Hyungoh covered his mouth with one hand. It was shocking enough that Michael knew Hunter wasn’t the one who killed Theo’s father, but he never expected Michael would know who the real culprit was. And to think it was Federico Gostin of all people.
Theo pushed Michael away with both hands. Michael took a couple of steps back as if deliberately allowing himself to be pushed, looking extremely composed.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Theo asked Herick with a surprisingly calm voice. Was he not that disturbed? Hyungoh turned his head toward Herick, silently praying that this calmness would last.
“······I’m hearing this for the first time too.”
Herick answered. A glimpse of awkwardness showed in his face as he averted his eyes.
“Hyungoh.”
“Uh, yes? Yes?”
“······.”
Startled by the voice calling his name, Hyungoh stammered. His voice got louder too, making his reaction seem exaggerated, like a thief giving himself away.
Theo, who had released his grip on the collar, looked even darker.
“Theo······.”
Theo raised his hand to cut off Hyungoh’s words, then clenched his fist and attacked Michael. Even as the fist connected squarely with his right cheek, Michael didn’t even attempt to block it.
With a loud impact, Michael’s upper body tilted to the side. Herick and Hyungoh simultaneously gaped. It was a powerful blow that would worry anyone who saw it.
“Don’t try so hard to deny what I’m saying. It only makes you look more pitiful.”
Your pure emotions, full of lies, are enough to evoke sympathy on their own. Michael straightened his upper body with an unfazed expression. His articulate voice irritated Theo even more.
“Ah, right.”
Theo calmly swept his hair back as if trying to calm himself down. But his hands kept trembling, probably from anger.
“I told you, Ghost. I won’t be swayed by your words.”
He tried to force a smile, but his mind was still in turmoil.
He just found that stare unpleasant. It felt as if those eyes were seeing right through him.
Suddenly, Theo recalled the vision he saw 11 years ago. When he had barely escaped from a car trunk and was crawling on the floor with his battered body, Michael as a child had looked down at him. He couldn’t forget that sneering, mocking voice.
Theo rubbed his forehead in distress and glanced at Michael standing before him. He was no longer a child-sized person.
A wave of anxiety swept over him. As if entranced, a slight smile formed on Michael’s lips visible from the front. It was a familiar smile to Theo.
A sneer. That insufferable sneer.
“You’re laughing?”
Theo, with his eyes wide open, grabbed Michael’s neck. Again, Michael accepted the attack without any particular defense.
“Theo, don’t!”
“This bastard laughed at me.”
“What?”
He laughed? Hyungoh, who was clinging to his arm, asked as if he didn’t understand.
“What are you saying? Michael wasn’t laughing!”
“This fucking bastard sneered at me!”
An agitated Theo violently shook him off. As Hyungoh was pushed aside like a piece of paper, Herick quickly approached and wrapped his arms around him.
Michael, who had been staring intently at Hyungoh wincing in pain, promptly lifted his foot and kicked Theo in the abdomen. Having been caught off guard, Theo staggered and hit the wall behind him.
“Both of you, stop······!”
“They’re just doing whatever they want anyway, Choi. Let’s just watch for a bit.”
Herick gently covered Hyungoh’s mouth. To the bewildered Hyungoh, he added with an intrigued expression: Why, isn’t it somewhat satisfying to see these irritating guys hitting and fighting each other?
Having been hit by Michael and even pushed back by his strength, Theo couldn’t help but be furious. Overwhelmed by emotion, he struck the wall with his tightly clenched fist, and the sound of something clattering to the floor was heard from behind the wall.
That was the wall Hunter had been trying to open. Hyungoh carefully approached the wall, watching the three men’s reactions.
“Listen, Ghost. I’ll tell you an interesting fact too.”
Theo approached Michael with large strides and lowered his voice significantly.
“You think you know everything, don’t you? Like the world just revolves around you perfectly, right?”
“······.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s an illusion. A lazy and arrogant illusion, you stupid bastard.”
You’re destined to be frustrated. Why? Because I’ll make it happen. Theo threateningly pointed his finger at Michael’s forehead from a distance where their noses almost touched.
“Are you really in a position to sneer at me? I don’t think so. If I die miserably, you’ll die even more miserably, won’t you? You know, guys like us are screwed up from the beginning.”
With no more physical fighting occurring, Herick finally unfolded his arms. I guess it’s time to calm them down.
Herick glanced outside the window at the men. Several were peering in, watching the situation inside. They were on edge because executives from each organization were fighting.
Regardless, Theo continued to provoke Michael.
“You won’t get what you want.”
Michael maintained his expressionless face. But Theo could tell he was somewhat shaken. Despite his unwavering appearance, a terrible killing intent could be felt.
“That’s enough now······”
Herick placed his hands on Michael and Theo’s shoulders and tried to say something, but it was drowned out by a rather loud clattering sound. They turned their heads toward the source of the noise.
“No.”
Michael muttered with a trembling voice. Hyungoh was kneeling on one knee in front of the half-opened wall.
Theo noticed Hyungoh’s rigid back and frowned, then shifted his gaze as an ominous feeling gradually came over him. He felt someone’s gaze from the space hidden behind the wall.
That place is······. Theo stepped forward to get a better look at what was hidden in the darkness. The living room light gradually illuminated the inside.
A bob-haired woman with her back turned, completely naked, slightly turning her head to glare forward. Her two eyes, filled with resentment, shone so intensely that they seemed about to break through the painting.
