I am not a Yandere chapter 62

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[Baek Cheongang: I heard Chairman Cha Heesuk’s birthday party is coming up soon. Don’t you think you should attend this time? It’d be nice to greet him politely.]

[Baek Cheongang: And how long are you going to keep playing that piano? You’re almost thirty, you know.]

[_]

Seonwoo, who had been lost in playing the piano, didn’t notice the message until late into the night.

His father, Baek Cheongang, who had become a successful businessman, always spoke highly of Chairman Cha, showing him great respect.

It was because of him that Seonwoo first met Cha Yeongdeok.

When he was younger, his father had insisted on introducing them, forcing them together because they were the same age.

Seonwoo didn’t know how to respond, his fingers hovering over the keyboard.

His heart started to race, and a heavy anxiety crushed his chest.

If only these hands could no longer play the piano. Then maybe he could finally give up this useless stubbornness they all called obsession.

Just as Seonwoo clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, an oddly vivid image of Yeongdeok appeared in his mind, as clear as a vision.

He could still feel the soft touch of Yeongdeok’s hand resting on his during a game of Halli Galli.

Is this what it feels like to be really sick?

Seonwoo smirked to himself as he composed a reply with his thumbs.

[Alright. I’ll attend the party.]

After sending the message, Seonwoo refocused and placed his hands on the piano keys.

But strangely, he couldn’t press them down.

It felt like his mind was being dragged into the vacuum of space.

In the end, he rested his head against the piano keys, a jarring discord of notes filling his ears.

“Cha Yeongdeok….”

Seonwoo thought of his perpetually arrogant face.

‘Come to think of it, if Chairman Cha’s birthday was so soon, then the day before—January 17th—would be Yeongdeok’s…. Well, it’s not my problem.’

Seonwoo shook off his thoughts, lifted his head from the piano, and placed his hands on the keys once more.

ꔚ

On January 16th, just two days before Chairman Cha Heesuk’s birthday party, Yeongdeok was making his preparations to cause a scene.

He had arranged for someone to watch the shop for the day, picked out his outfit, and had flyers and a megaphone ready to go.

As he was making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, his phone buzzed with a notification.

[Seo Jihoon: (photo1)]

[Seo Jihoon: (photo2)]

[Seo Jihoon: Menu designs. Which one do you like better?]

[Seo Jihoon: Let me know if anything needs fixing.]

‘A menu design made by Seo Jihoon, huh? I wasn’t expecting much, but….’

Yeongdeok enlarged the photos to take a closer look.

The designs had a white background with red accents here and there, and the Yeongdeok Chicken logo was neatly placed in the bottom right corner.

The layout was simple and easy to read, making Yeongdeok think, “Even a slug can have some talent.”

[Surprisingly, it’s not bad. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.]

[Seo Jihoon: Seriously, that’s harsh.]

[Seo Jihoon: So which one do you like better?]

One menu was displayed in a vertical format, while the other was laid out horizontally.

From Yeongdeok’s perspective, the horizontal one looked better.

[The second design seems better.]

[Seo Jihoon: Got it. Any other changes?]

[No.]

[Seo Jihoon: Then I’ll get the final version to you soon.]

After that, Jihoon didn’t contact him again.

Yeongdeok assumed he was busy working.

He, too, resumed what he had been doing just moments ago.

ꔚ

11:58, 11:59, and finally 12:00. Yeongdeok glanced at the clock in the shop as it turned to January 17.

Tomorrow was finally Chairman Cha Heeseok’s party.

‘I wonder what expression that old man will make.’ Yeongdeok smirked coldly as he called out to Jihoon.

“Seo Jihoon.”

“…Huh?”

Jihoon, who had been fiddling with his phone, flinched and looked at Yeongdeok.

He seemed flustered, probably because he got caught using his phone during work.

However, since Yeongdeok was in a good mood, he decided to let it slide generously.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to oversee the shop tomorrow.”

“So we’re closed tomorrow?”

“No, I’ve already hired a chef in advance. He was once a renowned hotel chef, but since he’s retired and just lounging around, I paid him to work for a day.”

‘Well, he probably can’t fry as well as I do.’

Yeongdeok chuckled smugly, but then quickly erased his grin when he realized he might look too cocky.

“I’ve handed over everything, so tomorrow, you’ll just need to manage the shop with that chef guy.”

“Where are you going tomorrow?”

“My dear grandfather is having a birthday, and he’s feeling lonely, so he invited me. I figured I’d go and entertain him for a bit.”

‘Cha Yeongdeok… entertain? ‘

Somehow, Jihoon doubted it would be actual entertainment.

Unable to imagine Yeongdeok singing or dancing, Jihoon sensed there was something more to this.

“What exactly are you planning to do there?”

“Not much. Just cause a little chaos.”

Jihoon couldn’t help but think that was quite a big deal, as he imagined Yeongdeok wreaking havoc at the party.

The image of Yeongdeok causing trouble seemed so natural that Jihoon let out a small sigh.

He couldn’t understand how Cha Yeongdeok’s image had transformed into that of a troublemaker in his mind.

“Why… do you want to cause trouble? If you don’t like it, couldn’t you just not go?”

Jihoon, who didn’t know Yeongdeok’s circumstances, couldn’t understand why he would bother wasting time and energy on such a pointless endeavor.

“They keep pestering me. Besides, there’s some personal revenge I want to exact.”

“Revenge? What kind of revenge?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Since it seemed to be a family matter, Jihoon didn’t pry further, though something still bothered him.

Yeongdeok had once said that he quit the company because everything became trivial and opened the chicken shop.

But if leaving the company was related to this revenge…

While Jihoon was deep in thought, the voice of a customer from the hall interrupted.

Jihoon pushed his thoughts aside and hurried over to attend to the customer.

ꔚ

Later, as they were cleaning up and about to close the shop, Yeongdeok’s phone suddenly rang.

It was a notification from Jihoon.

Why is he sending me a message when he’s right next to me…? Yeongdeok checked the chat.

[Seo Jihoon: (photo)]

Jihoon had sent a photo. It was the final version of the Yeongdeok Chicken menu, which Yeongdeok had complimented just a few hours earlier.

The draft had been good, but the final version was even cleaner and sharper.

“Is this the final version?”

“Yeah. You don’t know how hard I worked to finish it in time.”

“In time? There wasn’t even a deadline set yet.”

At Yeongdeok’s question, Jihoon closed his mouth and pointed silently at the clock.

The clock read 2:15 AM.

What’s with the clock?

Still not understanding, Yeongdeok asked for an explanation, and Jihoon sighed.

“Your birthday was just after midnight. It’s not much, but it’s a birthday present.”

“What?”

“I originally wanted to give it to you right at midnight, but we were so busy with customers… Anyway, happy birthday.”

At that moment, even though he knew it was a silly thought, Yeongdeok felt like time was slowing down.

The shop was suddenly enveloped in silence, and all he could hear was the ticking of the clock’s second hand.

Lost in thought for a moment, he quickly snapped out of it and pulled out his phone.

January 17. His birthday, something he hadn’t even been conscious of, was staring back at him from the screen.

“It’s not a national holiday or anything, but you remembered it. You must have a lot of free time.”

“Ah, damn it. I knew I wouldn’t hear anything nice from you, but I didn’t expect your heart to be this dry.”

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