Chapter 221:

Chapter 221:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: NicoleTempest

Chapter 221 An Unavoidable Matter

The business cafe in the airport was a room-like space separated by partitions. It seemed they had prepared a meeting area for the many people who came here on business trips.

“What are you trying to tell me that you need such a place...?”

Seeing my gloomy expression throughout, my colleague Kyunghwa’s father started to feel uneasy and asked me with a worried face.

He had a vague resemblance to Kyunghwa, but he was a completely different person. Even though they had a similar base in their looks, his face was marked with the traces of his life of irresponsibility.

Kyunghwa was not exactly a pure-hearted person either, but his face showed a sense of responsibility at its core.

‘He’s trying to rip off his own son with the excuse of hospital bills for gambling money.’

If I didn’t draw a clear line now, he would surely drag Kyunghwa down when he became more successful.

“I can be flexible with whatever amount you need.”

As soon as I said I would give him money, his eyes lit up and he grabbed my hand and got up from his seat.

“Oh, thank you, thank you! I’ve raised my son so poorly that he’s showing me all the worst sides of him.”

He said, while clutching and patting my shoulder. I quickly shook off his hand and backed away.

“But there is a condition.”

I didn’t know how much he thought of me as a fool, but I was not a stupid person who would let him take advantage of me.

“Huh?”

The man who had been smiling sheepishly until a moment ago changed his expression and asked me.

“What do you mean, a condition? You’re helping me, aren’t you? How can you have a condition for an adult?”

He was not an adult by the way he acted. Even though he was older than me in real age, his behavior was less responsible than his son.

“The money I give you cannot be used for gambling, only for living expenses. You can use it for various purposes, such as buying necessities, changing your living environment, or moving Kyunghwa’s mother to a different ward. But you cannot use it for gambling or business funds.”

“What?”

As soon as the word ‘gambling’ came out of my mouth, the man slammed his fist on the table and jumped up.

“Ha, you must have met good parents and have nothing to worry about, you young punk! You’re making fun of an adult...”

I immediately asked the manager to bring me the loan agreement I had prepared in advance.

“Sit down. You know you can’t get this much from Kyunghwa.”

I smiled kindly and put a pen in front of the man.

After a short time of looking into Kyunghwa’s father, I found out that he had a record of bankruptcy. He was a credit delinquent who couldn’t even get a loan from a private lender. It was almost impossible for him to get this amount of money.

“...A loan agreement?”

The man, whose mind was swayed by the amount, sat down again and started to read the document.

“As it says, I will give you the money in the form of a no-interest loan, and if you receive treatment at a gambling addiction center for the next three years, I will convert it to a gift. Of course, I will pay the gift tax. And you have to keep looking for a job during that time. I will also continue to support the cost of hospitalization.”

The man raised his voice again, as if he was angry.

He was the one who put up with all kinds of nonsense from me when I was immature at twenty-three.

He would get angry and ask how that was the same as this. I didn’t mind if he got angry, I just wanted to make sure he was safe.

It was his life, his choice, but I couldn’t just let go.

‘Twenty-four, no, twenty-five is still young...’

I could only guess how hard it was for him to endure this kind of family trouble on his shoulders.

I wanted to bring him back, feed him well, put him to bed, and comfort him that he had worked hard.

“I’ll rent a car first.”

“Huh? Can you drive?”

“I prepared everything in advance. Just in case.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll rent a car and call you back.”

I hung out with Yi-jun and rented a car, then met up with him. It was already past 10 o’clock.

“We should book a hotel for late check-in soon.”

Just in case, I booked a nearby hotel for three people and got in the car. Yi-jun was busy fiddling with his phone.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to text Kyunghwa. I wonder if he’s looking at his phone.”

I looked at him and it was ridiculous.

[Me] (picture) 10:34 PM

[Me] (picture) 10:34 PM

[Me] sent (picture). 10:34 PM

[Me] Check out the attached file I sent you! 10:35 PM

‘Is this a joke?’

I was speechless at Yi-jun, who pretended to send pictures and wrote texts one after another.

“Ah, he’s not looking.”

Well, why would he?

Yi-jun thought for a moment and wrote a new message.

[Me] Oh Yi-jun sent you 100,000 won. [Receive] 10:36 PM

And then he exclaimed.

“Oh, I see. Your phone and internet are working fine, right? Don’t worry too much and take your time to look around.”

Is he crazy or what? I didn’t even want to imagine how much Kyunghwa was freaking out on the other end of the line.

‘Where can I go in this cold...’

Anyway, it didn’t seem like an emergency, so I searched for a place within a reasonable distance from the airport where I could get a bus or a taxi. As I scanned the street with an eagle eye, Yi-jun suddenly exclaimed.