JD 132

When it came to coffee, nothing beat an iced vanilla latte. Without a moment’s hesitation, Hakyung placed his order. Kim Hyunsoo, who had somehow ended up choosing the same thing, stood next to him as they waited for the drinks.

While they stood there, Kim Hyunsoo pulled out his phone, checked the screen, and turned to Hakyung with an apologetic smile.

“Oh, Mr. Hakyung, I need to take this call, it’s from the office.”

“Of course! Go ahead. I’ll grab the coffees and meet you.”

Hakyung nodded quickly and smiled. With a rushed “Yes, Team Leader!” Kim Hyunsoo dashed outside, voice sharpened with tension.

Watching Muheon and the manager both so busy made Hakyung feel oddly idle. Even though he’d been the one throwing balls and shooting videos earlier, he still felt like the one doing the least.

“Hm hm hm.”

The café, mostly frequented by event staff, was quiet. Hakyung softly hummed the national anthem as his thoughts stayed fixed on the game.

He told himself he needed to throw the pitch well, sing without messing up the lyrics. He kept mentally replaying the tips Park Taehyun had given him.

In his imagination, Kang Hakyung threw a perfect, fast pitch. But reality… was more like a sad little rainbow ball. It stung.

He tried to reassure himself—it was his first time, of course it wouldn’t be great—but it was hard not to compare himself to viral videos of flawless first pitches. As he practiced gripping an imaginary baseball, mimicking the feel in his hand.

“Hakyung.”

A heavy weight touched his right shoulder. Startled, Hakyung turned toward it, and saw a familiar face.

“Wha…?”

“So you really were here.”

The man grabbing his shoulder was big and rough-looking, face hardened with an intimidating scowl.

The moment Hakyung recognized him, his heart plummeted. If it had been a stranger, he wouldn’t have been this shaken.

It was Moon Chiwoon. He grinned crookedly as Hakyung’s pale face turned to horror.

“I saw your schedule. Figured I’d check. And here you are.”

“M-Moon Chi…woon…?”

“Yeah. Long time no see, Hakyung. But what’s with calling your hyung by his full name?”

His voice was slow and mocking. Seeing Kang Hakyung alive, healthy, and doing well ignited something dark inside him.

Ever since he’d been chased out by Kim Taeyoung, Moon Chiwoon had spent days hustling on rough labor jobs, just to get enough money for a train ticket here. Even that hadn’t been easy, he’d worked from dawn, suffered everything imaginable.

Kim Taeyoung may have been the one who ruined him, but all his rage was aimed squarely at Kang Hakyung.

It was Hakyung’s fault, he believed, that Taeyoung’s debut was canceled, that he fell into debt, that his once-beautiful hands were ruined. Even Taeyoung’s breakdowns, his violent outbursts, those were Hakyung’s fault too.

Moon Chiwoon wanted nothing more than to snap that slender neck right then and there. But he’d been ordered by Taeyoung to hold back.

“H-how…?”

“I told you. I saw your schedule. Let’s go have a little talk.”

Hakyung’s hands trembled. Moon Chiwoon had been one of his worst tormentors back in the countryside, worse than Kim Taeyoung. Bigger, older, and impossible to fight back against. Hakyung had only escaped him once Chiwoon moved to Seoul in his twenties.

And now… he was back? Here, in Daegu?

The idea that he’d come here by tracking Hakyung’s schedule was terrifying. Hakyung had no hope that this was some harmless visit. And that same old fear crept back, what if he got dragged away just like before?

“Iced vanilla lattes, three orders!”

The café worker called out, unaware of the tension. She glanced over at them with a puzzled look.

Snapping back to his senses, Hakyung hurried to the counter and grabbed the drinks.

Even as he moved, Moon Chiwoon didn’t budge. He just stood there, watching Hakyung’s every move. The pressure of his gaze made a small crease form between Hakyung’s brows.

Letting out a deep breath, Hakyung tried to walk right past him, but before he could take a step, a thick hand clamped around his wrist.

“Ah—!”

The rough, unforgiving grip made Hakyung cry out. His heart thudded violently at the sudden physical contact.

Old memories of verbal abuse and violence flooded back. His lips trembled, but he knew he had to keep it together.

He wasn’t a helpless kid anymore. He wasn’t some pathetic fool in debt to Kim Taeyoung.

Hakyung yanked his wrist back as hard as he could and glared at him.

“Let go. I’ve got nothing to say to you. And I’m not happy to see you.”

“Well, look who grew up. Talking back now? Shit. I must really be slipping.”

But Moon Chiwoon only laughed, staring at the wrist Hakyung had pulled away.

Then, as if Hakyung’s words meant nothing, he leaned in and spat out what he’d really come to say.

“You’re not getting away. Watch your back. Hm? It doesn’t even have to be me, you’ve made plenty of enemies.”

“What…!”

“Keep living in fear, you little shit. I’ll be watching.”

Just like before, he placed a hand on Hakyung’s shoulder and gave a hard pat. So hard that each touch pushed Hakyung backward a step.

“Remember what I said.”

With a final low growl, Moon Chiwoon left the café.

Hakyung stood frozen, wondering how he even got into this staff-only area. Was Kim Taeyoung pulling strings behind the scenes again?

But the man was already gone.

It felt like seeing a ghost in broad daylight. Hakyung rubbed his chest, trying to calm his pounding heart.

Meanwhile, not far off, Beom Urim and Ki Sang-oh clenched their fists as they watched the scene unfold.

Their decision to come all the way into the stadium had paid off. Watching that brute manhandle Hakyung’s small frame made Ki Sang-oh’s blood boil.

“That bastard! Putting his hands on Lord Muheon’s partner? On Hakyung? That filthy fuck!”

Whether it was because Hakyung was Muheon’s partner, or because he used to work at their agency, Ki Sang-oh had always kept a close eye on him.

Beom Urim, staring at Ki Sang-oh, suddenly smiled with narrowed eyes.

“Sang-oh. Shit, do you like Kang Hakyung that much?”

“…Huh?”

The random curse in the middle of the question made Sang-oh’s neck twist awkwardly. He looked at Beom Urim, confused, was something bothering him?

But Urim was smiling, as always.

Did I hear that right? Sang-oh tapped his ear, then scratched his cheek.

“Well, Hakyung’s cute, kind, hardworking. What’s not to like? He’s Lord Muheon’s partner, too. I mean, I don’t think there’s a single beastman from the West Sea who doesn’t like him.”

“There is.”

“Huh?”

“Me. I don’t like Kang Hakyung.”

Beom Urim laughed, though it was impossible to tell whether he was joking. The clicking sound unique to orcas was unusually unsettling.

Sang-oh gave up trying to understand Beom Urim today. Better to just focus on his job. He was a regular beastman, after all, not cut out to deal with crazies.

Apparently, Urim wasn’t deeply interested either, because he turned his attention back to the man who’d grabbed Hakyung.

“Do you know who that guy is?”

“Not sure. Doesn’t look like anyone who’s been around the village recently.”

“Hmm… I guess I’ll just have to ask him myself. You know, to calm Hakyung down a bit.”

And with that, Beom Urim strode confidently toward the café.

Weren’t we supposed to handle this without Hakyung knowing?

Startled by the sudden turn, Ki Sang-oh scrambled to follow him. A few minutes later, as Hakyung stepped out of the café, he found himself facing two very unexpected people.

He’d been seeing a lot of surprising faces today, but unlike before, his expression brightened.

“Uncle Sang-oh! Uncle Urim!”

“Hey there, Hakyung.”

“Hi! What are you guys doing here? Uncle Urim, are you throwing the opening pitch too?”

Since he hadn’t heard anything about that, Hakyung didn’t bother hiding his curiosity.

Beom Urim just ruffled his shoulder with a wide smile.

A smile that reeked of secrets.