Chapter 26
Don’t turn around.
Hyungoh clasped his hands together tightly, as if in prayer. Was his body too tense? How had Michael noticed immediately that he wasn’t asleep? Hyungoh tried desperately to calm his increasingly ragged breathing.
Michael didn’t move. Did that mean he wouldn’t budge until Hyungoh turned around? Hyungoh couldn’t understand why he felt so self-conscious when he hadn’t even done anything wrong.
Just as his thoughts grew tangled and his heart began racing, making him dizzy, Michael let out a small sigh. Though he seemed to deliberately muffle it, Hyungoh immediately caught the suppressed groan hidden within.
What happened? Hyungoh focused on Michael’s breathing. It sounded labored, as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making each breath a struggle.
And what’s that smell? Hyungoh sniffed the air. A familiar scent drifted faintly to his nose. A persistent, terrible smell. Hyungoh frowned.
It’s metallic.
Hyungoh suddenly sat up. Metallic. It’s metallic. Though Michael’s figure was obscured by darkness, Hyungoh easily found his arm and grabbed it.
“What happened to you?”
Hyungoh’s voice came out somewhat agitated. Michael, who had been silent and still, slowly moved closer. Hyungoh fumbled for the lamp on the bedside table and switched it on.
“…What on earth happened?”
Hyungoh gently withdrew the hand that had touched Michael. His white shirt was stained with blood.
Michael caressed Hyungoh’s cheek. Though his face was deathly pale, his eyes shone more vividly than ever.
“I suddenly thought…”
Michael said.
“When the pain is mild, we feel anger. When it’s severe, we feel fear.”
“…”
“But really, it’s all just pain. Flat and meaningless. Even when that fear is connected to death. Because it never really concerned me.”
“…Michael, calm down.”
Hyungoh responded evenly to Michael’s feverish gaze. Each word that seemed to float in the air told Hyungoh that Michael wasn’t in his right mind.
Hyungoh swallowed hard. He’d thought Michael had changed so much, but seeing him now, he was no different from before. Not trying to make others understand, just expressing his own feelings—acting like a child throwing a tantrum.
“I had a dream, Choi.”
“What kind of dream?”
Michael didn’t answer. His hand played with the back of Hyungoh’s neck, then slowly stroked downward as if tickling him, finally stopping at Hyungoh’s protruding shoulder blade.
Suddenly pulled into an embrace, Hyungoh awkwardly raised both hands. Being this close made the smell of blood even stronger. Whose blood is it? Hyungoh carefully stroked Michael’s back. Through the soft fabric, he could feel the rough texture of bandages wrapped around him.
“Michael.”
“…”
“Show me your wound.”
How badly was he hurt for the smell of blood to be this strong? As Michael obediently stepped back, Hyungoh unbuttoned his shirt one by one with anxious fingers.
The wound was worse than expected. Despite what seemed like multiple layers of bandages, blood was seeping through from the injury. Hyungoh stared at Michael in shock.
“Who did this to you?”
“…”
“I’m asking who did this.”
My God. Is he really okay with just bandages? Hyungoh held his head in both hands. He’d been fine just a few hours ago. What the hell happened in the meantime?
“I’m fine, Choi.”
“But this is—”
“Hold me.”
Michael spread his arms. Hyungoh hesitated, then sighed when he saw Michael’s soft smile. What is he thinking? Hyungoh reluctantly embraced him. Michael carefully wrapped his arms around Hyungoh and slowly lay back.
“Are you tired?”
Lying beside him, Hyungoh asked Michael, who had closed his eyes. Michael blinked slowly, as if in answer.
“I wish you were like me, Choi.”
“Huh?”
“From the beginning… no, even before that…”
Michael trailed off, then closed his eyes again. Hyungoh listened quietly to Michael’s steady breathing, then his eyes widened. Wait, is he falling asleep now?
“Wait. Wake up, Michael.”
Hyungoh tapped Michael’s back. How can he just fall asleep like this? What about the wound? What happened?
Hyungoh waved his hand in front of Michael’s face. He really seemed to be asleep. Seriously? Is he actually sleeping? I’m worried sick, but the person responsible just passes out.
Why did he even come to my room in this condition? After acting so busy all this time. Hyungoh gripped Michael’s clothes tightly. And without even explaining properly. He considered slapping Michael’s cheeks to wake him but stopped when he saw how peacefully he was sleeping. Once again, Hyungoh realized his greatest weakness was Michael’s face.
After lying still in Michael’s arms for a few hours, the tension gradually left his body. What am I doing? Essentially trapped in Michael’s embrace, there was nothing he could do. He squirmed briefly, trying to escape, but gave up, worried about waking Michael.
Hyungoh lifted his head and looked at Michael. He was still fast asleep. Just looking at him like this, he seemed no different from the old Michael who used to cling to him constantly.
“Who really did this to you?”
Hyungoh frowned at the bandage visible through the unbuttoned shirt. It must have hurt terribly.
But there shouldn’t be anyone around here who could harm Michael so easily. Didn’t Federico cherish him like a son? Michael’s bangs, which had been messily pushed back, fell forward and poked his eyes. Hyungoh gently brushed them away. Oh well. I’ll have to ask again tomorrow.
“Right… the laptop.”
Hyungoh grimaced. He’d forgotten about his broken laptop because of Michael’s sudden appearance. Though Michael is important too… Hyungoh played with Michael’s hair, his expression troubled.
Taylor is suspicious.
Well, he’d always been suspicious, but Hyungoh had been careless because Taylor had never caused harm before. Stupid Choi Hyungoh. Why didn’t you stay vigilant enough? A wave of self-reproach washed over him as he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist.
But the laptop shutting down definitely wasn’t Taylor’s doing. That laptop was the only way Taylor and Hyungoh could communicate, and there’s no way Taylor would destroy something they’d used successfully for six years just because a lie had been exposed.
Could it be fixed? I’m not sure. Ah, Jennifer might be able to help. She has expertise in repairing components. I should go down to the security room first thing in the morning.
Hyungoh opened his eyes. Michael still had his eyes closed. Sleeping soundly. Just to be sure, he waved his hand in front of Michael’s face once more. Michael’s expression looked more peaceful than ever.
He said he had a dream earlier. Judging by Michael’s reaction, it was probably a nightmare. Had he not been sleeping well lately? He’d seemed strangely fragile recently.
Michael’s arm around Hyungoh’s waist was warmer than the blanket. Hyungoh felt his eyelids growing heavy. In the past, when they’d slept together because of Michael’s stubbornness, he would fall asleep quickly thanks to Michael’s warmth.
It was cozy and sweet. So much so that he unconsciously nestled into Michael’s embrace. I’m getting sleepy too. His eyes gradually closed. Maybe I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit.
***
Hyungoh’s eyes flew open. Michael was still sleeping soundly, just as he had been yesterday. When did I fall asleep? Carefully removing Michael’s arm from around his waist, Hyungoh got up and squinted at the intense sunlight streaming through the window.
I must have been exhausted lately too. Falling asleep so quickly. Scratching his head absently in the warm sunlight, Hyungoh suddenly snapped to attention. Oh, what time is it? Looking at the wall clock, it was almost lunchtime. Hyungoh had slept in for the first time in ages.
Still groggy from just waking up, his mind wasn’t working properly. What was I going to do…? Ah. Right, my laptop. Hyungoh rose on his tiptoes and carefully walked around behind Michael. Reaching between the bed and the wall, he easily retrieved the laptop.
I wonder if Jennifer will be there at this time. She should be. Since she was such a night owl who usually came to work in the afternoon, Hyungoh was a bit worried, but decided to go wait for her anyway.
As he was about to open the door, Hyungoh suddenly looked back at Michael. He was sleeping soundly with an angelic face. I’ve heard that mafia executives are always on edge even while sleeping since they could be targeted at any time, making it hard for them to sleep deeply.
Seeing him so defenseless made Hyungoh feel sorry for him. How exhausted must he be? The way he slept so soundly, as if he might never wake up, made Hyungoh slightly anxious, but mostly he was relieved that Michael was finally getting proper rest.
Clutching the laptop to his chest, Hyungoh arrived at the security room shortly after. When he opened the door, Jake was sitting alone in a chair in the dark room with the lights off.
Ah. Damn it.
Hyungoh took a step back. Why did it have to be Jake…? As Hyungoh hurriedly tried to leave, Jake, who had been glaring at him, spoke in a low voice:
“Who is Taylor?”
“…What?”
Hyungoh’s face instantly hardened as tension shot through him. Jake rose from his seat and approached.
“I never thought the idiot who still hadn’t disposed of a virus-infected computer would be you.”
Jake moved close and whispered. He no longer smelled of alcohol. It was the first time he’d seemed this calm and composed.
“Jake… so it was you.”
The one who damaged my laptop.
Cold sweat ran down Hyungoh’s back. To think it was Jake. This wasn’t good. The fact that he knew Taylor’s name…
“Did you hack it through remote control?”
“Why didn’t you cut off such a long tail earlier? What were you doing?”
Hyungoh bit his lip. He must have seen the conversation. There’s no way he wouldn’t have. The one fortunate thing was that when the laptop shut down, everything reset, so previous conversations couldn’t be recovered. What had he been talking about with Taylor yesterday? Hyungoh’s hands were instantly soaked with sweat.
“It seems like it wasn’t just once or twice that you leaked information about our Family.”
This is insane.
It felt like the room was spinning. What should I do? This is undeniable.
If they discovered he’d leaked Family information to outsiders, he’d surely be killed without question. Will they torture me? First, they’d interrogate him about Taylor’s identity, then try to find out if he’d leaked information to other outsiders. According to rumors, the Gostin Family’s torture methods were the most vicious—so brutal that even other families would be horrified. Ah, or was it the Cenaline Family that was the cruelest?
That’s not what matters right now! Hyungoh’s face began turning pale. Stay calm. I need to stay calm. No matter how many times he repeated it to himself, calming his heart wasn’t easy.
Hyungoh looked up at Jake with trembling eyes. He was the kind of man who would run to Federico and report this without hesitation. What is he planning? Jake stared down at Hyungoh. His eyes were already brimming with killing intent.
“Follow me.”
Jake turned and walked toward the iron door in the corner of the security room. It was the door leading to the underground garage.
When Hyungoh didn’t move, Jake, who had opened the iron door slightly, warned:
“If you want to be dragged to the torture room, keep standing there.”
At those chilling words, Hyungoh hesitantly stepped forward. Looking around for anything that could be used as a weapon, he noticed a computer that was turned on. It was Jake’s station.
Eyes narrowed, he focused on the screen. Dozens of CCTV feeds filled the monitor. Some had stopped working, but they seemed to have been deliberately disabled.
Hyungoh’s eyes darted around. What is he plotting? He considered making a run for it and seeking Michael’s help, but Jake would catch him after just a few steps. And it’s not like I could win in a fight. Hyungoh glanced at Jake’s intimidating build and had no choice but to follow him.
