Winter felt like he was drying up day by day. After that day he barely spoke and his expression did not change.
Winter took out a cigarette from the balcony of his office and looked down at the door. Her mother, Lynn, was standing there, wrapped in a cloth. After a while, as expected, Hayel entered the office and asked cautiously.
"CEO, my mother came to visit. What should I do?"
"...."
Hayel waited for his answer without prompting. After a while, Winter opened his mouth.
"Just tell her to go."
"Yes, CEO."
Hayel answered and was about to leave when he turned around.
"No. I guess I should go."
"You're probably in a bad mood, so why don't you just order me to do it?"
"It's okay."
He felt like he had to go through some of his stress to forget about Violet.
Winter sauntered out like a displeased animal. Lynne, who noticed Winter coming out, hurried over.
"Winter!"
"Why did you come again?"
At Winter's irritated voice, Lynne hesitated before opening her mouth.
"The twins have improved a lot with the money you gave them. Just wanted to say thank you..."
"Send a telegram. It's a waste of time."
Lynne closed her eyes tightly at Winter's cold words.
"Mom, I understand."
"..."
"But you did too much that day."
Lynne couldn't raise her head and her shoulders were shaking. Winter asked, clicking his tongue once.
"Well, the past is in the past. If you need more money, just answer this first and get it. Do you know anything about changing your body?"
"Well, well. I heard that there are a few things that change..."
"Then it's okay to change your body, but what I'm really curious about is..."
He asked with an expression that didn't seem very serious.
"What on earth can I do to die?"
"Uh, huh? Why did you ask that? "You're dying?"
"I plan to die in three months. But when I die, my body keeps changing, so I can't die."
"Winter!"
"I have so many things, but it's also kind of boring. Oh, of course, I'm going to give it all to my wife, so don't even think about touching a penny."
"Yes, does your wife know?"
"It can't be. Don't go anywhere and say anything."Unless you want to cut off money going to your children."
"Why, why do you think like that? Isn't this whole building yours? Why do you feel like dying when you have so much?"
Lynne thought Winter was doing well. Even when she was at the restaurant and saw the child being beaten and locked in the stable, she believed that it was okay because Winter was alive and that it was better there than living with her.
When she thought he would grow up quickly and take care of his body, Lynne left for Alica.
Even after she gave birth, she was curious about Winter's news, and then she heard that he was getting married and that his title had been taken away. Nevertheless, the marriage was maintained. She thought so.
Winter said.
"Just tell me how to die and leave."
"Because not everyone changes their body. However, I understand that it does not change if the death is an accident or a soldier."
"So, I can't do what I want?"
Somehow it seemed like that. Winter clicked his tongue.
Then, anyway, he would die without his own will. Well, there were so many people that he had a grudge against, so it seemed like if his security was lax, he could easily get killed.
Should he aim for coincidence? What if he has to die in three months?
As Winter was pondering, Lynne held out one of her pockets.
"Don't say things like that. Just take this. What you liked when you were young."
Winter took the bag and opened it to find white beans that grow in the South. He was looking at the beans in the pocket with a dejected expression.
The hat couldn't stay in one place for long. Among those who did favors, there were many men who wanted to get Lynne itself in return.
The best snack he could get during his wandering life was white beans. He always boiled a handful, put it in his pocket, and ate it one by one. He didn't eat it because he liked it, that's all.
Winter brought back memories of his childhood, which he desperately tried to deny, with the smell of freshly steamed white beans. As if guided, he grabbed a handful of beans and popped them into his mouth. The warm and savory taste reminded him of his childhood.
Winter doesn't have any good memories, but he strangely missed it. Winter closed the pockets.
"Since you're here, let's eat and leave."
"Oh, no... It's okay."
“Ah.”
Winter took out the envelope of money he had brought with him from his inner pocket and held it out. When Lynne hesitated even after taking the envelope, he smiled helplessly and said.
"Yes, don't make that face. Anyway, there is no one in the world who will love me without expecting anything from me."
***
Late at night, when Winter left the hotel without an escort, Hayel followed and asked.
"Where are you going this night without a bodyguard? Still, I'm from a foreign country, so you're taking me with you, right?"
"Don't meddle."
Winter said and walked away.
His steps headed toward a dark-looking street on the outskirts. From the entrance of the road, there was a sign telling people not to wander alone as it was a crime-ridden area, and there were few lights.
Winter walked inside calmly. There was a bar somewhere in the middle, so he sat at the bar and drank cheap beer all day and night. Then he walked up to the group of young people who were drinking, and he punched them.
"What the heck is this guy!"
A young man holding a liquor bottle threw the bottle on the floor. He tried to throw a punch, but he probably expected that the impact would be weak due to the large size difference, so he didn't counterattack right away and just huffed.
Once Winter was grabbed by the collar, he bowed down with a satisfied look on his face and was caught, and one of the groups behind him pulled his shoulder.
"Hey, let's just go. He's strange."
"Why are there all these guys?"
Although everyone was perplexed, they slowly retreated, wondering if there was something up there. Winter took out the folding knife he had brought with him for situations like this and held it out.
"Here. Stab me."
Even as he handed them the knife, he hesitated, wondering if it would be suicide if he handed them the knife.
When Winter, who was already wondering if he was crazy, held out a knife, the young men stood up, swearing with wary faces.
One of the very drunk men in the group grabbed a knife and quickly held it to his throat.
When he was stabbed with a sharp knife, his blood dripped down. Then Winter said, grabbing the young man's arm.
"You're brave."
Winter praised him wholeheartedly, but to others, it all sounded like a threat. The young man's face turned white at the difference in strength felt from the arm he was holding. So rather than stab him any further, he dropped the knife and desperately escaped to join the group.
"Well, what is it? Isn't this completely crazy?"
"So let's just go out! There's nothing good about being tangled up with a fool like that."
The group cursed, flipped over tables and chairs, made a mess, and then left the bar.
When the first attempt failed, Winter rubbed his eyebrows, cursed, and returned to his seat. He covered his wound with his handkerchief.
"Bring me a beer."
The bar owner was a big man, but his voice was a little trembling, perhaps because he had just seen the knife being exchanged.
"So, Sir. The knives in the bar are big."
Winter said, throwing down the money.
"Don't you hear me tell you to bring alcohol?"
The bar owner, wide-eyed at the large sum of money, hurried over and brought back some of the best alcohol in the bar.
Winter took a swig of his drink. Violet, who had been sitting diagonally with him and taking a sip of alcohol with him, lingered in his sight.
It was clear that the vicious Princess was seeking revenge. He drinks his drink to avoid thinking about her, but even that moment is taken over by her as she pleases.
***
There are many types of death, but it was clear that the easiest one was not death.
The next day, Winter woke up on a hotel bed in fine condition. Winter's expression crumpled at the soft sensation of being held in his hand.
"Damn, building a hotel is harder than building one."
A beat later, when he got up with a hangover, Hayel came in through the wide open door with a wrinkled forehead.
"CEO, you don't remember how you came back yesterday, do you?"
"Is there any way to fly?"
"You stretched out completely in the bar, so the bar owner made you sleep there. Then, he said he found a business card in your wallet and told me to come and pick it up in the morning, so I brought you there. The ransom was exactly 5,000 lacne. I finished it cheaply."
"I drank some really expensive alcohol."
"What do you want? What can I do for you to stop this teenage rebellion? There are limits to recovery."
Hayel said, looking at Winter as if he were going to kill him. He originally had a chilly look, but now he looked like he could kill Winter if he were to be more upset.
Winter responded.
"I went to die. Next time, don't give him a ransom."
"What does that mean?"
"Just let me die."
As Winter spoke with a frown, Hayel pursed his lips and spoke clearly one by one.
"If you do this again, I will pay the same ransom to bring you back, and then I will stop right away. Please understand that it is so."
Then he stomped out of the bedroom as if he didn't want to see him.
Winter must have remembered it too late and shouted into the back of his head.
"Never tell Violet!"
Hayel, unable to control his anger at that sound, came back and closed his eyes tightly, and shouted.
"And if you die like that, I will tell my Little Lady that it was suicide! Then the Little Lady probably won't even come to the CEO's funeral!"
Then he got scared and quickly ran out of the bedroom.
Winter wanted to lose his temper, but couldn't bear the hangover that made him want to die, so he broke down and rang the bell installed in the guest room to call someone.
***
Hayel, who was hit here and there and exploded with stress, left the hotel. He had his own home in the capital, but when he came here on business, the hotel was his home, so there was only one place to go.
Anyway, it's a place where Jen and Flip live as they please, and the landlord doesn't feel uncomfortable with guests.
He bought a ham and a fruit basket at his discretion and headed to Violet's house to complain about something.
After a while, Violet opened the door and asked in surprise.
"Hey? What's going on?"
"Take some of this first."
"Why so many... Also, why is your complexion so bad?"
As Violet was worried, Lina, who was inside, popped out and saw Hayel hanging on his leg.
"It's Hayel!"
Violet asked if it was surprising that Lina knew his name.
"You don't know the name of the scary man, but do you know Hayel's name?"
"Huh. He came to my house and bought me something delicious."
Then she ran back to his mother who was at the table. Early this morning, Hayel, who had to pay to pick up Winter, who was drunk and had a large physique at a bar in a bad alley, already felt comforted by the friendly atmosphere. He cried as he put down the fruit basket and ham inside the house.
"Little Madame, I really think I should quit."
"Did my husband overturn the table again?"
"Yes. It's also a really big table."
"Oh my."
Comments
Post a Comment