TAF Ch 8

He held a cigarette in his mouth, repeatedly flicking his lighter on and off.

“I knew you’d come straight here.”

“…….”

“You took a longer route than I expected.”

Yeonwoo’s surprise was short-lived. At his cryptic words, he waved his hand dismissively.

“Would you leave? I thought we were done talking.”

“I’m not done at all. Why are you trying to kick me out as soon as you see me?”

“This is my place. Leave.”

“Right, this is Hong Yeonwoo’s place.”

“And put out that cigarette.”

Yeonwoo strode over and snatched the cigarette from Chahyun’s mouth.

“I wasn’t smoking it. You hate it when I smoke inside, so I’ve been holding back.”

“…….”

“I’ve been good, haven’t I? You should praise me.”

Chahyun whined petulantly, his tone incongruous with the situation.

“Are you kidding me? What are you trying to do?”

“You’re not even praising me anymore.”

“Leave while I’m asking nicely. I’m not in the mood to play games with you.”

Looking closely at Chahyun, he was wearing the same clothes he had on when he left for work yesterday. The long coat, the suit, everything was the same.

He’d thought Chahyun had stopped by here before going to work. Had he not slept at all? How long had he been waiting here?

While Yeonwoo was lost in thought, Chahyun’s low voice resonated quietly.

“You know, I thought I knew everything about Hong Yeonwoo. I could tell what you were thinking just by looking at your expression.”

Whether it was the alcohol finally hitting him, or the lack of sleep, Yeonwoo winced at the oncoming headache.

“So I thought, since your pride is hurt because of the marriage, I should try to soothe it. I thought if I appeased you, even if it took time, you would understand.”

Wrong. This wasn’t about pride. It was about trust, loyalty, and respect.

Chahyun had disregarded all of those.

“But you left our home. As if it wasn’t a big deal.”

Click. Click. Chahyun continued, fiddling with his lighter.

“Without even looking back.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I tried to understand that too. You were angry, so it’s understandable that you might lose your composure for a moment. But I thought you’d at least come straight to the officetel.”

“…….”

“But you were planning to sell this place.”

Yeonwoo’s head shot up. A chill ran down his spine.

“How did you…?”

Chahyun knew exactly what he had talked about with the real estate agent just a few minutes ago.

“I thought I knew Hong Yeonwoo inside and out, but I guess I was wrong. You’re doing the complete opposite of what I expected.”

Chahyun tilted his head, still fiddling with his lighter. His words sounded more like a monologue than a conversation.

“So, what’s your point?”

Chahyun took out another cigarette and lit it. After taking a deep drag, he smiled and said,

“I’ll figure you out again, from the beginning. Even the parts I don’t know.”

It was a gentle smile, as if nothing had happened.

“What nonsense are you talking about, Baek Chahyun? We’re not even dating anymore. We broke up! And how did you know I called the real estate agent?”

As Chahyun’s cigarette smoke filled his lungs, Yeonwoo reached his limit.

“Put that out! Go smoke outside! Go to your own house and smoke as much as you want!”

Yeonwoo yelled, furious. He gritted his teeth and pushed hard against Chahyun’s chest.

“We’re strangers now. So don’t ever come into this place again without my permission. Got it?”

Chahyun’s jaw muscles twitched as he was pushed back to the door.

After a moment, he composed himself and spoke calmly.

“We haven’t broken up yet. I haven’t agreed to it. And…”

“What…?”

“Don’t call me first saying you miss me.”

Yeonwoo was enraged by his playful words, so out of place in this situation.

He was about to retort that he would never call him saying he missed him, but Chahyun, who had been stubbornly refusing to leave, turned around and walked out of the officetel on his own.

“Crazy bastard. Crazy asshole… He’s lost it.”

He felt completely sober.

Yeonwoo shuddered and immediately changed the passcode on the door lock and secured the latch, worried that Chahyun might come back.

He hadn’t slept at all, and having yelled at the top of his lungs since morning, his throat was sore. He drank some cold water to quench his thirst, and perhaps because the tension had eased, he felt drowsy.

Yeonwoo quickly showered and changed into fresh clothes. He had some of his old belongings still at the officetel, so he easily found what he needed.

Lying in bed, eyes closed, Yeonwoo went through his worries one by one.

What to do with the cafe, when to move his things out of the apartment, how to get rid of Chahyun if he showed up again like today… There was so much to worry about.

“That asshole…”

He hoped Chahyun wouldn’t continue to act so unreasonably.

Even in his half-asleep, hazy state, Chahyun’s overly calm voice and expression bothered him.

✧✧✧

The alarm woke Yeonwoo. He checked the time; it was 2 PM. Having only slept for three hours since he’d come in this morning, he was still tired.

But he had to get up. He had to go to work at the cafe in the afternoon.

He’d see Chahyun again if he went to work, but he couldn’t just not work. He was at least thankful that he wasn’t in charge of opening today.

While washing his face, Yeonwoo mentally checked off the tasks he needed to do at the cafe. The ordered coffee beans and disposable supplies were arriving today, so he needed to organize them, and dispose of any expired ingredients.

After finishing the urgent tasks, he planned to contact the building manager about selling the cafe.

It would be difficult to close the cafe immediately, but he couldn’t keep seeing Chahyun every day in the same building.

“I have to sort this out.”

Yeonwoo muttered to himself as he got dressed.

Quickly finishing his preparations, he put on his shoes. Thinking he’d call a taxi downstairs since he didn’t have a car, he opened the front door.

“Who are you?”

Two unfamiliar men were standing in front of his door.

They were both large and stood menacingly right in front of Yeonwoo’s officetel door, blocking his way.

“You can’t go outside.”

“Excuse me?”

Not understanding what they meant, Yeonwoo stared at them blankly.

“…This is my place, why can’t I go outside? Is something happening outside?”

“The director has restricted your outings for the time being.”

At the word “director,” Yeonwoo’s face crumpled.

Baek Chahyun, that crazy bastard.

Yeonwoo opened the door wide and glared at the two men.

“I’m leaving my own house, what right do you have to restrict my outings?”

“We apologize. We’ll escort you back inside.”

Instead of answering his question, the two men lifted Yeonwoo and carried him back into the officetel. Yeonwoo struggled in the air.

“Who, who are you! What are you doing, don’t touch me!”

No matter how much he pushed and kicked, the men didn’t budge.

“Let go of me!”

Despite his struggles, Yeonwoo was gently placed back inside the entrance.

He tried a few more times to leave, but he knew he couldn’t take on these men, who were clearly bodyguards, by himself.

Just like that, he was suddenly confined to his officetel.

“Huh… Ha, seriously. Wow, this is crazy.”

He considered trying to escape through another door, but he was on the ninth floor. There was no way out other than the front door.

He even tried calling the police, but they gave him a dismissive response, saying they couldn’t arrest someone for just standing in a public hallway.

He’d already called Chahyun dozens of times. And he hadn’t received a single answer.

“Am I really trapped?”

Baek Chahyun, you crazy bastard. You’re out of your mind. Why are you doing this?

Why has he gone this far? Was it wrong for Yeonwoo to willingly step aside so Chahyun could happily marry someone else?

The commotion that had unfolded since morning was so shocking that it shook his entire value system.

Exhausted after struggling for hours, Yeonwoo finally remembered the cafe and called the part-timer.

—Oh, sir! I heard you weren’t coming in today. I got the message. Get some rest if you’re not feeling well.

That was the response he got. How could the cafe be running smoothly without a word from him, the owner?

But hearing the cheerful voice telling him to rest since the other part-timers were handling everything, he couldn’t bring himself to say, “I’m trapped, get me out of here.”

“The coffee beans are arriving today…”

—Yes! I received them, checked the quantity, and organized everything.

“…….”

—And I also disposed of the expired refrigerated items and syrups.

He was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak. He hurriedly hung up and sat down on the officetel sofa, rubbing his aching head.

He suddenly felt pathetic. Would anyone believe him if he told them what was happening? He didn’t even know how to resolve this situation.

‘Don’t call me first saying you miss me.’

Was that why Chahyun had said that this morning?