By Zephyria Cheong’s explanation was extremely simple, but his point was conveyed clearly.
He had originally been someone who sat around somewhere in Sakdal, collecting information, when one day, the story of a mercenary with an insane success rate kept popping up.
Coincidentally, Jin Mu-hae was already a well-known figure among mercenaries, and some in Sakdal knew him.
According to him, “out of boredom,” Cheong had investigated Jin Mu-hae. And soon came to a conclusion.
The miraculous stroke of luck was brought about by the being Jin Mu-hae wore like an accessory.
The unidentified man he picked up in Khan Rano, temporarily registered under Jin Mu-hae’s guarantee.
Always covering his face with a hat and mask, following Jin Mu-hae around like a duckling fresh out of its shell… Joo-oh.
“Is Joo his surname and Oh his given name? Or did they write it as Joo-oh because they don’t know his surname?”
“Just Joo-oh.”
From then on, Cheong paid attention to that lucky charm. He didn’t know what abilities he had, but from his origins to his fashion, he was unique and interesting, catching his eye.
Then he realized that Jin Mu-hae was also a rather distinctive person, and he noticed that the criminal record he carried due to guilt by association was unusual.
A Class 1 crime, the details of which could not be found out by any means. People who suddenly started living in Gajagi slum.
And a huge incident that was quietly buried around that time…
Jackpot! Cheong was so excited that his eyes lit up, and he arranged for Jin Mu-hae to contact him as soon as he came to Sakdal.
And when he entered an area he could manipulate at will, he recorded his movements, provoked him, and waited.
“You’re out of your mind. There’s no such delusion.”
Before Cheong could finish speaking, Jin Mu-hae flatly denied the Return flight. Whether the other party knew the truth or not, there was no way he would be foolish enough to readily admit it.
Cheong shrugged, as if that was the reaction he expected.
“So, what do you want and why did you approach me?”
“Nothing much. Just fun.”
At those words, Joo-oh nodded his head. As if the conversation was finally going the way he knew it.
He looked noticeably relieved, as if he had come to Sakdal separately and met Cheong.
“I have a proposal.”
Gulp. Cheong, who had lifted his glass to wet his throat, raised a finger.
His expression turned serious, and the awkward atmosphere around them instantly stiffened.
Cheong was surprisingly good at being serious, despite being a greenhorn. It was hard to believe that he was acting like a normal person, after spouting suspicious nonsense just a moment ago.
“I can support whatever you’re doing. With plenty of human and material resources.”
“……”
“But there’s a condition, so you have to listen to it.”
Then he stopped talking. Without explaining what kind of condition he would set.
He gestured with the finger he was still holding up, as if asking what he thought.
Was he asking for an answer right away? It wasn’t like he was writing a blank check, subtly hiding the most important thing and handing it over?
“I don’t need any support.”
Jin Mu-hae’s eyebrows furrowed. He hated the look in his eyes, as if he was just waiting for him to ask what he could do for him.
He didn’t know what he was thinking when he made this offer, but the ‘Return flight’ was not something to attract people with for fun.
It bothered him that Cheong seemed to know something and was putting pressure on him, but there was no guarantee that he really had evidence to stab him.
Mu-hae wasn’t stupid enough to be intimidated and spill his goals to a complete stranger, especially someone he had just met.
“If I refuse, are you going to report that ridiculous delusion somewhere?”
“Not really.”
“Then I refuse.”
He rejected the offer without hearing any more. He was a little concerned about the deal with Gu-reum, but no matter how he thought about it, he didn’t think that the cautious her would have sent Mu-hae for this kind of deal.
Gu-reum probably just wanted to create contact, aiming for the fact that Cheong had a lot of connections and wealth.
In that case, it was better to take a few steps back and fully understand the risk factors before jumping in, rather than being tempted by the resources Cheong had.
“That’s a shame. Then I’ll have to offer my support to someone else.”
Cheong lowered his embarrassed index finger and turned his eyes. At the end of his vision, he caught Joo-oh, who was wide-eyed and frozen.
“I always need luck. A lot. More often than anyone else.”
“……So?”
“Are you getting paid enough? If you help me with my work, I can give you whatever you want.”
A fairly clear hologram video appeared in front of Joo-oh, who was blinking with a blank face.
There was a pile of meat that looked like it was about to sizzle. Cheong was using surprisingly childish tricks, knowing how he lost his mind when it came to food.
“You like delicious things, right? Have you ever eaten a farmed animal?”
“I don’t know.”
“Whether you want to eat and drink, or you’re interested in playing and having fun, I can treat you to the best of everything.”
“Why don’t you do it for Jin Mu-hae?”
“Jin Mu-hae doesn’t want it?”
“You have to ask him again!”
As if that was the right thing to do, Joo-oh insisted, even clenching his fists.
Cheong, who had been serious, slowly began to raise the corners of his mouth, wondering what was so funny about those words.
As he reached out his arm again, Mu-hae gave him a murderous look. Regardless, Cheong’s hand grabbed Joo-oh’s chin.
When a warm human hand touched his face, Joo-oh narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips as an automatic reaction.
“Oh my. He takes to hands?”
A strange smile appeared on Cheong’s calm face.
“If you need someone, I’m even better.”
He rubbed his soft cheeks as if he was playing with a toy. Joo-oh unknowingly made a satisfied sound, then widened his eyes and shook his head.
“I like Jin Mu-hae touching me.”
“Considering you buried your nose in my hand?”
“The smell is different.”
“Does it have to smell good? Then does it matter who it is?”
As Cheong gently scratched behind his ear with his fingertips, Joo-oh melted again. What was this guy doing in front of other people?
Unable to watch the sight, Mu-hae finally kicked over the guard with his foot. Amidst the sound of the tea table collapsing and the glasses shattering, Jin Mu-hae knocked Cheong’s hand away.
“Ugh.”
“Isn’t this guy crazy?”
Only then did Joo-oh come to his senses and cling to Mu-hae. Gripping his arm tightly, Joo-oh complained.
“Cheong won’t help Jin Mu-hae.”
“That’s because your Jin Mu-hae said he didn’t want it, right?”
“Why don’t you ask me instead of Jin Mu-hae? I didn’t do anything.”
Joo-oh’s eyes were red and his face was confused.
It didn’t look like he was about to cry, but his drooping eyebrows made him look terribly pitiful.
“Let’s go.”
Mu-hae pulled Joo-oh up from the sofa. The story wasn’t over yet, so there might be room for negotiation, but his displeasure with Cheong gave him a bad feeling.
“The one we bought last time, the new product came out, should we pick it up on the way?”
Mu-hae, who immediately understood what Cheong was saying, frowned. The memory of buying some monster cock-like thing to find the code for the signal device made his mind tingle.
It was fortunate. Judging from the simple provocation, Cheong didn’t seem to know that Mu-hae’s purpose was the signal device.
Following the relieved Mu-hae, Joo-oh looked back at Cheong several times.
“I haven’t thought about this.”
His red lips muttered as if he was upset.
The road back home was weighed down by a heavy silence, unlike usual.
This was because Joo-oh, who always chattered first, was now silent and lost in thought.
He kept pouting, staring blankly into the air with a serious expression, wondering what he was so worried about.
It was already past midnight when they arrived home. As soon as he took off his shoes, Mu-hae stopped Joo-oh.
“Didn’t I tell you not to do weird things outside?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You.”
Mu-hae stopped talking, about to argue immediately. He forcibly swallowed the annoyance that had risen to his throat.
He definitely did something strange, but he didn’t know what to warn him about.
He never said to touch him, but shouldn’t he let anyone touch him either? Did he have to educate a grown adult like this?
Besides, the words that were trying to escape his throat were not those. For a moment, Mu-hae felt a chill down his spine at the words he almost uttered.
‘Was it okay as long as it was a human hand touching you?’
Anyone who heard it would think he liked being touched by him. It was terrible.
Of course, the situation was a little different when Joo-oh came into his bed and hugged him…
“Wash up and come out.”
Calming the inexplicably boiling insides, Mu-hae threw his shirt onto the bed.
He even thought it was fortunate that his shoulders were throbbing as if they were about to break. The thoughts that were trying to go in a bad direction were stopped by the pain.
“Jin Mu-hae.”
“What.”
“Your shoulder is red.”
Then, Joo-oh, who was heading to the bathroom, turned around and approached Mu-hae.
He gestured for him not to worry and do what he had to do, but he was not the type to listen to what he was told.
“Let’s go to Teacher Jung.”
“We don’t have to go. And do you know what time it is?”
He tried to answer coldly and ignore him, but then he remembered his tearful face and looked at him.
Joo-oh looked perfectly fine, as if he hadn’t been flustered earlier. He suddenly lay flat on the floor and rummaged under the bed, pulling something out.
It was the first aid kit he had picked up in Buckta.
Mu-hae had even pushed it away and completely forgotten about it, but somehow he knew and was neatly opening the medicine box, looking at the contents.
“Then I’ll treat you.”
Joo-oh, who had luckily found the right medicine, grabbed Mu-hae and pulled him over with a tube of pain relief gel.