The Country Life Diary of a Gangster's Secretary - c14
This chapter is paid for by Mimzy!
The reason for falling in love is simple. It was a topic covered in a rather abstract liberal arts lecture on human emotions. He only signed up for it because it was a required course, but the class wasn’t very interesting. While others were at an age of being true to their emotions and pouring their energy into them, Hyeseong was different.
Studying and money. Specs and grades. These were the most important things to university student Hyeseong.
“Hyeseong. Doing howork?”
It was a hot sumr day. Despite the forecast of monsoon season coming, the scorching heat continued day after day. Lately, whenever Hyeseong had free ti after classes or during breaks, he would usually co to the Taesung office. It had air conditioning and was cool here. Also, he didn’t have to compete for seats like in the library and could freely use the internet.
“Yeah.”
“Oh-ho. University students these days learn such difficult things?”
Seongjin, dressed in a Hawaiian short-sleeve shirt he got from sowhere, sat next to Hyeseong who was using a laptop on the sofa.
“Since I’m a university student, of course, I learn difficult things.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Seongjin scratched his army-style short hair as if feeling awkward. Taesung didn’t have that many mbers compared to its current reputation. He had said that in movies, gangsters always move in crowds, but it didn’t seem like that here. Then Seongjin explained that it was Ihyeok’s preference.
The sight of Hyeseong sitting upright in a typical gangster office doing a liberal arts assignnt on his laptop was a bit contradictory and strange, but it was a familiar scene to Taesung’s family. As Hyeseong took on Ihyeok’s errands one by one and gradually opened up to the people here, he was told by Ihyeok that he could co and rest anyti, and use the place like his own house.
At first, the other mbers weren’t very pleased to see a scrawny-looking university student co and stay around. However, soti later, to be exact, as Taesung started raking in money and gaining fa in their world thanks to Hyeseong’s strategies and advice, the others also treated him without reserve.
But there was a bit of a problem.
“Hyeseong. How do you like the clothes I bought this ti?”
“Not good. Don’t wear that kind of printed shirt.”
Seongjin frequently asked Hyeseong for fashion advice.
“Hyeseong, I have a girl I like, but how should I confess…?”
“Usually won don’t like gangsters. If she’s not from the sa industry, you’ll have to quit this job to increase your chances of a successful confession.”
So mbers were busy seeking dating advice.
“Hyeseong, what are you doing this weekend? We’re going to the amusent park, co with us!”
“I don’t want to go to a place full of dreams and hopes with rough-looking ajusshis. Sorry, but count out.”
Every weekend, they tried to take Hyeseong out to play here and there. In other words, the problem was that they beca too comfortable with him.
Today as well, after answering a barrage of questions and serving as a counselor, Hyeseong was able to get so free ti as the mbers went out to work. Fortunately, he at least finished his assignnt properly.
“I’m tired.”
These days, between group projects, exam studies, and looking for extracurricular activities one by one, he was quite exhausted. On top of that, whenever he ca here, he talked a lot, unlike his usual self, so the fatigue hit him even more.
Hyeseong sank onto the sofa. He tried hard to keep his drowsy eyes open but to no avail. Right, he’d just sleep for 5 minutes and wake up. Just a short nap. Like that, Hyeseong’s eyes gradually closed.
“……”
Soti later, Hyeseong, who had been sleeping soundly, slowly opened his eyes.
“Awake?”
A low voice ca from close by. Realizing that he had been sleeping while leaning on soone’s shoulder, Hyeseong quickly straightened up.
“Why are you so startled?”
“…..It was you, ahjussi.”
The one who had lent his shoulder to Hyeseong was Kwon Ihyeok. He seed to have been reading, with a book in one hand. There were many new things Hyeseong recently learned about Kwon Ihyeok, one of them being that he liked reading, unlike his profession.
“Hyeseong.”
“Yes.”
“How about calling sothing different? I don’t want to be called ahjussi in my mid-thirties.”
Ihyeok looked at Hyeseong while closing his book.
“We have an 8-year age gap, you’re making quite a shaless request. And ahjussi just rolls off the tongue, it’s comfortable.”
“Call hyungnim like the other kids.”
“Don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not an employee here.”
Noticing that it was getting darker outside, Hyeseong prepared to leave soon to get ready. He had an important group project presentation scheduled for tomorrow, so he planned to go to bed early.
“Not giving in, huh.”
Hyeseong heard Ihyeok mutter sothing quietly, but he was busy putting his books into his backpack.
“Hyeseong. Aren’t you overexerting yourself these days?”
Studying is good, but do it in moderation. Hyeseong looked at Ihyeok’s faint smile for a mont, then resolutely shouldered his bag instead of answering.
“I’ll get going.”
“Bye.”
Leaving behind Ihyeok waving his hand, Hyeseong left the office. Strangely, being with that person made him feel at ease. At the words telling him to take it easy, the tiredness from assignnts and the urgency about the future seed to lighten a bit.
When Ihyeok saw him, he would sotis tell him to relax like that. It might be just a passing remark, but it had a really reassuring aspect. He acted as if he knew everything about his situation without Hyeseong saying it. And he didn’t dislike that. Maybe because there weren’t many people around him who said such things.
That night, even as he was falling asleep, Hyeseong recalled Ihyeok’s gentle voice.
* * *
“……With that, Group 3’s presentation will conclude.”
As the presentation materials Hyeseong displayed on the screen ended, the lecture room fell into a brief silence. It was the mont when perfunctory applause should have burst out after the presentation ended, but the students only exchanged glances with each other.
“I know Group 3 has a total of 5 mbers.”
Then the professor asked while pushing up his glasses.
“Yes.”
“But the mber nas on the PPT only include two people, including the presenter?”
“The other three mbers did not participate. So I had no choice but to exclude their nas.”
In an instant, the lecture room buzzed and the other students’ gazes naturally turned to the mbers of Group 3.
“Hmm, yes. I see. I’ll keep that in mind when grading.”
Like that, as the lecture ended and Hyeseong was about to leave the departnt building for an important schedule.
“Hey! Cheon Hyeseong!”
A sharp shout was heard from behind. He knew who it was without looking.
“Damn, are you out of your mind?!”
The three mbers who didn’t participate in the project out of five slowly approached Hyeseong.
“I heard you told them to remove our nas?”
The tall male student in the middle asked in an excited voice. The other two silently stood next to him with frowns, as if guarding him.
“Yeah. Since you didn’t participate.”
“Hey, I told you I couldn’t do the research because of my grandmother’s morial rite, right?”
“You had your grandmother’s morial for a whole week?”
“That’s…!”
“So I told you if research was difficult, at least do the presentation, but you guys ca in when the lecture was almost over today.”
Hyeseong spoke without batting an eye. He didn’t forget to check the ti now and then. There was still so leeway until the bus ti.
“Still, how can you exclude our nas without discussing it with us? You really have no blood or tears, you bastard.”
That kind of sarcasm was sothing Hyeseong had often heard while living his life. The guy who had been huffing and puffing turned around and left with the guys next to him.
“That bastard probably didn’t even cry when his parents died.”
The three snickered and spoke loudly so that Hyeseong behind them could hear. Because they glanced at him while saying that.
Hyeseong slowly walked out of the building.
“Ah……”
As the saying goes, when it rains it pours, and suddenly heavy rain starts pouring down. Seed like the talk about the monsoon season starting was true after all.
“I don’t have an umbrella.”
To go to the bus terminal, he had to take another city bus from there. The pre-booked bus ti was quite tight. Would he be able to make it? It’s his parents’ death anniversary. He had to go.
The next bus tickets were probably already sold out. Like that, Hyeseong took a step without any plan. While walking to the bus stop to take the bus to the terminal, he didn’t think about anything. To be exact, he didn’t want to think about anything right now. Whether he’d be able to catch the pre-booked bus, what he’d do if he couldn’t, he didn’t worry about it.
Like the drizzling rain, Hyeseong’s mood was also plumting. He tried not to be ashad in front of his deceased parents. He worked hard got into a prestigious university, and was putting in more effort than anyone else here. But sotis when he heard words like what those guys said earlier, he felt drained. To the point of wanting to give up everything.
“Damn it, of course, I cried.”
Just as Hyeseong was about to utter a curse that didn’t suit him, a shadow lood above and his shoulders were no longer getting wet.
“You’ll catch a cold.”
“…..Why are you here, ahjussi?”
Ihyeok, holding a black umbrella, was wearing a black suit.
“Hmm, I ca to pick up Hyeseong.”
“I can’t go to the office today.”
“I know. You’re going to Seo-in City, right?”
“…..How do you know that?”
“Because it’s your parents’ death anniversary.”
“……”
Ihyeok shrugged his shoulders. The heavily pouring rain. The hot and humid temperature. The voices those guys spat out earlier. There was nothing pleasant about any of it.
“Hyeseong.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t overdo it. Let’s go now.”
The reason for falling in love is simple. In a situation where nothing was good, only that person’s expression, voice, and face were visible. With Kwon Ihyeok’s presence alone, the noisily falling rain had sohow beco a beautiful lody, and the voices dragging him down were easily shattered.
No. The reason for falling in love is not simple. How can you say that this situation, which turned all the unpleasantness into sothing else, that Kwon Ihyeok, is simple?
The love Kwon Ihyeok made him feel was not simple at all.
This chapter is paid for by Mimzy!
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