CH 19.1

The ‘validity date’ came sooner than Yaba expected. Realizing that it was a trap, he struggled, but his ankle was already caught in the trap and he couldn’t move. Cocaine was filled with confusion and embarrassment, and his gaze was asking Cha Yiseok for an explanation. Even though the heater blew out hot air, Yaba felt chills. He wondered what kind of expression Cha Yiseok who was standing behind him had. His hand wrapped around his back did not move. His mind was probably in a similar situation.

Chairman Cha stared intently at Yaba and Cocaine. It was the eye of a bird of prey that was trying to distinguish real from fake. Although Cha Yiseok and Chairman Cha did not resemble each other in appearance, the eyes that stared proved that they were related. Chairman Cha’s closed lips opened, and an emotionless voice bit his ankle to prevent him from escaping from the snare.

“So, who is the real Cocaine?”

Chairman Cha asked again.

“Answer me. Who is the real Cocaine?”

Yaba just looked down at the floor. His mind was calm compared to his disastrously tangled head. Cocaine looked around, unable to escape from the confusion. Chairman Cha asked Chairman Kim who was standing next to him.

“Chairman Kim, let me ask you again. How do you feel after listening to the song?”

Chairman Kim said while looking at Yaba and Cocaine alternately.

“I heard it in the other room, and the sound was small, but the child’s skill was surprisingly good. But it’s definitely not Cocaine’s voice. I’ve never seen Cocaine’s face, but I can remember his voice. Cocaine is pure and clear, but that child is dark and gloomy.”

Yaba wrinkled his brows. Even with both of them wearing masks, he was almost 100 kilos of fat, and Cocaine had a slender body shape, so even their nosebleeds could be identified. However, it was funny that Chairman Kim discussed the authenticity of their voices instead.

“I don’t need to check any further.”

After completing his authenticity assessment, Chairman Cha put his hands behind his back. He had a thick frame and balanced body shape for his age.

“From the beginning, I did not believe in the existence of a healer. I got to the position where I am now because I believed in only myself. However, Myunghwan wanted it, and I let him try with the thought of grasping straws. But it was weird. I heard that he cured many patients, including Chairman Kim, so why is Myunghwan getting worse? If I yielded a hundred times and the power of a healer was real, there should be a slight improvement. Of course, I did not believe in a healer from the beginning, so I have no intention of reprimanding Myunghwan for his condition. The problem is that you deceived me.”

Chairman Cha’s eyes passed Yaba and came to Cha Yiseok from behind.

“All personal information sent by Executive Director Cha was forged. There was also talk that the store’s president, Kang Giha, is not the actual owner. It doesn’t make sense to say that he didn’t know anything. I know you’re an ambiguous guy, but you’re not an idiot.”

“Come on, answer! No way… Director Cha, did you set everything up?”

Cha Myunghwan let out the anger he had been holding back. Realizing that he had been hanging on to a rotten rope, he felt betrayed. Attention was drawn to Cha Yiseok. Cha Yiseok’s fingers wrapped around Yaba’s back moved regularly.

Like a rhythm that quickly rotates his head, the rhythm shook Yaba’s back. How would he get out of this trouble? Perhaps he would get out of it without hesitation. Like saying that he knew nothing, he was just tricked by a group of scammers, and having gained the sympathy of his family, he will throw Yaba into the fire and escape with ease. Because that was the most convenient solution that made sense for him. After all, the only real stranger was Yaba.

Now, the hand that wrapped around Yaba’s back was probably the hand of the executioner pushing the guillotine, not the strut to lean on. Yaba started stiffly thinking about what he would do if Cha Yiseok made him the scapegoat. Cha Yiseok’s fingers stood still. Yaba’s heart also stopped beating. Cha Yiseok smiled and raised his eyes. The lips, which widened little by little, were slow and heavy, like a gigantic gate.

“I expected a day like this, but I didn’t know it would be today. I didn’t want you to know until the end.”

“What are you talking about?”

Cha Myunghwan asked with a sharp voice. Cha Yiseok moved his gaze to Cha Myunghwan, wrapping Yaba’s shoulders from behind.

“Of course I knew this guy wasn’t Cocaine. It’s all my plan.”

Except for Cha Yiseok, everyone’s eyes widened. At the completely unexpected answer, Yaba let out a sigh. His heart was beating fast. It was then that he turned around and looked at Cha Yiseok’s large figure. He opened his mouth, curving the corners of his eyes finely.

“When I first asked for this job, Cocaine immediately turned it down. When I told him about my brother’s condition, he said that he could not heal him with his own power. Brother is in such a bad state that even the best healer can’t touch him.”

Cocaine’s eyes contorted under the mask. Cha Yiseok was shameless, not changing his complexion once.

“I don’t believe in healers either, but you must know that that’s the last thing I’m going to cling to. The reason I deceived Brother by doing this was because I thought it might have a placebo effect. I thought it wouldn’t matter if it was fake as long as his heart was at ease.”

Cha Yiseok bent his upper body and gazed deep into Yaba’s eyes. A voice resembling the scent of cologne permeated into Yaba’s neck.

“He’s not a healer, but the moment this guy sings, it makes you completely immersed and forgets your pain for a while. Even when compared to other singers in terms of tone and ability, it is attractive enough to compare to Cocaine. Although terminal cancer is impossible to cure, I believe that the human voice has some healing power. You must have felt the change these days. You can sleep well, or the amount of painkillers you use has slightly decreased…”

“That…”

Cha Myunghwan rolled his eyes left and right, but did not refute. Cha Yiseok raised the edge of his lips slightly. Yaba blanky closed his eyes and then opened it. He had told Cha Yiseok earlier at the dorm that even Cocaine could not heal Cha Myunghwan. And then he just picked up the words he had said and used them. In that short time, he would add flesh and create a scenario to break through head-on. Of course he thought feign ignorance. For him, that was the most convenient excuse.

Cha Yiseok’s gaze moved to Cha Myunghwan.

“Then I will ask you now. What if you were in my position? My brother, who is occupied with cancer and lives in hell every day, has finally found a savior. But the savior’s hand was robbed away. Are you telling me I should wait for the day he dies?”

“That…”

Cha Myunghwan lowered his eyes. This time, Cha Yiseok’s target moved to Chairman Cha.

“Not just Cocaine, but most of the people who work there have their social security numbers erased. The same goes for this guy, you know, since you’ve already investigated it. Rather than taking away your brother’s comfort by suspecting him with unclear information, I was going to reassure you by forging it.”

Chairman Cha became stricter.

“You seem over-informed considering you’re simply commissioned.”

“I’m being entrusted with my brother’s issue, isn’t that kind of investigation normal?”

Cha Yiseok said with a smirk. Cha Myunghwan suddenly looked confused. A moment of silence passed. Chairman Cha looked at Cocaine.

“Is what Executive Director Cha said true?”

While the attention was paid, the protagonist of the gaze licked his lips. Cocaine overlapped Cha Yiseok’s gaze. His swaying eyes were so pitiful that it could make one want to hug him. There was no way such clear eyes could see the tactics hidden inside. There was no way that the fish that used to swim in clear water would know that there was a muddy world.

Yaba swallowed a sneer. Cha Yiseok’s regular breath from behind permeated through the fat that soaked into Yaba’s clothes. He tensed his whole body because he was afraid he would sweat. Time passed and he couldn’t figure out how many seconds or minutes it was. Cocaine’s pink lips slowly opened.

“Everything he said is correct.”

Everyone was surprised. He maintained his calmness, but Cha Yiseok must have felt the same in his heart. Cocaine faced Chairman Cha.

“When I first heard about this from Executive Director Cha, I refused. So far, I have met a lot of cancer patients and people with rare diseases, but I send back those whom I can’t help.”

“Why? I heard that you have a knack for bringing the dead back to life, is it different from the rumors?”

“Healers are neither gods nor panacea. Obviously, there are limits, and there are cases that cannot be touched. CEO Cha was one of them. There must be a lot of things I’m still lacking. I should have rejected it from the beginning, but I had a short thought. Sorry.”

Cocaine bowed deeply. The crystal bells hanging from the mask vibrated and trembled. Their eyes met when he bent his back. Yaba smiled coldly. His elegant look and calm tone were also genuine. How was he so different? Are the genetic factors different?

Cocaine was dragged in without knowing anything, but in that short time, he finished judging the situation and protected Cha Yiseok with a lie. The voice that made anyone believe was the power of a sanctuary, which was obtained in exchange for the testicles. However, Chairman Cha did not erase his suspicions. Again he looked at Cha Yiseok.

“If everything is true, why didn’t you tell me and your sister-in-law? You deceived us, how can I believe it now?”

Cha Yiseok tilted his head at an angle.

“The human mouth is too light and shallow to contain a secret. I thought it would be better to know alone. If it was regarding my sisters, I would also have taken the same method, but I wonder if the Chairman would have also done it like this.”

Chairman Cha had his lungs pierced and his forehead darkened. Cha Yiseok turned into a relaxed observer.

“Think about it when you have time. I would love to hear an answer.”

Eyes that were looking back and forth. They were eyes that searched for each other’s cards and skillfully hid them. They were more like predators dominating different species rather than father and son. Cha Myunghwan only looked at the two of them, and Chairman Kim only coughed. Chairman Cha said while looking at his son with stubborn eyes.

“For whatever reason, you deceived everyone. If this day hadn’t come, you wouldn’t have let us know until the end.”

“Of course. I wanted Brother to believe this guy was really Cocaine and be fooled forever.”

“Your story fits perfectly without any deviation. Why can’t I still believe it?”

Cha Yiseok stroked his eyebrows with his thumb nails.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. Judge as you please.”

Above all, it seemed that Cha Yiseok fully understood the two family members. He targeted Cha Myunghwan’s emotional side, and digested his father’s angular questions with objective answers. Cha Myunghwan, who had been thinking until then, interrupted.

“What you said… Is everything true?”

Cha Yiseok looked at his brother without a word. A silent conversation passed between them. Cha Myunghwan’s eyes slowly fluttered. He let out a sigh. The feeling of betrayal that he had been deceived by his brother turned into confusion, and nervously wiped his leather-like face.

“You should have told me anyway! When I first heard this from my father yesterday, I thought of all sorts of things! Why are you hiding this fact to mislead me? What’s this, how…”

Cha Yiseok murmured with his dark eyes twinkling.

“I also wished this day would never come.”

Cha Myunghwan let out a painful groan and grabbed his hair. His eyes were contorted with complex emotions.

“Father, please stop. When I first heard it, I thought it couldn’t be. He made time out of his busy schedule to stop by the villa, the wild ginseng every month or whatever, Director Cha has been taking care of it. I don’t want to misunderstand any more.”

Cha Myunghwan’s intense feelings gradually receded, and another despair swept over him.

“Alright. So there’s no hope… I was a fool to believe in healers. There is no such miracle in the world…”

Cha Myunghwan hugged his bony shoulder and muttered. A deep sorrow fell on Chairman Cha’s forehead. In the face of the despair of the man who had lost hope, no one spoke. Cha Yiseok stared sharply at Chairman Cha. As if he wanted this, as if it was not actually true, the light reflected in his eyes hid a secret scorn.

t/n: hi yall I’ll probably have less frequent updates over the next few weeks bc I’m busy with school. A

also, someone asked about the number of chapters so I just decided to check it and it’s not certain but it should be around 59 for the whole novel including the extras!