#75
“Um… really?”
I asked again because I couldn’t believe his bold claim that he could find my uncle within two hours.
“Yes. But we haven’t captured him yet, we’ve only located his current residence.”
“W-where are you now?”
According to the last call with my uncle, he said he was going to Busan because his friend’s parents had passed away.
“We’ve found that he’s living in a villa on the outskirts of Seoul. But he wasn’t home, perhaps he went out. So my staff are currently waiting near the house.”
“I… I want to go there too.”
Yeoul couldn’t bear it, wanting to meet his uncle as soon as possible. He had many questions and many reproaches, all tangled up in various emotions.
“We don’t know what unexpected situations might arise. You might get hurt in the process.”
“Ah…”
“Right now, Yeoul-ssi needs absolute rest.”
“That’s true, but…”
Yeoul’s pupils shook violently like waves crashing on shore.
“When we find him, I’ll let you know, so please wait.”
“B-but… alright, I understand.”
In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to wait, but now that he was certain he wasn’t alone, he couldn’t act recklessly. As Eun Sajun said, he might get into an accident or be injured. Yeoul swallowed hard.
Zing.
Just then, Eun Sajun’s phone rang. He answered with an urgent expression, then immediately stood up.
“I need to go to the company for a moment.”
“Ah… okay…”
“It’s a simple task, so I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”
He left with an urgent look. Yeoul thought he shouldn’t interfere any further and decided to wait.
“…Come to think of it.”
Since his uncle was said to be at a villa on the outskirts, he recalled a place. His uncle had a separate family home and a space he used as a personal hideout. Sometimes Yeoul would rest there too, and they would order delivery food together. It seemed like that was the place he was referring to.
As much as he wanted to go there, he decided to wait and watch as Eun Sajun had suggested.
* * *
Eun Sajun, who had left the mansion, wore a vicious expression. He looked like the personification of a blood-stained blade. He sat in a sedan parked in front of the mansion. Secretary Kim was in the driver’s seat. He looked at the rearview mirror with a somewhat cautious expression.
“Just now, we saw Han Jinhwan entering the villa. What shall we do?”
Han Jinhwan was the name of Yeoul’s uncle.
“Kill him.”
Eun Sajun answered without even a second’s hesitation. At the same time, bewilderment spread across Secretary Kim’s face.
“What…? Kill him?”
“Yes.”
“No matter what, he’s Geum Yeoul-nim’s uncle. I don’t think we should do that.”
Secretary Kim seemed reluctant to follow Eun Sajun’s orders.
“How much would Geum Yeoul-nim resent us if he found out later?”
At his persuasion, Eun Sajun tilted his head momentarily. His blue pupils were filled with an abnormal, strange light. It was eerie, like a will-o’-the-wisp.
“Is that so?”
“Yes… I don’t think that’s right.”
Secretary Kim was barely managing to persuade him. But Eun Sajun’s eyes were solidly wrapped in stubborn determination.
“No. Kill him.”
“Huh, really?”
“Of course. Keeping a parasite like him alive won’t do Yeoul any good.”
Knowing Yeoul’s circumstances, he perceived Han Jinhwan as a cancerous presence.
“Just don’t tell Yeoul.”
“T-then what will you tell Geum Yeoul-nim…?”
“We’ll say he ran away.”
Secretary Kim was astounded by Eun Sajun’s abnormal judgment but tried hard not to show it. After all, he was an employee receiving a salary, in a subordinate position.
“Then handle it well and come back.”
“…”
At Eun Sajun’s decision, Secretary Kim sighed. Suddenly, a thought powerfully crossed his mind.
Does this man really like Geum Yeoul?
* * *
Yeoul waited anxiously for Eun Sajun to return. His mind was so full of thoughts about his uncle that he could barely breathe. His hands were sweaty and his heart was racing.
What would he say when he faced his uncle? The fundamental reason he and Yeojin had been in danger was because of his uncle. He felt angry and wanted to confront him, but his uncle might have had his own circumstances. Having spent years together, his heart softened.Â
Just as these heavy thoughts continued, the door opened and Eun Sajun entered. Yeoul quickly jumped out of bed.
“W-what happened?”
“Hah…”
Eun Sajun’s expression turned bitter. Shadows fell across his face.
“He ran away.”
“What? Uncle r-ran away?”
At his statement, Yeoul’s pupils shook violently. A feeling of dejection took over his entire body. Eun Sajun sighed and took Yeoul’s hand.
“I’m sorry. We lost him.”
Then he pulled Yeoul into a tight embrace.
“I’m sorry.”
From his solemn voice, Yeoul could feel that he was genuinely sorry. That made his heart weaken even more.
“It’s okay…”
“I’ll have my people look for him, so don’t worry.”
“Yes… it’s, it’s fine.”
Upset, Yeoul felt his eyes growing hot. But he tried hard to hold back for fear that Eun Sajun might worry. However, Eun Sajun’s gaze burned intensely on the tearful Yeoul. A flame-like heat bloomed in his eyes.
It was the very look of abnormal satisfaction at seeing Yeoul’s desperately sorrowful appearance.
* * *
The sedan sped through the night streets.
Secretary Kim gripped the steering wheel with a hardened face as he headed toward a mountain. The road was poorly maintained, with stones hitting the tires, making for a rough journey. As he climbed and climbed the mountain, he arrived at a secluded forest. Surrounded by treacherous rocks and soil, he parked the sedan appropriately, pressed the trunk open button, and got out of the car.
“Whew.”
Exhaling a tired breath, he opened the trunk. Inside was a man with his hands and ankles bound with rope and his mouth sealed with duct tape. It was Han Jinhwan, Yeoul’s uncle.
After capturing him at the villa earlier, he had intended to kill him immediately as per Eun Sajun’s orders. But since there were other residents and security guards watching at the villa, he had to restrain himself. Secretary Kim removed the tape covering his mouth.
“Haa… haa… fuck… please spare me… fuck!”
“…”
“I’ll try to persuade President Shin Taeon.”
He seemed to be mistaking Secretary Kim for an employee working under Shin Taeon.
“You’ve got the wrong person.”
“What?”
“I’m not Shin Taeon’s employee.”
“T-then who…?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Secretary Kim then reached into his suit’s inner pocket and pulled out a gun, pressing it against Yeoul’s uncle’s forehead.
“Let’s just say I’m an employee of someone who wants to finish you off.”
“Hiiik… p-please spare me… please…”
He cried out desperately.
“I’ll give you anything you want. Hmm? Money? Or an Omega? Then I’ll give you our Yeojin or Yeoul. Yeojin can be handed over to an Alpha, and Yeoul, even though he’s Extremely Recessive, his organs would be usable. Do as you please, okay?”
Secretary Kim’s expression turned to disgust as he watched Han Jinhwan.
“I think it’s best you quietly depart from this world.”
Soon after, a sharp gunshot echoed through the forest.
* * *
“Is the meal to your liking?”
At Eun Sajun’s question, Yeoul nodded. After learning that his uncle had run away, Yeoul was depressed. But by the next day, his damn body was hungry again, making embarrassing growling sounds. So now he had come down to the dining room to eat.
The meal consisted of tteokgalbi, japchae, various vegetable side dishes, yukgaejang, and mixed grain rice. He didn’t understand why food tasted so good even in such a gloomy situation. After finishing the meal, he felt even more complicated. Feeling distressed, Yeoul returned to his bedroom.
“Huh?”
The table was full of children’s books. Yeoul’s eyes widened.
“Wow! What’s all this?”
“Children’s books.”
“Ah…”
These were the books he had wanted to select at the bookstore earlier, but the sudden appearance of his uncle had thwarted that plan. Eun Sajun picked up one book.
“I arbitrarily chose books that resemble our baby.”
“Resemble me?”
Yeoul examined the books. Apple-like buttocks, Apple soup and fairies, Rolling apples, Lovely apples—all the books were themed around apples.
“They’re all… apples?”
“To me, Yeoul-ssi is an apple.”
“I’m an apple…?”
Yeoul’s eyes widened. He wondered what this meant. Soon, a strange blush spread across his cheeks.
“Yes. That’s why I fell for you.”
He gently, tenderly touched Yeoul’s cheek.
“My poisonous apple.”
Huh? Yeoul suddenly felt a familiar sensation.
‘The really delicious apple is the poisonous apple.’
He also recalled what he had heard while hiding at the restaurant last time. So did that mean he was the poisonous apple Eun Sajun was talking about?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
