RM 12

Chapter 12

Charge Me Up

“Come, let’s tour the shopping center together.”

“…Yes, Chairman.”

Ho-rang had never once refused Man-seok’s orders. No, he couldn’t refuse them.

At ten years old, a child who had lost his parents was far too young to disobey the orders of the grandfather who had become his new guardian. He had been gripped by the fear that if he defied his grandfather’s wishes and ended up abandoned, he might fall back into the hands of them. So, he obeyed every single word his grandfather spoke unconditionally. If he was told to rank first, he came out first; if he was told to become class president, he became class president.

That was how Ho-rang had grown up. Since the tender age of ten, tormented by fear, he had endured everything with a single-minded determination to survive.

“From here, you can get an overview of the entire shopping center.”

Ho-rang explained every corner of the shopping center to Man-seok, who seemed generally satisfied. Considering how notoriously meticulous and hard to please the old man was, seeing even a subtle smile touch his face meant Ho-rang had done remarkably well.

“With things at this level, opening shouldn’t pose much of a problem.”

“I will make sure any remaining shortcomings are addressed quickly.”

“Yes, as you should.”

Perhaps because they had thoroughly walked through such a vast space, a considerable amount of time had already slipped by. That naturally meant Ho-rang’s battery was steadily draining.

Once he saw Chairman Baek off, he needed to return to his office, wrap up his work, and head straight to Bo-bae’s cafe. Because he hadn’t managed to fully charge yesterday, his remaining battery was running dangerously low.

Today, no matter what happened, he was determined to get a complete charge before leaving. As the opening day of the shopping center drew near, all sorts of unexpected emergencies kept popping up. He couldn’t afford to be constantly anxious about running out of battery every single time; starting today, he had to make sure he left with a full charge.

With that thought in mind, he tried to wrap up his meeting with Chairman Baek quickly.

“Since you’ve toured the whole place, shall we head back now?”

“Let’s have lunch together first.”

Chairman Baek proposed a meal.

“I have matters to attend to this afternoon—”

“You will be joining some very important individuals, so postpone your work.”

“…Yes, Chairman.”

Chairman Baek left only that low-toned command before stepping ahead, and Ho-rang responded briefly.

Remaining battery: 49%. It was a precarious state, but if he hurried, it didn’t seem impossible.

Ho-rang followed Chairman Baek, praying that the meal wouldn’t drag on for too long.

“Hello? Ahem.”

Bo-bae answered the phone with a voice that was utterly raspy. She had only been asleep for a short while after writing late into the night.

— Unnie, the sun is high in the sky! Are you still sleeping?

“Is that you, Na-yeon? What’s up?”

It was Na-yeon, who worked with her at the cafe.

— Unnie, can you swap shifts with me today? I decided to go on a trip with my boyfriend tomorrow.

“Did you two make up?”

— Hee-hee, something like that.

Bo-bae let out a long yawn and sat up. After having a power struggle with her boyfriend over whether or not to go on the trip, it seemed they had finally agreed to go.

“So I take today off and come into work tomorrow, right?”

— Yes! I’ll inform the manager.

“Sure. Have a fun and safe trip.”

— Thank you, Unnie! I’ll buy you a meal next time.

“Forget it, it’s no big deal. Go have a passionate trip with your boyfriend.”

Bo-bae swapped her day off without thinking twice about it. Her daily routine revolved almost entirely around the cafe and her home anyway, and even on days off, she just stayed cooped up writing, so it didn’t pose any problem.

“Ugh. Should I sleep a little more?”

Just as she was about to crawl back under the covers in her groggy, half-asleep state—

“Gasp, what’s this?!”

The cup of coffee placed on her nightstand had been knocked over. Coffee was soaking heavily into her blanket and even her pillow.

“Oh no! I went to sleep without cleaning this up… What a mess!”

Bo-bae raised her head and looked out the window. The sky was clear blue, and the sunlight was beaming brightly—it was a truly wonderful day.

“The weather is so nice. It’s the perfect day for blanket laundry.”

Bo-bae didn’t hesitate; she immediately got up and gathered the bedding. It seemed resting today was out of the question. She decided to get some backlogged laundry and house chores done.

Holding an armful of bedding in both hands, Bo-bae stepped outside—completely unaware that her phone had fallen into a deep corner underneath her desk.

“Please get home safely, Chairman.”

Ho-rang bowed toward Chairman Baek as he stepped into the car, and the vehicle quickly drove away.

Just as Chairman Baek had said, the lunch was attended by quite a few prominent figures. When the shopping center opened, every single one of them would be an influential figure who could prove useful to Ho-rang.

Because of this, he couldn’t act recklessly or leave abruptly. He waited until the meal concluded while having Secretary Yoon prepare the car—so he could head directly to Bo-bae the moment lunch was over.

“Are you heading straight home, CEO Baek?”

“Handle any urgent matters over the phone.”

“HB Cosmetics requested a dinner meeting for tonight. What should I tell them?”

Secretary Yoon spoke with a tearful expression, but Ho-rang answered without a single second of hesitation.

“Postpone it to breakfast.”

“They specifically insisted on having a dinner meeting with you!”

Showing just how desperate he was, Secretary Yoon grabbed onto the car door Ho-rang was trying to shut, practically on the verge of tears. HB Cosmetics was a crucial partner for the shopping center, yet his darn boss was acting completely checked out, claiming to have no time. It seemed he had no idea how critical the situation was!

“Is what they want to do with me business or a date?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“Why do they keep insisting on meeting in the evening? What are we supposed to do after dinner?”

Did he get brain surgery instead of heart surgery? Why is the conversation steering that way?!

“Tell them if it’s not breakfast, I don’t have time. Not dinner, and not lunch either. Tell them only breakfast works. Got it?”

Taking advantage of the moment Secretary Yoon stood dazed, Ho-rang drove off aggressively.

Remaining battery was a mere 19%. That meant he had zero time to debate things like appointments with HB Cosmetics.

The only thought in Ho-rang’s mind was meeting Bo-bae.

14%.

Arriving at the cafe, Ho-rang headed straight for the counter.

“Welcome!”

Hearing the bright voice greeting him made him feel like he could finally breathe again… like hell it did.

The person greeting him wasn’t Bo-bae. It was another staff member who worked alongside her.

Why wasn’t she here? Had she stepped out for a moment? Did she go to the restroom? Or could something have… happened to her?

He had no idea why the group of drunkards he saw entering Bo-bae’s rooftop building last night suddenly flashed through his mind at that exact moment.

“Where is Na Bo-bae?”

“Bo-bae Unnie? Today is her day off!”

At Na-yeon’s cheerful reply, all the energy drained out of Ho-rang instantly. He had spent those brief moments agonizing over endless possibilities: Had something happened to Bo-bae? Had those drunkards harmed her? Had that perverted bastard from last night shown up again? Instead of pulling an all-nighter in front of her house, should he have found her a safe apartment instead?

After suffering through a thousand worries and regrets in such a short window of time, it was all just for her day off?!

Completely drained, Ho-rang called Bo-bae’s phone. He held the phone to his ear for a long time, but all that greeted him was a monotonous ringing tone.

“Dammit.”

While he was muttering a short curse under his breath, Na-yeon chimed in helpfully.

“Is Bo-bae Unnie not answering her phone? She said she was going to write manuscripts at home all day today, so maybe she’s busy?”

At her words, Ho-rang turned and hurried off. It seemed he would have to climb those stairs again today—those heavenly stairs touching the sky.

8%.

His heart felt as if it were about to burst. The sharp, stinging pain that had been hovering around his chest was now wringing his heart with a sickening, throbbing ache. On top of that, the smartwatch beeped persistently with a flashing red light, its warning alarm tightening around his chest like a vise.

“Dammit…”

Ho-rang paused briefly and looked up at the distant top of the staircase. Just a little further. Just a little more. Why on earth did she build her home on top of a mountain peak? Even a completely healthy person might collapse and die of exhaustion climbing these stairs.

Clutching one side of his chest, Ho-rang climbed and climbed the stairs with every ounce of strength left in him—muttering under his breath that once he met Na Bo-bae, he wasn’t going to let her off easy.

Bo-bae filled a large, brick-red rubber tub with water and dissolved detergent in it. As suds bubbled up, she stepped inside wearing short shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, forcefully treading on the coffee-stained blanket.

“As I thought, nothing beats treading with your feet for washing blankets!”

The best part of living in a cramped rooftop room was having a vast open yard. Though it was covered in green waterproof paint rather than lush grass, it was the absolute best place for washing heavy bedding.

Since it was a rare day off, she planned to finish washing the bedding, complete a deep cleaning of the house, and then write her manuscript. She needed to quickly edit and submit it for review, especially since the director’s feedback was said to be positive.

While hard at work treading on the blanket and pondering over which parts of the manuscript to revise, a sudden, chilling sensation swept over her. It was that lingering, uneasy feeling—like leaving the restroom without wiping. It felt as though she had forgotten something incredibly important.

“What is it? Why do I feel so uneasy?”

No matter how hard she racked her brain to remember, nothing came to mind.

“Did I forget to pay rent? No, I paid it. What about utility bills? No, I paid the phone bill, as well as the water and electricity. What could it be? What did I fail to do?”

No matter how much she thought about it, she hadn’t missed anything. So why did she have this nagging feeling?

Lost in thought for a long time, Bo-bae finally shook her head vigorously when she couldn’t figure out what she had forgotten.

“It’s just stress from the manuscript. What could I possibly have to feel uneasy about?”

Clearing away the lingering gloom, Bo-bae put even more effort into treading the laundry.

“Wow, it’s summer! Let’s hurry and head out, yay-ay-ay, to the sea!”

Bo-bae began hopping around and singing as if the rubber tub were a swimming pool. Although reality was an old, shabby rooftop room, in her mind, she felt as if she were at a beautiful resort with a crystal-blue ocean stretched out before her.

As she sang merrily, Ho-rang crossed her mind.

“I wonder if he made it home safely yesterday.”

It nagged at her conscience that she had stomped into her house last night without a proper goodbye. But that feeling lasted only a moment.

“Honestly, why does he keep playing with my feelings? I’m not some cabbage at the market he’s debating whether to buy or not!”

At the thought of Ho-rang, extra force went into her feet as she stomped the blanket. Thump, thump, thump. Bo-bae put all her strength into her feet as if the blanket were Ho-rang himself.

In the distance, she noticed the sun slowly setting. The twilight was painting the once-blue sky in deep shades of crimson.

“The sun’s setting already? It’s really pretty… wait, pretty my foot! What time is it?!”

She was supposed to charge Ho-rang around 2 or 3 in the afternoon! Otherwise, his heart battery would drain completely and stop! But the sun was already setting. Even in summer, when days were long, the sun was already going down. She finally realized what that nagging feeling was—she had completely forgotten that she needed to charge him!

“What do I do, what do I do?!”

Scrambling out of the tub, Bo-bae’s feet slipped on the soapy water and she tumbled hard to the ground, but she scrambled right back up. She had to contact Ho-rang immediately. She needed to check where he was and if he was alright.

However, the damn soapy water kept getting in her way. Her feet kept slipping, skinning both her knees, but she couldn’t even feel the pain. Right now, her head was consumed entirely with concern for Ho-rang’s condition.

With foam smeared all over her body, she was fumbling around frantically looking for her phone when—

“Na Bo-bae…!”

Someone called out her name in a weak, half-dead voice. Turning around, Bo-bae’s mouth fell open in shock.

It was Ho-rang. Clutching his chest with one hand in agony, he was staggering toward her.

“Mr. Baek Ho-rang… Are you okay—?”

Before Bo-bae could ask about his condition, Ho-rang stumbled forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her in a desperate hug.

“W-What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Without answering, Ho-rang buried his face in Bo-bae’s shoulder, gasping heavily for air.

“Look at me. Are you okay? Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?!”

Worried, Bo-bae tried to pull back to check on him, but Ho-rang held her even tighter, his voice strained and quiet:

“Just stay like this for a moment… Just a moment…”