Chapter 31
Jeongjikhan looked at the representative and asked.
“Can you drink three more cups of coffee?”
“Three cups? I just finished an Americano.”
“I’ll make them smaller.”
“Hoho, my stomach will ache if I drink so much. Is this really how you enter someone’s dream?”
“Yes.”
The representative licked his lips and nodded.
Jeongjikhan hurriedly brewed three cups of coffee and set them before the representative.
“If you drink all of this, you’ll be able to enter the dream of the person you wish to see.”
“……”
The representative cautiously reached for the cups.
As the representative drank, Jeongjikhan gripped his phone.
The recipient: Cha Seung-pyo.
After several rings, Cha Seung-pyo’s voice came through.
-Yes, Jeongjikhan.
“Team Leader, may I ask for your help again today?”
-Did you refill their coffee?
“Yes.”
-Give me five minutes.
“Understood.”
After ending the call, Jeongjikhan turned to the representative.
“You can drink slowly while we wait.”
“Wait for whom?”
“Reinforcements to assist you.”
“Reinforcements?”
The representative tilted his head, then nodded as if it didn’t matter.
Each time he sipped the coffee, a message from Nahan flashed before Jeongjikhan’s eyes.
[One ‘Gil (吉)’ from Jeongjikhan has been delivered to the deceased ‘---’.]
[One ‘Gil (吉)’ from Jeongjikhan has been delivered to the deceased ‘---’.]
[One ‘Gil (吉)’ from Jeongjikhan has been delivered to the deceased ‘---’.]
It struck him then—he still didn’t know the representative’s name.
The representative rubbed his chest and furrowed his brow.
Though he’d halved the portions, four consecutive cups still churned his stomach.
Jeongjikhan had worried reducing the amount might prevent ‘Gil’ from transferring, but thankfully, each mug delivered one regardless.
“Representative.”
“Hm?”
“May I ask your name?”
“Why fixate on that?”
Jeongjikhan scratched the bridge of his nose.
“I’m curious. When I visited Hope Orphanage, I considered asking others… but it felt proper to hear it from you directly.”
“What an odd young man.”
Truthfully, the name didn’t matter.
Nahan’s reactions suggested the deceased’s identity wasn’t crucial.
Yet if Jeongjikhan insisted…
“I need it to remember you.”
“What use is that? Think of me as a passing stranger.”
“Even a brushed sleeve creates a bond. It’s rude not to know the name of someone who taught me stocks.”
“Since when does that matter?”
The representative grumbled but didn’t seem upset. After a forced cough, he spoke.
“Park Sangbong.”
“Park Sangbong?”
“Don’t mock the name.”
Had he hidden it because it sounded unusual?
It felt old-fashioned, but not strange. Jeongjikhan smiled warmly.
“Thank you, Representative Park Sangbong. I’ll remember.”
“You…”
Park Sangbong averted his gaze, clicking his tongue. But soon, a smile crept onto his lips.
“It’s been a while.”
“Hm?”
“Since someone said my name.”
Fifteen years, perhaps.
Jeongjikhan studied his expression, then teased in a playful tone:
“Park Sangbong, Park Sangbong, Park Sangbong, Park Sangbong, Park Sangbong, Representative Park Sangbong?”
“Tsk. Mocking your elders is disrespectful.”
Despite his words, laughter bloomed on Park Sangbong’s face.
Was this why the orphanage kids called him “uncle”?
A grumpy yet good-humored man.
He had a bit of a tsundere side.
Whoosh.
Cha Seung-pyo materialized amid black smoke. Upon arrival, he eyed Park Sangbong seated at the bar and sharply turned to Jeongjikhan.
“You gave him three Gils?”
“Yes. The destinations vary too.”
“……”
“I’m sorry for the sudden request.”
“Don’t be. It means you’re working hard. We should thank you.”
Park Sangbong swallowed dryly as he addressed Cha Seung-pyo.
“Hoho. Fifteen years, has it? Long time.”
“Indeed, Representative.”
“You haven’t aged a day.”
“Neither have you.”
Park Sangbong forced a bitter smile and asked Jeongjikhan:
“So… you’re the one who gave me the Gils?”
“Yes. The coffee was my offering.”
“I see… I’ve been impolite.”
“Consider it payment for the stock lessons.”
“Is that my ticket to the dream?”
“Yes. Like an admission fee.”
“To owe a young man entry fees… What use was hoarding wealth in life?”
As Park Sangbong rose with a hollow laugh, Cha Seung-pyo grasped his arm.
“Do you know the destination’s address?”
“Of course. I’ve watched over it all this time.”
“You watched too long. Lingering near the living weakens their energy.”
“That’s why I kept my distance. Never lingered.”
Cha Seung-pyo nodded silently, then turned to Jeongjikhan.
"Well, I'll be back."
"Take care, Team Leader."
Whoosh
Cha Seung-pyo and Park Sang-bong vanished into the smoke.
In the dream of an unnamed man:
A man gripped the steering wheel with sunken eyes fixed ahead. He blinked drowsily, wiggled his hips to stay awake, and yawned until his jaw nearly cracked.
"Manager Choi. Want me to drive if you're tired?"
At the voice beside him, Choi Manager whipped his head around, eyes bulging. CEO Park Sang-bong sat in the passenger seat.
"C-CEO?!"
"Eyes on the road."
Choi Manager jerked his head forward, his throat bobbing audibly.
'Again... this dream.'
The recurring nightmare had become trauma. For fifteen years, the scene of their car crash en route to Hope Orphanage with CEO Park had haunted him. By now, he recognized it instantly as a dream.
'That curve ahead...'
As always, a wrong-way vehicle would barrel around the bend to crush them. His body would lock, cold sweat drenching him before he awoke. He'd try to brake or pull over, but even dream-awareness couldn't break the sleep paralysis.
Choi Manager swallowed his turmoil, resigned to the nightmare's repetition.
'Now...!'
As his car rounded the curve, blinding high beams assaulted them.
CRASH!
He squeezed his eyes shut against the impact.
SCREEEECH!!
"...Huh?"
Tires left long black streaks as both vehicles screeched to a halt - the oncoming car missing them by inches. Choi Manager sat frozen, hands glued to the wheel.
A mellow voice broke through:
"Manager Choi."
"C-CEO! We just...!"
"Did I haunt you too harshly?"
Choi Manager gaped at Park. This wasn't his usual nightmare. The CEO's eyes held warmth, not emptiness. As Choi's lips flapped soundlessly, Park patted his shoulder.
"It wasn't your fault."
"CEO... what's happening...?"
"Thank you for guarding our company. I've watched it all - your struggles to protect it."
Choi Manager bit his lip, bloodshot eyes meeting Park's. He already understood. The ghost-seeing man he'd met that afternoon. The altered nightmare. CEO Park, lingering in this world for fifteen years, was finally ready to depart.
Park smiled faintly, hand steady on Choi's shoulder.
"Stop carrying guilt. Live joyfully - it'll let me move on peacefully."
"But CEO..."
"And you're CEO now, aren't you? Forgive my fifteen-year delay - congratulations on the promotion."
"No... I'm just Manager Choi. Leading without you... it's too much."
"You've done brilliantly. I've always believed in you."
Choi Manager finally collapsed into sobs. Park embraced him, patting his back.
"You've endured so much. Truly."
"CEO..."
"Thank you for keeping up with Hope Orphanage too. Those kids..."
*Hic... CEO..."
"My apologies for the belated farewell."
Tears glistened in Park's eyes as Choi wept out fifteen years of pent-up grief. Dawn's light pierced the gloomy car windows, illuminating their final embrace.
Before the Virgin Mary's statue, a woman knelt praying.
"Sister, who do you pray for?"
At the familiar voice, the nun turned to find Park Sang-bong - suit impeccable, arms full of fried chicken.
"B-Boss?!"
"Long time no see."
The nun shot up, hands covering her gasp. Park offered a chicken bag.
"My apologies - fifteen-year delivery delay."
"Boss..."
Her lip trembled. Park set down the food, producing a handkerchief.
"Don't cry. The children will fret."
"But Boss... I failed..."
"Failed how?"
"My prayers... you never reached God's right hand..."
Park chuckled. "That's Christ's seat! You're babbling from shock."
"I... truly..."
"This is why I stayed away - figured you'd demand celestial upgrades for me."
The nun crumpled to her knees, face buried in hands. Park knelt beside her.
"Your prayers saved me from becoming a vengeful spirit. Thank you."
"Why so late?! We thought..."
"My deepest apologies."
When her tears subsided, Park helped her up.
"Let's eat before the chicken cools."
"Boss..."
"Yes?"
"Thank you... For everything. Your kindness... heaven will..."
Park laughed. "I did it for joy, not rewards!"
Like old weekends at the orphanage, he beamed while opening the door. Kicking off shoes, he hoisted the bags and bellowed:
"Kids! Uncle brought chicken!"
"UNCLE'S HERE!!"
Twelve girls and thirteen boys stampeded barefoot into his arms.
"Shall we begin?"
"Ah..."
"Done. Your tonsils are severely inflamed - overworked lately?"
"Swallowing hurts..."
The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses. After the patient left, he removed them, rubbing tired eyes.
'Tired.'
Was it from playing hours with orphanage kids? Dr. Baek Soo-cheol's shoulders slumped like wet towels.
The door creaked open. He hastily donned glasses.
"Welcome."
His screen stayed blank despite refresh attempts. As he scratched his brow, a voice spoke:
"Our Soo-cheol's all grown up."
A voice etched in memory after fifteen years. Baek's eyes snapped open like lanterns.
Gold watch gleaming. Neat suit. Swept-back hair.
Before he knew it, Baek had launched himself into Park Sang-bong's embrace.
