Whisper Chapter 5

“No. I’m not a ‘baby.'”

 

At the touch pressing against her crown, Lee Heewoo’s shoulders instinctively hunched.

 

“Cha Gyeol.”  

 

“What?”  

 

“That’s my name.”  

 

“Oh, so your name is…?”

 

Cha Gyeol. Beautiful. Lee Heewoo softly repeated the guest’s name under her breath, and the hand that had been pressing against her crown withdrew.

 

“Can you call me by it?”  

 

“……”

 

Her large eyes darted around so rapidly that it seemed one could almost hear the sound of marbles rolling.

 

“Um, well, uh, that’s a bit…”  

 

“See? That’s what I mean. It’s the same as me knowing your name is Lee Heewoo but not being able to call you by it.”

 

Not “unable,” but “unwilling.”

 

A slight furrow formed between Lee Heewoo’s brows. What? That seems right, but it also feels off. Is that even the same thing? She tilted her head in confusion.

 

“Kiddo.”

 

Lee Heewoo glanced up with her eyes, silently signaling “yes.”

 

“Want to come with me?”

 

The words slipped impulsively from Cha Gyeol’s lips.

 

***

 

“Good morning!”

 

The booming voices of several men simultaneously resonated throughout the office.

 

“Ah, good morning!”

 

Jang Pal-yong entered Io Capital with a cheerful laugh. Wearing a perfectly tailored suit, he handed the luxury bag tucked under his arm to a man who approached him and settled onto the guest sofa. Outside, the morning heat was like a furnace, but inside, the office was cool thanks to the air conditioning.

 

“Hey, Assistant Manager Kim. Are you trying to bankrupt us with the electricity bill, blasting the AC like that?”  

 

“No, sir!”

 

The man called Assistant Manager Kim quickly grabbed the remote and raised the air conditioner’s temperature to 25 degrees. Cursing himself for forgetting to adjust it before Director Jang arrived, he turned around with an awkward smile.

 

“Tsk. You need to act like the owner. It’s acting like the owner that makes you the owner. Do you think this is your place? Is that why you’re running the AC like there’s no tomorrow?”

 

In reality, Cha, the actual owner here, couldn’t care less whether the office froze over or not. Assistant Manager Kim grumbled internally but still replied with a loud, “I’m sorry, sir!” bowing deeply.

 

“Director, you’re here.”

 

Park Sae-min came downstairs from the upstairs errand center, bowing politely. Following the daily routine, the new hire—who hadn’t been here long—prepared coffee and respectfully handed it to Jang Pal-yong with both hands.

 

“Did you watch Love Escape yesterday?”

 

Jang Pal-yong’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Park Sae-min. Park, holding a stack of overdue documents, sat across from him.

 

“No, I didn’t watch it.”  

 

“Aww, why not? They finally met yesterday!”

 

How could I watch when there’s no time? Park Sae-min muttered with a sigh. A hardcore drama enthusiast—especially when it came to outrageous melodramas—Jang Pal-yong was a man whose sole joys in life were shopping and watching dramas, a stark contrast to his gruff appearance.

 

“They met? After acting like they’d never see each other again?”

 

Park Sae-min frowned, as if he couldn’t comprehend. Unintentionally tasked with handling Jang Pal-yong’s drama-related conversations, Park Sae-min hadn’t realized he was now addicted to Jang Pal-yong’s stories. As usual, the office employees went about their business, accustomed to starting the day with drama talk.

 

“You just don’t get it, Park-sae. Love is like that. Do you even know what love is? When Boram shed tears, gah, it tore my heart to shreds.”

 

Watching Jang Pal-yong mimic tearing at his chest as though overwhelmed, Park Sae-min gave him a deadpan stare. The words, “Even you don’t know what love is,” lingered on the tip of his tongue.

 

He held back because saying it would trigger a long recounting of Jang Pal-yong’s so-called “first love” at sixteen—essentially a history of unrequited loves that Jang insisted were genuine.

 

“Did they resolve their misunderstanding then?” asked Park Sae-min.

 

“No.”

 

“What? No?”

 

“They just created another misunderstanding.”

 

“…”

 

Why was the story always about misunderstandings? Park Sae-min felt like his insides were boiling. One conversation could solve everything! At this point, the drama should have been titled Chain of Misunderstandings or The Web of Misunderstandings.

 

“It’s the buildup, the buildup,” Jang Pal-yong said, clutching his chest again. “I’m telling you, my heart can’t take this.”

 

Jang Pal-yong gulped down his coffee like it was rice wine. Despite the lack of coherence in the plot, which seemed to have no logical progression, the drama still boasted high ratings.

 

“All this buildup is going to make me burst,” Park Sae-min muttered, frustrated even by listening to the story. He sighed at himself, finding it pitiful that he was getting angry over mere drama talk. Misinterpreting the sigh as agreement, Jang Pal-yong clapped his knee and exclaimed, “You get it, don’t you?”

 

Despite his burly appearance and bandit-like demeanor, Jang’s sparkling eyes and excitement were so out of place that it gave Sae-min goosebumps.

 

“That’s the charm of this drama, the charm. In the preview for next week, I saw they’re running away into the mountains. Speaking of mountains, why hasn’t the boss shown up yet? He’s not coming, is he?”

 

“No, he hasn’t come,” replied Sae-min, grateful for the abrupt topic change.

 

“Really? Knowing his temper, he’s probably tearing through the mountains. Has there been a call from him?”

 

“No, nothing.”

 

Clicking his tongue, Jang Pal-yong tapped his foot nervously. Could something have happened? Maybe he couldn’t find the shaman, which would actually be a relief, but what if there had been an accident?

 

“Not that it matters. Even ghosts wouldn’t take that bastard,” Jang muttered to himself.

 

At that moment, the office door swung open, and an unkempt man entered.

 

“Hello. How can we help you?” asked Chief Kim, approaching the man. Given the location, it wasn’t unusual for people to show up early in the morning needing loans. Most were in dire need, like the disheveled man standing before them. While Chief Kim assumed he was here to borrow money, Jang Pal-yong and Park Sae-min instantly recognized the real reason for his visit. Years of experience made them experts at reading the situation.

 

The man scanned the room nervously before speaking. “Where’s the boss?”

 

Someone whose phone had been unreachable, the man was here looking for Cha Gyeol. Despite his disheveled appearance, the other employees continued working without batting an eye.

 

“Sir, why are you looking for the boss?” asked Jang Pal-yong, smiling. He gestured for Sae-min, who had begun to stand, to sit back down.

 

“Goddamn it! I told him I’d pay him back. I asked for a few more days. Why the hell did your thugs go through my house? Where’s the boss?” The man’s face was red as he shouted, veins bulging in his neck. He looked as unstable as one would expect from someone borrowing money from a place like this.

 

“Ah, it seems like you’ve fallen behind on your payments, sir,” Jang Pal-yong said, rising. His massive frame startled the man, who instinctively flinched.

 

“F-fallen behind? I’ve only missed three payments! I said I’d pay everything back within a week. How could you not wait and go ransacking my house? And taking my watch? You goddamn thugs!”

 

Listening to the man, Jang realized who he was. A doctor, the man had followed a friend to an illegal gambling house, become addicted to cards, and ruined his family. He’d borrowed money here twice before—3 million won the first time and 5 million won the second—significant amounts. Unable to repay the initial loan, he had handed over his luxury foreign car. Just a few days ago, the watch they’d taken from his one-room apartment had been hidden in a freezer inside an ice cream container, still sealed in its original packaging.

 

People said getting into medical school was like plucking a star from the sky, requiring not just intelligence but immense time and resources. Yet, after all that effort, this man had ended up like this. It proved life wasn’t about grades.

 

“Three times? That’s more leniency than we usually show,” said Jang.

 

“What?”

 

“Begging so desperately to borrow money, but then falling behind on payments—what do you expect from thugs like us?”

 

“You… you bastard!”

 

The man trembled with rage, and Jang looked at him with pity. Suddenly—

 

Thud.

 

The sound of flesh meeting flesh filled the room, followed by employees sharply inhaling in unison.

 

The man, aiming for Jang’s face, ended up landing an awkward punch to his jaw due to the difference in height and his lack of skill. Jang didn’t even flinch, but the man winced, clutching his fist in pain.

 

“Tell the boss to come out!”