Boundless Love

16.

The path downhill was not very well-lit. Some streetlights flickered, and others didn’t turn on at all. Still, having any streetlights was better than nothing. As Haseo walked, he noticed someone approaching from the opposite direction. The man lifted his head casually, and Haseo saw that he was quite handsome.

‘Was there someone like that around here?’ Haseo wondered, trying to recall. Then he realized who the man was. He lived in the house with the blue gate. It was the only place in the neighborhood where a young person lived.

When Haseo was younger, he had heard rumors that it was the wealthiest house in the neighborhood. The original owner, an elderly woman, had passed away, and her grandson now lived there. Haseo had never interacted with him because he had been busy finding work to support his grandmother’s deteriorating health.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never run into him before.’

He had heard that the man was handsome enough to be an idol. But since Haseo had never seen him before, he couldn’t confirm if that was true.

‘But here he is today.’

The man was a bit too muscular to fit the current idol trends, but to older people, anyone handsome was either an actor or an idol.

“Hello,” Haseo greeted softly with a smile. After all, they were neighbors, and he might run into him again. But the man’s reaction was not what he expected. Usually, when someone greets you, you greet them back. But the man’s eyes narrowed fiercely as soon as he saw Haseo.

“Why are you here?” he asked sharply.

Haseo was taken aback and blinked in confusion before realizing that the man was not talking to him but to Director Choi Mujin, who was standing next to him.

“Why shouldn’t I be? Do I need to report my every move to you? We’re not that close, are we?” Director Choi Mujin replied calmly, but his tone was sharp.

“Were you planning to see Jaewoo?” the man asked.

“You’re free to imagine whatever you want, but don’t jump to conclusions,” Director Choi Mujin retorted.

“Think about what you’ve done,” the man said, still using polite language but glaring at Director Choi Mujin as if he wanted to bite his head off.

Haseo wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. He rolled his eyes, trying to gauge Director Choi Mujin’s mood.

“Um, so…” Haseo started to speak, and only then did the man look at him. Haseo raised his hand awkwardly to show he meant no harm, but it was useless.

“Ah, so you can’t see Jaewoo anymore. Now you’re bringing someone who looks like him?” the man said, turning his glare back to Director Choi Mujin.

‘Someone who looks like him? Who?’ Haseo wondered.

“Yu Hyunjin,” Director Choi Mujin said.

“Don’t say my name!” the man snapped.

From what Haseo could gather, this Jaewoo person looked like him. And from the context, it seemed that Director Choi Mujin wanted to see Jaewoo.

‘But why?’ Haseo thought.

Then he remembered the employees standing in the room at the club. They all had slender builds, fair skin, and cute faces with light-colored hair. And Director Choi Mujin had a type.

‘Ah, I see.’

Haseo realized that Director Choi Mujin had someone he liked but couldn’t be with. And he was trying to fill that void with people who looked like him. It was just a theory, but it made sense.

‘Even that guy said I look like Jaewoo.’

No wonder Director Choi Mujin had been so easy to seduce. Haseo was good-looking, but not enough to make someone like Director Choi Mujin fall for him so easily. Haseo placed his hand over his chest, feeling a strange ache in his heart.

“Stop talking nonsense,” Director Choi Mujin said, walking past Yu Hyunjin with the box in his hands. Yu Hyunjin watched him warily, and as the distance between Haseo and Director Choi Mujin grew, he warned Haseo,

“That man is dangerous. Stay away from him if you can.”

His voice was still sharp, but Haseo could sense the concern behind it.

‘He’s a kind person,’ Haseo thought.

“Thank you,” Haseo said, his voice trembling, and then he hurried after Director Choi Mujin. As he rushed down the hill, he tripped over a stone and fell, tumbling down the slope. Someone caught him just in time, and he looked up to see who it was.

‘Director Choi Mujin.’

Seeing Director Choi Mujin’s calm face, Haseo suddenly felt a surge of emotions and started to cry. He didn’t know why, but he felt so wronged and angry. He tried to hold back the tears, but they kept flowing.

“Sob…”

Director Choi Mujin put down the box and examined Haseo. Fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured, but his pants were torn, and his exposed skin was bleeding.

“Be careful. Can you walk?” Director Choi Mujin asked.

Haseo shook his head. “It hurts.”

His whole body ached, and he didn’t think he could walk. Director Choi Mujin sighed and handed the box to Haseo.

“Hold this for a moment,” he said, then he scooped Haseo up in his arms and continued down the hill more slowly than before.

“You’re… you’re heavy,” Haseo muttered through his tears.

Director Choi Mujin’s face twitched. “Not at all. You’re too light,” he said.

“No, I’m not,” Haseo argued, but Director Choi Mujin didn’t respond.

Despite the dangerous path, Director Choi Mujin carried Haseo safely to the waiting car, where Secretary Ahn was waiting.

“We need to make a quick stop at the emergency room,” Director Choi Mujin said.

“What? Oh, yes. But why is Lee Haseo injured?” Secretary Ahn asked.

“He fell down a hill,” Director Choi Mujin explained, placing Haseo in the back seat. Secretary Ahn opened the trunk and handed Director Choi Mujin a first aid kit before getting into the driver’s seat.

“What’s that?” Haseo asked.

“A first aid kit. We need to check your injuries,” Director Choi Mujin said, taking out a pair of scissors and cutting away the torn pants. He clicked his tongue as he saw the dirt embedded in the wounds.

“Luckily, it looks like only your skin is injured,” he said.

“My ankle hurts too,” Haseo said.

“It’s swollen. Anything else hurt?” Director Choi Mujin asked.

Haseo hesitated, his chest aching, but he didn’t know how to explain it. At least the tears had stopped. He took a deep breath and said,

“No, but I don’t think we need to go to the emergency room.”

“Why not?” Director Choi Mujin asked.

‘Does he really not know?’ Haseo thought. Emergency room visits were expensive, especially at night. He just needed to clean the wounds, apply some antiseptic, and bandage them. His ankle was swollen, but he had sprained it before, and it had healed with rest.

Haseo explained this to Director Choi Mujin, but his expression changed. He looked even more stern than before.

‘What did I do wrong?’ Haseo wondered, but he couldn’t figure it out. The atmosphere in the car grew heavier, and Secretary Ahn spoke up.

“I still think you should go to the hospital. You never know if there might be an infection. If you’re unlucky, you might need to have the wounded skin removed. Your body is a precious asset, isn’t it?” he said.

Haseo wasn’t sure if what Secretary Ahn said was true, but before he could respond, Director Choi Mujin spoke.

“That’s right. It’s not uncommon to have to amputate a limb due to infection,” he said.

Haseo was shocked. He had never heard of such a thing, but both Director Choi Mujin and Secretary Ahn seemed serious.

“Okay, let’s go to the emergency room,” Haseo said finally.

Secretary Ahn nodded approvingly. “That’s a wise decision.”

The car pulled up to the nearest hospital with an emergency room, and Director Choi Mujin scooped Haseo up in his arms again. This time, Haseo realized what position he was in and felt embarrassed.

“I can walk!” he said urgently, but Director Choi Mujin ignored him.

“Director Choi Mujin, I can walk!” Haseo insisted, but Director Choi Mujin replied,

“Patients shouldn’t walk.”

Haseo gave up and covered his face with his hands as Director Choi Mujin carried him into the emergency room. The receptionist smiled and asked,

“Hello, what brings you here today?”

“He injured his leg,” Director Choi Mujin explained calmly, and the receptionist began the intake process.