CH 242

“I’m glad your fever has gone down a bit, Yi-gyeol-ssi.”

Piiik, pik!

As Min Ah-rin brought the porridge, I hugged the whining Fox and smiled awkwardly.

“I’m sorry, I made you worry. Everyone must be surprised.”

“Of course, we were surprised.”

“I’m feeling a little better though, so I’ll go back to work tomorrow.”

Min Ah-rin, who set the bowl of porridge down on the bedside table, looked at me.

“Feeling better? Your fever is still high. You need to rest for two or three days.”

“But if I don’t go, the seat will be vacant, so it’s a burden to others…”

“Yi-gyeol-ssi. If you keep doing this, I can’t stand it any longer.”

“Par, pardon?”

At the unexpected declaration, I stiffened my shoulders and moved a little further away from Min Ah-rin. Regardless, Min Ah-rin continued with a cold gaze.

“If you don’t take care of yourself like this…!”

If I don’t…?

“I would ask our Master to take care of you.”

“What?”

For a moment, I wondered if I had heard it wrong and Min Ah-rin opened her mouth again.

“I’m going to entrust Yi-gyeol-ssi’s care to Master. Master Cheon Sa-yeon.”

Cheon Sa-yeon’s taking care of me? I thought about the things that Min Ah-rin had done for me, overlaid with Cheon Sa-yeon.

Cheon Sa-yeon that put an antipyretic sheet on my forehead… Cheon Sa-yeon that brought me porridge… Cheon Sa-yeon who scolded me to be careful next time…

‘Crazy, I hate it so much.’

When I was imagining Cheon Sa-yeon holding a spoon full of porridge with a smirk at me, I shook my head and desperately clinged to Min Arin.

“Wa, wait a minute. Min Ah-rin-ssi. Please don’t do that…”

“I don’t like it. I also made up my mind.”

“Please no!”

“What no?”

Park Geon-ho, who had just entered the room, interrupted with a bewildered expression. I thought it was time, so I turned my attention to Park Geon-ho.

“It’s nothing. Are you ready to go out?”

“Yeah. How are you feeling?”

To Park Geon-ho’s question, Min Ah-rin sighed and answered instead of me.

“It’s not good yet. He still has a fever and keeps coughing.”

“Oh my. I’m glad the fever has gone down a bit.”

“If he takes a fever-reducer, he will be fine, but… I’m worried that his cough isn’t easily cured with medicines sold at the pharmacy. We can’t go to the hospital too.”

“It’s okay. I’m also a healthier A-rank compared to ordinary people.”

When I smiled awkwardly and said a word, Min Ah-rin glared at me again. Oh man, this time I thought she was really, really angry.

“A normal A-rank wouldn’t catch a cold in the first place.”

Park Geon-ho said jokingly and held out the bowl of porridge on the side table to me.

“You eat porridge, take medicine and sleep more. As you asked, I will do the job well for you.”

“Umm…”

I had a high fever, so I couldn’t wake up and have been asleep for more than a day. When I woke up, the day off had already passed and I had to go back to work.

However, working in this state was unreasonable in many ways. Besides, the cough kept coming so I wouldn’t be able to serve. It was an unavoidable situation in which a substitute was necessary.

‘Except for Cheon Sa-yeon, Woo Seo-hyuk, and Kwon Jeong-han, who had to go to work today…’

Kim Woo-jin, who was shy with people, would be stressed out, and Ha Tae-heon would be better off not getting involved with Kwon Se-hyun as much as possible… In the end, there was only one person who could be trusted.

“Please do so, Team Leader Park Geon-ho.”

As I received the bowl of porridge and said, Park Geon-ho patted my head with a slightly bitter smile on his face.

“Right, just take a rest.”

I looked at Park Geon-ho’s back as he left the room, then scooped out a spoonful of porridge and shoved it into my mouth. I had an empty stomach from sleeping all day, but strangely I had no appetite. Still, I swallowed it.

I couldn’t leave my work to the people around me because I was sick, so I had to recover as quickly as possible. When I worked hard to eat porridge, Min Ah-rin was really happy.

“How about the porridge that Woo-jin-ssi bought? it is delicious?”

“Yeah. It’s good.”

“How sad it was that Woo-jin-ssi wanted to make it himself. I’ll make sure to tell him that Yi-gyeol-ssi enjoyed it.”

Currently, Kim Woo-jin and Ha Tae-heon were out of the hotel to explore the space with Edward. Everyone except me was trying hard to get out of the space.

When I realized that, my situation of sitting on the bed and eating porridge became even more embarrassing. As expected… I need to recover quickly.

* * *

“I will work hard from today onward.”

“……”

Kwon Se-hyun looked at the confident Park Geon-ho, who opened the door, with an uncomfortable face.

The pretty Han Yi-gyeol, who was fluttering around like a piece of paper, disappeared and a large-sized man with an impression of not knowing what he was thinking was filled in.

“Um, so the name is…”

“I’m Park Geon-ho, Boss.”

“Not Boss. Please call me Manager.”

After hesitating for a while, Kwon Se-hyun asked the same thing as he had done several times.

“Han Yi-gyeol… how is he?”

“He still has some fever, but I think he will get better with a few more days off.”

“…what about the hospital?”

Kwon Se-hyun, who had been thinking for a while with his head bowed, opened his mouth again.

“That, if you go up the road on the right from Dies, there’s a big hospital nearby. If he’s in a bad condition, he should go there.”

Hearing that with a strange expression, Park Geon-ho raised the corner of his mouth.

“There’s a hospital nearby. I will keep that in mind.”

Kwon Se-hyun, who touched the nape of his neck, avoiding his gaze at the feeling of drawing a line, continued.

“You may go out now.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yes. Don’t mind me and help the kids downstairs.”

“Hm… Han Yi-gyeol has been here for quite some time. Are you uncomfortable with me?”

“……”

The air inside the office became cold in an instant as if cold water had been poured on it. Kwon Se-hyun, who had been glaring at Park Geon-ho with a gaze like, ‘What are all these bastards?’ answered firmly.

“Yes. So you go out.”

Park Geon-ho, who was kicked out of the office as it was, scratched his forehead and went down the stairs. Park Geon-ho, who came out of the hall on the first floor, was greeted by Cheon Sa-yeon, who was wiping the table with a dishcloth.

“Oh, Master. You’re working harder than I think you’d do?”

It was the first time for Park Geon-ho, who was on the different team, to see Cheon Sa-yeon at work. Cheon Sa-yeon, who looked back at Park Geon-ho, who was walking around like a gangster in the neighbourhood, responded sarcastically.

“Team Leader Park Geon-ho is very relaxed. Are you here to play?”

“Did you forget that I came as Han Yi-gyeol’s substitute? Cleaning isn’t my main job.”

“It looks like you had been kicked out without even doing your main job. Clean the table.”

He was a quick-witted. Cheon Sa-yeon threw the dishcloth that he was holding to Park Geon-ho.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t mind me.”

He said so but… Cheon Sa-yeon, who climbed the stairs, caught his eye very much. Park Geon-ho, who finished cleaning the table Cheon Sa-yeon was doing before, went to Woo Seo-hyuk, who was preparing for business at the bar.

“Hey, Secretary Woo Seo-hyuk.”

“Say it.”

“Since when has Master been like that?”

It meant when Cheon Sa-yeon started going in and out of Kwon Se-hyun’s office. Woo Seo-hyuk blinked his eyes for a moment at that insincere question, then calmly opened his mouth.

“He has been there often since he started working.”

“…what about Han Yi-gyeol?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t like it at first, but…”

Woo Seo-hyuk, who stopped explaining, remembered last week. Not long after Cheon Sa-yeon went up to the third floor, Han Yi-gyeol, who came down to the first floor, was being whiter than usual.

With that face, Han Yi-gyeol smiled forcibly as if nothing had happened and the only thing he could do was a little comfort that made him a drink.

“He looked fine afterwards.”

“Ho…”

Park Geon-ho, who turned his head and looked back at the stairs, frowned. He wasn’t feeling very well.

It was then that Woo Seo-hyuk, who was looking at Park Geon-ho, who seemed uncomfortable, was about to speak out that he understood.

“Dong-ju hyung-nim!”

One of the employees who had gone to throw the garbage bag through the back door hurriedly ran in. Go Dong-ju heard the call from the second floor and came down.

“What?”

“Those bastards are here again.”

“Those bastards?”

“Those Gyeongseong guys.” (경성)

The employee spoke in a low voice so only Go Dong-ju could hear them, but S-rank Park Geon-ho and Woo Seo-hyuk could hear it without difficulty.

‘Gyeongseong?’

Go Dong-ju exhaled a hot breath and muttered a swear word.

“We have to get them out of here quickly so Hyung-nim doesn’t notice it.”

“Shall we call the kids?”

“Enough. They also had eyes to see, so it must have been impossible for them to come.”

The employee followed after Go Dong-ju, who took the lead. Park Geon-ho and Woo Seo-hyuk, who were watching the scene, followed closely.

When they went near the entrance to the glass-fronted Dies hall, they saw strange men standing opposite Go Dong-ju. When all five big men gathered together, Go Dong-ju seemed to be losing his momentum.

There was swearing and shouting between them. While the men on the other side pushed their shoulders and made a threatening gesture, Go Dong-ju stood in front of the door and stood firm.

“What is it?”

As the situation got longer, Kwon Jeong-han, who was on the second floor, also came down and looked outside the glass with a curious expression.

“It looks like there’s a fight.”

“It looks more like a territorial dispute than that.”

“Uwa, I was just guessing… this really looks like that kind of bar. A bar run by gangsters.”

Interestingly, Park Geon-ho and Woo Seo-hyuk thought the same thing. A territorial dispute between gangsters. Wasn’t that something you see in TV shows or movies?

“But that person named Go Dong-ju doesn’t seem willing to fight.”

“Well… it must be because the others are outside the store. Hanging around isn’t enough reason to kick them out.”

The man in front of Go Dong-ju spat out saliva on the ground and roughly pushed Go Dong-ju’s shoulders with both hands. At the moment Go Dong-ju’s body, who was standing with a grim expression, shook violently, Kwon Se-hyun’s voice was heard.

“Go Dong-ju.”

Behind Kwon Se-hyun, who had come down all alone, was Cheon Sa-yeon with a light smile. Park Geon-ho’s forehead wrinkled again seeing him as if he was Kwon Se-hyun’s secretary.

“Hyu, Hyung-nim. How did you know?”

“What does it matter?”

Kwon Se-hyun, who gave a stern answer as he walked to Go Dong-ju’s side, raised his chin slightly and glanced at the situation in front of the store.

“What is it, Hyung-ssi? Is he the owner of this place?”

“……”

Kwon Se-hyun, who had been staring at the man with the messy tattoos all over his arm, ignored the question and told Go Dong-ju.

“Call the kids and chase them away.”

“Yes? However…”

“It’s opening time soon, so don’t create a troublesome situation.”

“That, are you really okay with that? But that person…”

“I don’t care.”

Kwon Se-hyun opened his mouth in a tone that didn’t feel any emotion.

“Now I own this place.”