Jungtae didn't attend classes for two days.
Messages from Woojin piled up. Calls. Missed calls.
Finally, Jungtae replied, explaining everything. That he was at the hospital. That his grandpa had surgery.
After class, Woojin rushed to the hospital.
When he entered the room, Jungtae looked up in surprise.
"Woojin… you came."
He stood and hugged him, his body trembling.
"How is he?" Woojin asked softly.
"He hasn't woken up," Jungtae said. "The surgery was yesterday."
His mother entered with food. "Oh! Woojin, you're here."
Woojin bowed slightly. "I didn't know how serious it was."
"I'm sorry," Jungtae said, sitting beside the bed.
The doctor entered. Everyone stood.
"He's in a medically induced coma," the doctor said. "We'll monitor him closely."
Jungtae's knees felt weak. "H-how long?"
"It's hard to say."
The doctor paused. "You'll need to settle the full payment during his stay."
After he left, Jungtae broke down. His body sagged. Woojin caught him before he fell.
Days passed.
Jungtae waited at the convenience store to ask his boss for an advance. Hanna chatted with him while they waited.
Woojin heard everything from outside, but didn't enter.
Five days later, Jungtae was fired.
He walked the empty streets, tears falling freely. He sat on a bench, shoulders shaking.
Jungtae wondered why his boss would fire him so suddenly? His boss didn't give him a clear explanation. It hurt him.
A voice spoke softly, while he was lost in his thoughts.
"You'll catch a cold, Tae."
Woojin.
Jungtae told him everything. Woojin leaned closer.
"Do you need my help?"
Jungtae remembered the past. Woojin's aunt said something to him when Woojin helped him get into Hanseong High School.
He wiped his tears. "N-next week." Jungtae said it. But deep down, he doesn't want to bother Woojin about money.
Woojin smiled gently. "Okay. I will wait when you want my help."
ৎ────
That night, the phone rang.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Who is this?" Owen picked up the phone.
"It's me," Jungtae said. "I accept your deal."
Owen laughed softly. "Woah. I thought you disappeared out of nowhere. You didn't show up at school for a week and at the convenience store."
"I-I need to pay my grandpa's surgery bill." Jungtae said with a hesitant tone.
Behind the phone, Owen is smiling. "Oh? Is that why you're accepting it now?"
"Y-yes."
"Say it again. I want to hear it again, that you accept my deal."
"I accept your deal." Jungtae replied.
"Good. Come over. I'll send you the address."
Minutes late. The cab stopped in front of a tall building that rose into the night like a wall of glass and steel.
Soft lights glowed from the windows, each one looking distant and untouchable.
Jungtae paid the driver and stepped out, his shoes scraping softly against the pavement. He tilted his head back, his neck aching as he looked up.
"So this is where he lives…"
This place didn't feel real. It didn't feel like somewhere he belonged.
Inside, the lobby smelled clean and cold. The floor shone like a mirror. Jungtae's reflection stared back at him, tired eyes and shoulders pulled tight with nerves.
He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor. The doors slid shut with a quiet hum.
The ride felt longer than it was.
When the elevator stopped, Jungtae walked down the hallway until he reached a silver door.
His hand hovered near the doorbell. For a moment, he almost turned back. His chest felt tight, like something heavy was sitting on it.
'Am I making a good choice?' Jungtae thought.
He rang the bell.
Footsteps came from inside. The door opened.
Owen stood there, wearing a loose shirt and casual pants, his hair messy like he hadn't bothered to fix it.
He didn't look like the Owen from school…the sharp suit, the confident air. This Owen looked relaxed. Almost normal.
"You came," Owen said, stepping aside.
"Come in."
Jungtae nodded and slipped past him.
The door closed behind him with a soft click that sounded too loud in the quiet space.
The inside of the apartment made Jungtae slow his steps. Everything looked expensive without trying to look expensive.
The couch was wide and soft-looking. The table was glass. The walls were decorated with simple art pieces that probably cost more than Jungtae made in a year.
He felt small standing there.
"..."
"Sit," Owen said, pointing at the couch.
Jungtae obeyed, perching on the edge instead of leaning back.
His hands rested on his knees, fingers twisting together. He glanced around again, his eyes unable to settle on one thing.
Owen watched him for a moment before speaking. "What happened to your grandpa?"
Jungtae swallowed. His throat felt dry. "He… collapsed," he said quietly. "The doctors said it was serious. He needed surgery right away.
Owen leaned against the table, arms crossed. "And the bills?"
Jungtae nodded. "They kept coming. Every day. Surgery, medicine, machines…" His voice dropped. "We couldn't pay."
Owen's gaze stayed sharp. "So that's why you accepted the deal."
Jungtae's fingers tightened. "Y-yeah."
Without another word, Owen walked to the desk and opened his laptop. The screen lit up his face as his fingers moved quickly over the keyboard.
"What hospital?" Owen asked.
Jungtae told him. Owen typed the name, then his grandpa's full name. The clicking stopped. Owen turned the laptop around and slid it toward Jungtae.
"Look."
Jungtae leaned forward. His breath caught.
The screen showed the hospital account. Every bill was marked paid. Surgery. Room. Medicine. Even future medication costs were cleared.
His vision blurred.
"Happy?" Owen asked.
Jungtae stared, frozen. His chest felt warm and light at the same time, like something had finally loosened inside him. He looked up at Owen, his eyes shaking.
"T-thank you," he said. The words came out rough, like he wasn't used to saying them. "Really. Thank you."
For the first time, Owen didn't smirk.
Jungtae leaned back, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Relief washed over him, sweet and overwhelming…but beneath it was fear. The deal. The price.
"What… What is the deal?" Jungtae asked carefully.
Owen's lips curved slowly. "Simple," he said. "You come when I call."
Jungtae frowned. "Come… where?"
"Anywhere," Owen replied easily. "Anytime. School. Outside. Night. Doesn't matter."
"Huh?" Jungtae's heart skipped.
Owen stepped closer.
"I don't want excuses. If I call, you show up."
Jungtae hesitated. "That's… all?"
Owen chuckled softly. "For now. And should do whatever I tell you in exchange for this." He tapped his laptop lightly.
The word made Jungtae uneasy.
"What if I can't?" Jungtae asked. "What if I'm working? Or with someone?"
Owen's eyes darkened just a little. "You'll come. You should. This is what the deal is about."
Silence stretched between them.
Jungtae has no choice because it's done, nodded slowly.
"Okay."
That night, as he left the building, guilt followed him like a shadow. Woojin's face flashed in his mind. Jungtae lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't keep my words. Woojin." he whispered, though no one was there to hear him.
At the hospital, the doctors stared at the payment record in disbelief.
"The sender…" one of them murmured. "Kwon?"
Jungtae forced a smile. "He's… a friend."
They nodded, still shocked.
Jungtae entered his grandpa's room. Machines hummed softly. His grandpa lay still, tubes and wires surrounding him.
Jungtae's mother stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"Who is that kind person who helped us?" she asked, her voice breaking.
Jungtae hugged her back. "Don't worry, mom. Everything will be ok now."