My Bloody Valentine - 107

Chapter 107
The next afternoon, Han stood once again in front of the turquoise-colored door with the number 1501 embroidered on it.

The image of Taeshin, shouting at him to leave with an icy, sharp voice, was more frightening than embarrassing. He looked like the protagonist of a horror movie, on the verge of turning into a monster or zombie, suffering.

Han became afraid, thinking that Taeshin might even burst his head open and die, as he grabbed his hair and bent over in agony.

“I told you to leave!”

But the cause of Taeshin’s pain was none other than Han himself. Fearing that Taeshin’s suffering wouldn’t subside as long as Han was near him, he fled from his room.

Han left the hotel and went to Soyoung’s empty house.

After spending the day in the room prepared for him, he returned to this place in the late afternoon. He didn’t return the access card he borrowed from Myeongseop. Using it, he opened the door to 1501 and entered as if it were his own home.

The housekeeping staff came to clean between noon and 2 p.m., and after they worked, the rooms looked as if no one had ever stayed in them—neat and pristine.

The fruit that had been on the table the previous night and the peach pieces scattered on the floor were nowhere to be seen.

Han sat on the sofa, waiting for Taeshin, just like the day before.

It was obvious that he wouldn’t be welcomed, given how he was kicked out yesterday. It might be possible for someone to be sent to throw him out again.

He felt a little scared. Taeshin was someone who could become cruel if he decided to. With just a small gesture from him, Han could be dragged to a construction site where cement dust swirled and turned into part of the parking lot.

But more than fear, concern took the lead. Had it been too harsh to show up again so soon after seeing him suffer like that the previous day?

Han bit his nails anxiously as he stood up from his seat. He realized he might have been pushing things too far.

Deciding what to do, Han walked toward the door, and just as he was about to reach it, the elevator arrived with a chime. There were only four suites on the 15th floor, so few people would come here.

Han pressed his ear against the door, eager to listen.

Although he couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, it was clear that the voice was Taeshin’s. He seemed to be talking to someone, meaning he wasn’t alone.

Flustered, Han started pacing around the room.

“What should I do…?”

As Han frantically looked for a place to hide, Taeshin’s voice grew closer.

His eyes, which had been darting about, stopped at the closet. Without wasting time, he rushed to open the closet door.

The space was cramped due to an unnecessary partition, making it feel very tight. But Han had no choice.

He knew Taeshin’s routine better than anyone. Taeshin would take off his clothes, head straight to the bathroom, and after showering, would come out wearing a bathrobe.

When he slept, he usually wore nothing, or sometimes just underwear or training pants from the bedroom closet. He never opened the living room closet where the suits were stored.

While Taeshin was showering, Han planned to sneak out. With that in mind, he squeezed himself into the closet and closed the door. His knees touched his chin, making the space even tighter.

Then, Han heard the faint sound of the card reader followed by the click of the door opening.

He held his breath, listening closely.

Taeshin, who Han thought had been talking to someone, was apparently on the phone, as only his voice could be heard.

The troubled and pained expression he had on his face the previous night seemed to have vanished. His voice was calm, without the usual highs and lows, a little lower than usual, but otherwise normal. Han felt a strange sense of relief.

Yes, come to think of it, Taeshin had always been strong. Even in the orphanage, and after hitting rock bottom in life, he had somehow risen to the position he was in now.

Hearing Taeshin’s voice made Han’s chest tighten. How had he been thinking of leaving so far away? Just hearing his voice made Han feel like crying.

Suddenly, he found his own situation absurd at this age—hiding in a closet. It reminded him of the days when he was in the orphanage.

On the day the sponsors visited, which they called “Gratitude Day,” the sponsors would bring donations and money, making the director smile all day. On those days, Han and Taeshin would hide in the small closet of their room.

They did this to avoid being seen, so that one of them wouldn’t end up getting adopted.

The event would last for at least four hours, and unable to bear the boredom, Han would often fall asleep.

Taeshin, who had been listening carefully to the outside, would wait until the cars in the parking lot started and the last of the sponsors’ vehicles left. Only then would he carefully wake Han up.

“Hyung, Hyung, wake up.”

“Mmm… Taeshin…”

“Did you sleep well?”

“What time is it? Are all the sponsors gone?”

“Yeah, it’s okay to come out now.”

Lost in these memories, Han again listened intently to Taeshin’s voice.

“The chance of the bid being unsuccessful is low. The bidding price won’t be lower than eight hundred billion.”

It felt strange and a little sad to hear Taeshin talking about such large sums of money. When he was younger, Taeshin had struggled even to memorize the multiplication tables. Now he was discussing such enormous figures.

Han remembered that he had taught Taeshin how to write his name, and how to add and subtract. Who had taught him about the world?

For a moment, Han buried his face deeper into his knees, lost in thought.

When Taeshin went into the bathroom and the sound of water started, Han planned to leave. His folded legs were aching, and he carefully rubbed his calves. Meanwhile, Taeshin’s conversation continued.

As time passed, Han, hidden in Taeshin’s closet, filled with the familiar scent of his clothes, felt an inexplicable sense of relief wrap around his entire body. Without realizing it, he fell asleep.

❖ ❖ ❖

― I’m curious about your thoughts.

“What would someone like me, a thug, know?”

― Don’t be so modest. Even though I may look like a fool, I’m not completely ignorant. I’ve known for a while that things like site selection or fieldwork always pass by Director Jang.

The new CEO of Cheongsong Construction was Han Jaehyeong, a business professional with an MBA. Although he was new to the construction industry, he had an impressive track record in both domestic and international companies.

Cheongsong Construction was preparing for a public land auction. Given the massive scale, they planned to co-purchase the land with Jaegyeong Construction, a company with which they were usually in competition.

After agreeing on the bid price, Cheongsong Construction would acquire the land, then divide it later to develop a large apartment complex.

“There are suspicious movements happening.”

― In Jaegyeong Construction?

“Yes.”

Taeshin opened the door to his room with the hand that wasn’t holding his phone. He took off his suit jacket and placed it over the backrest of the living room sofa. He moved toward the window and looked out at the dark Han River, continuing his conversation.

“It seems that Jaegyeong Construction has met with someone from JT Development without our knowledge.”

Most construction companies, including Cheongsong Construction, had inseparable ties with organized crime, and Jaegyeong Construction was no different, having once been a part of such groups.

But the difference was that Jaegyeong Construction had not shaken off its street thug tendencies.

― What makes you think that?

“I’ve got an insider in Jaegyeong.”

― …I want to say you’re being too sensitive, but it does seem strange. Why would JT Development suddenly get involved in the auction? Those guys have no money… what are they thinking?

The conversation lasted longer than expected. Taeshin took off the tie around his neck.

“I think there’s a deal going on behind our backs. Jaegyeong Construction is probably reassuring us while secretly providing JT with information and funds.”

― Ha… that’s a big claim…

“Most likely, JT will win the bid, and then Jaegyeong will intervene when they split the land—perhaps pressuring or even bankrupting JT afterward.”

― So Jaegyeong Construction would profit twice by making another deal with another company.

“Yes.”

The construction industry was different from other industries. Even experienced professionals with impressive backgrounds couldn’t use their sharp wits in the harsh competition for construction rights. That’s why someone like Jang Taeshin was absolutely necessary.

― Chairman Bae once said that your instincts were incredible. He said if he kept you by his side, you’d be a great asset. He definitely had an eye for people.

As Jaehyeong’s voice came through the phone, Taeshin’s gaze suddenly shifted to the right. His sharp eyebrows furrowed. Taeshin’s senses, as keen as an animal’s, detected someone’s presence.

It was a faint sound, so slight that anyone else would have missed it. The soft rustling of fabric brushing against skin.

Taeshin continued walking towards the sofa, pretending nothing was unusual. At the same time, his hand silently slipped into his jacket pocket.

“I’ll need to apply some pressure on JT.”

― Pressure? Is it the kind of pressure I’m thinking of?

Taeshin’s fingers brushed the weight of the knife hidden inside his jacket. He unfolded the folding knife as he continued his conversation.

“Not sure yet. I’ll contact you again once I have a plan.”

After hanging up, Taeshin placed the phone on the table. He casually unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and moved quietly, instinctively.

Before long, he was standing in front of the closet. He was certain the person was inside.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if someone had burst out of the closet, knife in hand, aiming for his chest. He had done countless things in his life to earn such a fate.

He had no regrets or desire to change anything about his past. But he was not going to just accept it if it happened.

Taeshin gripped the knife tightly and flung open the closet door.

“…Hah.”

When he saw Han sleeping inside the closet, Taeshin’s tension drained away. The hand that had tightly gripped the knife softened, and the veins on his hand, which had been rigid, relaxed.

“Ihan.”

Had Han hidden in the closet because there was nowhere else to go? He was still so deeply asleep that even Taeshin’s low voice calling his name didn’t wake him.

“Wake up.”

“Mmm…”

Han mumbled sleepily, causing Taeshin to chuckle in disbelief.

“Wake up, now…”

But Taeshin’s words stopped halfway. Suddenly, a strong sense of déjà vu hit him.

‘Wake up.’

‘Mmm…’

‘Did you sleep well?’

It felt like he had woken someone up like this before.

Then, a child’s voice called out behind him.

‘Taeshin-ah.’

The voice of a child calling him passed through his ears. Taeshin turned around quickly, as if to snap his head off, and saw a hazy figure standing behind him.

It was the faceless child who had been tormenting him for days.

Slowly, the blurry features of the child began to take shape.

In that moment, sealed memories rushed at him like a torrent.