Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: The Missing Manager
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Murmurs rose, clamor filled the air.
Drawn by the owner's anguished cries, people began gathering at the pension's main building one by one.
Wondering what had happened, what incident had occurred.
Most were probably just tilting their heads in curiosity, unable to hold back, but Kang Hyun felt a sour premonition.
It was the kind of angry voice rarely heard on ordinary days. A voice denying it, shouting refusal to believe.
That's what it sounded like.
"What's going on?"
"Wasn't that someone yelling?"
"I'll go check it out."
Kang Hyun set down the glass of liquor he'd just been drinking and grabbed his phone.
"Oppa, should we go together?"
As Yoo Chae-eun approached and asked, Kang Hyun shook his head to say it was fine and quietly told Yoon Haneul,
"I'll be right back."
"Okay."
Leaving behind Yoon Haneul with her slightly puzzled expression and the others, Kang Hyun headed toward the main lobby.
The door burst open.
"Please, stop it! Don't say things like that! If you're going to, just leave!"
"...Calm down first."
"Does this look like a time to stay calm? Telling me that in front of someone losing their mind!"
Several people were already in the lobby, standing around trying to console the owner, who was stomping his feet with an expression that said he couldn't face reality yet.
A face full of incomprehension.
An attitude that refused to accept it.
'What happened?'
Theft, robbery, fraud, assault.
Kang Hyun ran through a few possible scenarios in his head, but none seemed to fit.
In the end, he grasped the situation from the single sheet of paper the owner was holding.
"...Boss?"
As Kang Hyun leaned in and called out to him, the owner bristled, then realized he was a guest and wiped his tears, speaking in a trembling voice.
"Haa... I'm sorry. We've been so noisy, haven't we?"
"It's fine. More importantly..."
Kang Hyun glanced around at the people surrounding them and asked,
"...the manager hasn't come back, has he."
At Kang Hyun's pointed remark, a few men and the owner exchanged frustrated glances, then one of the bystanders finally spoke up with difficulty.
"He's been in a bad state of mind lately, and he left this behind before disappearing."
Kang Hyun took the paper and slowly read the crudely scrawled note.
-I'm sorry to everyone. My daughter, in the next life, I'll make sure you don't suffer. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. From your worthless dad.
"His daughter passed away in a car accident this year..."
"...I see."
It seemed the pension's manager had been hit with some recent misfortune, and his acquaintances were worried.
The owner muttered as if he still couldn't believe it.
"He just said he was going out for a bit... I don't want to make a big deal out of it."
"No, still. Someone's missing—we have to at least look for him, right?"
"He said he'd be back! He's not the type to just leave like this!"
Amid the frustrated people and the owner at a loss, Kang Hyun stepped forward to sort things out.
"Boss. Calm down."
Then, in a steady voice, he summarized the situation.
"I fully understand why you're gathered here worrying because someone who said they'd be back soon hasn't returned as expected. But this isn't the time to raise voices and argue. Since there's still no contact, there might be a problem, so the manager's safety should be the top priority."
Kang Hyun's earnest tone had everyone nodding.
"Is there no other way to contact him? Family or acquaintances?"
"...No."
"Aside from the note, no other strange signs?"
"I don't know. He's always been quiet, the type who smiles a lot. I thought he was just powering through..."
"I see. But it'll be three days tomorrow since he vanished... Earlier, you said he's not one to go out much, even for regular errands."
"...Yes."
"Have you contacted the police?"
"...No. It's not certain yet... We might hear from him if we wait a bit longer, and I didn't want to label him a missing person unnecessarily..."
The owner looked around at his acquaintances with a troubled expression. He seemed to hope Kang Hyun would side with him.
But seeing Kang Hyun make the same frustrated face as the others, he took a deep breath and let it out in resignation.
"...Alright."
"Contact the Coast Guard first, and Sokcho Police Station too."
"Yes? What for..."
"File a missing person report. That's all. They'll ask for basic personal details."
"No, I mean, it's still uncertain..."
"Let me say it again: all major incidents happen when recognition of the situation is delayed. Someone with nowhere to go has been missing for days, and there's reason to suspect dark thoughts. Not reporting that is negligence—or something to hide."
"Th-that's not it!"
"Then? What's the reason to delay reporting?"
Pushed that far, the owner deflated and grumbled like a plea.
"...I just didn't want to believe it... He's so upright and kind... He wouldn't do that."
"That's true for anyone. As you say, it might turn out to be nothing. But confirming safely won't hurt. You mentioned he'd had something bad happen recently, right? Can't overlook that. Two days gone after leaving a note like that—plenty of reason to get police help."
The owner nodded at Kang Hyun's words.
Wiping the frustration from his face, he now picked up the receiver with a look full of worry.
"...Yes. A missing person report. Kim Tae-pyeong... Yes, born in 1970."
"Give them the vehicle number too. He left by car, right?"
As Kang Hyun interjected, the owner blinked up at him in surprise while holding the phone, as if to say *How did you know?*
Kang Hyun shrugged and said,
"There was an empty spot in the parking lot."
"...Yes. Should I give the vehicle number too? He took his car—a compact, plate starting with 21..."
Kang Hyun watched the call proceed smoothly for a moment, then directed someone else.
"Someone else, please contact the Coast Guard."
One person jumped on it and started dialing eagerly.
"Hello? Coast Guard? This is the pension at 1110 Haoreum-ro..."
Following Kang Hyun's lead, people began moving with crisp efficiency. The lobby, which had been filled with escalating frustrated voices until he arrived, was finally breathing easy.
Kang Hyun was an outsider, just a guest, but his words, demeanor, and actions were so assured that no one thought to object.
Watching them, Kang Hyun felt he'd done what he could, so he gave a light bow as if to slip away.
It hadn't been that long since the person vanished, relatively speaking, and what came next was for the police.
Kang Hyun, who had stepped out briefly, returned to where his friends were hanging out about twenty minutes later.
"What happened?"
At Woo Si-hyung's question, Kang Hyun switched his liquor glass for a cola and took a sip.
"One of the staff went missing, apparently. I told them to report it to the police."
"Missing?"
"It's okay, right?"
Yoon Chan-rim chimed in with a slightly worried look, and Kang Hyun nodded ambiguously.
"It's too soon to call it a disappearance. They hadn't reported it yet—seemed like they couldn't decide. Now that they have, the police will search. Hope he returns safely."
He hadn't barged in half-cocked; he'd acted on objective judgment, so he was confident.
He did wonder if it was a bit late for initial action, but handing it to the police was better than letting the group dither.
Then Yoon Chan-rim, perhaps struck by something from the incident, grinned at Kang Hyun.
"This is why I'm into you, hyung. You always have that drive."
"Huh?"
"Whenever things are iffy, you just go for it."
"Yeah, and he puts his all into it."
Yoon Haneul, sitting by the bonfire, chimed in.
Woo Si-hyung burst out laughing and jumped in, sensing a fun story was starting.
"Right, right. Hyun's drive is top-tier. There was this time I was on bad terms with my mom, right? And this guy pretends not to know and shows up at my place."
"Your bachelor pad, hyung?"
"Yeah. And get this—my mom had brought over a big batch of kimchi."
"Oh my gosh. Epic! How'd Kang Hyun oppa know about your family stuff?"
"Exactly! It was fate. He goes, 'You actually want to get along with your mom, don't you.' And my heart starts pounding. It hurt, but weirdly, it hit home."
Yoon Chan-rim snickered.
"We had this prof who got fired from our department, right? The one we're not supposed to name."
"Oh. The book peddler?"
"That jerk's beating me like a market dog, and Kang Hyun hyung jumps up and..."
"No way, he hit him?"
"Nah. With words."
"Eek. A-ma-zing. I saw oppa verbally smack someone down recently."
"Me? When?"
"The taxi driver going berserk—you talked him down nice and easy. That's when I fell for... Uh, never mind."
Yoo Chae-eun chuckled lowly, raised her glass.
"Anyway, oppas back, so cheers again?"
"Let's."
Seeing Kang Hyun grin but sip cola instead of booze, Yoon Chan-rim caught on and shoved meat at him with tongs.
"Eat up first. Worry about that later."
Exactly.
This was their downtime, and no matter what happened around them, their fun time remained unchanged.
"Yeah. I'll grill— you eat too."
"Okay. Cheers!"
A slightly chilly seaside pension front yard.
Delicious meat, cool drinks and booze.
The sun had long set, but the dim pension twinkled with various lights.
Whatever was going on in the main building, people returned to their spots and resumed enjoying their vacations.
Kang Hyun's group kept their dinner going for quite a while.
Woo Si-hyung, thoroughly drunk, hummed tunes, while Yoon Chan-rim and Yoo Chae-eun bickered in conversation.
Yoon Haneul, cheeks flushed and smiling more than usual, glanced at Kang Hyun.
Kang Hyun gazed at the happy Yoon Haneul, stuffed with good food.
He wondered if he'd ever forget this moment, and smiled back at her.
Two hours, three hours.
As dinner wrapped up, the group gathered around the bonfire.
"Wanna hear a scary story?"
"You're a kid? But what's the story?"
Joyful chatter.
Stories that washed away the daily grind.
Talk flowed from laughter-filled banter to deeper revelations from the heart.
Time flew by.
"It's midnight already."
"Head in? Shower, then hang in the living room."
"I'll make shaved ice."
"Unnie can make shaved ice?"
"There's a machine and ingredients."
"Awesome, awesome!"
People clapped and headed inside.
As Kang Hyun smiled and moved to follow, a tiny worry flickered.
'...Did they find him?'