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“I don’t understand why you’re so desperate for dick. Are you obsessed with getting fucked? Ah, maybe you’re so fixated because you have erectile dysfunction.”
“You, you son of a bitch…!”
Woo Cheolgon’s face turned bright red as he bellowed. His wrinkled face glistened with oil, a disgusting sight.
After seething and grinding his teeth for a while, Woo Cheolgon managed to calm his excitement. Then, lowering his voice in a rather threatening manner, he said:
“Do you know who I am? Are you doing this knowing who I am? If you know, are you prepared for the consequences? If I can’t be contacted, do you think my aides will just sit around? They’ll mobilize all the police to find me. They’ll track down everything connected to you and your bastard, hunt you to the end, strip you bare, and cut open your belly. Do you understand me? If you let me go now, I can settle this at a reasonable—”
It was unlikely that his aides wouldn’t know he was holed up in a villa for sex, and even less likely they would report him missing to the police after just a few days without contact. They say even bad publicity is better than no publicity for politicians, but that depends on the situation. Unless it was a truly serious matter, they wouldn’t file a missing person report with the police. Woo Cheolgon surely knew this fact as well.
When Ji Seunghyeok let out a low laugh, Woo Cheolgon stopped speaking.
“Ah. You’re talking like some neighborhood thug.”
At Ji Seunghyeok’s words, Woo Cheolgon’s face turned crimson. Ji Seunghyeok stared at that face intently before wiping the smile from his own.
“Though given what you do, even neighborhood thugs couldn’t compare.”
Ji Seunghyeok nodded to the two men beside Woo Cheolgon. They quickly grabbed Woo Cheolgon’s shoulders and forced him to lie face down on the floor. Caught off guard, Woo Cheolgon struggled to break free but to no avail. With a thud, his face was pressed to the floor as a knee pinned him down at the shoulder blades.
A man who had entered the container took out a syringe from his bag.
“What, what is this? What are you bastards doing? Let me go! Do you know who you’re manhandling…!”
The man quickly administered one injection to each of Woo Cheolgon’s arms. Woo Cheolgon squawked and struggled to avoid the injections, but once restrained, there was no escaping those strong hands.
After both syringes were emptied, they released Woo Cheolgon’s body. He rolled his eyes, trying desperately to assess the situation. Sweat glistened on his raccoon-like face.
Ji Seunghyeok crouched down in front of Woo Cheolgon and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Shall I tell you what we just injected into your body?”
Woo Cheolgon didn’t answer immediately. But his silence indicated he was waiting for Ji Seunghyeok’s next words.
“You know about alpha pheromones and omega pheromones, right, Congressman? We injected you with both.”
At Ji Seunghyeok’s matter-of-fact tone, Woo Cheolgon’s eyes widened to the point of bursting. Watching Woo Cheolgon gape like a goldfish, Ji Seunghyeok continued.
“It’s a drug for betas who sometimes want to become alphas or omegas. You’re probably the first person to receive both simultaneously. You can add another line to your congressional resume. Congratulations. Twisting words is your specialty anyway, so you can figure out how to spin this.”
“You, this… this!”
Woo Cheolgon’s breathing came in loud, hissing gasps like the sound of wind.
“Well, it’s a slight drawback that there are no proper reports on what side effects might occur in humans since you’re the first, but you needn’t worry too much. Just think of it as sacrificing your body for medical advancement.”
Woo Cheolgon’s complexion gradually turned blue, then he convulsed and collapsed on the floor. There was a sound of flowing liquid as his pants became wet. Ji Seunghyeok stood up, looking down at Woo Cheolgon who was making choking sounds as if he might stop breathing.
“Keep him alive and conscious, no matter what. Don’t damage him.”
As soon as the order was given, the man who had administered the injections moved swiftly. Seeing him take out various IV solutions from his bag, Ji Seunghyeok turned to leave.
Coming out of the container box, he saw Jeong Taejun standing there. Wondering why he hadn’t come inside, Ji Seunghyeok was about to ask when Jeong Taejun smiled knowingly.
“I’m not tactless enough to insert myself into the main dish.”
Pushing small pebbles on the dirt ground with the sole of his shoe, Jeong Taejun continued.
“What are you planning to do with Lee Youngsun? I heard you’re still keeping him.”
Ji Seunghyeok raised an eyebrow.
“Are you planning to expose him later?”
“Stop pretending to test me when you already know everything.”
“You think I’m doing this because you’re pretty? It’s because of Junghyun-ssi.”
Ji Seunghyeok said nothing more.
He didn’t particularly want to tell Jeong Taejun not to care for Jo Junghyun. It would clearly benefit Junghyun in some way, especially someone like Jeong Taejun.
Jeong Taejun frowned at Ji Seunghyeok’s lack of response but quickly reverted to his normal expression. Ji Seunghyeok heard him mutter “sly bastard” but chose not to acknowledge it.
He looked toward the container where Jo Yeongung and his wife were being held.
Just before leaving the villa, Ji Seunghyeok had met Junghyun’s adoptive parents and cut their Achilles tendons to prevent them from escaping. They had been moved here, received proper treatment, and according to recent reports, they could now use crutches to get to the bathroom.
“Aren’t you going in there?”
“Once they can move adequately, dump them at the business.”
Jeong Taejun looked surprised at Ji Seunghyeok’s words. The reason for his reaction was obvious.
Like others, he probably expected Ji Seunghyeok to finish them off. In truth, Ji Seunghyeok had considered it.
“The business means they’ll get monthly wages, right?”
“If they can even use that money.”
“That’s true.”
Jeong Taejun clicked his tongue, clearly displeased. Considering what they had done to Junghyun, grinding them to dust a hundred times wouldn’t be enough.
But Junghyun had said:
He might want to see them someday, but not right now.
If that was the case, they needed to be kept alive for when he wanted to see them. Ji Seunghyeok didn’t know why Junghyun might want to meet them, but if Junghyun wished it, he wanted to grant that wish. He didn’t want Junghyun to build up yearning because he couldn’t meet them when he wanted to.
Whatever Jo Yeongung and Seo Heeju might do as a result of that meeting was a concern for that time. He just needed to ensure they couldn’t scheme too much.
“But shouldn’t Junghyun-ssi know about this?”
Jeong Taejun nodded toward the container box where the adoptive parents were kept, and Ji Seunghyeok finally turned to properly look at his face.
“Know what?”
“At least what happened to the people who tormented him. Wouldn’t it be less painful if he knew? Let him take revenge directly if he wants.”
Ji Seunghyeok frowned at those words.
“Revenge? Do you think Jo Junghyun is like us?”
“…”
“Don’t tell Junghyun. He doesn’t need to know and shouldn’t know. Understand?”
When Ji Seunghyeok reprimanded him, Jeong Taejun closed his mouth. He seemed to have some understanding of the situation.
“If I don’t say I understand, it looks like you’ll kill me too. Alright, alright, I get it, CEO Ji.”
With a good-natured response, Jeong Taejun muttered a curse along with, “You’re still receiving filial piety from Junghyun-ssi until the end,” as he put a cigarette in his mouth. Ji Seunghyeok took the cigarette from Jeong Taejun’s hand. Jeong Taejun swore quietly in disbelief, but Ji Seunghyeok paid no mind.
“A wealthy person like you doesn’t carry cigarettes and steals from someone who doesn’t have much.”
Despite his words, Jeong Taejun didn’t comment further and simply put another cigarette in his mouth, lighting it with a lighter. Then he threw the lighter to Ji Seunghyeok. After lighting his cigarette, Ji Seunghyeok took a deep drag.
“I have something for you to do.”
“What now? …Ease up on the orders, CEO Ji.”
“Aren’t you here in place of Seo Yunyoung-ssi anyway?”
Jeong Taejun didn’t deny this.
Ji Seunghyeok exhaled the cigarette smoke he had been holding deep in his mouth.
“I doubt Woo Cheolgon has been acting alone in this mess all this time.”
Jeong Taejun’s expression immediately turned serious.
“Who do you want me to look into?”
Despite no further explanation, Jeong Taejun understood exactly what Ji Seunghyeok meant. Ji Seunghyeok put the cigarette in his mouth with satisfaction.
The white ash at the cigarette’s tip glowed red with embers.
* * *
Jo Junghyun turned his head and gazed quietly out the window.
A week had already passed since the day he’d sent Ji Seunghyeok away from home, uncomfortable with him handling business matters there.
That day, when Junghyun had practically pushed him out, telling him to go work, Ji Seunghyeok returned home surprisingly quickly. With a pink cake box, no less.
Ji Seunghyeok lightly kissed Junghyun’s cheek as he stood there bewildered, holding the box and a colorful teddy bear. When he opened the box, there was a small brown bear-shaped cake inside. Ji Seunghyeok said that because Junghyun had enjoyed it so much that day, he’d specially inquired and found this cake that wasn’t sold at department store branches but only at the main store.
It definitely had suited Junghyun’s taste, who didn’t particularly like sweet things.
Although it felt a bit sad to cut up the bear, the chocolate cake wasn’t too sweet and was quite delicious. Recalling the memory of sharing that cake with Ji Seunghyeok before dinner, Junghyun found himself smiling without realizing it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
