CTL 58

“Please, I’m begging you, let’s just shut our mouths, Secretary Lim.”

“Should I?”

Now lacking even the energy to get angry, Yoongeon pleaded with Secretary Lim. As if doing him a huge favor, Secretary Lim pretended to ponder for a moment before shaking his head.

“It’s too hard, keeping my mouth shut next to you, Executive Director.”

“…”

What on earth could be so hard about it? As Yoongeon silently wondered, Secretary Lim was making a fuss again, saying that one absolutely had to eat the beef bone soup here.

“Hey!”

It was when he was paying and leaving, having mostly ignored him. While Secretary Lim went to get the car, Yoongeon was lighting a cigarette when Park Taesoo rushed over with a fierce demeanor and stood before him.

“Is this why you called me? To threaten me?”

“What’s the point of asking when you already know.”

Yoongeon disliked it when people asked what they already knew and made him repeat himself, but he let it slide graciously for once. After all, he had just obtained something he desperately needed.

“…”

“Don’t worry. As long as you don’t act up, I won’t be the one to blow it up. You’re lucky, hyung. Thanks to having a good dad, you won’t get caught even if you kill someone.”

At Yoongeon’s words that hit the nail on the head, Park Taesoo glared at him, his eyes bloodshot.

“You’re the one who messed with me first, Ko Yoongeon.”

“Me? Did I?”

I don’t think so. Yoongeon genuinely thought that.

“You got on my nerves first, Taesoo.”

“Me, fuck. When did I? Huh?!”

Park Taesoo raged, asking why he had to go through this, but Yoongeon offered no answer. Frustrated by Yoongeon’s silence, Park Taesoo approached and tried to grab him by the collar, but startled by his own actions, he flinched and stepped back.

“Right, if you had known your place like this, you wouldn’t have had to go through something like this in the first place.”

Isn’t that right, Yoongeon said, patting his shoulder.

“Place? …Place, you say?”

He muttered to himself with a look of utter disbelief, as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have, and then burst into a hollow laugh.

“Haha…”

Strictly speaking, it was Ko Yoonchul who had committed the act, and Park Taesoo was the one who got caught up in it, but did that even matter? Just then, the car arrived, and Yoongeon, without any lingering attachment, left him and headed for the car, then turned back and said.

“Park Taesoo.”

“…”

“If you want to be thrown into the mud, keep going.”

“And if I stop?”

“At least you won’t die.”

At Yoongeon’s reply, Park Taesoo’s eyes shot up in surprise, but he didn’t wait and got into the car.

“What did that guy want, chasing after you?”

Secretary Lim asked as soon as they left the restaurant. Yoongeon let out a small snort and said.

“He claims he hasn’t done anything wrong enough to deserve this.”

“Hmm, well, that’s true in a way. That guy is in a bit of an ambiguous position.”

Secretary Lim said nonchalantly as he turned the steering wheel.

“How is it that every single person who gets done in by you, Executive Director, says the exact same thing?”

“…”

“I’ve heard it so many times now that it’s getting a bit boring, but what can I do but listen.”

He glanced at the rearview mirror.

“Well, it is true, isn’t it?”

“Is it.”

“It is.”

Whether it was or not, Yoongeon crossed his legs and settled into a comfortable position.

“He should have known his place.”

“Yes. Well, I’ve heard that so many times now that I’ve gotten used to it.”

Secretary Lim reacted as if he had heard a very funny joke, but in truth, in the past, countless people had died just for getting on his nerves. Compared to then, how much softer had the current Yoongeon become? He didn’t rebuke people for looking him straight in the eye, nor did he kill them just because he was in a bad mood.

“But well, it can’t be helped, can it?”

Secretary Lim muttered.

“That guy Park Taesoo is involved with Ko Yoonchul. It’s cleaner to get rid of him too. He’s someone who could pull Ko Yoonchul back up at any time.”

He was right. Park Taesoo was present wherever Ko Yoonchul’s slush funds were used; the two were inextricably linked. So, even if he pleaded that he was wronged, there was nothing to be done.

“Should we go back to the office? We’re heading toward the company for now.”

“No.”

There was a mountain of work piled up, so he should have gone to the company, of course, but Yoongeon didn’t want to. Being around tiresome people all day had drained him. And so, he wanted to go back.

Now, there was a place he could go. The spot next to Seohwi, who was waiting for him. At the words that he was going home, Secretary Lim looked at him with slightly surprised eyes.

✧ ✧ ✧

After dropping off Secretary Lim, who had work left to do, at the company, Yoongeon’s face hardened as he drove home and arrived.

“Seohwi?”

There was no sign of anyone anywhere in the house. He frantically searched every corner of the house, but there was not a trace of the person who should have been there.

“Seohwi!”

Where on earth could he have gone? His heart sank and his body trembled. He had felt at ease just until he arrived home, at the fact that he had a place to return to.

“Seohwi, where…”

He was overly anxious. He hurriedly took out his phone and called, but Seohwi didn’t answer.

“You said you wouldn’t go. Why…”

He tried to think of places he might have gone, but so many came to mind that he was confused. He could have gone to his family, to a friend, or if not that, he could have just left because he disliked Yoongeon.

“…”

What if he left because he hated my obsession, my willfulness? Even though he said he would stay by my side, because I wanted more than that. What if he resented me for not even letting him go to his family? Yoongeon found it hard to breathe and caressed his own neck with his hand, then rushed outside without a plan to find him.

“Oh? Executive Director, you just got back. Where are you going?”

It was as he was entering the parking garage. The security guard sitting inside saw him and asked.

‘Ah, right. There was the security guard.’

Yoongeon rushed up to him and asked.

“Where did Mr. Yoon Seohwi go.”

“Ah, Mr. Yoon Seohwi, about 30 minutes ago…”

It was then. As he held onto him and asked urgently, Yoongeon’s phone started to ring. He quickly saw it was from Seohwi and answered without hesitation.

“Where are you!”

[Why?]

“What do you mean, why… I told you to stay here.”

[I am.]

Usually, he would have thought it was familiar and let it go, but at his short reply, Yoongeon felt like his insides would burst.

“I searched everywhere. You’re not at home right now!”

[Aah… Right. I’m not there right now.]

“So where are you? Why aren’t you answering properly when I ask you where you are!”

[…]

At the words spoken, unable to control his emotions, Seohwi said nothing. At that silence, Yoongeon was suddenly struck with fear.

“No, I’m sorry. I was in a hurry, so my words…”

[I can see you.]

“…What?”

I’m sorry, forgive me. It was just a mistake, so don’t think anything strange of it. It was as he was about to say that.

[I’m here.]

At his words, he quickly turned his head, and saw the figure of Seohwi coming up the hill. Seeing him put his phone in his pocket, Yoongeon rushed over to him.

“Why?”

Seohwi asked with a face that knew nothing. Why? On his face, which one couldn’t tell if it was indifferent or dense, there was not a single negative emotion.

“What do you mean, why? Do you have any idea how much I’ve been looking for you!”

I shouldn’t get angry, he told himself, but in the end, Yoongeon got angry again. It was because of the resentment that welled up like crazy as soon as he felt relieved.

“If you’re going somewhere, you should say so. Why do you just leave as you please without a word, why!”

“Aah.”

Even as Yoongeon vented his frustration, Seohwi just nodded to himself with a face that said, ‘Ah, I forgot to tell him.’

“I went to the convenience store. Ah, and the chicken place, too. Since I was down there.”

“…”

He was raging like a madman, but the other person responded so nonchalantly that the negative emotions that had risen to the top of his head lost their direction, swelled wildly, and then soon lost their strength and began to subside.

“…What did you buy.”

Only now noticing the bags dangling from both of Seohwi’s hands, Yoongeon asked in a rather deflated voice. Seohwi opened a bag to show him the inside, and it was full of snacks, ice cream, and even beer.

“There’s plenty of food at home, so why bother…”

He had been keeping the fridge relatively stocked since Seohwi came. Wondering if it hadn’t been enough, the end of his sentence trailed off. It was because he didn’t pay much attention to food, so he hadn’t thought that far.

“I wanted to eat this.”

“…”

“Let’s eat together. I bought it because I wanted to eat it with you.”

“…With who.”

“With you, Yoongeon, who else.”

Even though it wasn’t a question asked out of ignorance, Seohwi answered without ignoring him, and Yoongeon, who had bothered to ask what he already knew, finally lost all will to fight this time.

“Should we watch a movie?”

Right, he could go out for a bit. It’s not like I actually locked him up.