By Zephyria 
#Side Story 2-7
Upon waking, Lee-eum realized Choi Won-joon was not beside him. Wondering what was going on, he went outside and found Won-joon with his laptop open, talking to someone on a call. Busy from the morning, it seems.
With that thought, he headed to the laundry room to wash the blanket they had messed up last night. But the washing machine was already running. Moreover, adult toys, cleaned spotless, were hung out on the laundry line like regular laundry. He briefly considered throwing them away, but acknowledging to himself that he had also been quite satisfied, he pretended not to see them and went back out.
Choi Won-joon, having finished his call, was putting on an apron, perhaps to prepare breakfast. He greeted Lee-eum, asking if he slept well, kissed his cheek, then turned around asking him to tie the apron strings.
“Did you wash the blanket?”
“Yeah.”
“You should’ve left it. I could’ve done it.”
“Why bother when I have such an excellent servant here.”
Lee-eum felt grateful that Won-joon, who usually sleeps in, had deliberately woken up early. He wanted to pat his butt in praise, but worried he might get grabbed again and suffer, so he just smiled instead. Soon after, Won-joon followed him, trailing behind into the bedroom. He said he took a day off because he wanted to rest together today. Lee-eum wondered if a CEO could just play around like that every day, but then corrected his thought: since he’s the CEO, he probably can.
“What should we do today?”
“Hiking.”
Choi Won-joon surrendered, raising both hands. It was puzzling why Lee-eum loved mountains so much, yet he always followed along, which was endearing. Then, Won-joon suddenly said he remembered a good place and suggested they go there after breakfast. When asked where, he said Lee-eum would see. Assured that he’d definitely like it, Lee-eum felt a spark of anticipation inside.
The place they arrived at after driving over two hours from Seoul was Chairman Choi’s private property. Won-joon said it was a gift from his father-in-law to Chairman Choi when he got married. Driving inside, an endless bamboo forest path unfolded before them. Stopping the car about halfway, the two walked along the forest path for a while. Lee-eum marveled at the bamboo soaring coolly into the sky.
“It’s nice. Really beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Peck. After kissing the back of the held hand, Choi Won-joon smiled like a picture. Being private property with no one else around, just the two of them, made it even more comfortable without worrying about others’ eyes. As they walked up the path, Lee-eum noticed a peculiar spot to one side. Clear signs of recently dug earth naturally drew his gaze.
“Looks like someone dug here.”
“Seems so.”
“In movies, they bury bodies in bamboo forests like this. It’s not that, right?”
He laughed, but Choi Won-joon wore an ambiguous expression. He seemed almost confused, as if trying to remember if he had buried someone here. Lee-eum grew serious and asked if he really buried someone. He even considered picking up a branch to dig the ground.
Finally, Won-joon’s chuckling made him realize it was a joke.
“As if I’d bury someone here.”
“You know that makes it even scarier?”
“……”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You didn’t really bury someone, right?”
Lee-eum grabbed Won-joon’s face, trying to uncover the truth. Look me straight in the eye. Did you bury someone or not? But Won-joon answered ‘no’ without a hint of wavering.
This time, Lee-eum grabbed both his hands and tightly closed his eyes. Lord, please forgive this man’s sins. Do not punish him, but see my tears and this prayer and bestow mercy upon him. Transfer his sins onto me and leave peace for him.
It had been a long time since he last stepped into a church, and it felt shameless to seek it only at times like this, but he feared that if he didn’t do even this, Won-joon might someday pay dearly for his sins. Amen. As he finished the prayer, Choi Won-joon looked moved.
“See, I really can’t do without you.”
“I’m not joking, I’m sincerely begging you. Let’s just live quietly, please. Do you know how much my heart pounds every time your name appears on the news?”
It actually happened a few months ago too. News came out that Won-joon had kindly established a foundation for sick children, but just seeing the three letters of his name made Lee-eum’s heart sink. Even news about winning a bid against a competitor and securing a construction project made him dislike himself for worrying first about who might have been harmed.
“Promise me.”
When Lee-eum extended his pinky, Choi Won-joon readily hooked his finger. Lee-eum said he hoped this promise would be kept for a lifetime, and Won-joon said he understood, vowing he would never do anything Lee-eum disliked, even if he died.
Almost as soon as his words ended, a cool wind blew, tousling their hair. Carried by the wind came a scent similar to Won-joon’s pheromones. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Won-joon watched from beside him, then smiled and covered his lips. Peck. Their lips met and parted, and the corners of Lee-eum’s mouth turned up happily.
\*
The sound of birds singing in the forest made Lee-eum toss and turn before finally getting up from his spot. Beside him, Choi Won-joon was sleeping like a log. Out of curiosity, he waved a hand in front of his face, but there was no reaction. He must have been tired. Lee-eum quietly got down from the bed.
Exiting the bedroom, he saw a large stuffed deer head hanging on one wall of the villa. The interior was well-maintained, spotless without a speck of dust. Moonlight poured in through the window, and the time showed 2 AM.
Looking outside through the window, Lee-eum recalled the scenery he saw during the day. After much deliberation, he grabbed a nearby flashlight, put on his shoes, and quietly went outside. Looking around, he saw a shovel placed some distance away.
Holding it in one hand, he glanced back at the villa where Won-joon was sleeping. He’d be back soon enough. Then he walked along the forest path. After walking for a while, the bamboo forest he saw earlier appeared. Unlike during the day, it now felt eerily desolate.
Holding the flashlight, Lee-eum strode boldly between the bamboo stalks. Where was it again? Shining the light here and there while searching, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. The soil color there was different from the surroundings. Since there were signs of recent disturbance, Lee-eum put the flashlight in his mouth and placed the shovel tip against the soil.
Pressing down with his foot, about two-thirds of the shovel blade sank in. He dug it up deeply and set the soil aside. Just then, a wind blew, making the trees rustle and shudder. Though it was autumn, the heat was still intense, so sweat began to trickle down his back and forehead.
How long had he been digging? The shovel tip thudded against something, and a foul stench wafted out. Clenching his mouth shut, he set the shovel aside and scooped away the surrounding soil with one hand. Then, he stopped his actions, feeling as if his breath had caught in his throat.
Ah….
Lee-eum let out a sigh and cleared away the remaining soil from the top. A face became clearly visible—it was the missing Yang Mok-hyung. With a sinking feeling, he dug further to the side, and there was Director Park. Both seemed to have died with grievances, their eyes not even properly closed.
With a despairing expression, Lee-eum tightly shut his eyes. Liar.
Then, crunch, crunch—footsteps were heard from behind. His spine chilled, and his hair stood on end. Slowly turning his head, he saw Choi Won-joon had already approached right in front of him. The moonlight starkly revealed his face. A radiantly smiling face, looking at him with upturned lips.
“I told you it wasn’t me.”
Making a hurt expression, he immediately brought out the hand he had been hiding behind his back. In his hand was a knife. The kind of knife an executioner might use in a historical drama. Lee-eum panicked. CEO! As he grabbed the nearby shovel to block him, Choi Won-joon swung the knife widely and charged.
“You should have believed me when I said no!”
Eek-!
Bolting upright from his spot, Lee-eum saw Choi Won-joon holding a knife before his eyes and screamed again. Eek! Then, Won-joon, wearing an apron, frowned and approached. What’s wrong? Did you have a bad dream? When he tried to touch him, Lee-eum recoiled in horror, but then realized what he saw was a dream and calmed his startled heart.
“Put, put the knife away.”
“Did you have a nightmare? What kind of lunatic bothered you?”
“……”
“Tell me. I’ll go find them and teach them a lesson.”
Looking at Choi Won-joon speaking with a serious expression, Lee-eum was so dumbfounded he could only laugh. Saying it was nothing and it’s fine, he noticed the time was already well past lunch. It seemed he had lain down at the villa, gotten tired, and taken a nap—several hours had passed.
“You must have been really tired. You slept soundly.”
Feeling a bit sorry that they came to play together and he just slept.
“You should have woken me up…”
“Why bother? Wait a bit. I’ll make something delicious.”
Lee-eum got up and followed Choi Won-joon.
“Were there ingredients?”
“Director Lee bought them.”
He was about to scold him for making his subordinate work even on a day off, but stopped. Lee-eum had recently seen the car Director Lee uses personally, not for work. It was a luxury sedan he could never afford in his lifetime even with his salary. Realizing he must be receiving sufficient salary and bonuses for his work, Lee-eum felt relieved that at least he wasn’t a malicious employer.
Going outside, Choi Won-joon pulled out a dining chair for him to sit. Watching Won-joon’s busy figure from behind as he moved around wearing an apron, Lee-eum felt slightly sorry for having such a dream. Seeing him put in effort like that. Maybe it’s okay to trust him now.
Lee-eum finally voiced the words he had been pondering all along.
“You’ll really live kindly, right? No bad deeds.”
“We promised yesterday, didn’t we? Should I write a pledge?”
“Then… I might not need to wait ten years…”
Choi Won-joon asked what he meant, then stopped abruptly and turned around. Rarely did emotions show so fully on his face. Surprise, emotion, and even a somewhat boyish expression of being so happy he didn’t know what to do. Seeing him bite his lip and smile, Lee-eum felt unnecessarily embarrassed and pretended to be distracted.