Chapter 111: The Most Ironic Death-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: The Most Ironic Death-1
Ho-cheol was getting worried about In-ho, whose contact had been sparse lately.
In-ho usually delegated the trivial tasks to him, but he had always personally double-checked the important matters. Recently, however, the frequency of those checks had dwindled. A few days ago, In-ho had spoken as if he didn't care at all, leaving Ho-cheol tilting his head in confusion.
"Is he... promoting me?"
It wasn't exactly a corporate office, but that was the thought that crossed Ho-cheol’s mind.
After all, he had been working under In-ho for quite a while now. Since they had built up trust both professionally and personally, perhaps In-ho was entrusting him with more significant responsibilities.
But even as he entertained these positive thoughts, a nagging sense of unease lingered.
Lately, In-ho had been taking good care of him and paying him generously, but...
The old In-ho had been a notorious cheapskate. On the rare occasions they ate together, he would insist on splitting the bill down to the last cent.
His friends had urged him to quit, asking how he could stand working for such a stingy man, but Ho-cheol found the life acceptable. After all, In-ho was the one who had taken him in and given him a proper role when he was just drifting through life.
That was why he had felt relieved to see In-ho recently quit internet streaming and start exercising. His employer was the type of man who ignored every warning about the things one should be careful of in life—alcohol, cigarettes, and women. Ho-cheol knew that if In-ho went down, he’d be left like a kite with a snapped string.
He felt that his efforts—constantly chirping like a parrot for In-ho to manage his health and be careful of women—had finally paid off.
However, his satisfaction with the "reformed In-ho" was short-lived. In-ho had recently become busy again, entangled with another strange woman.
Fortunately, she wasn't a gold digger like the last one, but her mental state seemed so unstable that Ho-cheol feared she might cause a major incident if left alone.
Even now, his body shuddered at the memory of going to the gym in the middle of the night. The image of Garam was still vivid: she had been sprawled in the center of the wrecked gym as if a massive brawl had broken out, gasping for air.
He had suppressed his fear to call out to her, but the only response he received was the cry of a wounded beast. It was a relief the ambulance arrived quickly; otherwise, he felt he might have been hauling away a corpse.
Regardless, Ho-cheol didn't like In-ho hanging around the abnormal Garam, and he had told him several times to keep his distance.
But every time he did, his employer would simply say it couldn't be helped, citing "responsibility."
"I don't know what's with this 'responsibility' nonsense."
He could understand feeling responsible for dragging her into the world of internet streaming, but... he still couldn't wrap his head around paying for the entire remodeling of the center just because of that. He figured this was simply the difference between a wealthy man and a commoner like himself.
Still, aside from her occasional erratic behavior, Garam was a decent person. Above all, she was the one taking charge of In-ho’s health.
As the center went under remodeling, In-ho and Garam spent more time out and about together. When Ho-cheol jokingly asked if they were going to end up falling for each other and getting married, In-ho had jumped back, waving his hands in frantic denial.
Well, the age gap was significant, after all.
Regardless, his busy employer had been acting strange lately.
When Ho-cheol called, In-ho would say he was busy and tell him to text instead. When he did text, In-ho would tell him to handle things on his own.
"I appreciate the trust, but there are some things only he can do."
To clear the unsettling fog in his mind, Ho-cheol thought of a plan. It happened to be something that needed handling anyway.
He tapped on his phone and sent a message to In-ho.
>> Ho-cheol: I called to talk about some tax stuff, but you didn't pick up.
>> Ho-cheol: Brother, I haven't been able to reach you at all lately. Is everything okay?
>> Ho-cheol: I'll send the files for now. Please check them and get back to me.
>> [Ho-cheol] sent an attachment.
This was something that required In-ho’s personal confirmation. He wouldn't be able to just say "handle it yourself."
The `1` indicating the message was unread disappeared, but no reply came.
Was it taking him a long time to check? Ho-cheol waited.
But even after an hour, there was no response.
"That's strange. Did he open it by mistake?"
He considered calling to press him, but he knew In-ho probably wouldn't answer.
Ah, if In-ho won't pick up, maybe I should call Garam?
Ho-cheol dialed Garam’s number.
[Hello? Uncle Ho-cheol?]
"Ah, yes, Garam. Is my boss with you by any chance?"
[No, he didn't come in for a workout today.]
"I see... There's a document he needs to check urgently, and since I couldn't reach him, I thought he might be exercising."
[Oh...]
"Well, he doesn't like it when I just show up at his house unannounced... I'll figure it out. Thanks."
After hanging up, Ho-cheol decided to wait one more hour.
Exactly one hour later, a reply arrived.
>> Brother In-ho: You settled the stuff for Guro, right? I just woke up. Sorry.
>> Ho-cheol: Not Guro, it's the Daelim side. Were you taking a nap?
>> Brother In-ho: I fell asleep while the sun was still up and just opened my eyes...
>> Ho-cheol: Well, nothing wrong with a nap. When are you going for the on-site inspection?
>> Brother In-ho: What did the owner say? I don't think I can make it, I'm busy.
>> Ho-cheol: They said they can show us even if we call on the same day. You don't have any time?
>> Brother In-ho: The radiator—the car radiator is acting up, so I have to go get it fixed. Winter is coming, so I need to take care of it.
>> Ho-cheol: A radiator, all of a sudden?
>> Brother In-ho: Yeah, I already made the appointment at the car center. You don't need to book anything.
>> Brother In-ho: Just go to Daelim yourself, film it, and send it to me.
>> Brother In-ho: It's a new building, so there shouldn't be any defects.
>> Ho-cheol: Okay, if you're sure...
>> Brother In-ho: Yeah, I'm counting on you.
>> Ho-cheol: Sure. Get some rest.
The conversation ended, but the strange feeling wouldn't go away. Ho-cheol scratched his head.
"What is it? Something's off."
The sense of awkwardness was even stronger than in their recent conversations. He looked over the chat logs again.
The words were In-ho’s, but they felt artificial.
As he read through them a second and third time, a specific word caught his eye. It was a common enough mistake, but it stuck in his mind.
"Wait..."
He read it again. The unease intensified.
"Ah..."
After reading the chat logs a total of ten times, Ho-cheol discovered something. He scrambled to grab his clothes and immediately broke into a run.