episode_0299

“Much better.”

Calling him Hyung and dropping the honorifics.

The compromise with Park Moojin, no, Moojin Hyung, went no further than that.

*‘He’s showing politeness for once.’*

Moojin Hyung, upon hearing me use the informal ‘yo,’ was truly astonished. He said it felt like thousands of ants crawling on his neck.

So when I started to get a little annoyed, he gave an excuse that wasn’t really an excuse, saying it was because my first impression was too deeply ingrained.

As I started to feel a bit dumbfounded, Choi Kang-doo offered a brief explanation.

While continuously chewing on meat.

“Moojin Hyung was like that even before he met me, so he couldn’t get close to people.”

“That makes sense.”

I immediately agreed.

Aside from being blunt, his overall aura also felt like it drew a line, making him hard to approach.

It was typically a difficult atmosphere to approach.

“He always just did his own thing and quietly kept to himself. Chomp chomp–”

“…Either eat or talk, just pick one.”

*Chewing noisily—*

*Gulp—*

“But people still followed him immensely and liked him.”

“Huh?”

“Because of that personality, at first, people said he was rude, had no respect for elders, all sorts of things came out.”

“And then?”

“His treatment changed after he went out on one exploration.”

It seemed he had proven his worth through action.

An exploration to the outside, which everyone else avoided.

While everyone was being cautious and there were no volunteers, Moojin Hyung stepped forward willingly.

“He was incredibly active from the very first day. It was chaos after he returned that day.”

“Ohh…?”

“He picked out one specific supermarket, immediately broke in, and cleared everything out… Watching him from behind, truly… Wow… Even thinking about it now gives me goosebumps. Anyway, it was incredible.”

He didn’t discriminate between what he could grab, whether it was a kitchen knife or a baseball bat, swinging them wildly. That sight was enough to shock people, he said.

A man whose identity was unknown.

But a man with outstanding martial prowess.

A man who threw himself into danger yet produced undeniable results.

Furthermore, his image solidified as a man who didn’t oppress or torment others, simply took his share, and quietly held his ground.

After three explorations, he earned the deep trust of the survivors and was almost treated like a leader.

“They said his silent diligence was sexy… I thought women’s standards had really lowered, you know?”

“Hmm…”

That couldn’t be all.

Choi Kang-doo swallowed the meat in his mouth and fumed.

“No, when Hyung returned from an exploration, the women would wipe their faces with wet wipes and really make a fuss! Hmph! While they treated me like some simpleton…”

“Uh… want some of this?”

Out of pity, Heize dished out a few pieces of grilled meat for him.

“Kang-doo-ssi, you’re plenty charming too.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

“Mr. Choi. Be confident. You are cool too.”

“Heh… Hehe. *Giggle*~ *Chuckles*~”

*‘So simple.’*

Choi Kang-doo’s lips curled up at the light compliments from the two beauties.

The sight of the big man squirming was amusing enough to cause laughter.

Choi Kang-doo, thoroughly dipping his meat in oil sauce and chewing noisily, continued to chatter a bit more.

“It hasn’t been long since I started calling him Hyung either.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. As we kept going on explorations, working together, and helping each other, he just let it slide when I called him Hyung.”

“Ah, I see.”

Turns out he was a man who needed time.

“With Seonghan Hyung too… Oh. Can I call you Hyung too?”

“Feel free.”

“Yes, Hyung. With you too, and how he’s now speaking informally with Jihyeok Hyung-nim over there. These are all things I’ve never seen before. I couldn’t have imagined it previously.”

He said that the amount of words Moojin Hyung spoke yesterday and today was far more than all the words he’d heard from him during their time together.

Choi Kang-doo, having witnessed it in real-time, found it simply amazing.

“I’ve never seen such a relaxed atmosphere either… It’s complicated.”

“What’s complicated about it?”

“Oh, it’s just…”

This guy.

It seems he’s feeling like a youngest sibling whose older brother has been taken away.

“It’s also the first time I’ve seen Hyung converse with one person for so long.”

Choi Kang-doo watched Moojin Hyung chatting with Jihyeok Hyung, finding it fascinating.

“I’ve never seen Jihyeok Hyung like that either.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Hyung isn’t much of a talker, either.”

He isn’t blunt, but Jihyeok Hyung isn’t really much of a talker.

When he speaks, his pronunciation is clear and pleasant, but usually, he’s the one listening.

He’s decisive when expressing his opinions, but careful before speaking.

The difference between the two Hyungs is their social skills.

Though the difference is almost poles apart, as seen, they are engaging in a long conversation.

It’s a friendly side, a bit different from anything seen until now.

*‘…’*

Above him were the Old Man and Commander Choi.

Below him were Dong-woo and Hyunwoo.

There was quite a difference in age.

Yeong-cheol, who was his manager, was definitely close, but there was still a slight feeling of interacting with a senior.

Even I, who am relatively close, have a six-year age difference.

Although it was a close, harmonious, and open relationship, it still felt different from being with peers his own age.

Perhaps that’s why.

The sight of the two Hyungs, listening attentively to the other person and speaking articulately, adhering to the basics, was a very natural picture.

*‘…It’s nice to see.’*

An unexpected gain that hadn’t been anticipated.

“Oh my.”

Seohee-ssi, who was next to Choi Kang-doo, chuckled softly.

“It seems she got sleepy from being full.”

“So cute~”

Seonyoung was nodding off, still holding the fork with the meat on it.

It seemed it was too late for the child to stay awake, as Miri also had her eyes closed, leaning against her mother’s embrace.

“Please excuse us.”

Seohee-ssi and Miri’s mom skillfully scooped up the children and quickly disappeared.

After Seonyoung entered the room, Choi Kang-doo slowly opened his mouth.

“…Seonyoung had a father.”

“…”

“He worked incredibly hard for his child. Even volunteered for explorations. But physically, he was a bit…”

A parent’s heart will do anything for their child.

Unfortunately, in reality, his body couldn’t keep up.

With insufficient food, he risked his life to prevent his child from starving, but it wasn’t easy.

Then, when Moojin Hyung joined and things improved, Seonyoung’s father took on the ‘transportation’ role for the exploration team.

“Even then, it was still dangerous, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“But Hyung saved him from almost getting into big trouble. Do you know what Seonyoung did then?”

“??”

“‘Mister.’”

“…What was that?”

“‘Thank you for saving my Daddy.’”

“…”

“‘This is yummy, but I’ll give it to you, Mister.’”

“‘I don’t need it.’”

“‘Mm-hmm. They say you have to repay favors.’”

“‘I’m fine, so stop—’”

“‘Then I’ll be your friend.’”

“…What?”

“‘Mister, you don’t have friends.’”

“Hahahaha!—!!”

*Gasp*…

“Oh my…”

Laughter burst out because of the bold Seonyoung.

Shia and Heize, who were listening to the story, couldn’t hold back their laughter either.

Moojin Hyung, who had been talking, looked over, but I couldn’t tell him the truth.

Choi Kang-doo grinned and said playfully.

“The kid’s bold, right?”

“Indeed. She’ll be a big shot when she grows up.”

Rather than being fearless, it was her boldness in not discriminating against people that made one anticipate her future.

Don’t elders usually give a thumbs-up and say a child who isn’t shy is “general material”?

Anyway.

Seonyoung truly kept her word.

Whenever Moojin Hyung was alone, she would always take the seat next to him and stay with him until she got sleepy, he said.

Thanks to her, jokes even circulated asking if he was her hidden father.

I was already wondering if she was his real daughter, so Choi Kang-doo’s words were worth listening to.

And I was certain.

That the group of three had been annihilated.

I guessed he had relentlessly pursued them to see the end, to exact blood money.

Choi Kang-doo also spoke evasively, avoiding talking about the group he had been a part of.

If Seonyoung’s father had been alive, he would be feeding his child meat right now.

But instead, it was Moojin Hyung and Choi Kang-doo who were present.

*‘It’s amazing that he actually pulled that off.’*

I didn’t deliberately pry into the part where he changed the subject.

The sight of Choi Kang-doo eating almost excessively made me wonder if he was doing it to forget something.

*Mouth wide open—!*

*Munch munch munch—*

Choi Kang-doo, who had stuffed a large *ssam* into his mouth, rinsed his mouth with beer, then put down his chopsticks.

“…Hyung.”

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

In the middle of eating meat, suddenly?

“I was actually worried that Moojin Hyung… might die.”

That seems a bit… unlikely?

“I thought he might kill all of Kim Gwanghyeon’s gang and then follow them himself…”

“…He would?”

That doesn’t seem like him at all…

“Hyung… didn’t cry. And he didn’t get angry either.”

“Hm.”

Choi Kang-doo’s voice trailed off a bit.

“Watching him beside me throughout the pursuit, I kept getting this precarious feeling.”

“Ah…”

“Even when you… faced them on the rooftop, Hyung didn’t think about what came after.”

I thought his grudge was deep, but it seems his emotions were even heavier than that.

Indeed.

Considering how he wept tears of blood while strangling the piglet, Choi Kang-doo’s worries weren’t unfounded.

“But then, thanks to Seohee-ssi, he found out that Seonyoung might be alive.”

“That was fortunate.”

“Truly. And thanks to you, Hyung, he found her.”

“Well… can you really say it was thanks to me? It was thanks to the two of them not giving up.”

Choi Kang-doo shook his head.

“If it weren’t for the weapons you lent him, he definitely would have been defeated. And thanks to that large dog, too.”

I listened to the story and nodded silently.

“If you understand that, then get along well with people from now on.”

“Hehehe. Don’t worry. Everyone seems like good people, so I already feel at ease.”

“That’s good then.”

Choi Kang-doo, having briefly conveyed his heavy feelings, soon brightened his expression.

“Actually, I debated whether I should stop you even if it meant knocking you out.”

“…You would?”

“Nah. Straight on, that’s impossible. From behind, *smack!*”

“Heh. Then it might be possible.”

Choi Kang-doo made a motion of hitting the back of my head.

If he couldn’t control his strength, my head might have been smashed.

Such a Choi Kang-doo spoke seriously.

“I haven’t even been in a relationship yet, so I have no intention of dying.”

His tone was quite resolute.

“You said you were 28?”

“I wasn’t interested when I played soccer… and after that, I was too busy preparing for exams… well…”

Ah… Choi Kang-doo…

“So, you’ve never had a girlfriend?”

“…”

“N-not even once?”

Shia asked cautiously, and Heize sent a disbelieving look.

In response, Choi Kang-doo… silently chugged his beer.

*‘This guy…’*

I silently poured beer into Kang-doo’s empty glass.

“…Hyung.”

“…Cheers.”

*Clink—*

“Ahh~~”

Kang-doo’s eyes became moist from the cool, exhilarating sensation the beer provided.

…It didn’t seem to be just because of the carbonation.

“S-speaking of Seonyoung…”

Shia quickly realized she had made a mistake.

She hastily tried to change the subject.

“Oppa was no joke when I first met him either.”

“Seonghan Hyung?”

Kang-doo immediately took the bait.

“Jihyeok Sunbae-nim and I were trapped in Times Square. And then, suddenly! He appeared, and oh my… he was covered in blood, you know?”

“Huh…?”

“Even Jihyeok Sunbae-nim, who opened the door for him, was surprised…”

Indeed… Hyung had frozen when he saw me.

“Even with that, you didn’t seem very surprised though?”

“At that time, I was too hungry and disoriented…”

Fortunately, it seemed to work, as the hurt (?) in Kang-doo’s eyes slowly began to fade.

“I was scared too when I first met him.”

“…What?”

What’s she suddenly…

“Oh… right. Excuse me, but what’s your name?”

“Eva Heize. Call me Heize.”

“Ah. Nice to meet you.”

“Mm. Lawrence and I were hiding. But he smashed the door and barged in.”

…Technically, it was true, but…

“If you put it like that, I sound like a weirdo.”

Given her already limited vocabulary, it really made me sound like an illegal intruder.

I hastily explained the situation in a bit more detail, allowing the listeners to understand.

Before blaming anyone—

“The situation was unavoidable then.”

“Mm. We were very scared.”

“You really overcame it well.”

“I did my best.”

Seeing the blonde beauty clench her fist and grin, Kang-doo’s eyes started to soften.

Well… it’s not hard to understand.

Because Shia and Heize are truly beautiful when they smile sweetly.

Anyway.

Seeing the two women flustered after almost touching upon the pain of being a “moseol” (never-been-in-a-relationship) — not heartbreak — I made a decision.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Did you eat a lot?”

“Yes. Oh~ I feel like my stomach’s going to burst.”

“Remember what I said?”

“Huh?”

“Just try complaining that you’re full.”

“…Huh?”

I leaned towards Kang-doo and chuckled softly.

“Sleep well tonight. Because you’ll be very busy starting tomorrow.”

“…”

Because there won’t even be time to feel hurt (?).