SMC #116

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠“…….”

He thought he wouldn’t be able to find him. He’d heard there had been another dispute with Chairman Kwon before they arrived, but no matter how pissed off he was, he never imagined he’d be hiding and drinking alone. Hui-won stared at Kwon Young-ho in disbelief.

Kwon Young-ho had always had a low tolerance for alcohol. That’s why he was famous for always bringing an employee to drink on his behalf during business-related social gatherings.

For someone like that to be sipping whiskey at Chairman Kwon’s house meant he had lost control of himself to that extent. Just looking at his flushed face clearly showed how angry he was.

Leaning against the doorframe, he looked down at Hui-won quietly. His gaze, as unsteady as his posture, was also crooked.

“Not even a greeting. You really have no manners.”

Though it was closer to a mutter, it was clearly a provocation. Hui-won swallowed a sigh internally and stood up. The best course of action now was to leave. Facing a drunk Kwon Young-ho would bring nothing good.

“Please drink in moderation. The elders are gathered downstairs.”

Upon hearing the advice, Kwon Young-ho let out a sneering laugh. He took a deliberate sip of his drink and retorted.

“Secretary Kim has grown up a lot. A mere secretary thinks he can lecture people now.”

Hui-won felt he was no longer worth engaging with. As he turned to head for the stairs, a strong hand grabbed the back of his neck.

He was forced against the hallway wall. Kwon Young-ho made no attempt to hide his twisted mood. With each of his heavy breaths, the unpleasant smell of alcohol clung to Hui-won’s face.

“Hey, you think you’re something just because you got her pregnant? Think your future is all set?”

Kwon Young-ho snarled viciously. However, perhaps not forgetting the elders were downstairs, his threatening voice was comparable to a whisper.

That didn’t mean the hand gripping his collar was gentle in the slightest. Hui-won’s jacket, clutched tightly, was crumpled into a mess. The glaring eyes held naked hostility.

“Tone down the arrogance. It’s disgusting to see.”

“Let go.”

“It’s not like this is the first or second time you’ve dealt with this, is it? Our outstanding Secretary Kim must be an expert at handling troublesome people by now?”

Kwon Young-ho sneered, his eyes glinting turbidly. Hui-won forcibly pried the hand off his jacket. His narrowed eyes were just as sharp as Kwon Young-ho’s.

“Executive Director, you seem drunk. Let’s stop here.”

“Oh? Then what about this? Will Secretary Kim drink it for me?”

Kwon Young-ho shoved the glass he was holding right in front of Hui-won’s face. The square glass poked at Hui-won’s lips. Emboldened by his drunkenness, he provoked without hesitation.

Hui-won closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. When he silently glared at him, Kwon Young-ho let out a stifled, snickering laugh.

“What, you don’t want it because I drank from it? This is expensive stuff.”

“Move.”

“Aren’t we family now? It’s a family request, can’t you oblige?”

Kwon Young-ho raised the glass high. Tilting it, the thin liquid soaked Hui-won’s crown and streamed down to his shoulders. The sudden whiskey baptism made Hui-won’s hair stand on end. In the dead silence, the whiskey dripping from his hair was the only sound.

“…Ha.”

He quietly wiped his wet face. Is this bastard really insane? Biting his lip tightly, the bitter taste of alcohol seeped into his mouth. Hui-won spat out the accumulated saliva and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Sorry, I was drunk and made a mistake.”

Kwon Young-ho spoke in a tone that held no apology whatsoever. He threw the glass down onto the carpet and tried to wipe Hui-won’s face with his empty hand.

Hui-won slapped that hand away. Grinding his teeth, he glared only at Kwon Young-ho. As if it was the reaction he wanted, the corners of Kwon Young-ho’s mouth began to loosen slightly.

Just then, a presence was detected from the staircase. A servant holding a tray entered the hallway, saw their standoff, and froze stiffly.

“Ah… you asked for sparkling water…”

“Just leave it there. We’re in the middle of an important discussion.”

Kwon Young-ho said with a slight nod. But there was no way that scene looked normal to the servant. The atmosphere was clearly confrontational to anyone seeing it, making the servant’s pupils shake violently. Soon, she put down the tray and left the spot as if fleeing.

She was clearly going to call Kwon Young-je. Kwon Young-ho clicked his tongue and straightened his hunched body slowly.

“The bathroom is over there. There’s a dressing room attached inside, so change into something suitable.”

“……”

“Ah, I said I’m sorry.”

The action of pulling his arm looked like he was about to shove him inside right then. Hui-won had no intention of playing along with his crazy antics. Pretending not to hear the kind guidance, he took off his whiskey-soaked jacket and tie and roughly threw them on the floor.

Just as he was about to pass by Kwon Young-ho, Kwon Young-ho desperately grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

“Fuck, shouldn’t you at least pretend to listen when someone apologizes?”

At the rough touch, Hui-won openly frowned. Shaking off his shoulder, he took a step back from Kwon Young-ho.

“Don’t touch me. There’s a limit to my patience.”

“What are you going to do if I don’t stop?”

Kwon Young-ho twisted his mouth. He closed the distance Hui-won had deliberately created once again.

“Are you going to go tell on me to the esteemed Vice President?”

“……”

“You got promoted first, you got married first. Now it seems you’re even going to have a child first.”

Fuck, Kwon Young-ho snarled. Still, as if his anger wasn’t appeased, he glared at Hui-won.

“There’s an order to things, you know. Do you have to keep getting ahead every single time to feel satisfied?”

Order, he says. He should talk nonsense in moderation. Hui-won snorted at the ridiculous claim. Kwon Young-ho’s terrible victim mentality was utterly tiresome by now.

“Kwon Young-ho, your life isn’t working out not because of Kwon Young-je, but because of your inferiority complex. You’ll never surpass Kwon Young-je until you fix that.”

Suddenly, Kwon Young-ho’s eyes seemed to roll back halfway. Before he could even think, his hand shot up and grabbed Hui-won by the collar.

Thud. The pushed body slammed against the wall. Hui-won instinctively covered his stomach first.

“Fuck, you done talking?”

The murderous Alpha’s pheromones poured over his face. It stung his skin like being pricked by a sharp awl, but Hui-won gritted his teeth and endured. He didn’t back down, instead gripping the back of Kwon Young-ho’s hand that was clutching his collar tightly.

“You still see me as Secretary Kim, don’t you? But as you said, my status has risen a bit, hasn’t it? Remember, if you lay hands on me recklessly, you’re fucked too.”

The sound of teeth grinding was clear. It was unclear whose mouth it came from. Hui-won stared Kwon Young-ho down with wide-open eyes until the end.

“This is the last warning. Don’t cause any more disturbance.”

“……”

Kwon Young-ho glared fiercely, then took a step back. A twisted smile lingered around his lips, but Hui-won deliberately ignored it and left the spot.

Having vented his anger in one go, he felt slightly dizzy. But not wanting to show weakness in front of Kwon Young-ho, he gritted his teeth and took a step.

The smell of alcohol wafted from his wet hair, and his shirt was crumpled and unsightly. If he faced Kwon Young-je in this state, there would definitely be trouble. As he walked, gently shaking his head to dry it, his eyes met Kwon Young-je’s, who had just set foot on the top of the stairs. Even from a distance, his expression was unusual.

The situation that would soon unfold was vividly clear. Fighting in front of the family elders would gain him nothing.

Where is Kwon Young-ho? They shouldn’t meet now.

Not wanting to escalate things, Hui-won hurriedly turned around. Instantly, his heart sank and he swallowed a gasp.

“……!”

Kwon Young-ho was closer than he thought. Seeing the man standing right behind him without any presence, Hui-won unconsciously took a slight step back. He felt a precarious boundary under the soles of his slippers. There was nowhere left to retreat.

Seeing Hui-won’s obvious tension, Kwon Young-ho slowly ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek.

“Want me to tell you a secret?”

“……”

“My inferiority complex is more tenacious than you think. It got worse after I went to China, and I’m even on medication now. The doctor said I should never drink alcohol with it. Said it can cause impulsive symptoms?”

Kwon Young-ho had both hands shoved in his pants pockets. His half-lidded eyes scanned the dizzyingly far staircase below. When his gaze met Hui-won’s face, only a somewhat insane, eerie energy remained.

“Secretary Kim. If I throw another tantrum here, who do you think will be the most fucked?”

“……”

“Me? You? Or that bastard?”

I wonder, Kwon Young-ho tilted his head. His tone was so casual that it wasn’t easy to notice one of his feet slowly stretching out.

“What are you doing…!”

Before the words could even finish, Kwon Young-ho gave a light kick to Hui-won, who was standing precariously close to the edge of the stairs.

There was nothing under his feet. The moment his body fell backward flowed slowly, as if in a lie. The world turned upside down, and as the ceiling came into view, the edge of the stairs hit the back of his head. Then, with a chain of impacts rolling through his shoulder, elbow, and pelvis, Hui-won tumbled chaotically down the stairs.

Crash-bang-!!

At the noise that should never be heard in the house, the gazes of the family members chatting in hushed tones all simultaneously turned in one direction.

The person tumbling down from the third floor and Kwon Young-je leaping up several stairs at once from below entered their sight. It was an unbelievable scene, freezing everyone in place. Kyaak-! At someone’s scream, Madam Im stood up abruptly from her seat, her face pale. The dropped wine glass shattered into pieces on the floor.

“Hui-won!”

Kwon Young-je barely caught Hui-won and urgently checked his condition first. There was no way someone who had rolled down hard stone stairs could be fine. Blood, perhaps from a tear somewhere, streamed down his temple, making Kwon Young-je’s fingers sticky.

“My stomach… hit…”

Hui-won barely managed to squeeze out the words. But that was only for a moment; the Kwon Young-je before his eyes split into two, then three. The whole world shook, and his vision remained like an afterimage. Then, his entire body began to ache as if shattered.

As his pupils rolled back, Kwon Young-je hastily cradled his head. Blood streamed from the limp face, and the man who never lost his composure no matter what became lost in thought. Kwon Young-je was speechless, just holding the body in his arms tightly.

“Young-je, put him down first. It’s more dangerous if you hold him like that.”

There was a doctor among the relatives. A middle-aged woman quickly ran over to check the extent of Hui-won’s injuries.

The peaceful family gathering had instantly turned into chaos. While frantic measures were being taken, calling an ambulance, contacting the nearby hospital—the floor was soaking dark red. The blood flowing from Hui-won’s pants spread over the pure white marble, slowly encroaching on the space.

“Aah! The baby!! What do we do!”

Madam Im’s scream pierced the surroundings. While everyone was watching the situation in stunned horror, only Kwon Young-je took off his own jacket and covered Hui-won’s lower body. He bent over, using his own body as a shield, and firmly held Hui-won’s head with both hands as if to stabilize it.

“It’s okay, it’ll be okay.”

He whispered incessantly to Hui-won, whose consciousness was fading. The sight of blood soaking the floor was horrifying to him too.