Seon-woo stood frozen like a statue, watching as the black car rolled to a halt. He felt so dazed it was hard to believe this wasn’t a dream. Hadn’t they just been told no one would be able to find them for at least three days?
“No way… How…?”
He instinctively glanced around, wondering if it was Gwak Su-won or Seo Eun-jae’s crew again. But right then, he heard Eun-jae muttering beside him, sounding as if he’d just seen a ghost.
The others didn’t look much different. Thuggish-looking men murmured amongst themselves, clearly unsettled. In particular, Gwak Su-won was staring at the car like he’d just come face to face with an apparition. Only then did Seon-woo become certain that none of them were involved in what was happening. He turned his gaze back toward the car that had just arrived.
As everyone stood stunned, the car door opened, like a scene ripped straight out of a movie. A sleek leather shoe and a crisply pressed trouser leg appeared through the gap. If this were truly a film, the moment would’ve been drawn out with multiple slow-motion takes.
But the man who stepped out from the driver’s seat wasn’t someone who dragged things out. His movements were brisk yet never frantic, exuding composed confidence as he fully emerged from the car. It was a face Seon-woo had dared to hope for—but hadn’t truly expected to see.
Gwak Seung-hyeon wore a faint smile as he casually scanned the area with his eyes, then opened his mouth.
“Hello.”
A simple, polite greeting, paired with a clean-cut smile. It was utterly out of sync with the current atmosphere. The kind of voice you’d expect from someone arriving late to a lunch date at a nice restaurant. The only thing betraying his true mood was the chill in his eyes—sharp, unyielding.
“You’ve all been having such an intimate little gathering without me, huh?”
His tone was light, but it was clear who was tense here—it wasn’t him.
“I’m hurt, Hyungnim.”
His eyes locked onto Gwak Su-won. The familiar, even affectionate way he used the term “Hyungnim” felt jarring. But technically, it wasn’t strange—Su-won was Seon-woo’s older cousin, which made him Seung-hyeon’s cousin too.
Su-won dabbed at his face with a handkerchief, visibly nervous. A short, incredulous laugh escaped him. He was trying to stay composed, but the calm had already drained from his expression.
“How did you even know we were here…?”
He trailed off, not finishing the sentence. Seung-hyeon didn’t bother answering. Instead, he turned his head and began walking straight toward Gwak Seon-woo.
Seon-woo stared blankly as Seung-hyeon approached. The man had clearly seen Seo Eun-jae standing in front of Seon-woo. Not to mention the gangsters surrounding them. But in this moment, Seung-hyeon walked as if none of it mattered—like Gwak Seon-woo was the only one who existed in that entire space.
Even Seon-woo momentarily forgot that Eun-jae was right beside him. It wasn’t until Eun-jae reached out and grabbed his shoulder with a firm grip that he snapped back to reality.
Almost at the exact moment Eun-jae grabbed hold of Seon-woo, the gangsters standing beside Gwak Su-won stepped forward to block Seung-hyeon’s path. The way they loosened their hands and shifted their weight made their intentions clear—they meant to intimidate.
But Seung-hyeon didn’t look even the slightest bit tense. Compared to the thugs, who were basically gangsters in all but name, Seung-hyeon looked like someone raised right—wholesome, polished, and clean-cut. Not to mention, the number of men on their side vastly outnumbered him. Seon-woo instinctively tensed, afraid Seung-hyeon might get jumped, flinching involuntarily. But tied tightly to the chair and held down by Eun-jae, there wasn’t much he could do.
Seung-hyeon glanced briefly at the arm blocking his way and opened his mouth.
“Sorry, I’m just in a bit of a hurry.”
The calmness in his voice was almost surreal given the circumstances. He even wore a pleasant, customer-service kind of smile.
“If it’s not something urgent, would you mind saving it for later?”
The words were polite—absurdly polite, in fact, considering he was being threatened by gangsters. And unsurprisingly, they weren’t the type to appreciate civility.
“The hell’s he babbling about?”
The same man who’d raised his hand toward Seon-woo sneered again, voice full of mockery. Then, without warning, he threw a punch straight at Seung-hyeon. Seon-woo squeezed his eyes shut instinctively. But instead of the dull thud he’d braced for, all he heard was a light, exaggerated exclamation.
“Whoa there.”
It sounded almost theatrical, as if Seung-hyeon had said it on purpose. He’d smoothly leaned his head back, dodging the punch by a hair’s breadth without so much as losing his balance. Then he calmly reached out, took hold of the man’s wrist with his palm, and gently pushed it away.
“Let’s keep this verbal, yeah?”
Seung-hyeon didn’t bother prolonging the standoff. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Gwak Su-won and asked in an unfazed tone,
“Are you just going to stand there and watch?”
It was a pointed suggestion that Su-won should call off his men. But someone who believed they held the upper hand wouldn’t be quick to intervene with diplomacy. Seung-hyeon seemed fully aware of that. He let out a soft laugh and answered his own question.
“Hyungnim, do you think I’m some kind of idiot?”
There was a faint hint of contempt laced in those words, and Seon-woo caught it. Seung-hyeon returned to his usual calm expression, shrugging nonchalantly.
“You really think I came all the way here alone and empty-handed?”
Seon-woo, who had briefly thought Seung-hyeon might’ve done exactly that—driven here solo in a single car—suddenly felt guilty. He averted his gaze. Thankfully, Seung-hyeon didn’t notice and kept pressing Su-won in his steady voice.
“Even if you beat the crap out of me, I doubt you’ll get much out of it.”
It didn’t sound like a bluff. As if to prove it, there was a subtle stir outside the door. Of course, if Seung-hyeon had been able to find this place, there was no reason he’d come alone. Maybe Su-won had actually believed no one would find them, but now he was sweating bullets as he glared toward the entrance. Eventually, he gave in and motioned for the men to back off.
Seung-hyeon started walking again—this time with no obstacles in his way. He approached Seon-woo directly. The strength in Eun-jae’s grip on Seon-woo’s shoulder faded. His hand slowly slipped away.
Still, Seon-woo’s eyes remained locked on Gwak Seung-hyeon.
As Seung-hyeon resumed walking and closed the distance, he crouched slightly and immediately spoke.
“Why does your pretty face look so roughed up again? Are you feeling unwell?”
Seon-woo didn’t respond right away—not because he was conscious of Eun-jae standing next to him. In that moment, he’d forgotten Eun-jae existed at all.
“You used to be so sturdy. Lately, I don’t know why you’re always looking so fragile. You’re making me worry, you know.”
“…Well, maybe someone keeps giving me a headache.”
Seon-woo barely managed to muster a reply, trying to match Seung-hyeon’s playfully teasing tone with a deadpan joke of his own. He stared directly at him as he spoke, so Seung-hyeon had to know who the comment was aimed at—but he just widened his eyes innocently.
“Now who would be so shameless to do that?”
A faint smile tugged at Seon-woo’s lips. Seung-hyeon lowered himself to one knee, looking up to meet Seon-woo’s gaze.
“Surely you’re not talking about me, right? I don’t think I’m the one giving you grief.”
Even Seon-woo had to admit that was a bold claim. He tried to brush it off with a scoff, but Seung-hyeon placed a hand gently on Seon-woo’s knee and kept going.
“If anything, I’m the one who’s all torn up inside. You said you’d stop by the house… Instead, I drive for hours and find you here, looking like you’re half-dead.”
That’s right—he’d left a message for Seung-hyeon saying he’d come home. And now here he was, caught up in this mess. Embarrassed, Seon-woo avoided his eyes. Seung-hyeon muttered in a quiet, almost scolding tone.
“What if I hadn’t come looking?”
Seon-woo glanced down at Seung-hyeon’s chocolate-brown hair.
Maybe it was the sudden release of tension, or maybe it was simply the effect of facing Seung-hyeon—but the headache and fatigue were intensifying. Still, his curiosity outweighed the discomfort, and he forced the pain to the back of his mind. It was sheer willpower keeping him upright.
“Come to think of it… how did you even find this place?”
Seung-hyeon answered immediately.
“Ah, that’s too embarrassing to say out loud here.”
Seon-woo gave him a bewildered look. He opened his mouth to respond, but the timing was uncanny—right then, people began emerging from the door Seung-hyeon’s car had barreled through. They looked like security personnel, probably from Seon-woo’s side. Among them, he spotted his secretary. With that, his gaze flicked back to Seung-hyeon.
While everyone else was distracted, the grin on Seung-hyeon’s face vanished, replaced by a serious expression. He leaned in close, bringing his mouth near Seon-woo’s ear, and whispered,
“Did you find out anything?”
Seon-woo snapped to attention, forcing his mouth open despite the dizziness that threatened to knock him out.
“It’s Nam Jeong-dong. He’s the one pulling the strings.”
“Your uncle?”
Seon-woo nodded. Unlike himself, who couldn’t even recall the man’s full name earlier, Seung-hyeon immediately understood who he was referring to. As expected.
“Do you have proof?”
“That’s the problem… I don’t have anything solid.”
“Then what do you think I should do?”
The conversation moved quickly. Seon-woo answered cautiously.
“…Let’s try contacting Aunt’s side.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
It wasn’t hard to guess what Seung-hyeon was worried about. After a moment’s deliberation, Seon-woo nodded.
“If she really is someone who stands by her word… or rather, if my judgment of her wasn’t wrong—then it should be okay.”
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
Seung-hyeon didn’t press further and simply agreed. The most important message had been conveyed, so it felt like they could finally breathe a little. Seon-woo furrowed his brow as he stared into Seung-hyeon’s eyes. Though it was from the headache, he had no idea how that expression might appear to Seung-hyeon.
“You’re… calmer than I expected.”
At that, Seung-hyeon gave a soft smile.
“Then I’m glad it looks that way.”
It sounded like he was implying the truth was anything but. Seon-woo watched his face closely, and Seung-hyeon continued in the same calm tone.
“But I’d kind of like you to know… that I’m holding back a lot right now, Director.”
Just as Seon-woo opened his mouth to respond—
<Gwanggong Score has decreased by 6! >
<Due to lingering status effects, ‘Status Effect: Silent Austerity’ has been stacked.>
<Sudden drop in score has triggered ‘Status Effect: Narcolepsy’ as a secondary condition.>
The notifications made it clear—something was hellbent on preventing him from finishing this conversation with Gwak Seung-hyeon.
Seon-woo clenched his jaw and lowered his head. Seung-hyeon raised both hands and took a step back, as if someone had just pointed a gun at him.
“I swear, kissing you here wasn’t on the agenda.”
At that moment, Seon-woo didn’t even realize he looked like someone who’d been called out preemptively. He barely lifted his eyes, which were now blurring with dizziness, and met Seung-hyeon’s gaze.
Thank god he came to find me. That’s what he wanted to say.
