The Night I Begged Him to Save Me

He wondered how Beomwoo knew.

It might also be that Beomwoo thought it was strange.

He, who had always refused everything he offered, immediately asked for help.

It was true he needed his help.

But he had also come to his senses about the mistake.

He already thought it was impulsive.

Feeling like he had made Beomwoo worry made it seem even more like something he shouldn’t have done.

“I-it was a mistake.”

“I sent it wrong.”

– “Your voice doesn’t sound like it’s nothing.”

“…….”

– “Where are you right now?”

Haejin tried to pass it off naturally as a mistake, saying there was no need to worry.

But Beomwoo sensed it was a lie.

He thought he had spoken normally, but his voice must have sounded different.

In his past life, when they slept in the same bed every day, Beomwoo had no interest in how his voice sounded or what face he made…….

But in this life, despite having met only a few times, how did Beomwoo know him better than back then?

How…… could that be?

At the words that sounded like Beomwoo would come to where he was right away, Haejin’s heart churned intensely.

– “You’re not answering.”

Beomwoo, perhaps thinking Haejin was trying to avoid answering because he felt too strange to speak, asked again, lowering his voice tone.

The voice was cold, but the temperature within the words was warm.

Until now, whenever Beomwoo offered to do something for him, Haejin felt repulsed first, thinking there must be an intention behind it.

But not now.

It seemed like he was asking out of genuine worry for him.

The world had been too cold to Haejin.

Few had treated him affectionately, so when he felt this kind of concern, his heart became endlessly weak.

Haejin chewed on his dry lips and finally answered him honestly.

“Home…….”

– “Can you come out for a moment?”

“I-it’s…… not a situation where I can go out.”

Beomwoo seemed to think something was happening at home but didn’t know what.

He seemed to want to talk in person rather than over the phone.

But Haejin was locked in the basement and couldn’t go anywhere.

He had asked for help from Beomwoo due to the fear the basement instilled.

After saying he couldn’t come out, he worried this might sound like he was indirectly refusing.

Since he had refused him habitually before, this worry was even stronger.

This time, he wasn’t refusing because he disliked it or felt burdened…….

Should he explain that it’s true this time?

As Haejin hesitated and was about to open his mouth to say it was true, Beomwoo spoke first.

– “Do you want to come out?”

“…….”

– “Do you want me to help you?”

Beomwoo asked.

Without even knowing what situation Haejin was facing, and without considering it a refusal, he demanded an answer from Haejin.

As if he would come running right away if Haejin said yes.

Without even knowing what he could do, Haejin felt like Beomwoo could get him out of here.

It seemed like it had to be him.

“Please get me out…….”

– “I’ll be there soon.”

As Haejin squeezed out his voice, Beomwoo spoke as if he had been waiting for that answer and hung up.

Even after the call ended, Haejin held the phone to his ear before belatedly lowering it.

While talking to him, he had forgotten his fear.

With just one word saying he would come to where he was, his mind, which had been chaotic with fear, settled.

He wished they could have talked longer.

But maybe it was fortunate it ended early, as he might have ended up complaining about this and that.

Haejin sat with his knees drawn up, tightly clutching the phone in his hand.

Since returning to this life, this was the first time he had wanted to see someone so badly.

                                                                                           ****

“Hey, come out.”

The basement door opened less than an hour after he was locked in.

It was the first time the door had opened this quickly.

Beomwoo had said he would come; was it because of him?

If he had come, how had he persuaded his uncle?

As Haejin came out, bewildered, his uncle, who had opened the door, tightly grabbed his forearm as he came up from the basement, stopping his steps.

“The third son of H Group is here.”

“…….”

“I don’t know what trick you suddenly pulled…….”

“But you better do it right.”

“If you even think about running away again, you’re dead.”

He seemed suspicious about Beomwoo’s sudden visit.

He also seemed like he couldn’t just send Beomwoo away, so he was letting Haejin out to meet him.

He didn’t know how Haejin had acted to get contact from the chaebol family again after it was cut off.

He warned him not to try anything, reminding him he hadn’t forgotten Haejin’s attempt to leave before being locked up.

And he hadn’t even returned his money…….

Haejin was indignant but swallowed his words.

He thought if he added anything, he might not even get to meet.

“Jung Haejin-ssi.”

Passing his uncle and leaving the house, Beomwoo was waiting for him.

While locked in the basement, perhaps because he knew Beomwoo was coming, he felt he wasn’t as scared as before.

But the moment he saw his face, the tension drained away, and he felt strange.

He felt a similar emotion to when Beomwoo had offered to get him out of this house in his past life.

His heart wanted to race.

He knew Beomwoo married him for his own benefit, not for Haejin.

But to Haejin, it was no different from saving him.

And the emotion he felt now was the same as then.

As soon as he saw him, the tension released, and his legs felt weak.

Feeling like he might collapse, he barely put strength into his legs.

Beomwoo’s expression crumpled the moment he saw Haejin.

Beomwoo approached Haejin with large strides, his face terrifyingly serious.

With his hardened expression and the intimidatingly close distance, Haejin reflexively set up a defense mechanism and tried to step back.

Beomwoo stopped his steps around then.

He looked seriously at Haejin’s face, and spoke.

“Your face is in a state.”

“……Ah.”

At his words, Haejin belatedly covered his face with his hands.

Earlier, when he denied trying to run away from his uncle, he got slapped for being disrespectful.

Being locked in the basement had made him completely forget about that.

As he remembered, the pain he had forgotten suddenly felt present.

Haejin unconsciously scrunched one side of his face.

Beomwoo’s expression worsened further.

He stiffened his expression colder than ever, then firmly gripped Haejin’s wrist.

“Let’s go to the hospital first.”

He seemed intent on dragging Haejin to the hospital, even by force.

With a bluish bruise on his face, wanting to take him to the hospital wasn’t an exaggerated reaction.

But for Haejin, it was.

He had never been to the hospital for being hit.

“Huh?”

“Ah, no.”

“I’m not even hurt…….”

“This much gets better after just a day.”

“This isn’t how a human face should look; how is this not hurt?”

“…….”

He could understand up to saying it looked painful.

But saying it wasn’t a human face was a bit…….

He felt somehow wronged.

Haejin lowered the corner of his mouth and sulked.

Then he let out a sigh at his more serious-than-anyone attitude and opened his mouth.

“Something like this really gets better in a day or two with just some ointment.”

“…….”

Haejin said based on experience that something like this was nothing and would heal naturally if left alone.

He said that he was fine.

But at those words, Beomwoo’s expression grew even more serious.

He didn’t say anything.

But that expression seemed to ask how often this must have happened for him to be so nonchalant about this level of injury.

Even when they first met, he had been caught with marks from being hit.

Beomwoo knew he was abused at home.

But he probably didn’t know it happened so often that Haejin could be this indifferent to such damage.

Since Beomwoo already knew his family circumstances, he thought he wouldn’t feel newly embarrassed.

But he felt even more ashamed.

If they talked more on this topic, he felt he wouldn’t be able to hold his head up.

Haejin wondered if he could change the subject.

Then he realized they were in front of the house and quickly spoke.

“U-um, but if we stay here like this, my aunt and uncle might see…….”

“L-let’s talk somewhere else.”

“…….”

As Haejin hastily changed the topic, Beomwoo frowned as if he understood his intention.

He had a face that seemed to have an enormous amount to say.

He stared at Haejin intently for a moment, then turned his head and let out a sigh.

“……Let’s go to the car for now.”

“Yes…….”

If he had hesitated, he might have blushed from the burden.

But fortunately, Beomwoo averted his gaze before that.

Haejin looked at Beomwoo’s back as he led the way.

He swallowed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly followed him.

                                                                                          ****

Beomwoo’s car was parked down the alley.

Unlike in his past life, perhaps because he hadn’t taken over the company yet, in this life, the Beomwoo he met always came alone, without a driver.

Beomwoo opened the passenger door.

Haejin got in first, and then Beomwoo got into the driver’s seat.

Perhaps feeling it was inappropriate to stay parked in this area, he started driving.

When they were on the road without a known destination, Beomwoo spoke first.

“May I ask what happened?”

“…….”

Beomwoo had come running without knowing any reason, but seeing the situation looked serious, he was curious about what had happened.

Perhaps knowing it was a sensitive question, he looked very cautious.

If it were someone else, Haejin would have evaded, saying it was nothing, not wanting to reveal his shame.

But having asked for help, he couldn’t hide it.

Also, Beomwoo already knew most of his situation.

Haejin hesitated, then, with his head bowed, opened his mouth very carefully.

“Originally…… I planned to work intensely for a month and use that money to enter a goshiwon.”

“I thought leaving this house was the first thing I should do once I became an adult.”

“…….”

“Now it’s already been a month since I started working, and I was organizing my belongings to enter the goshiwon…….”

“My uncle suddenly came into my room.”

“He happened to discover the packed bag and the money…….”

Haejin was explaining well what had happened so far, then swallowed a deep breath.

Even though he was just recounting events, remembering the moment he was caught made him feel suffocated again.

Just remembering it felt painful, like self-torment.

Haejin felt like his vision was darkening.

But thinking he was in front of Beomwoo, he didn’t want to show his distress.

He had already asked for help.

Beomwoo knew his situation was a mess—it was a pointless pride.

Haejin forced himself to steady his breathing and slowly continued.

“He asked what my plan was to run away with this money, and I said no.”

“I couldn’t admit it.”

“But I think that made him feel disrespected.”

“So…… I went into the basement.”

“The basement?”

“Yes, that…….”

“‘Time to think,’ he calls it.”

“He often locks me in the basement, for a few hours short, up to a day long.”

“……Ha.”

As Haejin explained his uncle’s punishment method, Beomwoo, who had been listening seriously, let out a hollow laugh.

He laughed absurdly as if asking what kind of trash method that was, then looked at Haejin.

Compassion was evident in the eyes looking at him.

He had tried to explain the situation as objectively as possible, not wanting to seem pitiful.

But perhaps because what he had endured was so absurd, he still seemed pitiful to Beomwoo.

He didn’t want to receive this kind of gaze.

But because Beomwoo was worried…… why did his heart feel a bit more at ease?

Feeling his own dual-heartedness, Haejin, thinking this shouldn’t happen, hastily changed the subject.

“Earlier…… I asked for help out of desperation, but thank you for getting me out.”

“What will you do from now on?”

Haejin had reached out to him for help, but that was to get him out of the basement.

He hadn’t asked for help with future matters.

So he was thinking of wrapping things up soon and asking to be dropped off nearby.

But Beomwoo asked about his plans before he could ask to get off.

He needed to answer, but his mind went blank at that question.

There had been a plan, but it had vanished overnight due to an unexpected turn of events.

So he couldn’t think of what to do next.

As Haejin couldn’t answer easily, Beomwoo spoke again.

“If you were caught trying to leave, he probably won’t return the money.”

“…….”

“Are you going back to that house?”

His mind wasn’t exactly a bed of roses, so he didn’t expect to get that money back.

But if he couldn’t get that money back, the only way was to return to that house.

A method to escape again from there…… he couldn’t think of one anymore.

Having been caught once, surveillance would be stricter.

It was questionable if they would even allow him to earn money in the future.

……Then what should I do?

Nothing had changed; the situation had only become worse.

No thoughts came to mind on what more to do.

As Haejin moved his lips with confused eyes, Beomwoo let out a small sigh.

“Jung Haejin-ssi.”

“…….”

Haejin, who had been looking down at the innocent floor and picking at his nails, raised his head at his call.

Looking at him, Beomwoo spoke with serious eyes.

“With one word, I will help you.”

“I don’t expect any compensation.”

“…….”

“I’ll ask again.”

“Do you want to go back to that house?”

Just as he had done until now, he once again extended a helping hand to Haejin.

Haejin bit his lower lip firmly at the sight of Beomwoo seriously offering to help him.

Whenever Beomwoo offered to help, it seemed there was the purpose of marriage behind it.

Even when he said he wouldn’t force marriage last time and told Haejin to accept help, the ultimate goal was visible.

But today, for some reason, Beomwoo seemed like someone who wanted to help him, regardless of purpose or anything else.

He knew Beomwoo wasn’t someone who helped with pure goodwill and no purpose…….

Was it because he was having such a hard time?

Why did he seem different from usual?

He had vowed never to get entangled in this life.

But both then and now, he was a person bound to a devilish house, unable to do anything on his own.

Even though he struggled to live a different life, nothing changed.

As if he was sinking deeper into a swamp, things only became more of a mess.

……Was his struggling alone actually preventing anything from changing?

He had tried his own way, wanting to escape.

But as if his life was meant to be that way, nothing changed.

Even if he thought things had changed, with just this much, it was the same.

If he didn’t want to live the same as his past life, it was time to take a stronger stand now.

After a long contemplation, Haejin opened his tightly sealed lips.

“Please help me…….”

Knowing that even if he received help, he had nothing to give in return, Haejin bowed his head deeply even as he asked for help.

Thus, he couldn’t see what expression Beomwoo made upon hearing his words.

But Beomwoo covered the back of Haejin’s hand, which was resting on his knee, with his large hand.

That hand was truly…… warm.