AH 4

Chapter 4 

“Would you like some honey water?”

“Yeah.”

It was obvious at a glance that he was suffering from a hangover.

So that was why he had spent the night out. Apparently, he had been drinking.

Dajeong immediately prepared some honey water and placed it on the table.

Then she went back to the kitchen and started looking for something that might help with his hangover.

“Bean sprouts.”

She hadn’t bought them specifically to help Jaewoon recover from drinking, but she couldn’t think of a better ingredient for the job.

She immediately started making a spicy bean sprout soup. She even sliced up some Cheongyang chili peppers and added them to the pot. After tasting the broth, she decided it was perfect for a hangover.

There was no way he would be able to eat much rice, so she served only a small amount and prepared a simple breakfast with plenty of soup.

“Please eat.”

“…”

“Mr. Go Jaewoon?”

When he didn’t answer, Dajeong approached him and found that he had fallen asleep, breathing steadily.

Should I just leave him alone?

After thinking about it, Dajeong decided to try waking him just once.

If he still didn’t get up, she would simply clear away the meal she had prepared.

“Please at least wash up before you go back to sleep. You shouldn’t sleep here, okay?”

She crouched beside him and gently shook his arm. His brow furrowed slightly.

“Don’t shake me. It makes me dizzy.”

“Are you okay?”

“No. Don’t talk to me. I feel nauseous.”

How much did he drink to still be this out of it at this hour?

He had finished all the honey water, so it seemed like he had no trouble drinking.

But judging by the fact that he wouldn’t open his eyes or even get up, eating the meal she had prepared probably wasn’t going to happen.

Still, she thought it would be better to let him know about it.

“I made bean sprout soup.”

“…”

“I made it spicy with Cheongyang chili peppers.”

“…”

“I think it’ll be perfect for your hangover.”

She was merely stating the facts, but Dajeong saw Jaewoon’s Adam’s apple move noticeably.

“…You can make things like that, too?”

His tightly shut eyes finally opened.

Jaewoon sat up while pressing down on his throbbing forehead.

Every time he moved, the smell of alcohol wafted off him.

There was so much of it that Dajeong could hardly tell whether she was in a bar or in his home.

“I told you I’m good at everything.”

Dajeong followed him toward the kitchen.

“But how much did you drink?”

“A lot.”

“You weren’t drinking alone, were you?”

She had to report back to Youngshin, after all, so the more information she had, the better.

“If you drink this much by yourself, that’s alcoholism.”

Jaewoon was pulling out a chair when he narrowed his eyes and turned around.

The moment their eyes met, Dajeong realized she might have gone too far and quickly smiled.

He can’t be angry when I’m smiling at him, right?

“It’s bad for your health.”

“You said you were good at everything. Turns out you’re good at nagging, too.”

Jaewoon shook his head, then suddenly frowned as though he had become dizzy and quickly sat down.

“Please eat.”

Dajeong waited until he picked up his spoon before leaving the kitchen.

She went into the bedroom and placed some fresh clothes on the bed.

Although she had already kept everything neat and tidy, she checked the bedroom one more time just in case.

After finishing her work, she opened the door to leave, only to come face-to-face with Jaewoon, who was just about to enter.

“Ah—!”

Startled by his sudden appearance, she stumbled backward.

She wasn’t about to fall, but just as she hurriedly planted her foot to regain her balance, Jaewoon grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.

“You’ll fall. Be careful.”

He let go before she could actually end up against his body and walked straight past Dajeong into the bedroom.

Still startled, Dajeong blinked with wide eyes before turning around.

But then she encountered an even more shocking sight and hurriedly turned her head away again.

Jaewoon was already casually pulling off his shirt.

“I-I’m still here!”

“So?”

“No, I mean, taking your clothes off like that…!”

“Leave. You’re wasting time standing there talking.”

He paid no attention to her and placed his hand on the buckle of his pants.

The sound of his zipper being pulled down made Dajeong jump in fright.

Bang!

She slammed the door shut.

He had absolutely no sense of consideration.

Even though he was six years older than her, she was still a woman.

And yet he casually said humiliating things like how she didn’t turn him on, then stripped his clothes off without a second thought.

At this point, what did he even think of her?

“Does he just think of me as a machine that does housework?”

It was a pretty convincing theory.

Like one of those robot vacuum cleaners constantly moving around over there.

Dajeong pouted.

She had thought she was already used to rich people treating their employees like pieces of furniture.

But strangely, she didn’t feel very good about it this time.

As if on cue, the robot vacuum cleaner diligently doing its rounds came over and bumped against Dajeong’s foot.

Already irritated for no particular reason, she pushed the robot vacuum away and headed into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

“…What? He finished everything.”

Seeing that he had completely cleaned his plate after all, the pout disappeared from Dajeong’s lips.

She casually painted a smile onto the memory of Jaewoon’s expression from the first day, when he had challenged her about what exactly she was good at.

Then she stood in front of the sink.

Jaewoon’s daily life was monotonous.

It was enough to make her wonder why Youngshin had bothered hiring someone to keep an eye on him.

“Mr. Go Jaewoon.”

“Why, Ms. Han Dajeong?”

These days, he seemed to have become obsessed with formal titles, copying the way Dajeong addressed him and using the same formality in return.

The word childish rose all the way to the tip of her tongue, but she had no position to say such a thing, so she swallowed it.

“Just call me ‘Director.’ It sounds weird when you call me that.”

Director?

I thought he was unemployed. Maybe he isn’t.

Come to think of it, Youngshin had only told her that Jaewoon had returned from overseas. She had never said what he had actually been doing there.

So there was no way to know whether he had really been doing nothing all this time.

Had I been making unnecessary assumptions?

“…Yes, understood. CEO says she wants you to call her.”

Jaewoon’s phone had been ringing for a while.

He had it set to ring, so he clearly knew someone was calling, yet he continued ignoring it.

Eventually, the call came through to Dajeong.

It was Youngshin.

She had instructed Dajeong to bring the phone to Jaewoon and make sure he answered, even if she had to hold it directly to his ear.

“I’ll call the CEO and connect you.”

“Ah. What a pain.”

Jaewoon, who had been lying motionless on the sofa with one arm covering his eyes, finally spoke.

Although he said it was a nuisance, there was more irritation than annoyance in his voice.

Unlike his usual playful attitude, he let out a deep sigh and lowered his arm.

His eyes had always been somewhat cold.

But now, combined with the sharp atmosphere surrounding him, they seemed even more piercing, making Dajeong flinch.

“Just do it.”

He sat up, placed one arm on each of his spread knees, and vigorously shook out his messy hair.

“Why does she have to be so annoying?”

“…”

“What did my aunt promise you that has you trying this hard, huh?”

While Dajeong remained silent, unsure how to answer, the phone rang again.

Jaewoon frowned, then somewhat irritably took his phone from Dajeong’s hand and pressed the call button.

“Yes, Aunt.”

His footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

When she heard the click of the bedroom door closing, Dajeong finally let out the breath she had been holding.

Maybe it was because of his normally easygoing demeanor.

Or perhaps because she had wrapped the few memories she had of meeting him in the past in the pretty packaging of first love.

Whatever the reason, Jaewoon had never seemed as difficult to her as Youngshin.

Had she taken him too lightly because of that?

His sudden change in atmosphere had frightened her.

She had obviously become too relaxed around him, and that was what had caused this situation.

I said I had buried my first love.

She had almost made a fool of herself because she had gotten carried away by those shallow memories that only she still remembered.

“Get a grip. Your recommendation letter from Shinu Group is on the line.”

She couldn’t let her first love, who didn’t even remember her, make her lose such a valuable opportunity.

Dajeong knew the harsh realities of life better than anyone, so she pulled herself together once again.

Meanwhile, Jaewoon entered the bedroom with his phone in hand.

He repeatedly rubbed his face before dropping heavily onto the bed.

—You said you’d go to the hospital I recommended today. Why haven’t you told me you’ve left?

“Doctors won’t help.”

—That was in America. This is Korea. Just go and talk to the doctor first. He’s an excellent physician.

Jaewoon knew very well that he couldn’t win an argument against Youngshin.

That was why he had deliberately ignored her calls.

As the conversation dragged on, he pressed his stiff, tired eyelids.

He was already irritable from not being able to sleep, and listening to her nagging made his head feel like it was going to split open.

Eventually, Jaewoon surrendered.

“Fine. I’ll leave now. So stop nagging and hang up.”

The moment he pressed the end-call button, the noise finally disappeared.

Jaewoon rubbed his temples as he stood up and checked the time.

How much did I sleep today?

He had closed his eyes for a while on the sofa earlier, but calling that actual sleep would have been a stretch.

It had already been more than two years since insomnia had begun tormenting Jaewoon.

[Seocho-dong Mirae H Mental Health Clinic]

Jaewoon checked the message Youngshin had sent and scratched his head roughly.

His steps were sluggish as he headed toward the dressing room.

Everything was because of the accident.

That terrible accident he had tried to forget and live beyond.

There was no emotion to be found on his lowered, expressionless face.