I Tried To Run Away, But The protagonist Is Just Too Formidable

‘How am I supposed to know where it is just from a photo? He just showed me a picture.’

‘Is this Busan? I’ve never seen this before.’

‘There’s no way I can find it with just this picture.’

Finding a specific location from an old, faded photograph was proving to be a challenging task, contrary to expectations.

A full day passed, and Han-Seo still hadn’t found a single clue about the location in the photo.

Should he give up? Just as he was starting to lose hope, he heard a voice over his shoulder.

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

Han-Seo quickly looked up, his attention fully captured.

“Do you know where this is?”

“Of course I do. It’s near my grandparents’ house. How do you have this photo without knowing where it’s from?”

Fortunately, Woo-Jin, who had come out to change clothes for the evening, recognized the location from the photo. Han-Seo’s eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over to ask him various questions.

“Manager Woo, your grandparents’ place… I’m so lucky.”

The location in the photo turned out to be the neighborhood where Woo-Jin’s grandparents had lived until their last days. Although Han-Seo successfully identified the place, another problem arose.

“But how are you going to get there? It’s such a remote area that it probably won’t show up on most navigation systems.”

“Pardon?!”

The place was not listed on the internet or any navigation systems. Moreover, Woo-Jin had only visited years ago, so he wasn’t sure how things had changed since then. However, Han-Seo was not ready to give up.

Fueled by determination, Han-Seo grilled Woo-Jin repeatedly to get directions. He hoped to get Woo-Jin to request his assistance in going there together.

[I’ve found the location in the photo and am contacting you. Since it’s not searchable on regular navigation, you’ll need to take a bus to the nearest point and then walk. However, the path is quite complicated, so I’m not sure if you can manage alone.]

According to Woo-Jin, the area had lost much of its population after a failed resort project. Furthermore, as the remaining residents aged and passed away, the area was poorly maintained, and even normal vehicles were banned from the area about five years ago.

Han-Seo knew that if Jay needed to go to such a hard-to-find place, he would eventually have to ask for help.

“What? He still hasn’t responded?”

Even though Han-Seo’s message had been read, there was no reply even after half a day. Not even a thank you or acknowledgment of the message.

Han-Seo pouted and continued staring at his phone. If it were anyone else, he would have blocked the number and moved on. But the reason he couldn’t do that was simply because of how handsome Jay was. Unaware of this, Han-Seo continued to create excuses to justify his waiting.

“Maybe it’s because it’s working hours.”

“Lunch break might be short.”

“Maybe he’s really busy.”

Time passed, and after returning home from work, Han-Seo plopped down on his bed and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

“I really can’t stand this anymore.”

He had waited long enough. Surely, there would be a reply by now.

Yet, the chat window remained stubbornly empty. Finally reaching the limit of his patience, Han-Seo pressed the call button.

– Hello?

“…Huh?”

It would have been less upsetting if Jay hadn’t answered the phone. He picked up the call almost immediately, an unusual speed for someone who had ignored messages all day.

– Who is this?

Furthermore, Jay didn’t even seem to recognize Han-Seo’s number.

“Looks like you didn’t save my number?”

– Oh, yes.

Jay’s brief and blunt reply to Han-Seo’s question about saving the number made Han-Seo’s frustration boil over.

“Did you see the message I sent? I sent it a while ago.”

– Oh. I didn’t reply?

Unable to contain his frustration, Han-Seo questioned Jay about why he hadn’t responded. Contrary to what Han-Seo expected, Jay seemed unaware that he hadn’t replied.

The lack of interest was surprising. Based on their interactions so far, it seemed unlikely that Jay would make a request.

Should he just give up? Han-Seo fell silent, feeling dejected. But the next words from Jay were enough to make his eyes widen in excitement.

– Could you help me with directions? I’m willing to offer a reward for your assistance.

Jay, who had shown no response before, suddenly made a request. Han-Seo’s cheeks flushed with excitement.

“Yes, yes? You’re asking for a guide, right?”

– Yes, that’s right. A guide.

‘This is it! I knew he’d ask for help!’

Han-Seo sprang up from his bed and bounced around, trying to suppress his joyful exclamations. He covered his mouth to keep from shouting out loud, overwhelmed with happiness.

Although it took a long time to get a response, it was the answer Han-Seo had wanted. The result was perfect, and no matter how long it took, it didn’t matter to him.

– Is it difficult? If so, a rough map would help…

“No?! It’s not difficult at all! I’m not the kind of person to refuse such a request.”

Han-Seo emphasized his eagerness to help, his face beaming with the joy of a child playing with a new toy.

“How about this Sunday? I’m off that day.”

– That sounds good. I’ll contact you around 12 on Sunday.

“Great, I’ll see you then.”

Ending the call with a noticeably determined tone, Han-Seo’s expression was more resolute than ever.

‘Just wait. This time, I’ll charm him perfectly.’

* * *

“Wow, with this face and all the makeup, there’s no way he won’t fall for me if he’s not gay.”

The day of the much-anticipated meeting with Jay had finally arrived. Thanks to applying numerous packs and creams that are good for the face overnight, Han-Seo’s already radiant face looked even more upgraded.

While it’s often said that fashion is completed by the face, today was different. For today, Han-Seo’s outfit was akin to battle gear. He had put all his effort into ensuring his appearance stood out with the help of the internet.

Admiring himself in the mirror repeatedly, Han-Seo checked his phone when it vibrated.

[Arriving in 10 minutes.]

“Wait, he said he’d contact me around 12! I thought that meant he’d arrive around then!”

Fortunately, he was fully prepared and the terminal where they were meeting was only a 10-minute walk away, so he shouldn’t be too late.

Not wanting to be late for the first appointment, Han-Seo began running from the middle of the day.

“What a pain to be running around in the middle of the day!”

With just about 1-2 minutes to spare, Han-Seo saw Jay entering the terminal. He quickly approached and grabbed Jay’s hand.

“…!”

Jay, startled, instantly turned with a fierce expression and grabbed Han-Seo’s wrist. Only after seeing Han-Seo’s pained expression did Jay loosen his grip.

“What are you doing?”

“Hah, heh. Just… give me a moment to catch my breath.”

Han-Seo had been excited to see Jay and wanted to surprise him, feeling a bit spiteful towards Jay’s relaxed demeanor. He never expected such a harsh reaction.

Breathing heavily and struggling to speak properly, Han-Seo also felt pain in the wrist Jay had grabbed. After catching his breath, Han-Seo replied with a pout.

“You said you’d contact me at 12, but that doesn’t mean you’d arrive at that time.”

“So you ran here because you were worried about being late?”

Jay’s stiff response seemed to deflate Han-Seo’s energy. Isn’t it more appropriate to apologize or ask if he’s okay? Han-Seo, rubbing his warm wrist, retorted.

“Yeah. I went through all the trouble to get ready, so it’d be frustrating if I was late.”

“Is your phone just for show? What are you even doing, like a child?”

Jay’s small sigh made Han-Seo snap, and he raised his voice momentarily. After all, this was all Jay’s fault!

“A child? If you think about it, it’s mostly your fault for making me misunderstand!”

“Alright. Let’s just go buy the tickets.”

“What do you mean, ‘alright’? I’m not in the wrong…”

“Sorry. Let’s go.”

“Hah!”

The gentle demeanor Jay had shown when they first met seemed to have disappeared. Han-Seo cursed under his breath several times at Jay’s back, which seemed to say, “follow me.”

“Ugh, should I just go home?”

Han-Seo was, after all, acting as an angel who took time out to be his guide. Despite this, seeing Jay’s shameless attitude was making all his enthusiasm drain away. Just as he was considering going home in frustration, Jay suddenly stopped and handed him a bus schedule.

“This is the place, right? There’s a bus in 10 minutes.”

‘Unbelievable.’

Jay’s sudden action of stopping and showing the bus schedule made Han-Seo’s irritation melt away in an instant. How could Jay look so good in such casual clothes? All that was left was to marvel at the perfect sight in front of him.

‘Isn’t it a scam that he looks good from this angle too?’

Even with the sun at its peak, Jay’s eyes were still deep and dark. Han-Seo found himself swallowing involuntarily. Jay had a chiseled jawline, and his height difference was striking.

Even though he was only wearing a plain t-shirt, Han-Seo couldn’t help but feel a surge of desire.

‘…Have I really been this frustrated?’

The urge to bury his face in Jay’s chest was overwhelming. However, knowing that patience leads to greater satisfaction, he decided to hold back. Just like in the marshmallow experiment, the reward at the end of waiting would be much sweeter.

With his hidden ulterior motives, Han-Seo put on a bright, friendly smile.

“Yes, that’s right! Would you like to grab a coffee before catching the bus?”

The idea of going home was indeed a pointless consideration. Han-Seo mentally added “hugging Jay’s solid chest” as today’s goal.

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