RB 38

The officetel felt cold even though it was midday. It was not because of the temperature but because the man leading the meeting radiated a chill cold enough to make skin crawl.

Yeorok already knew all the circumstances related to the synthetic drug.

This drug, which had been the cause of Choi Yoonho’s death, was a mixture of a high-concentration aphrodisiac and a central nervous system stimulant. It was a dangerous substance that should never have been distributed.

It promised pleasure several times stronger than a normal aphrodisiac, but it carried fatal side effects. A large number of users either died or fell into irreversible states. Only then did people start avoiding it.

The problem was that the fact Yoonho had taken it was spreading underground. All the CCTV footage from the site had been destroyed, and the family of the man who died the same day had been given a huge settlement, so the case was closed without investigation. The broker who supplied the drug had also been silenced.

There was no evidence, so the rumors were just speculation. But rumors could swell even on suspicion alone. Since Son Jinhyung had even come to the mansion to drive in the nail, it was natural that Yeorok’s nerves were on edge.

With a cold face, Yeorok spun his fountain pen. Each time it turned, it clicked against the desk. The sound alone made the others tense.

He finally spoke.

“We have no choice but to show a face.”

After much thought, the plan that came out was to expose Sim Eunho to the world. It was the only way to prove that Choi Yoonho had not died and was alive and well.

“A short outing within an hour should be fine.”

Seo Taehwa added his opinion. As the one directly in charge of Eunho’s training, his view was the most objective.

Eunho’s mimicry of Choi Yoonho’s behavior was already good. He could easily copy speech patterns, gestures, expressions, even the looks in his eyes. Only speaking long sentences or holding extended conversations still needed more practice.

“What about something like shopping?”

“Yes, that much should be possible.”

“Plan it for this week. Drill him thoroughly.”

Plans were set one by one in the meeting. They were switching one person for another, so there was no way it would go smoothly. Obstacles could appear anytime.

“Reopen Choi Yoonho’s SNS account too. Taehwa, you handle the DMs.”

“Okay.”

“How far along are we with the plan?”

“Seventy percent.”

Taehwa answered. Yeorok tilted his head and pushed back his hair. A small sigh slipped between his lips.

Progress was solid. Five months remained. If all went as planned, Eunho would be perfected.

But one thing weighed on him.

Yeorok quietly recalled Eunho’s trauma he had come to know. To completely replicate Yoonho, Eunho too would have to roll around like trash, just like Yoonho had. Yeorok doubted whether Eunho could endure that.

He pulled a black file toward him. Inside was the full plan to reshape Eunho. His dark eyes scanned the pages calmly until they stopped at the last section.

[Interpersonal Relations]

The heading itself was nothing special. But Yoonho’s relationships usually started with sex and ended with sex. In simple terms, it meant teaching Eunho how to sleep around like Yoonho, even his bedroom habits.

According to the plan, this stage was to begin in two months. But judging by Eunho’s condition now, even three months would not be enough. After careful thought, Yeorok spoke.

“What about moving the last stage up by a month?”

“Is that really necessary? Honestly, it’s not exactly healthy training for the mind.”

“I agree with Taehwa. There’s no need to rush. Let’s do it carefully.”

One after another, they opposed him. Yeorok slowly lifted his eyes to his aides.

“What if Sim Eunho has sexual trauma?”

“What?”

“We didn’t factor that in when we made the plan. If we want to account for every variable, we need more time.”

Yeorok explained about Eunho’s past. That he had been subjected to constant violence from a loan shark, that he had nearly been raped.

His voice was flat, listing only facts. But before the shocking revelation, Taehwa and Ahn Jaehwan turned pale.

Especially Taehwa, whose lips trembled from shock. He had heard Eunho had killed someone, but he had not known the exact circumstances.

“Yeorok. Can we really do this?”

“We have to.”

“But how do we… with someone who went through that, with trauma too?”

Seo Taehwa already knew what kind of training would be carried out. That was why he thought it was even more of something that shouldn’t be done.

While Seo Taehwa held his guilt in silence, the man sitting at the desk kept his tone steady without a flicker in his eyes. Yeorok’s gaze turned to Ahn Jaehwan.

“You seem to think the same way.”

“Trauma isn’t something you can overcome quickly and easily. Especially if it’s from rape.”

Ahn Jaehwan sighed deeply. He rubbed his face, his glasses pushed all the way up to his brows. His head felt like it was going to split.

“What about revising the plan instead?”

“A chaste Choi Yoonho. People will believe that?”

“Stories can be designed however we want.”

“If you’re that confident, convince me first.”

He glared at him, and Ahn Jaehwan shut his mouth. He had nothing to say. Everyone there knew that no matter what concept they came up with, it would not work.

“There’s no proper alternative, and the plan is already halfway through. You all knew from the start this wasn’t going to be easy.”

Yeorok drew a thick underline beneath the name Sim Eunho written on the paper. They have come this far, Eunho had to be dragged forward no matter what. Quitting midway was not an option.

“I’ll take the role of villain anyway.”

Yeorok capped his fountain pen. Tak. The sound of the barrel locking seemed to signal that his deliberation was settled.

He pushed back his chair and stood. He straightened his messy clothes and swept over the heavy air in the room.

“Ahn Jaehwan, let’s talk privately for a bit.”

MAhn Jaehwan reluctantly qtood up. His expression stayed bleak as he followed, step after step, to talk in private.

***

Eunho got into the car and steadied his breathing again and again. This was his first time going out in public as Choi Yoonho, so his whole body was tense.

He had been told that suspicion about whether Yoonho was alive or dead was spreading, and that he needed to show his face once to quell the rumors. It was sudden, but it was not something he could refuse.

“Eunho-ya, want me to give you a cheongshim pill?”

Seo Taehwa, who was riding with him, also looked anxious, swallowing dryly again and again. When Eunho shook his head, Taehwa threw the pill into his own mouth and chewed it. The bitter herbal smell drifted to the back seat.

“Don’t worry. We’ve prepared everything. Just do exactly as you practiced.”

“Yes.”

Eunho ended with that short reply and looked out the window. A few steps away from the car, Choi Yeorok stood with his arms crossed. The more Eunho carved the sight of that excessive sendoff into his eyes, the more the skin under his eyes twitched.

‘I’ll give you a reward if you do it well.’

‘If you make a mistake, I’ll really smack your palm.’

He remembered the short exchange they had before he got in. The tone of Yeorok’s reminder had plenty of playfulness, but his eyes had been more serious than usual.

Eunho let out a long breath and clenched the hands on his knees. He was not wishing for some grand reward, but at the very least he wanted to prove he was useful. More precisely, he did not want to disappoint Yeorok.

“Hyung, let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

The car started and left through the mansion gates. Whether the results would match his resolve remained to be seen.

The VIP lounge of the department store could be rented out at the customer’s request. Diamond-tier customers could also enjoy private shopping with an assistant, just like now.

It had been thirty minutes since Eunho had gone into a room with attendants. Most people in the lounge were famous wealthy VIPs. Among the younger ones, some recognized his face and whispered.

“That’s him, the Haegang delinquent.”

While soft classical music played, the sound of shattering glass suddenly came from inside the room.

A shrill scream followed.

In an instant, all eyes turned to the firmly closed door. A few people even got up and craned their necks toward the room.

Then the door swung open and Eunho stepped out, his face flushed. His right hand was bloodied, shards of glass stuck in it.

An attendant in a black suit came out after him in tears. She quickly dropped to her knees in front of him.

“P-please, customer, please calm down. I’m sorry. I… I will apologize.”

“What are you supposed to be? What’s your apology worth to block my way?”

His gaze toward the staff held not a trace of mercy.

Eunho raised his torn hand.

“Fuck, this hurts like hell.”

He muttered with a face that showed no pain. His brown eyes sparkled with a strange light, like someone who felt pleasure from violence after a long time.

To anyone who saw him, he was Haegang’s delinquent Choi Yoonho himself.