#103
“Ji Taemin, you crazy bastard!”
Im Hoyoung shouted at Taemin, who was lying on the bed in the bedroom.
“Ah, so noisy…”
Taemin’s forehead was furrowed, and his head was covered in bandages.
“You’re the only madman who would crack your own skull.”
Im Hoyoung was utterly exasperated.
Earlier, when he heard the news that Idam had escaped, he decided to wait first. He was confident that Taemin would soon drag Idam back, as he was uncannily good at catching people. He also thought that such a small person couldn’t run away very well.
But the only one who returned was Taemin, bleeding. According to Secretary Kang, he had hit himself on the head with a rock. Im Hoyoung clicked his tongue and began checking Taemin’s condition.
“How’s your stomach? Feeling nauseous?”
“No…”
“Does your head hurt?”
“I think I have a bit of a headache…”
The questions continued, and Taemin answered without much difficulty.
“We’ll need to go to the mainland for a detailed examination, but it doesn’t seem to be anything serious like a concussion or fracture. It looks like just some abrasions on the scalp. It’s because you’re an extremely dominant alpha that it ended at this level. If you were a different type, it could have led to serious fractures or bleeding.”
“…”
“Why did you suddenly start hitting your head with a rock? Have you really gone mad?”
“I did it because I wanted to know what I did to Yeo Idam during my rut cycle.”
“What?”
Im Hoyoung was dumbfounded. Although Taemin seemed to be unusually concerned about the aftereffects this time, unlike before, he didn’t expect him to do something this insane.
“So, did you remember?”
“No…”
Taemin gritted his teeth. It was still a mystery.
But.
‘Don’t say things like that…’
‘You keep making me misunderstand.’
Was it because of the impact to his head? He could now guess what he had blurted out from Idam’s statements. If this was true, it was mind-boggling.
That’s why he wanted to know for sure even more. Taemin cradled his head and got up from the bed.
“I need to catch Yeo Idam…”
“Hey!”
Im Hoyoung grabbed Taemin’s arm in panic.
“Where are you trying to go in that condition? Are you crazy?”
“Ha…”
“I understand you’re desperate, but rest first. Other employees will find him. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Shut up!”
“Your father’s nose bone is broken because of you, and he’s gone to the hospital! You should be worried about that!”
Im Hoyoung said this hoping to divert Taemin’s attention elsewhere, even a little, as he was obsessively clinging to Idam. But Taemin didn’t care about his father at all.
“Yeo Idam is only valuable if I catch him myself…”
Taemin was obsessed even up to the moment of surrounding Idam. Eventually, he pushed Im Hoyoung aside and rushed out of the bedroom.
“That crazy bastard, really…”
Im Hoyoung sighed and grabbed his head with both hands. His hair instantly became like a bird’s nest. At that moment, his phone started ringing. He wondered who could be calling in this distressing situation. Im Hoyoung checked the screen with tired eyes.
“Huh?”
He answered, puzzled.
“Rickdi, what’s the occasion?”
[Are you in Jihwado right now?]
“Yes. I told you in the group chat before. I said I was going to see Taemin.”
[Is Yeo Idam safe?]
“Huh? Why are you looking for Yeo Idam?”
[Just answer me.]
“Don’t even mention it. He’s run away, and Taemin’s gone crazy trying to catch him. I don’t know how someone who looks so innocent can run away so well.”
There was a moment of silence from Rickdi after Im Hoyoung’s lament.
[Im Hoyoung. From now on, do exactly as I tell you.]
“What?”
[You bring Yeo Idam to Seoul.]
Im Hoyoung felt like he’d been shot in the head by Rickdi’s words.
“Why should I? Do I want to be purged by Taemin? Are you crazy?”
Im Hoyoung retorted, dumbfounded. But at Rickdi’s next words, his body froze.
* * *
“Haa… Haa…”
Idam was hiding in a cave. Although he had come here in a hurry, he was afraid, thinking Taemin could appear at any moment. How long would he have to stay in this forest? He was already reaching his physical limits. His clothes were soaked, and he felt cold every time the wind blew. His body shivered, and he felt nauseous. His eyes kept closing.
But what Idam needed most right now was shoes. After running with injured soles, they hurt even more now. He remembered the shoes in the villa’s dressing room. Should he quickly go there to get shoes? But that would be like entering a tiger’s den.
“What should I do…”
Just as he was pondering, he sensed someone approaching. Startled, Idam pressed his body against the wall. His heart pounded.
“Where the hell did Yeo Idam hide?”
“This is driving me crazy. Really.”
He heard the irritated voices of men. Feeling another crisis of escape, Idam looked to assess their positions. They were burly security guards.
“Didn’t you remember how he flew around like a mouse at Baekwol Hotel last time?”
“Shit, that pissed me off back then too.”
“That whore’s got damn fast feet.”
“The CEO seemed really angry. I heard he’s going to fire that female employee who was with that whore?”
What?
Idam instinctively knew that the female employee referred to Sujeong.
“Why? Did Yeo Idam set his eyes on that woman instead of the CEO?”
“Who knows.”
“I heard they’re sending her back to Korea today.”
“What a mess! Really. Who does that whore think he is?”
Facing this slander about himself, Idam felt dejected and curled up into a ball. In fact, being called and treated as the “mistress” all this time was absurd, and this was reality. Idam once again realized his situation.
“What are you doing here now?”
Taemin’s ominous voice was heard.
At his appearance, Idam shrank his body even more. He tightly closed his mouth to prevent even his breathing from being heard. The security guards who had been viciously badmouthing Idam also seemed flustered by Taemin’s appearance and stammered.
“Huk… Ce… CEO…”
“You useless bastards can’t even do your job properly, and now you’re badmouthing others!”
Soon after, the sound of hitting was heard. The men’s groans followed. Even without seeing it with his own eyes, it was a moment when Idam could guess what Taemin had done. The image of Hyeongman falling flashed in his mind.
“Incompetent bastards who can’t even recognize Yeo Idam when he’s right under your noses.”
What? What does this mean?
Idam felt a chill run down his spine at Taemin’s words.
No way…
Soon after, Taemin’s shadow gently fell over the entrance of the cave.
“Idam-ssi, come out. I know you’re there.”
“…”
He’d been caught.
Idam bit his lip first. But how did he know he was hiding here? His pheromones were malfunctioning right now. Or did he sense some other scent? He was sweating, but it wasn’t as if that spread as much as pheromones.
Footsteps continued. The long shadow also fell in front of Idam. His heart felt like it would burst.
He was scared. Terrified. Felt like he was going to die.
“Do… Don’t come. Huk.”
Idam was so flustered that his inner thoughts slipped out. He covered his mouth, realizing his mistake. At that moment.
“Hic.”
A damn hiccup came out. It was like causing a flood after spilling water.
“Our hiccup is starting again.”
Taemin’s voice rang out, tinged with laughter. Soon, he appeared in front of Idam.
“Oh?”
Idam’s pupils dilated even more as he faced Taemin’s appearance. It was because of the bandages plastered all over his head. They definitely weren’t there earlier, so had they suddenly appeared? Did he get hurt while looking for him? Feeling a corner of his heart soften, Idam asked a question.
“Wh… Why is your head like that?”
“Thinking about you.”
“You thought about me and… hurt your head?”
It seemed like such a fallacy. By that logic, Idam’s head should have already exploded. Taemin just smiled strangely without answering. Instead, he took another step closer.
“Baby. Let’s go back.”
“I, I’m not going back. I’ve made my intentions clear.”
Idam stood up, trembling. Taemin’s shoulders seemed to broaden even more, as if he was tense too. Idam contemplated how to break through and get past him. Taemin was also calculating how to catch Idam. A tense atmosphere hung between them.
That’s when it happened.
“CEO!”
At Secretary Kang’s voice, Taemin’s guard dropped for a moment and he turned around. An opening had appeared. Idam saw his chance. He quickly ran out of the cave. It was a movement faster and more solid than the wind.
“Ugh.”
But damn it, his injured foot couldn’t take even one more step. He quickly lost balance and fell. Taemin, as if he had been waiting for this, lay on top of Idam’s back and embraced him.
“Let… Let go…”
“No.”
Idam’s small body was trapped in Taemin’s arms.
“Let go! Get away!”
Idam tried to break free from Taemin’s embrace, but it was useless. Gradually, Taemin’s sticky pheromones felt like ropes. Perhaps because of this, the heat in his abdomen grew stronger. Idam began to feel a strange lethargy, and his consciousness drifted far away.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
