# Chapter 6
Finding his gasping voice amusing, Dohyun once again avoided giving a clear answer and just smiled. Seowoo’s face went through extreme changes. The teacup he already didn’t want to touch now looked threatening too.
Seeing Seowoo’s disgusted face, Dohyun answered in a kind tone.
“Anyway, nobody heard anything there.”
“How reassuring.”
“I’m the type whose face shows when I’m lying.”
Dohyun pointed to his own face, asking “Right?” It was hardly believable. His lie was so ridiculous it prompted a sneer.
For someone who buried people with shovels, tried to silence witnesses, and kept dark-suited minions around like limbs, the conclusion was simple. Seowoo pressed his fingers against his temples.
“Are you a gangster?”
It was obvious to anyone, but Seowoo wanted to hear the confirmation from his own mouth. Being scared while knowing someone’s identity and being scared without knowing were completely different dimensions.
Dohyun tilted his head as if wondering why such a question was asked, and asked back:
“Is that what you’re curious about?”
“Right now, that’s the only thing I’m curious about regarding Seo Dohyun.”
After his blunt answer, Dohyun smirked again. Whether he was happy or annoyed was hard to tell.
“That’s unfair. Do I look like that kind of third-rate thug?”
Seowoo examined Dohyun carefully once more.
His well-fitted suit had the distinctive crisp appearance of expensive clothing, and accessories like his wristwatch and cuffs gleamed with quality.
The eye corners that curved thinly when he smiled, his firm jaw, and his robust body lines all harmoniously composed the human called Seo Dohyun.
It didn’t quite match the image of a “third-rate thug” as commonly thought. Did he deliberately dress up that way? Anyway, with such a terrible first impression, there was no way Seowoo would see him in a positive light.
When an answer didn’t immediately come out, Dohyun laughed good-naturedly.
“Wow, do I really not look that way?”
“…You do.”
“You’re lying?”
“Shut up.”
“Oh my, how scary.” Dohyun shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t show any signs of being afraid at all.
“Well, you’re roughly right. A third-rate thug. Why, should I tell you my organization’s name too?”
Even if I knew, what would I do? Come after you with a knife? Isn’t that what gangsters do?
“…No thanks.”
“Suit yourself. Is that the end of your questions? I thought you were curious, judging by your expression.”
While it wasn’t that he wasn’t curious, Seowoo knew very well that the more detailed information he learned, the more dangerous it would be. From the beginning, what he was most curious about was Dohyun’s intentions, not his personal profile.
Intentions. What he needed to ask wasn’t about organization names or such. Suddenly, Seowoo pulled himself forward.
“My questions aren’t over.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you let me live? …You just admitted you’re a gangster.”
Dohyun rested his chin on his hand and quietly looked at that face. He was still smiling, but for the first time, an emotion that Seowoo could read appeared in his eyes. It was blatant amusement.
Feeling a chill, Seowoo’s brows furrowed. Dohyun asked in a crisp voice:
“Do you think it’s right for me to kill Han Seowoo?”
Wondering if he was asking seriously, Seowoo examined his expression. Dohyun still maintained the same posture without changing his facial expression, just waiting for an answer.
“If I answer… what are you going to do?”
Honestly, Seowoo thought, yes, killing me would be the right thing. Paradoxically, that’s why he couldn’t report it.
The bold thought that “they wouldn’t really kill me” came only after a week had passed since the incident. When memories became blurry and reality started to fade.
Relying on his instincts, Seowoo thought unconditionally, definitely, 100% that he would die. No matter how dulled his sense of reality had become, even now he knew that what he had witnessed was not something an ordinary person should have seen.
Knowing that his life was at stake, he didn’t dare report it.
“…”
Dohyun didn’t answer the question and just smiled quietly.
Affirmative or negative. What was the correct answer? Although he clearly held two cards, he couldn’t be confident about either.
The tension flowing through the silence straightened Seowoo’s back. He wished Manager Gu would conveniently enter at this moment, but contrary to his expectations, the surroundings remained frozen in silence.
Seowoo lightly ran his fingers over his dry lips and took a deep breath.
“…I think it would be right.”
Seowoo chose to answer but didn’t know the outcome. Only Dohyun knew what was on the back of the turned card.
Dohyun smiled nonchalantly. As if he had never threatened anyone’s life.
Seowoo’s throat felt tightly constricted. With his gaze lowered, he took a deep breath. Once, twice.
“Han Seowoo.”
“…What?”
Ahem, at the unexpected call, he involuntarily cleared his throat.
Seowoo barely covered his mouth and frowned at Dohyun, looking up at him as if asking what was going on.
“Are you scared?”
A kind voice asked that. What was he asking about being scared of? Dying? Or Seo Dohyun? Both?
“No, I’m not.”
He pretended to be calm to hide his trembling voice, but it wasn’t easy. He leaned his body deeper into the chair to appear natural, but his limbs felt like they weren’t his own, just creaking awkwardly.
Dohyun quietly looked into Seowoo’s eyes while resting his chin on his hand.
“…Is there a problem?”
Seowoo didn’t like how Dohyun was looking directly into his eyes. The unnatural smile, the sharply glinting eyes. Everything bothered him. Seowoo hesitantly pulled his head back.
Dohyun’s fingers tapped his own mouth a couple of times.
“Our star keeps lying to me? From the beginning.”
Although there was still laughter in his voice, that smile didn’t reassure Seowoo. It only seemed mocking, making the back of his neck feel cold.
Dohyun moved his lips as if he was going to say something more but then closed them. He lowered his hand that had been stroking his chin and completely withdrew his gaze.
Only then could Seowoo properly exhale as his tension eased. The blade-like coldness that had been choking his neck had finally dissipated.
“CEO, I’m coming in.”
After two knocks, Manager Gu entered immediately. Seowoo looked at Manager Gu with a pale face. Manager Gu maintained the same expressionless look as when they first met, briefly glancing at Seowoo before approaching Dohyun to hand him some documents.
“It’s done.”
The stark difference in attitude made Seowoo feel ignored. Had everyone in this neighborhood collectively lost their emotions? One was a smiling lunatic, the other a non-smiling lunatic.
At this moment, he desperately wanted to see Jinhyuk. He wanted to return to his kind, friendly, honest, and comfortable manager of ten years. Despite being separated for only about two hours, it felt like he had been away for 20 years.
“See him out.”
Seowoo couldn’t hide his disgruntled expression. Was a safe return his reward for being consistently grumpy from beginning to end? He didn’t mind it, but it didn’t make sense. You really did try to kill me, right? So why now?
“Aren’t you going? Did you become attached to this place already?”
“…If I get in the car, are you taking me to the mountains?”
Dohyun burst into loud laughter at this suspicious question. It was as if he had heard something absurd.
I think it’s a reasonable suspicion, considering everything.
The image of the man with just his neck sticking out still lingered in his mind. It became even clearer when he was with Dohyun.
“Han Seowoo. Are you asking me to bury you or save you now? What are you suspicious about? I didn’t even touch you. Oh, except for grabbing your clothes a bit.”
“That’s… what’s suspicious. You’re a gangster, aren’t you?”
“That’s true, but… Do you want to get hit?”
“Are you crazy?”
Seowoo reflexively spat out a harsh response and turned his head. There’s a limit to how much crazy talk I can take…
Although it was still true that Dohyun controlled Seowoo’s life, it was difficult to keep his mouth shut without reacting to such nonsense.
Dohyun looked unperturbed, as if he had expected this reaction.
“You didn’t want to die, so I saved you, right?”
Who in this world wants to die? Do people really save or kill others for such a trivial reason?
“Is that the only reason?”
“What more do you need? It’s fun.”
“Fun… fun?”
Could life and fun be words placed on the same level?
“We don’t view human lives as insignificant as ants either.”
“Really?”
“Probably.”
Who would believe that? Seowoo glared at Dohyun with a dubious expression before getting up from his seat. Yes, he’s saying he’ll let me live, so what more should I worry about? Getting out of this place as quickly as possible was the most beneficial thing for Seowoo.
Manager Gu stuck close to guide Seowoo. Dohyun sat with his legs crossed and waved his hand nonchalantly.
“I won’t see you out.”
“Yes, please don’t come out.”
Perhaps sensing the earnestness in his voice, Dohyun laughed playfully. As Seowoo slipped out the door and looked back slightly, Dohyun was leisurely sipping green tea as if enjoying a private tea time. When their eyes met, he even raised his hand lazily.
“See you again.”
What a horrible thing to say! That would never happen, not even if he died and came back to life. Seowoo walked away with big, angry steps. Manager Gu matched his pace without any change in expression.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
