By Zephyria 247
The lips didn’t stop with just one touch. With each peck, the faces of the people in front of them gradually turned bizarre. Even the faces hidden behind the masks were vaguely distorted. Half laughter, half anger. Eventually, Eui-jae glared. Though it wouldn’t be visible behind the mask.
“Turn your heads.”
“…….”
Bae Won-woo and Hong Ye-seong solemnly turned their bodies to face the wall. Mackerel lowered his head, but Eui-jae could feel his furtive glances. Eui-jae growled.
“I can see your eyes darting around.”
“…….”
Finally, even Mackerel stood facing the wall. Damn it. Eui-jae readjusted Sa-young, who was burying his face in his neck and rubbing against him, and asked.
“Where do I lay him down? There must be a resting space.”
“Th, uh, um. The top floor.”
He had to carry him to the top floor? Even though it was a research facility, there seemed to be many people here. Naturally, the nightmare of paparazzi began to creep up. Whether the pro paparazzi Mackerel had the same thought, or was conscious of the attention, he began to whistle.
Seriously, is Lee Sa-young a cat or something? Why does he like high places so much? Just then, Bae Won-woo cautiously raised his hand.
“You don’t necessarily have to, I, I can move him though….”
“…….”
If he handed Lee Sa-young over to Bae Won-woo here. Eui-jae could escape without his name or face being exposed again. However, he could also foresee the aftermath when Sa-young woke up. He’d cling to him, saying he’d been abandoned, or that he was disappointed.
‘…….’
Actually, all that was just an excuse, I wanted to do it myself.
Eui-jae forcefully bit his tongue and said.
“Please guide me through the quietest, most discreet, and least populated route possible.”
In front of the building, a beat-up Damas chugged towards Bae Won-woo, who was sucking on a power gel. Mackerel, who got out of the driver’s seat, raised his hand in greeting. Bae Won-woo leaned an arm on the Damas and grumbled.
“Hey, what’s with this old junker? You guys have so much money.”
“Old junker? This is our Jang Mi-sook’s longtime partner, you know?”
“I mean it’s cool because it’s old. Antique and… physically sturdy looking.”
Bae Won-woo gave a thumbs up. Mackerel scoffed and glanced up at the building. J, who had gone up carrying Lee Sa-young, hadn’t been heard from for over an hour. The image of Lee Sa-young clinging to him like a child, unlike his usual self, wouldn’t leave his mind. The guy who would threaten him at the drop of a hat, order him to do strange things, and request all sorts of difficult tasks.
‘Ha, this is a brain that’s only supposed to see and hear good things.’
It literally felt like his brain was polluted. The mental shock was too great to just let it pass. Mackerel sighed and held out his hand to Bae Won-woo. He casually tossed the cleanly eaten energy gel wrapper into it. Mackerel frowned.
“Not trash, give me the therapy fee, the therapy fee.”
“Why are you looking for therapy fees here? Doesn’t look like you’re hurt anywhere.”
“No~ I need compensation for mental damage too. My head’s been spinning ever since I saw that scene, I can’t drive, you know?”
“You’re going to make Goldfish drive anyway, what….”
“You don’t know how hard it is to control Goldfish.”
“Aish, shut up. Therapy fee… Ah!”
Bae Won-woo grabbed Hong Ye-seong, who was loitering behind him, and dragged him over. Hong Ye-seong was dragged along, making a weak “Heuh,” sound. Bae Won-woo bowed his head exaggeratedly.
“While you’re at it, could you take this guy with you? I need to get back soon. I snuck out.”
“Huh? No, if you entrust me with an escapee like this….”
“Come on, he came out to stop the world from ending, surely they won’t say anything? Just sneak him in, sneak him in.”
“This isn’t a therapy fee, this is an additional charge.”
Mackerel looked up and down at Hong Ye-seong, who was dangling by the scruff of his neck. The intelligent ‘The Artisan’ who had been spouting meaningful words as if embracing the whole world earlier was now wearing a blank expression. Mackerel poked Hong Ye-seong’s cheek with his finger. A delayed “Eh.” reaction came back. This one’s useless. Mackerel clicked his tongue.
“He’s gone loopy?”
“He gets like this sometimes. It’s not a big deal.”
If this wasn’t a big deal, what was? Mackerel quickly ran the calculations in his head. The current residence of the somewhat dim-witted but still famous The Artisan, and my effort and hassle. Of course, the former was more valuable. Mackerel reluctantly accepted the spaced-out Hong Ye-seong.
“This is a one-time thing? From now on, it’s cash or Mana Stone.”
“Yes, yes. I’m sure it will be.”
While Mackerel was stuffing Hong Ye-seong into the back seat of the Damas, a dark figure appeared at the entrance of the building. It was J, wearing a long black coat. His slightly damp silver hair sparkled in the light. He walked awkwardly and stood next to Bae Won-woo.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Ah~ No problem. …Huh?”
Bae Won-woo sniffed the air suspiciously. Mackerel turned to look at them, still hunched over. His deep blue eyes scanned J. A loose white sweatshirt under the coat, pants that were a bit too long, and a familiar black leather coat. Combining all the information, the resulting value was something he didn’t really want to know. Just as the information broker Mackerel was trying to ignore the information, the clueless Bae Won-woo shouted.
“Ah, this! It’s the body wash scent I left in Sa-young’s bathroom.”
“…….”
I don’t want to know! Mackerel suppressed the urge to gag Bae Won-woo immediately.
I don’t need this kind of information! I don’t need the information that the disgusting Lee Sa-young kissed J more than five times, and that J showered in Lee Sa-young’s room and came out wearing his clothes! I’m not curious about other people’s love lives! Actually, I’m a little curious, but I don’t want to know! He was certain that if he knew, J would slaughter him. Mackerel’s hands trembled. But the terribly clueless Bae Won-woo smiled brightly.
“Wow, it’s still lingering! Smells good, right?”
“Ha, haha. Yeesh. Does it.”
“Those clothes suit you well too! You can pull off a student-like outfit. You’re the best!”
Bae Won-woo gave another thumbs up. J smiled lifelessly and quickly scanned the surroundings. And after discovering Mackerel, who was clinging to the Damas in agony, he sent a fierce glare. Even without hearing his voice, he knew what it meant.
I need to escape from here right now.
Mackerel felt the same way, so he hurriedly opened the driver’s side door and climbed in. At the same time, the Goldfish flung open the passenger seat door. Mackerel raised his voice and shouted.
“Ah~ Come to think of it, I have an appointment with an important client~ I need to hurry~? If you don’t get in, Hyung, I’m leaving you behind?”
“Ah, th… that’s right. I’ll be going then.”
J also hurriedly climbed into the passenger seat. His movements were as agile as if he were flying towards a Monster. As they clicked their seatbelts, Bae Won-woo, who had approached the Damas, asked cautiously.
“By the way, how is Sa-young?”
“…I laid him down on the bed. He’ll probably wake up soon, won’t he?”
“I see. Thank you. Still, thanks to you, J, we finished early today…. Hahaha. Goodbye!”
Mackerel forcefully stomped on the accelerator. The image of Bae Won-woo smiling kindly quickly receded. Only when he became a dot and disappeared did he gradually slow down. They both sighed at the same time.
“Hah….”
“Haa….”
The fragrant scent of body wash wafted from his wet hair and neck. No? I don’t want to know. Mackerel didn’t show it and rolled down the driver’s side window all the way. The Damas rattled like their hearts. Nevertheless, he couldn’t stop his gaze from constantly drifting to the right.
And, it seemed like he made eye contact with J, who was sitting crookedly. No, he did make eye contact.
Whether Lee Sa-young had taken out new clothes for him, or he had taken them out himself, the tag that hadn’t been removed was sticking out from his neck. J also rolled down the passenger side window all the way. His hair began to scatter wildly. After a moment of silence, J leaned his arm on the passenger side window and opened his mouth.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Hyung.”
“Pretend you didn’t see anything.”
“…….”
“Paparazzi…. Ha, Fucking.”
J, who was muttering curses, ran a dry wash over his masked face.
“Anyway, if you do that…. Ha. If any of this leaks out, you’ll pay with your life. Got it?”
“…….”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
Mackerel swallowed hard and glanced sideways at J. The instinct to search for interesting information, which had been his bread and butter as an information broker for years, kept raising its head. And eventually,
“Did you do it?”
He couldn’t overcome his instinct.
At the same time, he heard the sound of teeth grinding. A rough hand grabbed his collar and shook him violently.
“Would I have?!!”
“Ah, I’m driving! I’m driving! We’ll have an accident! Oh no, the car’s going to break!”
“Tell the Goldfish to grab the wheel!”
Amidst the sounds of crashing, Hong Ye-seong, who had been crumpled in the back seat, quietly opened his eyes. The brilliantly shining Emotional Eye was spinning rapidly once again.