CH 244

Kwon Se-hyun, who saw me on the third day after taking two days off, said short words.

“I think you need to rest more.”

“……”

It was a very simple reaction to say that he was worried about me to the point of even talking about the hospital. No, rather, it seemed to be picking a fight.

“I don’t know what I look like, but my condition is good enough to be able to work.”

Kwon Se-hyun, who smiled at the stiff answer, tilted his head slightly.

“Your attitude is definitely better than when you were down. Still, don’t overdo it for today. If you are down again, I will fire you.”

“What’s the point of being fired without getting any money? Rather, let’s sort out the transaction. I didn’t come yesterday, so you didn’t hear a single piece of information.”

“Ah, right.”

I was taken aback by Kwon Se-hyun, who just remembered the deal after my words.

“How can you forget that?”

“I can forget it. It would be useless to hear this again.”

“That’s…”

To be sure, except for the first day, I did say that Go Dong-ju fell down and that we would run out of alcohol, etc.

“This one is pretty important though?”

“That’s what I’m looking forward to. You can tell me both before you leave work later.”

I tried to say it with a serious expression, but Kwon Se-hyun listened half-heartedly and passed it casually.

‘Really annoying, this guy…’

I wanted to openly swear, but then swearing at him would only make me feel uncomfortable. As I grumbled inwardly while opening the office door and walking out, I heard laughter from behind. Ah, really, annoying.

* * *

Late at night after midnight, I left the hall that was packed with guests and I headed to the rooftop. Like last time, I wanted to bring a can of beer, but… I heard Min Ah-rin’s warning, so I thought it was better to be patient.

Entrusting the care to Cheon Sa-yeon? On the second thought, it was terrifying. As expected, I realized once again that Min Ah-rin wasn’t an easy opponent.

‘Well, other people are worried…’

Even if I only approached alcohol, I thought of Kim Woo-jin, who stared at me with a light in his eyes, and walked toward the rooftop railing.

The rain that had been so terrifying enough to submerge the world had long since stopped and the sky was filled with dark blue clouds. Looking up at the faint moon through them, I sat down on the railing.

It wasn’t high, but it was the best place to see the night view. I looked at the twinkling white light from the other side as I felt the cool breeze.

That was when about 10 minutes had passed. The rooftop door opened and an unexpected opponent appeared.

“Team Leader.”

“You’re here.”

Park Geon-ho, who served non-stop in the hall and on the second floor alternately, walked over with a slightly tired look. As expected, even as an S-rank, doing something unfamiliar for two days in a row was burdensome.

“It’s my first time coming to the rooftop, it’s cold and nice. It was a little hot down there because there were a lot of people.”

“It’s early autumn, so it’s a little hot inside.”

“Let’s talk with me. Han Yi-gyeol, don’t you still have a cold? If you catch another cold this time, I’m going to get really scolded by Healer Min Ah-rin.”

“Please look at this. I’ve already been banned from drinking.”

“Of course, you should stop drinking.”

Park Geon-ho, who came to me and leaned against the railing, folded his arms.

“What are you looking at?”

“I don’t know. Just a night view.”

“You seem to come up on the rooftop quite often.”

“Is there any other place to rest besides here?”

Why were there so many questions today? Feeling strange, I turned my gaze to look at Park Geon-ho.

“Why are you doing that? What’s going on?”

“It’s not a big deal…”

Park Geon-ho couldn’t answer easily and sighed. Did he want to ask a difficult question?

“It doesn’t suit you, so tell me quickly.”

“I know what you’ve been thinking about all this time.”

Park Geon-ho opened his mouth with a smile that felt somewhat awkward.

“Master seems to have a good relationship with the owner of this store.”

“Aa…”

I was wondering what it was. So that was a topic he was hesitant to discuss.

“He said he had met him once before, so they become close.”

“Yeah, but it’s fake, right.”

“He said that it doesn’t matter. And he had something to find out, so I think that Master Cheon Sa-yeon also has a plan.”

I didn’t know how I was sitting here defending Cheon Sa-yeon. Originally, I used to raise questions and Park Geon-ho would take his sides.

So, Park Geon-ho’s attitude that doubting Cheon Sa-yeon was quite surprising. Park Geon-ho, whom I had seen for a long time, believed that whatever Cheon Sa-yeon did, there must be a reason.

“Are you worried that Master Cheon Sa-yeon will too immerse himself in this place?”

“No. What I’m worried about is…”

Park Geon-ho, who took a deep breath without speaking, turned his head with an awkward look.

“It’s not Master, but you, Han Yi-gyeol.”

“Pardon?”

…did I hear it wrong? I scratched my head.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Me? Suddenly?”

“Suddenly, huh.”

Park Geon-ho laughed at my uncomfortable reaction and explained.

“From the beginning, didn’t you take care in many ways so that we didn’t get involved with the owner of this store? It was like that since we started working like you did to Deputy Master Ha Tae-heon.”

As expected, he noticed too. To be exact, I was concerned about Ha Tae-heon and Cheon Sa-yeon, who appeared in Abyss.

“I knew from the beginning that Master Cheon Sa-yeon isn’t the kind of person who takes care of such details, so it doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t think people can control their emotions.”

“…I think you have misunderstood something, Team Leader Park Geon-ho.”

A cold wind blew from the other side, messing with my hair. I said without avoiding Park Geon-ho’s eyes, who was smiling bitterly.

“You seem to be mistaken because the timing when I was down overlapped with Master Cheon Sa-yeon’s actions.”

“……”

“My poor condition has nothing to do with Master Cheon Sa-yeon. So, Team Leader, stop worrying about unnecessary things.”

“Unnecessary worry, huh.”

I was a little embarrassed to feel the complexity that couldn’t be hidden in Park Geon-ho’s face as he repeated what I had said. I intentionally expressed it a bit strongly, but I didn’t expect this kind of reaction.

“I see. I went too far.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize… I just explained not to be misunderstood.”

The air around us became cold in an instant as if cold water had been poured. I didn’t know what to do with the awkward atmosphere I felt all over my body. This was the first time I had been in a situation like this with Park Geon-ho.

Should I bring up another topic or leave first? I was restless and worried, but just then, the rooftop door opened and Go Dong-ju appeared.

“Ong? What. Are you two playing around?”

The appearance of Go Dong-ju, which would have been bothersome at other times, was very welcome this time. I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and answered in moderation.

“Ey, sometimes you have to take a break like this.”

“Sometimes what. I know you come up here several times a day.”

…how did he know that? Go Dong-ju’s interest in me was starting to scare me.

“I think you like me a lot.”

“Oh my gosh. You’re just talking nonsense because you feel guilty. You have a very similar personality to Hyung-nim, so it’s easier to figure it out than lying down and eating rice cakes, man.”

Hearing that I had the same personality as Kwon Se-hyun made my spine shiver. Come to think of it, Go Dong-ju wasn’t an ignorant person at all. He was rather smarter than me when it came to getting to know people.

‘There are too many people to watch out for, really.’

When I smiled awkwardly without answering and only swept the nape of my neck, Go Dong-ju shook his head with an expression saying, “That’s too.”

“There’s also a resting area, but why is this guy who said he has a cold coming all the way up here and being blown away by the wind?”

“Haha…”

“What do you see here other than that hospital.”

Park Geon-ho, who had been listening to Go Dong-ju’s talking with his arms crossed, intervened with a puzzled look.

“Hospital? Are you talking about that building over there?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“Hm, I heard yesterday that there’s a big hospital nearby, but… looking from here, it’s definitely close.”

“It’s very close. Thanks to that, even if I get hurt, I can be treated quickly, so it’s pretty convenient.”

After hearing the explanation, Park Geon-ho looked at the hospital with a strange gaze. The white light emanating from the hospital caught my eye through the twinkling lights of the night view.

“Isn’t there anything other than a hospital in that direction?”

“Something other than a hospital. Well. There doesn’t seem to be anything.”

Go Dong-ju, who rolled his eyes for a moment while stroking his lips, opened his mouth as if he remembered it late.

“Come to think of it, Hyung-nim also seems to come up on the rooftop whenever he has time. That’s the position he’s always standing.”

I forcefully raised the corners of my lips and bowed my head. Park Geon-ho’s gaze was felt next to me.

“Little bastard, what’s your relationship with Hyung-nim? Like the lost older brother or younger brother… is it?”

“What? How could that be. Our Dong-ju hyung-nim has a great imagination.”

“Don’t talk insidiously and be honest with me. It’s strange that people like you were taken in right away. And don’t call me hyung-nim!”

“Oh? Even Boss always scolded me not to call him boss. Seeing this way, Dong-ju hyung-nim is the same as Boss.”

“This punk… are you making fun of me?”

“Um, a little?”

“A-oh, you bastard… I can’t hit you because you’re so small.”

Go Dong-ju, who was properly caught up in a moderate joke, exhaled vigorously and violently, and eventually screamed.

“Enough, man! What a rude fellow… stop resting and come down to work!”

Perhaps thanks to his abundant voice, his cry resounded throughout the rooftop. Go Dong-ju turned his back, snorted, and left the rooftop, stomping like a bull.

Still, thanks to Go Dong-ju’s visit, the stiff atmosphere improved a bit. I came down from the railing and said to Park Geon-ho.

“Shall we go down? If we play more, we will be really scolded.”

“That’s right.”

I walked to the rooftop door with Park Geon-ho, who was following me. But just before I grabbed the doorknob, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and then the door from the other side opened first.

“…what?”

The person who came to the rooftop was Kwon Se-hyun.

I couldn’t believe I ran into Kwon Se-hyun at a time like this. Perhaps he was also in a difficult situation, and when he saw me with Park Geon-ho once, he frowned slightly.