You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 493

#493 You Are Defended

“Then give me the clothes.”

Kang Min-jae extended his hand, his face as impenetrable as if it were covered in iron armor.

Wang Guangyin of the Song Dynasty, the originator of the term ‘shameless,’ would have to take a step back in the face of Kang Min-jae.

I pointed to Kang Min-jae’s massively large carrier.

“What’s in this?”

“Suits, shoes, ties, and shirts.”

Santa Claus himself would surely think that he could fit all the presents for every child on Earth in a carrier this size. I was quite familiar with this carrier.

It was something he always brought when he had to stay somewhere, shocking me every time.

Therefore, I had seen the storage capacity of this carrier with my own eyes.

It’s an unbelievably large bag.

I even asked Kang Min-jae where he bought it in case I ever needed to make a sudden escape in the middle of the night.

If he only packed what he said he did, there would be at least eight suits and shoes inside.

Eight suits are more than enough to avoid wearing the same thing more than three times during a month of workdays.

It really seems like he came here intending to live here.

“Seriously… Did you talk to Chief Kang about this?”

“Yes.”

“Did Kang Soo-il say you could live here?”

“Yes.”

“Did you also tell him you’re coming as my meat shield?”

At my question, Kang Min-jae’s expression instantly became uncertain.

As expected, there’s no way Kang Soo-il, who dotes on Kang Min-jae, would have said, ‘Okay, go,’ when he said he would be my meat shield.

“I didn’t say that, but I did say that I thought it would be dangerous for you to be alone, so I would be with you. I’m sure Hyung [older brother/term of endearment] understood.”

“So, it’s okay if I call Chief Kang right now and tell him that Kang Byun [Byun is short for Byeonhosa, meaning lawyer] came to be my meat shield?”

Instead of answering, Kang Min-jae tightly closed his mouth and wrinkled his chin like a walnut.

“Why doesn’t the attorney appreciate my loyalty! Huh? My loyalty?”

“You don’t need to be loyal.”

“No. I’ve already been doing it for years.”

“I know you’re changing the subject because I said I’d tell Chief Kang. I know you want to come and hang out, but be satisfied with coming occasionally.”

“…I’m really worried. Those guys messed with Grandpa too, so there’s no reason for them to hesitate just because I don’t have a grandpa. But still, if even the grandson of a former president is murdered, even the most clueless people would think it’s strange. If you and I live together, Wooshin’s guys will quickly realize it. Then, wouldn’t those bastards know that at least one thing will happen—either they accidentally harm me while breaking into the house, or I witness them harming you? All those situations would be a burden to them. So, this house becomes one step safer. They’ll give up breaking into this house.”

Kang Min-jae spoke rapidly without pausing.

It seemed he finally realized that he needed to use plausible logic to persuade me.

Listening to him, it did feel like he had a point.

I don’t know how Onodera will try to kill me, but the moment they break into this house, they’ll be connected to the grandson of a former president, making them brace themselves for a thorough investigation.

In other words, this means I can relax in this house, at least.

…No, but can I really relax?

Kang Min-jae is always in this house; is that even possible?

Being noisy and annoying is better than dying, but still, living with someone is something I haven’t done since I divorced my ex-wife, so it requires considerable resolve.

“I can really keep things clean. I won’t let a single speck of dust fly, I promise.”

“You can let one speck of dust fly.”

“…Then I’ll live while only letting one speck of dust fly. I won’t eat snacks on the sofa like Bong-joon hyung [older brother/term of endearment], and even if I do, I’ll vacuum and wipe the sofa with alcohol right away.”

“Then don’t use this room; use another room.”

“But wouldn’t they go to the attorney’s room first if someone breaks in?”

“Why? If Wooshin’s guys find out you’re living here, they won’t break into my house, right? So, it’s the same whether I use the master bedroom or the guest room.”

“…Ha, I have no choice. I still think it’s safer for me to use this room, but if the attorney says so, I’ll concede at this point.”

Kang Min-jae grabbed the handle of the giant carrier and swaggered.

I was dumbfounded that the word ‘concede’ came out of his mouth.

I’ve conceded hundreds of times, but Kang Min-jae has never conceded; he just barged in.

However, I was too tired to argue, so I waved my hand, saying I understood.

“Give me some clothes to wear at home.”

“You brought them last time; why didn’t you bring them this time?”

“Last time, I said I brought them because I didn’t think you’d give me any, but you said you could. If I don’t bring clothes to wear at home, I can put one more suit in the carrier. So, it’s better not to bring them.”

I don’t know what kind of grand fashion show he’s planning at the company, where clients don’t come and he only meets the same people, but I sighed and went into the dressing room.

I happened to have a new T-shirt and training pants that I bought to wear when exercising at the gym in the morning, so I took them out in a paper bag.

“I bought this recently, Kang Byun, take it.”

“Wow, you’re just giving me new stuff again. Do you just hate wearing clothes that other people have worn? Isn’t this a bit of mysophobia [fear of germs]?”

“It’s not like that. I just gave it to you because I happened to have it.”

“You’re not mysophobic?”

Kang Min-jae didn’t even ask for permission before invading my dressing room.

Then, he pointed to the system hanger full of my clothes and said,

“The shirts are arranged by color, all facing the same direction with perfect precision. And the suits here are the same. They’re all sorted by color. Colors that are hard to categorize are arranged from dark to light. And this tie storage. They’re all rolled up perfectly, and even the ends are all facing the same direction. And this watch storage. The watches are all facing the same direction too.”

“It just happened to turn out that way.”

Kang Min-jae looked at me and silently opened the watch storage, starting to turn the watches in different directions as if to show me.

Not only that, but he also randomly changed the positions of the rolled-up ties and closed the storage again.

I couldn’t stand this disorder.

“Why? Does it bother you?”

“No, it doesn’t bother me.”

The faces of Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon, who treated me like a real mysophobe and said I was tiresome, came to mind, so I couldn’t say it bothered me.

If I adjusted the direction of the watches and ties here, Kang Min-jae would definitely tell Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon, and they would make fun of me again for being a mysophobe.

Even if I really had obsessive-compulsive disorder that could be called mysophobia, it wouldn’t matter.

But I don’t want to give them a reason to tease me.

“Really, it doesn’t bother you?”

“It doesn’t bother me. I guess even I would be bothered by this much.”

It’s a trap.

There’s even a ‘lie’ floating above his head.

“It doesn’t bother me. Since it doesn’t bother me, wear the clothes I gave you, and use the room you always used. Now, it’s making me feel uneasy, so unpack your things in that room and go register your car with the management office.”

“That’s strange. You must be uncomfortable.”

“And don’t come into my room without permission. That’s warning number one for today. Remember, if you accumulate warnings, you’ll be forcibly evicted.”

Kang Min-jae still looked at me with a suspicious face before finally leaving the room, and I closed the door and tidied up the unregulated state of the dressing room that he had ruined.

* * *

I expected living with Kang Min-jae to be very difficult, but the reality was even worse.

Since we commute to the same company, our overall daily cycle wasn’t that different.

The problem was that Kang Min-jae and I had different morning routines, which led to unexpected conflicts.

I wake up in the morning, exercise, and then shower.

After that, I finish getting ready for work and eat breakfast while watching the news.

But Kang Min-jae wakes up around the time I come back from exercising, eats cereal, and then showers.

In other words, Kang Min-jae showers at the time I eat breakfast.

─Spring breeze fluttering~ The fluttering cherry blossom petals~

He sang every time he showered.

The sound of the water falling couldn’t handle Kang Min-jae’s volume.

Even the bathroom Kang Min-jae used was close to the living room, so even if I turned up the TV volume, I could still hear Kang Min-jae’s singing.

I even tried wearing headphones, but Kang Min-jae’s voice penetrated even the headphones.

Everything else aside, this one thing still hasn’t become familiar even after a week.

“Kang Byun sings well. Ah, this house was so desolate, but it feels like a place where people live since Kang Byun came. Right?”

But Tae-shik seemed to think differently.

He even said that the song selection was good, listening to the songs Kang Min-jae changed every morning.

I don’t think Kang Min-jae is tone-deaf or sings with an unpleasant voice.

I just hate the situation where I can’t fully concentrate on the news.

I lived with Kang Min-jae for a while in Pyeongchang-dong, but I never knew he had this habit.

Come to think of it, I think I didn’t hear it back then because I woke up early and came down to the first floor around the time Kang Min-jae showered.

“Ah, that’s refreshing.”

Kang Min-jae came out of the bathroom with the rising steam, shaking the water off his head.

“Can’t you not sing?”

“Gasp. Did I sing again? I really sing without realizing it, so I didn’t notice. I really tried not to sing.”

“I can’t hear the news well. If you want to sing, sing quietly.”

“Ah, it seems like the irresistible soul within me keeps raising the volume of my voice without me knowing. Should I just shower in the attorney’s bathroom instead? If I shower there, it probably won’t be heard in the living room.”

“No way.”

Only I can use my bathroom.

Not even my parents are an exception.

“Then I guess I’ll have to put tape over my mouth and shower from now on.”

“That would be good.”

“Are you really going to put tape on?”

“Definitely put it on, and only take it off when you wash your face and brush your teeth.”

“Ah, how can I do that.”

What I fear most is that summer is coming soon.

In the summer of 2012, a hit song that will be a sensation will be released.

The whole country was buzzing with that song, so even I, who don’t pay attention to the latest songs, couldn’t help but know it.

In an instant, Kang Min-jae’s voice singing that song seemed to pass by my ear.