No, whether there was a way or not wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that Soohyun was there right now. Thinking of him being held by the man who had done terrible things to him made everything go dark before Chaeho’s eyes. Chaeho hurriedly dialed 112.
“I’d like to report something. My family member has been kidnapped.”
* * *
“Ugh…”
“Sorry, sorry. Soohyun-ah. Your face… At least there’s no blood though.”
After striking Soohyun’s face, Seokhyeon disgustingly caressed his face, looking at him as if pitying him. Soohyun turned his head away as far as possible and trembled with rage, but Seokhyeon’s persistent gaze didn’t easily leave him. Rather, he even smiled broadly seeing Soohyun shudder and bite his lips.
“Did you see the article that came out today?”
“What… are you talking about?”
“Choi Seojun’s company put out a very interesting article. Saying you’re a gold digger…”
“You…!”
A valley formed between Soohyun’s brows as his voice rose. Seokhyeon laughed as if it was nothing.
“I told Choi Seojun. That you’re at my house.”
“You… are you crazy? Why would I? That makes no sense?”
“…You were going to come to my house anyway. I just told him in advance. Choi Seojun probably already thinks you and I are accomplices, right?”
The devil before his eyes was saying that Soohyun’s greatest fear was true. He didn’t care about being hated by Seojun, but he didn’t want to receive such a terrible misunderstanding.
“Soohyun, you don’t… love Choi Seojun or… anything like that, do you?”
Soohyun kept his mouth firmly shut. Love him… He was someone worthy of being loved, and to Soohyun, he was a person who was undeservedly kind and good. Soohyun had been happy hearing his confession, and felt secure by his side. Falling asleep in his embrace every night, he was no longer afraid or lonely.
“Fuck… Fine, Lee Soohyun, I’ll give you a chance.”
Soohyun’s briefly clouded eyes returned. Seokhyeon took out the phone from Soohyun’s bag and held it out to him.
“It seems like you were planning to meet Choi Seojun today. I don’t know what you were going to talk about, but. Call him and tell him.”
“What… do you mean? What are you talking about right now!”
“Tell him that’s right. Tell him the article is right.”
“You’re crazy! Why should I do that!!”
“…Then I’ll also reveal that you and Choi Seojun were living together. If it comes out that Choi Seojun was living with a promiscuous omega from the Omega Home Care Service Center, what do you think will happen to that bastard?”
Seokhyeon’s face was full of leisure as he watched Soohyun’s eyes instantly well up with rippling moisture. It was the face of someone who thought he’d already won. Soohyun thought of Seojun’s face, how much he’d struggled after the scandal. He’d been tormented just by an article with a few photos… He didn’t want him to go through any more hardship.
“I’ll make the call, so tell him. Got it?”
Soohyun couldn’t answer aloud and barely managed to move his head. How could he not tremble, how could he not cry? It felt like tears would burst out the moment he heard his voice…
Jang Seokhyeon found Seojun’s number among those saved in Soohyun’s phone and pressed the call button.
[Hello?! Lee Soohyun-ssi! Where are you right now?]
“…Seojun-ssi.”
His urgent voice was welcome. Even though he must think he’d been betrayed, that voice full of concern for him made his nose sting.
[Why did you turn off your phone? I was worried because it took so long! Did you collapse on the way or something?]
“…Yes.”
Soohyun swallowed tears along with a sigh. He must be thinking Soohyun had had some kind of attack.
[I see. I thought that might be it. It was my mistake. I’m sorry. How’s your body, Lee Soohyun-ssi? Are you okay now?]
“…Yes. I’m… fine.”
His voice cracked roughly. Seokhyeon’s eyes grew fierce as he watched Soohyun’s lips move.
[That’s good. I’m relieved. But you said you had something to talk about. Should we still meet later to discuss…]
“Ah, no. I’m calling to talk about it now. Seojun-ssi.”
[But Soohyun-ssi, you don’t seem to be in good condition right now…]
Seokhyeon tapped his wristwatch with his finger. At his gesture telling him to hurry up, Soohyun bit his lips for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“I’m… sorry. Seojun-ssi.”
[Yes?]
“The article… I saw it.”
[…Ah, that. But why are you sorry… What are you suddenly… saying?]
What burst from his mouth were sighs, and what came from his eyes were tears. But Soohyun didn’t want to see him crumble and get hurt because of him anymore. Because he himself was truly nothing. He didn’t want a pure person like Seojun to suffer anymore because of him, who was nothing.
Even if he himself fell into the abyss because of this, the happiness Seojun had given him over the past few months was something precious that couldn’t be exchanged for anything in Soohyun’s life.
He hadn’t expected there would be someone who would whisper love to his broken self again. He’d thought that the kind of happiness he’d felt before would never come again. But Seojun had given him all of that.
“It’s true.”
[What?]
“The article… is true. Everything written… is true.”
As soon as Soohyun’s words ended, Seokhyeon pressed the end call button. Then he smiled brightly and stroked Soohyun’s hair.
“Good job. You did very well.”
Crying silently was something far too familiar to Soohyun. The droplets pooled around his eyes flowed endlessly, wetting his cheeks.
‘Now it’s all over. There won’t be any more involvement with him.’
He saw Seokhyeon throw the phone on the floor. Roughly removing his jacket and tossing it aside, he approached Soohyun and fiddled with the buckle of Soohyun’s pants.
“We’re a bit later than planned, but… Well then, shall we catch up after all this time?”
Goosebumps rose all over his body. Even though his arms were tied and he couldn’t properly resist, Soohyun desperately raised his body and crouched in the corner of the bed.
“Don’t… come closer.”
“Hoo… Soohyun-ah. Listen when I’m being nice. You know resistance is useless anyway, so why are you doing this?”
“You’re the one… If you want to see me die, then go ahead.”
“…What?”
Soohyun rubbed his cheek with his tied hands. It was a life with nothing left to lose anyway. But even if it was a body that would rot away after death, he didn’t want to endure being forcibly violated by Jang Seokhyeon.
“Soohyun, if you keep acting like this, I’ll make Choi Seojun…”
“If you forcibly touch my body here right now… I’ll definitely die. Right in front of you.”
“Lee Soohyun!”
“…I need time too. If you think about what you did to me… if you truly love me, hoo, you shouldn’t do the same thing again!”
At Soohyun’s desperate cry, Seokhyeon’s expression hardened. When he’d barely gotten Soohyun in his hands, it would be troublesome if he really died. Seokhyeon soon relaxed his expression and smiled affectionately.
“Okay… I get it. I won’t force you. I waited five years, there’s no reason I can’t wait longer. You have nowhere to go anyway.”
“……”
“Rest up. I’ll be back after work.”
Only after seeing Seokhyeon leave through the door did Soohyun collapse on the bed and let out a long sigh. In truth, Soohyun wasn’t in his right mind. He was barely clutching onto consciousness that felt like it would slip away. He tried to think about what would come next to keep from losing his mind. Was this really the end? Could he not escape from Jang Seokhyeon? Was there really only one thing he could choose after all?
Soohyun closed his eyes and sobbed for a long while.
* * *
Beep— beep— beep— beep—
Seojun’s face as he held the disconnected phone looked dazed, as if someone had hit him. Staring into space with a stunned expression, Soohyun’s voice echoed in his ears. What did I just hear? That’s… that’s all true? It’s really true? Was that really what Soohyun was going to tell me?
Seojun couldn’t support his trembling legs and sank to the floor. He’d already almost concluded that Seokhyeon and Soohyun were accomplices, but one side of his heart had held onto the hope that it might not be true. But the moment he heard from Soohyun that it was true, his mind went blank.
“Crazy… Choi Seojun, you idiot…”
What had he been expecting? Had he wanted to hear even an excuse from the person who’d said in an urgent voice that he had something to say? He couldn’t believe that his sincerity had been completely denied.
“Seojun-ah. What are you doing? Why are you like this here?”
“Hyung…”
It was Jinwoo who lifted Seojun, who was crouching in the hallway. Looking worriedly at Seojun’s vacant face, Jinwoo took him to the break room.
