Chapter 103
Though Hyun-se had intended to meet quietly at the bar, thanks to his extremely busy counterpart, he had to make his way here in person. As he entered the room guided by an employee, the loud noise that had been like repeated explosions was suddenly cut off. He ordered drinks and snacks out of courtesy and leaned back on the sofa.
These days, even breathing felt bothersome, and he didn’t want to come here. But the bait thrown by his counterpart was too tempting to ignore.
“I’ve obtained an interesting video.”
The subdued voice was full of wicked mischief. From experience, when this bastard lured people like this, the results were rarely good. However, since he wasn’t the type to contact people for trivial matters, Hyun-se continued the call he had been about to end.
“What kind of video?”
“It’s a bit much to send. Come see it yourself.”
“It’s troublesome to come and go.”
“Suit yourself.”
The coy response clearly indicated this was no ordinary matter. Hence, his presence here now.
After a few minutes of keeping his eyes closed, the door opened. Hyun-se slowly lifted his eyelids. A man with his hands deeply thrust into his pockets – quite an impolite posture for greeting a guest – looked at Hyun-se. His head was tilted at an angle.
Though he was clearly smiling, his eyes were fierce. Perhaps it was because of his uniquely sharp eye corners that gave that impression.
“Why are you calling busy people like this? Is CEO Ju bored these days?”
“Your tongue’s gotten long for someone who came wagging their tail.”
The man sat down heavily on the sofa, twitching the long scar on the bridge of his nose. He poured himself a drink and downed it in one go. Hyun-se just glanced at him briefly and didn’t try to stop him.
“I hear you’re busy these days enjoying your new concubine? There are rumors that CEO Woo is going to be rejuvenated.”
“Fuck that concubine bullshit.”
He hadn’t intended to touch the alcohol. He pulled the empty glass back in front of him, drank it straight, and laughed dryly. This bastard and that bastard, where the hell did they pick up the word ‘concubine’ and why were they misusing it? Despite not hiding his irritation, the other party shamelessly picked at the snacks while fiddling with his phone.
He treated Hyun-se worse than a passing dog despite him coming all the way here. Still, Hyun-se accepted it graciously. That bastard had been like this from birth.
His meeting with the other party, Ju Shindo, went back a long way. They had met the moment Hyun-se stepped into this field, and their history of fighting each other was too numerous to count on fingers and toes. Later, they even wielded knives, leaving matching scars. Hyun-se on his side, the other on his ankle. The other had aimed for Hyun-se’s lungs, while Hyun-se had tried to cripple the other’s ankle.
After that bloody past, they were now business partners. If things went well, they might even call each other friends.
“What kind of video?”
“Shouldn’t you take some heart medicine before watching? You might faint from shock, CEO Woo, you’re surprisingly weak-hearted.”
“Show me and tell me.”
He couldn’t be bothered to respond. Shindo stared blankly at Hyun-se for a moment before curling up the corners of his mouth. His narrowed eyes looked as cunning as a goat’s horizontally slit pupils.
Shindo tapped on his phone and then held it out to Hyun-se. It was the video that had made Hyun-se come all the way here. The people in it weren’t looking at the camera, as if it had been filmed secretly. Amidst raucous laughter, the widely spread table looked like a scene of debauchery.
“…”
The characters revealed themselves one by one. There were many familiar faces. Hyun-se slowly leaned forward from the sofa and peered at the video. Light entered his eyes, which had been devoid of any interest until now.
Everyone was naked, not even wearing underwear. It was a video of elderly gentlemen lewdly playing with young people who looked like college students at best. Gender didn’t matter. Someone young was twitching on the sofa as if drugged, and an old body with sagging skin waddled towards that man.
“That’s enough.”
Shindo pressed the stop button and put away his phone. Hyun-se rubbed his jaw with his large hand.
Laughter erupted before shock. It was the CEO. He knew the old man was dirty, but he didn’t know it was this filthy. Not only group sex but drugs too – there was nothing he hadn’t touched.
“Did you film it yourself?”
“I said I obtained it.”
“From whom?”
“You shouldn’t try to learn trade secrets.”
If he were to handle this as he had lived until now, the right way would be to somehow coerce Shindo and delete that video, but Hyun-se had no such intention. The moment he saw the video, an exclamation mark flashed in his mind. That was a treasure. He had to get his hands on it no matter what.
“Ju, send me that.”
“Ah, CEO Woo, you’ve been in business for more than a day or two, right? How can I just give it away for free? I have people to feed. I need to work hard to support my kids. I may not look it, but I’m a family man.”
Shindo made all sorts of complaints. It was as expected. Hyun-se tapped the table as if punching numbers on a calculator, then spoke.
“I’ll change the profit distribution ratio for the next six months.”
“This bastard, trying to get it for free without any business ethics. Does money grow on trees for you, CEO Woo? It’s a miracle your business has lasted this long with that attitude.”
“Twelve months.”
“Three years.”
“Eighteen months.”
“Three years and six months. Not a day less. Hey, I’m being generous because I’m in a good mood today.”
Like a true gangster, he was trying to get a free ride with just one video. At any other time, this proposal would have led to cursing, table-flipping, and fistfights, but right now, Hyun-se was the one in need. With Shindo’s personality, prolonging the conversation would only lead to him trying to extort more. Hyun-se raised his hand to signal agreement.
Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a losing deal. Even a year would be a significant loss, let alone three and a half years. Anger rising, he threw a cherry tomato he was holding straight at the other party. Despite having his eyes glued to his phone, Shindo managed to dodge it by slightly tilting his head.
“You’re the one without business ethics, you son of a bitch. Trying to squeeze a flea’s liver with a copy, not even the original.”
“What would I do with your liver, CEO Woo? Make organ soup? I don’t eat that stuff. You know that.”
“I heard you eat it well now?”
“The young master doesn’t like it.”
“You’re crazy…”
Hyun-se was genuinely disgusted. While he could watch other people’s writhing innards with his bare eyes, that attitude of making a fuss even if the young master’s finger got a slight cut was irritating to see.
At first, he thought he’d play with that awful personality until he got sick of it and then discard him, but for some reason from the past, Shindo clung and obsessed over one person to a disgusting degree. Hyun-se couldn’t help but be shocked and sneer at the surprising change in his friend – or rather, evil friend – who used to be indifferent to everything.
Shindo, who had been staring at his screen without giving Hyun-se a glance, suddenly put the phone to his ear. Hyun-se’s face properly contorted at the burst of Shindo’s characteristically caustic nonsense that followed.
When he started rambling about the nightlife of the two people that Hyun-se neither wanted to know nor hear about, he couldn’t stand it anymore and washed his ears with alcohol in his palm. Even if it stung, disinfecting his ears contaminated by vulgar words took priority.
“I’m coming right now, so be ready. … What do you mean you can’t? What, you don’t have an excuse? Should I set the building on fire?”
Hyun-se had known Shindo was crazy long ago, but it seemed his madness was worsening day by day. Maybe someday he’d have to commit him to a mental ward with his own hands. And then, inevitably, he as the sane one would have to take care of the remaining shares.
Shindo abruptly ended the call and stood up. He checked the lighter in his pocket as if he might really set a fire. It would have been better for society if this bastard didn’t like people, Hyun-se thought, sending silent condolences to the person called ‘young master’ who had to deal with someone like that.
At the same time, Hyun-se understood. He knew what emotion underlay all these crazy actions – forcibly changing the other’s nature, checking the lighter as if to set fire to the company.
As that word rose to his consciousness, a bitter taste filled his mouth. It felt like lying awake in the early hours, staring at an unfamiliar hotel ceiling with open eyes. Feeling empty inside, angry, dejected, irritated—
He missed him like crazy.
He resented why he wasn’t by his side. Memories alone weren’t enough. He needed to hold those wrists and ankles, be embraced in those arms intoxicated by that scent, stroke that soft hair while entwining their bodies like snakes, becoming one. Only then did it seem the unending thirst might be quenched, even if just a little.
