BB 46

Just then, there was a soft knock. He pulled the phone slightly away from his ear and gave a short “Yes,” and the door opened a crack. As soon as he saw the secretary holding a folder, Min-ho pushed himself up from the chair he had been sunk into.

“Anyway, good luck. Contact me immediately if there’s progress.”

―Got it. I’ll wrap this up quickly so you can’t do anything funny.

With that, he hung up the phone abruptly without giving him a chance to respond. Do anything funny? How rude to his Hyung.

“Haa…”

Whenever he talked to Won Gyu-oh, even a moment of letting his guard down meant getting swept along like this.

Leaving the phone haphazardly, he tidied his disheveled appearance. He finished undoing the tie that had been draped over his shoulder, hung his nearly slipping jacket on the coat rack, and sat in the chair. He felt the secretary’s gaze following his movements.

“I look a mess, don’t I? I’ve been distracted.”

He reached out with an awkward smile. The secretary, handing over the folder, shook his head slightly. Then, as if hesitating, he cautiously gave a thumbs-up.

“Not at all. You look cool.”

“……What?”

Though they sat only a door apart, he had absolutely no personal closeness with the Secretary team. Private conversations were out of the question, and even when they occasionally ate together, it was always silent. To receive a sudden compliment from someone who had always seemed to find him uncomfortable—though it might not be obvious to others, Min-ho was considerably flustered.

“Uh, well… Deputy General Manager Won said that when the Director is tired, doing this would make him happy.”

The secretary scratched his cheek awkwardly. I knew it, Won Gyu-oh’s influence is all over this. Did he get close to them by giving out candies? He thought about what kind of absurd rumors the man was spreading.

“Whatever Won the Deputy General Manager says, filter it out unless it’s about work. I mostly ignore him too.”

As he added this while tapping his ear, the secretary covered his mouth as if suppressing a laugh.

“Ah, yes.”

After watching him for a moment, Min-ho cautiously spoke.

“By any chance, did Won Gyu-oh ask you to do anything else?”

“Else? Uh… ah, he did ask me to order cake-flavored candies when buying office supplies. Is that what you mean?”

For now, it was a relief that he hadn’t asked the secretary to spy on him. Would that crazy bastard actually order something like that?

“Don’t accept requests like that next time. He’s just being a nuisance.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The secretary gave a slight smile, bowed, and left the office. Min-ho let out a small chuckle. Won Gyu-oh was the type of guy who could baffle people even when he wasn’t around. He turned him into a ridiculous person who feels his fatigue vanish upon being called cool, and he had other people’s secretaries buying him candy.

“There’s a reason he’s called a nutcase.”

Just as he shook his head and was about to flip through the folder, a short vibration rang out and the phone screen lit up.

[Viper: Jjang-a says this is the song she listens to when she’s guarding the house alone]

[Viper: Probably similar to Hyung’s playlist lol]

It had been a long time since he’d heard news about Jjang-a. Below the text was a video link.

“……This is still going on.”

Had he forgotten that the songs didn’t even have an effect anymore? He was still being treated like a dog. For a different reason, his head began to throb. Because of this constant, distracting behavior, his resolve to keep his distance was becoming meaningless.

Min-ho didn’t respond and indifferently flipped the phone over.

“…….”

It was because the thought that all of this might be Won Gyu-oh’s effort to prevent things from becoming awkward made his chest feel tight.

* * *

[Son Pro: I’m sorry, I’ll contact you again next time]

When he reached the meeting spot, a single text arrived from Son Pro. He was just one traffic light away from the restaurant. Though his haste had been for nothing, Min-ho didn’t particularly feel bad. He typed a reply saying he understood and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.

“I guess he’s feeling the pressure.”

It seemed Gyu-oh had been heading in the right direction while chasing the reporter. That’s why he was flustered and hiding his tail like this. The traffic light turning green almost felt like a signal that their future was opening up.

Buzz. A vibration rang. Since he was holding the steering wheel, he only glanced at the screen.

[Viper]

It was a contact from Gyu-oh, who was chasing the reporter’s trail. He needed to tell him that Son Pro had canceled the appointment. Min-ho quickly turned on the blinker and headed toward the shoulder. The call ended just as he entered the first park parking lot he saw. After parking the car roughly, he initiated the call this time.

―What were you doing that you didn’t pick up right away?

A playful voice came through along with some slightly noisy background sounds.

“Son Pro canceled the appointment. I guess you caught the right direction.”

―Yeah, we caught it right. I’m chasing him now.

BEEP! A loud horn sounded. The crackling noise seemed to have been the sound of wind.

“Where are you?”

Fortunately, the place Gyu-oh mentioned wasn’t far from here. It was close enough to catch up quickly if he sped up. Not knowing if it would be helpful, but intending to lend a hand, he asked how many people were with him. He set the destination to that general area and turned on the navigation. Gyu-oh’s voice mixed in between the small notifications.

―Just me right now.

“……Alone?”

His movement turning the steering wheel stopped for a moment. No matter how easily he could handle it alone, moving solo was a bit dangerous.

―Those brats have a damn strong sense of law-abiding. They’re crawling along, following every single signal, so I can’t even see them.

Contrary to his worry, Gyu-oh’s voice sounded nonchalant.

“Either pull out or coordinate your movements. Don’t go alone.”

―Then you want me to lose him again?

Since he had caught the tail once, a second time would be easier. Of course, it might take more time. However, it seemed that for Gyu-oh, the option of letting the reporter go didn’t exist at all.

―I’m definitely ending this today.

Even over the phone, the sound of the wind howling at a considerable speed rang out. Despite that, Gyu-oh’s determination did not waver.

―If I drag this out any longer, I’ll actually have to go out and die.

Since when had he become so obsessed with this work? He didn’t think he had ever put enough pressure on him to make him feel that much responsibility. His head throbbed at the rather crude determination. Min-ho also accelerated and merged onto the road.

“What do you mean, go out and die. Just don’t hang up.”

―…….

“Because I’m coming.”

―You might be prepared to ghost me, but I guess you’re still worried?

The words were delivered playfully, but they had a sting. It was as if he had realized the entire plan to slowly distance himself.

“Obviously. Recite your location every five minutes.”

―Uh-huh. Come safely, Darling.

It wasn’t the first or second time that bastard had acted sly, but hearing it in this situation made him feel inexplicably irritated. To be precise, it was an emotion where worry took precedence.

Since it was already past rush hour, the roads weren’t very crowded. Min-ho turned the steering wheel into a suitable alley, gradually closing the distance to where Gyu-oh was.

―He’s slipping toward the outskirts.

“Car number?”

He carefully memorized the car model and number Gyu-oh had told him. The reporter didn’t seem to have noticed Gyu-oh’s presence following behind yet. The fact that he circled the area to kill time before heading to the outskirts meant he was slowly moving toward a safe place.

He glanced at a sign. It was the path Gyu-oh had passed about two minutes ago.

“I’ll catch up soon.”

The call didn’t disconnect even while he followed. They shared their locations throughout, and Gyu-oh reported the situation.

―Ah, he noticed.

Min-ho quickly scanned the road. There weren’t many cars, but it wasn’t so deserted that it was conspicuous.

“Why? Is he flooring it?”

―Yeah, he’s flooring it. I guess it became obvious as the other guys started catching up.

While the reporter was circling around, it seemed the guys who had fallen behind had mostly caught up. The sound of increasing speed could be heard over the phone.

“Slow down.”

―He’s already noticed, so why be cautious?

“Hey!”

The cars driving along the road one by one pulled into side streets. Gyu-oh’s car wasn’t in sight yet, but hearing only the sound of the engine made him anxious. Min-ho also stepped on the accelerator and began cutting in whenever a gap appeared.

BEEP! BEEP! The other end of the phone was more urgent.

“Won Gyu-oh.”

―Hyung, take the second lane. Pull to the side.

Before long, a sign appeared indicating the road split. The cars filling the road gradually decreased. And on the right road, quite a distance away, he saw the cars engaged in the chase.

“There are a lot of guys attached to your back, so get out.”

―Just follow well.

With that one sentence, no other voices were heard. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Min-ho ground his teeth and increased his speed. As he pulled to the right, a much quieter road appeared. Instead, because of the lush trees growing on both sides, the road felt exceptionally dark.

I think I’ve almost caught up. He stepped hard on the accelerator. He tended to drive roughly, but he had never increased his speed to this extent.

“I see you.”

His speed became almost the same as the cars that had followed to back up Gyu-oh.

―Are you here? Then let’s end this.

The man, who had been silent for a while, suddenly floored the accelerator. It was loud enough to be heard over the phone. Soon, the car that shot forward at high speed reached the rear of the sedan.

“Won Gyu-oh!”

THUD! The sound heard from a short distance away was so loud he couldn’t tell if it was coming from the speaker or from outside the window. The two colliding cars staggered side by side.

“Hey! Are you crazy?”

He shouted so loud his voice cracked. The sedan tried to flee, accelerating noisily. Then, Gyu-oh’s black car nimbly followed.

―There are fewer days when I’m not crazy.

The calm voice did not match the chaotic situation.