Stay With Me

Previously, when Haejin heard Beomwoo say it was love at first sight, he thought he was telling an utterly ridiculous lie.

Having experienced a past life where Beomwoo treated him with ice-cold indifference, he couldn’t see it as anything but false, especially since his intention to marry him for the inheritance was transparent.

But watching Beomwoo emotionally beat Jeong-yeon over what happened to him and earnestly tell him to think of himself, he began to wonder if there might have been a tiny bit of sincerity in those feelings…

Although Beomwoo had actively saved him, one could also think that even that was because he didn’t want to lose to Jeong-yeon.

But the number of things Beomwoo had done for him was no longer just one or two, and Haejin was gradually starting to believe.

Even if he couldn’t be sure the reason for Beomwoo’s devoted help was love… perhaps at least affection. That such feelings might have developed.

Even if it wasn’t sincere, repeated kindness inevitably crumbles even the most solidly built walls.

Despite experiencing a terrifying near-assault and facing the frightening decision of whether to press charges, Haejin still found himself thinking as if Beomwoo was the other half of his world.

Forgetting his resolve not to be swayed by Beomwoo again, his heart leaned as if he was foolishly repeating the past.

Just as his mind was tilting, Beomwoo, who had been watching him, finally spoke.

“If you’re worried that even if you report him, the punishment will be light, or that instead of punishment, he might hold a grudge and retaliate—you don’t need to worry about that either.”

“…Ah.”

Beomwoo seemed to think Haejin’s hesitation was about pressing charges, and assured him that if those were his concerns, they could be addressed.

Haejin had been too distracted by other thoughts to consider that…

But thinking about it, since he was from a chaebol family, even if he mustered the courage to report Jeong-yeon, the punishment might be light.

In his past life, Jeong-yeon had been investigated by police for habitual drug use, but he remembered it being covered up or ending with a light punishment.

Beomwoo, aware of this, told him not to worry, saying that if he was concerned about meaningless punishment or possible retaliation, he had ways to handle it.

If Beomwoo said he would do it, he was someone who could accomplish it, so Haejin believed him, but…

His mind was tangled with other thoughts, so he couldn’t answer readily.

Seeing this, Beomwoo muttered bitterly as if to himself.

“I might have already lost your trust…”

“……”

Wondering why he was being self-deprecating, it seemed Beomwoo was blaming himself for not preventing yesterday’s incident, despite having people following Haejin under the pretext of protecting him.

He did the same yesterday…

While it would have been best if such an incident hadn’t happened at all, as Beomwoo said, Haejin thought, ‘How could anyone stop a madman from doing mad things?’

Unless one was a god, how could one predict and prevent actions outside normal reasoning?

Haejin waved his hands, denying he ever thought that.

“Ah, no! I’m not worried! I might think he could feel like retaliating if I report him… but I trust you, Beomwoo. I’m just… my mind is still a bit jumbled. I was only thinking about what would be best.”

“I see… Given my actions, it must be hard to believe.”

Haejin explained that his hesitation wasn’t because he didn’t trust Beomwoo—he had actually been distracted by other things—but Beomwoo seemed to think he was just saying nice things for his sake.

He understood Beomwoo felt guilty for not preventing the incident, but…

His reaction was starting to seem strange.

In this life, while Haejin had pushed Beomwoo away a lot, Beomwoo hadn’t done anything to lose his trust.

The fact that he had someone following him was unsettling, but if not for that, he wouldn’t have escaped that place, so he decided not to dwell on it.

So, it seemed unnecessary for Beomwoo to speak in such a self-deprecating tone; blaming himself for not preventing this mess was puzzling.

It was strange, but if he assumed Beomwoo had even a little of those feelings for him, his self-blame became understandable, making it even harder.

The Beomwoo he had adamantly denied could ever like him… seemed to genuinely care for him in that way.

He didn’t know if his heart kept leaning toward him because of the terrifying, difficult situation, or if the emotions he had been suppressing were gradually surfacing as he weakened.

Even though this wasn’t the important issue, his thoughts kept drifting that way, causing trouble.

Haejin forced his thoughts away and answered him.

“I’m not hesitating because of you, Beomwoo. It’s just… I don’t have the mental space to think about it right now…”

“Ah. I rushed you again.”

Actually, it seemed more due to other reasons than being unsettled by the incident, but when Haejin made an excuse that his mind was too chaotic to decide immediately, Beomwoo finally went ‘ah’ and accepted that he hadn’t considered that.

Even so, Beomwoo seemed to think there was nothing to ponder since the answer was clear, but he didn’t press further.

He seemed to understand that even just managing his emotions was tough, and thinking about punishment and retaliation could be overwhelming.

Haejin decided to clear his mind and think about this issue later when alone at home.

Beomwoo, as if he had more to discuss, immediately moved to the next topic.

“Then think about that slowly. I’m considering assigning you a bodyguard. What do you think?”

“Huh? A bodyguard? Why a bodyguard all of a sudden…?”

“You’re worried about retaliation, right? I could arrange covert protection, but even if it’s for show, if they see a bodyguard close to you, they’ll hesitate to act rashly. This time, it’s not for surveillance, but a bodyguard to protect you.”

A bodyguard… Beomwoo said it casually as if it were nothing, but to Haejin, it felt excessive.

To Haejin, bodyguards were for celebrities or public figures.

While it was true that the incident warranted a bodyguard, as Beomwoo said, it felt a bit over the top.

He didn’t go out often; he spent most of his time at home.

Hiring a bodyguard for those short outings…

Moreover, to Haejin, the bodyguard Beomwoo mentioned now felt similar to the covert surveillance he had placed on him before.

The fact that Beomwoo had someone following him was overlooked because the outcome was good, but if it hadn’t been, it would have been no different from stalking and a crime.

Even with good intentions, the thought of being watched and the invasion of privacy… This time, it would be legal, with his permission, but it still felt like surveillance, making him hesitant.

“I, I don’t think we need to go that far… And what kind of important person am I to need a bodyguard?”

“There’s no standard for having a bodyguard or not. If there’s a reason to have one, you get one.”

“Even so…”

While Beomwoo’s words were correct, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy for various reasons.

Seeing Haejin hesitate and show reluctance about the bodyguard, Beomwoo watched him for a moment before sighing softly as if accepting it.

“If you find it burdensome, I won’t force a bodyguard on you. And this isn’t the only way.”

“…There’s another way?”

“Instead of attaching someone to you, we attach someone to Jeong-yeon. However, he’s in a similar situation as me, so he could use his own people to evade tracking and move secretly. This method is less effective for protection.”

“Ah…”

This method would solve the privacy concerns he was worried about… but as Beomwoo said, it seemed less efficient.

Jeong-yeon, being from the same family, could also use money to hire people.

Privacy aside, his safety was ultimately the most important.

Was the only answer really having a bodyguard accompany him, as Beomwoo said?

As Haejin thought seriously but couldn’t readily decide which was better, Beomwoo watched him for a moment before speaking again, as if there was another method if he was unwilling.

“And there’s one more way…”

“…?”

Beomwoo had been explaining options stiffly until now, but this time, for some reason, he paused.

His gaze as he hesitated seemed to be gauging his reaction.

What is it? Is it something difficult to bring up?

As Haejin looked at him curiously, he hesitated before speaking.

“Live with me.”

“…Huh?”

He said it was a method… What does that mean?