By Zephyria 
Perhaps reluctant to part, Gyu-oh continued to stall. He pressed his cold, glove-less fingertips into Min-ho’s palm, fiddled with the back of his hand, and even slid his fingers under the wrist watch. Eventually, he pulled Min-ho into a sudden, tight hug.
“Be careful. Make sure to report anything dangerous before you move.”
“Mm-hmm.”
As Min-ho slowly stroked his back, the strength in the arms hugging him increased. It was stiflingly tight, but Min-ho didn’t pull away. It was because a strange sense of stability came from the appropriate amount of pressure.
“I’ll come back early. Please wait quietly.”
“Wait.”
Min-ho called Gyu-oh to a stop and chewed on his lower lip. The hesitation didn’t last long. He handed the car keys from his pocket to Gyu-oh and hurriedly pulled off the helmet. He didn’t even laugh at the sight of the messy hair standing up due to static electricity. Cupping the cheeks of the blinking Gyu-oh, Min-ho tilted his head.
Chu. With a shy sound, their lips touched and parted simply. Because of the hand gripping Min-ho’s back as he tried to pull away, their lips overlapped urgently again, and a hot tongue suddenly pushed inside. What started as a light peck had quickly turned into a deep kiss.
It would be a disaster if someone saw them like this in the corner of the office-tel parking lot. Such a worry bloomed, but it quickly lost its shape and faded. Enduring the force that pushed him back until his waist tilted, Min-ho focused on wrapping around the hot tongue.
Lips drenched in saliva touched deeply and parted. Though it was a short time, it was a rough kiss that left the lips red.
“…If you’re this bold, how am I supposed to leave?”
Dazed eyes, as if having lost focus, looked straight at him. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Min-ho rubbed his lips with the back of his hand and looked away.
“Take my car. Stop acting so clingy.”
“Hyung. I’m hard.”
“You’re not.”
“….”
White breath scattered thinly from the mouth of the silently panting Gyu-oh. Min-ho caught his gaze, which kept drifting downward, and grabbed Gyu-oh’s shoulder to turn him around. As he pushed him with a hand on his back, he felt the sensation of a firm body beneath his palm. He was equally reluctant, but given the situation, finishing the job quickly was the priority.
“Whether it’s a couple’s fraud squad or whatever, we need to clean this up quickly if we’re going to move together.”
“Right, right.”
Min-ho opened the driver’s door for him and pushed Gyu-oh inside. Perhaps he was dazed, but the way the large man moved obediently was quite cute.
“I’ll be waiting. Contact me whenever you have time.”
“I will.”
As Min-ho was about to close the door, Gyu-oh grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it. Perhaps because his lips were wet, the moisture transferred to the back of Min-ho’s hand.
Tucking Gyu-oh’s helmet under his arm, Min-ho stepped back with heavy feet. He couldn’t keep lingering like this, so it was right for him to be the one to turn away first. He turned off the motorcycle, took the key with the tangerine keyring, and headed toward the elevator.
Shortly after, the engine started, and the sound of wheels scraping the parking lot floor followed. Min-ho, standing in front of the elevator, peeked his head out. Only after seeing the rear of the car disappearing toward the parking lot entrance did he finally let out the breath he had been holding.
“…Don’t get hurt.”
The plea faded into the cold air. But Min-ho was certain it had reached Gyu-oh.
* * *
Fortunately, the article linking Min-ho and Son Pro was sorted out in less than two days. Gyu-oh played a large role in that. Concerned that Son Pro had previously spouted nonsense about linking Min-ho and the Executive Director, Gyu-oh had kept every piece of information related to the father and son without discarding a single bit.
Moreover, to anyone watching, Cha Min-ho was clearly the victim, and the Executive Director and his son were the perpetrators. There was more than enough evidence of the confinement and kidnapping the bastards had used to torment Min-ho. Additionally, a scandal between a top actor and an idol broke out at the same time, drawing everyone’s attention.
While the interest faded, the Executive Director’s side remained suspiciously quiet. Since there was no telling what other tricks he might play, they had to pull the whole thing up by the roots so it could never take root again.
“What did you prepare?”
Min-ho, sitting in the passenger seat, asked while glancing out the window.
“There’s still one big blow left. It would be a shame not to let that one go off.”
“…You prepared something big.”
The Executive Director’s greatest weakness and the root cause of all this had not yet been revealed to the world. Until recently, Min-ho had suggested not digging that up, but having suffered so much, he no longer felt the need to stop it. Gyu-oh, swallowing a smile with a short nod, turned the steering wheel.
“Let’s just get the beating over with quickly.”
“Sounds good.”
It would have been troublesome if he had said no, so it was a relief.
The two arrived at their destination shortly after. While Min-ho had frequented T Corporation, this was Gyu-oh’s first time stepping foot here. He followed Min-ho, who led the way with familiarity, with a swaggering gait.
They had made an appointment with the Executive Director in advance. Of course, far from agreeing, he hadn’t even responded properly, but once they brought in several lawyers, the process sped up on its own. Right, how long could he hold out and resist?
In truth, if he had come alone, he would have just caused a scene from the first floor as usual. He would have thrown any courtesy of making an appointment to the wind. He would have made it as loud and embarrassing as possible, screaming the Executive Director’s name even while being dragged out by security personnel.
And he might have scattered papers revealing the intimate details of the relationship between the Executive Director and Son Pro in front of the company, or even broadcasted it over the internal system. But he couldn’t let Min-ho engage in such a face-selling act.
The two of them ascended to the executive office without any hindrance. Even the waiting area looked like a hotel lobby, practically screaming that money had been poured into it, and two burly security personnel stood before the door with their hands clasped behind their backs.
“Please, come this way.”
They entered the executive office under the guidance of a security guard rather than a secretary. As they passed by, Gyu-oh got the shitty feeling that the men were staring intently at Min-ho. How dare they look at him like that. Gyu-oh pulled Min-ho closer by the shoulder, tucking him into his embrace to shield him.
“……Hmm.”
He didn’t forget to cast a sharp, wary glance at the well-built security guards.
To reach the executive office, they had to pass through two sets of doors. The opulence was of a level where someone like U-won couldn’t even hold a business card in comparison.
“The executive office is killer. Just how much money did he pour into this?”
“Fuck, we can’t let my Hyungs lose their prestige. I’ll support you.”
There was no follow-up scolding or doubt that he actually would. Since the incident, Cha Min-ho had become strangely calm. Well, he had always been that way, but if you threw a stone into his calm emotions before, he would react instantly; now, he was a beat slower.
“……And how exactly are you going to support me?”
And he wasn’t on edge. This was a good change, right?
As the promised date approached, Gyu-oh’s anxiety only grew. He wondered if this was a signal to go back to living with a moderate wall between them, as they had before. Of course, he didn’t let it show on the surface.
“I’ll definitely support you, even if I have to sell my organs.”
“If you’re so broke that you have to sell those, let’s just live our own lives.”
“Eh, that’s absolutely not happening.”
Even as Gyu-oh stubbornly insisted they should live together even if they had to sell organs one by one in harmony, only a hollow laugh returned. As they walked and joked around, they saw another door guarded by two security personnel. Gyu-oh, grabbing the doorknob instead of the guards standing with their hands behind their backs, muttered suspiciously.
“Is there another door in here? Like one of those dolls that keeps coming out no matter how many times you peel it?”
“Crazy. Are they giving us ‘shit dog training’ before the meeting?”
Whether they were thinking the same thing, Min-ho chimed in this time. Giggling, Gyu-oh pulled the handle with force. Fortunately, there wasn’t another door, and they immediately saw the Executive Director standing with both hands on his hips. A line of people in suits, likely lawyers, were stationed on both sides.
“Woah, long time no see.”
“…….”
He greeted the Executive Director just as he had when pretending to be Mr. John, but there was no response. Only a gaze brimming with anxiety and wariness flew back.
The office was enormous and lavish. Much like Son Pro’s room in the corner of the golf classroom. You can’t hide the blood of someone who loves luxury. Gyu-oh didn’t bother hiding the smirk that leaked out.
“After stabbing us in the back, what exactly did he do so right that he brought this many lawyers?”
“……Hmm.”
The one to break the taut tension and speak first was Min-ho. Of course, he wasn’t acting with his usual manners.
“If you live without knowing gratitude, are you even human?”
“…….”
“When the adult is like this, what do you expect the child to learn?”
Sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, Min-ho tapped the table with the tip of his foot. With every kick, the vase on the low table wobbled. That was usually something he or Mu-gyeong would do, but since the Hyung’s background was what it was, it didn’t feel awkward.
“Please watch your language.”
The man sitting at the front interrupted, pushing up his glasses. But Min-ho didn’t even spare him a glance and continued his vitriol.
“If I knew it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have played that fucking shitty golf. It wasn’t even fun, and I almost broke my wrist clapping.”
“Hmm, now. Calm down. Don’t we have something to discuss?”
The Executive Director abruptly shifted the conversation to the lawyers. At that, a lawyer slid a business card forward and took out a phone. In a solemn voice, he introduced the law firm and explained the reasons why he had taken on the Executive Director’s defense.
“Since the conversation here may be used as legal evidence, I will be recording this. Do you consent?”
“I don’t.”
“Now, ahem. I prepared something knowing this would happen……”
The Executive Director wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and then gestured with his chin toward the lawyer. Soon, the man brought out a few sheets of paper. He placed them on the low table and quickly stepped back. The Executive Director kept clearing his throat and averting his gaze. Whether his ashen face was because he had something to hide or simply because he was uncomfortable in the situation was hard to tell.