Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Then at this point, how should he use Ko Heeju’s existence?

Seokchan’s mind raced as he twisted his lips into a smirk, pretending to be unfazed.

“Exposing that would be a bad move for you, too.”

He pulled a handkerchief from his inner pocket and wiped the coffee from his hand.

“Everyone dates around before marriage. I wasn’t exactly Joo-ah’s first man either, was I?”

“The situation is quite different for you and Kwon Joo-ah.”

At Gukhyun’s words, Seokchan struggled to maintain his composure. It was obvious that if his relationship with Ko Heejin were brought to light, it would cause a massive headache. He had no choice but to counter a threat with an even bigger one.

“You should think about Ko Heeju’s position as well. Honestly, it’s not exactly a pleasant story for her to hear, is it? To find out her sister was dumped miserably after nothing but dates in a back room. She’s already someone who passed away tragically, so this is basically digging her up and desecrating the dead.”

Ah. Gukhyun let out a faint, subtle sigh while staring intently at Seokchan.

“Coming from Director Yoon’s mouth, that’s actually amusing.”

Gukhyun slowly licked his lips.

“Truly amusing.”

It looked exactly like a wild beast licking its chops right before swallowing its prey whole, sending a chill down Seokchan’s spine. Stuttering slightly, Seokchan added more.

“Be-besides, Joo-ah has such a fiery temper. Her rage might end up being taken out on Ko Heeju. You know that all too well, which is why you’ve kept it a secret from Ko Heeju until now.”

Seokchan managed a smile, clenching his sweaty fists.

“From what I saw earlier, she seemed to have no idea. You’re worried she’ll start poking around everywhere once she finds out, aren’t you? That kid definitely has too much nerve. She has no idea how scary the world is. She’s the perfect candidate to end up dying a sudden, violent death somewhere.”

“Are you introducing yourself? Because no matter how generous I am, you’re the one with the face of someone who’ll die like a dog.”

Gukhyun was smiling. Yet, the air surrounding him radiated an overbearing pressure so thick it felt impossible to breathe. The atmosphere weighed heavy on Seokchan’s shoulders. Panting slightly, Seokchan managed to speak.

“Do you think Ko Heeju will stay by your side once she finds out you deceived her?”

He spat the words out through gritted teeth.

“She’ll probably think you’re one of us anyway.”

“The way your tongue is wagging tells me exactly how anxious you are right now.”

“……”

The mere fact that he had lost his composure meant Seokchan’s defeat was absolute. Gukhyun slowly rose from his seat.

Resting one hand on the coffee-stained table, he leaned forward and reached out toward Seokchan with the other. Seokchan couldn’t budge. He could only gulp, watching that massive hand close in on him.

It was just as they say about encountering a tiger deep in the mountains. How the piercing light in its eyes freezes your body solid. For the first time in his life, Seokchan experienced a moment where his entire body was paralyzed, unable to move a single finger.

“If I catch you loitering around Ko Heeju one more time…”

Were his eyes always like this? Seokchan stared into Gukhyun’s eyes as if possessed. The chill crawling down his spine was so severe he felt as though his breath might turn to mist.

Gukhyun smiled faintly and patted Seokchan’s cheek, almost like a friendly gesture.

“I think I’ll just kill you then.”

Though Gukhyun hadn’t put any force into it, Seokchan’s head snapped to the side several times before returning to center. Stunned and soul-weary, his unfocused eyes wandered through empty space.

“Let’s play nice, Director Yoon.”

Gukhyun smoothly snatched the handkerchief from Seokchan’s hand and carelessly wiped the coffee off his own fingers.

“Understood?”

The damp handkerchief was tossed back, landing squarely on Seokchan’s chest. As if he couldn’t care less about an answer, Gukhyun turned and walked out of the coffee shop with total indifference. Seokchan sat there dazed until the rhythmic sound of Gukhyun’s footsteps faded into silence.

—

“Let’s go.”

Gukhyun spoke as he climbed into the backseat. He smelled strongly of coffee. For some reason, it made Heeju feel nauseous, so she closed her eyes and turned her head toward the car window.

“Yes, hyung-nim. Heading home first.”

“Do that.”

The black sedan pulled away with a smooth hum of the exhaust. Not long after the car glided out of the hospital grounds, Gukhyun flicked the curve of Heeju’s ear with his fingertip.

“Feeling sick?”

At this point, he seemed to sense a person’s condition even better than a doctor. Heeju slowly opened her eyes. She answered while keeping her gaze fixed on the view outside the window.

“A little.”

“Is it your stomach that’s upset, or your mood?”

It was likely her mood causing the nausea, but she didn’t want to be honest with him. Heeju spoke in a listless voice.

“What reason would I have to be in a bad mood?”

“I wonder what you heard to make you turn so pale, looking like you might keel over any second.”

Gukhyun took Heeju’s chin and pulled her to face him.

“Did Seokchan give you some kind of warning? Telling you the man by your side is dangerous and shouldn’t be associated with?”

For some reason, it felt difficult to look him in the eye right now. She wanted to turn away, but her chin was held firmly in place. Heeju kept her eyes fixed somewhere near Gukhyun’s chest and muttered.

“It wasn’t exactly news. It’s not like I don’t know you aren’t a good person.”

“Then why won’t you look me in the eye?”

Gukhyun tilted his head, determined to make eye contact with her.

“Do you hate me now?”

“It’s not that….”

Heeju shook her head reflexively, then suddenly cut herself off and fell silent.

“If it’s not that, then what?”

Even as Heeju tried to look away, Gukhyun gripped her chin firmly, persistently chasing her gaze.

“Speak. Don’t just sit there with an expression like you’re ready to bite your tongue off.”

“…”

Heeju lifted her eyes and met Gukhyun’s stare. As expected, the rims of her eyes were flushed red. Watching her moist eyelashes flutter slowly, Gukhyun narrowed his brows.

“When you make a face like that, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

At his words, Heeju closed her eyes once more and opened them slowly. It wasn’t that she wanted to play the victim or act like a child in front of him. After a moment, she steadied her voice and spoke calmly.

“It’s just that I feel like I was in a place where I shouldn’t have been.”

She wanted to ask him why he had to act that way in front of Seokchan. Why he went out of his way to do something so foolish, something that could become a weakness, right in front of a man who wanted nothing more than to see him ruined. She wanted to demand an answer, yet at the same time, she felt like she shouldn’t ask at all.

She was just strangely afraid. A man so busy he barely slept three hours a day had suddenly appeared at the hospital without warning or a slot on his schedule. She was gripped by an ominous fear that the reason for his appearance might truly be that she had become something akin to a weakness for Gukhyun.

“I shouldn’t have come.”

“If there’s somewhere you want to go, go.”

“…”

“All I want is for you to keep at least one of my guys glued to your side, wherever you go.”

The man who once kept her locked away at home, telling her she couldn’t even die as she pleased until her debt was paid, was now telling her to go wherever she wanted.

Just as her own feelings had shifted like clothes soaking in a drizzle, Gukhyun, and her relationship with him, had changed completely. Yet, this shift filled Heeju with a sudden, sharp fear.

“You’re so cute I’m worried someone might just snatch you up. It makes it hard to focus on work.”

Even in this situation, his shameless ability to crack a silly joke forced a hollow laugh out of her.

“You still have the energy to joke around?”

“There’s no reason I wouldn’t. All I have is this high-energy body of mine.”

“Haa…”

Heeju let out a long breath. As the trace of a smile faded from her lips, her expression hardened once more.

“I wonder what you heard to make you this moody.”

Gukhyun smirked, peering at her as if observing something entertaining. Heeju struggled to contain the emotions that were threatening to boil over.

“Just tell me. What’s bothering you?”

“…”

“Maybe I should go back and kill Seokchan after all. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.”

Heeju’s eyes widened at his words. Despite his casual, joking tone, it didn’t sound like an empty threat. He was exactly the kind of man who would follow through.

“Yunam-ah. Turn the car around.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

True to form, Yunam took the order literally and jerked the steering wheel.