JD 35

Taeyoung swallowed dryly under the man’s cold gaze, unfiltered and piercing. Just like the first time they met, those eerily black eyes felt unnatural—inhuman. They made him deeply uncomfortable. Even worse, the man’s massive frame was cloaked entirely in black, making him look even more menacing.

But this guy was the same one tangled up with that half-witted Kang Hakyung. There was no way Taeyoung would let himself look weak in front of someone like that—it would crush his pride. So he glared harder and asked again.

“Were you the one who gave him the address?”

“Yeah.”

“Hah… Did Kang Hakyung tell you everything? That loose-lipped bastard…”

“Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to spew garbage just because you have a mouth?”

Muheon frowned at the insults spilling from Taeyoung. If he was saying this much in front of him, Muheon could easily imagine how he’d treated Kang Hakyung all this time.

Even if you snatched someone away, the least you could do was treat them like they were precious—but instead, this guy had thrown him around like trash. A vein bulged on Muheon’s temple.

“Fuck off! Whether I spit trash or shit, it’s between me and Kang Hakyung—it’s none of your business.”

Taeyoung was pissed. Ever since he tricked Hakyung into coming up to Seoul, everything in his life had started to fall apart.

That bastard should’ve gone quietly back to the countryside once he realized he was fooled. Why the hell was he wandering around causing a mess like this?

Taeyoung cursed Hakyung viciously in his head.

“He’s mine now, so I plan to be very involved.”

“…What?”

“You didn’t throw him away—he was never yours to begin with. You stole him like a rat.”

The strange words kept coming. Taeyoung couldn’t understand half of what Muheon was saying and frowned deeper.

His face revealed every thought he had, and Muheon smirked slightly before continuing.

“You didn’t save him from drowning in the ocean. So don’t act like you did.”

“What? How the hell do you know that? I saved him! Kang Hakyung owes me his life!”

Like someone had hit his switch, Taeyoung stomped his foot and screamed. He had never felt this frustrated in his life. Since the age of six, everything had come easy for him.

That was natural—anything difficult could just be dumped on Kang Hakyung. Back in their hometown, he didn’t even need to argue—everyone knew Hakyung was beneath him.

So being in a situation where his words bounced off a man who wouldn’t even give him an opening—it was suffocating.

Ever since he failed to perform for a big Chinese investor, his agency had started pulling out. If he couldn’t produce something new here, the contract—everything—would be over.

Growing desperate, Taeyoung slipped into an old bad habit without thinking. He raised his hand and shoved the man’s shoulder.

He pushed with all his strength, fueled by boiling rage—but Muheon’s broad shoulders didn’t budge. That only made him angrier.

“You touched me first, huh?”

Muheon casually brushed the dust off his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. Then, with the kind of line you’d only hear in some third-rate gangster movie, his hand whipped across Taeyoung’s cheek.

Smack. The sound exploded through the air.

Taeyoung didn’t even manage a proper scream before he hit the ground, rolling. It wasn’t a punch, and Muheon hadn’t even put all his strength into it—but it hurt.

His mouth split open, and the pain in his jaw made it feel like the bone had cracked.

Like a sheet of paper tossed by the wind, Taeyoung tumbled over and groaned, unable to get up. His cheek was bright red, and tears streamed uncontrollably from his wide eyes.

“Ah… hic…”

Unable to form proper words, Taeyoung sobbed, gasping like he was choking.

When Kang Hakyung cried, it hurt to see. Muheon always wanted to comfort him, no matter what.

But this crying mess in front of him didn’t stir even the faintest emotion.

To Muheon, Kim Taeyoung was nothing more than a bug buzzing near something he owned.

Muheon crouched down in front of the guy still sprawled on the floor, his face blank.

“Crying? Why?”

He had been the one to hit him—and then asked why he was crying. What kind of psycho was this?

Taeyoung stared in disbelief, but then burst into tears again from the pain.

“Kang Hakyung put up with that for over ten years. You? Just once.”

“It fucking hurts! You bastard, I’m calling the cops! I won’t let you or Kang Hakyung get away with this!”

Red blood sprayed from Taeyoung’s mouth as he screamed. The sight of his own blood made him shriek again.

His voice, shrill like a pig being slaughtered, filled the air. Muheon covered one ear, annoyed, and poked Taeyoung’s forehead with his finger.

Even that small touch made Taeyoung’s upper body sway uncontrollably.

This is all you amount to…?

Muheon clicked his tongue briefly and spoke one last time.

“Don’t even think about seeing or contacting Kang Hakyung again. I’ll give you three days. Delete your video channel and cancel that scam contract. Do that, and I’ll let it end here.”

“And if… I say no?”

“I’ll make sure you taste hell every time you breathe.”

Kim Taeyoung scoffed. The guy sure knew how to talk like a big shot. It wasn’t his first time pulling this kind of theatrical nonsense.

“Who do you think you are?”

“You?”

“I-I mean… who are you?”

As Muheon’s thick eyebrows twitched, Taeyoung quickly corrected himself. Muheon casually tapped his small head with a palm the size of a pot lid.

Taeyoung staggered again and screamed—pure Hollywood acting.

“Ah! Ahhh!”

“So noisy. The whole neighborhood’s gonna come out at this rate.”

Not that it mattered. Every building—and the land itself—in this alley belonged to Muheon. There wasn’t a soul around who could stop him.

But Muheon didn’t feel the need to point that out. He just lowered his voice and growled at Taeyoung.

“At the very least, I’m someone who can easily dump you in the ocean.”

“Son of a b—!”

“Kids these days really have filthy mouths. Except for Kang Hakyung.”

The way Muheon said “Kang Hakyung” was almost sweet. That cold, stern face softened subtly when he said the name.

Taeyoung clenched his fists as he watched the change up close.

He definitely feels more than just employee loyalty for Kang Hakyung. That had to be why Hakyung had started to rebel, too—it was this man’s influence.

There was so much Taeyoung wanted to say, but he didn’t dare open his mouth again. One more wrong word, and he really might end up dead.

Judging from his strength and the way he spoke like a seasoned thug, this guy was probably a full-blown gangster.

“Fine, okay… I’ll do whatever you say…”

Terrified, Taeyoung agreed for now—planning to secretly meet Hakyung later, once he escaped this mess.

He knew the company’s address, so if he waited around for a few days, they’d cross paths eventually… or so he thought.

“I can hear you scheming. You really think I’m bluffing? Just wait. If you don’t care what happens to your family…”

“F-Family?!”

“What? I’m just giving back exactly what you did.”

With Muheon’s kind of power, it wasn’t a stretch to believe he could touch not only Taeyoung but his whole family.

The plan to secretly meet Hakyung crumbled to dust. In bitter defeat, Taeyoung had no choice but to nod.

“Good. I’ll help you get everything cleaned up and gone.”

Muheon flicked a finger, and a massive man stepped out from behind him. He looked like he was at least one and a half times Muheon’s size.

Overwhelmed by the sheer presence of the man, Taeyoung bit his bloodied lip hard.

Pain rushed in, and his eyes filled with tears again.

“You’re not even a little bit pitiful, and I have zero sympathy for you. So stop bawling and get up. Three days isn’t much time to come up with the breach-of-contract fee, is it?”

“Ugh, hic…”

“Gisang-oh. Keep a close eye on him.”

“Yes, Mr. Muheon. Leave it to me!”

Gisang-oh gave a sharp bow. Watching their cold, precise exchange, Taeyoung’s tears spilled over again.

***

A few days later, Hakyung heard something strange from his grandmother. Apparently, thanks to some mess Taeyoung got himself into, his whole family had suddenly sold their house and moved to some island.

Knowing how greedy Taeyoung’s family was, the idea that they sold everything and ran off to an island seemed unbelievable.

And now that he thought about it, the string of threatening messages that used to pour in had completely stopped.

“What happened…?”

Hakyung briefly considered reaching out to Taeyoung out of curiosity—but quickly shook his head. He didn’t want anything to do with Kim Taeyoung anymore.

If he’d truly disappeared like this, it was actually a relief.

He was going to forget the past and move forward into his happy, happy romance with the boss.

Humming smugly to himself, Hakyung hurried to get ready for work.

Today was even better—it was an out-of-office visit. Just the two of them.

Just. The. Two. Of. Them!