Chapter 45
Hongju chewed on his lower lip as he watched Mu-gyeong, who had emerged freshly dressed.
"Gu Madam contacted you."
Mu-gyeong tossed his phone from the island bar over to Hongju. He barely managed to catch it and immediately checked the screen. It was just past noon, but the message had come early that morning. Guppping was probably asleep now—if he replied, he’d only get cursed out again. He double-checked the text telling him to go to Gwangpal’s house.
"Debt’s cleared, so he’s sending you out to collect right away, huh."
Before he even noticed, Mu-gyeong was standing shoulder to shoulder with him, looking down at the screen. The rush of scent made Hongju shrink away a little.
"Gu Madam really has no shame, doesn’t he?"
"...Yeah."
His answer came out as a crawl, eyes still fixed on the screen. But even if he wanted to pretend not to notice the heat in that stare, he couldn’t ignore it.
Like last time, the two had a light meal together. Now dressed in freshly laundered clothes that carried a clean scent, Hongju quietly waited for his chance. He kept checking his phone like he was expecting something, hoping Mu-gyeong would loosen his guard.
"Hey. You ready?"
Maybe it was a call he wasn’t supposed to overhear—Mu-gyeong, buttoning up his shirt, wedged the phone between his shoulder and ear as he stepped into the bedroom. Clack. The sound of the door closing made Hongju spring up from the sofa. Silently, he slipped out of the sitting room and headed down the hotel hallway toward the elevator.
"...Why isn’t it working?"