“Our Ha-yoon, you see… was about to do something very adorable.”
“Adorable?”
“He was trying his best to get me drunk. And before that, he was rummaging through the kitchen for a long time—looked like he was trying to find the drug I used. He was probably planning to drug me, put me to sleep, and then run off somewhere.”
“What’s he doing now?”
“He’s passed out drunk, taking a nap.”
“Don’t leave his side just because he’s drunk. Keep an eye on him. We still haven’t caught that bastard, Seo Chang-seop.”
Crunch. It sounded like someone was grinding their teeth on the other end of the line.
“You still haven’t caught some worthless junkie? That’s pathetic. You’re making Choi Sang-hyuk’s name look bad.”
“That bastard used to play cop back in the day, so his instincts are sharp. He already had one close call with death, so he’s not even breathing right now, just hiding. But I think I’ve narrowed down the area he ran to. Won’t take much longer.”
At Choi Sang-hyuk’s words, Ha Jun-seo let out a low sigh. He had assumed taking down some lowlife wouldn’t be an issue, yet somehow, things had turned into this mess.
Ha Jun-seo pulled up Seo Ha-yoon’s empty text inbox again, staring at it as he spoke.
“I just checked—Ha-yoon erased all his messages with Seo Chang-seop. That means he was talking to him behind my back. And since he’s on the run, the one thing he’d need the most is cash. Ha-yoon probably planned to knock me out and meet up with him.”
“So, that means Ha-yoon knows where Seo Chang-seop is right now.”
“Most likely. But don’t even think about questioning him. I already told you, if Ha-yoon finds out what we know, he’ll refuse to stay with us. And I’m not letting that happen. So, you deal with Seo Chang-seop.”
“You’re deliberately choosing the harder path. Do you really think you can keep this hidden from Seo Ha-yoon forever? You’re underestimating him because of his current state, but you know he’s sharp as hell. If you try to deceive him, you’ll only end up getting played instead.”
Hearing that, Ha Jun-seo let out a mocking laugh.
“Big talk, coming from the guy who can’t even say Seo Chang-seop in front of Ha-yoon.”
“…..”
“You act like you’re different, but you’re just as scared to tell him. You know exactly what you’d lose if Ha-yoon found out, so you keep your mouth shut. If you’re so confident, why don’t you wake him up right now and tell him yourself? Want me to put him on the phone?”
“Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit.”
Choi Sang-hyuk spat the curse out like he wanted to tear him apart, but Ha Jun-seo didn’t even flinch. They were way past the point where mere insults could get under each other’s skin.
“Shut up? The fuck do you mean, shut up? You shut the hell up and go hunt that bastard down. The thought of him breathing, even for one more day—no, even for one more hour—makes my fucking teeth grind.”
“I’ll take care of things on my end. You just make sure to keep an eye on Seo Ha-yoon.”
“Don’t worry about that… Wait a second.”
In the middle of speaking, Ha Jun-seo suddenly fell silent, a strange feeling creeping over him.
“Meow—meow—”
Through the closed door, he could faintly hear Cheol crying.
“What? Ha Jun-seo, what’s going on?”
“Shh.”
Ha Jun-seo whispered sharply into the phone before carefully opening the door. Thankfully, no one was outside, and the bedroom door remained firmly shut.
Silently, he moved toward the bedroom and slowly turned the doorknob. The moment he cracked the door open, the two cats that had been sitting right in front of it bolted out.
“Fucking hell…”
Scanning the bed, Ha Jun-seo unconsciously cursed.
“What? What is it?”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s voice rang impatiently through the phone. Ignoring him, Ha Jun-seo quickly checked the en-suite bathroom and the dressing room, searching every corner. But Seo Ha-yoon was nowhere to be found.
Rushing to the entrance, he saw that Ha-yoon’s shoes were missing too. He flung the door open and glanced at the elevator panel—it had just stopped on the first floor.
“Ha Jun-seo, you fucking bastard. Say something!”
The voice on the other end grew loud and harsh, sensing something had gone wrong. Ha Jun-seo, shoving his feet into his shoes without even untying them, pressed the phone against his ear.
“Ha-yoon is gone.”
“What?! You useless fuck! I told you to watch one damn person, and you couldn’t even do that?!”
“Shut the fuck up. I know he was drunk and asleep—there’s no way he should’ve woken up this fast… Fuck it, I’m going after him now. You start looking too!”
Ha Jun-seo hung up roughly and jabbed the elevator button.
He had never thought much about elevator speeds before, but right now, it felt unbearably slow.
“Fuck, fuck…”
His frustration spilled out as a string of curses. He forced himself to stay calm. He hadn’t been on the call for long, meaning Seo Ha-yoon couldn’t have gotten far. He had no phone, no wallet—he couldn’t go anywhere significant. The most logical move would be to head home first to grab his wallet. That would explain why the elevator had stopped on the first floor.
If he really went home, there was still a chance to catch him in time.
Ding—
The elevator doors slid open. Ha Jun-seo stepped inside, frantically pressing the button for the first floor and jabbing at the close button over and over. As the doors shut and the elevator began descending, he anxiously watched the numbers change, his mind racing.
Had Seo Ha-yoon overheard the phone call?
***
As the elevator began its descent, Kim Min-seok silently stepped out from the emergency staircase. He glanced at the floor indicator for a brief moment, then quickly punched in Ha Jun-seo’s house passcode.
Meow—
As soon as he opened the door and stepped inside, the cats greeted him. Kim Min-seok patted their round heads once before scanning the living room. He quickly spotted Ha Jun-seo’s wallet sitting in a corner of the sofa and picked it up.
The wallet was packed with cards, but he ignored all of them. If he used even one, a notification would immediately be sent to Ha Jun-seo’s phone. What he needed right now was cash.
Fortunately, there was a decent amount inside—several 50,000-won and 10,000-won bills mixed together. More than enough to take a taxi to and from Incheon.
Kim Min-seok stuffed the cash into his pocket, then headed to the kitchen. He grabbed a paring knife and tucked it inside his jacket pocket. After that, he finally did what he hadn’t had the chance to do earlier—rummaging through the kitchen.
When he pulled open the lower drawers, he finally found them. Several plastic pill bottles.
He didn’t have the luxury to carefully inspect each one. Instead, he quickly picked out a few, then placed them on the cutting board. Using the back of a kitchen knife, he smashed the pills into a fine powder. Once done, he swept the crushed remnants into an empty plastic bottle. He had no idea exactly what was in the mix, but it would be enough to weaken Seo Chang-seop.
His heart pounded in his chest, unsure when Ha Jun-seo might return.
“Stay focused. Stay focused, Kim Min-seok.”
His vision swam from the alcohol, so he kept muttering it under his breath, over and over. He had to stay sharp. The only reason he even had this chance was that Ha Jun-seo had gone into the dressing room to take a call. If he hadn’t, there would’ve been no way to slip away unnoticed.
Kim Min-seok had woken up when he felt a hand slipping into his pocket, taking his phone. Even in his drunken haze, that sensation had jolted him wide awake. If Ha Jun-seo had gone so far as to steal his phone, then he must have already realized that someone had been secretly contacting him. Just the thought of what could have happened if he hadn’t deleted his messages with Seo Chang-seop made his stomach twist.
Still, in the end, it gave him an opportunity.
He had no idea who Ha Jun-seo was talking to, but he wouldn’t be on the phone for too long. Instead of rushing home immediately to grab his wallet and run, Kim Min-seok had hidden in the emergency stairwell of the floor above Ha Jun-seo’s apartment. The moment Ha Jun-seo realized he was gone, he would start searching for him frantically. That would be Kim Min-seok’s chance to slip into the apartment, take some cash, and get to Seo Chang-seop.
Having gathered everything he needed, Kim Min-seok said a silent goodbye to the two cats and closed the front door. Then, he pressed the elevator button.
He debated whether to take the elevator or the stairs. But at this point, it didn’t matter. If he ran into Ha Jun-seo, he’d just have to deal with it. The stairs seemed even riskier. No matter what, he had to take his chances with the elevator.
He pressed the close button and selected the basement level. His heart pounded wildly, his breath coming short as he stared at the changing numbers. The closer the elevator got to the first floor, the louder his heartbeat became.
Then, at last, the number changed to 1. Kim Min-seok held his breath.
A few seconds later, he let it out in a deep exhale. The elevator descended further, finally reaching the basement.
The doors slid open.
The underground parking lot was empty.
Kim Min-seok sighed in relief and stepped out, glancing around for the vehicle exit.
Ha Jun-seo would definitely be checking the apartment entrance and nearby taxi stands. Knowing that, Kim Min-seok slipped through the vehicle exit, emerging at the entrance of a different apartment building before heading straight for the back gate.
There was no sign of Ha Jun-seo.
Kim Min-seok exhaled in relief and waved down a taxi approaching in the distance.
“Incheon Dong Inn, please.”
As soon as Kim Min-seok gave the destination from the backseat, the taxi driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
“Incheon?”
“Yes.”
His heart pounded, fearing the driver might refuse the ride and tell him to get out. But the driver didn’t say anything else and simply started the car. Kim Min-seok sank as deep as he could into the seat, keeping his eyes on the passing scenery outside. Fortunately, the apartment complex was quickly fading into the distance.
“Had a drink, huh?” the taxi driver asked.
“Yeah.”
Still watching the apartment disappear behind him, Kim Min-seok let out a deep sigh and answered shortly. He was worried the driver might keep asking questions, but thankfully, the man focused on driving instead.
“How long will it take to get to Incheon?”
“Hmm… About an hour and a half?”
An hour and a half. Long if you thought about it, short if you didn’t. Either way, it was enough time for the alcohol in his system to wear off a little.
Kim Min-seok slumped further into the seat and closed his eyes. His heart was still hammering in his chest, and the cold weight of the knife inside his jacket pressed against him. But he forced himself to relax, hoping to steal a little rest before what lay ahead.
