If that happens, the situation changes dramatically.
The 300 billion won debt that had been strangling him?
Since the creditor would soon become the debtor, the debt would evaporate into thin air. There would be no need to repay it.
The KD Construction shares seized as collateral?
Those too would remain intact in Do Jingyu’s hands. No, they would actually become safer. Now he could be freed from the debt.
It meant that an offshore fund worth 300 billion would fall entirely into his grasp.
Do Jingyu’s eyes flashed with greed.
‘I can swallow the Seong Family’s inheritance into my belly without anyone knowing.’
This diabolical scheme wasn’t just a stopgap measure to avoid crisis. It was a perfect reversal of fortune—stealing the powerful golden greatsword that Dowon had obtained and using that very blade to stab directly into the bastard’s heart.
Protecting his shares, getting his debt forgiven, and obtaining astronomical funds all at once—a golden opportunity killing three birds with one stone.
For such rewards, he could gladly become a demon. He wouldn’t hesitate to commit even mortal sins beyond ethics, snuffing out human lives.
—Understood. I’ll prepare.
Click.
The call ended.
Do Jingyu looked at the disconnected phone and burst into laughter like a madman.
“Keke, kek… Hahaha!”
He could see the path. Very clearly, a blood-red path.
“Kahahaha!”
Finally, the countdown toward catastrophe had begun.
***
The dining room. Morning sunlight passed through the prisms of the crystal chandelier and poured onto the mahogany table. It was as if colorful fragments of light had been scattered about.
Now that he’d gone through a certain recovery period, Yeohwi, whose vigorous appetite had revived, was absorbed in his meal. Today’s menu was a perfect French formal dinner.
Baguettes crispy on the outside and moist inside, freshly baked croissants with their layers intact, and brioches vibrating with the savory scent of butter were piled high on silver trays. Beside them, clear golden consommé soup, soft scrambled eggs sprinkled with basil truffle oil, and a fresh green salad topped with artichoke and vinaigrette showed off brilliant colors on bone china dishes.
Every menu item made one’s mouth water just looking at it.
However, if there was one problem…
Clatter, clang.
“Ah… This is really inconvenient.”
Yeohwi put down his arm sullenly. The spoon fitted to his thumb and fixed to his wrist hit the plate, making a sharp popping sound.
Both his hands were still wrapped in thick bandages, making them look like clumsy bear paws. A silicone assistive spoon for patients was tied with Velcro straps on top of his right hand’s bandage. He tried twisting his wrist to somehow scoop up soup with the spoon, but the angle wouldn’t work out, so he kept hitting the edge of the bowl or spilling broth onto the tablecloth.
Across from him, Dowon, who had been elegantly using his knife, raised his head with furrowed brows.
Unlike the clattering Yeohwi, his hand movements were mechanically precise and noiseless. Impeccably perfect dining etiquette formed a stark contrast with the noisy Yeohwi.
“Leave it and eat something else.”
Was there a need to struggle to scrape up every last bit of consommé soup that was almost gone?
Yeohwi’s lips jutted out.
“Why would I leave food? And it’s delicious.”
“You could stand to find fewer things delicious.”
Just how much more was he planning to grow?
The ambition to grow bigger than Dowon had already been achieved. These days, there were moments when he could tangibly feel their eye levels were different. He seemed to have surpassed 190cm, but his growth plates apparently still hadn’t closed.
“My hands are like this and you don’t even feel sorry for me? I’m still hungry. To have a feast spread before my eyes but unable to eat it—it’s too cruel.”
Yeohwi whined as if wronged. Dowon swallowed a sigh and speared a finely cut piece of sausage with his fork and put it in his mouth. His jaw muscles moved rhythmically.
“Then try harder. Think of it as rehabilitation training.”
“I’ll starve to death during rehabilitation.”
Watching Dowon eat sausage, Yeohwi pondered for a moment. Then he suddenly stood up.
Screech, screech—Yeohwi dragged his chair, scraping it along as he circled half the table to move right next to Dowon. The sound of the heavy wooden chair scraping the floor echoed through the spacious dining room.
“What are you doing?”
Dowon asked as he calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin. His long eyes narrowed.
Instead of answering, Yeohwi placed his chair right against Dowon’s and plopped down on it. They were at a distance where their thighs almost but not quite touched.
“Feed me, Dowon-ssi.”
“…”
Dowon looked down at Yeohwi with an expression of disbelief. His jet-black eyes, which rarely showed emotion, now clearly displayed absurdity and annoyance.
“Move away. It’s cramped.”
“Ah, but if I’m far away, I’ll spill.”
Yeohwi pressed his body close to Dowon and held up his two bandaged, stubby hands. He looked like a baby bird begging for food. Dowon grimaced and shifted his body aside a little.
“We’re married, so what’s the problem? It’s natural for a wife to feed her sick husband. You fed me porridge well last time…”
Yeohwi shamelessly opened his mouth.
“Aah.”
Dowon felt the urge to roughly shove a piece of bread between those irritating lips. But to respond childishly—the bandages wrapped around Yeohwi’s hands bothered him. He also noticed the visibly gaunt cheeks from days of eating only porridge.
“If I refuse, you’ll just cling more anyway.”
Eventually, Dowon shook his head and used his fork to spear a large piece of steaming omelette.
“Don’t spill, just eat it.”
“Hehe, yes!”
When Dowon put the omelette in his mouth, Yeohwi chewed with both cheeks puffed up like a hamster.
The flavor of truffle and the softness of egg spreading throughout his mouth, and above all, the fact that Dowon was feeding him directly—Yeohwi’s eyes curved beautifully like crescent moons.
After that, the meal proceeded like a peculiar two-person, one-team project.
Dowon, in between eating his own meal, tore bread into bite-sized pieces to put in Yeohwi’s mouth and fed him soup with a spoon. Though his touch seemed indifferent, there was a glimpse of delicate restraint as he adjusted the angle so it wouldn’t smudge around his mouth.
Yeohwi munched away happily and chattered incessantly.
“Put more butter and jam on the croissant. Strawberry jam. Lots of it.”
“You’re picky.”
“It’s delicious when you eat it like this. You should try this too, Dowon-ssi.”
“No thanks. I’ll eat my own.”
“Just one bite. Try it.”
“Don’t cling to me… At the table, tsk.”
A peaceful yet noisy meal was continuing.
“Mmm, this bread is really soft… Ah!”
The moment Yeohwi took a big bite of bread, the runny yellow custard cream that had been filling the bread flowed down his chin.
The viscous cream dripped beyond his chin onto the T-shirt Yeohwi was wearing, making stains.
“Hey.”
Dowon’s eyes widened.
“Wh-what do I do! It got on me!”
Yeohwi hurriedly raised his bandaged hand. In doing so, he ended up smearing the cream more broadly across his entire cheek. His white face became covered in yellow cream in an instant.
“Stay still.”
Dowon grabbed his bandaged wrist to stop him.
“Don’t make it more of a mess.”
Belatedly, he picked up a napkin, but the sticky, oily cream wasn’t at a level that could be resolved with a napkin. Dowon’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.
“…Ha.”
Dowon, who had let out a short sigh, grabbed Yeohwi’s wrist and pulled him up.
“Get up. I’ll wash you.”
“Yes… But, are you going to wash me, Dowon-ssi?”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Yes.”
Dowon took Yeohwi toward the shared bathroom at the end of the hallway. In front of the wide marble-finished sink, he stood Yeohwi before the mirror and turned on the faucet to adjust it to lukewarm water. Then he wet a towel with water and began to meticulously wipe away the cream marks on his face.
“Ugh, the water temperature is cold.”
Yeohwi unnecessarily exaggerated and hunched his shoulders.
“What’s cold about it? It’s warm water.”
In truth, Yeohwi couldn’t really feel the temperature. He was so focused on Dowon’s touch as he wiped away the sweet cream smell from his mouth, jawline, and even the hollow of his neck that he didn’t know whether the water was cold or hot.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the sight of Dowon’s long eyelashes lowered in concentration. The posture of being close together as Dowon washed him was the same. Every time Dowon breathed, his chest almost but not quite touched Yeohwi’s shoulder.
