Chapter 72: To Avoid Repeating Mistakes
Dohyuk didn’t give a glance to the man walking toward him from the opposite direction. Though wearing work clothes, he wasn’t carrying any cleaning equipment, and Dohyuk had suspected this was the suspicious person mentioned in his earpiece since the moment he appeared around the corner.
As the distance between them shortened, the man bowed his head slightly. It was no different from how others typically greeted each other in the corridor. But just as they passed each other, a sharp silver object thrust toward Dohyuk’s side.
Dohyuk twisted his body to avoid the knife while striking down on the man’s wrist. With a grunt of pain, the knife fell from the man’s hand and spun on the floor.
“Ahh, what is this!”
Another employee who saw the knife was terrified. The attacker clicked his tongue in frustration and started running down the corridor. He collided with an employee coming from the opposite direction, knocking them down, but continued running without concern.
“Guard the emergency stairwell and catch him.”
Instead of chasing after him, Dohyuk gave instructions through his earpiece and picked up the knife from the floor.
“A-are you alright?”
“Are you hurt?”
Employees gathered around, murmuring.
“Could Executive Director Kang have hired someone?”
“But they’re brothers…”
Dohyuk could hear them whispering. Rumors had gotten worse since Kang Sunhyuk had allegedly punched an employee in the corridor recently.
Stupid bastard.
Swallowing a sigh inwardly, Dohyuk handed the knife to his secretary who had been following him. Though the knife wasn’t stained with blood from a stabbing, the secretary received it with a pale face as if he’d seen something terrible.
“Be careful not to leave fingerprints when you hand it over to the police.”
The escaped man had been wearing gloves, so no fingerprints would be found anyway. Dohyuk just wanted it handed over to the police as evidence he’d been attacked, but the secretary, terrified of leaving his own fingerprints, took out a handkerchief and wrapped the knife handle.
“It’s nothing, please return to your work.”
With a cold warning to the employees who stood watching, they dispersed sheepishly one by one. As Dohyuk continued walking, his secretary hurriedly followed.
“Where are you going…?”
The secretary asked in confusion. Dohyuk looked at him as if he were pathetic and quickened his pace. Only when they arrived in front of the meeting room did the secretary let out an “Ah.”
“Shouldn’t we report this to the police?”
At the secretary’s question, Dohyuk frowned and entered the meeting room. Left outside, the secretary paced back and forth in confusion before calling Director Choi. Only then did Director Choi inform him that he had already reported it to the police, and all the secretary needed to do was support the Managing Director’s meeting.
***
When he returned to his office after the meeting, detectives who had responded to the report were already waiting. They were the same detectives investigating the murder of Kang Sunhyuk’s mother. Since they had also investigated Dohyuk as a suspect, their expressions were awkward.
“I heard you weren’t injured, but are you alright? After seeing the video, I thought you must have learned self-defense or something. Your reaction speed was no joke.”
One of the detectives pretended to be concerned. Dohyuk ignored them and sat down.
“You must have received the CCTV footage from Director Choi. Is there anything else to discuss?”
At the cold question, the detectives’ expressions hardened. Director Choi stepped in, telling them to contact him anytime if they needed anything else, and showed them out.
Click. At the sound of the door opening, Dohyuk looked up to see Yeon coming out from the room attached to the office. Director Choi must have taken him there to avoid meeting the detectives.
Though he came out, he remained motionless at the doorway. Yeon’s eyes scanned around Dohyuk before settling on his face.
“Why are you standing there?”
When Dohyuk gestured for him to come closer, Yeon slowly walked over. As the distance closed, Dohyuk could see Yeon’s eyes wavering. When their eyes met, Yeon’s face contorted.
“You seem worried.”
“Of course I am.”
At Yeon’s response, Dohyuk felt like laughter would burst out.
“So it’s natural. For you.”
Maybe it’s nothing special. There were many people who wanted Kang Dohyuk dead, but there were certainly also people like his mother and Director Choi who worried about him. But why did Yeon’s concern feel different? It was a sensation that couldn’t be explained logically. Every time he confirmed that he was special to this person, he felt fulfilled.
“Why is it natural?”
Suddenly he was curious about the reason. Yeon seemed unsettled, apparently not expecting such a question.
“Answer me. Why is it natural for you to worry about me?”
Honestly, he had an answer he was hoping for. It was ridiculous that someone like him desired such an answer, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. To think he would harbor such emotions for one person. He had only mocked such things as childish until now, but truly, one never knows what life has in store.
It was because it was Yeon. The far-from-ordinary Yeon had captured Dohyuk’s interest, and having lived detached from the secular world, he was someone without ulterior motives, which allowed Dohyuk to let down his guard. He was someone who had risked his life for Dohyuk. So naturally, he should be a special existence to Yeon…
“Because I don’t want to repeat past mistakes.”
At Yeon’s answer, Dohyuk’s expression hardened.
“…Is that the only reason?”
Yeon stared at Dohyuk with a clear expression, as if wondering what other reason was needed. Hah, exhaling an empty breath, Dohyuk turned his eyes away from Yeon. He felt disappointed, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what he was disappointed about.
“What were these past mistakes?”
Though he asked in a calm voice, inside it felt like a black mass was settling.
“Because I couldn’t properly cut off your ill fate, because I couldn’t prevent that ill fate, both you and I met a tragic end.”
“You must feel wronged. To be swept up in my ill fate.”
Yeon closed his mouth and looked at Dohyuk, perhaps hearing it as sarcasm. Despite feeling Yeon’s gaze, Dohyuk didn’t look back. If their eyes met now, he felt the emotion beginning to boil inside him might burst out.
Even in the midst of all this, he didn’t want to frighten Yeon. He was someone who already saw through Dohyuk’s true nature. Dohyuk didn’t want to see those eyes trembling with fear again.
“Your ill fate…”
Yeon’s eyes moved away from Dohyuk’s face. He stared as if seeing something in the empty air, then his expression turned bitter.
“It’s my ill fate too.”
Did that mean his ill fate was also connected to Yeon? Or that because they were bound by the red thread, Yeon couldn’t escape Dohyuk’s ill fate? Either way, it was rather fortunate in a sense. Being intertwined in death meant that ultimately, this person would remain by his side until death. He was certainly not a kind person for thinking this.
“So you were worried about me in order to sever our connection.”
When Dohyuk drew this conclusion from Yeon’s previous words, Yeon opened his mouth to say “That’s…” but couldn’t add any excuse and lowered his gaze.
Dohyuk, his expression frozen, turned his eyes to the monitor. Though he tried to focus on work, not wanting to continue the conversation with Yeon, the letters didn’t register. He felt awful. Until just a moment ago, he had been satisfied with the fact that Yeon worried about him, but now he felt like he’d been thrown into a mud pit.
Then he realized it. His mood was being swayed by Yeon’s actions, expressions, and every single word he said.
***
At quitting time, Kang Sunhyuk turned off his computer and rose from his seat. Though he had come to work, there wasn’t much to do. He never took full charge of company work anyway, mostly spending time appropriately and handling tasks specifically assigned by Kang Mansik. Those tasks could be normal company business or sometimes extremely personal matters for Kang Mansik.
It was different from how Kang Dohyuk had been entrusted with the overall operations of Dragon Holdings. Nevertheless, Kang Sunhyuk’s position was higher because he acted as Kang Mansik’s hands and feet. He had carried out any task Kang Mansik wanted, even if it sometimes meant getting his hands dirty.
If Kang Dohyuk was the light put forward for Dragon Holdings, then Kang Sunhyuk’s role was the shadow handling all the behind-the-scenes work. But that was fine with him. He had to be recognized by Kang Mansik in some way. He believed that if he was recognized, his father would turn his attention to his mother.
But now it was all useless…
“Maybe I should just quit the company.”
Lee Seojin turned at Sunhyuk’s mutter.
“What? Afraid you’ll become unemployed if I quit? You’ve been abandoned by Kang Dohyuk too, so you’d truly become jobless.”
Despite the sarcastic remark, Lee Seojin just lowered his gaze without saying anything.
“Don’t get your hopes up. Even if I quit the company, I won’t let you go.”
“…I’ll have the car ready.”
“Drive yourself. Don’t call the chauffeur.”
He was aware he was being petty. Still, this was nothing compared to what Lee Seojin had done to him. Lee Seojin was the first to betray. No, perhaps he was never Sunhyuk’s person to begin with, so could this even be called betrayal?
“Life is filthy.”
Nothing was going his way, from start to finish. After losing his mother, he just felt like letting everything happen as it may. He resented his father, who hadn’t shown his face even once during the funeral, and was irritated that of all people, it was Kang Dohyuk who had discovered his mother’s final moments. In the midst of all this, to find that even Lee Seojin, whom he had cherished like a younger brother, was a traitor—what a wretched situation.
He was taking out all that anger on Lee Seojin, who was closest at hand.
“Executive Director.”
Upon reaching the parking lot, Lee Seojin suddenly stopped walking and looked around.
“I think we should go back upstairs.”
Sunhyuk wondered what trick he was trying to pull now.
“Why should we go back up…”
Sunhyuk’s words trailed off. Men in black jackets, wearing black leather gloves and black masks or helmets, emerged from behind the parking lot pillars. Each of the five or six men held various weapons, from steel pipes to fairly long sashimi knives.
“Ha, what is this now?”
Sunhyuk pushed Lee Seojin behind him and stood in front of them.
“Kang Sunhyuk?”
One of them confirmed Sunhyuk’s name. Instead of answering, he glared at them. After exchanging glances with each other, they gradually closed the distance and surrounded Sunhyuk.
