TWB 63

Im Gyeong loved walking through the bamboo forest on rainy days. The scent of wet earth, the fresh greenery, and the smell of the ancient forest blended together to bring peace to his mind and body. Among everything, his favorite was the bamboo stretching high toward the sky. Always growing in the same direction, never losing its way even when shaken.

When he first saw the man, he thought he was like a weed. He had heard that in Korea, people who survive against all odds without possessing a single thing are often compared to weeds. But the more he looked, the more he realized that wasn’t it. He resembled bamboo more than a weed.

The straight lines of his body, the clean and refined features, the black hair flowing softly over pale, clear skin, the calm yet cold eyes, and even the neat mole situated under his left eye. Not a single part of him was out of place.

The man captivated people even without smiling. His stubbornly closed lips, the way his gaze slanted as he scanned someone. He exuded an atmosphere that was pure yet strangely erotic, and even his habit of closing his eyes as if turning away whenever irritation surged or his speech grew rough in a fit of temper—all of it captivated people to an uncanny degree.

“Gyeong-ah…”

Kang Hee-shin, lying face down on the bed, turned only his head to look at him. His eyes were half-closed, his mouth slightly open.

“Put it in, hurry.”

He even swayed his hips suggestively. As Im Gyeong inserted slowly, the sensation of being tightened was so intense it felt like his head was tingling. Ha— fuck. He closed his eyes tightly and let out a curse. I knew it. This feels fucking amazing. Pressing his chest against Hee-shin’s back, Im Gyeong whispered into his ear.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Wait, I’m thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“Whether I should shoot my own head with this gun, or shoot you.”

“…?”

In an instant, Kang Hee-shin pulled a gun from between the pillows and aimed it at him. It’s probably right to shoot you.

Bang—!

When he opened his eyes, the world was deathly silent. Realizing it was a dream, he let out a laugh of sheer absurdity. Completely wide awake now, he climbed out of bed. 4:00 AM…. Despite it being a dream, his cock ached with a dull stiffness.

“Fuck. I’m not some pubertal brat.”

He went to the refrigerator to get some bottled water and spotted a box containing a slice of cake. On impulse, he took it out and grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine cellar. Then, he stepped out onto the second-floor terrace. The breeze was cool. After pouring the wine into a glass, he took a large bite of the cake with a fork.

The sweetness chased away the last remnants of sleep. As he stared silently at the distant streetlights, he heard someone approaching from inside. Shortly after, Tatsuki appeared. He was a light sleeper. He must have heard movement from upstairs.

“May I sit beside you?”

“Yeah.”

Tatsuki pulled up a chair and sat down. His eyes fell upon the wine and the half-eaten cake. Im Gyeong tended to be very strict with his weight management. It was hard to imagine him eating anything at this hour, let alone something high-calorie like cake. No, the very fact that he was awake at this hour was unusual in itself.

“Did you wake up from sleep?”

“I had a dream.”

“That’s surprising. To think the Young Master would have a dream.”

Im Gyeong nodded. Right. I actually had a dream? He had rarely dreamed in his life.

Even the dreams he did occasionally have were so blurry that he forgot them all upon waking.

“May I ask what kind of dream it was?”

Im Gyeong smiled mischievously and took another piece of cake.

“A dream where I was stuffing Kang Hee-shin’s backside.”

“…….”

“Amazing, right?”

He laughed out loud and then let out a short sigh. “Fuck,” he muttered softly, placing the plate with about a third of the cake left on the table. Tatsuki, barely managing to ignore the shock from a moment ago, struggled to start a conversation.

“How did the visit to the main house go today?”

Im Gyeong had returned from attending a family gathering at the main house and had immediately locked himself away on the second floor.

Along with instructions that no one be allowed in.

“We just had a childish argument like kids.”

The funny thing was, he didn’t hate it.

Perhaps he had wanted to keep the man by his side, even if it meant clinging to every word they spoke.

“I am asking about Miss Yoon Se-na.”

“Ah, well… I heard they’re getting married? She’s pregnant.”

“Oh dear. That’s unfortunate, but congratulations. You have a niece or nephew now?”

He didn’t believe it anyway. Neither the lie about the pregnancy nor the fact that the two were marrying. He could guess that they had formed an alliance rather than a romantic partnership to buy time and achieve their goals.

The problem was that his own emotions had been swirling uncontrollably at that shallow trick, bringing him to the verge of an explosion. That was why he had indulged in childish behavior and speech, testing the man and poking at him while venting his anger.

“Tatsuki.”

“Yes.”

“I should have listened to you.”

Because Im Gyeong murmured it like a monologue, Tatsuki unauthorized copydidn’t fully understand his [stolen content]meaning. When asked what he meant, Im Gyeong finished the rest of the wine and gazed into the [unauthorized copy]distance. The balcony lighting further accentuated his already sharp features.

“That day, I should have gone back to Japan.”

Ah, Tatsuki realized that Im Gyeong regretted turning back after hearing the news about Kang Hee-shin. It was somewhat shocking. Im Gyeong was a man who did not know the meaning of regret regarding his choices. He was that thorough, that cold; he was the type of person who would achieve his goal even if it meant removing any obstacle in his way.

“It is not too late, even now.”

Im Gyeong smiled bitterly, but he didn’t say he would go back. His goal was right in front of him, and once he achieved this, many rewards would fall into his lap. It was a critical point in his life, and he could no longer afford to be distracted.

He believed that while hatred consumes a person over time, liking or affection can only be satisfied when rewarded by the other person. He wasn’t going to push blindly like a stalker toward someone who hated him; if he left it alone, these feelings would naturally fade. With that thought, he finished the rest of the cake. For some reason, it was a night where hunger surged.

Hee-shin barely opened his eyes to the sound of the alarm. As he rolled off the bed, his whole body felt stiff. Having been plagued by dreams all night, it didn’t feel like he had slept at all. What kind of fucked-up things would happen today?

After rubbing his face vigorously, he checked his phone and saw a message from Baepsae that had arrived after midnight.

What the hell is this? He tried calling, but only a recorded voice informed him that the phone was turned off. During their last call, he had told them not to call or text separately. He believed that doing so could lead to their location being tracked and expose them to danger.

Could it be spam? Suspicious, he tried contacting Kkang-min, who was with Baepsae. His phone was also off. After about 30 minutes, he tried calling again; the line rang, and after a moment, Baepsae’s voice came through. The sound of giggling could be heard beside him.

Hee-shin bolted upright at an ominous feeling.

“Where are you? What do you mean the flight is delayed?”

“What?”

Hee-shin closed his eyes tight and covered his face with one hand.

“Hey! When did I ever say that?”

A sudden chill ran down his spine.

“Are you at the airport right now?”

Hearing the sound of a suitcase rattling, Hee-shin shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Hey, Seo Im-sae! Don’t go toward that car. That’s not me, you idiot!”

“Stop, fuck! No, run! Get inside, now!”

“Get inside, fuck! Go where there are lots of people!”

“Hey! Get your head straight and listen to me! Go where there are people, no matter what! Go strip your clothes or take a shit, just make a scene, you brat!”

Fuck, hang up! The call was cut off unilaterally. Ha, he was seriously going crazy. Sleep had long since vanished, and cold sweat was about to break out on his back. He hurriedly contacted the airport police station. The officer in charge answered, and Hee-shin began speaking rapidly.

“Hello, this is Prosecutor Kang Hee-shin from the 3rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. This is an emergency, so I am requesting cooperation via phone. Two important witnesses have just arrived from Hanoi, Vietnam, and their lives are under threat. Their names are,”

He gave the personal details of Baepsae and Kkang-min. The Read on Read BL Novelspolice [stolen content]would likely go through a verification process afterward.

“Please secure their identities and provide protection as quickly as possible. I will also head there now.”

As soon as he hung up, he threw on any outer garment he could find. He rushed out and took a taxi, attempting to contact Baepsae and Kkang-min the entire way. The calls still wouldn’t go through, and a look of self-reproach and despair clouded Hee-shin’s face. These idiots, seriously….

His fingertips tingled as he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists from the ominous feeling.

Rattle—

In the midst of this, a call came through from the airport police.