

“Hah… Hah…”

Taeshin, who was quietly watching Han, also quickly finished his drink.

“If you have something to say, say it and leave.”

At Taeshin’s words, Han stared at the fruit arrangement in front of him as if he was glaring at it and asked.

“Do you really wish I’d disappear?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you serious?”

“Hah… Is it that again? I’m getting tired of it.”

Han thought he might now understand a little bit why Ha-jeon liked gambling so much.

It was something with uncertain results and great risk, but at the same time, it had the advantage of producing the cleanest of outcomes.

Han wondered if he were to eat the large piece of peach placed in front of him, would he die instantly. Of course, that was a simple illusion. He would slowly suffer as his throat swelled up in pain, eventually choking to death.

In fact, no matter the conclusion, it didn’t seem so bad to see Taeshin’s face for the last time before dying. His life, from his childhood to now, had always been intertwined with him.

It was scary, but Han didn’t want to run away anymore.

“Ah, the drink is too bitter.”

Han’s voice trembled as he awkwardly smiled.

He stabbed a peach, dripping with sweetness, with a golden fork with a black handle. The peach was so ripe that juice spilled from the punctured area, releasing a sweet scent that seemed to reach his nose.

Han lifted the fork as if it were a gun barrel aimed at his temple. Just as he was about to open his lips to eat it.

Thud.

He turned his head toward the sound and looked down to see the fork he had been holding lying on the carpet.

His palm tingled. Taeshin had once again slapped his hand away.

Han slowly turned his gaze and looked at Taeshin.

Taeshin was staring at the hand he had struck, looking bewildered, as if he didn’t understand why he had done it.

Han, feeling a surge of emotion, picked up another fork and stabbed at the peach again.

With half the resolve, he brought the fork to his mouth, but as expected, Taeshin suddenly stood up and snatched it away. He then looked at Han with a more confused expression.

“Why?”

Han asked, staring at Taeshin, who seemed to be in a daze.

Taeshin rubbed his temples, perhaps feeling a headache, and Han, watching the turmoil in Taeshin’s eyes, held back his tears and asked again.

“Why are you stopping me from eating… why?”

The tears that had been held back almost spilled over, and his voice trembled at the end.

A deep frown appeared on Taeshin’s face. He must have known that pushing someone who was in pain, like Han, wasn’t going to end well.

However, Han wished that Taeshin would break through his own barriers, tear through the fog surrounding him, and remember even the smallest thing about him.

“Do you know? You did the same thing last time.”

“…….”

“You stopped me from eating a peach back then too. Why do you keep doing this?”

Veins started to appear in Taeshin’s eyes. It felt like something sharp pierced through him from his head to his feet.

Taeshin, experiencing a pain he had never felt before, as if his head was being torn apart by the claws of a wild animal, raised both hands and pressed his temples hard.

His voice, distorted as if scraping his throat, came out in a muffled sound.

“…Leave.”

Seeing Taeshin in agony, Han was momentarily startled, forgetting the words he had been about to say. He cautiously reached out to him.

“Ta-Taeshin…?”

“Leave, now!”

Taeshin hunched over, burying his face in his palms, and shouted. Han, seeing this, trembled, and after a few moments of hesitation, silently turned and walked away.

Soon after, a clink of a door closing echoed, and in the luxurious room, a man, fighting desperately with something he couldn’t even understand, was left alone, suffering.