#58
As Taemin left the cafe, he finally noticed the police station across the street. He then shifted his gaze to where he and Idam had been sitting until just moments ago. Idam was still there, and their eyes met, as if Idam had been watching Taemin. But Idam quickly showed a flustered expression and began examining the box containing his belongings.
“Hah.”
Sighing, Taemin tilted his head awkwardly and turned to Secretary Kang, who was standing behind him like a high official.
“It seems Yeo Idam suddenly came into 350 million won. Find out the source of this money.”
“Understood.”
“And start tailing him now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Secretary Kang bowed as he answered.
Taemin immediately headed for the sedan he had arrived in. He took out a cigarette from his back pocket and put it in his mouth. At the same time, Secretary Kang quickly fumbled through his pockets. But he faced Taemin with a look of dismay.
“Mr. CEO. I don’t have a lighter right now.”
“Ah, that’s because I haven’t been smoking for a while, right?”
“Yes… yes, sir.”
Secretary Kang didn’t smoke due to health concerns, and he was being careful, aware that Taemin was currently extremely sensitive.
“I have one.”
Taemin took out a Zippo lighter from his suit’s inner pocket and lit the cigarette. Hazy smoke enveloped his face.
“Hah… Yeo Idam. When will I bring him back?”
His brow furrowed mercilessly, as if collapsing. If he let go now, it felt like he’d never encounter such a fairy again…
* * *
Idam entered the motel, carrying the box.
The elevator in the narrow lobby was on the top floor, and his room was on the second floor, so he took the stairs. Soon, he saw the door marked 201. Idam opened the door with the card and entered, taking off his sneakers. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Hayun appeared. His face looked fresh, as if he had just washed it.
“You’re back? Did you meet Ji Taemin?”
“Yeah.”
“How did it go?”
After asking, Hayun noticed the box Idam was carrying and looked relieved.
“You’ve already brought all your things?”
“Yeah. The CEO brought my belongings, as if he knew I’d be leaving like this.”
“That’s a huge relief. I was worried you might have been dragged away by that man.”
Idam answered with a smile, then placed the box on the table and sat on the sofa. It felt strange. Why didn’t his heart feel at ease? It was as if a cold lump of lead was pressing down on his solar plexus.
Unable to decipher his complex emotions, Idam looked at the open window. He thought maybe looking at the blue sky would alleviate this stifling feeling. But he noticed an acrid smell. Feeling discomfort, Idam got up and approached the window.
He could see men gathered in the alley, smoking cigarettes. That’s why the smoke was drifting up to here.
“Cough, cough.”
Idam coughed and closed the window.
‘Actually, I quit smoking because of you, Idam.’
Taemin’s words as he left the cafe came to mind. And he also recalled the friends at the gathering mentioning that Taemin had been a chain smoker. Even then, he had wondered why Taemin had quit smoking, but to think it was because of him…
“Why did you close the window?”
Hayun, who had been applying skin care products at the dressing table, looked at Idam through the mirror.
“Cigarette smoke was coming in.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t notice. I used to smoke a lot too at one point.”
Hayun had also been a smoker in the past.
“Hayun, was it really hard for you to quit smoking?”
“Of course. Wow, I thought I was going to lose my mind. I even had breathing difficulties later.”
“It was that bad.”
Idam, who had never even tried a cigarette out of curiosity, found it fascinating.
“But now I hardly think about it. And my body is definitely healthier, and life has improved. That was the case for me, and I wasn’t even a heavy smoker. It must be really tough for chain smokers to quit.”
Hayun’s comments made Idam feel like he was being pulled into an incomprehensible whirlpool of emotions.
“Hey Hayun, was Ji Taemin CEO a heavy smoker?”
“That’s right. Every time he came to Pungjeobcho, he always had a cigarette in his mouth. Come to think of it, you must have smelled like smoke when you were with him. Was that okay?”
“Ah… yeah…”
Idam didn’t want to go into detail about how Taemin had quit smoking because of him. Besides, Hayun had such a negative view of Taemin that he might not believe it anyway.
“That’s strange. It must have smelled quite strong. Anyway, since that person is a chain smoker, I’d say it’s impossible for him to quit.”
“I… I see…”
To think such a person had quit smoking because of him… It was perplexing. Why would he do that?
“Oh no, it’s already this late.”
Suddenly looking busy, Hayun gathered his outerwear.
“Idam, I have to go out now because it’s almost time for my appointment. So I’ll deposit the money in the evening.”
“Oh, okay. Got it.”
Idam needed to increase his transfer limit anyway. And he had told Taemin he’d deposit the money by tomorrow, so there was no rush.
“Rest then. Let’s eat out for dinner tonight. There’s a famous clam barbecue place nearby, how about that?”
“Anything is fine with me.”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon, so just wait a bit.”
Speaking in an excited voice, Hayun hurriedly put on his shoes and left. Idam saw him off, pretending to be cheerful, but his mouth felt as if it were full of bitter medicine. He was about to be free from Taemin, so why wasn’t he happy at all? He really couldn’t understand his own heart.
* * *
Taemin opened the door to his bedroom. The curtains were drawn back, and the sunset was settling on the window. After meeting Idam earlier, he had returned to the company to finish work and had just now come home. Usually, Idam would be sleeping naked, wrapped in the bed sheets, or greeting him. But yesterday and today, the bed without Idam felt like a desolate land devoid of life.
With a face full of emptiness, Taemin finished showering and approached the bed wearing only a robe. He lay face down on the spot where Idam usually slept, burying his face in it. Idam’s scent and sweet fragrance remained very faintly on the sheets. But as time continued to pass, this scent too would disappear as if it had never been there.
“Hah…”
It had only been one night since Idam left his arms, but already his body felt like it was becoming useless. He couldn’t bear the desire to strip Idam naked, touch him, and feel him. The impact was considerable now that the existence he had believed to be a fantasy had materialized and then disappeared.
He didn’t know how much he had restrained the urge to kidnap Idam at the cafe earlier and bring him here to ravish him. Especially when Idam was explaining firmly with his bird-like lips that he wanted to terminate their contract, Taemin thought he would go crazy with the desire to kiss him. That’s why he ended up laughing, to suppress that lust. And he was also dumbfounded.
Impulses might give immediate satisfaction, but in the long run, they weren’t good. Even if it took some time, he wanted to naturally bring Idam into his arms and then train him to obey his words well.
To the point where Idam wouldn’t even think of running away even if the door was wide open. It was a relationship that wouldn’t last long anyway, ending when Taemin got bored. So it should be Taemin, not Idam, who ended it first. This wasn’t the kind of ending he wanted.
He had to persuade and govern Idam somehow to bring him back. That’s why he had decided to give Idam his belongings as he wished and watch, wondering what Idam was relying on to act this way. If he had known it would be like this, he shouldn’t have killed Heo Jitae. He could have used him to create a new debt for Idam and have a reason to keep him by his side.
Just then, his phone on the bedside table started vibrating. Taemin quickly grabbed the phone, hoping it might be Idam. He hoped Idam would say he couldn’t get the money and ask to be taken back. But the caller was Secretary Kang. With his rising expectations shattered, he answered the phone on speaker mode with a somewhat annoyed expression.
[Mr. CEO. I’ve found out the source of Yeo Idam’s 350 million won.]
At Secretary Kang’s words, Taemin sat up.
“Tell me.”
[It’s money given by a regular customer who often requested Jang Hayun when he worked at Pungjeobcho. The customer’s name is Kwon Gicheol. He’s about the same age as you, sir. He apparently gave his business card to Pungjeobcho employees, saying he works as a director at a modeling agency called ‘Oreum Planning’. But it seems he promised to give 500 million won as a signing bonus to scout Jang Hayun as a clothing brand model. It looks like he was going to give 350 million of that money to Yeo Idam.]
“So that’s why the baby is acting so brazen, asking to terminate the contract.”
Taemin laughed in disbelief.
[It appears that Kwon Gicheol was also a sponsor of the orphanage where Jang Hayun and Yeo Idam lived in the past. It seems he visited often for volunteer work. So his relationship with Jang Hayun naturally continued.]
“To be honest, Jang Hayun doesn’t have the outstanding visuals to be used as a model. Are they really going to make him a model?”
Taemin added that it would make more sense if Idam were the protagonist.
[No, sir. Upon investigation, there is no employee named Kwon Gicheol at Oreum Planning.]
“What?”
[Rather, he is currently running Baren Capital.]
Baren Capital? The name sounded familiar. Taemin furrowed his brow, trying to remember what it was.
[It’s the loan shark company that Heo Jitae was running. As it turns out, they were business partners.]
It seemed like an unbelievable coincidence that the other owner of the loan shark company Idam had borrowed money from was a sponsor from their orphanage days.
“Then isn’t Kwon Gicheol using money to lure Jang Hayun into some scheme?”
[Yes. He probably thought Jang Hayun would be useful in that way, being a male omega. And I also investigated Jang Hayun’s account, but he hasn’t even received the 500 million yet.]
“He probably has no intention of giving it.”
Taemin, who had dealt with such fraudulent nouveau riche more than once, fell into thought for a moment. Soon, his eyes turned cold.
“Then this Kwon Gicheol or whatever his name is. After recruiting Jang Hayun, isn’t he also targeting Yeo Idam? If they’ve known each other since the orphanage, he must know Yeo Idam’s face too. Above all, Yeo Idam is much prettier than Jang Hayun, isn’t he?”
Taemin speculated with eyes full of infatuation. In contrast, Secretary Kang let out a momentary groan of disagreement before quickly hiding it and speaking.
[Should we plant some men around Yeo Idam for his safety?]
“Do that immediately.”
Taemin ordered decisively. After ending the call, he fell into thought about how to reclaim Idam. A somewhat pride-hurting method came to mind, but he had no choice. He couldn’t bear to be without his fairy for even a moment now.
* * *
Idam looked at the clock with anxious eyes. It was currently 11:52 PM. It was almost midnight. Hayun, who had said he’d be back soon earlier, still hadn’t returned.
Already not in his right mind, feeling uneasy because of Taemin, Idam realized something was wrong around dinner time. Thinking Hayun was later than expected, he had called but there was no answer, and it was the same when he sent messages. This had continued until now. Idam sensed that something was going wrong.
Had he gotten into an accident somewhere?
Becoming anxious, Idam’s palms began to sweat, and he decided he couldn’t just stay in the room like this. He thought he should probably go to the police station. Just as Idam was about to leave the room after hurriedly putting his wallet and old phone in his pants pocket and putting on his sneakers,
Scattered footsteps began to be heard from outside the door. Feeling threatened, Idam unconsciously stepped back, still wearing his sneakers.
