The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace — Chapter 25

DON'T TELL ME...

WHY WON'T HE PICK UP?

HELLO?! SEO-AN?

WHERE ARE YOU? I'M HERE, BUT I DON'T SEE YOU.

DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?

...SORRY. I HAD A PANIC ATTACK WHILE WALKING.

WHERE ARE YOU?

I'M...

AT...

IT'S OKAY, TAKE YOUR TIME. DEEP BREATHS.

CAN YOU LOOK AROUND FOR ME?

OKAY, I'LL BE RIGHT THERE.

DON'T MOVE.

I'M... ON THE STAIRS... HOLD ON...

THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE TAEWOO BUILDING... THE STAIRS...

SEO-AN.

ARE YOU OKAY?

YEAH...

I'M OKAY.

HE'S HERE.

DID YOU TAKE YOUR MEDICINE?

...I TOOK IT EARLIER.

I MISTOOK SOMEONE FOR THAT BASTARD...

AND SUDDENLY FELT ANXIOUS...

I'M ANGRY, SINCE A BUNCH OF UNWANTED THOUGHTS POPPED INTO MY HEAD.

"THAT BASTARD..."

I UNDERSTAND. DON'T THINK ABOUT IT ANYMORE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO. IT'S OKAY.

IN THE BEGINNING, IT WAS MERELY OUT OF SYMPATHY.

...SORRY.

THAT WAS ALL.

BUT NOW, I WANT TO KNOW WHO "THAT BASTARD" IS...

WHY ARE YOU SORRY? YOU ALSO NEED TO STOP APOLOGIZING.

...WHAT THOSE UNWANTED THOUGHTS ARE...

...AND WHY YOU'RE HURTING SO MUCH.

IT'S OKAY.

WHAT'S WRONG? NOT FEELING WELL AGAIN?

HEHE

NO, IT'S 'CAUSE I CAN FINALLY RELAX.

AREN'T YOU HOT?

NOT REALLY. YOU?

I'M FINE. THIRSTY? WANT ME TO FETCH YOU SOME WATER?

LATER. JUST SIT HERE FOR NOW.

OKAY.

SO, WHAT'D YOU DO AT HOME TODAY?

YOU KNOW, THE SAME AS ALWAYS. EXERCISED, READ A BOOK, ZONED OUT...

I SEE YOU REMOVED YOUR BANDAGE.

I WENT TO REMOVE IT TODAY.

AT LAST! I FEEL LIKE I CAN BREATHE AGAIN.

MUST'VE BEEN TOUGH.

THIS MORNING, MY CO-WORKERS WERE LIKE...

OVER HERE!

MOVING THE CAMERAS!

I'M HERE...

...BUT WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GO?

EXCUSE ME...

I'M HERE FOR THE PART-TIME ASSISTANT JOB. WHERE SHOULD I GO?

FOR THE PART-TIME JOB? OH, PLEASE COME WITH ME.

DIRECTOR, THE PART-TIMER IS HERE! SHOULD WE GET HIM WORKING RIGHT AWAY?

OH, THE ONE OUR MANAGER MENTIONED... WOO-WON, RIGHT?

HELLO, MY NAME IS DOH WOO-WON.

GIVE US A MOMENT. YES, MA'AM.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

ARE YOU...

...AN ASPIRING MODEL?

HUH? NO.

I'M NOT ASPIRING TO BE ANYTHING...

NO PLANS TO WORK IN THAT INDUSTRY?

NO, NONE AT ALL.

THE MANAGER MUST'VE BEEN DISAPPOINTED.

IS THAT SO? THAT'S UNEXPECTED. WELL, FOLLOW ME. I'LL SHOW YOU THE ROPES.

YES, MA'AM!

WOW, A SET...

HOW FASCINATING.

OH, THAT GUY...

HE'S THE ONE WHO CAME TO THE BAR WITH SEO-AN, RIGHT...?

HE'S A CELEBRITY, HUH?

SO ANDSOME.

THIS WAY, WOO-WON!

AH, YES.

ALRIGHT, TIME FOR LUNCH! LET'S REASSEMBLE AT ONE O'CLOCK.

I FINALLY GET TO REST...

BEING AROUND PEOPLE IS HARDER THAN THE WORK...

WHERE'S WOO-WON?

HUH? HE WAS JUST HERE.

DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?

*AN INTROVERT WHO LOOKS FOR QUIET CORNERS.

I WONDER IF SEO-AN'S AWAKE.

IT SEEMS LIKE HE USUALLY DOESN'T WAKE UP BEFORE ONE...

WHY ARE YOU ALL BY YOURSELF?

EVERYONE'S LOOKING FOR YOU.

CAN I SIT HERE?

UH...YES?

YOU KNOW WHO I AM, RIGHT?

OF COURSE...! YOU'RE SUNG YOOHAN, THE ACTOR. *LOOKED HIM UP.

THAT STARTLED ME...

OH, PLEASE. THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! HAVEN'T WE MET AT MYUNG-WOO HYUNG'S BAR?

YOU REMEMBER ME?

WHO DO YOU THINK GOT YOU THIS JOB?

HUH? SEO-AN... OH.

IT WAS YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH, SIR!

JUST CALL ME YOOHAN. I THINK WE'RE THE SAME AGE.

OH, BUT STILL...

HAHAHA.

I HEARD THAT YOU'RE LIVING WITH SEO-AN. IS THAT TRUE?

YES, FOR THE TIME BEING. SOMETHING CAME UP, SO...

FOR THE TIME BEING? THAT'S A RELIEF.

SORRY?

ARE YOU AWARE OF HIS PREFERENCES, BY ANY CHANCE?

"...PREFERENCE?"

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, I LIKE MEN.

MY IDEAL TYPE IS AN EXTREMELY HANDSOME AND TALL MAN!

THAT PREFERENCE...!

HE ALSO HAS TO BE FIT, OF COURSE.

AND SMART, AND THOUGHTFUL.

ALSO...

CAN A CELEBRITY REALLY BE REVEALING STUFF LIKE THIS?

MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, HE HAS TO KNOW ME WELL.

THERE'S ONE PERSON I KNOW WHO IS ALL OF THE ABOVE.

I LIKE HIM...

...AND I THINK THAT I'M HIS TYPE, TOO.

HE'S INTO PRETTY PEOPLE, YOU SEE.

AND I'M QUITE PRETTY.

...THAT'S GREAT.

AH, THIS IS SO FUN!

HOW'S SEO-AN DOING? IS HE SLEEPING WELL?

OH...

IT'S PROBABLY OKAY IF I TELL YOOHAN, RIGHT?

HE HAD A PANIC ATTACK A FEW DAYS AGO...

BUT IT ENDED WELL, AND HE GOT HOME SAFELY.

A PANIC ATTACK?

DID HIS FATHER DROP BY?

NO, IT WASN'T THAT...

HE'S OBSTINATE, FOR SURE. I'VE NEVER SEEN HIM PLEASED BEFORE. AS HIS SON, I'M NOT ENOUGH FOR HIM.

HE'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS - NEVER SATISFIED WITH HIS CHILDREN.

IS HIS PANIC DISORDER...RELATED TO HIS FATHER?

HMM

YEAH, I'D SAY HIS FATHER CONTRIBUTED BIG TIME.

SPEAKING OF THAT, WANT TO HEAR ABOUT WHEN I FIRST MET SEO-AN? BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP IT A SECRET!

A SECRET...

WOULDN'T THAT BE RUDE...?

AREN'T YOU CURIOUS? I MEAN, YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE DYING TO KNOW.

IF NOT, THEN FORGET IT.

I AM CURIOUS, BUT...

THEN SIT BACK AND LISTEN. WHO ELSE WOULD YOU HEAR ABOUT HIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DAYS FROM?

WE MET IN OUR FIFTH YEAR OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

HE WAS DISTINGUISHED BACK THEN, JUST AS HE IS NOW.

HIS WEALTHY FAMILY WAS PARTLY OF THE REASON...

...BUT IT WAS HIS SHORT TEMPER THAT CAPTURED EVERYONE'S ATTENTION.

HE WAS A NEAT FREAK, CONDESCENDING, AND ALWAYS MADE SNARKY REMARKS WITH HIS HANDSOME FACE.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT'S FUNNY?

PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO THOSE WITH TALENT AND POWER, NO MATTER HOW POOR THEIR PERSONALITY IS.

THUS, MANY KIDS COVETED EVEN HIS DOWNSIDES.

AND I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS.