KTS 173

“Hoo.”

Yu-jin sighed and carefully laid the child down on the bed. Still half-asleep, Angela mumbled to Yu-jin.

“Where are we, Daddy? Why are we here?”

“Uh, um… I’m sorry, we had to leave because we couldn’t stay in that house.”

“Uhh…?”

The child seemed puzzled, but she didn’t react properly, perhaps because she was still sleepy. Yu-jin kissed his daughter’s forehead and whispered affectionately.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Sleep more, Angie, it’s not morning yet.”

“Uhh…”

Angela mumbled like a sleepwalker and fell back asleep. Seeing his daughter sleeping peacefully without worry, his anxious heart calmed down a little. Hoo, he took a deep breath, but soon worry came.

Where do I go now?

All he had was a small suitcase, and he didn’t have much money. He also left behind the doll that the child cherished. How embarrassing would it be if Angela woke up and looked for the doll?

His head ached, and he closed his eyes with a sigh. Let’s just sleep for now. He was overcome with sudden fatigue, and he simply escaped from reality. He didn’t think he would be able to fall asleep, but unexpectedly, Yu-jin quickly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

He was so sleepy he could die. But Grant couldn’t lie down and sleep comfortably. It was all because of the man with the purple eyes sitting across the sofa.

After a chaotic mess, he barely made it home, and with a worried heart, he finished showering and prepared to go to bed. It was when he had just laid down in bed and closed his eyes that he heard the doorbell ringing and knocking loudly.

He tried to ignore it and keep sleeping, but it was impossible. The continuous ringing of the bell echoed through the house, and he tried to ignore it as much as possible by covering his face with a pillow, but he eventually gave up and headed for the front door.

“Who is it, you crazy, oh my, cough.”

He threw the door open and screamed, but the moment he saw the huge man standing in front of him, Grant was so surprised that his eyes popped out and he swallowed his breath. But before he could say anything, he was grabbed by the neck, and he struggled and was pushed back by the force. The man, nonchalantly grabbing the homeowner’s neck and stepping into the house, looked around the room once and immediately walked to the living room. Of course, he was still holding Grant’s neck.

“Ugh!”

Grant screamed as he was thrown onto the sofa without warning. He barely managed to straighten his crumpled body when the man who was looking down at him opened his mouth.

“Where is he?”

The low voice woke him up completely. Grant swallowed hard and looked up. Winston Campbell stood tall, bathed in the moonlight coming through the window. He felt a chill run down his spine, but no words came to mind. He swallowed hard and moved his lips, then managed to speak with difficulty.

“Wh, wha, why?”

“Ha.”

Winston breathed out as if he was dumbfounded at the words that came out without forming a proper sentence. Grant momentarily had a faint hope when he saw him turn around, but of course, it was a vain hope. A sigh escaped him involuntarily when he saw him readily sit on the opposite sofa. Soon, he felt an ominous premonition. He had a terrible feeling that the man wouldn’t leave until he got what he wanted. And it became reality.

“Tell me where Yu-jin is.”

Winston muttered in a low voice, as if growling. Feeling goosebumps on the back of his hand, Grant quickly rubbed his palms on his thighs.

“I, I don’t know either.”

Fortunately, Yu-jin seemed to have escaped well. But that didn’t mean he didn’t expect him to come back to him. Or was I thinking too vaguely? Grant thought, despondent. He should have expected that if he couldn’t find him, he would come back to interrogate Grant. Of course, even if he had known that in advance, Grant would have called Yu-jin to let him know.

He never dreamed it would be such a scary situation.

Winston was just staring at Grant, who was cowering like a mouse in front of a cat, watching him. As if waiting for him to open his mouth on his own. Little by little, time passed, and the tension gradually faded, and drowsiness began to set in. Eventually, Winston chuckled when he saw Grant’s head suddenly snap back and he gasp, wiping his mouth urgently. Winston slowly spoke, looking at Grant, who was startled.

“You’re the one who told Yu-jin, aren’t you?”

He was already sure, and denial was just a waste of time. Because it was true.

“I, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Winston sneered as soon as he apologized, as if he had been waiting for it.

“For sleeping with my partner?”

“Yes?”

Surprised, Grant jumped up from the sofa as if he had been thrown off.

“Wh, what are you talking about? I have a wife!”

“Divorced.”

Winston said slowly, twisting his lips.

“It’s okay, I know Yu-jin must have seduced you anyway. I know you’re just a victim.”

What the hell is this man talking about?

Grant just gaped, then slumped down on the sofa and rubbed his face wildly with his hands.

“No, I really don’t know what you’re talking about at all. Yu-jin and I slept together? Did Yu-jin say that?”

“Break up with that trash right now and come to me.”

Grant gasped, hearing the words he had shouted in the dark being returned to him verbatim. Winston continued in a calm voice to him, whose hands and feet were curling up and all the hairs on his body were standing on end from the shameful past.”Yu-jin must have said terrible things about me. He must have told them how abused and unhappy he was. Did he even cry? It’s okay, he did that to me too. It’s just his tactic. There’s no need to be ashamed.”

Grant gasped, taken aback by the unimaginable story.

“No, that’s not it, that’s not it at all.”

“It’s not?”

Winston frowned at the repeated denials, then chuckled.

“So, are you saying you’re actually in love with Yu-jin?”

“Ah, no. Really, it’s not like that! I mean, I do like Yu-jin, but not in that way…”

“You weren’t trying to hide him in a villa and enjoy secret rendezvous? Even going so far as to steal him away from under my nose?”

Winston asked one question after another, as if there could be no more conclusive evidence. Grant, who had been clutching his head, finally started tearing at his hair.

“Just wait a moment.”

He immediately got up and headed for the study, with a bodyguard following closely behind. He couldn’t believe he was being closely watched in his own home. Grant resisted the urge to swear, picked a book from the study, and went back outside.

“Here, look.”

Grant placed the book on the table with a thud, looking directly into Winston’s eyes.

“I was accommodating Yu-jin because of this.”

Winston frowned and lowered his gaze. Grant continued as Winston’s eyes followed the title of the book.

“It’s a book written by Yu-jin.”

Winston visibly paused for a moment. Seeing his broad shoulders twitch, Grant finally felt a sense of satisfaction and stood tall with his arms crossed.

“Yu-jin is an author at our publishing house. We’ve signed a contract for his next book as well. So, I was simply providing him with an environment to write in as part of my author management duties.”

Winston said nothing. He just stared intently at the book on the table. Now, what was he going to say? Just imagining him being embarrassed by his rudeness and conjecture and apologizing brought a smile to Grant’s face. He waited for a response with a pleased expression, but Winston slowly opened his mouth.

“I heard you left the family to start a publishing house.”

Grant listened intently to his slow tone. Winston straightened his back, leaned back leisurely against the sofa, and turned his gaze to Grant.

“To think you’re reduced to publishing your lover’s shoddy writing and creating alibis, have you considered how pathetic your father would find that?”

“What did you say?”

Grant’s face turned red with anger. What kind of man was this? For the first time, he understood why Yu-jin had run away from this man.

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

Grant declared through gritted teeth.

“Yu-jin is too good for someone like you, who doesn’t know or even try to understand what his partner does. Even if I knew where Yu-jin was, I wouldn’t tell you. If I could, I’d rather hide him away even more securely!”

As he spoke, he became increasingly angry, and his voice grew louder. After his final declaration, he was left panting heavily. Winston simply stared at him with narrowed eyes.