You Promised Me, Mr. Lee San-ha - Chapter 116



Only Noblemtl

Episode 116: The Boy Behind the Door (1)

I don’t know how the egg-throwing woman found her way to our house.

But I think I can vaguely guess the reason.

‘Am I being watched because I’m a reporter for TLT… … .’

It looks like an unintentional hair has stuck in.

The problem is that it’s not you who is in danger right now.

Someone who exists at the door.

That someone was important.

‘I need to at least find out who it is before I can report it.’

Slowly and carefully.

Move inside the villa building.

‘I should have borrowed some self-defense equipment from Ahn Hee-yeon.’

I climbed the stairs with useless regret.

After passing through the dark hallway and arriving at room 302… … I see someone’s silhouette.

With the sensor lights off.

“… … !”

The moment I was surprised and about to leave the place.

He said.

“Sanha, are you going to leave?”

My feet are freezing again.

Someone who knows my name and address.

Yet an unfamiliar voice.

The combination that couldn’t be easily mixed amplified the anxiety.

At that moment, I heard his self-introduction.

“It’s me. Han Tae-seok. Let’s eat.”

“what……?”

“Let’s eat.”

The person under the sensor light that had just turned bright… … That is, when I saw the face of the person named Han Tae-seok, I remembered it.

He is a classmate I only knew by face from high school.

It wasn’t even a few years later, but I can tell that we really weren’t close since my memory is so hazy.

“Why did you suddenly come here and say such things… … No, but how did you find out about my house?”

“Let’s eat.”

Han Tae-seok just keeps repeating the same sound as if he had it on repeat.

I couldn’t understand what on earth was going on.

“No, what are you eating at this hour? Why are you in front of my house―”

“Shut up and let’s go eat! At the graduation ceremony, I told you, ‘Let’s go eat sometime after you graduate!’ So stop making me say the same thing over and over again and let’s go eat!”

A hysterical, bursting scream.

A scream, almost a scream, spreads down the hallway and out the front door.

I opened the status window as I moved.

I was able to confirm that an alarm that I had missed was still going off somewhere in a corner.

‘This was it.’

If I think about it, Lee Seo-jin’s promise to write me into a novel was nothing more than a dream.

In the end, it looks like the real monthly quest reward was this.

Perhaps one of the past promises is being fulfilled randomly.

‘… … Hmm. Not all reunions with classmates are good.’

Starting with weekly quests, rewards are not directly stated.

This was quite an uncomfortable and unpleasant reunion.

‘But random boxes aren’t always exciting and fun.’

I shrugged.

“Okay. There’s a 24-hour hangover soup place in front of here, so let’s go there.”

“… … .”

Han Tae-seok came down the stairs without saying a word.

His face looks very dark under the sensor lights.

It is burdensome to continue walking in silence.

I tried ice breaking.

“How have you been?”

“What? No, nothing… … There was nothing.”

Han Tae-seok, who had been following along in a hunched posture, answered in surprise.

He didn’t even try to make eye contact with me while answering.

I just keep looking around.

As if I had committed some sin.

His vigilance continued even after he entered the haejangguk restaurant.

I even went into the most remote seat and sat with my back to the emergency exit.

An action that is bound to raise suspicion in many ways.

‘Are you being chased by someone?’

Han Tae-seok’s impression was very different from what I remembered.

Skinny build.

Sunken eyes like gouges.

Even dark circles that fall off without end.

He looks more haggard in a bright place.

I’ve only met one person with this impression once.

“Tae-seok, have you… … touched any bad drugs? I can’t help you with that―”

“What are you talking about? I don’t do that. Okay, let’s hurry up and eat.”

I think I misunderstood.

Apparently, Im Se-yeol had this kind of visual during his drug addiction days.

I nodded and checked the menu.

While I was so full that I couldn’t decide what to eat, Han Tae-seok quickly raised his hand and spoke.

“Here, give me two of whatever comes out first.”

“What? I haven’t even chosen the menu yet―”

“Can’t you just eat quickly and get up? Please?”

There was madness in his eyes.

It’s late at night, but it’s still crowded with customers because it’s the weekend.

If Han Tae-seok starts yelling again here, I’ll be the one who’ll be in trouble.

Since I was going to be full anyway, I just let him do whatever he wanted.

A moment later, two bowls of seolleongtang are brought onto the table.

Han Tae-seok immediately dipped his spoon into the bubbling Seolleongtang.

“Huh, hoo- hoooooo-.”

And then he ate the soup without even tasting it.

I was so shocked that I laughed out loud.

“Hey, eat slowly. Who’s chasing you?”

A single word that is nothing more than an idiomatic expression.

At those words, Han Tae-seok suddenly froze.

Enough to drop the spoon.

Tankrang!

“Huh, huh?! Who, who, came chasing me?”

He looked around frantically and trembled with anxiety.

Only after checking the surroundings do I pick up my spoon and resume eating.

‘Why is he drinking the soup with his nose… … .’

I thought maybe I was hungry, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

This is because they just pour the soup into their mouths without even touching the rice.

He put down his spoon without even eating half of the seolleongtang.

“Have you eaten everything now? You kept your promise, right?”

I never thought you’d be so blatant about not wanting to eat with me.

Even with the power of keeping promises, if it was to this extent… … If I had wanted to, I would never have eaten with you in my entire life.

“Why are you going so fast?”

“Oh, well, I’m in charge of sales… … I have to go around to business partners so I’m a little busy.”

The current time is 11:20.

It’s a good time to run a sales campaign.

Of course, if it were daytime now.

I can’t understand what you’re talking about at 11 o’clock at night.

I decided to take a look at Han Tae-seok, who keeps acting suspiciously.

“I see. What kind of business do you do?”

“Uh, that, that, that. Insurance.”

It’s insurance.

I didn’t really have any specific thoughts, but I thought I’d get his contact information as a courtesy.

“I see. Then just give me one business card.”

“I didn’t bring it.”

“Then just give me your contact information.”

“Poetry, I hate it.”

weird.

… … The person who sells insurance also avoids exchanging contact information.

… … You said you had to go out on business, but you didn’t have a business card.

… … I also have to leave work at 11:30 at night.

There is a strong smell of discomfort and incomprehensible dissonance.

‘There’s definitely something.’

I decided not to let this intuition go.

“I’m interested in insurance too. I’m thinking about getting some―”

“Oh, later! Call me later.”

“You have to give me your contact information so I can contact you.”

“I’ll contact you later.”

“You don’t know my contact information. Isn’t that why you waited in front of my house?”

Han Tae-seok, who had no more excuses to make, simply exercised his right to remain silent.

I spoke in a soft voice so that he could let his guard down.

“If you want, I’ll give you my number. Give it to me.”

Only then does Han Tae-seok hand over his cell phone.

The phone was broken and cracked, as if it had been rolled down several flights of stairs.

Once again, a sense of discomfort rises like smoke.

‘Common sense… … there’s no way a salesperson would use a phone like this.’

Even if we put aside the fact that it’s not a flagship model, the condition of the phone is just ridiculous.

Image is the most important thing in sales.

Even if I don’t look like I’m doing well, it’s common sense that I should at least give the impression of being ‘neat and trustworthy’.

The condition of his cell phone and his behavior were far from common sense.

I hid my doubts and saved my contact information on Han Tae-seok’s phone.

And then he called my cell phone right away.

Thump thump-

As soon as the number appeared on the screen, Han Tae-seok quickly snatched his cell phone away.

“what are you doing?!”

“Why? I should register your number too so I can ask about insurance later.”

“… … .”

Han Tae-seok got up from his seat and put the broken cell phone in his pocket.

“Oh, anyway, you kept your promise? You ate, so it’s over, right?”

I nodded and opened the status window.

I finalized the promise fulfillment by clicking Yes to the message asking whether I was sure I wanted to fulfill it.

Han Tae-seok pulled his hat down low and walked out of the store.

‘It’s a shame to just send it away like this.’

Was it the spirit of a journalist?

Or maybe it was simple curiosity.

I started following Han Tae-seok to figure out the cause of the discomfort.

Hit, hit, hit, hit… … .

He continued walking quickly, hunched over.

‘Public transportation should be finished by now… … You’re not planning on walking home, are you?’

An unfortunate premonition is never wrong.

Han Tae-seok did not take a taxi or his own car and just kept walking.

The stalking continued for over 30 minutes.

At this point, I’m starting to wonder what I’m doing on this cold winter night.

At the end of a long chase.

Han Tae-seok went into the semi-basement of a villa.

‘… … Is this really all?’

A sense of emptiness and futility comes crashing down on me like waves.

I want to rationalize it by saying, “I guess there are times when things go wrong like this in life…” but I still get a little annoyed.

I didn’t drink and go out for a walk at night. What is this?

I sighed deeply and followed the snowy path back home, my feet sinking deep into it.

* * *

After a lightning-quick weekend, it’s back to the weekdays.

I write articles on Mondays.

I write articles on Tuesdays too.

What about Wednesday? I write articles.

On Thursday! Of course I write articles.

Trash articles, mediocre articles, meaningless articles, gossip articles, foreign news articles… … .

Friday, a day spent writing and rewriting all sorts of articles.

I thought about my schedule before and after work.

‘I should ask Kim Tae-kyung to buy me a drink. Something expensive.’

This isn’t too much to ask, considering we recently cleaned up MI6’s internal mess.

While I was happily typing out the article without thinking, Team Leader Yoon Yeo-gam grabbed my shoulder.

“You know you’re on duty today, right?”

“ah.”

Today, my world came crashing down.

Why do I have to work on Friday of all days?

There are Thursdays and Mondays, and there are five work days, so why on Friday of all days…?

The delicious food and expensive alcohol that dazzle my eyes slowly fade away.

I smiled bitterly and turned my gaze to the monitor.

Tadadadadadadadadak. Tadadadadadadadadak.

While I was typing furiously as if my fingers were sewing machines.

Something cold touched my cheek.

slap.

“Oh, it’s cold.”

I turned my head and saw a can of energy drink in someone’s hand.

The white, long, thin hands are Hong Jeong-hwa’s hands.

“It’s been a while since you were on duty, Byungmi?”

“I know it may seem strange, but I’m neither sickly nor pretty, and I’m not a boy. I think ‘sickly pretty boy’ is a bad name.”

“They say that respecting other people’s tastes is part of the process of becoming an adult. In that sense, I guess I’m still a boy.”

I thought this was some kind of nonsense, but I didn’t refute it.

Because it was obvious that if I refuted it, I would be met with yet another fallacy.

I thought it would be good to just have a small talk and share recent news.

“Sister, are you still working overtime these days? You don’t even have a day off. It’s so hard.”

“I’m not sick like everyone else, so it’s okay. By the way, what’s the answer to the question I asked before?”

Did you ask before? What was it?

Hong Jeong-hwa leaned toward me, smiling broadly.

Then I turned my chair around and held on tightly to both armrests from the front.

After getting close enough to feel your breath.

She said.

“What are you doing on Christmas Eve?”

Come to think of it, I’ve heard that question before.

Before I could answer your question, I guess I forgot because something happened that could have caused the company to explode.

“Oh, sorry. I’ll check again now.”

As I was trying to take out my cell phone, Hong Jeong-hwa showed no sign of backing down.

“This time I won’t let you go until I hear an answer.”

“So, take out your cell phone―”

Jiiing- Jiiing-

The cell phone vibrates.

“Tch.”

Hong Jeong-hwa stepped back with a look of regret on her face.

I checked the cell phone screen.

The sender’s name was written as [Team Leader Yoon Yeo-gam].

“Hello? Yes. … … Yes?!”

My eyes widened at the unexpected news.

I have a feeling that my shift today won’t end smoothly.