Three Eight-Chapter 18

Doksu glanced at the now-empty pharmacy before quickly approaching the car. Leaning down, he shoved his words through the open window.

"Guppping’s setting up a game. He’s trying to drag in CEO Mu-gyeong. It doesn’t matter, he’s gonna lose all the money anyway, so don’t catch him. He’ll purposely clear the place, but if they ask you to fill the seat, don’t sit. It’s a way to make someone a sucker."

"Hey, breathe while you talk."

Leaning on the steering wheel, Mu-gyeong casually responded. Every time he smiled, his wide back rose and fell slightly. Hongju, clearly frustrated, tapped his foot and again pulled his lips apart.

"CEO Mu-gyeong can’t win there. If they use the stack, you could lose tens of billions, so just stay out of it."

"Why? You think I won’t be able to help you if you end up broke?"

He bared his teeth, laughing. He probably had no idea of the seriousness, never having gambled before. Whether it was Yang Siljang or Guppping, if they set their minds to it, they could ruin a family. Sighing, Hongju glanced at the pharmacy again and responded.

"Yes. So just don’t do it. No, it’s better if you don’t come for a while. I’m really... saying this after preparing myself."

If Mu-gyeong doesn’t hold back, the arrows will be aimed at poor Hongju. They’d surely suspect he leaked the plan first. Even if he denied it, they’d believe it. He could end up beaten for several days or might even truly give up his back.

It was a message sent with everything at stake. This rope he grabbed, risking everything, couldn’t be rotten.

"I thought you were slacking off, but you’ve been doing what I asked."

"..."

"Did you get slapped again?"

Instead of answering, Hongju half-raised his body and glanced behind him. He saw Doksu just coming out of the pharmacy. Quickly straightening up, Hongju waved at him. Doksu looked between the car and Hongju as he approached.

"Who’s that?"

"CEO Mu-gyeong said he’ll give me a ride. Get in."

"Haha."

At the one-sided excuse, a laugh escaped through the open window. Hongju swallowed dryly, watching Doksu closely. Fortunately, his face didn’t show any suspicion.

"Good thing it’s cold. I’ll just stop by the convenience store for a sec. Let’s go together."

He pulled on Hongju’s padded sleeve. Through the window, he asked Mu-gyeong what he’d like to drink. Hongju thought he would leave, but Mu-gyeong simply gestured for him to hurry back. Dragged along, Hongju kept glancing back. Mu-gyeong was just staring at them from the seat.

After buying a bottle of water and two cans of beer, Hongju got into Mu-gyeong’s car. They both sat in the back seat, and Doksu muttered aloud.

"What the hell? Did I actually call a taxi?"

"Here’s the beer for the boss."

Not even fazed, Doksu shoved the beer toward the driver’s seat. Mu-gyeong gestured toward the passenger seat with a nod.

"Put it there."

"But CEO, if you drink, we’ll need a designated driver, right?"

Doksu leaned his face between the driver’s seat and passenger seat, casually talking. Hongju quietly pulled on Doksu’s coat sleeve, but he didn’t budge.

"You drive then."

"Eh? Will you give me the designated driver fee?"

Doksu made a joke, saying he shouldn’t drink if he planned on being the driver. Maybe it was because he hadn’t seen Mu-gyeong’s violent side, but Doksu was truly fearless.

"What’s that you’ve got?"

"This is medicine. Look at Hongju’s face. He’s been beaten up badly."

Even though he was tattling, Mu-gyeong didn’t respond. No reaction at all, Doksu scratched his head awkwardly and sat down right away. Meanwhile, the car slowly stopped at a red light.

"How bad is it?"

Suddenly, Mu-gyeong turned his body and reached his long arm between the seats. His hand was aimed at Hongju, and instinctively, he straightened his back. Then, a hot palm touched his cheek. It was large enough to cover his entire ear. The cool eyes scanned Hongju’s battered face slowly. He had seen it earlier too... Hongju couldn’t withstand the persistent gaze and stared only at the headrest of the driver’s seat.

"Did you go to collect the debt today?"

With the palm still pressing against his face, Hongju shook his head. Realizing his movement # Nоvеlight # resembled rubbing his face against his hand, he quickly stopped. Mu-gyeong’s gaze lingered in Hongju’s eyes while examining his face.

"......"

"It’ll sell well."

Tsk. He clicked his tongue and withdrew his hand. After that, Doksu tried to strike up a conversation with Mu-gyeong, who responded half-heartedly. Hongju, holding the medicine bag tightly, remained silent.

Looking out at the dry scenery passing by, Hongju realized they were nearing the house. Habitually, he unscrewed the bottle of water and gulped it down.

"If you’re that thirsty, you should drink something more often. Didn’t Guppping say you shouldn’t drink?"

"No."

Hongju wiped his wet lips and shook his head. After all, explaining it to Doksu wouldn’t help; he wouldn’t understand.

Avoiding Mu-gyeong’s gaze, Hongju suddenly wondered about the warmth left on his cheek. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t wearing gloves today. Hongju occasionally glanced at the hand gripping the steering wheel.

"Get out."

"CEO, aren’t you going into the house?"

"I’m a busy person too. Get out quickly."

"Will you come back?"

"I don’t know. Get out."

He almost got kicked out of the car. The only light in the alley disappeared as the car faded into the darkness.

"Expensive car, huh? The ride’s incredible, right?"

"......"

Hongju just nodded vaguely, watching the car’s rear as it disappeared. He probably intended to cut ties after hearing his advice. All the anger might fall on him, but still... there were no regrets. Until dawn, Mu-gyeong never appeared at the house.

***

Doksu glanced out towards the pharmacy window. By now, Mu-gyeong should have shown up, like clockwork, for his shift, but he hadn’t. Seeing Guppping growing more impatient, Hongju couldn’t help but feel relieved. At least it seemed like Mu-gyeong had understood what he’d said.

"I called him to come, but why hasn’t he shown up since yesterday? Did someone leak the word?"

Guppping turned around, his sharp gaze landing directly on Hongju. He knew this would happen. Whenever something went wrong, they always blamed him first. Hongju, not even acknowledging the accusation, kept his gaze fixed at the end of the hallway.

"Hongju, did you spill it? You?"

"..."

Even if he denied it, they wouldn’t believe him. Hongju, without responding, rubbed his cold hands together.

"He’s ignoring me again. Is your ear clogged, you bastard?"

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Guppping cursed as he strode toward Hongju, almost ready to hit him. Just as Hongju sighed in resignation, Doksu suddenly intervened, stepping between them to block Guppping’s path.

"No. CEO Mu-gyeong must be busy. Right?"

He lightly tapped Hongju’s shoulder, almost seeking his approval.

"What? How do you know that?"

"I ran into him yesterday when we went to the convenience store. He gave us a ride back to the house, but he said he was busy and left."

"He came yesterday? Were the three of you together?"

At Doksu’s explanation, Guppping’s voice softened a bit.

"Yes. And Hongju stayed with me the whole time."

Doksu casually wrapped his arm around Hongju’s shoulder. The side of Hongju’s padded jacket sagged under the weight. Guppping’s suspicious gaze remained, but thanks to Doksu, they managed to avoid any confrontation.

"Tsk, always coming around to mess with me. Why the hell did he suddenly stop showing up?"

Guppping mumbled in irritation as he entered the hallway. Hongju quietly watched the back of the man heading towards the furthest room. Just then, Doksu nudged his shoulder. Stumbling a bit, Hongju glanced at him.

"Phew, that was close, right?"

Hongju didn’t bother thanking him. Doksu, seemingly unfazed, frowned as he observed Hongju’s injuries.

"But why didn’t you put on the ointment? It still looks the same."

"It’ll heal on its own."

After all, even if it healed, new wounds would form again, and the scars didn’t matter.

"Come on, I’m trying to be helpful. Did you leave the medicine at home? Or did you leave it here?"

Doksu opened a few old desk drawers. From the second drawer, he pulled out a medicine packet that he had rolled up and put away.

"Huh? You didn’t even open it."

Doksu clicked his tongue and pulled out some ointments. Hongju sighed, but Doksu seemed to ignore him and squeezed ointment onto his finger. Turning his body toward Hongju, he sat down.

"Did I wash my hands earlier? Look over here."

Doksu’s eyes landed on Hongju’s swollen lips. Frowning at the wound, he applied the ointment.

"Ugh, that must have hurt...?"

Doksu’s gaze seemed to shift, but then his voice rose. As if someone had arrived, Hongju turned his head, but suddenly a large, hot hand reached from behind and grabbed his chin. Hongju jerked his shoulder in surprise. The unfamiliar hand tightened its grip, tilting Hongju’s head back. The back of his head bumped against something hard.

"Why didn’t you apply the ointment?"

It was Mu-gyeong, looking down at him with his gaze fixed on Hongju’s pale face. The shadow looming behind him darkened Hongju’s features. Hongju looked up, eyes wide, and saw Mu-gyeong’s flawless face.

The thumb touching Hongju’s chin slowly traced his skin. The warmth of Mu-gyeong’s body reached his already swollen lips. The faintest contact sent sharp, stinging waves of pain through Hongju’s thin skin.

Hongju winced, trying to hold back the pain. Mu-gyeong’s eyes lingered on Hongju’s long eyelashes for a moment.

"Gu Madam doesn’t have the talent for business, so you’d better take care of yourself. Don’t you think?"

Mu-gyeong tilted his head slightly as he spoke. The ointment that had been clumped on Hongju’s face was now smeared. Despite the pressure on the wound and the pain in his neck, Hongju couldn’t escape the firm grip.

"Ugh."

Hongju groaned softly as Doksu’s persistent hand pressed against the injury. Mu-gyeong didn’t release his grip. Instead, he pressed his lips together and chuckled. Everywhere his fingers brushed, warmth spread through Hongju’s body.

"That’s a nice sound."

Hongju swallowed, trying to control his nerves. The prominent Adam’s apple in his neck moved noticeably as it bobbed. Mu-gyeong’s gaze shifted towards his throat before wrapping around it with his fingers. At the same time, Hongju’s breathing began to falter.

"......"

The hand on his throat tightened with enough force to almost choke him. He couldn’t look away from Mu-gyeong’s eyes, nor could he swallow. As Mu-gyeong observed Hongju’s tense face, he chuckled softly. He then leaned forward, bringing his lips close to Hongju’s right ear.

"Did you make sounds like this in front of Gu Madam too?"

His whisper was so quiet that even Doksu, sitting close by, couldn’t hear it. Mu-gyeong’s breath and every word flowed into Hongju’s ear. If he had whispered into the left ear, perhaps Hongju wouldn’t have heard it, but as it was, the words pierced his consciousness.