JD 135

He smiled brightly and waved, but several of his fingers were grotesquely bent.

It felt unreal, like something out of a nightmare. He had met Moon Chiwoon just hours ago, but he hadn’t imagined that Kim Taeyoung might actually be with him.

What’s more, his whole family had vanished like they’d been erased, Hakyung had allowed himself to hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d never see Kim Taeyoung again for the rest of his life.

But there he was, grinning right in front of him as if to rub it in. In a situation where there was nothing remotely amusing, he was now laughing loudly like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Hakyung swallowed dryly. Kim Taeyoung’s behavior had gone beyond strange and was now outright grotesque. Slowly, Hakyung began moving his feet. If it came down to it, he was ready to bolt at any moment.

And someone like Kim Taeyoung? Reading Hakyung’s thoughts was easier than breathing.

He strutted forward and, for show, reached behind to lock the bathroom door.

Thud. The sound of the door shutting echoed, and cold sweat broke out on Hakyung’s forehead. Even though Muheon was just a few dozen meters away, the moment that door shut, it felt like he and Kim Taeyoung were the only two people in the world.

As Hakyung frantically calculated how to escape, Kim Taeyoung turned back from locking the door and slapped him on the shoulder.

“What, you little fucker, don’t even say hi anymore? Fuck.”

The vulgarity came first, as always. His shitty personality hadn’t changed a bit.

Meanwhile, Beom Urim and Ki Sang-oh, who had been tailing Moon Chiwoon, sensed something was off.

“Why the hell haven’t we seen even a shadow of Kim Taeyoung?”

“Right? No way they just sent that meathead alone…”

Moon Chiwoon didn’t appear to be communicating with anyone. All he did was circle the stadium and spit now and then.

Even after the game had started, his behavior hadn’t changed. Beom Urim’s elegant brows furrowed. It felt like they’d missed something.

Rising from his seat, Beom Urim told Sang-oh to keep an eye on Moon Chiwoon while he searched for Kim Taeyoung himself.

Based on what he knew, there was no way Kim Taeyoung would sit back sucking his thumb during a golden opportunity to harm Hakyung. It seemed more likely that he had split up and was working separately from Moon Chiwoon.

“If anything happens, call me right away.”

Sang-oh gave Beom Urim a worried look as he pulled up his mask. It was one thing to fight two on two, but going one-on-one was a whole different pressure.

Beom Urim gave him a wide smile, eyes curling. To his fans, it was the beloved ‘puppy smile’, but to anyone who actually knew him, it was the ‘psycho smile.’

Sang-oh clicked his tongue. He shouldn’t have worried. This guy looked more excited about human hunting than concerned.

“I’ll call even if nothing happens.”

With a click-laced laugh, Beom Urim strode into the stadium on his long legs.

In Korea, Beom Urim’s face was basically an ID card. No one stopped him as he made his way through staff-only areas.

Smiling and making eye contact with those who recognized him, it didn’t take long before he spotted Muheon. The man stood against the wall like a loyal dog waiting for his master. Oddly enough, it suited him.

For a man who always seemed to own everything, it was strangely fascinating to see him waiting like this. But Beom Urim had more pressing matters at hand.

“Where’s Hakyung?”

“Bathroom.”

“Hah, not following him all the way in? What’s wrong, couldn’t hold it for him while he pees?”

Beom Urim casually spat out crude words behind a dazzling smile. Muheon twitched a brow, waved a hand dismissively, and changed the subject.

That’s when Beom Urim’s brow shot up in surprise.

“I think… the rat’s in there.”

“…Huh?”

Beom Urim tilted his head, his silky charcoal-gray hair swaying.

He stared at the firmly shut bathroom door, puzzled. If Muheon knew Kim Taeyoung was in there, why hadn’t he rushed in already?

It didn’t seem like he’d been waiting for Beom Urim to show up either. Then… maybe he’d already contacted Ki Sang-oh?

“Did you call Sang-oh?”

“Why would I?”

“Then why are you just standing here? What if Hakyung gets hurt while you’re stalling?”

Beom Urim frowned with feigned concern. Muheon let out a short laugh.

Then, in a blink, he grabbed Beom Urim by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“Looks like you’ve lost your edge, Beom Urim. If I’d known you’d let that rat get close to Hakyung, I’d never have left him with you.”

“Well, it’s not like I can do anything if the rat’s good at sneaking past my eyes.”

Even pinned against the wall, Beom Urim chuckled with a serene smile.

He actually didn’t mind the situation. It confirmed that Kim Taeyoung was indeed inside.

Kim Taeyoung, in his idiocy, probably thought he’d managed to trap Hakyung without interruption. But if anything were to happen, he’d be the one trapped. That made things easier for Beom Urim, and he liked that.

But when his eyes met Muheon’s, dark and seething with rage, he could only mutter internally, Fuck.

From Beom Urim’s perspective, the encounter was inevitable. But from the West Sea Imoogi’s perspective, it was something that should never have happened. And ultimately, it was Beom Urim’s mistake.

Dropping his smirk, Beom Urim raised both hands.

“Thinking about it now, this involves your partner, I was way too careless. I’ll pull myself together starting now. But seriously, why haven’t you gone in yet?”

If Muheon squeezed any tighter, even Beom Urim would have trouble breathing. So he played submissive, just long enough to get air.

“I was just about to,” Muheon finally said. “I just didn’t want to do anything violent in front of Hakyung. Took me a minute to weigh it out.”

Beom Urim grinned again, as if all that submissiveness had never happened.

So he’d been hesitating in case his soft, delicate little dolphin had a panic attack from seeing something brutal, how utterly adorable.

Love really does turn men into cowards and fools, he thought. Still, it wasn’t a bad look.

Beom Urim, not understanding even half of what Muheon was feeling, simply shrugged.

“I’ll handle it. Since this is my job, I’ll wrap it up cleanly. You just make sure Hakyung’s safe.”

“Yeah. Since you’re here.”

Muheon handed off the dirty work to Beom Urim as if it were the natural order of things. Beom Urim muttered to himself, Where’d that soft-spoken lover boy go?, but as expected, Muheon didn’t respond.

Instead, he waved a dismissive hand again and turned toward the bathroom. Beom Urim followed quietly behind.

As they got closer, they could hear faint shouting through the door. Despite the commotion, no one nearby paid any attention. It seemed Muheon had used his powers to make the area unnoticeable.

Beom Urim whistled quietly at the display of power, then grabbed the handle. It rattled, locked from the inside, but he simply twisted harder and broke it off. No need for finesse when brute force was quicker.

Because it was done so silently, they slipped inside without anyone noticing.

And the sight that greeted them, was horrifying.

Kim Taeyoung had pushed Hakyung into a corner and was now brandishing a knife, screaming. Hakyung, trembling in fear, had raised his arms to shield his face.

“This is all your fault, Kang Hakyung! If you’d just done what I told you, it wouldn’t have come to this! Huh? Apologize, you little shit! Swear you’ll put everything back the way it was!”

Eyes red with rage, Kim Taeyoung stepped closer. The knife glinted sharply under the fluorescent light.

Still, Hakyung said nothing.

He didn’t believe for a second that giving Kim Taeyoung what he wanted would stop this madness. And he refused to lie, even to placate him.

It was foolish pride, maybe. But his voice, that voice Muheon and his loved ones had helped him recover, didn’t belong to Kim Taeyoung. It had always been his.

He wouldn’t give it up again. He wouldn’t let this man interfere with his life ever again.

The knife was terrifying, but as long as he stayed alert, he might find an opening.

Behind his arms, Hakyung was biding time, looking for a chance to escape. But Kim Taeyoung was too wound up to notice.

When he raised the knife again, Hakyung screamed and dropped to the floor, intentionally shifting position to create a gap.

The knife missed and sliced through the air. Furious, Kim Taeyoung stomped his foot.

Hakyung braced his trembling knees. He’d decided: kick his ankle and run.

But just as he gathered strength, Kim Taeyoung suddenly raised the knife and brought it down, vowing he’d really end it this time.

In that instant, when Hakyung thought, I’m going to get stabbed no matter what if I try to escape, something black sprang in front of him.

“Ugh.”

He heard a low groan by his ear and immediately recognized the familiar scent.

It was Muheon.