IWDAR Chapter 4

As foretold by the overcast sky, rain began to fall. A damp voice, as gloomy as the splattering rainwater, latched onto Mo Tae-uk’s feet.

“Mr. M—o—CEO—”

Even amidst the noise that felt like being dragged into a swamp, Tae-uk’s expression remained perfectly composed. The man, after sufficiently loosening his muscles, straightened his posture.

Knock, knock—

A younger Mo Tae-uk would have reacted sharply to the knocking. But the man now no longer confused the living with the dead.

“Mr. Mo, I’ll come in for a moment.”

“Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. Mr. Mo CEO. ”

Tae-uk remained silent. He couldn’t utter a word of permission at this moment. It was clear that the unwelcome presence would bother him even more if he did. Only the owner of the space could freely cross the boundaries fortified by a strong barrier.

Bang, bang, bang!!!

Tae-uk raised his head and gave a slight nod to the secretary who had entered to give his report.

“This is the final report on the main building’s remodeling scheduled for next month.”

Bang, bang, bang!!!

“You son of a bitch!! I told you to open the door!!! I told you to let me in!!! Do you think you can escape divine punishment after committing such a wicked deed!!!”

Although the fierce scream, loud enough to vibrate the air, pierced Tae-uk’s ears, he simply accepted the report from his secretary with a calm face.

“Is it proceeding without any problems?”

“Yes, the remodeling is expected to enter the final inspection phase without any issues. However…”

The secretary, always clear and concise, spoke hesitantly. Tae-uk, sensing the reason for the ambiguous silence, turned his gaze to his secretary. 

Recently, there had been a problem with the idol group that ON Entertainment had been painstakingly preparing for years. It was a school violence issue involving a crucial member of the debut team, and Tae-uk’s mood hadn’t been good for the past few days. 

Mo Tae-uk couldn’t tolerate it when his plans went awry. He was born that way.

“Is it about the debut team?”

“Yes, it’s just that… he keeps insisting he has nothing to do with the issue. Since he graduated from a school abroad, he seems to be acting even more brazenly.”

“How annoying.”

Tae-uk chuckled and casually put his glasses back on.

“He’s making me go so far as to background check a greenhorn.”

Knowing what Tae-uk’s low voice implied, the secretary simply bowed his head without a word.

“I’ll organize it and report back within the week.”

“Thank you. It’s late.You should go home.”

“Are you still working, sir?”

“I’ll be leaving soon.”

“You have the ceremony coming up soon, please don’t overwork yourself.”

“You can go.”

At the man’s cool expression as he immediately withdrew his gaze, the secretary couldn’t say anything more. Tae-uk was a brilliant and capable CEO, but he was also a man who kept people at a distance. 

It was probably due to the strange phenomena surrounding the company and the countless rumors that had piled up over time.

While the secretary quietly closed the door and left, the ‘thing’ behind Tae-uk was still screaming and banging on the window. 

Banging its head, hands, and feet against the glass for a long time. Tae-uk closed his eyes, absorbing the desperate cries mixed with the sound of rain as if it were music. It was the end of another tedious, repetitive day for him.

It was only when the being outside finally quieted down, its teeth grinding, that Mo Tae-uk’s overturned phone rang. The man’s face creased at the word “Chairman” displayed on the screen. 

It was a noticeable change, considering he hadn’t even blinked at the vicious outburst of the entity just moments ago. After tapping his desk with his finger for a moment, Mo Tae-uk finally answered the call. 

The man must have foreseen that something even more bothersome would happen if he didn’t.

“Yes, Chairman.”

At his stubbornly formal address, even to his own grandfather, a loud tsk could be heard from the other end of the line.

—I heard from Secretary Choi. You kicked out another prepared child, they say!

The threatening tone was grumpy. Tae-uk swallowed the ferocious energy behind his impassive face.

“I’ve told you countless times that I don’t need it.”

—Do you have any idea how much this old man has struggled to find a child born in the Hour of the Horse and of the Rabbit zodiac sign!!

Tae-uk, who had been listening quietly, sneered, one corner of his mouth lifting.

“The world is overflowing with people born in the Hour of the Horse and of the Rabbit zodiac. What did that con artist say this time? Male, no parents, and on the verge of death, right? Why, are the horns sprouting from his head unnecessary? So, is what that guy is talking about actually a normal human being?”

—You brat!!

Mo Nak-hyun, Mo Tae-uk’s grandfather, flew into a rage at the mocking words. As always, Tae-uk ignored the crazy talk about how he would be cursed for his disrespectful words.

—Listen to your grandfather. You’re seeing things again, aren’t you? The talismans¹ from the shaman² must be reaching their limits.

“……”

Remembering the entity that had been pounding on his office window as if to break it, Tae-uk rubbed his forehead.

—I’ll send you something soon. You must accept it, not drive it away, if you want to live. Remember that!

“…I’ll send you some food good for dementia through Mrs. Yeo, so make sure you eat it morning and night.”

—You, you… Just listen to yourself!

Tae-uk hung up on Nak-hyun’s ranting and tossed his phone onto his desk. The man loosened his tie, stood up, and stretched out on the office sofa. The subtle sound of rain beyond the thick window seemed to have intensified.

“Damn Rabbit.”

The low, muttered voice echoed through the empty office. Now, in the quiet that had finally settled, Tae-uk could close his eyes.

But…

Has there ever been a ghost that called him “Mr. CEO Mo”?

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈•  ｡ﾟ

‘I’m a Rabbit here too.’

The twenty-five-year-old Wooyoung was also a Rabbit. After checking the date through Soohee, the current Wooyoung realized he was fifteen past the date he had jumped from the hotel. Fifteen days ago, when the twenty-five-year-old Wooyoung opened the terrace door to end his life, the twenty-year-old Wooyoung also fell from a building.

‘Maybe the twenty-year-old Wooyoung was destined to die here like this.’

If he was reincarnated into this dead body, what happened to the original owner, the twenty-year-old Wooyoung?

‘Strange.’

Was it because Wooyoung was also him? Wooyoung had a feeling that his soul had simply scattered and disappeared. It was like a strange conviction.

“…Young!”

At the same time, everything felt futile. Because he felt that the twenty-five-year-old Wooyoung, who had lived a lonely and desolate life there, was now truly gone.

“Hey, Han Wooyoung! What are you spacing out for?”

At the sound of his name, Wooyoung snapped back to his senses. Han Wooyoung. Yes, he, Wooyoung, had woken up here. This was definitely an opportunity. 

A chance to live again. 

A chance not to spread his legs for that old man. 

A chance to live the life he had longed for, at least once.

Soohee, holding the glass door of the shabby two-story building, scolded Wooyoung after they got off the elevator.

“I brought you here because you made such a fuss about wanting to go to the recording studio, but where’s your mind at? If you’re going to hold a memorial service³ there, just go back.”

“Ah, no, I’m going now!”

Wooyoung walked briskly, despite his limp. Although she kept clicking her tongue at everything he said, Soohee, perhaps concerned about Wooyoung’s injured leg, held the door open and waited for him.

‘She’s definitely not a bad person.’

When you spend your whole life reading the room, it becomes easy to understand other people’s feelings. Of course, appearances aren’t everything, but Wooyoung didn’t bother hiding the smile that crept onto his face. Soohee looked at Wooyoung, grinning for no apparent reason, with a strange look.

“Why is this guy, whose limbs are a mess, making such a fuss about wanting to sing all of a sudden…”

“But, Soohee. Wouldn’t it be better to prepare something rather than just showing up and asking for help?”

Having said that, Wooyoung blushed, seemingly embarrassed.

“I’m a t-trainee now…”

“Oh, really?”

He was the one making a fuss about not wanting to be a trainee. Soohee felt annoyed at the sight of the grown man squirming with a flushed face, finding it strangely endearing.

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

Soohee snapped back irritably. If Wooyoung was a trainee talented enough to catch the eye of ON Entertainment’s CEO, things might go smoother than expected. The man was known in the industry as one of the top three talent spotters. If he found a blossoming talent, he would secure it. 

‘No matter what it takes.’

This was the man people called Mo Tae-uk. There was a reason he had risen to the position of CEO of a major agency at such a young age. But that only applied to the chosen few, not Han Wooyoung.

“Don’t worry, Soohee. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything music-related, but it’ll be decent enough.”

‘Don’t make me laugh! You can’t sing!!’

That’s right. Like Soohee’s unspoken scream, Han Wooyoung ‘couldn’t’ sing.