Swallow Hunting

Yang Seokho turned his head and let out a long sigh. The scene from a few days ago suddenly came back to him.

Late that evening, he’d gotten a call from Lee Kangjoo. Not like he had the luxury of ignoring it—no matter when the man called, he had to run over like a dog—so he picked up immediately. When he asked what it was this time, Kangjoo told him to come to the office right away, saying there was something to take care of.

He rushed over, and there was half a corpse sprawled out in the office. When he got closer to check, it was Song Jaewook. His face was so swollen and covered in blood that Seokho hadn’t recognized him at first glance.

Yang Seokho quickly placed his hand under Jaewook’s nose. Still alive. He’d be stuck in a hospital bed for a long time, but at least he wasn’t dead.

Turning people into pulp was practically routine, so the fact that it was Song Jaewook didn’t shock him much. What bothered him was the other person in the office besides Lee Kangjoo.

Cha Haejun was sitting on the sofa with his head lowered. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Song Jaewook, just picking at his fingers instead.

And behind Haejun, Lee Kangjoo stood, one hand wrapped around his hunched shoulders as he greeted Seokho casually.

“Keep him locked in the hospital until he recovers. Make sure he keeps his mouth shut.”

“Yes.”

Thinking it would take too long alone, Seokho pulled out his phone to call the others. Just then, Cha Haejun, who had been sitting the whole time, staggered to his feet. His exposed skin was pale, drained of all color. His complexion looked terrible. It was Song Jaewook who’d been beaten to a pulp, but the one who looked like he might collapse at any moment was Haejun.

“I’ll... help too. At least with the cleaning.”

Haejun’s gaze drifted toward the vomit. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, but when Kangjoo’s hand tightened around his shoulder, he opened them again. His eyelashes trembled when he looked at Song Jaewook, and then he dropped his head.

“Mr. Cha Haejun, there’s nothing for you to touch.”

“...Yes. I’ll handle things here.”

After sending the two of them out, Yang Seokho locked the barely conscious Song Jaewook away in a remote psychiatric hospital in the countryside. When Jaewook woke up later, he babbled nonsense about filing a lawsuit, but a few injections shut him up quickly. Even if he got out, no one would take the ramblings of a druggie seriously.

Seokho didn’t bother asking Lee Kangjoo why he’d beaten him like that. He was curious about the exact reason, sure, but he had a rough idea.

Honestly, seeing Song Jaewook get beaten like that had been satisfying. The only unpleasant part was that the kid right in front of him had witnessed something that brutal. Only then did Kangjoo’s earlier question—how to break him—start to sit wrong with him.

Maybe Kangjoo had chosen such a harsh method under the pretense of breaking Cha Haejun’s will. There was a hint of venting anger in the state Song Jaewook had been left in.

For someone like him, it had been a cruel thing to do to a kid.

And yet, Lee Kangjoo wanted to keep Cha Haejun tucked under his arm wherever he went. When Seokho saw him even considering taking the kid along on this overseas business trip, he was genuinely startled. Of course, as a seasoned subordinate, he didn’t show it on the surface. Instead, he carefully added his opinion while watching his boss’s reaction.

“You know how it is. That place is dangerous. Even with guards, if they rush us recklessly, things could get bad.”

“....”

“Last time, they dumped one of our guys in a sugarcane field, didn’t they? Those bastards...”

Yang Seokho ground his teeth. A rival group that had it out for Lee Kangjoo had kidnapped an innocent employee and thrown out absurd demands. They’d tried to negotiate just to save the man first, but before a proper negotiation table could even be set, those bastards had already killed him and dumped his body in a sugarcane field.

Lee Kangjoo hadn’t just taken it. He went to war, hunted down everyone involved, and soaked them in acid. An eye for an eye.

Even if things were cleaned up neatly, weeds always grew back. They called it an overseas business trip, but the place they were heading was still a nest crawling with vipers.

Danger would be everywhere. Taking Cha Haejun there would be the same as announcing, “Here’s my weakness—grab it and do whatever you want.”

After a moment of thought, Lee Kangjoo waved his hand. Forget it. That was what it meant. If he’d insisted on taking him, Seokho wouldn’t have been able to refuse anyway, so he was just grateful his boss had changed his mind.

“You...”

Back in the present, he was about to ask Cha Haejun if he liked the boss that much. But seeing those eyes staring straight at him, Seokho swallowed the rest of his words. The answer was obvious.

...It’s not like I’m the one suffering over it.

It wasn’t his problem. He could just sit back with popcorn and watch. But maybe because he’d grown a bit attached, what he felt instead was pity. Clicking his tongue, Yang Seokho picked up a thick slice of boiled pork and placed it on Haejun’s plate. That was the best comfort he could offer.

“Oh right. I’ve got an overseas trip next week. You need anything, kid?”

He figured maybe a small gift from duty-free would lift his mood a bit. But Cha Haejun asked something completely out of left field.

“A trip? You’re going alone, Manager?”

“No, with the boss.”

“......”

“It’s just a short trip. About five days?”

Even that seemed long to him—Haejun’s expression darkened. He set his chopsticks down completely, like he didn’t even have the energy to pretend to eat anymore.

“The boss didn’t say anything...”

“Ah, well, there’s still time before we go. He probably planned to tell you later.”

Flustered, Yang Seokho waved his hands. His mouth had run ahead of him again. Clicking his tongue at himself, he turned his head and lightly smacked his lips in self-punishment.

“Uh... if you need anything, it’d be better to ask the boss. He’ll buy it for you.”

He quickly changed his words. Only now did it occur to him that acting out of line trying to be nice might get him scolded by his superior.

Haejun nodded, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. The faint smile didn’t last long.

Before he knew it, the day to remove his cast had come.

He’d planned to go with Yohan, but Lee Kangjoo didn’t allow it. Even though Haejun said it wasn’t necessary, Kangjoo made time and came to the hospital anyway.

Haejun looked down at his bare leg, exposed for the first time in a while. Maybe because it hadn’t seen sunlight, his shin looked unusually pale.

He wiggled his toes, then moved his foot up and down. The doctor had already examined him, and the X-ray showed it had healed cleanly, but he wanted to confirm it himself.

The throbbing pain was completely gone. It felt like even going up and down stairs wouldn’t be a problem. The doctor warned him not to overdo it—that once a bone had cracked, it could break again easily from even a small impact—but Haejun didn’t really listen.

Honestly, before coming to the hospital, he’d seriously considered breaking his ankle again.

Very seriously.

Because of what Lee Kangjoo had said after his confession.

“If you don’t force anything, you can stay here until your leg heals.”

Which meant, once it healed, he was supposed to leave.

So today would be the last day he could stay in Lee Kangjoo’s house.

If he’d managed to sort out his feelings, he could’ve stayed a bit longer without issue—but that was impossible. Even after witnessing that blood-soaked scene of violence with his own eyes, his feelings hadn’t changed one bit. If anything, they had only grown deeper day by day, like an incurable illness eating away at him.

That was why he’d thought about breaking his ankle again. Because he couldn’t see any other way.

There weren’t any proper tools at home, so he’d picked up a flowerpot and raised it high. He squeezed his eyes shut, ready to smash it down—but when it came time to do it, all the strength drained from his hands.

It wasn’t fear of the pain.

It was a more fundamental question—what would be the point of extending his stay like this?

At the same time, he couldn’t stand how pathetic he was, trying to cling to Kangjoo in such a way. There was no bigger idiot than him. Even if he stayed by his side for a hundred years, would Lee Kangjoo ever give him even a sliver of his heart?

He already knew the answer better than anyone.

“......”

Kangjoo paid the bill again this time. Haejun tried to insist he’d do it himself, but Kangjoo ignored him and made him sit in the waiting area.

When he saw Kangjoo returning, Haejun stood up. He could walk on his own now without crutches. Which meant there was no need for a busy man like him to go out of his way to take him home.

Maybe it was better this way.

Staying in that house would only make him more attached. For both of them, it would be better this way.

More than anything, he desperately needed time alone to get his emotions under control. He also needed to contact Yohan. Just thinking about the lecture he’d get already made his head throb, but the officetel Kangjoo had given him was already taken care of, so the only place he could stay for now was Yohan’s place.

For now, he followed Kangjoo to the parking lot to see him off. Kangjoo opened the passenger door first, and Haejun looked up at him.

“Thank you for bringing me to the hospital today. I’ll take the subway home. My leg’s healed now, so I think I’ll be fine walking.”

“...Why bother?”

Lee Kangjoo met his gaze, frowning slightly like he found it odd.

Haejun couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eyes. He lowered his head, fidgeting with his fingers.

“I don’t want to get in your way. The company and your house are in opposite directions anyway...”

“Stop talking nonsense and get in.”

Everything Haejun had carefully prepared to say was shut down instantly. Kangjoo pressed down on his shoulder and forced him into the car.

Haejun ended up sitting in the passenger seat, pushed by that force. Kangjoo got into the driver’s seat and locked the doors.

As if, otherwise, Haejun might just bolt out and run.