Yaba checked from the inside of the room at the threshold. He called Cha Myunghwan in advance and told him to remove all medical machines and appliances in the room. He said that he would not go otherwise, so he put it away. Yaba was startled as he entered the room that had become much deserted. It was because of the oxygen respirator Cha Myunghwan was wearing.
“Take that away.”
“It’s still hard to breathe without a respirator.”
“You won’t die even if you take it off. Isn’t the bed fully automatic? Isn’t electricity going through the needle?”
“You’re saying all sorts of things. Why on earth are you like this?”
“You’ll get hurt if you know.”
Cha Myunghwan took off the oxygen respirator while making all kinds of facial expressions. He entered the room and stayed away from him. Cha Myunghwan asked abruptly:
“Don’t you think I’ve changed a bit? Have I gained weight, or is my complexion better…”
“I guess your complexion looks good. Did you eat ramen and sleep?”
“I’ve been gaining weight for a while now, you’re not sharp sighted.”
“Why do I have to know if you are gaining weight? My head hurts because I can’t even manage my own weight.”
“Whatever.”
Cha Myunghwan grumbled, but he did not respond particularly. He was so disciplined that he didn’t even get a tooth with any venom. His mental strength has become stronger and he gained weight, but Cha Myunghwan seemed to be a person whose life was sucked out of him as the days went by. Yaba looked around the room involuntarily. Cha Yiseok was nowhere to be seen today. Was he really sick?
“No need to wait. Director Cha hasn’t even come to this place for several days.”
He turned his head to the cold voice. Cha Myunghwan has a face as cold as his voice.
“Why?”
“What why? He’s vanished. His eldest mother, his friends, and everyone around him have lost contact with him, and he has been absent from work for a few days. I’m about to get better, but what is he doing running around more than enough for foot calluses to form… Well, of course, he’s off somewhere enjoying himself. He’s probably playing with things that he doesn’t know who ate and spit?”
It was as if a needle had been dug between his nails and his flesh. Yaba would rather be suffering from a high fever somewhere…
“Executive Director Cha, no matter how debauched he lives, he shows up at the company, but I don’t know what’s going on this time. Even my father is in a bad mood. I think I’ll have to arrange a date with Haemin to get him to come to his senses…”
Yaba looked up at the familiar name. Cha Myunghwan said as if he was waiting.
“Ah, Haemin, the daughter-in-law that my father has in mind. They met when he was studying abroad. Shouldn’t Executive Director Cha also start a family and find stability?”
Cha Myunghwan looked at Yaba’s expression and leaned on the bed.
His head went cold and he couldn’t remember what song he had in his scrotum. He took it out with difficulty and sang his song. Lyrics lying on the floor were like food that had been chewed and spit. Even now, it seemed that that man would open the door and come in and sit down and listen to his song.
It’s always been like this. The man took over his brain from this invisible place and controlled him. Perhaps the bomb chip might be him.
He finished a gloomy Celtic folk song and left the room. There was a sound of the movable ringer being dragged from behind. A hand wrapped around his arm felt quite heavy. Cha Myunghwan said:
“Go after you sing more.”
“No.”
Cha Myunghwan’s brow furrowed.
“Stop arguing and do as you’re told. You’re killing me by cutting it down to one song these days… Why did you reduce it? Anyway, because of the headache. It’s so bad that I can’t sleep, and no matter how much medication I use, it’s useless. The only time I feel better is when I hear you sing. Of course, that’s only when I listen to you. Anything is good, so sing a few more songs and go.”
“It’s a disease that can be cured when you become a human. Don’t waste your energy, just go and meditate.”
“Isn’t it your job to do what the guests ask you to do? No matter how little you have been taught, you have no professionalism at all.”
An endless mass of heat rose from the bottom. Yaba slapped his hand.
“Then you can call the professional Cocaine!”
Cha Myunghwan suddenly grabbed his head. He contorted one of his eyes as if in pain.
“Why are you screaming? When did I talk about Cocaine? You were the one who brought it up first.”
“That’s because you reminded me.”
“Enough of you being unreasonable. My head hurts, so sing a few more songs, so why is it so expensive?”
He has neither a miraculous voice nor a grand responsibility like anyone else. Yaba was just lucky to have met a terminal cancer patient who liked this voice, and he thoroughly enjoyed it inside. He would rather have the person lying on that sick bed be Cha Yiseok. A cruel thought wore down his head. He was fed up with this time facing a man who was about to die and a man who was connected to death at every moment.
“Bothersome. It’s all bothersome.”
“Why? Because you can’t see Director Cha, does your singing ability diminish?”
He fell into shock by the unexpected attack. Yaba glared at him so that the corners of his eyes turned red. Cha Myunghwan opened his bulging eyes and trembled his lips. His expression resembled himself reflected in Cocaine’s eyes. Cha Myunghwan spit out each word as if squeezing them out.
“What should we do when you’re staring at me like that? Why are you bickering back to me?”
Slap—! Instead of answering, Yaba slapped the man’s cheek. He ground his teeth and lunged as if he had gone mad.
“Go away! You crazy bastard!”
“Shit! Do you know how sexy you are when you wear a mask and be temperamental? Why do you keep making me feel like this?!”
Cha Myunghwan pressed his knee to Yaba’s struggling thigh. He buried his nose in the nape of his neck and sucked in his scent with all his might. A flushed face and gleaming eyeballs came into view. At that moment, his lips rushed towards his destination and covered Yaba’s lips. The tongue, which smelled like medicine, licked the flesh greedily. It was like there was a frog in Yaba’s mouth alive.
He groaned even as he ripped off his hair and bit his tongue. He wanted to pull out the needle stuck in the back of Cha Myunghwan’s hand and pierce his neck and eyeballs. But when he dies, the only one who wants his songs would disappear. Yaba closed his eyes tightly and took his face in his hands.
“Ugh!”
The unpleasant thing fell away. Yaba kicked Cha Myunghwan and wiped his lips. Cha Myunghwan squeezed his nose, which was dripping with blood.
“Hey. I am a patient.”
“If you do this one more time, I’ll bury you with my own hands!”
His indignation did not go away so easily. Instead of letting him off the hook, he pounded him with the ringer. As he was being whipped, he grabbed the ringer and began to whine.
“With a worn-out face, you behave expensively at every step. Your everything is fine but I forgot about that guy’s fussiness. He can sing well, and he has a clear sense of values, not like the kids these days.”
Cha Myunghwan glanced at Yaba whose mask had been removed.
“Well, if the face… Ugh… ! hey! calm down!”
Yaba trampled the hind legs of the frog that had fallen to the floor. When he was about to kick the stomach, threatening to burst its intestines, the door opened.
“Hey. Scammer.”
Cha Myunghwan grunted and rubbed his thigh.
“I will attend the official conference tomorrow. It’s the first time in 6 months. You’ve worked hard all this time, so if you come back safely, I’ll give you a bonus.”
Saying that, Cha Myunghwan looked very excited.
Yaba checked from the inside of the room at the threshold. He called Cha Myunghwan in advance and told him to remove all medical machines and appliances in the room. He said that he would not go otherwise, so he put it away. Yaba was startled as he entered the room that had become much deserted. It was because of the oxygen respirator Cha Myunghwan was wearing.
“Take that away.”
“It’s still hard to breathe without a respirator.”
“You won’t die even if you take it off. Isn’t the bed fully automatic? Isn’t electricity going through the needle?”
“You’re saying all sorts of things. Why on earth are you like this?”
“You’ll get hurt if you know.”
Cha Myunghwan took off the oxygen respirator while making all kinds of facial expressions. He entered the room and stayed away from him. Cha Myunghwan asked abruptly:
“Don’t you think I’ve changed a bit? Have I gained weight, or is my complexion better…”
“I guess your complexion looks good. Did you eat ramen and sleep?”
“I’ve been gaining weight for a while now, you’re not sharp sighted.”
“Why do I have to know if you are gaining weight? My head hurts because I can’t even manage my own weight.”
“Whatever.”
Cha Myunghwan grumbled, but he did not respond particularly. He was so disciplined that he didn’t even get a tooth with any venom. His mental strength has become stronger and he gained weight, but Cha Myunghwan seemed to be a person whose life was sucked out of him as the days went by. Yaba looked around the room involuntarily. Cha Yiseok was nowhere to be seen today. Was he really sick?
“No need to wait. Director Cha hasn’t even come to this place for several days.”
He turned his head to the cold voice. Cha Myunghwan has a face as cold as his voice.
“Why?”
“What why? He’s vanished. His eldest mother, his friends, and everyone around him have lost contact with him, and he has been absent from work for a few days. I’m about to get better, but what is he doing running around more than enough for foot calluses to form… Well, of course, he’s off somewhere enjoying himself. He’s probably playing with things that he doesn’t know who ate and spit?”
It was as if a needle had been dug between his nails and his flesh. Yaba would rather be suffering from a high fever somewhere…
“Executive Director Cha, no matter how debauched he lives, he shows up at the company, but I don’t know what’s going on this time. Even my father is in a bad mood. I think I’ll have to arrange a date with Haemin to get him to come to his senses…”
Yaba looked up at the familiar name. Cha Myunghwan said as if he was waiting.
“Ah, Haemin, the daughter-in-law that my father has in mind. They met when he was studying abroad. Shouldn’t Executive Director Cha also start a family and find stability?”
Cha Myunghwan looked at Yaba’s expression and leaned on the bed.
His head went cold and he couldn’t remember what song he had in his scrotum. He took it out with difficulty and sang his song. Lyrics lying on the floor were like food that had been chewed and spit. Even now, it seemed that that man would open the door and come in and sit down and listen to his song.
It’s always been like this. The man took over his brain from this invisible place and controlled him. Perhaps the bomb chip might be him.
He finished a gloomy Celtic folk song and left the room. There was a sound of the movable ringer being dragged from behind. A hand wrapped around his arm felt quite heavy. Cha Myunghwan said:
“Go after you sing more.”
“No.”
Cha Myunghwan’s brow furrowed.
“Stop arguing and do as you’re told. You’re killing me by cutting it down to one song these days… Why did you reduce it? Anyway, because of the headache. It’s so bad that I can’t sleep, and no matter how much medication I use, it’s useless. The only time I feel better is when I hear you sing. Of course, that’s only when I listen to you. Anything is good, so sing a few more songs and go.”
“It’s a disease that can be cured when you become a human. Don’t waste your energy, just go and meditate.”
“Isn’t it your job to do what the guests ask you to do? No matter how little you have been taught, you have no professionalism at all.”
An endless mass of heat rose from the bottom. Yaba slapped his hand.
“Then you can call the professional Cocaine!”
Cha Myunghwan suddenly grabbed his head. He contorted one of his eyes as if in pain.
“Why are you screaming? When did I talk about Cocaine? You were the one who brought it up first.”
“That’s because you reminded me.”
“Enough of you being unreasonable. My head hurts, so sing a few more songs, so why is it so expensive?”
He has neither a miraculous voice nor a grand responsibility like anyone else. Yaba was just lucky to have met a terminal cancer patient who liked this voice, and he thoroughly enjoyed it inside. He would rather have the person lying on that sick bed be Cha Yiseok. A cruel thought wore down his head. He was fed up with this time facing a man who was about to die and a man who was connected to death at every moment.
“Bothersome. It’s all bothersome.”
“Why? Because you can’t see Director Cha, does your singing ability diminish?”
He fell into shock by the unexpected attack. Yaba glared at him so that the corners of his eyes turned red. Cha Myunghwan opened his bulging eyes and trembled his lips. His expression resembled himself reflected in Cocaine’s eyes. Cha Myunghwan spit out each word as if squeezing them out.
“What should we do when you’re staring at me like that? Why are you bickering back to me?”
Slap—! Instead of answering, Yaba slapped the man’s cheek. He ground his teeth and lunged as if he had gone mad.
“Go away! You crazy bastard!”
“Shit! Do you know how sexy you are when you wear a mask and be temperamental? Why do you keep making me feel like this?!”
Cha Myunghwan pressed his knee to Yaba’s struggling thigh. He buried his nose in the nape of his neck and sucked in his scent with all his might. A flushed face and gleaming eyeballs came into view. At that moment, his lips rushed towards his destination and covered Yaba’s lips. The tongue, which smelled like medicine, licked the flesh greedily. It was like there was a frog in Yaba’s mouth alive.
He groaned even as he ripped off his hair and bit his tongue. He wanted to pull out the needle stuck in the back of Cha Myunghwan’s hand and pierce his neck and eyeballs. But when he dies, the only one who wants his songs would disappear. Yaba closed his eyes tightly and took his face in his hands.
“Ugh!”
The unpleasant thing fell away. Yaba kicked Cha Myunghwan and wiped his lips. Cha Myunghwan squeezed his nose, which was dripping with blood.
“Hey. I am a patient.”
“If you do this one more time, I’ll bury you with my own hands!”
His indignation did not go away so easily. Instead of letting him off the hook, he pounded him with the ringer. As he was being whipped, he grabbed the ringer and began to whine.
“With a worn-out face, you behave expensively at every step. Your everything is fine but I forgot about that guy’s fussiness. He can sing well, and he has a clear sense of values, not like the kids these days.”
Cha Myunghwan glanced at Yaba whose mask had been removed.
“Well, if the face… Ugh… ! hey! calm down!”
Yaba trampled the hind legs of the frog that had fallen to the floor. When he was about to kick the stomach, threatening to burst its intestines, the door opened.
“Hey. Scammer.”
Cha Myunghwan grunted and rubbed his thigh.
“I will attend the official conference tomorrow. It’s the first time in 6 months. You’ve worked hard all this time, so if you come back safely, I’ll give you a bonus.”
Saying that, Cha Myunghwan looked very excited.
