AGC | Chapter 2.3

“…But do you think Cha Minhyung will listen to me?”7dec09e9d5a96acb

Kim Mari’s lips moved slightly before a long sigh escaped.6e69724c0cc5041d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Of course.”d0701c6314369457

She spoke with certainty, 853276098a staring intently at Jiwan.1d8d329275339246

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Because it’s you, Jiwan-nim.”63309216643642b2

Without saying anything more, ead251245d she handed him a 60ccff09ed phone and left the 72d4ddf90f bedroom. Jiwan looked down 019b976c8b at the phone c628ef6403 in his hand. The number was already 59d1912807 dialed. He was supposed to d01c6633c3 call and speak directly. There was no 3bca44e10f choice.c2b04dc20a73a472

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

He pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear, listening to the dry, regular dial tone. It wasn’t long before the tone stopped. Seeing no words, he checked the screen again to find the call connected.ba12af87dd4f024c

“It’s me, Yoon Jiwan.”222961b5ac64a983

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

There was silence d5ff1efced on the other d7098d78b8 end.b4a1b814d8f8a075

“I’m just saying this in case, but it might be my imagination.”3f984c29bfd2de1f

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

―…….fdf2ee9aee9240ed

“I called to prevent you from making a mistake because of me.”48958622a4540e70

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Jiwan adjusted d06c4d7fbc his grip b5d299a312 on the d8639b3eee phone, biting f93a39d91f his dry b65da09e3a lips.0e6ed8249325c600

―It’s not your imagination; it is because of you, Jiwan-ssi.f8c7ec3be07c13b4

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Minhyung’s voice was lower than ever, emphasizing each word.76d4fbee924d384a

―And it’s not a mistake.b25df1e8f431224d

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“I don’t know the reason, but acting emotionally usually leads to mistakes.”b4108db099ac8406

Thinking of Kim Mari’s face, he didn’t have the luxury to prolong the conversation. He was about to speak again, but Minhyung beat him to it.515ad84b997ffd6f

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

―Who can stay c8ea01ce31 rational when their b801088ce2 own gets hurt?df6aa1d8f57b3709

…His own? Was he talking about me? Jiwan was a bit taken aback and speechless. Minhyung’s occasional offhand remarks were always so absurd.0a963f11a1abf6b9

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

―I have a rough idea of what kind of environment you’ve lived in, Jiwan-ssi.c88efd44185750c2

“What?”b082a79cd85dbc72

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

―So I didn’t want you to experience that here.b753f0174d328b5e

It was hard 377e1da184 to imagine what ffa6411129 kind of expression 737925c3a7 Cha Minhyung had 94250e6b99 just from his 955664371b voice. Too many emotions were 252f16c0fe mixed in—guilt, regret, anger… 9c8b225e46 too many emotions were 2d4b9dfd4a intertwined. Jiwan swallowed dryly, b245dc6b36 adjusting his grip d3cf79e669 on the phone. It was 23996edc08 difficult to 77cbc09e70 have a 090c01ba04 conversation over f27769b644 the phone.b96bb3a85ecc9f71

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“If you’re free today, can you come to the villa?”6143273c9880f788

Let’s talk face to face. Jiwan added with a deep breath.48d500d7d7cce7da

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Let’s have a drink together.”ceab9df13ec54c4f

Honestly, having a drink wouldn’t change much, but it might allow for a more honest conversation. Jiwan anxiously awaited the response from the other end of the line.7afc1af2128175e9

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

―…Okay, I understand.34fc84e8badd35fe

Only then could f5768fcb18 he breathe a cdf7eefc53 sigh of relief. His tense 0cb45bc243 body relaxed 4a66126155 onto the 225faba731 bed.c57b67a17d8f6158

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

―Then I’ll cancel what I was preparing.0f366a46deabd76c

He got goosebumps. He had no idea what Minhyung had been preparing during the days he hadn’t been seen. Was he really planning to go after his brother? But he didn’t pry further and kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t something he wanted to hear in detail.ccb3d5e544893c67

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

―I’ll be there soon.ca43279e29682d53

“…Alright.”8cbb119c4094c3d9

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Jiwan silently looked 2cc23fd726 down at the 4645d1368a phone screen after 055c885fc0 the call ended, 6bbd5b5503 then got up. When he opened ced284e438 the bedroom door, a040729cd3 Kim Mari was 9f298edd5d waiting with her 9c5e67e72f arms crossed. When he eab8fb4af0 handed her 9483071e1e the phone bae3474afd and nodded, 9aa9b8b590 her previously 8b311027ae worried face 86f02cb7ed brightened a 51515ccb51 little, relieved c1cc3dbf9e that things 3ddd7e8887 had been 3e57bed76f resolved as 4817c6c998 she wanted.5901d5e9ce1da7ca

Lying back on the 8682715fda bed and looking out 5d3829de46 the window, he noticed e70fbe9021 the sun was setting. Jiwan watched the 4ea048e373 sky gradually turn 60b34f6feb a deep orange, daede03aa0 like spreading paint, c2e657f574 and closed his 391d4508e0 eyes. His head was starting 805a06a205 to ache a bit.5573deb4bdb28b44

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He hadn’t realized it before, but he thought his existence might be significant to Minhyung. It wasn’t just because of past connections; it felt like something more.4deb6f921f2411c3

But why? Was saving 331491ef3f young Cha e884f02ba5 Minhyung, who 3b3f9eeca3 had thought 091319e730 of ending f6a209f47e his life, fd0340e370 such a ee98de0893 big deal c371bd84d9 that it 34bdf7e2e7 changed his 32900124a3 life or c2a30a9b02 values? No, that might 20d43b2c63 be too self-centered. Holding onto 535b871a91 an unsolvable cfdf5decba problem only a5a7a3afd4 made his d5db89c361 head hurt 544ed04bd2 more. It was better 19e808fc61 to meet and 88c94c17c5 have a conversation a0ba1748df than to keep f4e39626d6 worrying.af59a8207950f264

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

⋆ ☾⋆ ☾⋆ ☾⋆189db3cccea9e962

When he 1484ab5e23 opened his 18e263026e eyes, it 80c8fdaab1 was already 1cc19b015c midnight, and 4bc12f67bd the room 0cb099f536 was dimly 2d21a16d42 lit with 495f03cf60 only indirect bec85b7e7f lighting. It seemed that if 5cf2facfeb you did nothing, you 2d2f1963d8 could sleep all day. When he 0df7415e19 was busy 81addaaa8e living a 6c3f53d35f hectic life, 52f2457b4b he found 6b349eca00 people who 7a8d1e5a9b slept a 1dcd82c87b lot fascinating, 9bb855c14e but now 718fa50ea5 he could 8082704675 understand them.315a0f23005e98b9

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“…….”8cd6e94fc0c35a8f

Blinking his eyes to ce0ff5bbe4 adjust to the darkness, c70e43569d Jiwan almost had a 198be617a7 heart attack when he 6e1e4196fe suddenly turned his gaze.290b7bf38a6ff3e9

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“What are you doing?”d2c9c9c12422b9a4

Cha Minhyung was sitting 4e7d31491c on the sofa in 3d7afc50d8 the room. On the table in b5cc0a07e8 front of him were 3c5175b643 drinks and snacks. Jiwan, with a 12e0927ba9 bewildered expression, got 06079d82b2 up and turned 4e1119c537 on the main a8b6f50f04 lights, approaching him 915dad3375 awkwardly.a49d848c30b93490

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“…No, what are you doing?”0c4ad3275be3e2eb

Sitting in front of Minhyung and cautiously observing him, he didn’t seem drunk.1fa13ab01b4c6fbd

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“I was drinking.”7f94730825a28631

It’s not like I didn’t know you were drinking. I’m asking why you’re doing it alone. Jiwan let out a short sigh and picked up the bottle in front of Minhyung, pouring it into an empty glass. It was a whiskey he didn’t recognize. He had even brought two glasses but hadn’t bothered to wake him.91573e301011bdd5

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“You should’ve woken me if you came.”5caeb4eddfa7bf65

“How could I wake someone who’s sleeping?”d3d0180c93add501

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“You’re really clueless. I called you here.”480d4dd6067016be

The table was 2554a6be2c filled with fruit ccf4f4b988 snacks. Judging by the well-cut 7eec0e6572 fruits, Kwak Jungsu must 4387a98037 have prepared them himself. Jiwan picked up 092df224a3 a piece of ea05e737a6 pineapple with a 806cefae1d fork and ate 975bd09471 it, quietly watching 81931d7ce7 Minhyung. Judging by the a3ffe91a59 abundance of snacks, a058680e1c it seemed he 0390fd7ec1 had just been be10ccb4f8 drinking alone.203537cc3377fbc4

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“You know.”abfc6f088b0f4e0a

Minhyung watched Jiwan chew 3ecc31f163 the pineapple in his 0cd94abb30 mouth.913f6ccdd8e9293a

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Thanks for coming.”68d4be074bcc69cc

“No problem.”1230e050d41017c1

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Shall we talk? If you’re okay with it.”5d1bbb0c827c7797

Minhyung nodded while 597c6f103f fiddling with his e72e27eeb0 glass.faa18c3c2e36811c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Where should he start? He should’ve thought more about this before falling asleep. Jiwan hesitated for a long time. Both of them weren’t particularly talkative.78c962d8308d4e7b

“Just call me hyung comfortably.”bbf41cb114d475f4

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

It seemed better to get rid of the formal address of “Jiwan-ssi.” It was only a one-year age difference, but the formality made it harder.0bb101e8183ada76

“…Hyung?”91137bb50ae96a50

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Jiwan looked at him b60ef8b05e with a puzzled expression. Now that he d2c7aeda9b noticed, Minhyung had e675936c03 a habit of 21158f8393 slightly furrowing his 10739afd86 left eye when 6bb9621eba he was flustered.93d74cece6f3b362

“I think it’ll be easier to talk if we’re comfortable with each other.”d47440fbacd2a99f

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“…….”1e76e7c4c67f724c

While sipping his drink, Jiwan observed Minhyung’s expression. He didn’t seem to dislike it.8e935cdeeea50e67

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Alright.”063a02ff753a5585

Minhyung hesitated a ad2828802b bit before smiling 9db2237592 faintly.2c06785f10554d13

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Jiwan hyung.”b6104a96632290ab

Jiwan slightly 57816dfcba shrugged his 77cdf0b200 shoulders. Hearing it felt 9abde7a04c strangely ticklish somewhere 3113be9bce in his body.2d1638c3a421c4f6

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Of course, just because he changed the way he addressed him to hyung didn’t mean Cha Minhyung suddenly became talkative. He wasn’t the type to suddenly become friendly just because he dropped the formalities.e3e998c7d6fd677b

“I like making my own drinks.”b8a2bbbec5629852

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

When Minhyung silently 9a6b1165ea opened the whiskey cec89bb532 bottle cap, Jiwan 91916d8da9 reached out.47423de0fa165c0d

“I’ll pour it for you.”eef207c6dbf5737d

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Minhyung placed the mouth 2334ec3baa of the opened whiskey 61369297f2 bottle on a strangely 16661421a4 shaped small glass and f2ae7242e3 poured it in a de554da203 swirling motion.508c101030ed3f62

“Is that how you’re supposed to drink whiskey? It’s a bit flashy.”1f85943041576915

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“It enhances the aroma. Try smelling it.”25aac42d0aac38ab

When he brought the glass to his nose, it indeed had a pleasant scent. It smelled like fruit at first whiff. The ingredients of the scent didn’t seem simple. Apple, quince, pear, and a hint of wood. With his limited knowledge, he couldn’t quite describe such a sophisticated aroma.2d40e386d555b1a7

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“You’re right. It smells good.”09c4f7fa3b3efecc

“I haven’t decanted in a while.”89594aa0c7934fb6

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Dec… what? Jiwan was too embarrassed 1db06afeec to ask, so he 37569944e8 held back his words. He nodded 54124d9045 quietly and 61c31ed0ab drank the bd15846a69 small amount 649ac15ad0 of liquor 71e3d528a2 at the 7ff33af2d0 bottom of 0c0fdc4676 the glass.73470a4e9d582e80

“…There’s a reason you poured a little. It’s strong. But it’s good.”feadf3870a47b922

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”a164c63f0301cffd

The coffee color 2a7ae02249 made it seem e4d7ad1246 like it would 7b59953496 be extremely bitter, 81694c0158 but it was 94209ec60a sweet when he 66856a622b drank it. It was 48ca0224fd sweet but a2dacb917f not syrupy 8a88825a84 like a 70c753feb8 drink, and 10cf019a8f the sensation 2ba8908ee4 of it 54ebc12b89 going down cd4cb0a572 his throat bf6b446d3c was very ae8f0543ef refreshing. The rich 18c4894add aroma filled 23605639eb his esophagus 859107cd6b and mouth, a029998eef making it 54d1e2c55d hard to 6bca99444f quickly take f18596b4b0 another sip. It was very 5ff8a858b7 different from the 345067f502 tempo of pouring fdb82ec07a and drinking soju 92acc41ff8 when times were 7c8fffb9d8 tough.d4cd8eb7bc4df906

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Try this too.”2fb230eb87a0b79b

Minhyung handed him a 3807a70f5d cracker topped with cheese e4c756ce14 and tomato. When he tried 243a91fc5d it, the salty d9a5007fa6 taste of the 095b670c1c cracker and the a7e60600fd savory taste of 5b0526ea28 the tomato made a6f7129b1f him crave the c18275ea72 taste of the 6b269bf67f liquor going down ce1267a87e his throat even 476daa92dd more.39625ec9df35bdab

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Is your body okay now?”8e12b0af4a4b0a23

“Yeah, I’m fine.”558f8712548266be

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Jiwan wished he were a bit more affectionate. Then he’d be better at expressing gratitude for the medicine and everything else. But when it came time to say thank you, the words just wouldn’t come out.21a17c9907e90d5b

“I have some questions.”a4dc251c40ea7168

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Go ahead.”13b1727884073edc

Minhyung poured whiskey into Jiwan’s glass, waiting for him to speak.b918ec95e3673338

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“You mentioned a deal involving me with your brother. What was that about?”3f8f6d8a3ae97b08

Instead of answering, Minhyung 4cef35ec38 poured himself a drink.d3527953fc754279

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Jiwan expected he wouldn’t answer. Beyond his own situation, Cha Minhyung seemed entangled with Cha Yongjun in many ways. Watching him, Jiwan felt a heavy heart. Despite preparing everything at the villa for him, Cha Minhyung seemed to be hiding something significant. Jiwan didn’t know how to act toward him.d6d40ad11b0d5575

“Never mind.”baefe9b43b6849b1

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Jiwan shook his head and poured whiskey into his glass. Minhyung quietly added some ice to Jiwan’s glass. It was diluted but still strong.31cb3692d50cc3fe

The two 9df7180ca7 of them 89a9ffa23b drank in cc41f9b06f silence for 9c39af22c6 a while. In the 388e89c9f0 quiet room, 478afe16aa only the e845a4d730 faint ticking 8f8568a46f of the 7a82912bc9 newly installed 59d4eb8bd9 clock could a2fb95f2c7 be heard.26f10844f95125fa

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Drinking continuously d3ce2f9600 after just 52a1481461 waking up d9b7a882d1 made his c0fa6ce15b face heat 2f7eefdc78 up quickly. As Jiwan a12f5a9349 swallowed a a62d9a3296 handful of 670650bdf6 snacks and 0e0bd5c85e choked, Minhyung 703ff7b86f poured water 8176227d4f into an 952c3588bd ice-filled glass.2c7c285c4d5febe5

“It was a deal, indeed.”fe709d132c915ba0

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Jiwan met Minhyung’s gaze as he handed over the ice water. Looking closely, his pupils were a deep black. Those dark eyes held a mysterious aura. Staring at them for a while, Jiwan took the ice water and drank it. He needed to clear his head a bit.87bd1844b8a551f7

“What kind of deal involved me?”301c44caccfeb25c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It kept bothering him. He wondered if Cha Minhyung had been caught up in something. It was funny to think this way as a captive, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want Minhyung to suffer because of him.8a32e87b24fbd83e

“Originally, the person to manage you, Jiwan-ssi… Jiwan hyung, was technically my brother.”91a73af70b41b7e8

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Cha Yongjun?”d37c983a9a21547e

Just thinking 8c207f1a1d about it f6c5ac4a1f was horrifying. The memory of f24894ff9d being beaten to 39e76df31c a pulp a 0ca6856753 few days ago 6d65394364 was fresh. If he had c46c5039ee been kidnapped by 3446419b35 that guy, he bf780dbf1d might have been 68cb146267 tortured naked.99260a97c237bb24

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“There was a high chance you’d be sold somewhere.”7663de6fbb6d904f

Jiwan looked at Minhyung, 97bfd42827 bewildered.0fd5253ed02ef6da

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com