The moment Yi Cheong’s two hands were about to land on his shoulders, a long sigh flowed from Daerim’s mouth. At his expression clearly showing exhaustion, Yi Cheong stiffened.
Did he just sigh at me…?
“You need to button up the front, Cheong-ah.”
After briefly advising him, Daerim left Yi Cheong behind and went upstairs first.
Ah!
I know that too! That herbivore man, seriously!
Yi Cheong roughly pulled up his clothes, sprang up from his seat, and silently jumped up the stairs two or three steps at a time. It was a technique Seoldong had taught him.
Yi Cheong glared at the brown-haired back of his head, fuming, then suddenly looked curiously at Daerim’s retreating figure heading toward the end of the corridor, past his own room.
…That’s hyung’s room though.
Exactly one person who would likely be in that room suddenly came to mind. Yi Cheong, habitually concealing his presence, drew close behind Daerim.
“Huuu…”
Daerim stood in front of Siwon’s door, repeatedly rubbing his reddened nape. The moment he grabbed the doorknob, his body swayed and his vision quickly changed.
“Whoah!?”
The loosely undone necktie instantly grabbed and pulled his neck. Daerim was pushed back and hit his back hard against the door. He almost fell ungracefully, but barely held on by gripping the doorframe with both hands. When he looked down with wide eyes, he saw Yi Cheong, who unlike before was now glaring with extremely sharp eyes. Holding onto his light green necktie, he jerked his chin toward over his shoulder.
“Is Teacher in this room?”
“Huh?”
“He hasn’t shown his face at all since the accident. Teacher doesn’t come even during tutoring hours, and the hyungs only say weird things. Is that rumor true?”
“What rumor?”
“You know! That! Hyung and Teacher are really…! Se, sex…!”
“Huh? What?”
When Daerim asked again, Yi Cheong opened and closed his mouth with a flushed face as if frustrated. A laugh escaped despite himself at how Cheong-i, who had been pushing forward so boldly until just moments ago, showed his young side at a moment like this—it was cute.
“Don’t laugh at me!”
“I’m not laughing at you.”
The laughter that burst out weakly due to accumulated fatigue must have felt like mockery. Daerim stroked Yi Cheong’s bluish-tinted hair.
“I, I mean…! A new… new housekeeper, are you hiring one…?”
“Ah… well? I haven’t heard anything yet.”
Daerim, who had been absentmindedly stroking Yi Cheong’s head, suddenly recalled the Boss’s words: ‘Don’t get too attached.’ The hand stroking his head gradually slowed.
“Cheong-ah. Will you let go of the necktie now?”
Yi Cheong released the necktie he’d been holding with a reddened face. He wanted to receive his touch a little longer, but the voice landing on his ear was so gentle he had no choice but to obey.
He’s making me confused for no reason. …And that necktie is tacky too.
He felt jealous even of the necktie wrapped around his hand. Yi Cheong looked at Daerim’s broad back as he turned around with a word of thanks right after being released. He knew he was kind to everyone, so he knew he shouldn’t read much meaning into the kindness he showed, but…
“Hyung. I like you.”
Yi Cheong threw out the emotion that had been festering in his heart. Because he couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“……”
The steps about to open the door and enter the room stopped abruptly. Whether he didn’t hear or was pretending not to hear. Inside Siwon’s room was pitch black as always. If Daerim disappeared inside there, it felt like an opportunity like today would never come again.
“Did you hear? I… hyung…”
The moment he opened his mouth once more, anxious, Daerim turned around and pulled Yi Cheong’s shoulder.
“…Hyung?”
“Shh. Be quiet for a moment.”
“Ugh… Hyung, I, I can’t breathe…”
Though his arms were trapped and he couldn’t hug back, more and more strength went into Daerim’s embrace. Yi Cheong squinted one eye.
Trapped in his arms in an awkward position, suddenly an eerie voice came from somewhere.
“What are you doing?”
Daerim reflexively turned around at the voice coming from behind him and met a creepy gleam in the darkness. In an instant, strength went into the arms holding Cheong-i.
“U, uaah!”
“Kuk! Hy, hyung! I, I can’t, breathe!”
“Will you two separate?!”
The strange figure that appeared from the darkness approached with big strides, shining terrifying eyes. He couldn’t understand why such a thing was in the Boss’s room. Daerim hugged Cheong-i in his arms even tighter while opening his jaw wider and wider downward.
“U, u, uaaaaaah!”
***
A white flash cut through the air and struck inside the window. The belatedly erupting thunder and fierce wind made an eerie sound through the window crack. The pouring rain became artillery shells dropped from the sky, endlessly pounding the car window. In the unannounced downpour, a single black SUV raced without hesitation, drawing a red trajectory.
Perhaps because of this weather, fortunately there were hardly any cars visible on the road. Teolbo increased the speed a bit more and checked the quiet back seat. Glancing at the rearview mirror, he saw Siwon’s face seemingly lost in worry while staring at his phone screen.
Feeling he knew what he was concerned about, Teolbo carefully opened his mouth.
“Boss, should I call the guys even now?”
“No.”
“But…”
A firm answer fell. Unable to shake off his worry, Teolbo looked at Siwon again through the rearview mirror. Thanks to that, Siwon, pulled from his thoughts, leaned his back against the car seat and readjusted his posture comfortably.
“It’s fine, so speed up more.”
“…Yes.”
Teolbo gripped the steering wheel tightly. Following the order, he pressed the accelerator with more force and thought. Did I completely misunderstand the Boss’s strategy? But they said the Dogang Faction currently has over 200 known members alone. We don’t even have 50 people. Even if we took everyone to face them, it’s like fighting 4 to 1—would we even have a chance of winning?
“Don’t think about needlessly wasting energy. Our goal is just to extract Ryu Oh Cheon.”
At Siwon’s words, as if reading his thoughts, Teolbo gave an awkward cough.
“Ahem, hmm! Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Teolbo’s shoulders were stiff, as if he’d expected an all-out war. Siwon briefly placed his gaze on that sight, then turned his head toward the window. A migraine arose at the sky flashing and crying out once more. Siwon let out a small groan and held his head.
If we move in a large group, we’ll definitely be discovered before we even arrive. Moving with a small number seems right, but thinking about having to deceive hundreds of people and extract Ryu Oh Cheon, it was inevitable to feel the road ahead was blocked.
If he lost Oh Cheon, Lee Cheon would surely become unable to recover as well. Kwonmyeonghoe was in a weakened state compared to the past, and to Siwon, the two of them were important hands and feet.
Is the only remaining option that person after all?
While agonizing, the phone briefly vibrated. Though it wasn’t saved in his contacts, it was a familiar number. Because it was a phone number Siwon had already memorized.
[When are you coming?]
An impulse arose to immediately press the screen and confirm that voice. He wanted to ask if he’d slept well, if he hadn’t had any strange dreams again.
[This is Lee Seongyeom.]
It vibrated once more, sending obvious content even without needing to be told. Siwon forcefully held down his mouth corners that were trying to rise on their own, pretending to be indifferent, and swiped up Seongyeom’s text on the screen.
He wanted to finish the work and return as quickly as possible. He believed it was impatience about the task that needed to be dealt with, but in truth, Siwon knew as well.
This was a positive change. Light had returned for the first time in a while to Siwon’s desolate eyes. His gaze was close to a small madness trying to protect something precious.
Siwon closed the message window with a touch full of lingering attachment and opened his contacts. The further down he scrolled, the more his eyes furrowed at the names, and Siwon’s mouth corners also went down bluntly.
Kwonmyeonghoe had Branch Leaders.
In the era when the organization still operated under strict bloodline principles. The Kwon family split off some factions to expand their influence and stationed them at major strategic points across the country. The leaders of each faction were called ‘Branch Leaders.’
Well, that’s all old news though.
The previous Boss, Kwon Jungseong, had already died a few years ago, and he’d cut off the lineage with his own hands.
The current Branch Leaders, who hadn’t undergone generational change, were now just toothless tigers. Even as the organization slowly crumbled, they were keeping their mouths shut, trying not to let go of the power and honor they’d grasped.
Siwon’s hand scrolling through the contacts stopped at one place.
Gangwon Branch Leader Pyo Changgeon.
He was a man like an old serpent who had guarded the frontier since the era when Kwon Jungseong was Boss. He knew better than anyone what kind of eyes the Kwonmyeonghoe elders who valued bloodlines would look at him, an outsider, with. That’s why he didn’t want to create contact points as much as possible, but now wasn’t the time to worry about such things.
Siwon, who briefly caught his breath, pressed the call button. After a few short signal tones, a raspy voice proving its long years came through the phone.
—Well, who is this? Isn’t it the Kwonmyeonghoe Boss?
“It’s been a while, Branch Leader-nim.”
Siwon clenched the hand placed on his thigh. Strength also went into Siwon’s voice to avoid falling for the old snake’s cunning.
—What brings you to call? Ah, right. The main house has been quite noisy lately. Since a rolling stone is sitting there calling himself Boss, it seems water is leaking from the bottom up.
‘Rolling stone.’
Even at Changgeon’s words meant to grate on his nerves, Siwon twisted his lips into a smile.
“It’s nice to hear your voice. You’re still healthy, right?”
