Enduring at Close Range

“Wait, just a second!”

“I’m already in a f*cking foul mood, and now some weird cult shaman bastard is clinging to me!”

“Let go of this first and let’s talk!

I’m not a shaman!”

“Yeah right, f*ck off.”

No matter how hard Seha tried to brace himself, his feet were dragged along as Jeongyun pulled him.

His breathing was cut off because his collar was clenched so tightly.

Being accused of being a shaman on top of that was downright unfair.

If he really wanted to break free and struggle, he probably could.

But Seha couldn’t resist with all his strength.

He was worried he might accidentally leave a mark on Jeongyun’s body.

The Chairman already treasured Jeongyun like gold and jade because of his weak health.

If Jeongyun ended up with even a small scratch because of him, Seha could be kicked out on the spot.

Getting kicked out would be the best-case scenario.

If he were reported for assault, his life would be completely over.

In the end, Seha had no choice but to be dragged along obediently, coughing and gasping.

When Seha was finally dragged right in front of the front door, he resorted to his last option.

He wildly shook the phone in his hand and shouted.

“I’ll call the Chairman!”

Thankfully, it worked.

Jeongyun, who looked ready to open the door and throw Seha outside, froze abruptly.

Seha didn’t miss the opportunity and continued.

“My employer is the Chairman.

If his grandson kicks me out and I can’t properly do the job I was entrusted with, shouldn’t I at least inform him?”

“I’ll handle it myself, so mind your own business.”

“E-even so, he personally entrusted me with this job.

I should at least give him a final greeting!”

Even though he told him to mind his own business, Jeongyun no longer forcibly dragged Seha.

His hand was still gripping Seha’s collar, but the strength had noticeably eased.

Having worked countless part-time jobs, Seha was adept at reading people’s emotions.

Jeongyun hadn’t hesitated at the mention of the Chairman simply out of fear.

From Jeongyun’s expression and eyes, Seha sensed a deep affection toward his grandmother.

That was a relief.

It meant that as long as Chairwoman Son Insuk firmly protected Seha’s position, he could safely earn money here.

“…Unlucky bastard.”

Muttering a curse, Jeongyun roughly let go of Seha’s collar.

Seha staggered, nearly falling, but managed to regain his balance.

Jeongyun spoke again.

“I’ll contact my grandmother myself and tell her to kick you out, so don’t get any funny ideas and just wait.”

“Yes, understood.”

Seha replied simply.

If Jeongyun really managed to persuade his grandmother and have him kicked out, then so be it.

What else could he do?

Thinking of Chairwoman Son Insuk’s face as she earnestly pleaded with him, the chances of things going Jeongyun’s way seemed low.

But there was no need to spell that out and irritate Jeongyun further.

Still, Jeongyun found Seha’s easygoing attitude even more irritating.

The way he shamelessly stood there without an ounce of intimidation, despite clearly exploiting someone’s desperation for money, was disgusting.

In an instant, Jeongyun’s hand shot out and wrapped around Seha’s neck.

Seha’s thin, slender neck was small enough to be crushed by one hand.

“For a scammer and a beggar, you’re awfully confident, huh?”

“Ugh…!

T-this, let go…!”

“So what if my grandmother hired you directly.

You think that makes you someone important?”

Seha grabbed Jeongyun’s wrist with both hands, trembling.

The grip wasn’t tight enough to completely cut off his breathing.

But the sheer pressure of being strangled by another person made his body freeze.

Screw the money, should I just punch him?

Just as that impulse flashed through Seha’s mind, Jeongyun released his hand.

Seha clutched his neck and burst into a fit of harsh coughing.

It hadn’t hurt that badly, but he exaggerated it on purpose.

Of course, Jeongyun didn’t seem to feel the slightest bit of guilt over it.

“Disgusting bastard….”

Throwing out one last insult, Jeongyun turned around and headed straight for his room.

Seha rubbed the throbbing area around his neck and watched Jeongyun’s back as he walked away.

Partway down the hall, Jeongyun lifted a hand to his head, as if dizzy.

It seemed the scuffle with Seha while worked up had been too much for him.

Was his body weak or strong?

It was hard to tell.

Then again, if someone that strong collapsed constantly and couldn’t recover his strength without reason, that was a problem in itself.

“This won’t be easy….”

Only after Jeongyun completely disappeared from view did Seha mutter the words like a sigh.

From their brief first meeting, he’d already known Jeongyun didn’t like him.

But the reaction had been far more violent than expected.

He won’t really persuade his grandmother and kick me out, will he.

With a faint sense of unease, Seha trudged back to his room and sat on the edge of the bed.

He searched for Secretary Shin’s name on his phone.

Even if he had no intention of becoming Jeongyun’s friend or benefactor, they had to spend the next few months together.

Things couldn’t go on like this.

They needed to reach a point where they could at least ignore each other.

Trying to curry favor with someone who had grabbed him by the collar and strangled him outright.

Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been a miserable situation.

But Seha’s expression, having endured all that, was surprisingly calm.

Earning money from a low position meant that even if you did nothing wrong, you could still get cursed at or grabbed by the collar.

Crying under the blankets over something like that was something he’d already graduated from back in his school days.

Instead, Seha decided to focus on changing the situation in even the smallest way.

On doing what he could for himself.

“Ah, Secretary Shin.

This is Jin Seha.”

That was how Seha had survived all this time from the bottom.

“Ah, damn it!”

Jeongyun snapped irritably and hung up the phone.

He’d already called his grandmother several times, but she wasn’t answering.

Normally, she would pick up the moment his phone rang.

Which meant she was deliberately avoiding his calls.

And the reason was obvious.

That parasite who had crawled into this house.

The thought alone made his anger spike again.

Coming here to swindle money out of someone mentally unstable, then boldly claiming he was hired directly by the Chairman.

He couldn’t believe how shameless the guy was.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know his grandmother blindly trusted that shaman’s words.

He’d tried to stop her many times before, but it was useless.

Each time, she scolded him instead, saying that the Bodhisattva had saved his life more times than he could count.

It hurt to see his grandmother place that much faith in mere coincidences.

But he’d never pushed too hard because he hoped that, even in that way, she could find some peace of mind.

Living with the constant fear that her grandson could die at any moment would be far more miserable than believing someone was helping him.

He could overlook the money she gave the shaman if he thought of it as consultation fees.

But a living talisman.

That crossed the line.

Jeongyun collapsed onto the sofa in his room, breathing heavily.

Whether from prolonged anger or something else, he felt short of breath and dizzy.

His grip tightened around his phone.

In the end, it was his fault.

His damn, overly troublesome body.

If it weren’t for him, would his grandmother—so wise and rational—ever be fooled by a shaman?

If it was going to be like this, I should’ve just died back then.

Chewing over the thought that had already become routine, Jeongyun dialed another number.

This time, it was Manager Kim, who stayed by his grandmother’s side at all times.

No matter what the cause was, he couldn’t let that scammer toy with his grandmother.

“…Mr. Jin Seha?”

Donghyeon, Jeongyun’s secretary, answered the phone with a puzzled expression.

The caller was Jin Seha, who had started staying by Jeongyun’s side today.

– Ah, Secretary.

Hello.

I’m sorry for calling so suddenly.

“Not at all.

If you need anything or have questions, feel free to call anytime.

What’s going on?”

As he asked, Donghyeon already had a guess.

By now, Jeongyun should’ve woken up.

He had begged him repeatedly to think of the Chairman, but it seemed Jeongyun hadn’t been able to hold back his temper.

– Well, it’s just that….

Seha hesitated for a moment.

It seemed he was trying to explain what Jeongyun had done to him.

But since Donghyeon was Jeongyun’s close aide, it wasn’t easy to bring it up.

Still, it was a relief that Seha had contacted him first instead of immediately calling the Chairman or Manager Kim.

Donghyeon was about to calm Seha down so he wouldn’t give up out of fear or hurt.

However, what came next was something Donghyeon never expected.

– Could I possibly get some information about the young master’s personality?

“…Pardon?”

– It seems the young master really… really doesn’t like me.

Facing Donghyeon’s flustered response, Seha spoke in a roundabout, calm manner.

Hearing Seha’s even tone, Donghyeon quickly grasped the situation.

No one knew Jeongyun’s temperament better than he did.

As a child, his young master had been kinder and brighter than anyone.

But after losing his parents, he became a completely different person.

The unnamed illness that began back then only made Jeongyun more irritable and cold.

He was generally sharp with everyone.

And toward people he disliked, he could be downright cruel.

Jin Seha clearly fell into the category of people Jeongyun didn’t just dislike, but outright loathed.

If Jeongyun had lashed out without restraint, the situation wouldn’t be something that could be described as merely “not liking someone.”

Weighing Seha’s character, whom he would have to keep by Jeongyun’s side one way or another, Donghyeon finally spoke.

“What exactly happened?”