AGC | Chapter 1.2

“I brought clothes in my suitcase. I can just wear these.”

He put the heavy shopping bag down and sat to open the suitcase. Moving aside the pack of cigarettes on top, he pulled out a sweatshirt, and Minhyung, who had been watching silently, frowned slightly.

“Isn’t that the clothes you wore back then?”

Jiwan looked up at Minhyung with a blank expression. Only after examining the sweatshirt in his hand did he understand what Minhyung was talking about. The mint-colored sweatshirt was indeed the one he wore nine years ago when he first met Cha Minhyung on the rooftop.Even in his hazy state, Jiwan smiled, feeling as if he had returned to that time. The cold hand touched his cheek again, soothing the heat.

⋆ ☾⋆ ☾⋆ ☾⋆

Before opening his eyes, Jiwan knew he wasn’t on the porch. Beneath his head was a pillow with a pleasant scent, not the hard, sticky floor.

Wondering why he was on such a soft bed, Jiwan squinted his eyes open. The first thing he saw was a man in a suit, despite the summer heat.

“Jiwan-nim, are you awake?”

The man’s hair was longer than average, almost reaching his shoulders. Jiwan stared blankly at him. If he had been kidnapped by gangsters, it seemed they no longer shaved their heads but had freedom with their hair.

“Uh…”

“I’m Kang Jinsong, the manager.”

Jiwan was confused about why this bespectacled stranger was addressing him so formally.

There were several people in the room. One by the door on the left, another by the window on the right, and the long-haired man in front of him. Including Jiwan, there were three people in the room.

Jiwan frowned at the IV dangling from his arm.

“You should rest. Your fever is high.”

“Who are you…”

“I’ll remove the IV once it’s done.”

Let me speak, you jerk.

Though his temper flared, Jiwan wasn’t foolish enough to lose it in this situation.

He watched the IV drip, trying to think, but nothing made sense. He couldn’t understand the situation.

The most plausible theory was that debt collectors had found him and kidnapped him here. But would such people bring him quietly, give him a nutrient IV, and treat him kindly? It didn’t add up.

In nonsensical situations, he had to make choices that wouldn’t harm him. It was a lesson learned from his rough life. Jiwan decided to calmly ask about his situation.

“Am I kidnapped?”

“I’d like to say we brought you here, but… in a way, yes.”

Jiwan’s face scrunched up. He couldn’t understand what they were saying.

“The director is on his way, so it’s best to talk directly.”

“What director?”

“It’s best to talk directly.”

The bespectacled manager repeated like a machine. He was oddly unkind despite his politeness. The men and women standing at the corners of the room were serious.

Jiwan swallowed dryly. He was in an unknown place, unable to escape without breaking a window and getting past three people. He had to gather information.

“What floor is this?”

“The second floor. You won’t die if you fall, but you’ll get hurt.”

I see. Jiwan cautiously turned his gaze from the window. Silence filled the room. Though no one spoke, six eyes were on the person lying on the bed.

The person on the bed moved his eyes busily.

Rather than questioning the AI-like manager, it was better to look around the room. But there was nothing unusual. The room was spacious, with two doors and a cool air conditioner on the ceiling.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, please speak, Jiwan-nim.”

“You’re not giving me an IV to sell my organs, right?”

The woman by the window laughed, and the manager glared at her. She quickly composed herself.

“Absolutely not. And for more details…”

“For more details, wait for the director.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Sorry, but I’m really hungry.”

His stomach, unsettled from days without proper meals, was growling.

At Jiwan’s words, the man by the door moved as if waiting. He rummaged through a paper bag on the table in the corner.

The man sat beside Jiwan with a plastic container that looked like a disposable meal.

It was beef porridge. Freshly bought, it was steaming. The savory smell filled the room. Jiwan’s stomach was practically glued to his back. He quickly sat up and reached for the container.

“You shouldn’t strain yourself. I’ll feed you.”

“…I’m fine.”

The man, who seemed about Jiwan’s age but three times his size, scooped the porridge with a spoon. His hands were so large that it was amazing the spoon didn’t break.

The idea of this bear-like man feeding him was off-putting. And he wasn’t a patient needing such care. Being treated like a terminal patient after being kidnapped while fleeing was uncomfortable.

“I’ll eat it myself.”

“Please, just accept it.”

The large man insisted, pushing the spoon toward him.

“No, it’s more uncomfortable… Ah, hot!”

Jiwan flinched. In his attempt to push away, the porridge spilled all over the man’s thigh.

He looked at his hand, slightly splashed with porridge. It was scalding hot, enough to scream, but the man covered in porridge showed no reaction.

“…I’m sorry.”

Jiwan felt a bit guilty and quickly apologized, fearing the man’s large hands.

The man, drenched in porridge, staggered as he stood. Not because of the heat, but because the manager had punched him in the nose.

Jiwan watched, stunned, as the man bled from his nose.

“I’m sorry.”

“Apologize to the director, not me.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Jiwan-nim, let me see your hand.”

“No… I’m not hurt.”

He felt bad, thinking an innocent low-ranking gangster got hit because of him.

“Good thing you’re not burned. We’ll make new porridge right away.”

“No, it’s fine. I just want to sleep more…”

Jiwan waved his hand. Watching someone get punched and bleed made his hunger vanish.

The manager nodded, looking at the IV. But the watchers didn’t leave the room. They stood in place, drawing the curtains.

Unable to sleep with their eyes on him, Jiwan pulled the blanket over his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Contrary to his worry, he fell asleep quickly.

“…”

When he opened his eyes again, the curtains were open, revealing a bright blue sky. And the back of a tall man looking out the window. The long-haired manager, the large man, and the woman with tied hair were gone. Only this stranger remained in the room.

His left hand, which he raised to rub his eyes, was free of the IV, with a band-aid covering the spot.

“You’re awake?”

The man at the window turned at the sound of rustling bedding.

Jiwan squinted to identify his face, and the man approached, sitting on the chair by Jiwan’s head.

Glancing at the floor where the porridge had spilled, Jiwan saw it was cleaned up.

“Are you the director?”

“Yes.”

Now Jiwan could see the man’s face clearly. From his forehead, slightly exposed by his hair, to his eyebrows, nose, lips, and jawline. Jiwan quickly realized this man was exceptionally handsome.

He was so striking that he could be scouted even in sweats on the street.

“I heard you have a lot of questions.”

Indeed, he had many questions.

Who are you, why did you bring me here, if it’s about money, why is everyone so nice to me… And one more question arose. Why did this stranger feel so familiar?

“Have we met before?”

Jiwan felt a bit embarrassed. His question sounded like a pickup line. But the man’s voice and face were strangely familiar.

“…Yes.”

The man seemed slightly surprised by Jiwan’s question. After hesitating, he answered affirmatively, looking at Jiwan with a hint of expectation. His eyes seemed to ask Jiwan to remember when they met.

Jiwan racked his brain but couldn’t recall. In his 29 years, he had never seen such a handsome face.

“Sorry, I don’t remember.”

The man looked slightly disappointed.

“You said you’d treat me.”

Jiwan looked puzzled, not understanding the strange comment.

The man, watching Jiwan, smiled kindly and continued.

“I said I’d treat you to a meal.”

Why would you buy me a meal?

Jiwan was about to ask, but something caught in his chest, making him close his mouth. The words were unsettlingly familiar. It took only seconds for his confusion to turn to certainty.

“Live hard. If we meet again, I’ll buy you a meal.”

“I’ll treat you then.”

⋆ ☾⋆ ☾⋆ ☾⋆

Cha Minhyung. Yeah, it was that guy who was obsessed with dying back then.

The water pouring down was too hot, so he turned the valve slightly to the right. The temperature quickly became bearable. Not bad. In the villa he lived in, turning it to the right would bring out ice-cold water, and turning it to the left would scald you, so it was always a hassle.

“I’ll tell you what you’re curious about later, just wash up first.”

Minhyung slowly scanned Jiwan’s body before averting his gaze. Remembering that piercing stare, Jiwan unnecessarily scrubbed body wash all over himself more thoroughly. Soon, a pleasant scent filled the bathroom.

“Anyway, we’ve got time to spare.”

It was hard to grasp the meaning behind Minhyung’s words. Jiwan put his face under the strong shower stream and tried to clear his thoughts. Let the powerful water pressure wash away his worries. Now that he was clean, it was best to clear his head and think about what’s next.

Jiwan glanced at the soft robe hanging on the bathroom wall and hesitated briefly. Can I wear this without drying off first? I’ve never worn something like this. With no towel, he had no choice. Tying the straps tightly in front, the moisture on his body quickly absorbed into the robe.

When he opened the door to the powder room, hot steam rushed into the bedroom. It was the bedroom he had been lying in all day since being captured. The one who brought him here, Cha Minhyung, was sitting at the edge of the bed.

“How much does a robe like this cost?”

Jiwan asked, flapping the robe, trying to avoid Minhyung’s gaze.

“…I’m not sure, I didn’t buy it. I’ll find out.”

“Never mind, I was just curious.”

The faint connection from the past slightly eased the suffocating tension. After learning Minhyung’s identity, this villa didn’t feel entirely like a tiger’s den. Of course, he couldn’t be completely at ease as Minhyung said, but the heavy heart felt a bit lighter.

“I bought some clothes for you.”

Minhyung handed over a shopping bag that was on the bedside table.

Jiwan peeked inside the bag he received unexpectedly. It was filled with neatly packed new clothes. Despite appearances, it felt quite heavy, as if he had bought a lot.

“…What about my suitcase?”

Only then did he remember the suitcase thrown in his grandmother’s yard. It was okay to discard it since one wheel was missing, but the problem was that all his clothes, his entire fortune, were in there.

Minhyung brought over the dented light green suitcase that was stuck in the corner of the room. It was incredibly comforting to see something familiar in an unfamiliar place.

 

“…I just kept wearing it because it’s comfortable and still in good condition.”

He awkwardly explained, even though he didn’t need to.

Jiwan’s explanation seemed like a poor excuse, but Minhyung didn’t intend to add any comments.

Minhyung sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the worn sweatshirt. His gaze soon shifted to Jiwan. To be precise, it was fixed on Jiwan’s chest, visible through the robe.