Chapter 56: The Exception
After visiting the police station, Dohyuk canceled all his official schedules, claiming fatigue. And as if it were perfectly natural, he brought Yeon to his home.
Standing in the spacious living room, Yeon thought that he still hadn’t adjusted to its size. This house was too big for Kang Dohyuk to live alone. It was probably because he was Kang Dohyuk that he didn’t even feel lonely when by himself, but whenever Yeon had to stay here alone, he felt like he was being swallowed by this overwhelming space.
“Sit down. You’re being distracting.”
When Yeon remained standing blankly, Dohyuk, sitting on the sofa, pointed to the seat across from him. The living room was so naturally spacious that even if he stood there, it wouldn’t make any difference. Calling him distracting was simply because he was bothering Kang Dohyuk personally.
Despite Dohyuk’s instruction, Yeon didn’t budge. Where should he begin his objections? Starting with the fact that he had no reason to be here? Currently, his client was Kang Sunhyuk, not Kang Dohyuk. So strictly speaking, he should be by Kang Sunhyuk’s side, not at Dohyuk’s villa.
The reason he wasn’t bothering to say this was because he knew Dohyuk wouldn’t even pretend to listen. Even if he said he was going back to Muryeong rather than Kang Sunhyuk, Dohyuk wouldn’t allow it anymore.
What right did Kang Dohyuk have to control his movements? Yeon should have felt rebellious first, but he was frightened by how naturally he accepted Dohyuk’s obsession. This wasn’t that era in his memories. If he truly hated being by his side, he could leave of his own will at any time. Of course, he couldn’t predict how Kang Dohyuk would react if he did, but still.
It wasn’t that he was willingly going along with Dohyuk’s obsession just because it didn’t feel strange to him. Yeon still thought it would be better to keep his distance from him if possible.
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
Apparently seeing the various thoughts floating around in his mind, Dohyuk asked.
“I’m wondering how I should return the fee to Kang Sunhyuk-ssi.”
At Yeon’s answer, Dohyuk let out a short, mocking laugh.
“He brought you here to blackmail me, and you want to return the money? I’d rather demand compensation for damages.”
Yeon ignored his sarcastic remark. Anyway, neither Kang Dohyuk nor Kang Sunhyuk were interested in exchanging money. Wanting to return the fee was simply because Yeon didn’t want to remain indebted to Kang Sunhyuk.
“So did you comply with Kang Sunhyuk-ssi’s blackmail?”
Usually, one would first ask what kind of blackmail was involved. Dohyuk seemed to think similarly as he narrowed his eyes at Yeon.
“No.”
At Dohyuk’s clear answer, several thoughts occurred to Yeon simultaneously. While he was relieved that Dohyuk wasn’t swayed because of him, he also realized that despite his obsession with Yeon, Dohyuk remained cold and detached.
“So it seems you don’t have a bad relationship with Kang Sunhyuk-ssi after all.”
If he had complied with unpleasant demands, the emotions would have grown more hostile, but Dohyuk didn’t particularly sharpen his edge toward Kang Sunhyuk. Even though Kang Sunhyuk had charged at Dohyuk, causing a disturbance because he thought Dohyuk had killed his mother, the thread connecting the two didn’t have the malicious black color of murderous intent.
Right now, he was taking out his grief over losing his parents on Dohyuk, but after time passed and emotions settled, once he examined the situation and acknowledged it wasn’t Dohyuk, it didn’t seem like it would develop into a malevolent relationship.
What worried Yeon more were the evil connections linked to both Kang Dohyuk and Kang Sunhyuk individually. The two evil connections resembled each other so closely. So much that he wondered if they originated from the same person.
Dohyuk, for his part, was lost in thought. It was quite unexpected that Kang Sunhyuk wasn’t one of his persistent evil connections. But Dohyuk wasn’t concerned with the question of who his evil connections might be. Whatever they were, they’d reveal themselves when the time came. He’d just get rid of them then.
What bothered him now was who had killed Kang Sunhyuk’s mother. Until a few hours ago, he hadn’t cared who the murderer was. But if the police were considering him a suspect, that changed things. Someone deliberately trying to frame him? It was possible. Moreover, if it was someone who knew he and Kang Sunhyuk weren’t on good terms, they could have easily exploited that fact.
This method had an impact not just on him but on Kang Sunhyuk as well. For Kang Sunhyuk, losing his mother was a staggering blow.
The perpetrator was clearly targeting both him and Kang Sunhyuk. Yeon had said Kang Sunhyuk also had an evil connection. What was the possibility that his evil connection and Kang Sunhyuk’s evil connection were the same person? If so, who could it be? Someone who would benefit from both him and Kang Sunhyuk taking hits…
Kang Sunhyuk and he had almost no overlapping relationships. Given their vastly different personalities and backgrounds, they operated in different spheres even while working at Dragon Holdings. Considering that, only one person came to mind.
“Kang Chahyuk…”
As Dohyuk murmured that name lowly, Yeon turned to look at him.
“Kang Chahyuk—you mean your half-brother?”
Having followed Dragon Holdings, there were naturally stories Yeon had picked up. Yeon seemed to recognize the name, which made Dohyuk faintly furrow his brow.
“Why him all of a sudden…?”
“It’s not something you need to worry about.”
He cut it off sharply and stood up. If he mentioned that Chahyuk might be the evil connection, Yeon would certainly want to meet him. He was particularly fixated on those damn evil connections, so he’d want to meet him directly to confirm and somehow sever it.
But as long as Dohyuk harbored suspicions, he couldn’t let Yeon meet Kang Chahyuk. If he really was the one who killed Kang Sunhyuk’s mother, he might also try to harm people close to Dohyuk. Had that bastard ever met Yeon? As he racked his memory, his eyebrows twisted in a frown.
Just once. On the day he had kissed Yeon, Kang Chahyuk had approached Yeon sitting in the secretarial office after leaving his office. He’d been talking nonsense about sponsors and whatnot, so Dohyuk had cut him off and taken Yeon inside.
Even the dull Kang Sunhyuk had realized that Yeon was someone special to Kang Dohyuk because of the shooting incident. There was no way Kang Chahyuk hadn’t noticed. Moreover, Lee Seojin had warned to be careful of Kang Chahyuk, saying he kept inciting Kang Sunhyuk.
“Be careful not to run into Kang Chahyuk. Don’t believe anything he says. He’s more dangerous than Kang Sunhyuk.”
Yeon just blinked at the sudden statement. He didn’t seem to understand why the name had come up suddenly or why Dohyuk was warning him. But Dohyuk didn’t add that he might be the evil connection for both himself and Kang Sunhyuk. If he told him that, Yeon would, contrary to his warning, desperately try to meet Kang Chahyuk. To sever the evil connection from that side.
Out of concern, Dohyuk approached Yeon, who looked up at him as the distance between them closed. He grabbed Yeon’s arm and rolled up the sleeve. By the time Yeon realized what Dohyuk was trying to check, it was too late to pull his arm away.
“Haah…”
A long sigh escaped Dohyuk’s lips. On Yeon’s forearm, though not severe, there was a black mark like a bruise.
“Did you touch Kang Sunhyuk’s evil connection?”
It was bad enough that strange symptoms appeared when he messed with Dohyuk’s evil connections, but thinking that Yeon had tried to help Kang Sunhyuk made his head feel hot with anger.
“No. This isn’t from Kang Sunhyuk-ssi’s connection, it’s…”
Yeon shook his head, trying to explain, but then frowned and closed his mouth.
“Not Kang Sunhyuk’s? Then whose? I didn’t know Muryeong was running a charity now.”
Since bringing him from Lee Seojin’s house, Yeon hadn’t done anything to sever evil connections. The only time Dohyuk had taken his eyes off him was during the police interrogation, and even then, he’d had Director Choi watch over Yeon just in case. So this mark wasn’t something that had appeared after meeting him.
“Answer me. Whose evil connection is it?”
Meeting Kang Dohyuk’s fierce glare, Yeon swallowed a sigh down his throat. Did he even know himself why he was so angry? What did it matter to him if evil connections seeped into Yeon’s body?
“It’s yours, Kang Dohyuk-ssi.”
Strictly speaking, it was Lee Seojin’s feelings directed at him, but since Dohyuk was the source, it was the same. If he answered that it was Lee Seojin’s here, who knows what Dohyuk, who already thought Seojin had betrayed him, might do.
Thinking it might be a lie, Dohyuk stared at Yeon intently. Having nothing to hide, Yeon met his gaze directly, and after a long while, Dohyuk was the first to look away.
“I can’t let my guard down.”
He couldn’t understand when Yeon had touched his evil connection. Since it wasn’t connected to Kang Dohyuk, it was natural that he didn’t know, but Yeon said nothing.
“There are clothes in the room you used before. Change and come out.”
“If we’re not going out, this is fine as is.”
“Change. Into comfortable clothes for home.”
Yeon’s answer seemed meaningless to Dohyuk. Not wanting to argue over mere clothes, Yeon just turned around and went through the long corridor to the room he’d previously stayed in.
The moment he opened the door, Yeon suppressed a groan. The room’s structure had completely changed. The portable bed he’d used was gone, and the entire room had been converted into a dressing room. When he opened the wardrobe, he was even more flabbergasted. Filling an entire wall, the wardrobe was packed with clothes that all appeared to be his. From casual wear to formal suits, there was a variety of types.
“What is he thinking?”
He was always hard to understand, but now it was even more incomprehensible. The only clear thing was that he intended to settle Yeon here permanently.
What was he really trying to do? While Yeon was bound to him by a red thread, there was no blue thread. That meant the two of them could never be lifelong companions.
Right now, no marriage connection was visible for Kang Dohyuk. But would it always be the same? Even if it wasn’t an absolute fate tied from birth, new connections could certainly form. Moreover, there could be others entangled in different ways.
He was a man who wouldn’t hesitate to enter a strategic marriage if necessary for business. So why was he trying to keep Yeon by his side? Unlike the past, this wasn’t a world where one could keep someone of other significance by one’s side while having a marriage partner. No, even before that, while not even having thought about how to define him… Showing possessiveness as if Yeon naturally belonged to him without even naming the emotion was disconcerting, even though Yeon knew the connection between them.
As much as he knew everything, he was rarely shaken, but Kang Dohyuk kept becoming the exception. After learning about fate, Yeon had lived with complete resignation, but Kang Dohyuk was the only being who could stir him. Kang Dohyuk was.
