“Do you even want to find him or not?!”
Ha Jun-seo slammed his fist on the desk and shouted. Choi Sang-hyuk, who had been skimming through the documents, acted as if he hadn’t heard him. Ha Jun-seo had already made a name for himself at the company, throwing tantrums in the office almost every other day. Of course, precautions had been taken to ensure nothing leaked to the media.
“Are you a pianist or an unemployed bum? Forget about your schedule—are you even practicing?”
Choi Sang-hyuk asked with a look of disdain.
“What, you fucking bastard?”
Ever since Seo Ha-yoon had disappeared without a trace, Ha Jun-seo had been growing more irritable by the day, lashing out with curses at the slightest provocation. If only Seo Ha-yoon could see him like this. Choi Sang-hyuk clicked his tongue at the thought.
“Find him. Find him now!”
Ha Jun-seo snatched the documents Choi Sang-hyuk had been reading and flung them into the air. At his age, he was throwing tantrums like a spoiled child. Just like any other pampered brat raised with endless indulgence. Choi Sang-hyuk clenched his fist, suppressing the urge to punch him out of sheer frustration.
“We are looking for him. If you don’t trust me, why don’t you find him yourself? What’s the point of all that money you hoard? Pour it into a private investigator.”
“You think I haven’t done that already? Those fuckers just take my money and keep repeating the same damn thing—that they can’t find him. He disappeared without a passport, completely empty-handed. He has to be somewhere in Korea, so how the hell can they not find him?”
“They can’t find him because he vanished empty-handed. He left behind his car, his phone—he ran off barefoot. He hasn’t even used the card we gave him.”
“That’s exactly why I’m worried! He has no money, no connections—who knows what kind of hell he’s going through alone? Or what kind of filthy bastards might be preying on him?!”
Ha Jun-seo couldn’t hide his anxiety as he roughly ran a hand through his hair. His lips were chapped and split from biting them repeatedly. The once laid-back Ha Jun-seo had changed so drastically—it was almost impressive that Seo Ha-yoon had managed to affect him this much.
Instead of picking up the scattered documents, Choi Sang-hyuk rubbed his forehead. He wasn’t exactly at ease either.
That day—the day Seo Ha-yoon found out who he really was.
He had said he wanted to be alone. Then, he had vanished out the window like he had taken flight.
Barefoot.
By the time they realized he was gone, it had already been a while. The only reason they noticed was because the cats in the room had been crying non-stop. When they opened the door, Seo Ha-yoon was nowhere to be found. They searched the entire house, but he was simply gone.
Even his shoes were still there.
No one had thought he would run away without putting on his shoes. That slight miscalculation delayed their search.
He contacted the taxi companies and call taxi services again. Eventually, he managed to find a lead—a man matching Seo Ha-yoon’s description had taken a taxi near the house and gotten off at Seo Ha-yoon’s apartment. After that, he had taken another taxi to Seoul Station. But that was as far as the trail went. Seo Ha-yoon had been smart enough never to use the cards under either of their names.
It took some time to figure out where Seo Ha-yoon had gone. These days, accessing someone else’s bank records or card transactions wasn’t easy. It required both money and effort. In the end, what they managed to uncover was that Seo Ha-yoon had withdrawn all the money from his account at Busan Station. And that was it.
“Be honest with me. You know where Ha-yoon is, don’t you? And you’re just not telling me.”
Ha Jun-seo pressed with suspicious eyes. His suspicion wasn’t entirely baseless. Seo Ha-yoon was most likely in Busan, and Choi Sang-hyuk had deliberately withheld that information from him.
It couldn’t be helped. If he told Ha Jun-seo now, in his current state, the man would undoubtedly charge straight to Busan without a second thought. A well-known celebrity stirring up a commotion in search of Seo Ha-yoon would only make things worse. Choi Sang-hyuk was already exhausted from juggling two battles at once—searching for Seo Ha-yoon behind the scenes while preventing Ha Jun-seo from causing a scandal.
If only they weren’t related. No—if only he weren’t from such an influential family, he would’ve just beaten the crap out of him and locked him up somewhere for a while.
Clicking his tongue, Choi Sang-hyuk shot Ha Jun-seo a glare.
“Why aren’t you answering? Do you seriously expect me to believe that someone like you hasn’t found even the tiniest clue about where Ha-yoon is? I don’t buy it. You’re just trying to keep him to yourself, aren’t you? You want to separate me from him!”
Ha Jun-seo’s relentless questioning continued.
“Stop spewing nonsense. My head fucking hurts.”
Choi Sang-hyuk pressed his fingers against his temple, speaking harshly.
Ha Jun-seo was sharper than he seemed. If he really did order a full-scale search across Busan, it would take time, but he would eventually find Seo Ha-yoon. However, to Choi Sang-hyuk, finding Seo Ha-yoon immediately wasn’t the priority. Ha-yoon was a clever and resourceful kid. He had cash on hand and would manage to survive somehow.
Just as he had suspected, his priority wasn’t locating Seo Ha-yoon—it was keeping Ha Jun-seo away from him. Even if they found Seo Ha-yoon, as long as Ha Jun-seo stuck to him like a parasite, they would only end up in the same miserable cycle. That was why he was biding his time, waiting for Ha Jun-seo to give up and walk away. It was a test of patience, but he endured it.
But it seemed Ha Jun-seo had caught on. His persistence was relentless, and even Choi Sang-hyuk’s patience had finally reached its breaking point.
“So this is how it’s going to be,” Ha Jun-seo muttered.
His expression changed in an instant. The frustration, anxiety, and anger that had clouded his face disappeared, leaving behind an eerie coldness.
“If you’re going to play like this, then I’ll have to change my approach too.”
“What bullshit are you spewing now?”
“I was planning to share Ha-yoon with you if I found him. No matter what, you were the one who found him first and took care of him.”
“Share?”
Choi Sang-hyuk frowned at the absurd choice of words.
“Yeah. Share. I was even willing to play the concubine—a role I never fucking signed up for, you idiot. But since you’re being so uncooperative, I have no choice but to change my mind. I’m going to find Ha-yoon myself. And when I do, he’s mine. I won’t give you so much as a scrap.”
“You piece of shit, acting like you can just latch onto someone else’s man—do you have any fucking idea what you’re saying right now? Ha Jun-seo, do you have a death wish?”
At that bold declaration—at the sheer audacity of Ha Jun-seo claiming Seo Ha-yoon as his own—Choi Sang-hyuk’s patience finally snapped.
“You should’ve just worked with me and helped find Ha-yoon quietly. But no, you’ve been stalling, deliberately putting off the search, just waiting for me to give up and leave. You really think I wouldn’t notice your filthy little scheme?”
“Ha Jun-seo. Are you seriously trying to pick a fight with me right now?”
“Are you out of your mind? Why the fuck would I go toe-to-toe with some low-level gangster? That’s not my thing. And let’s be real—Ha-yoon, with all the shit he’s been through, suits someone like me better. A well-bred, refined man. Do you even realize how comfortable Ha-yoon is when he’s with me? Unlike you, who leaves him alone all day in the name of work, I actually pay attention to him.”
At those words, Choi Sang-hyuk’s face twisted. Because they hit a nerve.
“Shouldn’t you spend some time with me too? Are you seriously just gonna leave me here like this?”
“Do I look like some rich heir who can just laze around all day? You think money just appears out of thin air? Quit being so needy, Seo Ha-yoon.”
“No. If you keep neglecting me like this, I’ll have to make my own plans. Don’t you feel even a little uneasy, keeping someone like me locked up at home while you work all the time?”
“Should I be worried?”
“Of course, you should be. Who wouldn’t be anxious about leaving someone like me alone?”
Seo Ha-yoon’s voice echoed in his mind.
He knew. That boy hated being lonely. But work had kept him busy—so busy that the only time they saw each other was at night, after he got home. Seo Ha-yoon had always begged him to stay, to play with him, to keep him company. But he had brushed it off as childish whining.
“You think you can find Seo Ha-yoon when even I can’t?”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s tone softened slightly. Ha Jun-seo smirked.
“What can’t be solved with money? It’s been over two months. At this point, I’ll do whatever it takes. If I have to, I’ll put up a damn reward for a missing person, spread flyers all over the country.”
He said it almost like a joke, but Choi Sang-hyuk knew better. If Ha Jun-seo said he’d do something, he’d fucking do it. And if he started plastering Seo Ha-yoon’s face everywhere, the boy would gain unwanted attention nationwide. That was the last thing they needed.
“Is this as far as I can push it?”
Choi Sang-hyuk muttered to himself internally.
Truthfully, he was just as anxious. Seo Ha-yoon was exceptionally pretty—rarely did you find someone in Korea with his kind of beauty. Even back when he had been working part-time jobs to survive, he had constantly dealt with sexual harassment and assault. At least back then, he had been sharp-tongued and aggressive enough to fight back.
But now?
Now, he was out there, hiding under the identity of Kim Min-seok.
Choi Sang-hyuk had no idea if he’d even be able to protect himself.
The strongest feeling was longing.
It had already been over two months since he let him go. He missed him unbearably. Even though the Seo Ha-yoon he knew had hidden himself behind another identity, he was still the same person. Seo Ha-yoon belonged to Choi Sang-hyuk. He was meant to take root in the place Choi Sang-hyuk had prepared for him, to drink the water and nutrients Choi Sang-hyuk provided, to live by his side.
“Then let’s see who does better.”
With that, Ha Jun-seo turned on his heel and walked away.
Choi Sang-hyuk watched his retreating figure for a moment before finally speaking—just as Ha Jun-seo reached for the doorknob.
“…Busan.”
