RB 39

“Customer, please, just once….”

“Manager Nam. If you cry here, what does that make me look like? Do you know how many eyes are watching right now? You must be trying to make me look like a fool.”

“No, customer. Absolutely not.”

“You know my temper and you keep scratching at it.”

Eunho smiled. He lifted the hand with glass shards stuck in it high, and Seo Taehwa beside him grabbed his wrist.

“Yoonho-ya, wait. Calm down a little.”

“Why are you holding me? Taehwa hyung, whose side are you on right now? Hyung or not, I’ll kill you.”

Eunho’s eyes widened viciously. His emotions jumped around like he was possessed. Now even Seo Taehwa was begging.

“It’s our first time out in a while. Don’t do this.”

“Fuck, then you’re telling me to just sit here when someone pisses me off?”

“Customer… hic, I… I was thoughtless. I’ll contact the store right away and order them to open privately.”

“Forget it. I’m already pissed, I don’t want to shop. You think I’ll ever come back here?”

Eunho shook off the hand holding him and tilted his head slowly. His face was calm again, like he had never gotten angry.

“Hyung, I’m hungry. Let’s just eat.”

“Uh, should we?”

Seo Taehwa forced a smile and stretched his hand back. He gestured urgently and a lounge staff rushed over, stuffing a bunch of clean napkins into his hand.

Blood dripped from Eunho’s hand. Taehwa pretended to smile as if trying to please him while pressing the napkins against Eunho’s palm.

After the outburst, the two left the lounge. Even while riding the VIP-only elevator to the underground parking lot, Eunho kept a hostile face.

“Haa…”

It was only after they got in the car that he sighed in relief. Taehwa turned around the moment he locked the doors.

“Are you crazy? Why did you smash the glass?”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it at a person.”

Eunho smiled awkwardly.

Before going to the department store, he and Taehwa had planned it. While doing private shopping with an attendant, he would suddenly make an absurd demand. The attendant would surely refuse, and that would be his cue to make a scene.

They had even rehearsed the situation and lines several times. He could swear and yell just fine, but he couldn’t bring himself to throw a glass at a person. So Eunho chose to grip the thin champagne glass and smash it himself.

He thought it wasn’t a bad choice. Choi Yoonho would probably have done something similar in a fit.

But pain was another matter. Eunho grimaced, and Taehwa looked at his injured hand with worry.

“I almost screamed out loud. Shit, what do we do now? Doesn’t that need stitches?”

On the way back he had pulled out some of the shards stuck in his palm. But the deep cuts still hadn’t stopped bleeding, soaking the napkins until they were useless.

“Hyung, let’s just go home quick. If the doctor looks at it, it’ll be fine.”

“This is crazy…”

Taehwa messed up his hair and finally turned back to the driver’s seat. He decided getting him home fast for treatment was better than scolding.

‎

‎

Under the bright lights, Ahn Jaehwan carefully examined Eunho’s wound. His heavy magnifying glasses sat precariously on the bridge of his nose.

While he pulled out the tiny shards one by one, Eunho looked out the far window, avoiding his hand. It always hurt more to look directly at the injury.

The shell emptied of Choi Yoonho’s spirit now carried the gentle Sim Eunho again. His large eyes shifted sideways.

Choi Yeorok stood against the wall with a stern face, staring at his phone. He was there under the pretext of supervising the treatment, but in truth it felt more like pressure.

“Chairman… will it be okay?”

Unable to endure the heavy atmosphere, Eunho asked first. He was also very curious about how things were going.

Yeorok slowly lifted his gaze from the phone. His look was as stinging as the glass in Eunho’s hand.

“I never told you to get hurt.”

He shoved the phone into his inner pocket and walked closer. Right then, Ahn Jaehwan finished bandaging Eunho’s hand and stood up.

“Treatment’s done. I’ll step out, so scold him if you need to.”

His retreating back was cruel. Eunho couldn’t call him back, only stare at the closing door.

The room fell silent. The smell of disinfectant filled the treatment room, mixing with the sunlight seeping in from outside to create a bleak air.

Eunho slowly turned his chair. When he finally faced Yeorok, his head lowered on its own. The man in front of him was the one creating this oppressive mood.

“Are you… going to scold me?”

“You came back with your hand torn to rags.”

“You heard from Taehwa hyung. I had no choice.”

Eunho defended himself, insisting he had done the best he could.

Even so, Yeorok’s cold eyes did not soften. He took Eunho’s hand. He looked ready to explode in anger, but the touch that held his hand was careful.

Eunho looked at the man in front of him instead of his own hand. On his lowered eyelids, his long eyelashes stretched straight. In the light, Yeorok’s pupils carried a faint blue hue. From his smooth forehead down his nose bridge and philtrum, the line was so delicate and refined it was almost unbelievable.

Even though it was a face he had seen many times, seeing it up close made him stare blankly. Yeorok noticed Eunho spacing out and pressed lightly on the wound.

“Ah!”

“Should I scold you for this or not?”

It already hurt enough to bring tears to his eyes. Eunho groaned and his shoulders trembled. Even then, his hand stayed in Yeorok’s grasp without resistance.

Yeorok carefully lowered his hand and sat on the desk. His downcast gaze still carried disapproval.

“You did well making a mess. It was an effective way to leave a strong impression.”

“…Do you think the rumors spread a lot?”

“Considering how Choi Yoonho’s phone is blowing up with messages, it’s obvious.”

Yeorok pulled out a phone and showed it. He had been looking at Yoonho’s phone all this time.

On the screen, tag notifications popped up nonstop. Someone had uploaded the department store incident on SNS. The provocative rumors spread in real time.

Am I really becoming this kind of trash? Eunho felt disheartened. The subject of the rumors was Choi Yoonho, but in reality, Yoonho was no different from himself.

Maybe reading his thoughts, Yeorok smirked faintly. He tapped the desk edge with Yoonho’s phone.

“The tantrum is spreading on SNS, but Seo Taehwa is deleting everything. You don’t need to worry.”

“Ah… is that possible?”

“Nothing is impossible with money.”

That must be why searching online never showed anything about Choi Yoonho. Eunho finally understood and nodded.

“Anyway.”

The suddenly lowered voice cut through the space. Eunho’s eyes lifted instinctively. Seeing the cold Yeorok made him feel anxious.

“Praise is over. Now it’s time to be scolded.”

“……”

“Who told you to injure yourself?”

Eunho had no confidence to endure the biting look. He dropped his gaze.

“Sim Eunho, lift your eyes.”

“Chairman.”

“Looking pitiful won’t work.”

When he didn’t smile, he was frightening enough to freeze his bones. Eunho pouted, feeling wronged.

“…But if you add up what I did well and what I did wrong, doesn’t it come out to zero?”

“You want me to let it slide?”

“I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Your negotiation skills are improving.”

Did it work? Eunho glanced up timidly. Yeorok’s fake smile was on his face.

“No chance, Eunho-ya.”

He suddenly grabbed Eunho’s cheek. The flesh pinched between his fingers stretched out like rice cake.

“Ah, ah! It really hurts!”

“I warned you about getting your palm smacked. Why don’t you ever listen properly.”

“Ah! Chairman.”

Eunho slurred his words in protest. The grip was so strong it felt like his cheek might tear off. He clutched Yeorok’s wrist in desperation.

“The penalty is even bigger. And you talk about the total coming out as zero?”

Yeorok tugged his cheek until he felt satisfied, then let go. Eunho’s pale skin kept clear finger marks. His right cheek stuck out more.

“There’s no reward either.”

Yeorok unwrapped a lollipop and popped it into his own mouth. The sound of the candy rolling on his tongue echoed.

Eunho stared at him in disbelief. Was that candy supposed to be his reward? He wasn’t a child…

More than anything, Yeorok with a candy in his mouth was something he had never imagined. The glimpses of his tongue and the translucent pink candy kept drawing Eunho’s eyes. It wasn’t a big deal, but it looked strangely indecent. He quickly turned his head away.

“It’s too sweet. I can’t eat it.”

Yeorok sucked it a few more times, then pulled it out, dissatisfied. The wet candy was tossed carelessly onto the desk.

“Get proper treatment and we’ll talk again soon. Good work today.”

On his way out, he ruffled Eunho’s hair softly. His hand on the crown of his head was gentle, unlike earlier.

After the door shut, Eunho let out a shaky breath and looked at the candy left alone on the desk. The encounter had left him completely shaken.

His palm tingled. His heart pounded faster than usual. None of it was good for him.

Get a grip, Sim Eunho. You can’t.

He covered his face with his uninjured hand. Yeorok had pulled on the other cheek, yet the cheek that should have been fine also burned. Despite his efforts, the sprout continued to grow.