* * *
“Punctuality is a basic courtesy between people,” Kahyun said coldly.
“Oh…”
Minjae, still flushed from running over, rubbed his warm cheeks as he responded.
“I’m really sorry. I wanted to thank you by buying some macarons, but the shop was packed today. Here, take this.”
Minjae quickly pushed the small, adorable gift box through the car window.
Kahyun, who had taken it without thinking, wrinkled his nose at the overpowering sweetness.
Not in the mood to offer any words of gratitude, Kahyun set the box aside and handed over the wallet, the true purpose of this meeting.
Noticing Kahyun’s discontented expression, Minjae glanced around nervously.
The moment he received the wallet, he opened it up and immediately looked for the family photo, ignoring the cash and ID.
It was intact, no damage at all.
Relieved that the wallet had returned safely to his possession, Minjae bowed once more.
“Thank you so much. I know you’re busy, but you took the time to return this… I’m really sorry for the delay.”
“It’s fine. We’re done here, so I’ll be going.”
“Wait, just a moment!”
Minjae was caught off guard.
According to Hyunwook, Kahyun was supposed to be kind and gentle, a role model for the younger generation—polite and not the least bit overbearing.
Yet the man before him hadn’t smiled once during their entire encounter.
He must be hiding his annoyance.
Coming all this way just for a wallet probably felt like a chore, especially since it’s late.
Not used to being treated coldly, Minjae felt an urgent need to change the negative impression he’d made.
“If you have time later, maybe we could have a meal—”
“Apologies.”
Kahyun’s expression was as cold as the countless opportunists who had tried to latch onto him, hoping for some kind of connection because of his reputation.
Watching Minjae squirm awkwardly made something icy settle within Kahyun.
A sigh escaped him.
Today, it seemed, Kahyun had encountered the worst kind of person.
“Oh… right.”
Minjae, having never expected his words to be so abruptly cut off, stood there dumbfounded.
Kahyun, not even trying to conceal his irritation, drew a cold, firm line.
“Apologies, but I don’t eat things of lower quality. It doesn’t sit well with me.”
“…What?”
What a foolish response.
“And likewise, I don’t associate with low-quality people. Sorry about that.”
Before Minjae could even process those words, the car window slid up.
Minjae, too shocked to even think about knocking on the window again, turned and began walking toward the crosswalk.
His heart pounded with anger over the harsh words he had just heard.
His face turned red, burning with shame, but the moment to retaliate had long since passed.
“Did I really deserve that?”
Muttering in a voice filled with a mix of frustration and sadness, Minjae began crossing the street as the light changed.
The last time he’d experienced this kind of humiliation was in middle school, when he was briefly bullied.
He was so distracted by the sting of tears that he didn’t even notice his surroundings. Was that why?
“Hey, watch out for the car!”
Screech—
Before Minjae could fully register someone shouting at him, his view filled with the sight of a speeding car barreling toward him.
∗ ∗ ∗
Driver Kim watched as the young man’s face went pale, shaking his head sympathetically.
There was no time to stop his boss, whose foul mood had already led him to hurl harsh words at the youth.
Through the window, the driver watched the young man walking toward the crosswalk with a heavy heart, casting an uneasy glance at Kahyun, who was preparing to leave.
The meeting had ended on a sour note, but at least it was over.
Kahyun felt uncomfortable as well.
He’d expected Minjae to protest or at least knock on the window in anger, but instead, he had left without another word.
Kahyun clicked his tongue, staring at Minjae’s rigid back as he walked away.
Maybe he realized his place and knew when to quit. Despite his attempts to shake off the uneasy feeling, nothing changed.
“I feel like I’ve become a piece of trash.”
You are trash, Director.
Driver Kim suppressed the words he’d never dare say out loud and watched the light, waiting for it to turn green.
Minjae had started crossing the street as the pedestrian signal turned.
Even though they’d never met, the driver found himself rooting for the kind-looking young man.
He hoped Minjae would see today as an unfortunate event and spend the evening with friends, shaking it off over drinks.
As the driver was thinking this, he noticed a truck speeding toward the crosswalk, despite the red light. Minjae was still crossing.
If this continued, the truck would hit him.
Alarmed, the driver flung open his door and shouted at Minjae.
“Hey, watch out for the car!”
The accident happened in an instant.
One moment, Minjae was walking; the next, he was lying motionless several meters away from the crosswalk.
Kahyun immediately jumped out of the car, quickly dialing 119.
“There’s been an accident at the crosswalk near the front gate of Wonha University. A pedestrian was hit by a car. Please send help right away. We’re on Haengsin-ro 3-gil, Yongjin-gu. It looks serious. The driver seems fine.”
Sensing the presence of his driver, Kahyun gave him a direct order.
“Driver Kim, make sure the driver doesn’t run. Something’s off.”
“Understood.”
The truck driver, who hadn’t even stepped out of his vehicle yet, shrank back as the intimidating Driver Kim approached him, beginning to shout.
“It’s not my fault! The kid was dawdling instead of crossing quickly. If he’d moved faster, none of this would have happened! I did nothing wrong!”
“I’ve got your license plate number, so you’d better not try to run. Get out of the truck.”
While Kim argued with the truck driver, Kahyun approached Minjae.
He had reacted on instinct, but now, having called 119, he had done all he could.
Kahyun couldn’t help but calculate how the media might respond if he were photographed helping Minjae.
Recently, public opinion about his company, Goseong Bio, had plummeted due to a chemical spill at one of their local plants.
This incident might help repair some of the damage.
Meanwhile, a small crowd of onlookers, many of them students, began to gather and record the scene.
Kahyun knelt down by Minjae without hesitation.
From up close, Minjae’s condition seemed worse than he had first thought.
The truck driver had slammed on the brakes in time to prevent a fatal collision, but the problem was the way Minjae had fallen. He had hit the ground chest-first.
It looked like Minjae had sustained serious head trauma.
Blood was pooling around him, seeping from the wound on his head.
What am I supposed to do in this situation?
Kahyun, who had originally intended to appear as a helpful citizen for the media, felt a wave of anxiety.
As the crowd around him grew and murmured louder, his panic worsened.
Realizing his hands were trembling, Kahyun clenched and unclenched his fists before carefully placing a hand under Minjae’s nose.
Thankfully, there was a faint breath.
“He needs to get to a hospital right away.”
Every second mattered, but the sound of the ambulance hadn’t yet arrived.
Kahyun took off his jacket and pressed it against the worst of Minjae’s wounds to stop the bleeding.
The thick fabric grew heavy with the warmth of Minjae’s blood, darkening with each passing moment.
Onlookers were starting to make phone calls of their own.
* * *
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Oh no poor bby