Real Man

Chapter 144:

Chapter 144

About five minutes had passed.

Yoo-hyun found himself standing in front of the full-length mirror by the front door.

He felt so unfamiliar with his appearance, wearing a tie.

“What a day.”

He couldn’t believe it, no matter how much he thought about it.

For the past 20 years of his company life, Yoo-hyun had never been late to work.

It was the same even when he had to drink all night to please his boss.

He had compulsively maintained his body rhythm.

But what was this?

He woke up late, without intending to.

He didn’t have time to run, or to listen to classical music and plan his day ahead, as he usually did.

He had to leave without eating the breakfast his mother had prepared.

His day was completely messed up.

-Can you postpone your work on the day of the college entrance exam? I really don’t want to go to work.

Yoo-hyun opened his phone and checked the message that had woken him up today.

He understood Park Seung Woo’s assistant’s feelings very well today.

“Sigh.”

He sighed and gave a suitable reply, then went outside.

He woke up late and took a different bus.

Nothing much had changed.

The bus driver was someone he had never seen before?

Oh, he didn’t see the familiar faces of the people who took the same bus every morning.

But still, the empty seats were filled by other people, and the scenery outside the bus window was the same.

Yoo-hyun still felt a bit awkward as he looked at the past scenery from 20 years ago and thought about the future.

Soon, these small shops would be demolished and replaced by big buildings.

The power poles and wires would be buried underground.

Various lights would illuminate the landscape.

Time would change everything in front of his eyes.

What would Yoo-hyun look like then?

He wondered what the end would be like when he lived a different life than now.

He wanted to see how he would nurture his precious relationships.

Among them, there was one thing he wanted to confirm the most.

‘What will happen with my wife?’

He would find out if he met her as planned.

It was when Yoo-hyun was having these random thoughts.

The bus stopped at the bus stop, and a familiar face of a woman flashed by the window.

A bolt of lightning struck his head.

“Wait a minute.”

Yoo-hyun jumped up and stopped the bus that was about to leave.

Chiiing.

The closed door opened again, and the woman’s face standing at the bus stop was visible through the large door.

She had a short haircut and a neat suit.

She looked like Jung Da Hye, who had been Yoo-hyun’s wife.

But her eyes and face shape were different.

Of course, she couldn’t be here now.

“…”

“Aren’t you getting off?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I saw it wrong.”

Yoo-hyun bowed his head to the bus driver and returned to his seat, feeling embarrassed.

‘Ah, why am I like this today?’

Was it because his starting point of the day was different?

He kept doing things he didn’t normally do.

His twisted routine wasn’t over yet.

Screech.

Suddenly, the bus braked hard.

-Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize. The road is blocked and we can’t go any further.

There was an announcement that the overpass had collapsed and the road was completely blocked.

-We’re sorry. We can’t turn the car around right now, so there might be a delay. If you’re in a hurry, please use the subway or another bus.

They even told him to get off the bus.

“Ah, what the hell.”

“I’m going to be late for work.”

“Oh dear, my child has to take the college entrance exam. What do I do?”

Yoo-hyun was also dumbfounded, but he didn’t feel like complaining when he saw the mother of the test-taker rolling her feet.

Yoo-hyun could just take the subway and go, and even if he was late, he would only be marked as late.

But for that kid, his life was at stake.

It wasn’t just a problem for this test-taker.

A man who got out of a car parked on the road called with an urgent voice.

“Is this the police station? The road is damaged and my child can’t go to take the college entrance exam. Please send someone over here quickly.”

-We’re on our way.

The man hung up the phone and put his hands on his son’s shoulders.

“Kids, let’s take the subway. This is more reliable.”

“Yeah. Let’s move quickly. We don’t have time.”

On the other side, the test-takers who got off the bus were lining up to go down under the overpass.

They looked like they had left from the same place.

‘Everyone is in trouble.’

It could have been a trivial happening, but the problem was that today was the day of the college entrance exam.

“Ah, what do I do…”

Then, a girl in a school uniform entered Yoo-hyun’s sight.

She had no guardian, no group to go with, and her face was familiar as she rolled her feet.

Where had he seen her?

-Yoo-hyun, this is the picture. The baby you’re holding is our Ye Seul.

A moment later, the picture that the lady at the rice soup restaurant had sent him on his phone flashed in Yoo-hyun’s head.

And now.

He remembered the face of the girl who had come to the rice soup restaurant a few days ago to find her mother from the face of the baby when she was young.

That face overlapped with the girl in front of him.

He had only met her briefly a few times, but they had a long-standing connection.

-Brother, Ye Seul has a test this time, so please send her a text message to cheer her up.

-Does Ye Seul know me?

-Ah, why wouldn’t she? She asks about you a lot. Ahem. Anyway, send her one. It’ll make her do better on the test.

Through his school junior Jo Eun Ah, they were also connected as current acquaintances.

Yoo-hyun thought it was a strange coincidence.

Was that why?

He moved his body first, wanting to help her.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh, uh. Yes?”

Jung Ye Seul, who met Yoo-hyun’s eyes, opened her mouth wide as if she had seen a ghost.

Then, she belatedly covered her mouth with her hand and blinked her eyes.

“Yoo, Yoo-hyun oppa?”

“Do you know me?”

“Yes. Well, yes.”

Jung Ye Seul raised her hand and covered her swollen face.

This was not the time to see that. Yoo-hyun hurriedly asked.

“Where are you taking the test?”

“Su, Sujeong High School.”

“In Seongnam? Did you call 112?”

Yoo-hyun kept talking to her.

She must have been in a lot of shock from the anxiety of being late for the college entrance exam.

At times like this, he had to make eye contact and induce a conversation to make her come to her senses.

“I left my phone behind…”

“It’s okay. Just a moment.”

Yoo-hyun reassured Jung Ye Seul and quickly looked around.

The man who said he was waiting for the police car was going down.

He must have decided that there was no answer on the overpass.

‘The time is…’

He didn’t have time to waste thinking.

“Ye Seul, call 112 with this.”

Yoo-hyun handed her his phone for now.

“Tell the police to come down from the overpass. That’ll be faster.”

“Where are you going, oppa?”

“I’m going to look for another way. Let’s meet down there.”

Then he ran down first.

Honk honk-

As expected, the situation below the overpass was not good either.

The road was congested as the overpass was blocked and the road next to it was also jammed.

There were also test-takers on the sidewalk, rolling their feet and waiting for the police.

There was no answer in this situation.

Yoo-hyun crossed the road at a fast speed, passing by people and sorting out his thoughts.

He couldn’t take the subway or get a taxi here because of the location.

Even if he got a car, he had to go around the busy Seoul streets because the overpass was blocked.

The only thing that could make it in time was a motorcycle.

‘Where the hell are they?’

There was not a single motorcycle on the road.

The delivery food shops were also closed, maybe because it was too early.

He was wondering if he should run further.

Yoo-hyun saw a motorcycle parked in front of a Chinese restaurant.

And someone was opening the door of the Chinese restaurant.

Yoo-hyun grabbed the man who was about to enter the open door.

“Pant pant, excuse me. Sir.”

“We’re not open yet.”

The man glanced at Yoo-hyun and answered curtly.

The reason why Yoo-hyun took out his wallet and breathed heavily instead of answering.

“Sir, I need to use your motorcycle.”

“What are you…”

People tend to get dull when a sudden situation occurs.

There was a way to turn this around quickly.

“I have my ID card, business card, and money in my wallet. I’ll make up for anything that’s missing when I come back.”

“Hanseong Electronics?”

“Yes. My brother is late for the college entrance exam. I’ll return it before the store opens. Please, I beg you.”

It was a direct identification, a sure compensation, and an appeal to emotion.

Plus, his sweaty head, panting breath, and pitiful expression.

And the courtesy and promise of bowing his waist to 90 degrees?

“Wow. Then you have to go quickly. Do you know how to drive?”

“Yes. I have a license.”

“Oh, what do I do…”

He could cut off the awkward time and make a result in one go.

He could even make him look sorry while lending it to him.

Yoo-hyun got on the motorcycle as soon as he got the key.

“Can I borrow one more helmet?”

“Oh, I have to give my sister a helmet too.”

Vroom.

Then he put on the helmet and turned the accelerator pedal.

“Thank you.”

“Be careful.”

The 125cc motorcycle started to move forward with Yoo-hyun’s greeting.

When Yoo-hyun arrived at the bottom of the overpass, most of the people around him had already left.

Jung Ye Seul was so restless that she wandered around.

“Ye Seul.”

“Oppa, this…”

“I borrowed it.”

The name ‘Jung Hwa Roo’ was stamped on the motorcycle.

It looked like he had borrowed it.

That wasn’t important.

“Is the police still not here?”

“Yes. Ah, and I…”

Jung Ye Seul twisted her body with a pale face.

Time was still passing.

“Get on quickly. We don’t have time.”

“I, I lost your phone, oppa. What happened was…”

“What are you talking about? It’s okay. Let’s go and see.”

Yoo-hyun put a helmet on Jung Ye Seul and grabbed her wrist and pulled her.

“You have to hold on tight. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Jung Ye Seul, who got on the back seat, wrapped her arms around Yoo-hyun’s waist.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get there on time.”

“Yes…”

Then she pressed her nose against Yoo-hyun’s back.

He didn’t know what her expression was like right now.

He turned the handle on the accelerator and shouted.

“Think of this as a lucky charm. You’ll do great on the test today.”

“I will.”

Vroom.

The motorcycle carrying the third-year high school student crossed the road.

At that time, Hanseong Tower 12th floor office.

“Mr. Park, Yoo-hyun hasn’t arrived yet, right?”

“…It’s all because of you, manager.”

“Why me?”

“You made him drink too much, didn’t you?”

Kim Hyun Min, the manager, was dumbfounded.

It was Park Seung Woo, the assistant, who suggested going to a dinner, who drank with Yoo-hyun, who said he couldn’t go on like this and ran to the fourth round.

“You said let’s go. Why are you blaming me?”

“Yoo-hyun doesn’t answer the phone.”

“Is he a kid? He must have overslept.”

“He texted me that he was coming in the morning. But his phone is off.”

“Leave him alone. He’ll do fine. Oh, you know we have a demo today, right? Just in case, have Chan Ho prepare it.”

“Yes…”

Was it worth killing his mood for one late junior?

Kim Hyun Min shook his head.

‘There won’t be any trouble, right?’

But he was worried about Yoo-hyun.