“Seo Chang-seop… isn’t he Ha-yoon’s foster father?”
“…Yeah.”
“Did you look into him?”
Choi Sang-hyuk, who had noticed that Ha Jun-seo was deliberately trying to get him to talk, unclenched his fists, which had been trembling with rage. He spat out his words as if he were chewing them up.
“He’s just a fucking junkie. He’d eat his own shit if it meant getting his fix.”
After saying that, Choi Sang-hyuk took his phone out of his pocket. He pressed the call button and brought it to his ear.
“…It’s me. That Seo Chang-seop we were looking into earlier. Grab him right now and lock him up in the warehouse. …Yeah. The bastard’s as good as dead anyway, so I don’t care how rough you handle him. Just throw him in there and let me know when it’s done.”
“What are you planning to do?” Ha Jun-seo asked.
“If he’s done something worth dying for, then he should die.”
At the low voice, Ha Jun-seo spoke in a serious tone.
“From what I saw in those pictures, there’s probably more of this shit. He’s been abusing Ha-yoon since he was a kid—it’s been years. Who knows how many photos or whatever else he’s got… Not a single one of them can leak.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he vomits up everything he’s got hidden inside, even if I have to tear it out of his guts myself.”
As Choi Sang-hyuk spoke with a vicious tone, Ha Jun-seo cautioned him.
“And Ha-yoon can never find out we know. Understand?”
“No, he should know. When that bastard disappears from the world, he’ll finally feel safe. Otherwise, he’ll spend the rest of his life in fear.”
“I don’t agree. Seo Ha-yoon has survived all this time by clinging to his pride. If he had wanted help, he could’ve asked you, and it would’ve been taken care of instantly. But he hid it until the end. Why do you think that is? Because he’d rather die than let you or me find out. For all we know, that’s why he set up this whole situation in the first place.”
“So, what? You’d rather let him live in fear for the rest of his life? A little pain now, and he’ll be free forever. Once he sees Seo Chang-seop’s life snuffed out, all his trauma or whatever will vanish.”
“That makes sense too. But think about it, Choi Sang-hyuk. Do you really think Ha-yoon, with his pride, will want to stay by our side knowing we know about his past? If it were me, I couldn’t. This isn’t just about pride—it’s about his dignity as a human being. He can never find out.”
A brief silence settled between them. Both sides had their points. But in the end, only one decision could be made.
“Even now, what you’re most worried about is losing Seo Ha-yoon. You don’t give a fuck whether he lives in fear forever, as long as you can keep him tied to your side.”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s voice carried accusation.
“And you—can you let him go? You’re just a pathetic bastard who couldn’t even slap me when you found out I was fucking him, and yet you think you can let him go? Maybe you could, but I can’t. Never. I don’t have the kind of pride that lets me watch Ha-yoon—”
“You think I’m still here because I don’t see what’s going on? I’m clinging on like this because I’d rather hold onto him, even after seeing all of it, than let him go.”
“So what if he’s a little uneasy for a while? If Seo Chang-seop stays silent long enough, Ha-yoon will gradually start to feel safe. Then we’ll just make up some excuse and announce his death. A car accident, an overdose—whatever. Once that bastard is dead, won’t Ha-yoon finally be able to breathe easy?”
“Then the trauma will last forever. He needs to see that bastard die miserably with his own eyes to truly let go of everything he’s been holding inside.”
Choi Sang-hyuk was firm. Ha Jun-seo stared at him for a moment before shrugging.
“Then go ahead. Show Ha-yoon how Seo Chang-seop dies like a pathetic piece of shit. And when he realizes he can’t bear to face you anymore, let him go. But leave me out of it. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know a damn thing about Ha-yoon’s past or Seo Chang-seop. Now, when he leaves you, where do you think he’ll go? There’s nowhere else but to me. Works out perfectly for me.”
“You think I’ll let you take Ha-yoon from me?”
Choi Sang-hyuk grabbed Ha Jun-seo by the collar, his grip rough and unrelenting.
“If Ha-yoon chooses me, that’s the end of it. This isn’t about taking or stealing. It’s his decision to make. Wasn’t that the deal from the beginning?”
Ha Jun-seo responded with a cold smirk and added,
“Ah, I see. You agreed to that deal so easily because you never even considered the possibility that Ha-yoon might choose me over you. But now that some time has passed, it’s starting to feel different, isn’t it? You’re beginning to see just how comfortable Ha-yoon is when he’s with me. How much he leans on me. It’s finally starting to sink in, huh?”
“Ha Jun-seo. You son of a bitch.”
“Come on, it’s not like this is the first time you’ve thought that. Anyway, do whatever you want with Seo Chang-seop, tell Ha-yoon or don’t—I don’t care. Just leave me out of it.”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s grip on Ha Jun-seo’s collar tightened. Ha Jun-seo’s expression tensed slightly as his airway was constricted.
Click—
The sound of a doorknob turning broke the tense silence.
Both men immediately turned their heads toward the door.
Slowly, it creaked open.
Seo Ha-yoon stood there, his face pale as a sheet.
Choi Sang-hyuk and Ha Jun-seo froze, holding their breath.
***
“Choi Sang-hyuk? Ha Jun-seo?”
Kim Min-seok rubbed his sleep-laden eyes and called out to the two men. He had noticed light seeping out from the computer room, a place they rarely used, and had opened the door out of curiosity—only to find both of them inside together.
Choi Sang-hyuk and Ha Jun-seo looked slightly startled.
Kim Min-seok’s gaze landed on Choi Sang-hyuk’s hand gripping Ha Jun-seo’s collar. The moment their eyes met, Choi Sang-hyuk immediately let go, straightening his posture.
“Are you two fighting?”
Kim Min-seok asked cautiously, then, realizing his mistake, quickly glanced at Choi Sang-hyuk to gauge his reaction.
He had been explicitly warned not to sleep with Ha Jun-seo. But in the chaos of the day, had he fucked up?
Choi Sang-hyuk had to be grabbing Ha Jun-seo by the collar because of that.
“Choi Sang-hyuk, I… I’m sorry.”
Kim Min-seok lowered his head, unable to meet his gaze. A heavy sigh, like a boulder dropping, fell from his lips. He cautiously lifted his eyes to gauge the atmosphere.
The moment Choi Sang-hyuk met his gaze, he turned his head away, refusing to look at him. Ha Jun-seo, on the other hand, wore a strange, forced smile—neither completely stiff nor entirely natural.
Something felt off. But he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. One thing was clear, though—they had been fighting.
“What are you going to do, Choi Sang-hyuk?”
Ha Jun-seo directed the question at him.
“Shut the fuck up.”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s voice was cold and vicious. Yet, despite hearing such harsh words, Ha Jun-seo merely smirked, as if he had expected that exact reaction.
“Choi Sang-hyuk, I—”
Just as Kim Min-seok tried to offer some kind of excuse, Choi Sang-hyuk’s phone suddenly rang.
RRRRR—
It was just a simple ringtone, but Choi Sang-hyuk’s face hardened, becoming unreadable and terrifyingly cold.
Without warning, Ha Jun-seo stood up, walked over to Kim Min-seok, and gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
“Choi Sang-hyuk looks busy with work. How about we go grab something to eat? What do you think?”
Before Kim Min-seok could process what was happening, Ha Jun-seo was already leading him away. Feeling himself being subtly pulled along, he glanced back.
Choi Sang-hyuk stood still, holding his phone, his black eyes locked onto Kim Min-seok with a weighty intensity.
Click.
The door closed. And with it, Choi Sang-hyuk disappeared from view.
“I’ll make you some fresh strawberry milk. Sit here.”
Ha Jun-seo guided Kim Min-seok to the dining table, his expression unusually tense. Even before Kim Min-seok could answer, he had already taken out strawberries, milk, and a blender. Quickly, he tossed the ingredients in and turned on the machine.
Vrrrrrr—
The blender whirred loudly.
“Th—!!…Dong…!!”
From the direction of Choi Sang-hyuk’s room, a muffled shout burst out. The words were unclear, drowned beneath the noise, but one thing was obvious—Choi Sang-hyuk was absolutely furious.
Kim Min-seok instinctively tilted his head, trying to listen.
But right then, Ha Jun-seo abruptly cranked the blender to its highest setting.
VRRRRRRRRRR—!!!!
The deafening roar filled the room, so overpowering it sounded like it was grinding bricks instead of strawberries.
The shouting from the other room was completely drowned out.
A moment passed. The blender went silent. Ha Jun-seo poured the strawberry milk into a glass and placed it in front of Kim Min-seok.
“You must be thirsty after waking up. Drink up.”
He nudged the glass forward.
“…Yeah. Thanks.”
Kim Min-seok picked up the glass and took big gulps of the strawberry milk. At the same time, he subtly strained his ears toward Choi Sang-hyuk’s room.
But the call must have ended—there was no more sound coming from inside.
