A Reason to Find Him

“Is it hard for you, Hayan?”

“No….”

She wasn’t sure whether he meant the act of pressing on her back here and there, causing pain, or her state of mind.

She hadn’t exactly tried to hide how tired she felt, but had it been that obvious?

It wasn’t a completely hopeless situation.

A lot had simply happened, and the shock had made the day exhausting.

“If you’re sleepy, sleep.”

“I’m okay….”

“Don’t force yourself.”

Hearing those gentle words made her realize she might actually be sleepy.

Today had been exhausting, and it was already night.

The moment she recognized that, a hazy wave of sleep rushed over her.

Ju Hayan murmured something half-formed, and Shin I-hyeok somehow understood.

He patted her back softly.

The back seat was narrow with both of them tangled together, making the posture uncomfortable.

But perhaps her body had already gotten used to it, because she didn’t try to change positions.

Shin I-hyeok kept patting her back until Ju Hayan’s breathing evened out.

“……you have to wake… up… it’s time….”

“Wait… no… if you look… then….”

A buzzing sound near her ear made her eyelids twitch.

The noise disturbed her hazy sleep.

Her face scrunched up, and her lips pouted slightly.

A finger poked at the cheek beside her lips.

Ju Hayan turned her head sharply and rubbed her forehead against the rough fabric scratching her face, almost burrowing into it.

Just as she was waking, Shin I-hyeok’s hand naturally resumed patting her back.

Laughter fell softly above her head.

“…that’s why it’s scary.”

“I was already thinking about what to do.”

When the voices finally reached her clearly, Ju Hayan lifted the head she had buried.

She must have fallen asleep.

Her body had relaxed, and she’d immediately drifted off.

The drive from the café to home was barely twenty minutes, but she felt surprisingly refreshed for such a short rest.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes….”

Since they had been close together when she fell asleep, seeing Shin I-hyeok’s face the moment she woke up didn’t surprise her.

Still half asleep, Ju Hayan rubbed the cheek that had been scraped painfully against his coat.

Then she realized she had been leaning on his shoulder and was about to slide down onto his chest.

She quickly retreated to the seat beside him where she had originally been sitting.

As if he had expected that, Shin I-hyeok let her go easily.

Instead, he reached out and brushed the spot above her cheek where a round mark had been pressed.

“You must’ve been really tired.”

“It’s late.”

“Go inside and sleep comfortably.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Ju Hayan rubbed the spot his hand had touched and bowed her head.

Since graduating from school she no longer carried a backpack.

She had nothing with her except herself.

She lingered awkwardly in her seat without any excuse.

Then, just as she turned toward the door to get out, she hesitated and slowly turned halfway back again.

“Um….”

“Hm?”

Ju Hayan, who had looked like she would step out immediately, hesitated.

Shin I-hyeok looked at her curiously.

As she shrank into herself awkwardly, the paper stuffed in the inner pocket of her padded jacket rustled.

She finally spoke the question she had been worrying about ever since her part-time shift was ending.

“Are you still looking for him?”

“Hm?”

“My dad….”

“Are you still looking for him?”

Shin I-hyeok understood the question a moment later.

“Ah.”

He responded immediately.

“Yes.”

“We’re looking for him.”

“Oh.”

“Why?”

“Do you miss your dad?”

“No.”

“It’s not that….”

“Haha.”

“Really?”

“Your dad would be hurt to hear that.”

Ju Hayan couldn’t laugh along with him.

Her mind churned with the thought of pulling out the bank statement in her pocket and showing it to him.

“Then do you wish we wouldn’t find him?”

This time she couldn’t answer immediately.

Until this morning, Ju Hayan hadn’t really thought about finding her father.

Even if they never saw each other again, she had thought they should just live their separate lives.

Maybe when she was younger things had been different.

But as she grew up, the distance between father and daughter had widened.

She didn’t have the energy to go searching for him.

Still, she had never wished for his life to turn into a path of thorns either.

It was true that life had been hard because of a family that couldn’t support her and only felt like shackles.

But she had never dreamed of revenge.

Ju Hayan had imagined leaving that suffocating house hundreds of times once she became an adult.

There was no reason to feel angry just because her father had beaten her to it and left first.

But now that things had come to this, she suddenly wanted to see him.

She wanted to see the face of the man who had spent his life draining his family dry and had finally even touched his child’s money.

If she handed the bank statement to Shin I-hyeok, it might at least help them guess where he was hiding.

After all, it was a debt her father had caused.

Finding him and making him take responsibility wasn’t unfair.

“Did your dad contact you or something, Hayan?”

But standing in front of Shin I-hyeok, Ju Hayan couldn’t bring herself to hand over the statement.

If she did…

If Shin I-hyeok found her father because of it…

He was wealthy.

And he had men working under him.

What would happen after they caught a runaway because of her?

Even though she always resented him, at critical moments she was reminded of the chain he still had around her ankle.

She still hadn’t managed to break free from it.

“…No.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Hearing her firm answer, Shin I-hyeok let out a long breath that sounded almost like a sigh.

Then he nodded.

“Right.”

“It’s been a long time for a kid to live alone.”

“…….”

“Do you miss your dad?”

The same question as before.

After a moment of silence, Ju Hayan reluctantly nodded to smooth over the words she had started.

“If you miss him, you should see him.”

“I’ll let you see him.”

“Don’t worry.”

“…….”

“Now go inside and sleep.”

“You’re fully awake now anyway.”

His words were calm and casual, like an autumn night.

As easily as someone saying let’s go eat, Shin I-hyeok promised to reunite her with her father.

Then he brushed once over the heavy shadows under Ju Hayan’s eyes.

She was so lost in her tangled thoughts she didn’t even manage to dodge the touch.

“Drive safely.”

After lowering and raising her eyes once, Ju Hayan stepped out of the car without hesitation.

Each time she moved, the paper in her pocket rustled against her chest.

She touched the stiff paper through her coat as she walked down the stairs.

Her movements were the same as always, but somehow they seemed heavier.

Watching her back—smaller than usual today—Shin I-hyeok tapped his fingers lightly against his thigh.

He would need to revise the plan completely.

Only after the top of her head disappeared down the stairway and the corridor lights went out did he finally start the car.

Under the spring sunlight that melted even the winter shadows of snow, Shin I-hyeok entered a shabby building between office blocks.

He walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button labeled 5, the top of the row.

The building was easily over thirty years old.

On the lower floors were a convenience store, a bakery, a dance academy, and a restaurant.

On the top floor, a glass window displayed suspicious phrases like:

“Loans for Anyone, Guaranteed!”

The faded stickers with frayed edges created an unsettling atmosphere.

A man in a neat suit—completely out of place in this run-down building—pushed open the office door without hesitation.

“Good morning.”

The sun had risen long ago, and it was almost lunchtime.

But no one bothered pointing that out.

A few people responded from around the room.

Someone even half-rose from their chair in greeting.

Shin I-hyeok gave a small nod as he glanced around the office.

No matter how many times he saw it, the place looked shabby and crude.

They seemed to clean it regularly, but the dirtiness and old furniture couldn’t be hidden.

And the line of thuggish men sitting shoulder to shoulder on the sofa didn’t help either.

The era where work was done purely with muscle had passed more than ten years ago.

Seeing people who looked like they had traded their brains for muscle made him click his tongue internally.

Still, Shin I-hyeok hid all those thoughts behind a polite smile.

“Where’s the CEO?”

“He’s inside.”

“He’s working.”

“Thank you.”

With a brief smile, Shin I-hyeok walked straight toward the tightly closed office door.

He had asked out of courtesy, but even if there had been a guest inside, he wouldn’t have cared.

He knocked once and then immediately pushed the door open without waiting for a reply.

“Hello, CEO.”

“Oh!”

“Hello, President Shin.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you were working.”

“I hope I didn’t interrupt.”

“If you’re busy, I can wait.”

“It’s nothing urgent.”

CEO Yoo had already been expecting him when the noise outside started.

He shifted in his seat.

Shin I-hyeok nodded politely and closed the door behind him.

Despite his respectful tone, he immediately dropped into one of the meeting chairs.

He leaned back lazily and placed his legs on the glass table, crossing them casually.

For someone dressed so formally, the posture looked almost delinquent.

It was incredibly rude behavior toward the CEO of a company.

But the other man could only swallow his discomfort.

After all, the person sitting there was President Shin.

“I don’t know how you feel about it, President Shin, but I’m glad to see you so often lately.”

“You’re saying things you don’t even mean.”

“Haha.”

“Of course I mean it.”

CEO Yoo’s exaggerated laughter filled the room.

He loved flaunting his authority.

His office was half the size of the entire workspace, stuffed with decorative objects.

As soon as Shin I-hyeok entered, Yoo quickly shifted his expression to flatter him.

It was humiliating for him.

But nearly half the funds circulating in this company came from DK Financial, where Shin I-hyeok belonged.

As companies grew larger, executives often looked outside to fill their secret pockets.

Especially in businesses where money made more money.

In simple terms:

DK Financial was the financial backer.

This small loan company acted as their money-laundering channel and a branch for creating slush funds.

Like a crocodile and the bird that cleans its teeth.

Business relationships were complex, but that was the simplest way to describe the relationship between Shin I-hyeok and CEO Yoo.

“You must have been surprised that I showed up without an appointment.”

“Oh no.”

“You’re our advisor.”

“We should welcome you anytime.”

“That’s a bit exaggerated.”

Shin I-hyeok had temporarily stayed in this town because of this connection.

But he didn’t have any special feelings toward the company.

They were simply connected because it benefited both sides.

Their companies were technically separate.

If their connection became public, it would actually create problems.

Everything was strictly confidential.

That was also why Shin I-hyeok could pretend to be an idle man with the ridiculous title of advisor.

No one actually expected him to perform duties worthy of the title anyway.

“I’ve heard you’ve been visiting our debtors lately.”

“You’ve been a big help.”

They both smiled at each other.

But there was nothing sincere inside those smiles.

The same went for the topic.

Shin I-hyeok had simply been wandering around out of boredom.

It ended up looking like he was collecting debts, but that wasn’t his real intention.

To be honest, he didn’t care whether the debtors repaid their loans or not.

Even if half the money technically belonged to his company, it wasn’t his personal money.

And the amounts were small enough that they didn’t interest him.

Sometimes preserving a debt could bring greater benefits later.

But in this dull town, did any debtor really have something worth his attention?

“Hah.”

A certain face came to mind.

The real reason for his visit today.

Shin I-hyeok suppressed a laugh mixed with a sigh and shook his head.

“Thanks to you checking on them lately, our boys have been keeping themselves in line.”

“Haha.”

“Really?”

“Is that so?”

Of course, CEO Yoo knew Shin I-hyeok didn’t actually care.

Recently he had already grown bored of his new “hobby.”

So the praise was clearly just empty flattery.

Shin I-hyeok smiled and ignored it.

He lowered his stretched legs and leaned his arms on his knees.

They had exchanged enough pointless pleasantries.

It was time to move to the main topic.

He loosely clasped his hands over his thighs and tilted his head slightly toward the CEO.

With his smooth forehead and gently curved eyes, Shin I-hyeok nodded his chin as if hoping today’s discussion would end well.

“I actually came regarding an existing debtor.”

“Do you happen to have lunch plans today?”

“If not, shall we eat together?”