By Zephyria “The figures are the same, and the results are the same.”
Yoo Seol-ah carefully examined Lee-eum’s pheromone test results and explained. She had hoped there might be some changes after suffering through several severe heat cycles, but there were no significant differences.
“How is it going with that person? Are you getting along well?”
“I broke it off.”
“Why?”
Lee-eum explained what had happened. His father assaulting Choi Won-joon, the families clashing at the hospital, and revealing the secret about his Alpha to his family. Yoo Seol-ah’s face twisted and smoothed repeatedly as she listened.
“There was a reason your face looked so rough.”
Lee-eum rubbed his cheek. He thought he would feel better once Choi Won-joon left, but instead, he had more sleepless nights. That bastard had managed to give him insomnia.
“That’s unexpected. I thought you two would work out.”
“It wasn’t like that. We used each other because we needed each other. He’s very different from me. He’s a hard person to handle.”
“He’s a bad boy type, unlike you. Should I set you up on a blind date instead? I know a lot of decent Alphas.”
Actually, he didn’t want to meet anyone right now. That’s why he was planning to have a serious talk with Jeong Dae-han today. Knowing how he felt, he thought giving him any more hope would be cruel.
“No blind dates, just prescribe me a strong suppressant. An injection is fine too if that doesn’t work.”
“You’d choose a suppressant over an Alpha?”
At that, Yoo Seol-ah sighed quietly. She looked disappointed about Choi Won-joon, but didn’t add anything more. After hearing additional explanations and receiving his medication, he came outside, and just then, Jeong Dae-han called.
【Lee-eum, where are you?】
“I went out for a bit. Why?”
【I was wondering if I could pick you up later. There’s no need to move around in two cars unnecessarily.】
“Do you know where my house is?”
【I’ve been there before.】
Ah, Lee-eum frowned as he recalled that day. Choi Won-joon had come looking for him, and there had been a big commotion. It was a memory he didn’t want to think about, so he quickly erased it from his mind and checked the time.
“What time are you coming?”
【I’ll go whenever is convenient for you. When is good?】
“5 o’clock?”
【Okay. Got it.】
There was a slight smile in his voice at the end of the call. The call ended, and Lee-eum stopped in front of a shop window. He was bothered by how obvious the other person was being. Should he dress up a bit? He thought about it for a moment before taking the bus home. He got off after a few stops, arrived home, and started getting ready to go out after taking a shower.
After showering, he chose a neat-looking shirt and pants that his Noona had bought him from the dressing room and went to the kitchen to get a drink of water when the doorbell rang. Jeong Dae-han couldn’t have come already… He went to the intercom, and a man wearing a blue uniform with a hat pulled low over his face was standing there.
【Delivery.】
Delivery? His twin nephews’ birthday was in a few days, and he had ordered them presents. Had they arrived? “Just a moment.” He left the intercom on and walked to the front door, but then he heard a short groan from somewhere!
Lee-eum stopped walking abruptly. The sound hadn’t come from outside, but from inside the house. He turned around, and the empty intercom screen caught his eye.
【Have you heard any news about Kim Ji-cheol? He’s been grinding his teeth, saying he’ll get revenge. Be careful, he might go after Detective Kim.】
Why did Choi Won-joon’s words come to mind? Lee-eum opened one side of the shoe rack and took out a baseball bat that he had put away a long time ago. He carefully opened the door and stepped outside, but the delivery man who had been there just moments ago had vanished without a trace. There wasn’t even a package in sight.
The elevator was still on the 13th floor. Feeling uneasy, he went down the stairs and then back up, but found nothing suspicious. As he was about to go straight inside, Lee-eum looked closely at the house across from his.
If it was a place close enough to disappear in that short amount of time…
He slowly approached the front door across from his and put his ear to it. It was quiet… He knocked, but there was no sign of anyone. Was he overreacting? Maybe it was a wrong delivery.
Ah, let’s not think about it anymore. Lee-eum went inside and placed the baseball bat by the entrance just in case. After that, he did the laundry that had piled up, made coffee, and walked over to the painting that Choi Won-joon had left behind.
Choi Won-joon had said he would send someone to pick up the painting, but he hadn’t heard from him even after the weekend. Should he shock him by selling it all off and donating the money? Then again, if he cherished it that much, he wouldn’t have left it behind in the first place.
Time passed, and Lee-eum received a message from Jeong Dae-han saying that he had arrived. Lee-eum went down to the underground parking lot to meet him. Jeong Dae-han was parking nearby and waved his hand as he got out of the car and waited. He looked like he had put a lot of effort into his appearance, unlike usual.
“Was there a lot of traffic on the way?”
“It was okay since it’s a weekday.”
As he got into the car and fastened his seatbelt, a subtle scent of cologne wafted over.
“Did you put on cologne?”
It was a casual question, but Jeong Dae-han’s ears turned red.
“Huh? Oh… Why? Is it too strong?”
He brought the back of his hand to his nose and smelled it, then tried to roll down the window. When Lee-eum said no, that he had asked because the scent was nice, even his neck turned red this time. He was so transparent, inside and out. Unlike someone else.
Ah, stop thinking about that bastard. Lee-eum chased Choi Won-joon out of his mind and worried about how he should talk to Jeong Dae-han today. As they were leaving the parking lot, a delivery truck caught his eye as it passed through the main gate.
Something was strange. The same delivery company wouldn’t visit twice in one day. Lee-eum couldn’t take his eyes off it, and Jeong Dae-han noticed something was wrong because of it.
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
Lee-eum shook his head, hiding his uneasy feelings. “It’s nothing.” On the other hand, he made up his mind to check the CCTV at the security office tomorrow.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Are you sure Kim Ji-cheol sent him?”
“Yes, he confessed himself.”
Choi Won-joon showed an uncomfortable expression on his face. He had secretly assigned someone to protect Kim Yi-eum while he was away on a business trip to Singapore, but nothing had happened until today. Fortunately, they had taken care of it right before Kim Yi-eum noticed, and he had confessed himself, so all that was left was to clean up the mess.
“What about Secretary Yang?”
“He didn’t know. It seems Kim Ji-cheol hired someone else.”
“Did this rat catch on?”
Or did he just want to make sure Kim Yi-eum was taken care of? Either way, he wasn’t going to let him do as he pleased. Kim Ji-cheol still thought his life had turned out that way because of Kim Yi-eum. He didn’t even know he had dug his own grave.
“And in the meantime, our Lee-eum went to meet Jeong Dae-han?”
“Yes.”
“I even cut off his fingers for him, caught the bad guy, saved his life, did all sorts of crazy things, but he goes on a date with some other guy, huh?”
He complained, but Director Lee didn’t say anything. His face was stiff, unlike usual. He had been through thick and thin with him, yet he was making that kind of face.
“Ji-hoon, are you nervous? Are you afraid your job will be cut off?”
“No, sir.”
“Don’t worry. There’s a share for you in my will.”
“……”
“You don’t believe me. It’s true.”
“I don’t need anything like that. It’s better for me if President lives a long life.”
“You’ve become a salaryman too. You even know how to say things like that.”
The car arrived in front of a Hanok-style restaurant, and Won-joon got out and straightened his clothes. He went inside, and an employee was waiting at the entrance, greeted him politely, and led him to the room where his friends were gathered. When he opened the door, five or six men greeted him with smiles.
“Wow, Choi Won-joon, it’s been a while.”
“I know, right? You haven’t shown your face lately. I never thought you’d ask us out for a meal.”
“I heard you’re living like a monk these days. Is it true?”
Everyone said something, and Won-joon took off his jacket and handed it to the employee, laughing.
“A monk, please. I was just busy with work. Keep talking. I’m going to the restroom.”
Won-joon opened the sliding door and walked down the hallway. It was early, so it was quieter and more peaceful than usual. He went into the restroom and stood in front of the sink. As soon as he turned on the water, someone appeared behind him without a sound.
The man, dressed in ordinary clothes and wearing a hat pulled low over his face, came and stood next to him, and Won-joon washed his hands, then pulled out a paper towel to dry them. As the man’s hand reached behind his back, Won-joon turned to face him head-on.
Their eyes met, and the man’s jaw tightened. In the face-to-face situation, Won-joon tilted his head slightly as if observing the other person.
“Scared?”
The man’s face twisted. What?
“Everyone’s like that. Even when they come to argue with me, they get scared when they see my eyes. I’m not such a bad person.”
Won-joon threw the used paper towel in the trash can.
“……”
“Don’t worry about me and do what you were going to do. You got paid, didn’t you?”
At that moment, the man seemed to come to his senses and took out a knife from his pocket and swung it towards his face. Won-joon moved lightly to dodge it, then grabbed the man’s wrist roughly and twisted it. Then he pressed his body close and brought his face close.
“Not there, here.”
He lowered his hand and brought the tip of the knife directly to his side, and the man’s eyes wavered. He must have sensed that something was wrong, since he had been paid to just do some knife work.
As he tried to back away, Won-joon put one hand on the man’s shoulder and the other on the knife, and without hesitation, he plunged it into his own side. The veins in Won-joon’s neck stood out as the tip of the knife pierced through his flesh.
Clenching his teeth, he stabbed it in deeper, and the man let go of the knife and staggered back. Choi Won-joon was the one who had been stabbed, but the one who had stabbed him looked more afraid. Won-joon lowered his head and looked down at his abdomen. His white shirt was stained with blood, and the floor was already turning red.
As he admired it, a sinister smile crept across his face, and the man opened the door and ran away as fast as he could. Won-joon swallowed a groan and slid down the wall, collapsing to the floor. An employee who had sensed something was wrong came in, screamed, and ran out, and soon people rushed in.
Even as his vision blurred, Won-joon kept laughing like a madman.
What’s going to happen to Kim Yi-eum? Your date is off.