CTL 34

“Executive Director, an invitation for the Executive Director…? It has arrived.”

“An invitation?”

“Yeees… well, a place that shouldn’t have sent one has invited the Executive Director. Here you are.”

In the empty office, Yoongeon took the invitation Secretary Lim handed him and let out a dry laugh. It was because the sender was the VVIP lounge bar.

“Why on earth would the manager send something like this all of a sudden? They’re already under our thumb.”

To his words, spoken with a furrowed brow, Yoongeon replied nonchalantly.

“It might not have been his decision.”

To receive an invitation to the lounge bar, one absolutely needed the unanimous consent of all existing members. Therefore, this invitation was not the work of the manager, but of those bastards sitting around doing drugs.

“You’re not going to go anyway, should I just dispose of it?”

The content written inside the card was nothing special. It was just a clichéd sentence saying, ‘You are invited,’ and a date. It didn’t even have the bar’s location written on it. This meant they knew that the recipient would know the location.

“Whatever intentions those people have, I don’t think they’re good ones. It will be troublesome if they try to frame you for something.”

Secretary Lim, saying he was very suspicious, insisted that they should destroy the invitation right away to avoid giving them any leverage. Yoongeon tapped on his desk, then shook his head.

“The leverage has already been taken. The very fact that they sent me an invitation from their side is enough for them to use against me if they want.”

At the words that just being noticed by the members there and receiving an invitation could lead to ‘Ko Yoongeon’ being poorly evaluated, Secretary Lim pressed a hand to his forehead as if he had a headache.

“That’s why you didn’t have to go there in the first place…”

“Thanks to that, I was able to confirm who the manager was.”

“Haaa… well, that’s true… In fact, it’s pretty much the same as the Executive Director having resolved it.”

“I am curious what they’re trying to say.”

He crumpled the invitation without care.

“I’ll go, I guess.”

“Aah, I feel uneasy this way and I feel uneasy that way… The Lunar New Year holiday isn’t even over yet, do these bastards really want to be doing this here?! No matter what, today is still part of the Lunar New Year holiday!”

Secretary Lim, who had been angrily complaining about whether they shouldn’t be spending the holiday with their families, eventually shook his head as if he had given up.

“Gosh, the fact that I’m here because of these bastards says it all, doesn’t it. I will escort you. Please come down to the first floor when you are ready.”

After Secretary Lim went down, Yoongeon was about to follow right away but stopped, took out his phone, and made a call. The ringing did not last long before it was answered.

[What.]

It was Seohwi. There was no ‘hello,’ but Yoongeon smiled without realizing it.

“Don’t come today.”

[Why.]

“There’s somewhere I have to go urgently.”

[To your family home?]

“No.”

He could have made a vague excuse, but Yoongeon did not.

“I won’t be there long.”

[Okay.]

After that day he had clung to him, cutting a pathetic figure, he had asked Seohwi to stop using formal speech with him. While asking if that was something he really had to make a request for, Seohwi had granted his request. However, he had demanded the same thing from Yoongeon.

When he said he was already speaking informally, Seohwi had only laughed. He actually knew the reason he laughed like that. It was probably because he didn’t like how Yoongeon would switch back to formal speech whenever he drew a line between them.

“Hang up.”

At Yoongeon’s confirmation, Seohwi agreed without another word. Thinking he was probably at his family home as well, Yoongeon finally ended the call and went down to the first floor.

✧ ✧ ✧

The invitation only had a date, not a time. It meant he should come whenever he could. Generally, those who commit illegal acts fear the light, so they would normally have gathered late at night, but not today. They wouldn’t know when Yoongeon might arrive, so they would probably be huddled together, trembling with anxiety.

He looked up at the building absentmindedly, just like the first time he came. It was just as unimpressive and shabby then as it was now. They say a whole new world unfolds once you go inside, but a dry laugh escaped him, thinking that because they were not honorable, they must be hiding behind such a pathetic shell.

“This place is certainly… consistent, even seeing it again.”

At his words that it was as unimpressive now as it was back then, Secretary Lim also nodded his head.

“I suppose everyone would be quite surprised if they knew the children of wealthy families were cooped up in a place like this.”

Secretary Lim’s impression of the building was the same as his.

“Should I wait on the first floor?”

Yoongeon nodded his head. It was a carefree thing to say for someone serving a superior, but that was because he did not even entertain the assumption that Yoongeon could be overpowered by someone. From what Secretary Lim had seen so far, Yoongeon had never once been outdone by others. Unless he was deliberately letting them win.

Slowly climbing the stairs, Yoongeon took a cigarette from his pocket and put it to his lips. There was still a lot of trash and a lot of dust, making it the perfect condition to start a fire.

“Somehow I’m tempted…”

It might be fun. Yoongeon imagined the building burning down and the bastards trapped inside wailing. He lightly thought, should I get rid of these guys too while I’m dealing with Ko Yoonchul, then chuckled. I’m having all sorts of silly thoughts now that I’ve lived a long life. It’s not like the world would change right away just because I got rid of these guys.

Thinking trivial thoughts, he reached the third floor. He was about to open the firmly closed door when it was opened cautiously from the inside, and the manager came out and bowed his head.

“Good day, Executive Director. It has been a while.”

“Yes, it has been a while.”

“Yes, thanks to you…”

“Thanks to me? Do you really think so?”

The manager’s face, which he hadn’t seen in a long time, looked extremely haggard. Well, he couldn’t have been living a comfortable life with the people I assigned watching him every day. The corner of the manager’s mouth trembled at the question asked despite knowing all this.

“How long are you going to keep your people stationed here?”

“Ah, I, I apologize. Please come in.”

His attitude was polite, unlike the last time. Seeing him step aside, Yoongeon went inside. There was no loud music, nor could he hear the groans of them tangled up with each other.

“The atmosphere is quite different from last time.”

At Yoongeon’s words as he looked around, the people sitting inside stared at him with stiff faces. Looking closely at their faces, most of them seemed very reluctant. Of course, some among them were showing curiosity.

“Sit.”

None of them were intoxicated. Looking at their sober state, not on drugs or alcohol, Yoongeon sat on a spacious sofa instead of the seat they offered him and belatedly lit his cigarette.

“If you called a person here, then speak. Don’t just stay silent like a bunch of half-wits.”

He didn’t have time to dawdle around here like this. He had come out of curiosity, but his heart was already on its way to Seohwi’s house to pick him up.

“…Ko Yoonchul, it was you, wasn’t it?”

“Think whatever you like.”

He had no intention of meekly answering a question they were asking when they obviously knew the answer. He had planted people here, but this was enemy territory nonetheless. He had no intention of doing anything that could be used as a weakness in a place like this.

“Don’t be so sensitive. We’re about to make you a proposal after thinking about it quite deeply ourselves.”

The one who stepped up to speak among them was Park Taesoo, the son of the president’s chief of staff. Just as he thought, he must be the leader of this group. The power of the parents becoming the power of the child was one of the truths that never changed, no matter how much time passed.

“If you’re going to weigh your options like that, I’m leaving.”

“Hey, wait a minute… dammit!”

However, Yoongeon had no intention of cutting any slack for the likes of the chief of staff’s son who was trying to sound out his intentions. When he got up from his seat without any lingering attachment, Park Taesoo stood up and grabbed Yoongeon’s arm.

“Just listen! What’s the rush?”

“I can’t listen if you don’t talk. What is there to listen to when you’re not saying anything.”

“I’ll let you be a member here. How about it?”

At Park Taesoo’s words, Yoongeon stared at him blankly before sitting back down. Only then did his expression relax.

“How about it, good, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“I, for one, would like this place to keep going.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m letting you on this boat, too. That bastard Ko Yoonchul is finished, isn’t he.”

He said, snickering.

“Still, he probably won’t do prison time. Isn’t his mom’s law firm something else? But that and his status being maintained are two different issues. He’s finished. He has no future in Korea anymore. That’s something his mom can’t do anything about, no matter how hard she tries.”

When Park Taesoo turned and asked, isn’t that right, everyone nodded their heads.

“That bastard did too many things that stood out. He doesn’t know moderation, the son of a bitch.”

“That’s what I’m saying. We almost got caught because of that bastard so many times. It’s actually a good thing. Let’s kick him out of here on this occasion. There’s no need for us to get caught up in something when he can just sink alone.”

When did they ever play together so happily, and now that he was a hindrance, they all started chattering in one voice, saying he should be gotten rid of. They talked amongst themselves and then looked at Yoongeon and smirked. Their faces said, ‘You hate Ko Yoonchul too, right?’. He was flabbergasted. They were so childish that even middle schoolers wouldn’t act like this.

“Hey, Ko Yoongeon. Surely you’re not going to be petty just because I was a little upsetting last time, right?”

“…”

At the despicable way of speaking that made the other person out to be petty, Yoongeon remained silent without even responding, then carelessly stubbed out the almost finished cigarette on the table. Just being in the same space as bastards like these was utterly unpleasant.

“Isn’t it boring to just smoke cigarettes? How about this?”

Park Taesoo offered him marijuana with a sly grin. But when Yoongeon didn’t even glance at it, he said “Tch.” and took it back.

“If you want to be a member here, you know. You can’t leave stuff like this out. It’s no fun.”

“What kind of fun.”

“There’s every kind of fun a human can feel. What do you want?”

Thinking that he had shown interest, Park Taesoo moved his body closer.

“Seeing as you don’t seem too drawn to drugs. Well, fine. I can understand that. There are guys who don’t do drugs except when they have sex. Then how about a bet?”

“A bet?”

“Yeah. Whether they’re amateurs or pros, we put them up on a ring and bet money on it. If you win, you earn, and if you lose, you lose. Simple, right?”

“Hmm…”

To be honest, Yoongeon preferred to get in the ring himself rather than betting money. Because when he directly confronted an opponent and pushed them to their limit, he sometimes felt a sense of liberation. Yoongeon looked at the excitedly chattering Park Taesoo and said.

“How about getting in the ring yourself.”

“What? Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, who would dare attack me? I’d end up winning anyway.”

Park Taesoo naturally thought he would win. It was a useless sense of pride.

“I could go up, couldn’t I.”

“What? Ko Yoongeon, you?”

“Yeah.”

“It’ll be tough. No one’s ever beaten me.”

Park Taesoo cockily pushed his cheek with his tongue.

“You’d better think carefully. I don’t go easy just because you’re the son of a precious family. Don’t even bring it up if you don’t want to die.”

“Is that so? How scary.”

Whether he thought Yoongeon, who clearly didn’t look scared at all, was bluffing, Park Taesoo clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.

“Hey, I can spar with you instead of betting. If it’s a bet, I’d have to kill you. That would make me feel a little sorry, wouldn’t it? Our Yoongeon is pretty handsome. It would be a great loss for the Republic of Korea if a face like this disappeared, hey.”

“Sparring… sounds fun.”

At Yoongeon’s words as he nodded his head, Park Taesoo looked at him with interested eyes.

“You must work out a bit too?”

“Just lightly.”

“Ah, this is so damn great to hear. None of the guys here are interested in working out. That bastard Ko Yoonchul hates even walking, let alone working out.”

“He does tend to be spread out on the floor.”

“Ahahahahaha!”

Park Taesoo was overly pleased. It was a sound that made it hard to tell if he was screaming or laughing. Even the sound of a pig being slaughtered would be easier on the ears than this.

“Aah— that’s right. When that bastard lies down, he’s a total waterbed, a waterbed. His damn belly fat jiggles.”

At Park Taesoo’s words, the people sitting around couldn’t hold back and also burst into laughter.

“Alright. Let’s spar next time. You seem like you’ll be fun.”

Yoongeon nodded his head without enthusiasm. Park Taesoo, who was scanning Yoongeon with eyes full of the kind of excited fussiness unique to someone who thinks they’ve found something in common, hesitated a little before bringing up a topic.

“Or if not that, we can call over some pretty things and roll around.”

He suggested it subtly, but his meaning was clear. At Park Taesoo’s words, the people briefly glanced at Yoongeon. It was a sign that they were trying to see how he would react.

“Where.”

“Where do you think, here of course.”

“Aah.”

“How about it? Calling one guy over and passing him around. It’s not that great later because he gets loose, but it’s still fun.”

“…”

At his suggestion, Yoongeon sank into deep thought. Come to think of it, he had never called one guy over and done something like that. It would be more accurate to say he had never even thought about it.

The reason was simple. The guys on the receiving end would writhe in agony, overwhelmed with just handling Yoongeon alone, and no one dared to try and share a hole with the Great King. Besides, Yoongeon had a bad habit with his hands. Who would want to get on the bed with him when he would choke the guys in front of him whenever he got excited?

“Hey, what’s that guy we called last time doing? His hole was so damn tight.”

“Fuck, you can’t use him anymore because he lost his mind after you acted like a fucker. Such a damn waste. We could have used him three more times.”

Since he gave no answer, Park Taesoo, assuming Yoongeon was thinking it over, started talking to Kim Minchan. When Kim Minchan showed his irritation, Park Taesoo was slightly flustered.

“Hey, did I do it on purpose? It’s because that bastard was whining that he damn well couldn’t do it, so I got angry in the moment. Does it make sense for him to say he can’t do it while taking everything he’s given just fine? He can take two dicks, so why not a fist.”

“Fuck, are two dicks and a fist the same thing? You disgusting bastard. Don’t do that. I thought I was going to die from being so disgusted watching. That bastard Jeong Hanjo really threw up, you son of a bitch.”

“Ah, I get it, I get it— I wouldn’t have done it either if I knew you guys hated it.”

“Hah… such a real waste… That guy was really good.”

They chattered amongst themselves, making a big fucking fuss about how that guy’s hole was a masterpiece, or how it was so chewy it was amazing. Park Taesoo, saying that talking about it was getting him horny, smirked as he casually stroked his own dick, which did not seem very big.

‘Did he stick his fist in because his dick is small.’

Yoongeon looked on, wondering what he was touching when there was nothing to touch, but he didn’t bother to ask because it was a hassle.

“Ah, come to think of it, didn’t that bastard whine for a while after seeing Ko Yoongeon last time, saying he wanted to get fucked so badly?”

It was then. While they were in the middle of exchanging stomach-churning remarks, Park Taesoo pointed at a man sitting in the corner and said.

“Hey, you son of a bitch, what are you doing telling him that now!”

“What do you mean, what am I doing? Joonghyun, we’re so damn horny, give it to us once. You’re good at that, huh? It’s because we’re really desperate. You can take two at once, can’t you. You’re not as good as him, but you’re also really damn delicious. I get turned on whenever you cry out from pleasure.”

The man Park Taesoo pointed at, Jang Joonghyun, clicked his tongue in annoyance at those words.

“I told you I’m not doing it with you guys anymore because your manners are shit.”

“Ah, whyyy— I’ll be really good, huh? I’m telling you, I’ll be a complete gentleman. I can wear a condom, right? I won’t come inside, really, please.”

“I said no!”

Yoongeon watched the squabble silently. Jang Joonghyun was the youngest son of the current Prosecutor General, and he himself was working as a prosecutor. But he had never heard that he was gay. Moreover, as far as Yoongeon knew, he even had a fiancée.

“…”

Well, whatever the case, it was none of his business right now. Whether he spread his legs or not, Yoongeon was not interested at all. He was done with all of this and just wanted to leave. If he had known he would be listening to this kind of talk, he wouldn’t have come at all.

“Joonghyunaaah— I’ll suck you off. If I suck you off, will you let me put it in?”

Park Taesoo clung to him with a face that looked truly desperate, but Jang Joonghyun said his face was fucked up, abruptly stood up from his seat, and then pointed at Yoongeon.

“If you were in my shoes, with a face like this right in front of you, would any other guy even catch your eye? Huh?”

“Wow, Jang Joonghyun… that’s disappointing, really. I don’t exactly fall short anywhere I go, do I, huh?”

“Your face is the generic model, you bastard.”

“Ah, fuck. You’re talking shit again.”

Park Taesoo expressed his annoyance, but he just snorted and then stood in front of Yoongeon.

“Ko Yoongeon.”

“…”

He called him, but Yoongeon just raised an eyebrow without giving any reply and looked behind him.

“Water.”

Regardless of whether Jang Joonghyun was calling him desperately or not, Yoongeon told the manager to bring him a bottle of mineral water. At his command, the manager quickly brought the water.

“Wow, look at this bastard, drinking mineral water because he’s suspicious of us.”

“Hey! We didn’t spike the drinks, you fucker.”

They clamored, telling him not to be so sensitive, but Yoongeon just looked at Jang Joonghyun and quietly twisted open the cap of the water bottle. Since he did not avoid his gaze, Jang Joonghyun bit his lip as if he was getting impatient.

“So damn handsome…”

“Is that so?”

When he asked back at the words Jang Joonghyun had let slip, Jang Joonghyun nodded his head.

“Are you into men too?”