By Zephyria 
“Yeon-rok-ah! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Have you been eating well?”
“I’m fine. I ate well, slept well, and I’ve been doing great, really.”
“Don’t you look a bit thinner? I missed you so much….”
Despite Yeon-rok insisting that he had been doing well without any discomfort, Choi Hwan seemed to let it go in one ear and out the other. He simply whimpered like a wounded puppy, rubbing his face against Yeon-rok. Even though it wasn’t his fault, Yeon-rok felt sorry for him and patted him diligently. Yeom Cheon-ho, who had been quietly watching the scene, spoke up.
“Shall we start moving now?”
It seemed Yeom Cheon-ho wasn’t the only one who found things difficult and scary; Choi Hwan stuck close to Yeon-rok’s side and moved without a word of complaint. As they stepped outside, they were met with a cluster of several black cars and people dressed in black suits. Yeon-rok flinched for a moment. Looking at them like this, he thought they looked more like gangsters than bodyguards.
“Yeon-rok-nim, are you feeling alright?”
“Secretary Hyung!”
Yeon-rok shouted happily. Secretary Kim Jeong-seong examined Yeon-rok closely and spoke with a look of relief.
“Fortunately, you look healthy. It seems you’ve been doing well.”
He had been doing so well it was almost apologetic. However, it didn’t seem that way to Choi Hwan, who shook his head stubbornly, denying Kim Jeong-seong’s words.
“Hyung, is there something wrong with your eyes? It’s obvious he hasn’t been doing well. He’s thin, his complexion is poor, and he looks frail….”
Kim Jeong-seong could feel that Choi Hwan simply wanted him to have suffered, so he could only manage a troubled smile. Then, it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t seen Moon Gyeon-woo, even as he boarded the car with the pouting Choi Hwan. He began to worry about Moon Gyeon-woo’s safety.
“At first, I thought Yeom Cheon-ryul had kidnapped you. Do you know that bastard Moon Gyeon-woo went to the emergency room on purpose just to smuggle you away? I heard he colluded with a doctor he knew. Cunning, despicable, sneaky piece of shit….”
Choi Hwan huffed with rage, pouring out his resentment. From what he heard, Moon Gyeon-woo had even processed everything under someone else’s name, making tracking him quite difficult. He proceeded to tattle to Yeon-rok in great detail about Moon Gyeon-woo’s atrocities.
“Because of that bastard, I had another scandal!”
Not stopping there, he spilled everything, including the fact that Yeom Cheon-ho had undergone a tax audit. Yeon-rok, who had been completely oblivious to the state of the world for the past fortnight, was appalled. Seeing that Moon Gyeon-woo had been using a laptop, it seemed the internet was available, but since Yeon-rok had had his phone confiscated, it was only natural.
Moon Gyeon-woo had truly caused a massive disaster this time. All just to be alone with Yeon-rok. Yeon-rok first worried about Choi Hwan’s situation.
“Is it okay for you to be here right now?”
“Because of that, I went into your room to look for some photos. I’m sorry for going in without your permission.”
“No, it’s okay. It was an emergency, and there’s nothing much in my room anyway. But the situation was handled well, right?”
Yeon-rok, who was genuinely unfazed, comforted the sulking Choi Hwan. Fortunately, it seemed both Choi Hwan and Yeom Cheon-ho had managed to smooth things over somehow. Just hearing about it made Yeon-rok break into a cold sweat. Gyeon-woo Hyung, just how did you plan to clean up the mess after doing all this…
Soon, Yeom Cheon-ho boarded, cutting off the conversation between Choi Hwan and Yeon-rok. Because the massive man insisted on sitting next to Yeon-rok, Yeon-rok ended up squeezed flat between Choi Hwan and Yeom Cheon-ho. Whether he was aware of Yeon-rok’s predicament or not, Yeom Cheon-ho held something out.
“These are your things, Yeon-rok-ssi.”
“Ah! Thank you.”
He hadn’t expected him to bring these. Yeon-rok felt awkward as he took the attachment dolls he had forgotten about. Perhaps because he hadn’t reached for them much lately, he tended to forget them often. As he set them down quietly beside him, Choi Hwan stealthily took them and tucked them under his arm. Soon, the car departed. As Yeon-rok looked around, worrying about Moon Gyeon-woo’s whereabouts, Yeom Cheon-ho asked in a quiet voice.
“Yeon-rok-ssi, you are now in a place completely separated from the perpetrator, so please speak comfortably. Was it truly not forced?”
Choi Hwan, who had been preciousy kneading the dolls in the seat next to him, suddenly folded his hands demurely and began to tremble his legs. Regarding the kidnapping, Moon Gyeon-woo was indeed the perpetrator… but since the rest was not true, Yeon-rok hurried to explain.
“Nothing like that happened. As I said before, there were really circumstances. Um, do you remember that Gyeon-woo Hyung was researching name removal?”
Yeon-rok quickly explained what had happened. That Moon Gyeon-woo had performed the name removal experiment on his own body, and that although the name had disappeared, it soon reappeared, and in the process, a rebound occurred, leaving his physical condition in terrible shape. He added that the situation became what it was because the high fever lasted too long, though he felt a prick of guilt internally. This was because he remembered the things he had done, blinded by lust, even after Moon Gyeon-woo’s body had improved to the point where contact was no longer necessary.
“Erasing a name? Why on earth would he do such a thing?”
Choi Hwan frowned deeply, unable to understand. Of course, the reason Moon Gyeon-woo had carried out such a crazy act was to prove that his feelings remained unchanged even without a name. Furthermore, Yeon-rok guessed that his goal was likely to persuade Yeon-rok to erase his name as well. However, since it was certain that Choi Hwan would fly into a rage if told the truth, Yeon-rok explained a different reason.
“Think about the people who lost their name partners. They die shortly after, and even the process is too painful.”
“Ah, I suppose that’s true. …Of course, a guy like Moon Gyeon-woo wouldn’t have done it out of pure philanthropic spirit.”
Filled with distrust, Choi Hwan sneered at Moon Gyeon-woo and muttered nonchalantly.
“It would be much better if name partners could just die happily at the same time.”
Yeon-rok was slightly surprised to hear this. It was because a dark side, which Choi Hwan usually kept well-hidden beneath his fickle and lighthearted demeanor, had momentarily surfaced. It seemed the words had slipped out without him thinking much about it.
After carefully weighing Yeon-rok’s words, expression, and attitude, Yeom Cheon-ho seemed to judge that there was no lie and nodded.
“I see. I’m glad it wasn’t forced.”
Then, he didn’t bring up the matter again. He looked as if he were lost in entirely different thoughts. Perhaps it was because he was a man with the goal of bringing down a pseudo-religion. He seemed to be pondering Moon Gyeon-woo’s research on name deletion. Choi Hwan asked stealthily.
“Still… it wasn’t that great, right? He looks like a total square.”
Unable to either deny or affirm, Yeon-rok remained silent. Choi Hwan’s grip tightened on the dolls. Under Choi Hwan’s burning gaze, Yeon-rok suddenly pretended to be sleepy and tired, acting as if he were falling asleep. In the process, he actually drifted off.
When he opened his eyes after a deep sleep, he found his head resting on Yeom Cheon-ho’s shoulder. Choi Hwan was also fast asleep, leaning against Yeon-rok and clutching his hand. Glancing over, he saw that Yeom Cheon-ho, who was holding Yeon-rok’s hand, was also sleeping with his head tilted. Yawning, he checked the time and found that two hours had passed. Just where in the mountains had that villa been tucked away?
Regardless, his physical condition felt incredibly refreshed and good. Even though he had slept in a somewhat uncomfortable position in the car, there wasn’t a single stiff spot. Rather, he felt full, as if both his body and mind had been completely recharged. Following that feeling, hunger arrived. He wanted to eat about two portions of Mrs. Park’s delicious food…
While thinking that, he looked out the window and noticed something strange. For some reason, it didn’t feel like they were going home. He tilted his head as he saw a familiar landscape, and only after passing a shabby factory did he realize.
‘It’s the Hwamyeong Cult…!’
Perhaps sensing the movement, Yeom Cheon-ho, who had been sleeping soundly, opened his eyes like a ghost. Seeing the frozen Yeon-rok, he gave a faint smile. Color had returned to his tired face, and he looked to be in good condition. It seemed it wasn’t just because of the contact, but also because he had entered his own headquarters… Yeon-rok asked cautiously.
“Um, CEO. Were we not… going home?”
“Ah. I stopped by for a moment because I have some business.”
The fact that the place he brought the line-crossing Moon Gyeon-woo to was none other than the stronghold of a pseudo-religion made him feel uneasy. Choi Hwan, who woke up from the sound of the conversation, looked out the window and jumped in surprise.
“What? Why are we here?”
Regardless of whether the two terrified people were anxious or not, Yeom Cheon-ho opened the door and stepped out. Though he wasn’t keen on it, Yeon-rok, who was worried about Moon Gyeon-woo, had no choice but to follow. Choi Hwan followed reluctantly behind. He whispered to Yeon-rok.
“Let’s just go home by ourselves.”