RACA 64
“I want to eat bulgogi cold noodles.”
Eunsol muttered as he sat sprawled on the sofa watching TV. The large screen showed someone scooping a full pair of chopsticks of bright red cold noodles from a bowl as big as a basin and putting them into their mouth.
The contestant’s face was flushed bright red, eyes watering, and tongue sticking out as if it were extremely spicy, but it just didn’t stimulate his appetite.
“Spicy cold noodles? I’ll make them for you at lunch!”
Bulgom, who was tidying up to clear the way for the robot vacuum cleaner, managed to hear that and replied.
“You mean make it? At home? Is that even possible?”
When Eunsol asked incredulously, Bulgom replied as if it were no big deal.
“It’s possible! It takes about two hours to boil the broth, but if we start now, we can have it ready for lunch.”
“Wow… You can make that too?”
Admiration finally showed on Eunsol’s face. Bulgom rubbed his nose with his index finger and looked embarrassed.
“It’s not hard. Just put the beef brisket, onions, green onions, garlic, and thoughts in water, then add soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and salt, and boil it.”
“Oh? That really is simple. What can I do to help?”
For Eunsol, who had always thought you could only eat naengmyeon by going to a restaurant or ordering delivery, this was music to his ears.
Having lived with his grandmother and prided himself on trying to make various dishes, the prospect of a new recipe brought excitement.
“No, it’s fine. Just a moment. Since I just remembered, I’ll put the broth on the induction cooktop and be right back.”
Bulgom put the items he was carrying in a suitable place and disappeared into the kitchen. But he reappeared less than ten minutes later, ready to go out.
“I’ll just run to the supermarket for a bit.”
“Huh? The supermarket? Why?”
“I have the ingredients for the broth, but I need to buy the cold noodles.”
“Then I’ll go too.”
“I can go by myself!”
Seeing his sister-in-law Eunsol looking as if he might follow him out at any moment, Bulgom quickly answered. To him, Eunsol was safety first. He was someone he had to protect at all times.
Whereas before he’d been by his side partly for surveillance purposes, now he felt only that he was someone precious he truly had to look after.
Especially lately, watching the atmosphere between his boss and Eunsol, it felt like seeing a newlywed couple slowly getting to know each other and building their relationship, which made him feel even more proud.
Of course, the latter part was purely Bulgom’s own imagination, but regardless, he was now tasked with the mission to take full responsibility for Eunsol.
“I’m bored, so I thought I’d grab some snacks too.”
Eunsol, already rising from the sofa, let his eyelids droop heavily. The cat sitting beside him, its butt planted on the floor, gently swayed its tail and looked up as if pleading for its owner to understand its pitiful state.
“Hmm…”
“The CEO said it was okay too.”
That was true. After regaining his memory, Pyo Jaebeom had permitted Eunsol to go out. In truth, he hadn’t been particularly keen on it, but Eunsol had insisted and won it out.
He argued that there was no reason he had to stay cooped up at home anyway, he wasn’t going to run away, and their situations were similar enough.
Of course, Pyo Jaebeom also opposed it for safety reasons, but Eunsol answered, “Do you have any idea how boring it is to walk only in the park in front of the house every single time? If you were stuck inside for over a month, wouldn’t you feel the same?” He had no choice but to concede.
“Alright!”
Bulgom pretended to think for a moment longer before nodding. Honestly, if his boss gave the go-ahead, there’s no way he’d say no.
Besides, he couldn’t possibly turn his back on Eunsol, who was smiling so brightly with his eyes sparkling like that.
“Wait just a moment! I’ll be right back.”
The sight of him walking toward the dressing room looked so excited that Bulgom felt proud of his choice.
If he’d known what that would lead to, he would have at least checked with Pyo Jaebeom first.
“Uh, uh, Eunsol!”
It was his first outing in ages, and he’d bought all the snacks he’d been begging for, cookies, chocolate, drinks, even ice cream. Feeling great, Eunsol followed Bulgom out of the supermarket and was just about to get into the car.
His hair stood on end in every direction, his clothes reeked of stale sweat as if they’d never been washed, and his face was so caked with grime it was hard to tell who he even was.
When such a man suddenly called out Eunsol’s name and grabbed his arm roughly, he was so startled he dropped the ice cream he was holding onto the floor.
“Ah!”
He gripped his wrist so tightly it hurt. Yet the man paid no heed.
“You, you, this bastard… I, I, th, th, that, that, like that, huh? I, I, ca, th, th, ye, ye, even, even then……”
From the disheveled man emanated not only a musty body odor but also a sour, stale, and unpleasant smell.
He bared yellowed, blackened rotten teeth and spoke in a stuttering manner. But the man who grabbed Eunsol still managed to spit out everything he wanted to say. The gist of his words was this.
How could you not answer when I tried to contact you so many times?
He’s supposed to be his father, how could a son be so heartless to his father?
Unfortunately, at that very moment, Bulgom was busy loading the groceries he’d bought at the supermarket. This gave Eunsol ample time to figure out the identity of the uninvited guest.
“…Lee Daebak?”
When Eunsol uttered his name, Lee Daebak’s eyes flashed.
“You, you, you good-for-nothing brat!”
He raised his thin yet muscular arm. Eunsol’s eyes widened in shock as he instantly grasped what was about to happen.
Just as the tightly clenched fist was about to hit, and Eunsol tried to dodge, someone stepped in and shoved Lee Daebak away.
“Ah!”
Lee Daebak, sprawled on the floor, let out a scream. Eunsol, who had been staring at Lee Daebak rolling around, belatedly saw who had stepped in front of him.
“Huh? Act… No. CEO?”
It was Pyo Jaebeom, who had felt early this morning and should have been at the bank by now. Jaebeom, who had been staring down at Lee Daebak with an expressionless face, turned his head at the sound of someone calling his name.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes… But how did you get here….”
How could he appear so perfectly timed to his predicament? This was nothing short of a protagonist-worthy entrance.
That aside, Eunsol found himself wondering what on earth could have prompted Pyo Jaebeom to show up at this incredible timing.
But Jaebeom, dumbfounded by the situation unfolding right before his eyes, finally stared coldly at Bulgom running over breathlessly.
“What do you think the reason was that I entrusted Lee Eunsol to you?”
“I’m sorry!”
“Aren’t you going to clean that up right now?”
If he’d been just a moment later, that monstrous fist would have slammed straight into Eunsol’s small face. The mere thought sent a chill down his spine.
Having trusted subordinates by his side, yet finding them useless when he actually needed them, was enough to infuriate Jaebeom.
“Yes, boss!”
Bulgom addressed Jaebeom as he always had and hurried over to Lee Daebak. Perhaps driven by guilt over failing to protect Eunsol, Bulgom’s hands were rough as he grabbed the man, who still hadn’t regained his senses, and pulled him to his feet.
“Hold on a second.”
Eunsol, who had been dazed by the sudden onslaught of events, saw the scene and hurriedly stopped Bulgom. Regardless of what had happened to his, if that man was Lee Daebak, he couldn’t just let him go.
“Let Bulgom handle it. You get in the car right now. Are you really okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, or strained your stomach or anything?”
“Um… no. I’m really fine. Actually, I need to talk to that person over there. Bring him back.”
Eunsol answered Jaebeom earnestly, then pointed his finger at Lee Daebak, who was being dragged away by the scruff of his neck by Bulgom.
“What’s there to say? Anything can wait. Right now, stabilizing Lee Eunsol-ssi is more important.”
“That man is my father!”
As if Lee Daebak might vanish at any moment, Eunsol cried out urgently. He’d only heard about him before, this was his first time actually facing him.
His appearance at this very moment seemed suspicious, and he desperately wanted to ask him what kind of mind had sold his own son to a gang boss. He had to seize the chance to hear his story.
Given that he was about to be dragged away right before his eyes, it was only natural that Eunsol tried desperately to hold him back. But when he caught the look on Pyo Jaebeom’s face as he gazed at him, his urgency vanished
From the subtly altered look in his eyes, he could easily guess a situation he hadn’t known about.
“What? No way. You already knew that man was my father?”
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