“……Huu.”
He let out a sigh as he flopped down onto the sofa.
Ray Jun aside, what puzzled him was that there was no action whatsoever from the Baeksa Faction’s side. They had said it would be their last big score at Sovereign, so he had essentially ruined an important mission. In that case, they should have come to find him directly, summoned him, or taken some kind of action, but why were they being so quiet? That very silence made him anxious, and Kang Siwon bit down hard on his lower lip.
Just then, his phone rang. When he checked the caller, sure enough, it was Ju Xiang. His heart sank with a thud, thinking what was coming had finally come.
Kang Siwon headed to the bedroom with his buzzing phone in hand. If he took the call in the living room, Ray Jun might overhear, so he sought out a more secluded spot.
“……Hello.”
–What happened?
As soon as he locked the door and answered the phone, Ju Xiang asked. He expected to be yelled at right away, but the voice was surprisingly calm. However, he could hear the heavy breathing quite clearly.
Kang Siwon slid down against the closed door, settling onto the floor.
“I’m sorry. Another cage staff member noticed midway, so it failed.”
–Haa……. I was running around like crazy with work too and only just got the report, and they said you were dragging your feet?
“No. It wasn’t that I was dragging my feet—the program froze at that moment, so another staff member came to check. That’s how they caught that the person requesting the exchange and the chip owner’s names were different.”
Worried that the conversation might leak, he recited his prepared excuse in a voice lowered as much as possible. It was so quiet that even he could barely hear himself, but Ju Xiang seemed to understand and let out a heavy sigh.
–Fuck…….
Ju Xiang spat out a few more curses and muttered to himself.
–Ahhh, why does everything get fucked up until the very end? Not a single thing goes right.
“…….”
–Haa……. Anyway, fine, I got it.
“Then…… what happens with this job?”
He asked cautiously, worried they might send Tian Feifei again. The answer came back curtly.
–Of course it’s down the drain, you bastard. All that’s left is to get our asses chewed out by the VIP.
“……I’m sorry.”
–Whatever. Go ahead and curse me out if you want, fuck. We’re leaving Sovereign soon anyway, so what’s the point of making an enemy of an executive? Ah, right. Since we’re on the subject, I’m submitting my resignation tomorrow. You should know you’re quitting a week from now too.
“A week from now?”
–After screwing up even this job, there’s no reason to stick around Sovereign any longer. Why, do you want to quit sooner?
“That’s not it, but…….”
–What do you mean that’s not it? You’re itching to quit because you don’t want to work. Just hang in there for one more week. Anyway, there won’t be anything for you to do for a while, so just quietly wrap things up around you. Got it?
“……Yes.”
The call ended.
Kang Siwon sat slumped on the floor and tilted his head back. There was nothing to focus on in the dim room, but Kang Siwon just stared blankly up at the ceiling.
How long had he been sitting like that? Just as the darkness became familiar to his eyes, he heard the sound of the doorknob turning.
Click.
When the door didn’t open because it was locked, knocking followed soon after.
Knock knock.
Only then did Kang Siwon get up and open the door. Ray Jun stood there, backlit by the living room light. The way he glowed along his silhouette was like a halo.
“Why were you in here with the door locked, Xie Wei?”
“It just locked.”
By now, such trivial lies didn’t even prick his conscience. Kang Siwon turned around weakly and headed for the bed. It was a bit early to sleep, but since there was nothing else to do, he figured he’d just close his eyes and rest.
He lay down on the bed with his back to Ray Jun. But suddenly, the mattress sank deeply behind him. Ray Jun, who had approached without a sound, had climbed onto the bed.
“……What are you doing?”
“Hm? As you can see, I’m lying down.”
“Why are you lying down on my bed?”
“To hold Xie Wei.”
Ray Jun wrapped his arms around Kang Siwon’s waist. Strangely, that heavy warmth put him at ease.
“What are you doing, seriously…….”
He grumbled pointlessly out of embarrassment, but Ray Jun didn’t care at all. He even rubbed his face against Kang Siwon’s back, acting cute.
“Why? I want to hold you. Don’t you like it?”
“……Do whatever you want.”
Honestly, he was glad. Thinking that there weren’t many days left to be close to Ray Jun like this, every minute and second felt precious.
Ever since hearing from Manager Park to prepare to quit Sovereign Casino, Kang Siwon had been in this state constantly. Suddenly, every corner of the dormitory seemed endearing, and Ray Jun made him feel inexplicably tender. When he’d actually left Korea, he had never felt such emotions, so he wondered where in himself such sentimentality had been hiding.
“But Xie Wei.”
“What.”
“What was that earlier at the casino?”
It wasn’t even sudden. Kang Siwon was about to give the excuse he’d prepared for Ray Jun, but then everything suddenly felt ridiculous, so he stopped. It all seemed like some farce.
“What else could it be? I spaced out stupidly and got help from my senior.”
“That customer was trying to exchange someone else’s chips, right? The chip owner was Ma Zhuihui.”
“…….”
Kang Siwon didn’t dislike Ray Jun. No, he actually liked him, but whenever he dug into secretive matters, it made him uncomfortable. It was unavoidable given how much he had to hide. Moreover, separate from being anxious about his identity being discovered, Kang Siwon didn’t want to have these kinds of conversations with Ray Jun.
Normal and pleasant topics suited him better. Trivial talk like discussing tonight’s dinner menu or suggesting they go grocery shopping together. That was the everyday life Kang Siwon wanted to share with Ray Jun.
“Ju Xiang made you do it, didn’t he? Xie Wei, you’re not being blackmailed again, are you?”
“You’re jumping to conclusions.”
“I wish it were just jumping to conclusions, me too.”
“…….”
“You…… you don’t know how worried I am about you. I keep being anxious that you might be caught up in something dangerous.”
Ray Jun pulled Kang Siwon tightly into his arms. The arms that had initially embraced him carefully grew firm, as if determined not to let Kang Siwon go.
“Please. Can’t you rely on me just a little more? Please give me a chance to help you.”
Those tender words suffocated him.
Whenever Ray Jun whispered like this, Kang Siwon would be captivated by futile hope, only to invariably face reality and feel frustrated, repeating the cycle. This too felt like a kind of hope torture.
“I told you it has nothing to do with you.”
When he spoke coldly to cut off the possibility entirely, the room became quiet. He figured Ray Jun wouldn’t ask any more questions at this point.
Just as he let out a frustrated breath and shifted his body, he suddenly heard a sniffling sound.
“……What?”
He turned around in surprise. It couldn’t be, but Ray Jun was actually crying. Tears glistening faintly on his eyelashes.
“No, you…… Why, why are you crying?”
“…….”
“Is it because I hurt your feelings?”
“No……. How could I dare feel hurt by you?”
His attitude was like someone who felt he had no right to be upset. This made Kang Siwon even more distressed, so he asked again.
“Don’t be like that and tell me.”
“When Xie Wei won’t tell me anything either…….”
“I, I’m sorry about that too, but…….”
Was it this frustrating when the other person kept their mouth shut? Kang Siwon, realizing this for the first time, felt newly sorry. Even though he had his own circumstances, Ray Jun must have been agonizing all this time because of him.
“Ray, don’t cry.”
He wanted to wipe away the tears, but still held in the embrace, it was difficult to even raise his hand. Kang Siwon could only look at Ray Jun with sympathy.
“But I’m embarrassed that only I was mistaken…….”
“What mistake?”
“……I thought we had become special to each other. Even if the size of my heart wasn’t the same as yours, I thought you liked me at least a little bit too.”
Ray Jun’s lips trembled.
“I guess only I was too excited. I’m sorry, Xie Wei.”
“N-no, why are you saying that?”
Objectively speaking, it was a situation where Ray Jun had every right to feel hurt. In fact, Kang Siwon himself had felt his heart connect with Ray Jun several times. If they had met under normal circumstances, Kang Siwon would have already accepted Ray Jun’s confession.
