The Main Character is Obsessed With a Foreign Substance

“For the time being, don’t go outside and just stay at home.”

“But I’m really fine.”

“The chairman gave you vacation time to rest properly. Listen to me.”

“Hmm.”

There was a somewhat forceful atmosphere coming from Seunghyun. But Suhwan could tell that the reason was concern. In the end, Suhwan nodded.

“Okay.”

“Promise me. Contact me whenever you go out.”

“I said okay.”

Nevertheless, Seunghyun wore a dissatisfied expression, as if he still couldn’t be reassured. It was unusual behavior, but it seemed Seunghyun had been deeply shocked by the kidnapping incident. So it seemed fine to do as he wished for a few days.

Suhwan nodded, deliberately suppressing his uneasy feelings.

***

Hwalyeon was receiving a report from her secretary. Her eyes quickly scanned the internet articles that were popping up like mushrooms.

Suhwan had been kidnapped by Geonyul and suffered terrible violence, and the police, after receiving a report, raided the hideout and rescued Suhwan. By that point, Geonyul was already unconscious after being hit on the head with a liquor bottle. Suhwan said he didn’t remember clearly, but given that the chains restraining his hands were undone and the position of the liquor bottle, it seemed that Suhwan had struck Geonyul with the bottle while resisting unconsciously.

But anyway, since the circumstances of Ju Geonyul kidnapping Suhwan were so evident, he was inevitably in police custody. Normally, Hansung would have somehow gotten Geonyul out, but unfortunately, they weren’t in a position to do so. This was because Hwalyeon had exposed the past of Hansung and HS to the media, which she had prepared in advance.

“What about Chairman Ju Seonghyuk?”

“As expected, he is denying all the circumstances.”

“He would.”

Hwalyeon didn’t think she could bring him down easily either. He probably didn’t even sneer when the article first came out. Since it was an incident from over a decade ago, and he thought he had completely erased all evidence.

But in a corner of his mind, he couldn’t completely erase the doubt. What if… If there was evidence that couldn’t be erased back then?

And Hwalyeon targeted that mindset precisely. Chairman Ju Seonghyuk had indeed meticulously erased all evidence. That was an undeniable fact. So Hwalyeon decided to create the evidence. No, she decided to fabricate plausible evidence to make him suspicious and cause his own downfall.

Thanks to that, or perhaps because of it, he focused all his attention on that issue and neglected his son who had caused trouble. Because of this, Ju Geonyul’s disposition was proceeding smoothly, almost too easily. Except for one thing that bothered her.

“Have you found out who the informant was?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.”

Being able to rescue Suhwan quickly was thanks to an anonymous informant. But how he knew Suhwan had been kidnapped and even managed to pinpoint the location to report it remained shrouded in mystery. Moreover, when the police arrived, Geonyul was already collapsed, and several security guards watching the surroundings were also unconscious, seemingly taken down by someone. These were hardly coincidental occurrences.

“That night, what were Professor Lee Jaehyun and the researchers doing?”

“They were conducting research throughout the night. Only one person went home during that time.”

“Who was that?”

“Lee Seunghyun.”

“…”

“He said he wasn’t feeling well, so he left early, and a bodyguard escorted him home. The bodyguard reportedly returned after confirming he entered the residence.”

“I see.”

Hwalyeon tapped her fingers on the table. Seunghyun was currently living with Suhwan as his fiancé and was closer to him than anyone else. At the same time, he was also a pitiful omega with an unfortunate past. Hwalyeon shook her head, thinking it was just needless worry.

“Tell them to strengthen the security around Suhwan for the time being.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

It was a somewhat unsettling matter, but there was nothing she could do for now. She had no choice but to thoroughly protect Suhwan to prevent anything from happening to him until she resolved the issues with Hansung and HS. Hwalyeon soon cleared these thoughts from her mind.

***

After a few days, Suhwan started to feel restless. Hwalyeon had said it would be better not to go outside much for the time being due to the unstable situation, but it didn’t seem right to stay cooped up at home like this. After finishing a meal, Suhwan, who had been watching for the right moment, finally spoke up.

“Seunghyun.”

“What is it?”

Seunghyun, who had prepared the meal and was now doing the dishes, asked in a casual tone. Suhwan swallowed hard and courageously said:

“I want to go to the convenience store.”

“…”

“Can’t I just go out for a bit?”

It’s not like going far away, wouldn’t a convenience store be okay? Or was he being too complacent? While Suhwan’s thoughts grew complicated, the atmosphere became increasingly heavy. After a silence, Seunghyun put down the plate he was washing and turned around.

“What do you need?”

“Nothing specific. I just wanted to buy something I might want to eat.”

“If you give me a list, I’ll buy it for you.”

“Do we really have to do that? I could just go myself…”

“Hyung.”

“…Yes.”

Seunghyun slowly approached and stood in front of Suhwan, who was sitting in a chair. Suhwan blinked at the inexplicable sense of pressure.

“We agreed you wouldn’t go outside, didn’t we?”

“Yes, but…”

“Hyung.”

Seunghyun called Suhwan again in a gentle voice. Then, in a persuasive tone, he continued:

“The Chairman also said it would be better not to go out as much as possible while things are unsettled. Did you forget?”

“But wouldn’t it be okay to at least go to the convenience store in front of our house?”

Suhwan’s eyes were sparkling with expectation. He thought that if he asked like this, Seunghyun would sigh and reluctantly nod in agreement. But Seunghyun put his hand on Suhwan’s shoulder and answered firmly:

“No.”

“Why…”

“Not until the Chairman says it’s safe.”

Seunghyun’s words made sense. Since the matters with Geonyul and Hansung weren’t over yet, there was no guarantee that something like before wouldn’t happen if they let their guard down. Suhwan finally sighed briefly and said he understood. Seunghyun’s rigid face softened a little.

“I’m sorry. I’ll buy everything you want to eat.”

“Okay.”

Seunghyun’s hand caressed Suhwan’s dejected face. He kissed him all over his face, telling him to be patient a little longer despite the frustration.

Suhwan felt like he was throwing a childish tantrum. He apologized and spoke:

“I’m sorry. You’ve been so busy lately, and I was only thinking of myself.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sleeping well? You always look tired.”

“I told you I’m fine.”

Seunghyun repeated, smiling gently. However, he couldn’t hide his fatigue. It seemed like Seunghyun would return to the laboratory as soon as Suhwan fell asleep. This was because Suhwan had been struggling to sleep alone at night lately. Seunghyun, who also attended school during the day, was visibly overexerting himself.

So Suhwan was actually more worried about Seunghyun. He felt guilty as he brushed his fingers over the dark circles under Seunghyun’s eyes.

At that time, Suhwan couldn’t think that even Hwalyeon wouldn’t prevent him from going to the convenience store in front of their house.

***

Suhwan received Hwalyeon’s call the next afternoon. It was during the time when Seunghyun was at school. That day, as Suhwan was blankly waiting for Seunghyun to return, he thought it was just one of Hwalyeon’s usual check-in calls. However, Hwalyeon said something that surprised him.

—I told you to try not to leave the house, but I hear you’re not going out at all? That’s not necessary.

“Ah, that’s…”

—I stopped by your house on my way back to the company. Would you come out for a moment?

“Uh…”

Unexpectedly, Hwalyeon asked him to come outside. Momentarily flustered, Suhwan couldn’t say anything, and Hwalyeon gave a small laugh.

—Come out. Staying indoors all the time isn’t good for your health.

“Yes.”