DTL Ch 7 part 1

PR by neji

“The construction of the Superior floor is scheduled to begin next week. We plan on raising partitions to suppress the noise, but in order to avoid any further complaints, we are thinking about reducing the room fees by ten percent.”

“So are you basically telling them to keep their mouths shut in exchange for lowering the room fees?”

SeonJae clicked his mouse as he absentmindedly asked the question to a flustered Section Chief Han.

“Do you think our guests’ expectations will go down if we merely lower the prices? The shoes you’re wearing right now… How much are they, Section Chief Han?” 

“Sorry?”

Section Chief Han began to sweat as he looked down at his shoes. His brows furrowed as he stared at his spotless, brand-name shoes.

“Let’s say those shoes are on sale and ten percent off. I’m sure there’s no way that would happen, but let’s just say that the company’s marketing team has lost their minds and decided to put them on sale. If you happen to find a flaw with the shoes, are you going to refrain from making a complaint? Ah, I guess you might stay silent. Maybe you’d be embarrassed that you bought a brand-name item when it was on sale. As if you were a person who didn’t have money and jumped at the opportunity…”

“……”

“If they make a complaint, we should be grateful. It’s a chance for us to recover their trust. The worst-case scenario would be if the guest just ran off without a word. And what would happen then? The company that was once known to be a brand-name company would merely be reduced to trash. Ah, I should have just spent a little more money and bought the other brand-name product. Like that.”

Click. SeonJae clicked his mouse again as he continued.

“Then that would become even more troublesome. Those kinds of people are quite talkative. They can be quite scary once they hone in on the fact that there is a sale. Do you understand?”

“Ah, yes…”

Section Chief Han reached into his back pocket and began to wipe away the sweat on his neck with his handkerchief.

“What do you think we should do to prevent this situation, Section Chief Han?”

SeonJae never took his eyes off of his large computer monitor as he asked.

‘So what do you want me to do about it, you bastard?!’

Whether he was aware of the words that Section Chief Han wanted to scream out or not, SeonJae merely looked at his monitor in bewilderment as he continued to click his mouse. Section Chief Han pondered the question before finally opening his mouth.

“If you’d only give us your permission, we can just empty the floor below the construction. We’ll make sure that the construction is completed within a week without any hiccups.”

“Is that all?”

“As a Christmas special package, we will arrange for welcome drinks in the suites of the top floor including a five-course meal at Restaurant Innis. We will use this package to make up for the loss of shutting down a floor.”

SeonJae finally tore his gaze off of the computer monitor and glanced at Section Chief Han.

“All right. Proceed with what you just told me.”

Whew. Section Chief Han let out a sigh of relief. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he spoke.

“Sir, Secretary Seo has been asking this for a while now, but… he’s wondering what your decision is in regards to the wedding bands. If you don’t make a decision quickly, it’ll be hard to adjust the size later…”

Now that he thought about it, the wedding was in three weeks. This autumn had felt incredibly short. He noticed that the weather was growing colder, but before he knew it, it was already December. SeonJae turned back to his computer monitor and answered absentmindedly.

“Secretary Seo has the catalog, so can you pick something, Section Chief Han?”

“What? Ah… But I don’t really know what the bride will like…”

“Just pick something. Seeing as how you’ve picked such nice shoes, I don’t think you have bad taste.”

Section Chief Han wasn’t sure if this was a compliment or contempt. All he knew was that he wanted to ram these shoes into Min SeonJae’s face right now. Instead, he lowered his head.

Click.

When the door closed, SeonJae’s piercing eyes focused on the monitor. He placed his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. His brows slightly furrowed.

He planned on replacing that woman’s junk car this time. That tiny car wasn’t very secure, just like the alleyways surrounding her workspace. But if he bought her a car that was too big, she’d have trouble driving it. He had never struggled over what to get someone like this before.

He planned on proposing to her today. He was going to ask her to continue living with him like this. It was no different from a proposal of marriage. He’d build a house with an attached workspace, and he planned on having her move in. The office apartment was too small to hold all of her things.

He wanted to raise a guard dog in the yard of the house. It would be better than the damn black cat that only hissed whenever a stranger appeared. Instead, he’d raise the guard dog from when it was young to keep any strangers away when he wasn’t home. The more he thought about it, the more his lips stretched into a smile. He felt really good about this.

After making an appointment at a car dealership, SeonJae ended the call. It was already almost six. He had dinner plans with her at seven. If he wanted to pick up the car, he’d have to leave now.

The woman protested, saying that she had already bought a VIP ticket to a musical for herself, but he stubbornly made a reservation at a restaurant anyway. They needed to make a toast on a day like this.

“The recipient of this gift will be very happy.”

Looking at the VIP car dealer bow through the rearview mirror, SeonJae happily drove the car away.

After reading YeonJung’s message saying that she’d come directly from her workspace, SeonJae arrived at the restaurant and was guided to his seat by the manager. This was a new restaurant founded by a Michelin two-star chef. And just as expected, it was packed even though it was a weekday. 

“Sorry, excuse me.”

A man in a wheelchair apologized as he made his way to the bathroom. Because the entryway was narrow, SeonJae moved to the side. The man nodded his head at him before continuing on his way. SeonJae nodded back before sitting down at his table. YeonJung arrived about fifteen minutes later.

“You’re late.”

When he saw her looking around at the entrance of the restaurant, SeonJae raised his hand and waved at her. With the cold air still wrapped around her coat, she sat down at the table with a pout. 

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m… jus’… hun…gry.”

She pouted again as she placed her cell phone on the table. She was wearing a white knit top with black hearts printed all over it. It was such a ridiculous outfit, but he couldn’t help but grin when he saw it.

“I knew you’d be, so I went ahead and ordered for us. Do you want some beer?”

Seeing her nod immediately, SeonJae swallowed back another laugh. She began to gulp down the beer that was quickly served to them. After a few gulps, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand. It was like watching a small herbivore. She was so cute. He wanted to bite down on those lips that reminded him of a squirrel. Instead, SeonJae raised his glass of wine to his lips and took a sip.

He had also reserved a suite at a nearby hotel. Since today was a special day, he wanted to make it special for her. First, they’d have dinner. Then he’d embrace her in a new location. Just the thought of it made him grow hard.

“Serious…ly, why is… your… person-ality… soh… nah-sty?”

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

Instead of answering him, she searched for something on her phone before holding it up to him. It was the confirmation page for the musical ticket she had purchased. He took the phone out of her hand and flipped it down next to him.

“You can see it next time. Today, you’ll have dinner with me.”

He heard her grumble, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying, so he decided to ignore it. When the appetizers were served, she told him she was going to the bathroom to wash her hands. Her lips were still pouting.

Wondering why she was so upset about missing a musical, SeonJae took her phone and unlocked it. He was going to memorize the title and buy another ticket for her.

Was the great Min SeonJae now being considerate of the deaf woman’s hobbies? He thought to himself as he checked the musical’s title. He saw the meticulous screenshots of the seat number and even the location of the handicapped parking spot. SeonJae’s fingers swiped across the screen.

When he came across pictures of her, his lips slightly tilted up. They were recent photos that she had taken with people she worked with. He swiped to the side as he continued to look through them. There were also pictures of her constructing the flower arch for the YoungJin wedding. He even saw photos of the restaurant opening that took place on the day she had gotten a flat tire.

One by one, SeonJae sent the photos to his own phone as he chuckled. Suddenly, his finger froze when he came to one photo. SeonJae’s face hardened.

She was around twenty years old. Standing in front of a worn-down church, the woman was wearing a flower crown on top of her bobbed hair and a white dress. She was smiling brightly at the camera.

The flowers in her hand were obviously a bouquet. The woman wasn’t the only one in the photo. There was a man in a wheelchair in front of her. Wearing a tuxedo, he was tightly grasping the woman’s hand on his shoulder.

There was a simple silver band on their left hands. Suddenly, everything grew silent. SeonJae’s mouth ran dry.

‘I’ve been married before.’

She definitely told him this. Or did she write it down on a screen? But that wasn’t important right now. The woman wasn’t bluffing. She had truly been married before.

SeonJae drew in a deep breath and unconsciously bit his lip. His eyes were wide open as he glared down at the phone. The woman in the photo was definitely the woman he knew. She looked as if she had the world in her hands. As if there were only the two of them in the world. One hand was on his wheelchair and the other was holding his hand. They were holding onto each other as if they couldn’t bear to be apart. SeonJae felt as if he had been hit in the back of the head.

“Fuck…”

A curse burst out as he chewed on his lips. She had really been married. Lee YeonJung. As a disabled person… with a disabled man. Damn it.

The puzzle pieces finally clicked. He finally realized why she had been a virgin despite being married before. As a man bound to a wheelchair, he wouldn’t have been able to perform. That’s why Lee YeonJung had never experienced what it was like to be with a man.

But seeing their happy faces on the screen made his chest fill with rage. He wanted to kill the woman for keeping this photo saved on her phone all this time. He wasn’t sure what this feeling was.

SeonJae glared down at the phone. He wanted to scream, but he barely managed to hold it in. He couldn’t hear anything around him. All he could hear was his heart racing inside his chest. He drew in another breath. All reason left his head.

‘It’s all in the past.’

He didn’t want to become a man who was so narrow-minded that he couldn’t get over a woman’s past.

The heating in the restaurant was so well done that he was growing too warm. Sweat began to drip down his back. Feeling as if his whole body was covered in sweat, goosebumps began to rise on SeonJae’s skin. His hands were damp as well. SeonJae suddenly stood up. Making sure that he wasn’t walking too fast, he focused on remaining steady as he made his way to the bathroom.

Whoosh—.

He turned on the faucet and glared at his reflection in the mirror. He drew in a deep breath and thought to himself. 

‘It’s already over. Whatever she did in her past, it doesn’t matter now. Min SeonJae. Don’t be so obvious. Just get over it.’

He shook the water off and held his hands under the dryer until it was perfectly dry. His mouth was still dry, but he adjusted his expression as he stepped out of the bathroom when he heard…

“You’re still the same as ever.”

He ended up halting in the narrow hallway. As if her feet were nailed to the floor at the entrance of the restaurant, YeonJung stood still and didn’t move at all.

While a god did not exist in this world, SeonJae felt as if the devil definitely did. If not for that, why was the man with the wheelchair in the photo now before his very eyes? What kind of damned coincidence was this?

‘Now, Min SeonJae. What are you going to do?’

He felt as if the devil was cackling at him. SeonJae’s clenched fists began to tremble. Suddenly, a woman who had finished paying at the register approached them and put her hands on the wheelchair handles.

“Ah, say hello, honey. She’s the friend I spoke about before. Lee YeonJung.”

The woman next to the man looked up and smiled. YeonJun’s face was now completely blank. It was almost as if she had lost consciousness or as if she had been completely stupefied.

SeonJae’s thick brows twitched. She didn’t see him at all. Just as she struggled to open her mouth, the woman standing next to the wheelchair confidently held out her hand for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you.”

SeonJae was momentarily glad she was not able to hear. The woman’s voice held a hint of jealousy. He was glad YeonJung couldn’t hear the slight derision in her voice. However, SeonJae was filled with anger.

“Ah… Hel…Hello…”

SeonJae walked over to her. He snatched her trembling wrist as she held it up to the woman. Her eyes were wet with tears as she finally looked up at him. Her eyes shook, not knowing what to do. The world she saw through these eyes didn’t have him in it.

This woman was shaken. Seeing her ex-husband and her lover in the same room had shaken her world. SeonJae bit down on his lip before spitting out his order.

“Shut your mouth. Don’t speak.”

Blocking her inarticulate speech, SeonJae glared at the people standing in front of him. The man in the wheelchair looked up at him and opened his mouth.

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

SeonJae wanted to run over to that man, grab him by the neck, and hurl him to the ground.

Who am I? That’s what I want to ask you. Who are you to look at her with eyes like that? SeonJae wanted to shout at him. This woman is mine. From the top of her head to the tip of her toes. His hands had touched every nook and cranny of her body, so stop looking at her with lingering eyes. 

“Let’s go.”

Ignoring the man’s question, he grabbed her arm as she stood still, not knowing what to do. His eyes didn’t hide the boiling rage within his heart.

“Wai…Wait… SeonJae-shi…”

She did her best to resist him. SeonJae grit his teeth and murmured to her.

“I don’t have the kind of personality where I can greet your ex-husband in a friendly manner. Don’t you know that by now? Just shut your mouth and come with me before we make a commotion.”

Seeing her eyes widen, SeonJae pulled even harder at her hand.

“Please do not treat YeonJung so roughly. She’s innocent.”

The man in the wheelchair’s voice was steady and bold. However, the eyes of the woman standing next to him slightly trembled.

SeonJae, who was dragging YeonJung back to their table, suddenly stopped. A laugh burst out from his lips. The wheelchair-bound man was telling him what to do.

With another woman by his side, he dared to look at his woman with those eyes? Anger burst forth from deep within him and began to rage throughout his body. SeonJae continued to chuckle.

“I wonder. I personally haven’t experienced the innocence of this woman. Ah, maybe you don’t know since your body is in that state, but this woman can be quite amazing in bed.”

The woman you couldn’t have ended up in my arms. I’ve embraced her countless times. Touched her, kissed her, thrust myself within her. Their bodies had crashed together as they gasped for breath all night long. He wanted to let the man know. SeonJae felt that it was the only way this strange sense of defeat would go away. SeonJae arrogantly looked down at the man in the wheelchair.

“SeonJae-shi…”

YeonJung called out his name as she yanked on the hem of his clothes. However, he didn’t stop talking. The words left his mouth before he could process them.

“I’ll take care of my woman, so you should focus on the person next to you. I’m not sure if you’re married or if she’s just your nurse, but mind your own business. As the woman who helps you around with that body of yours, don’t you think she deserves better?”

“Listen here, watch what you say.”

“It’s all right, Sujin.”

SeonJae saw the woman grab the wheelchair as her lips trembled, but SeonJae felt as if he couldn’t truly see anything. His mouth continued to move, and his words continued to pierce. Even as he was dragging everyone down, he still didn’t feel refreshed. The resentment wouldn’t go away. He was so angry that it was difficult to breathe.

“Mommy, Daddy!”

A small child of age four or five came out of the bathroom and ran over to the wheelchair. The child resembled the man too much to say that he wasn’t his biological son.

SeonJae’s face twisted. He had a son. He thought the man wasn’t able to function sexually, but that wasn’t true. Had medicine developed this much nowadays? Everything just pissed him off.

He had a kid even though he was in a wheelchair. Then what had he been to Lee YeonJung? Ex-husband? Lover? Roommates? Their happy faces from the photo were embedded into his brain and wouldn’t go away.

“Wuju-shi…”

YeonJung’s tearful voice called out as she stared at the happy family of three. SeonJae’s frown deepened.

He finally realized why he was so angry. It was because of Lee YeonJung, who was completely shaken to the core. She wasn’t paying any attention to him. Her eyes were on the verge of tears as she looked at the man with such an earnest expression.

“YeonJung, I’m okay.”

The man gave her a warm smile. The comedy of this situation wasn’t lost on SeonJae. He felt as if he were shooting a makjang drama. He clenched his fist and began to grind his teeth.

“Don’t call out the name of another man’s woman, you bastard.”

When a curse finally burst out through SeonJae’s lips, the woman quickly covered the ears of the child. The woman’s eyes were filled with contempt. The man in the wheelchair spoke in a bold voice.

“I’m only saying this because you’re with YeonJung. Why don’t you show her some respect when you’re with her in public? YeonJung isn’t the type of woman you can treat so harshly.”

“I told you to shut up. Who are you to blabber about this woman?”

“YeonJung is an amazing woman who deserves respect. Even if you spend a short amount of time with her, you can tell. Haven’t you noticed this yet?”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not a man with such a magnanimous heart that I can exchange friendly greetings with my woman’s ex-husband. So if you’re done, get lost.”

SeonJae didn’t want to be the first to leave. His pride wouldn’t allow it. Although she did nothing wrong, the woman next to him was trembling like a child who was getting disciplined. He didn’t want to see it. He didn’t want to leave this situation with his tail between his legs like a loser.

The woman grasped the hem of his clothes. He didn’t like the way her hands were shaking. He turned and gazed at her face. She had grown very pale and was on the verge of tears. Her eyes were pleading with him. She had just run into her past lover and his new family. She looked pitiful.

“Min SeonJae-ssi. Are you going to marry YeonJung?”

“What?”

Although he had never introduced himself, the man seemed to know his name. SeonJae’s brows twisted once more. The man knew who he was. Did he also know that he was engaged to the youngest daughter of the Samil Group? SeonJae’s guess was correct. While the man’s tone of voice was polite, it held a hint of criticism.

“If you don’t plan on marrying YeonJung, please stop hurting her. Please don’t make YeonJung live as a hidden woman. She isn’t someone who deserves to live like that.”

“What’s with this bastard? I said shut your mouth!”

SeonJae couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed the man by his collar. YeonJung finally screamed out.

“St..St-ahp!”

YeonJung trembled as she held onto SeonJae. The man in the wheelchair glanced at her over the frame of his glasses before grabbing the hand of the woman standing behind him.

“Let’s head out, Sujin.”

“Okay.”

The man spoke sweetly to his wife. The woman began to push the wheelchair out the door. The young child grabbed onto his mother’s clothes as he ran out with them.

“I… I’m soh-rry, Wuju-shi.”

“Shut up.”

SeonJae warned the woman as she cried out, but the woman’s eyes remained glued on the other man. SeonJae was nowhere in her gaze. He had disappeared from her sight.

“…I’m real…ly… soh-rry… hic…”

She continued to apologize. Seeing her cry out like a child as she gazed at another man, SeonJae felt as if someone was smashing his head with a baseball bat. He felt as if someone was stomping on him from head to toe.

“I said shut your mouth, Lee YeonJung!”

As he raised his voice, one of the employees approached them. Before the wheelchair-bound man departed, he turned around and looked at YeonJung. He began to move his hands as he relayed a message to her, but SeonJae couldn’t understand what he was saying. It was sign language.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t enter her world. And yet this man was currently speaking to her in a language no one else understood. A tear trickled down her cheek. SeonJae couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed her by the arm as he shouted at her.

“What is he saying? Fuck, what is that bastard telling you right now?!”

“Sir, please don’t do this here.”

“Tell me! Tell me, Lee YeonJung. What is that bastard saying to you right now?! Tell me!”

The doors closed and the family disappeared. Two employees ran towards them. Unable to remain standing, YeonJung fell to the ground and began to weep.

“M-Mommy, why does that unnie’s voice sound weird?”

Shh, they could hear someone shushing their child nearby. All eyes were now on them. People began to murmur. When their eyes met, they’d quickly turn their heads away. SeonJae felt as if he’d hit rock bottom.

What a comedy. He knew how comical he seemed in their eyes as he fought with a deaf woman. His entire body was damp with sweat. Although he hadn’t eaten anything, he felt like throwing up.

“Let’s go.”

SeonJae grabbed her wrist and pulled. She resisted, but he began to drag her outside. He threw his wallet at an employee who didn’t seem to know what to do and exited through the doors. He opened his car door and threw her inside. YeonJung began to writhe as she pushed against his chest.

“Huuu!”

Tears poured out of her eyes. She was biting her lips and her body was shaking as she wept. A fire raged inside his chest. It was as if a volcano of anger had erupted within him. He painfully squeezed her shoulders as he shook her.

“Why are you crying, Lee YeonJung! Did someone die? What are you so sad about? Why are you crying?!”

“Wuu…. Huu…”

“What? Did you want to share a loving hug with your ex-husband? Are you sad because you didn’t get to do that?”

“….hic… Huu….”

SeonJae suddenly burst into laughter.

“I didn’t think you were really married before. Haha, what, did you two elope and fail? Ha. I’m sure you two suited each other. One person is deaf while the other can’t use his legs. What a perfect combination.”

Smack—.

His head flung to the side. His cheek was on fire. SeonJae’s eyes narrowed into slits.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Doh-Don’t… speak like… that…”

Although he was the one in the right, her face had become as white as a sheet. After slapping SeonJae’s cheek, her small hand lowered and began to tremble. SeonJae didn’t pay it any mind and lowered his head towards hers.

“Am I wrong? Two retards made a retard out of me. Did you expect me to speak gracefully in this situation?”

The woman closed her eyes. Tears doused her eyelashes before trickling down her face. He grasped her slender shoulders and shook.

“Open your eyes! I’m not done talking!”

Veins were bulging on SeonJae’s hands. Look at me like you looked at him. Don’t look anywhere else and only look at me. He wanted to scream out to her.

What did you do with that bastard? Did you make him lose his mind as you did with me?

It didn’t matter. He’d forgive her for anything she did with that wheelchair-bound man, so he wanted her to forget about that man and only look at him. Open your eyes and look at me.

“Wuu… let gooo!”

YeonJung escaped his grasp and quickly walked over to the street. She walked out onto the four-lane road. Cars began to honk loudly as they quickly decelerated.

“Stop! Lee YeonJung!”

The woman continued to walk as if she didn’t see any of the cars. She didn’t stop walking. It was dangerous. Seeing a large truck barely miss her fragile body, SeonJae began to race towards her.

“Lee YeonJung! Stop right there!”

He did his best to grab her, but a taxi stopped in front of him. The driver lowered the window and screamed at him.

“You crazy bastard! Do you want to die?!”

“Lee YeonJung! Stop right there!”

He screamed out at the woman with all his might, but it didn’t matter. She managed to catch a bus that had stopped at the bus stop ahead and quickly got on. Left all alone in the middle of the road, SeonJae began to laugh.

The sky was filled with the colors of the sunset. An autumn rain began to fall and douse his surroundings. He continued to stand in the middle of the busy road. The rain drenched his expensive suit. A driver shouted out at him.

“Hey! You crazy bastard! If you wanna die, do it somewhere else…”

SeonJae flipped the man off. The man got out of his car and began walking towards him. SeonJae flung his fist into the man’s face. Their bodies fell onto the wet asphalt. He got on top of the stranger’s body and began to punch him like a madman. The shitty rain falling down from the sky continued to drench him from head to toe.