RB 119

It had been almost 2 months since Seo Taehwa had disappeared. President Kang was someone with a knack for hide and seek, but Seo Taehwa, who had decided to disappear, was quite difficult to track down.

Yeorok took out his phone. Given the seriousness of the matter, he called President Kang directly. He usually only gave instructions through Secretary Hong, and actually speaking on the phone himself was rare.

“This is Choi Yeorok. I heard the report.”

–Ah, don’t even get me started. We went through absolute hell.

President Kang’s gravelly voice came through the line. He began with a sigh full of complaint and went on at length about the hardship he had endured. In the end, however, he finished with laughter. He said he had pulled off something difficult and took pride in his own skills.

–By the way, his condition isn’t good. He’s turned into an alcoholic and can barely understand what anyone says. Watching him cry and make a scene is unbearable. So I was wondering, is it okay if I hit him a few times?

“Do whatever you think is best.”

–Anything I want? That’s actually a pretty tough order.

“That field is your specialty, President Kang. Just keep him alive.”

President Kang laughed for a long time at the harsh instructions. He secretly admired Yeorok’s spending habits and ruthless attitude. The more he met him, the more interesting he became as a regular customer.

–What about bringing him back into the country?

“If possible, I’d prefer not to leave any entry records.”

–You really do like troublesome requests. Understood. It’ll take a bit of time to arrange a boat. Plan on about 2 weeks.

“Of course. I will make sure to pay you a generous amount.”

Hearing what he wanted, President Kang’s smile deepened. His motivation also surged.

–Leave it to me. I’ll set everything up properly.

As the call ended, Yeorok quietly put his phone down. He turned his attention back to the documents. He seemed completely absorbed in his work, completely unconcerned with Seo Taehwa’s well-being.

“……”

Secretary Hong stood motionless in front of him, his hands behind his back. Seeing no sign of retreat, Yeorok lowered his gaze and spoke.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“A bag was found in front of the mansion. It belongs to Sim Eunho.”

“……”

The fountain pen paused mid-scribble. Ink oozed from the nib where it touched the paper. The paper was dyed black. Yeorok’s eyes, looking up at Secretary Hong, were equally dark and pitch-black.

“We confirmed on CCTV that he threw it away. The contents were intact, and there was a phone and credit cards inside.”

“…That’s cold.”

Yeorok let out a weak laugh. The man who had seemed more ruthless than anyone else until just a moment ago now looked as if he had been driven to the edge of a cliff. He then pursed his lips and stared blankly into space, speechless.

His thoughts raced, one after another. As the silence dragged on, the papers became a mess. The fountain pen tumbled onto the papers, already on the verge of being discarded.

Eunho’s decision to throw away the bag containing Choi Yoonho’s assets was tantamount to his intention to start a new life on his own. It was clear that he wanted no more ties to Haegang.

“Should we put someone on him?”

Secretary Hong cautiously asked.

“……”

Yeorok couldn’t easily respond. Greed and reason clashed hundreds of times. He agonized over and over again. He needed to make a wise choice, but his ugly, selfish heart repeatedly surfaced, holding him back.

“I don’t know.”

Yeorok sighed, clutching his forehead. It was an unclear answer.

In fact, no matter how hard Eunho tried to hide, if Yeorok had set his mind to it, he could have found him within a few days. The main reason he couldn’t do that was because he didn’t want to ruin Sim Eunho any further.

Yeorok still hadn’t forgotten the shock of yesterday. His dry, bloodshot eyes turned to the back of his hand, wrapped in bandages. If he acted rashly, Eunho might really get hurt next time.

He clenched his trembling hands into fists. He barely managed to force out a flat voice.

“Just leave him alone. He wants to stand on his own two feet, so we have to let him.”

“If there is anything that needs help….”

“I’ll do well. Even on my own.”

Yeorok straightened his back. He handed the messy documents to Secretary Hong and told him to reprint them. Secretary Hong bowed his head and left. Left alone, Yeorok went back to his work as if nothing had happened.

“……”

But somehow, he couldn’t concentrate. Not a single word caught his eye, and his mind was filled with thoughts of Eunho.

Eventually, he leaned back against the chair. He covered his eyes with the back of his hand. A dull pain surged from both the back of his hand and his chest. The unfamiliar sensation didn’t seem to get any better, even with time.

***

Eunho found a single room near Doksan-dong.

On the day he left the mansion, he stopped by the neighborhood where he had originally lived. He had no intention of settling there again. He had gone only to check.

The old hillside neighborhood was in the middle of demolition due to redevelopment. Steel supports stood everywhere, and excavators destroyed and tore up the ground in every corner. Most of the residents had already left, and the rooftop building where Eunho had lived had been torn down long ago. Everything that had remained inside was likely discarded as well.

Even so, it was the place where he had been born and raised, yet none of it resembled what he remembered. That was better. Thanks to that, even the remnants of attachment were severed.

There was no particular reason he chose Doksan-dong as his residence. He simply walked wherever his feet carried him, and when he grew tired, he entered any real estate office he happened to see. Eunho took out all the cash he had in his bag and asked them to find him a place that matched that amount.

The real estate lady’s expression was something to see. She looked at Eunho like he was crazy for suddenly dumping out stacks of cash. The money Yeorok had given him was all 50,000 won bills, totaling roughly 100,000,000 won. With that, he could rent a studio of about 49 m2. When asked if he wanted to view the place, Eunho said it did not matter and stated that he wanted to sign the contract immediately.

The real estate agent turned out to be the landlord, so the contract proceeded quickly. The landlord carefully examined the ID Eunho handed over. She gave him suspicious glances.

He was well put together to be dismissed as a lunatic. He also looked too clean to be a criminal. Maybe a rich family’s son who had run away from home. That plausible assumption came to mind. Only then did the woman let go of her suspicion and proceed readily with the contract.

‘You don’t have any kind of criminal record, right?’

‘Would that make the contract impossible?’

‘No, it’s not that… People don’t usually bring piles of cash when looking for a place. I was just wondering if it might be bad money.’

‘If it bothers you, I can go somewhere else.’

‘No, no, no. I was just worried, that’s all.’

After that, the contract went smoothly. The landlord handled everything efficiently, so Eunho had little to worry about. The only thing that bothered him was that he had to use Choi Yoonho’s identity to secure the place.

He had no choice. Eunho had lost his original ID long ago, and getting a new one would require fingerprint verification, which was impossible. His fingerprints had long since been changed to Choi Yoonho’s because of Ahn Jaehwan’s procedure. That was why, even after throwing everything else away, he held on to Choi Yoonho’s ID until the very end.

The place he found that way was an old multi family building on a quiet alley. After paying the deposit with the money he had received from Yeorok, he was left with only a few hundred thousand won. With that, he bought daily necessities and set up a very simple household. He spent the entire day cleaning and tending to the space, making it his own shelter.

When the cleaning was finished, Eunho laid a blanket directly on the floor. Without even washing up, he lay down his exhausted body and stared at the ceiling. Mold stained wallpaper caught his eye. The damp, musty smell was something he had not experienced in a long time.

Nothing was in proper condition, but his mind was clear. In the end, he had only returned to where he belonged. All the luxury he had enjoyed until now had been nothing more than a mirage.

Starting tomorrow, he would slowly look for a job. He planned to try anything without being picky. If he was going to survive from here on out, he needed to keep himself moving.

The studio apartment, with only himself inside, was quiet. The walls were thin, so he could hear the heavy footsteps from upstairs and the voices next door. The murmured voices were probably from the young couple living next door.

“……”

Eunho closed his eyes. The noise was not irritating. It was rather a relief. At least he would not feel like he was trapped alone.

Without realizing it, he touched his chest. The hand that had been brushing over his clothes soon turned into pounding fists.

The sudden bursts of rage were still there. He wished he had brought his medications. Even after leaving that house, the pain showed no signs of abating. Even though he no longer needed to suppress it, it wasn’t easy to let out the lump inside.

On the other hand, one person’s face came to mind all too easily.

He resented Choi Yeorok to the point of wanting him dead.