* * *

“What is it?”

“Earlier at the banquet, you said you realized that paying attention to company matters was a waste of time. Why did you start thinking that?”

Seonwoo’s enigmatic gaze swept across Yeongdeok’s face, as if scrutinizing him.

“I don’t think someone as stubborn as Cha Yeongdeok would suddenly have an epiphany like that, as if possessed by a spirit.”

Is there a reason behind it?

Seonwoo pressed on relentlessly, like a detective interrogating a suspect, causing Yeongdeok to sigh softly.

“Whether it’s Seo Jihoon or you, it’s pointless to be curious about things that don’t matter.”

“That’s well said. Speaking of Seo Jihoon—why are you so close to him? He’s pitiful, so don’t bother him.”

“…”

“You once told me that spending time on worthless people was a waste. Or is there something valuable about Jihoon that you’re looking for?”

How ridiculous.

With a twisted smile, Yeongdeok brought the wine glass to his lips but pulled it away, continuing his words.

“I’ll say this now. That comment you made when I was younger—it hurt me deeply.”

“So, what do you want me to do about it?”

“Wow, I didn’t expect an apology, but you’re shameless. Forget what I said earlier about you softening a bit.”

Seonwoo poured another drink into his glass as if his throat was parched, while Yeongdeok remained as unapologetic as ever, confidently standing his ground.

The bottle of wine was now more than half empty.

“But more than that, what hurt me the most…”

Seonwoo’s eyes, which had been deep in thought, became moist, reflecting the light like glistening beads of water.

Yet, he couldn’t finish his sentence, instead drowning it with more drinks.

Sensing Seonwoo’s growing rambling, Yeongdeok asked quietly.

“Are you drunk?”

“I’m not drunk. How could I trust you enough to get drunk? You’d just leave me here.”

“You know me well, then.”

“Can’t you at least speak a little nicer?”

“Why should I?”

With his entire face, Yeongdeok expressed that he had no idea why he should, making Seonwoo realize he had expected too much.

His lips tightened into a thin line.

As Seonwoo fell silent, no more words passed between them.

Instead, Seonwoo chose alcohol as the substitute for the quiet.

Every time Seonwoo’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, Yeongdeok noticed his eyes growing more and more unfocused.

A little more, and he’d truly be drunk—if he wasn’t already.

But even then, Seonwoo only raised his hand to order another bottle when the wine was gone.

“At first, to be honest, I admired you.”

“What are you talking about?”

With that sudden, nonsensical remark, Yeongdeok was sure now—he was definitely drunk.

“I wanted to get closer to you, but… Cha Yeongdeok, you always dismissed me, and I didn’t like that. It made me more determined, out of childish spite.”

Seonwoo let out a bitter laugh as if recalling those memories, a short chuckle vibrating through his throat.

“To be honest, if you’d grown up in a normal household, someone with your personality would’ve been cast out of society a long time ago.”

Yeongdeok frowned as if preparing for a fight, angered by Seonwoo’s comment about how he would’ve been rejected by society and failed in job interviews, becoming a social misfit.

“You don’t have an ounce of consideration for others.”

“Are you trying to pick a fight?”

“No way. Honestly, if we really fought, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Just then, the wine Seonwoo had ordered was brought out. He began pouring drink after drink again.

Yeongdeok didn’t bother stopping him.

He had already made it clear he wouldn’t deal with a drunk person, so whether Seonwoo drank a little or a lot, it had nothing to do with him.

But exactly 20 minutes later, Yeongdeok was forced to reconsider his nonchalant stance.

ꔚ

“Cha Yeongdeeooook… you’re such a bad person…”

Seonwoo slammed his head down on the table, setting his wine glass down with a loud clink. Yeongdeok stared at the drunk mess sitting across from him with a dry, piercing gaze.

“I… I… for such a long time, I…”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d shut that vulgar mouth of yours.”

“You’ve always treated me so coldly… so why are you friendly with that annoying jerk? It’s so frustrating…”

“I’m leaving.”

There was no reason for Yeongdeok to stay and listen to Seonwoo’s drunken rambling.

As he got up to leave, Seonwoo clung to his arm and refused to let go.

“Where are you going…? You’re really going to leave me?”

“I told you from the start I’d leave.”

“Even so, who actually goes through with it…?”

Mumbling complaints, he suddenly broke into a giddy smile.

Watching him, Yeongdeok’s face soured, filled with sheer contempt.

“Let go of me.”

“Hehe… No.”

Seonwoo pressed his cheek against Yeongdeok’s arm.

Frustrated, Yeongdeok dragged him out of the wine bar after paying the bill, practically pulling him along.

“Cha Yeongdeok… What fabric softener do you use? Your clothes smell nice and feel soft…”

Seonwoo sniffed Yeongdeok’s arm as he asked.

“I’d appreciate it if you kept your face off my clothes.”

Though Yeongdeok pushed his head away firmly, Seonwoo clung on like a sloth gripping a tree branch.

Annoyed, a small vein throbbed at Yeongdeok’s temple.

“Your problem is that you’re too careless. You’re always so frivolous and reckless.”

“So, is everything my fault, not yours?”

In this situation, from any angle, it was clear that Seonwoo was in the wrong.

Yeongdeok shook his arm vigorously, trying to shake off the drunk man, and pulled out his phone.

He was even considering calling the police when Seonwoo, who had been pushed to the ground, clung to his legs this time.

“Cha Yeongdeoooook…”

A thread of rationality in Yeongdeok’s mind seemed to snap.

So much for Seonwoo’s earlier bravado about not getting drunk.

When Yeongdeok grabbed his shoulders and pushed him hard, Seonwoo collapsed again onto the cold parking lot floor.

“Heh heh…”

The strange laughter spilling from Seonwoo’s lips sounded eerie, almost lewd.

Seizing the moment, Yeongdeok stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked toward his truck.

He had planned to leave Seonwoo in the parking lot, but as he walked toward his truck, memories of those who had criticized him—Wonjin, who had called him a psychopath, and both Jihoon and Seonwoo, who said he lacked any consideration—flashed through his mind one after another.

He still didn’t understand why he should care about others, but if this was what Cha Dowon’s character arc demanded from “PetitRolang,” then…

Yeongdeok took a deep breath, filling his lungs to their fullest before exhaling slowly.

This was, without a doubt, purely for the sake of revenge against PetitRolang.

Categorizing his whims as ‘revenge,’ Yeongdeok approached Seonwoo again, irritatedly hauling his limp body, which was sprawled like a sack of flour, and stuffed him into the crumpled front seat of the truck.

“If it were up to me, I would’ve left you behind. Be grateful, Baek Seonwoo.”

“Ugh…”

Seonwoo, still not fully conscious, was placed in the passenger seat as Yeongdeok started the truck, heading for the nearest lodging facility.

The only thing that mattered was the distance; cleanliness or reviews weren’t a concern since he wouldn’t be staying there anyway.

Once he arrived at the motel and received the room key from the front desk, Yeongdeok supported the staggering Seonwoo into the elevator.

He finally had a moment to check his phone and noticed it was already closing time for the shop—thanks to getting entangled with the drunken Baek Seonwoo.

Yeongdeok briefly considered stopping by the shop to check on Seo Jihoon, wondering if he was handling things well.

But instead of visiting in person, he decided to send Jihoon a text message.

[Lock up the shop properly.]

Yeongdeok sent the text, not missing a single punctuation mark, with one hand while exiting the elevator and entering room 502, as indicated on the key card.

Just as he removed his shoes and approached the bed to drop off Seonwoo, a reply from Jihoon arrived.

[Seo Jihoon: Got it.]

[Seo Jihoon: Did you have fun today?]

Had fun?

* * *