At just the right time, a knock was heard from outside.
“CEO. Are you done talking?”
“Yes, Young-hee. Come in.”
The door opened and Jang Young-hee entered.
The secretary, with his shoulders like a mountain, stopped when the door was halfway open. After a brief pause, Jang Young-hee opened the door completely and quickly came inside. The door closed again.
“CEO…”
Jang Young-hee’s gaze was directed to Kim Kang-sik’s body crawling on the floor.
“Why are you like this again? If you step on someone like this, it’ll be difficult to clean up, so I asked you refrain from it.”
“Look at me, Young-hee. He had a gun. What am I supposed to do when I’m helpless and unarmed without a single weapon?”
“Haa.”
Jang Young-hee let out a sigh and lowered his head.
“How did the conversation go?”
“No harvest.”
“Then…”
“Right. I can no longer participate in the auction.”
“The item…”
“I don’t know. Where else did the f*cking item go?”
“Then Executive Director Kwon…”
“I’ll give the advance payment back, so tell him I’m pulling my feet out.”
“However…”
“President Kim, this fucking bastard, let my personal information all over Shanghai, so what else can I do?”
“Haa…for now, I will ask President Kim if there’s anything else to find out.”
Looking down at the wriggling lump of Kim Kang-sik, whose limbs were all broken and only his body remaining, Jang Young-hee continued.
“Is there anything else you want me to do?”
“Buy some new shoes.”
“Yes.”
“And…”
Seo Seung-hyun continued to speak while chewing on the cigarette filter with his front teeth.
“Cut off some tomato heads.”
“Yes? Tomato head?”
“Yes. You know, that red guy. The as*hole playing with the computer.”
“Ah…Assistant Manager Park?”
“Whether it’s Assistant Manager or Manager, that wrinkly idiot.”
Seo Seung-hyun’s fingers flicked the cigarette butt to the floor right before the filter burned out. The cigarette flame that fell on the sticky blood fizzled like a fish.
“A very useless body. Send it back to Korea immediately.”
“Ah…yes, sir.”
“And what about that code?”
“Executive Director Kwon said it’s the right one. It’s Seoran’s security code. It’s definite that a limited authorization code to unlock the item will be traded in the second auction.”
“Yes, that would be so. The problem is that I don’t f*cking know when and where the second auction will be held.”
Seo Seung-hyun’s eyes narrowed slightly. The tips of his index fingernails, splattered with blood, lightly touched his chin. Silence fell for a moment. Jang Young-hee waited in silence for his boss to open his mouth first.
“Say, Young-hee.”
After a long silence, Seo Seung-hyun opened his mouth.
“Yes, sir.”
“What if my sex tape were leaked?”
Jang Young-hee shut his mouth.
Contrary to his bear-like appearance, this loyal secretary was a quick-witted person and had worked with Seo Seung-hyun for many years and was quite resistant to his boss’ sudden words and actions, but he seemed to be caught off guard by this unexpected question.
After a longer silence than before, Jang Young-hee answered.
“I think the prosecutor will like it.”
“What will those perverts do while watching my sex tapes?”
“They’re not going to masturbate.”
“They might.”
“No. I don’t think…no. Anyway, they won’t. Rather, they’d be happy to finally put CEO’s face on the wanted list.”
“Haha, really…”
Seo Seung-hyun’s chest trembled lightly. A short laugh came out.
“It’s so fcking, fck…”
Jang Young-hee’s body tensed at the sound of that low laughter.
“Hey, Young-hee.”
“Yes, sir.”
“First, take President Kim and let him blow everything he knows.”
“Yes.”
“And, where is he?”
“In the utility room.”
Jang Young-hee, who promptly understood the vague subject, answered without hesitation. Seo Seung-hyun’s fingers traced his smooth chin again. A drop of blood hanging from the tip of his index finger moved to the perfectly symmetrical jawline. Drops of blood hung from the tip of his beardless chin and flowed down his neck.
“…take him to my room.”
“Understood.”
The heavy voice gave an unwavering answer, which made Seo Seung-hyun feel slightly better. He waved his hand at his secretary.
“Get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Along with that answer, Jang Young-hee bent down and put the hill-like Kim Kang-sik around his shoulder. A mass of crumpled joints and bones connecting the body and limbs shook from Jang Young-hee’s shoulder. Jang Young-hee bowed his head toward Seo Seung-hyun.
“I’ll let the kids in and clean up soon.”
“Alright.”
Jang Young-hee closed the door and left.
The room went silent.
Seo Seung-hyun was lost in thought for a while, smelling the cigarette and blood. His inner frontal lobe quickly rotated to pinpoint the options left to him.
The young alpha, who had risen to the present position with judgement and action, uncharacteristically hesitated for a long time.
The situation was running off course in a completely different direction that he had planned.
Seo Seung-hyun was not invited to the second auction.
Those who knew the relationship between him and Kwon Shin-woo quickly conveyed it through word of mouth, and the auctioneer erased his name from the list of attendees. Seo Seung-hyun had a chance to meet the auctioneer face to face, but to no avail. ‘The seller doesn’t want that.’ The first item was in his hands, but the whereabouts of the second item was no longer known. Is that all? Even before the goods were handed over, the rats who smelled them were ramming their snouts here and there, so in the end, didn’t Seo Seung-hyun have to go and get the goods himself? They didn’t show themselves, but the auctioneer didn’t seem to like what Seo Seung-hyun did. But what can they do? If Seo Seung-hyun hadn’t displayed his wits, the item would have passed into the hands of the rats forever.
And Seo Seung-hyun would have to admit his incompetence in this matter in front of Kwon Shin-woo’s robot-like face…
“Ha, f*ck…”
Seo Seung-hyun tilted his head back. The neckline raised under his chin pointed toward the ceiling. He stared at the ceiling and tapped the damp floor with his toe.
How far did Kim Kang-sik sell Seo Seung-hyun’s information?
Who’s going to sniff it out and stick their muzzles in?
He lifted his head, straining his neck.
Then got up.
His heavy shoulders rose abruptly without a sound.
Damp boots trampled across the floor, which was muddy with blood and a few vomit.
Seo Seung-hyun went up the stairs smelling of blood and cigarettes. His vision vague. Originally, he was going to take Kim Kang-sik to a disgusting dinner where he would eat pieces of fish on top of a body instead of a plate while staring blankly at the naked body sitting on the table that was spinning round and round, but that was cancelled. It was fortunate that dinner had been canceled since he had no interest in picking up pieces of fish that had become lukewarm by human body temperature and he wasn’t hungry anyway. And, as was common with the majority of ideal species, Seo Seung-hyun became violent when he was hungry. Very slightly.
Seo Seung-hyun stood in front of the door. His hand caught the door and opened it. Then the door closed behind his back.
His gaze roamed as if licking the room.
A small lump was crumpled in the middle of the carpeted floor. Seo Seung-hyun walked toward him without hesitation. The mass squirmed at the sound of footsteps on the old wooden floor.
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