By Zephyria 
His lips collided with the thin paper with a smack sound. Tae-hwon was dumbfounded as he was clearly trying to seduce him.
A kiss in the midst of the urgent and important situation of entering the Jeun Faction’s base, which was no different from enemy territory?
“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Aww, just once. Huh?”
“Young Master. Not now. Please stop pestering me.”
When Tae-hwon firmly refused, Kwon Rae-i raised his eyebrows as if disappointed and reached out with the hand holding the parking ticket. Then, he pressed the ticket onto Tae-hwon’s lips, where he had kissed him.
“I guess I have no choice. Then, let’s settle for an indirect kiss.”
The thin parking ticket lingered on Tae-hwon’s lower lip for a moment before falling. Kwon Rae-i picked up the scrap of paper and tucked it into his pocket as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
“We’ll do the rest when we get home.”
He grabbed the steering wheel and drove the car into the underground parking lot of the building. The faint morning sunlight gradually disappeared, and the surroundings darkened. The lights were on, but they weren’t very bright, and the air was stuffy and dry.
“Young Master. Over there.”
Tae-hwon gestured to the side of the entrance.
As soon as they entered the underground parking lot, a crowd of men in suits gathered, as if they had been waiting for them. At a glance, there seemed to be more than ten of them.
“Yes, they’re all familiar faces. They’re giving us a grand welcome.”
Kwon Rae-i chuckled and suddenly swerved the steering wheel. He made a sharp turn and stepped on the accelerator, speeding toward the men.
“Young Master? Young Master…!”
Startled, Tae-hwon grabbed the car handle attached to the ceiling. Kwon Rae-i charged at the Jeun Faction members as if he were about to run them over, then slammed on the brakes right in front of them. Screech! The black-suited men, who had been gathered imposingly, stumbled back, and their formation scattered.
“Ugh!”
“Huff.”
The headlights illuminated their flustered expressions. He almost ran them all over.
“Tae-hwon, would you mind waiting in the car for a moment?”
Kwon Rae-i released his seatbelt and got out of the car first, leaving the engine running. Tae-hwon was about to follow him out but stopped when he heard those words.
‘Young Master is getting out alone? Is he going to be okay?’
He was worried, but he couldn’t immediately tell if it was the right time for him to step in. Since he was a wanted man, it might be better not to show his face in front of so many people. Tae-hwon decided to wait in the car and observe the situation, as Kwon Rae-i had instructed.
Kwon Rae-i, who got out of the car, met with the Jeun Faction members.
“Long time no see, everyone.”
He greeted them first with a relaxed smile. He was wearing an eye patch to cover the eye injured by Kwon Sang-oh, so only one of his eyes curved into a smile.
And the Jeun Faction members responded to Kwon Rae-i’s smiling greeting with curses.
“You son of a bitch!”
They reformed their scattered ranks and glared at Kwon Rae-i as if they wanted to kill him. Their eyes showed clear hostility, and they all seemed determined not to let Kwon Rae-i get away with it.
“Kwon Rae-i. We can’t let a snake like you get to President Hwang.”
One of the men, a skinhead with no hair, stepped forward. A large scar on the back of his neck was noticeable.
“If you go back now, we’ll let you go quietly, considering your contributions to Jeun. We’ll tell President Hwang that no one came. You were never here today.”
“Haha… This brings back old memories.”
Kwon Rae-i gestured to the back of his neck.
“Should I tear it open one more time? If you’re going to stop me, you should have brought some tools.”
“That bastard…!”
“Shut up.”
Kwon Rae-i reached into his pocket, grabbed a pistol, and threw it. The gun slid accurately to the skinhead’s feet, hitting his shoe and spinning around.
“I came to discuss trampling on President Hwang and Gyeongjeong. If any of you think I’m not qualified, then shoot me in the head with that.”
The unexpected scene froze the atmosphere.
Tae-hwon, who was watching, also jumped up. His hand was already on the car door handle. Kwon Rae-i had told him to wait, but if he really got shot, he couldn’t forgive himself. He was ready to burst out of the car and block Kwon Rae-i, taking the bullet for him, as soon as anyone picked up the fallen gun.
“You traitor… We can trample on Gyeongjeong even without you. Now that Chairman Kwon has died, Jeun has a good chance if we step in. We don’t need the likes of you.”
“Yeah. If you really think that’s the right answer, then shoot me.”
Kwon Rae-i took a step forward. Tae-hwon’s arm, gripping the car door handle, tensed up. He was ready to jump out at any moment.
“Shoot.”
“…”
“Shoot. Jeon Ho-chang.”
“…”
“What about you. Go Seong-hyeon. Lee Seung-ho. Kim Gyu-min. Jang Byeong-cheol. Oh Tae-hwong.”
“…”
“I’m a traitor? None of you had the ability to hold me back. You incompetent bastards.”
Kwon Rae-i, after scanning the chilling surroundings, turned around without regret and returned to the car. He headed to the passenger seat instead of the driver’s seat and opened the car door for Tae-hwon himself. He even offered his hand, smiling kindly and brightly.
“It’s okay now. Shall we go, Tae-hwon?”
Tae-hwon, who had been tense and ready to jump out at any moment, missed his chance because the car door was opened first. Tae-hwon didn’t take his outstretched hand and instead stared at the members standing behind him for a moment. No one was picking up the gun.
Rather, they had expressions that were, well, like they had eaten shit.
‘On the other hand, they look embarrassed…?’
Tae-hwon took his hand and got out of the car. Kwon Rae-i closed the car door and stood close to Tae-hwon. Then, he rummaged through his pockets and threw the car keys.
To the skinhead man called Jeon Ho-chang.
“Ho-chang, park the car.”
Thud, Kwon Rae-i’s Porsche car keys hit the burly Jeon Ho-chang’s shoulder and fell to the ground. But Kwon Rae-i didn’t care and took Tae-hwon to the elevator in the underground parking lot. He opened the glass door and pressed the elevator button, and then, seeing Tae-hwon’s face still stiff with tension, he whispered reassuringly.
“It’s okay. I gave him the keys on purpose so they’d check the black box.”
His voice, flowing into his right ear, was extremely gentle. It was a completely different attitude from when he spoke to Jeon Ho-chang. Tae-hwon replied dubiously.
“…Is it okay to show them the black box?”
“All they’ll see is us kissing indirectly.”
“Huh? Wait. That earlier? Don’t tell me the Jeun Faction members are all going to see that?”
“Haha, of course, I have to show them. To show that Tae-hwon is my man.”
Tae-hwon’s eyes widened in a hurry.
Could it be that Kwon Rae-i deliberately kissed him while taking the parking ticket? Why? What reason could there be for such an unsightly scene of two men rubbing against each other?
“If they see that, no one will dare to touch Tae-hwon. Especially if they know me well.”
“…”
“Ah, but they might plant a tracker on the car. Of course, I have a spare car, so we’ll switch before going home.”
Kwon Rae-i, who answered so readily, was strangely meticulous. He seemed to be beyond Tae-hwon’s imagination. His ability to act was impressive, and he was also thorough. It was hard to believe that he was really the same twenty-year-old as him. No wonder the Jeun Faction members couldn’t move an inch at Kwon Rae-i’s words.
‘They all looked like seasoned members.’
Tae-hwon looked out the glass window. Jeon Ho-chang picked up the gun and checked if there were bullets in the magazine. After confirming that it was full of live ammunition, not blanks, he ordered another member, who seemed to be his subordinate, to park the car. Just as a man hurriedly ran to move the car into the parking space, the elevator arrived.
Kwon Rae-i boarded it with Tae-hwon and pressed the button for the top floor. Tae-hwon watched the numbers go up one by one, then let out a deep sigh and changed the subject.
“Haa… Young Master. What kind of person is President Hwang?”
It was a bit late, but he had to ask now. Kwon Rae-i answered Tae-hwon’s question like this.
“Tae-hwon, I’m sorry, but don’t be curious about other men.”
“Yes?”
“And why do you keep looking at Jeon Ho-chang? Do you like that bastard?”
“……?”
“He doesn’t even have hair. You don’t like bald guys, do you? Should I shave my head too?”
Ding. Just in time, the elevator arrived at the top floor. It was a fortunate thing. He almost lost his mind.
‘No way. Hair, hair… absolutely not.’
Perhaps because they had only exchanged unexpected conversations, the tension that had been taut was somewhat relieved. Tae-hwon regained his composure.
Now that he thought about it, Jeun’s headquarters had a structure like a classic European-style hotel. When they got off the elevator and entered the hallway, an aide who looked like a secretary guided them inside. The hallway, covered with a red carpet, continued endlessly like an ant tunnel.
After passing through several rooms, they finally arrived at an office with dark brown double doors. The doorknob was made of pure gold. The aide opened the door, and only then could they finally face President Hwang.
President Hwang Jin-soo, the head of the Jeun Faction, was sitting alone at a large round table in the center.
At first glance, she was unusual.