VSP 128

“Sejun-hyung, are you already managing your partner’s past as soon as you start dating?”

“No, well….”

It wasn’t exactly ‘managing his past.’ Or was it? Sejun pondered Dogyeong’s words for a moment before he suddenly realized something. He turned his head up.

“But are we actually dating?”

“…….”

Cha Dogyeong’s expression, which had seemed momentarily flustered by Sejun’s question, instantly fell.

Oops. Sejun realized he had just stepped on a landmine. He tried to stammer out an excuse, but Cha Dogyeong was one step faster.

“So we weren’t? Does Seo Sejun just have sex with people he isn’t even dating?”

“No! No, that’s not what I meant….”

The tables turned in an instant. As if he had never been the one feeling awkward, Dogyeong immediately flipped the situation into an interrogation.

“Damn it, I wasn’t going to ask!”

Sejun stamped his feet in frustration. He really wasn’t going to ask! He had planned to just coolly assume they were dating! He felt wronged, but since he was the one who saw the landmine and stepped on it, he had no one else to blame.

Cha Dogyeong stared down at the frustrated Sejun and reached out to fiddle with his ear. The touch on his soft ear felt strangely erotic but threatening, making Sejun shiver.

“Seo Sejun, the moment you meet another man besides me, that bastard dies by my hand.”

“…….”

Those were the words of the world’s only EX-rank Hunter. The aura behind them was too bloodthirsty to dismiss as a joke.

Sejun felt too indignant to respond and simply pouted. Watching him, Cha Dogyeong leaned in and gave Sejun’s protruding lower lip a quick peck.

The innocent kiss soon turned intense. His tongue licked Sejun’s jaw before naturally moving to his neck, where it began to suck his skin.

“Ah, wait….”

While Sejun was off-guard, a hand slipped under his clothes. Before he could even process what was happening, he was pushed back onto the sofa. He instinctively tried to push away the body covering him, but Cha Dogyeong did not budge.

What is this? How is he so natural at this? Sejun was flustered, but the flow was already moving exactly as Cha Dogyeong wanted.

“Hmm? Just once.”

The man, who was making an empty promise anyone could see through, smiled. It was such a drastic change from the person who had just issued a terrifying threat, but seeing a guy who rarely smiled look so beautiful right in front of him made Sejun’s heart melt instantly.

He never thought the day would come when he would find the smiling face of a man much larger than him so… arousing.

It was a bit hard to admit, but looking at this handsome face—one that made Sejun wonder if he had always been a sucker for looks—and seeing this man built like a literal door hanging onto him and acting cute, his heart inevitably softened.

So he really had no choice.

Sejun still did not know how to win against a guy who looked exactly how he liked and was determined to melt him down.

“I think my taste has become strange because of you.”

Sejun grumbled. His taste hadn’t just become strange; it was ruined. Now, if he had to think of something erotic, instead of a woman, he would probably think of Cha Dogyeong winking at him while holding a condom. Or perhaps a half-naked Cha Dogyeong.

In the meantime, Dogyeong, who had already stripped off his shirt, winked just like the one in Sejun’s imagination.

“It didn’t become strange; it was normalized.”

Sejun reached out with trembling fingers and placed his hand on Dogyeong’s broad, firm chest. He felt the heart thumping beneath the warm, hard muscle, and it didn’t feel bad.

Well, it does feel good when I do it with him….

Though no one was there to judge him, Sejun offered an excuse and wrapped his arms around Dogyeong’s sturdy shoulders as a sign of consent.

•••

Ultimately, Sejun only returned home two days after he had first arrived at Cha Dogyeong’s house.

It was an autumn night when the air was starting to turn cold in the evenings. On the top floor of a hotel in the center of Seoul, the night view of the city was visible at a glance. The luxury restaurant located there was crowded with customers every day, making the talk of a struggling economy seem like a lie.

Aside from the complaints on the internet about how difficult it was to get a reservation, the restaurant received nothing but praise for its atmosphere and food. However, today, there was not a single customer.

To be more precise, every table was empty except for one. It looked almost like a secret meeting.

Well, that wasn’t exactly an incorrect description.

The man who had gone through the trouble of renting out the entire restaurant for this private meeting was lost in thought, swirling the wine he had pre-ordered in his glass.

The man served as the managing director of a media outlet. Although his title was simply managing director, he was the heir to the largest media conglomerate in the country; an architect of public opinion who wielded influence over newspapers, broadcasting, and even the main editorial rights of web portals.

Media outlets often referred to him as the “Crown Prince” of something-or-other, but he found the term too cringeworthy to actually like. Regardless, thanks to his unique status, he met many people in secret, and today’s meeting was one of those occasions.

The only difference from his usual meetings was that he had pursued this encounter more aggressively. Instead of a clandestine hideout, he had rented out a high-end restaurant with a better atmosphere for the entire day.

But given who his guest was, he felt he had no other choice.

He looked at the person across from him and smiled.

He had carefully selected the wine with his guest in mind, yet the man before him had not even touched his glass. Come to think of it, the man had barely touched the food either, having only tasted a few bites out of professional courtesy.

Ryu Sehyun. A man who became the new president of the Hunter Association at the exceptionally young age of thirty-two.

It had already been about six months since he took the position, so it would have been appropriate to drop the “new” from his title. However, perhaps because he was so young for the role, most people still referred to him as the “New President.”

Others used the term specifically to keep him in check.

In the managing director’s eyes, Ryu Sehyun was far too impressive a man to be stuck in such a stuffy, old-fashioned position so early in his life.

“Is there a problem?”

When the man continued to just stare at him for a long time, Ryu Sehyun spoke first. He was a man who rarely reacted to any level of rudeness, but even he had a limit.

“I was wondering if the wine was not to your liking.”

“I do not particularly enjoy alcohol in settings like this.”

“And what kind of setting is ‘this’ exactly?”

“Director Lee.”

Sehyun’s voice drew a line against the attempt to twist his words. The man addressed as Director Lee pouted.

This meeting took place just a few days after the incident dubbed the “Taesong Department Store Crisis,” while the nation was in a state of unrest.

The director’s father had entered a prideful tug-of-war with Sehyun, claiming the president’s attitude was too stiff. Consequently, the father refused to change the meeting time and sent his son in his stead.

Normally, this would have been a strictly professional meeting for a strictly professional relationship. There was no need to set a romantic mood in a place like this, but the director had let his own greed dictate the venue.

Unless Ryu Sehyun was completely oblivious, he had to know exactly what the director was trying to signal. Judging by his continued awkwardness, however, the director figured the chance was completely blown.

He is so perfectly my type, though.

The director knew Sehyun was capable, but he looked like the last person who should be stuck behind a desk doing tedious paperwork. Paradoxically, he suited the position better than anyone else.

He was the type who seemed to hide his wild nature beneath a well-tailored suit. Not to mention his facial features and a physique that was undoubtedly magnificent.

But as much as he craved him, there was nothing he could do. He was just poking at a prize he couldn’t have.

The director smacked his lips in regret. It was unfortunate, but if the man showed zero reaction to this kind of testing, he wasn’t the type who could be easily “tasted.” He couldn’t cross the line any further. It would be difficult to do so, especially when they both held positions with so much to lose….

But I want him so much. What should I do?

Even after that, no real opportunity presented itself to the director. Well, it takes two to tango, and the other side wouldn’t even lift a hand. In the end, they continued to discuss business until the atmosphere signaled the end of the meeting.

Just before parting ways, the director figured he would rarely have a reason to see the man privately after today. He decided to be bold. It was rare to find a man so exactly his type; at this point, it was all or nothing.

“President.”

“Yes.”

“What is your type?”

As he spoke, the director placed his hand on Ryu Sehyun’s chest. His hand suggestively brushed against the muscle, but Sehyun didn’t even flinch. His cold gaze seemed to offer a silent rebuke, but the director stood his ground.

“I mean, you don’t need to give me some cliché about a woman with a beautiful heart. I’m curious about what kind of men you like.”

He had finally crossed the line, but the director didn’t care. The reason he chose this venue and the reason Ryu Sehyun was tolerating this harassment was that, in this specific business deal, the director was the one in absolute power, while Sehyun was the one in need.