Chapter 39
“Most of them don’t talk, and those who opened their mouths say they don’t know their faces or names. They said they were just hired through multiple intermediaries. And all the guys caught this time apparently received assassination training in the Philippines.”
That made sense. Their movements were completely different from anyone he’d encountered before. Just one clash was enough to know they were thoroughly trained. Was this really necessary, as Seo Igeon had said?
“So now they’re willing to kill me to take me away.”
Or if not that, they probably wouldn’t care if they blew off a limb or two. The most important thing they needed was his semen. If he really got captured, he’d live like a stud horse all day. Taekyung clicked his tongue and looked at the hospital room door where Igeon was. No matter what, threatening his family and hurting Seo Igeon was unforgivable.
“By the way, please check the dormitory. See if there are any bugs or surveillance cameras.”
“Was there something suspicious?”
“They knew exactly when I went up to the rooftop. Please also check if the dormitory CCTV has been hacked.”
“Yes.”
“Find out where their hideout is. They’re motivated by money, so they’ll likely respond to money. Try to persuade them.”
“Yes, understood. And the report has probably been sent to the chairmen. I think it would be good for you to contact them.”
“I understand.”
He wanted to avoid telling his parents if possible, but since some of those protecting Han Taekyung were his parents’ people, he couldn’t hide it. Han Taekyung sighed and called his fathers in front of Seo Igeon’s hospital room. They were naturally worried about him and said they would come to the hospital right away, but he stopped them. It was already late, and the incident was over, so he told them there was no need to come. Seo Igeon was injured, but he was treated well and would be discharged tomorrow—he reported all this to reassure them. But how could they be reassured? Their son had almost been killed by nearly ten assailants. The two of them probably felt their hearts sink as soon as they heard the report.
[It would be better for you to leave the dormitory for a while.]
“I think so too, but I can’t go home because of the selection trial training.”
[We bought a building in front of your school just in case. The security guards who are protecting you now live there and work in shifts. It’s about from the 5th to 15th floors, and the 1st to 5th floors are commercial spaces that are currently empty. We’ve blocked anyone from entering and set up fingerprint and iris recognition at the front door so only authorized people can enter the building. We’ve also set up CCTV and alarms that will sound if anyone approaches. You two can use the 10th floor. The other floors will have security guards. Don’t worry about the guards’ identities. We’ve verified them all multiple times.]
“Yes, Father. Thank you. I’ll discuss it with Igeon later.”
[It’s disheartening that this is happening when you should be focusing on the Olympics. I hope you can achieve the dream you’ve had for so long…]
Han Taeseok spoke with regret. Taekyung thought it was a problem that such a strong person became so vulnerable when it came to his own matters.
“I’ll definitely become a national representative and go to the Olympics, so don’t worry.”
[We’ll support you hard too. So please contact us if anything happens.]
“Yes.”
After hanging up, Taekyung went back into Igeon’s hospital room where he was sleeping and sat next to the bed. I’m afraid I’ll ruin your dream because of me. I’m not sure if it’s right to take you to the officetel with me. Maybe if you stayed in the dormitory alone and lived at school, would they lose interest in you? But this is my selfishness—wanting to be with you.
“I’m sorry.”
Han Taekyung stroked Igeon’s hand while apologizing. Right now, there was nothing else he could say besides that.
◆
“Wow, this is crazy.”
Seo Igeon was shocked to see the tools(?) that Han Taekyung’s security guards were putting down. When they went to the dormitory right after being discharged, everything was turned upside down, and he wondered if they’d been robbed. But that wasn’t it—the security guards were checking for bugs or surveillance cameras under Taekyung’s orders. And Taekyung’s suspicion was right. There really were bugs and surveillance cameras. That meant someone had entered when the two of them weren’t there, and checking the hallway CCTV showed suspicious cut sections. Taekyung had someone check for hacking, and indeed, they confirmed the CCTV had been tampered with, so they cut everything off. Seeing this gave him goosebumps. Feeling like he couldn’t sleep comfortably in the dormitory, Igeon agreed to go to the officetel that Taekyung had mentioned when he was discharged. They quickly moved their belongings and entered the newly built officetel in front of the school. Taekyung said this building was prepared by his parents for dangerous situations, and he explained how each floor was arranged.
“Here it is.”
The officetel where Igeon and Taekyung would stay was about 35 pyeong (approximately 1,155 sq ft), and was apartment-style with only two units per floor. Plus it was fully furnished with three bedrooms and two bathrooms… it was one of those dream spaces Igeon had only seen on TV or in news about rising real estate prices. It was even better than the dormitory because it had all the necessary furniture.
“Wow. This is nice.”
“You can have the big room.”
Taekyung first offered the master bedroom to Igeon. The big room had a queen-size bed and a wall-mounted TV, a bathroom with a tub, and even a separate closet.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t think I’ll sleep well in something this big. I’ll take the smaller room.”
But was the smaller room actually small? Not at all. It also had a queen-size bed that fit comfortably, and though it didn’t have a bathroom, it did have a closet, so there wasn’t much difference from the master bedroom. It even had a terrace. Surely those cockroaches wouldn’t climb the walls to the 10th floor. Now he could sleep with the terrace door open.
Igeon quickly unpacked in the smaller room before Taekyung could stop him. It was a modest amount of luggage—just a few clothes and some books—but he felt proud to have his own room, then shook his head as he thought about his bandaged head. This wasn’t the time to be happy about having a nice place. He needed to think about why they had to come here in the first place. After roughly organizing his things and coming out, the head of security arrived. The three of them sat in the living room and received explanations and reports about future action guidelines(?).
“From now on, we will escort you two. We will drive you from when you enter school until you leave, and while you’re training, we will guard the surroundings. We’ve already received permission from the school for this, and we will position ourselves so as not to interfere with your training as much as possible. Also, it may be inconvenient, but please refrain from eating out. If possible, it’s better to eat here. We don’t know what tricks they might play with food. The representative has prepared someone to cook for you, so you don’t need to worry.”
He never thought something like this would happen. His head was cracked, but it still felt unreal. How did this happen? It felt uncomfortable just hearing about this, so what kind of life had Han Taekyung been living until now? He had thought Taekyung was rich, handsome, and a promising future talent—what a life to live—but indeed, if you don’t know, you should keep your mouth shut.
“It will be inconvenient, but we need to stay closer from now on.”
After the head of security left, Han Taekyung said to Igeon.
“As if that’s new. We’ve been together 24 hours a day. How much closer can we get here? Should we hug and sleep in the same bed?”
Igeon waved his hand dismissively, joking that it was no big deal and not to worry.
“That’s a good idea too! Since things have turned out this way, should we use the same bed? The bed in the big room feels too spacious anyway.”
“I have bad sleeping habits, so no. You’ve seen me fall out of the dormitory bed sometimes.”
“That was because the bed was small.”
“Now that I think about it, I wonder how they expected men to sleep on those beds. My back always hurt when I woke up, but now it won’t.”
Igeon flopped down on the sofa with his head on Taekyung’s lap, saying it was more comfortable than those beds. Though surprised by Igeon’s sudden action, he didn’t show it. Instead, he gently stroked Igeon’s hair, avoiding his wound, and Igeon closed his eyes.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“No, not at all. The doctor must be skilled. As expected of your physician.”
“That’s a relief.”
How nice would it be to be like this in a good situation without any worries? He felt sorry for Igeon that they were here to escape. After all, they had to live in self-imposed confinement.
“I’ll resolve this quickly. At least by the Olympic selection trials.”
At Taekyung’s words, Igeon opened his eyes and looked at him. Their honest eyes gazed at each other.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. If you get hurt, it’s all for nothing. If staying like this is better, let’s just stay this way until the selection trials, no, until the Olympics, and deal with it afterward. I’ll help too.”
“No, I’ll handle this. I can’t let you get hurt anymore.”
“Hey, how are you going to deal with guys like that? And I heard from the security guys that there are even more than we know?”
“When did you hear that?”
“I asked while we were moving. The security guards are worried too. But how are you going to handle it alone? At a time when even a cat’s paw would help, I’ll help if I can. And I got hurt this time because it was the first time. I won’t get hurt again.”
“Promise. Promise you won’t get hurt.”
“I promise.”
Igeon raised his hand like he was taking an oath and then smiled. How bright and comforting that smile was. You don’t know.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
