Reasonable Loss - 35

Eunsoo hurriedly got out of the elevator. He would endure it again this time. He could endure it. The thought of riding in the car made his thighs tremble, but he believed that if he endured enough, he would eventually get used to it.

Enduring foolishly and stubbornly—Eunsoo was quite used to that.

The car they were to take was familiar to Eunsoo. A black, thick, slightly bulky luxury sedan. The car Dokwon used for official business, like company matters.

Secretary Jung opened the driver’s door. Dokwon also opened the back door. Eunsoo swallowed dryly. At that moment, Secretary Jung’s eyes widened as if he had realized something significant.

“Oh, Manager Yoo, you said you can’t ride in cars, right?”

“You can’t ride in cars? Why?”

Dokwon quickly turned his head to look at Eunsoo, his face showing faint irritation. ‘What nonsense is this now?’ His expression seemed to say just that.

Facing him directly, Eunsoo scratched the back of his hand with his fingernail. It was the same hand that had wiped Dokwon’s nosebleed a few days ago. It was the hand that had been pushed away by him and also the hand that had been grabbed roughly by him.

“I heard it’s aftereffects from a car accident. So, when you came to the hospital last time, you took the subway…”

Secretary Jung spoke in an awkward voice. It was already late at night. The subway might not be running. Even if it was, it would take quite a while to get to Dokwon’s house from here.

Secretary Jung had just turned on his phone to check the subway schedule when Eunsoo shouted loudly.

“No, it’s okay, it’s okay!”

Eunsoo’s voice echoed loudly in the quiet underground parking lot. Secretary Jung almost dropped his phone, and Dokwon frowned deeply.

At their reactions, Eunsoo muttered quietly.

“Really. I took a taxi to the hospital.”

“…”

Dokwon said nothing. He just looked at Eunsoo for a moment and then got into the car.

Instead, Secretary Jung, with drooping eyes, asked if Eunsoo was really okay. Eunsoo gave a vague smile and demonstratively opened the car door and sat next to Dokwon.

Secretary Jung, who had been nervously pacing, had no choice but to start the car.

Eunsoo stared out the window with unfocused eyes. The car passed through the parking lot and entered a dark tunnel. Up to that point, it was fine. There were no other moving cars around.

But it was different once they hit the road.

In Seoul, night didn’t feel like night. Everywhere was brightly lit, and there were always cars. Although it was close to midnight, making it less crowded than during the day, dozens of headlights flashed by, making a swishing sound.

Unable to withstand the onslaught, Eunsoo finally closed his eyes tightly. As soon as he did, fear, which had been waiting for an opportunity, poured over him like a torrential rain. His body trembled. Pain throbbed in his head, and his spine felt cold.

The barely audible sound of the car’s engine pounded in his ears. Whenever the car stopped or started again at a traffic signal, he felt nauseous.

Eunsoo scratched the back of his hand again. He also rubbed his shoulders and chest. The pain from the seatbelt during the accident was still vivid.

Then he felt a heavy gaze. Eunsoo stiffened. In his deep fear, he had forgotten who was sitting next to him. It was a foolish thing to do.

Eunsoo belatedly pretended to be calm and straightened his back. He then tried to put on a neutral expression and looked at Dokwon.

“Dokwon, you seem to be fine with riding in cars.”

“I have no reason to be afraid since I don’t remember the accident.”

“Oh… I see…”

Eunsoo forced a bitter smile. It was a relief that Dokwon was okay. He already had a lot of confusion; if he were also afraid of cars, it would have been even worse. At least forgetting the accident was better for him.

Eunsoo ran his hand through his sweat-dampened bangs. The orange streetlights lightly grazed his round forehead and smooth nose bridge.