Rrrrrr—
Suddenly, a phone rang. The piercing sound slammed into his ears, and in an instant, it felt like all the blood drained from his body. Kim Min-seok froze like a statue, his hands beginning to tremble uncontrollably. Seeing this, Ha Jun-seo firmly grasped his hand before reaching into his own pocket and pulling out his phone.
“Ugh, I keep getting so many pointless spam calls.”
Ha Jun-seo casually muttered as he silenced the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Realizing the ringtone had belonged to Ha Jun-seo and not him, Kim Min-seok slowly relaxed his stiffened body. Something suddenly clicked in his mind—no, this wasn’t the time to be sitting here laughing.
Kim Min-seok shot up from his seat and began searching frantically for his own phone. He couldn’t remember the last place he had seen it. He lifted the sofa cushions, shoved his hands into every nook and cranny, but it was nowhere to be found.
“What are you doing, Ha-yoon?”
“My phone… I’m looking for my phone. I swear I left it around here somewhere. Where is it…?”
As he anxiously searched every corner of the sofa, a chilling thought suddenly stopped him in his tracks.
No way… Ha Jun-seo didn’t see my phone, did he?
The mere possibility of it sent ice-cold dread washing over him. His fingertips began to tremble again. The thought that Ha Jun-seo might have seen that photo made his stomach churn violently.
“You… You didn’t happen to see my phone, did you?”
Kim Min-seok asked softly, deliberately avoiding eye contact. He tried to keep his voice steady, but there was an unmistakable quiver in it.
“Your phone? No, I haven’t seen it. You barely even use your phone. Maybe it rolled somewhere while we were messing around yesterday?”
Ha Jun-seo replied nonchalantly. Only then did Kim Min-seok dare to look at his face. His expression was completely neutral, as if he really had no idea. Thank God.
“I’ll help you look.”
Saying so, Ha Jun-seo began searching the sofa alongside him. At one point, he even got down on his knees and pressed his face to the floor.
“You don’t have to—”
“Ah, is that it?”
Ha Jun-seo suddenly spoke while peering under the sofa. Kim Min-seok immediately followed suit, lowering his head to check. His phone was indeed there, stuck just out of reach beneath the couch.
Before Ha Jun-seo could even extend his hand toward it, Kim Min-seok darted forward like lightning, snatching it up. Then, as if he wanted to erase its very existence, he hurriedly shoved it deep into his pocket.
“Thanks. I found it thanks to you.”
“You’re thanking me for the weirdest things. If you’re that grateful, then help me with the dishes.”
With that, Ha Jun-seo casually slung an arm around Kim Min-seok’s shoulder and steered him toward the kitchen.
They stood side by side at the sink, washing dishes together. Ha Jun-seo scrubbed with the sponge while Kim Min-seok rinsed and placed them on the drying rack. Though his hands moved mechanically, Kim Min-seok’s mind was elsewhere.
All of Kim Min-seok’s attention was fixated on the phone in his pocket.
He wondered if Seo Chang-seop had tried to contact him. It had only been a day since he handed over the money, so there probably hadn’t been any messages yet. But then again, he couldn’t be sure. Who knew what kind of addiction it was? If it was gambling, ten million won could have easily disappeared overnight. If Seo Chang-seop had managed to extort that much from him with just one photo, he might have already sent another message demanding even more. The mere thought made his skin crawl.
After finishing the dishes, Kim Min-seok glanced at Ha Jun-seo before quietly slipping away toward the bathroom. Ha Jun-seo, without saying much, simply went to sit on the living room sofa.
Inside the bathroom, Kim Min-seok turned on the sink faucet and sat down on the toilet lid. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his phone.
As soon as the screen lit up, he saw missed calls and unread messages. There were five missed calls from Seo Chang-seop, spread out from last night until dawn. Kim Min-seok hesitated for a moment before opening his messages. Three texts from Seo Chang-seop had arrived.
[Ha-yoon, something happened with your dad. Pick up the phone.]
[Seo Ha-yoon. Your dad is in big trouble right now. Transfer some money into the account. Just five million won.]
[You fucking bitch. Are you seriously ignoring my calls? Pick up the damn phone or send the money already!]
The last message had arrived around 5:30 a.m.
Kim Min-seok bit his lip as he checked the timestamps. Calling and texting at all hours of the night and early morning—something must have happened to Seo Chang-seop. Had something gone down at the gambling den? If he hadn’t contacted him at all since 5:30 a.m., it was possible he had been caught by someone. If not, maybe he was somewhere where he couldn’t make a call. Or maybe… his phone battery had simply died.
The fact that the messages had suddenly stopped made Kim Min-seok even more uneasy. There was a chance that Seo Chang-seop, furious about being ignored, was scheming something. After a long moment of hesitation, Kim Min-seok finally dialed Seo Chang-seop’s number.
“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable—”
So his guess was right. The phone was turned off.
Kim Min-seok felt a wave of relief that Seo Chang-seop hadn’t answered and ended the call.
“Haah…”
Pressing his forehead against his hands, he clutched the phone tightly. His chest felt unbearably heavy. Half of him wanted to run away. The other half knew he had to fight back somehow.
“What do I do… What do I do…”
He murmured to himself over and over, as if saying it aloud might miraculously summon an answer.
The best solution, of course, would be to tell Choi Sang-hyuk everything. That man was involved with something close to the mafia—at least in the dream, Seo Ha-yoon had referred to him as a loan shark. Someone like Seo Chang-seop wouldn’t be a problem for him to handle.
But…
“That’s not an option.”
Kim Min-seok muttered under his breath, gripping the phone so tightly it felt like he might crush it.
He couldn’t reveal Seo Ha-yoon’s past to Choi Sang-hyuk. Seo Ha-yoon had endured everything and still kept that secret no matter what. As an outsider, it wasn’t his place to expose it.
More than anything… Kim Min-seok himself didn’t want to say it out loud.
Right now, he was living as Seo Ha-yoon. And maybe, just maybe, he would continue living as Seo Ha-yoon forever. That meant Seo Ha-yoon’s past was his past as well. He didn’t want Choi Sang-hyuk or Ha Jun-seo to ever find out about that disgusting, repulsive history. Even if they were willing to embrace his past, he wasn’t confident he could look them in the eye after that.
He was completely trapped, with no way out.
Maybe it would be better to meet Seo Chang-seop in person and settle things once and for all. There was no way he’d willingly give up a weakness he could exploit for life, but if Kim Min-seok could find a way—any way—to get those photos and videos back, it would be worth it. Seo Chang-seop was clearly in a tight spot right now. If he was desperate enough, he might take the bait if offered a large sum of money upfront.
Taking a deep breath, Kim Min-seok clenched his fists. He was still anxious, still terrified, but at least his thoughts were starting to feel clearer. The way he had been panicking, like a cornered animal, suddenly felt foolish.
If he really were the real Seo Ha-yoon, the trauma from years of abuse might have rendered him completely paralyzed before Seo Chang-seop. But Kim Min-seok was different. He wasn’t Seo Ha-yoon. Seo Chang-seop wasn’t someone to fear. He was just a filthy, disgusting piece of trash. And trash like that deserved to be taken out.
Steeling himself, Kim Min-seok turned on his phone and typed out a message to Seo Chang-seop.
[I’m sick of handing over money like this. I’ll gather everything I can and give you 100 million won. But in exchange, you give me all the photos, all the videos—every single piece of evidence you have. If you refuse, I’ll take the picture you sent me and go straight to the police. I’m done being your puppet. Think carefully before you decide.]
He read over the message several times before hesitating. Then, he changed 100 million to 300 million.
100 million wouldn’t be enough. That bastard had probably already burned through that much, and if the bait was too small, he wouldn’t bite. But 300 million? That was a number Seo Chang-seop wouldn’t be able to ignore.
Kim Min-seok pressed send. Seo Chang-seop’s phone was off now, but sooner or later, it would be turned back on. And when he saw the message, he would definitely call. Until then, all Kim Min-seok could do was stay calm and wait.
Taking another deep breath, he shoved his phone deep into his pocket. Then, he turned on the sink and splashed his face with cold water. The chill against his skin helped clear his head.
He had stayed in the bathroom for too long.
When he stepped out, he found Ha Jun-seo sitting on the couch, watching a variety show. Kim Min-seok quietly walked over and sat down beside him. Normally, Ha Jun-seo would have teased him or asked questions, but this time, he didn’t say a word. Instead, he simply wrapped an arm around Kim Min-seok’s shoulders, pulling him in to rest against him.
“I never really watched variety shows before, but once you start, they’re actually kinda fun,” Ha Jun-seo commented.
“Right? They’re hilarious,” Kim Min-seok replied, chuckling softly at the TV. He let himself relax, leaning his head fully against Ha Jun-seo’s shoulder. It felt surprisingly… natural.
A particularly funny scene played, and both of them burst into laughter at the same time.
Kim Min-seok inhaled Ha Jun-seo’s gentle scent, listened to his easy laughter, and thought of Choi Sang-hyuk, who was sound asleep in the bedroom.
I never want to lose them. Not ever.
