The Country Life Diary of a Gangster’s Secretary

This chapter is paid for by Mimzy and Nemuru!

The black sedan felt familiar yet unfamiliar. Could it be Park Dohyun? He said he was coming earlier, but did he arrive already? If it was him, there was a possibility he might have impulsively bought a car first. Or it could be someone unknown who had parked there briefly. Hyeseong was slowly approaching the car.

Click.

As the sound of the car door opening was heard, someone got out from inside. Upon seeing that person, Hyeseong’s face instantly stiffened. The one who got out was neither Park Dohyun nor a stranger. It would have been better if it was a stranger.

“Why are you here?”

Hyeseong tried hard to compose his surprised expression. In the morning, he had thought he was in a good mood. The refreshing clear sky and the lofty air now only felt suffocating.

“You look good, don’t you?”

The scene unfolding before his eyes felt like a scene from a drama. It felt completely unreal. The fact that the person standing crookedly in front of him with his hands in his pockets was Kwon Ihyeok felt truly surreal.

“I asked first.”

Ihyeok and Hyeseong’s eyes clashed in midair. It was a momentary eye contact, but the two were busy exploring each other. However, the one who turned his head first was Ihyeok.

“Are you going to keep a guest standing like this? Let’s talk inside.”

Then he snatched the plastic bag Hyeseong was holding and swiftly went inside. Hyeseong, who had his luggage taken away in a defenseless state, sighed as he watched Ihyeok walk towards the front door as if it were his own house.

Hyeseong pressed the door lock while hiding the front with his body so Ihyeok couldn’t see. As if noticing it, Ihyeok laughed in disbelief.

Even in a space unfamiliar to himself, Kwon Ihyeok sets foot in it. Was it because the old and worn-out house was too contrasting with his atmosphere? Hyeseong blankly stared at Ihyeok, who was looking around the house, as if enchanted.

“But how did you really know to come here?”

Hyeseong asked while casually placing the luggage Ihyeok was holding on the kitchen table. He didn’t think his relationship with Kwon Ihyeok would be completely and neatly cut off after resigning and coming here. In fact, he had vaguely expected to receive a few contacts from Ihyeok, since he had received a contact from Kang Sung-jin just this morning. Because he had been his secretary.

The one who had assisted and taken charge of almost all tasks by his side. He had thought there would be a few contacts, even if just for work. But to think he would personally come find him like this.

“You’re too much for not even telling me to sit down.”

“Sit anywhere.”

Saying that Hyeseong pointed to the table placed in the middle of the living room. Ihyeok slowly sat down.

“Now, please tell me for real.”

“You’re not even giving me something to drink? I’m a guest, even if I don’t look like it.”

The problem was that he was an unwelcome guest. Hyeseong was about to just push through, but with a deep sigh, he headed to the kitchen. If he didn’t comply with that unnecessary request, it would probably be difficult to even start a conversation.

Hyeseong filled a glass with cold water and placed it in front of him with a thud.

“I only have instant coffee at home. You don’t drink instant, so just have water.”

Ihyeok doesn’t like instant coffee. To begin with, he wasn’t the type to enjoy drinking coffee much, and if he did drink it, he would only choose Americano sold at famous franchised cafes.

Ihyeok slowly stared at the glass of cold water sloshing around with his arms crossed.

“How did you know I came to Seoin City? I don’t think I told you, CEO.”

After only leaving the words that he would process the resignation, Ihyeok didn’t throw any personal questions at Hyeseong. Questions like where he was going, or if he had a specific destination in mind for rural life. Even a secretary on the same team had asked that first upon hearing he was quitting and going to another region.

“If I had asked… Would you have honestly told me?”

“……”

Ihyeok’s voice was calm without any fluctuation. Well. If Ihyeok had really asked, would he have honestly answered? In fact, the only response that came to mind for that question was that he wasn’t sure. There was no particular reason to hide it, so he thought it would be fine to tell, but at the same time, he was conflicted about whether there was a need to tell.

But as if guessing what Hyeseong was agonizing over, Ihyeok snorted.

“Of course. You wouldn’t have told me.”

What’s with that sarcastic tone? And why is he so certain that I wouldn’t have told him? Hyeseong slightly furrowed his brows.

“Then how did you find out?”

“Hyeseong. Do you think there’s anything I can’t find out if I put my mind to it?”

Right. It might have been a pointless question to ask in the first place. For someone who is a CEO of a company, finding out the address of an ordinary citizen wouldn’t be that difficult.

“You shouldn’t abuse your work-related authority for personal matters like that.”

“I found out personally.”

Personally. That was also an understandable statement. For him who had lived as a gangster, there would be plenty of people who could serve as his personal informants if he looked.

“But why Seoin City? Because it’s your hometown? Well, it works out perfectly for me.”

I don’t know what he means by it working out perfectly, but if he asks why, the answer is clear.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Come to think of it, when I received this address from Deok-su, I felt it was familiar. It clearly came to me now that this was the place Hyeseong had briefly lived with his parents in the past.

When Hyeseong was a college student, they had naturally done a background check to bring him into the organization, so Ihyeok knew about it too. About Hyeseong’s hometown and what his childhood was like.

“Then this house?”

“It’s the house I lived in when I was young. My dad built it himself, but it was still standing.”

There were reasons behind Hyeseong abruptly disappearing as if he had thrown away his resignation and already had a destination in mind. It was because he had clearly decided on a residence. If the house his parents built in his hometown where he used to live was still there, there was no reason not to choose it as his new home.

“But now the real reason…”

Hyeseong’s eyes narrowed for a moment and changed sharply as he was about to ask why he suddenly came here in the middle of work hours.

“But did you smoke, CEO?”

Ihyeok slightly turned his gaze without a word. Silence has always been an affirmation. The scent of cigarettes was subtly rising from somewhere. But Ihyeok had quit smoking. For some unknown reason, he hadn’t touched it since a certain point, so I thought he was trying to quit.

But it seems that wasn’t the case. Seeing him reach for it again like that.

“I failed because of you.”

Strangely, Ihyeok was blaming the reason for his failure to quit smoking, which required the most perseverance, on me. I never told him to smoke, so it was a truly unfair situation.

“The most important thing in quitting smoking is perseverance. Blaming me is completely beyond my understanding.”

“You keep making me concerned about you.”

At some point, Ihyeok’s gaze was directed towards Hyeseong. His low and quietly settled eyes looked a little complicated.

“You’re doing things you didn’t do before. I’m going crazy with concern, so what can I do?”

The maddeningly sweet voice eventually reached his heart through his ears. Those words saying he was concerned about me felt like sweet lyrics.

“The one doing strange things is you, CEO, not me.”

Hyeseong slightly shook his head as if trying to get rid of the voice sweetly sticking to his ears.

“You’re the one who said you’d process my resignation. But why are you coming to find me and doing this?”

If there’s something to ask, it’s something that can be done over the phone or text. But Kwon Ihyeok personally came to find him and isn’t even telling him the reason. On top of that, he’s only spouting meaningful words about being concerned.

“Cheon Hyeseong.”

Calling him by his full name still wasn’t easy to get used to.

“Let me ask you something. Do you really have nothing to say to me?”

Something to say? I don’t know what kind he means, but there were many things to say. Things that happened in England. Things related to his constitution. Those issues combined with my heart led to the result of resignation. Things like that. But there’s no way I could say them.

“No. Nothing like that.”

“…I see.”

Ihyeok nodded his head as if he had given up or had already expected it. The flow of the conversation was completely incomprehensible.

“Then one last thing.”

Is there still more he wants to ask? Hyeseong nodded his head, indicating he could ask anything. He would tell him what he could, and for difficult things, he would just brush them off with a calm lie like earlier.

“Do you really have no intention of coming back to me?”

Recently, Kwon Ihyeok had a strange habit of speaking. If a passerby heard those words, they would surely think this. He’s desperately trying to hold onto a lover who left him after a breakup.

But that’s not some sweet plea. He’s asking if I have no intention of coming back as Secretary Cheon Hyeseong, as a capable subordinate and employee. That made a person feel quite bitter.

But the reason it felt even more bitter was because of himself who was about to answer that he wanted to go back even though he clearly knew. Unconsciously or reflexively, the answer “yes” almost came up to his throat, and he barely had to swallow it down.

“Absolutely none.” That’s why he had to hold onto his reason even more. Hyeseong expressed his intention firmly, even shaking his head. Then Ihyeok fell into quiet silence.

The air of the countryside, with almost no noise inside and outside the house, flowed peacefully.

“I see.”

Ihyeok stood up with a complicated expression. There were no more questions or persuasions. Seeing that he was about to leave, Hyeseong slowly stood up to follow. This should really be the end now. They wouldn’t see each other again. Today would be the last time he heard that voice, saw that face, and watched that back.

As he opened the door and was about to send Ihyeok off, he suddenly spun around.

“Ah, right, Hyeseong.”

“Yes.”

“Please take good care of me from now on.”

“With what?”

He had no idea what he meant by taking good care of him. No matter how he looked at it, they never had a conversation that would warrant that.

“We’re neighbors now, so let’s get along well.”

This chapter is paid for by Mimzy and Nemuru!