DB Vol 3 Part 7
Inside Won-woo, who had been unloved as a child, there was a gaping hole that could never be filled. It was a bottomless abyss. Though Won-woo tried his best to ignore it, that hole would suddenly appear like a trap, dragging him down into the darkness.
However, the Aunt’s presence and her words covered that hole. So that even in her absence, he could move forward without falling into the pit. She claimed she was merely an ordinary person without a name, but to Won-woo, she was the greatest and wisest person in the world.
“I’ll drive the truck starting next year. I heard the Free Government is lowering the age for driver’s licenses. I can drive next year, too. It’s dangerous for you to go alone.”
“Just focus on your own work.”
“I’m going to take over the Aunt’s business.”
In truth, the government wanted to recruit Won-woo because of his abilities. While he was currently only helping with monster extermination, they secretly hoped he would step forward to fight Espers. No, they had even demanded it openly. Knowing this, the Aunt stared blankly at Won-woo’s sudden career aspiration. Won-woo ignored her gaze and added:
“I only drive trucks in games, too.”
“Try playing a housekeeping game.”
The Aunt left after leaving him with a scolding. Won-woo watched until her truck disappeared before heading home. As soon as he entered the house, the unfolded laundry caught his eye. Why did laundry always have to be folded? Feeling bothered, Won-woo ignored the laundry and entered the room where he was, as if by habit.
For the first few months, the man had glared at Won-woo with a coldness that suggested he wanted to kill him, but since Won-woo never gave up and kept visiting, he seemed exhausted and no longer showed any emotion.
Because he had glared with such intensity, Won-woo had initially suspected that the man knew his true identity. But that couldn’t be. Who would remember Ji Geun-oh’s missing youngest son? Whether it was a blessing or a curse, the man was staring into the void with empty eyes.
“Aunt left for work. She said it would take a while this time. Damn it, I bet that wretched government asked her to find someone again.”
Won-woo chattered away, grumbling to the man who couldn’t hear him. At first, he had intentionally spoken more to counter the man’s inexplicable hostility, but now it had become a habit. Even though it was a one-sided conversation since the other party couldn’t respond, at some point, this chatter alone began to soothe his loneliness.
“Aunt says she’s just doing what she can, but there are plenty of people who don’t even do that much, right? Even family—there are people who don’t give affection to their own children.”
Won-woo flopped down on the floor beside the bed where he always sat and sank into the past.
“My family was like that. I didn’t have a mother; I only had a father, brothers, and a Noona… but I wasn’t family. I was just a target for their anger, always getting beaten… My [Read on Read BL Novels]house was really big, you know? So there were a lot [visit our site]of employees, but not a single person among them ever even made eye contact with me.”
Something came to mind, and a bitter smile played on Won-woo’s lips.
“I was saved by the Aunt, so I’m always terrified that this salvation will disappear. Everyone tells me I’m strong… but no, I’m too fragile. I’m so weak…”
Unintentionally looking up, Won-woo’s eyes met the man’s, who was staring intently at him. In that moment, he was overcome by a sudden anxiety that the man might have understood everything he said, and he bolted upright. Though he hurriedly left the spot in a panic, he couldn’t look the man in the eye for several days.
It was clear that the man couldn’t hear, yet he felt uneasy. He couldn’t shake the suspicion that his words had been understood. Because after that, the hostility toward him had completely vanished.
But that was even more uncomfortable. If the man showed hostility, Won-woo could have shamelessly used him, but it was difficult to put on a facade in front of a gaze that stared back with indifferent eyes.
To Won-woo, the man was nothing more than a tool to look good in the Aunt’s eyes. That was why he could never have imagined that the man, who listened to everything silently like a doll, would eventually fill the void left by the Aunt.
One day, when the Aunt entered the Esper territory to find someone again, she ultimately did not return. The government said it was a relief that they could at least find the body, but what a joke that was.
Yet, he couldn’t even bring himself to be angry at them. He didn’t remember how he had made it back home. He didnR[unauthorized copy]17;t know how several days had passed.
It was a thin hand that pulled Won-woo up from his state of utter despair. The man placed his hand on Won-woo’s head and stroked it. With just that one gesture, Won-woo’s dam broke. The rigid sorrow that had imprisoned him collapsed at that small kindness and flowed out like a river. Only then could Won-woo wail and cry for the Aunt’s death.
As the results of Won-woo’s search appeared on the screen, a “whirring” sound rang out. It seemed an alarm had gone off inside, detecting an intruder. The archives were protected by double doors, and Won-woo had firmly locked the outer door in advance. However, since they had keys, they would be entering soon.
Ignoring the loud alarm, Won-woo quickly checked the photos appearing on the screen. He stopped the mouse wheel at the second to last photo. Occasionally, Won-woo had wondered what the Aunt looked like in her youth and asked if she had any old photos. Of course, since she didn’t dwell on the past, she naturally had none.
‘I was ordinary.’
The middle-aged woman in the photo was also ordinary. But Won-woo was certain that even if this unfamiliar face were mixed among millions of people, it would stand out the most. He just knew. It was the Aunt. From outside the locked door, the sound of footsteps was followed by a loud banging on the door.
Holding his breath, Won-woo stared at the photo on the monitor before slowly checking the text next to it. As expected, unfamiliar names and information caught his eye. But Won-woo’s gaze landed only on the last line.
‘Died on [Date], caught in the rampage disaster of the Gye family head.’
“Ah, Chief Jung. What a coincidence meeting you here.”
Chief Jung had been about to leave the Gye family estate to sleep at home for the first time in a while when he ran into an Esper on the first floor.
Since the Gye Family dominated the North, they owned numerous monster Farms, and naturally, they had a large management staff. A portion of the management team resided at the Gye family estate, and the one who called for Chief Jung was one of the team leaders.
“I heard something strange, so I wanted you to check it for me.”
“What did you hear?”
“There’s a rumor that the new Guide for Lady Hwan-i almost died. Is that true?”
Chief Jung frowned as if it were absurd. Since he was a master of lying, this level of acting was as easy as breathing. However, the irritation in his voice when asking back was real.
“Are strange rumors circulating again?”
“It’s a problem if it’s a fact, not just a rumor. That Guide was barely secured using an Alpha Read on Read BL Novelsseed. Setting aside the chaos within the family, if it becomes known to the world that a Guide was injured again… Sigh.”
The Esper shook his head with a sigh.
“Quite a few Guides died during the previous family head’s rampage. Even after all this time, the world still calls the Gye Family ‘Guide Killers’ and says it’s a cursed place…”
“Watch your words.”
When Chief Jung spoke sternly, the Esper’s eyes momentarily turned cold. However, he responded with a twisted smile.
“Shouldn’t the warning to watch one’s words be given to everyone in the world? I’m not the only one saying it. Looking at it, Chief Jung seems to think I’m an easy target.”
He laughed, tapped Chief Jung on the shoulder once, and turned away. But with that single gesture, Chief Jung’s knees nearly buckled, and he almost collapsed.
Though he knew the other had used Esper power, Chief Jung did nothing but grit his teeth and swallow his anger with an expressionless face. Even though Gye Yoon had carried out a purge to find internal spies, trust in the Gye Family was not as firm as it once was.
Particularly among the youth, many were dissatisfied that the North [Read [stolen content]on Read BL Novels[stolen content]style="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]failed to develop due to pressure from the East and West, and that Guides were restricted in the North due to the Ji family’s interference.
Since he couldn’t simply tell people to trust and follow the Gye Family in such a bad situation, Chief Jung felt stifled. No matter how much the Gye Family had Gye Yoon, the greatest Esper, he could not become a focal point to draw everyone in without a Guide.
But still. To openly call the Gye Family ‘Guide Killers.’ Those who knew the former Gye family head could never say such a thing. Chief Jung gave up on going home and headed back to the office. Home, my foot; I’ll just sleep in the duty room.
Bang! Bang!
Click, clack.
The sound of banging on the iron door was followed by the sound of the handle turning as if trying to open the lock. The locking mechanism that Won-woo had previously damaged didn’t seem easy to open from the outside.
However, it was only a matter of time before the guards stormed in and caught him. Despite this, Won-woo couldn’t move easily. He couldn’t take his eyes off the monitor, as if he were a person in another world. What finally moved him was a completely unexpected vibration.
K-boom!!
With a loud noise, the entire building began to shake. Not only the chair Won-woo was sitting in, but even the table shook, [Read on Read BL Novels]style="font-size:0;color:transparent;display:inline;">Read on Read BL Novelscausing the monitor on top to fall over. Thanks to that, Won-woo was finally able to break away from the screen. The powerful vibration shaking the ground was like an earthquake. Just like the one Gye Yoon had created before.
Due to that vibration, a louder alarm began to ring inside. Only then did Won-woo check the time and tilt his head in confusion. There were still four minutes left. Yet Gye Yoon, waiting outside, had used his power prematurely.
Was he urging him to finish quickly? However, Won-woo didn’t intend to leave immediately. After scanning the interior, which had become a mess in an instant, he opened the door to the inner server room. The numerous servers, whirring away, continued their work unfazed by the earthquake-like vibration.
Won-woo took a few seeds from his pocket, wrapped them in paper, and rolled the ends to make a fuse. With practiced hands, he quickly made a few simple bombs, lit the ends with a lighter, and flicked them toward the servers. As soon as Won-woo closed the server room door, an explosion loud enough to shake the interior erupted from within.
After confirming the flames rising inside, Won-woo exited through the middle door and escaped through the secret passage he had originally entered. Like a robot with the shortest route programmed into its head, he returned to Dong-hyeon’s office on the third floor and opened the window. Then, without hesitation, he stepped over the windowsill.
Of course, he didn’t intend to plummet to the ground. He could just climb down the wall. The outer wall, built of large stacked stones, had gaps between them. He could hook his fingers there to support his body. Won-woo quickly reached the first floor by climbing down the wall as if it were second nature.
Thump. As soon as he landed on the ground, he checked the time. Exactly 30 minutes. Everything from blowing up the server room to escaping through the window had been accomplished within four minutes. However, a reproaching voice reached his ears.
“You’re late.”
As soon as that pleasant, low voice was heard, his arm was grabbed. Then, along with a sense of dizziness, his surroundings blurred. By the time the dizziness vanished, he was [visit our site]BL Novels -->Read on Read BL Novelsstyle="font-size:0;color:transparent;display:inline;">stolen contentstanding at the original arrival point where the Guide Center was visible.
“Why are you late?”
That absurd remark he had heard a moment ago was repeated. However, Won-woo, who had come out on time, didn’t even try to argue; he just stared blankly up at the person who had grabbed him. Sensing something strange, Gye Yoon raised an eyebrow.
“Did you not find the information you wanted?”
“…I found it.”
Then why was his expression like that? Doubt appeared in Gye Yoon’s eyes, but he didn’t ask aloud. It was because Won-woo suddenly twisted his body and bent his waist sharply.
“Ugh!”
While Won-woo dry-heaved repeatedly, his bent back trembled like a convulsion. After a long while, he finally calmed down and straightened his body, but he remained expressionless as if nothing had happened.
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
“Shall we go?”
Just suggesting they go without any explanation. Gye Yoon looked down at Won-woo askew, but Won-woo, seemingly unwilling to say more, turned away with a blank face. Gye Yoon followed him as he walked slowly, opening his mouth as if to change the subject.
“I remembered ‘Bbi-yak-i’.”
Flinch. Won-woo’s shoulders trembled, and he stopped in his tracks. Gye Yoon, who was one step ahead, stopped and looked back at him.
“It was a nickname from when I was very young.”
Originally, Won-woo had intended to ask how he knew about ‘Bbi-yak-i’ and why it was important. But he simply couldn’t. In the darkness, Gye Yoon could see clearly. Won-woo’s face was still expressionless, but his eyes were filled with tears that looked as if they were about to overflow.
The title Won-woo used to call him in public was ‘younger brother.’ stolen contentSince he hadn’t been told his name, and he couldn’t call him ‘Bbi-yak-i’ like the Aunt did.
Inside the house, it wasn’t difficult to get by without titles, but on the rare occasions he took him out, people were curious about who he was, so he needed a word to define their relationship.
Fortunately, the North was a place where people with their own circumstances gathered, so not many found it strange that he simply called him his younger brother. No one here asked about the past, and no one went around broadcasting their own stories. However, even in a place where people weren’t very interested in others, there were those who wondered about the Aunt’s absence after her death.
That was why Won-woo moved as if fleeing. He didn’t have much luggage. Because he only needed him. The man had followed Won-woo obediently. Since he didn’t express any opinion, it was impossible to tell if he was truly obedient, but it didn’t matter even if he hated it. Won-woo needed him.
His hands were still stiff, and he spent most of his time sitting and staring blankly into the void, but he was different when his consciousness returned. Using the strength in his arms, he would slowly drag himself to where he wanted to go and attend to his needs. However, he still needed help when eating, dressing, or washing.
Strangely, Won-woo didn’t find this bothersome at all from the start. After the Aunt died, he actually clung to the man’s side even more and focused on him. He minimized his outings and spent his time talking to him, sleeping beside him, and reading books. He obsessed over him as if he were afraid the man would also leave him.
When he first arrived, the time his consciousness returned was only about an hour a day, but at some point, that time gradually lengthened. Then, after the Aunt passed away, as if granting Won-woo’s wish, the time he spent in reality suddenly increased to several hours.
At first, he was happy about it and loved being able to make eye contact and have proper conversations. However, deep emotions began to fill those eyes—the only place where the man could express emotion. Naturally, Won-woo tried to ignore it at first. He thought it might be his imagination.
Because until then, the only emotion the man had shown was hatred. Perhaps he was misinterpreting the remaining [[[unauthorized copy]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read BL Novels]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">unauthorized copy]hatred. But that emotion continued to grow like a tree that didn’t know how to stop, deepening to a point where Won-woo could no longer ignore it.
Even while talking to himself, Won-woo would accidentally look back and flinch when their eyes met. The piercing gaze held onto Won-woo with a terrifying intensity. It felt as if those black pupils were filled entirely with one emotion, screaming:
I love you.
There was no voice in his ears, no visible expression, but it felt as if his hearing and sight were being overwhelmed. Even though silence reigned if he kept his mouth shut, and nothing was visible if he turned his eyes away, he couldn’t close his ears or eyes.
Surprisingly, after the feeling of love for Won-woo filled him, the man experienced several erections when he was with Won-woo. It wasn’t unpleasant or disgusting.
If it weren’t for the feelings toward Won-woo, he could have effortlessly relieved the man’s needs with his hand. But once he realized the man’s love, he couldn’t perform an action that responded to that emotion.
Because it would be like giving prey to a predator. It would be selfishly saying, ‘I’ll accept your love, so stay by my side forever.’ Instead, he chose a cowardly method. He pretended not to know about the man’s feelings. After saving him from death, he felt like a terrible monster for being unable to accept him.
As the man’s love grew, Won-woo’s guilt grew in volume as well. If he hadn’t asked him to stay, these emotions might never have arisen. During the last month they spent together, he intentionally spent most of his days outside, using work as an excuse.
But his heart was uneasy. The time the man regained consciousness was steadily increasing. It was agonizing to leave him alone, unable to do anything despite being fully conscious. Yet, he couldn’t go back to him and engage in the small talk they used to have.
This was the period when Won-woo joined the government forces to avenge the Aunt. He had much to do, and using that as an excuse, the time he spent with the man gradually decreased. Even knowing that the man spent his days lonely, staring out the window, he didn’t have the courage to meet his eyes. On the other hand, he harbored the irresponsible hope that the man would eventually give up.
But selfishness always demands a price in the end. The fact that Won-woo had been indiscriminately executing Espers, fueled by a desire for revenge, became a problem.
Perhaps his trail had been picked up by his enemies; Won-woo’s home was attacked in the dead of night. The Espers first sent in ordinary humans trained to capture Won-woo.
Their objective was to distract Won-woo by forcing him to fight them, allowing the Espers to launch a surprise attack. In a sense, their operation was a success.
At the time, Won-woo was unaware that the Espers were already lying in ambush near the house, concealing their energy.
He was simply preoccupied with taking down the enemies before him, thinking only of luring the intruders out of the house. As long as those people remained inside, he would continue to be in danger. After barely managing to stop the intruders, he hid him in a shelter beneath the bed. He laid him down in a space barely large enough for one person and made a promise.
“I’ll come back for you.” He stood up after promising. The man’s intense gaze, looking up at him from the darkness, caught Won-woo’s attention, but without getting a proper look, he smashed through the window and leaped outside.
He intentionally made a loud noise to lure the attackers, but no one followed immediately. Only then did he realize there were other attackers waiting outside [unauthorized copy]the house. Even as he swung his blade and bled, Won-woo’s focus remained entirely on the interior of the house.
I have to lure everyone who came to attack outside. He had to save him. Not for his own sake, but because he wanted to save the man who was finally trying to live. However, the blades of the attack poured down like rain, and Won-woo did not have the strength to block it all.
Yet, he survived. It was because of an explosion of unknown origin that occurred inside the house. Perhaps the ordinary humans who came to attack Won-woo had brought explosives, and they had unfortunately gone off. Ordinary people who plunged into war often carried dangerous explosives.
Whatever the cause of the explosion, the aftermath was immense. Even Won-woo was sent rolling across the ground like a fallen leaf. The massive explosion swept away the intruders, and most of them died. Won-woo had no idea how he alone had survived unscathed, but he had no room to be grateful for this luck.
Before his eyes was a house turned into ruins. Without time to check if any enemies had survived, he ran frantically. The short distance felt like dozens of kilometers, and he gasped for air as if his lungs were tearing. Unaware that his hands were being injured, he desperately clawed through the broken debris to enter the house.
Inside, he found a single charred corpse. It was him.
“No! …I mean.”
Sang-cheon, who had been raising his voice in excitement, quickly glanced toward the sofa and lowered his tone. Won-woo was curled up, sleeping on a narrow two-seater sofa. He didn’t know where the man had been, but seeing him sleep like that felt somehow pitiful. And unsettling. He had already spent a full day doing nothing but sleeping. Was something wrong?
“Where on earth did you go with Won-woo-nim last night?”
Sang-cheon grabbed Gye Yoon, who had left in the morning and returned in the afternoon, and pulled him into the small kitchen. Calling it a kitchen was generous; it consisted of only two sink compartments, a small basin, and a single gas burner. If they spoke here, Won-woo wouldn’t hear them, but Sang-cheon lowered his voice just in case.
“Something happened, didn’t it?”
Gye Yoon was the only person who could answer since he had come along, but all he said was this:
“It was nothing.”
“Then why is he just sleeping like that?”
“Maybe he’s sleepy.”
Gye Yoon answered nonchalantly, but his gaze toward Won-woo was dark. After causing such a scene at the Guide Center last night, all he had done was come to Sang-cheon’s office and lie there sleeping. There was no explanation, and the eyes filled with tears that Gye Yoon had seen had vanished as if they were a lie.
A person can sleep when they are tired, but Won-woo’s sleep did not look like normal sleep. He looked [unauthorized copy]like a machine that [stolen content]had stopped working because its battery was completely drained. That’s why Gye Yoon felt concerned and kept glancing at him. But to feel pity for Ji Geun-oh’s child…
He didn’t like this. He was supposed to seduce and win over Ji Won-woo, but he felt as if he were the one being drawn in. Even now, he was forcing himself to resist the urge to look back at Ji Won-woo when Sang-cheon’s dissatisfied voice drifted over.
“Is he really just sleeping? What if he’s sick?”
“He’s just sleeping.”
Are you a doctor? Sang-cheon looked as if he wanted to retort, but Gye Yoon cut him off by shifting his gaze. Gye Yoon, too, had spent the entire day focusing all his attention on Won-woo’s breathing, wondering if he was ill. But it was definitely the sound of someone sleeping.
“No, still, he’s not eating and just sleeping all the time…”
At Sang-cheon’s worried mumbling, Gye Yoon asked as if remembering something.
“He did vomit.”
“Hey! You should have told me that sooner. He is sick!”
“I said it because it didn’t seem like he did it because his stomach hurt.”
Thump. Sang-cheon grabbed Gye Yoon’s arm tightly with shocked eyes. “Why?” Before Gye Yoon could even ask, Sang-cheon asked in a low voice.
“Did you hit him?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Did you hit him with a rock?!”
Gye Yoon was so appalled that he couldn’t even get angry. Especially since the opponent was a trivial ordinary human who wouldn’t even fill half a fist.
“I’m too lazy to explain, so get lost.”
“This is my house, you know?”
“What does that matter.”
Right, of course he would say that. Sang-cheon’s jaw trembled as he pointed toward where Won-woo was.
“Still, Won-woo-nim is here, so I can’t leave. I absolutely cannot leave you two alone together.”
“…”
“Why?”
“You’re taking such good care of him just because you got some money.”
“That’s because it wasn’t just money that I received.”
What did he receive? At Gye Yoon’s cold gaze, Sang-cheon shrugged his shoulders.
“I received his heart. Even though we haven’t known each other long, he’s someone who trusts me that much. How could he not be important?”
What is that ‘heart’ anyway. Criticism flowed within Gye Yoon again, but he couldn’t voice it. Because he had never received such a heart.
And Won-woo slept so defenselessly in the space of Sang-cheon, who had given him his heart. An ordinary man with no power, just a middle-aged guy, and this place was so dilapidated.
Yet, Won-woo had let go of everything and fallen into sleep as if this were the safest place in the world. If he opened his mouth, his jealousy would be revealed. Gye Yoon looked at the sleeping Won-woo, feeling an envy so strong it was annoying. Sang-cheon’s gaze followed his, returning to a worried tone.
“Do you know the Guide Center is in chaos? They say a huge fire broke out last night because of an Esper’s attack. I wonder what kind of incredible Esper would touch the Guide Center building. …It wasn’t you, right?”
“No.”
“I thought so. No matter how great you are…”
“It was Ji Won-woo.”
When there was no reaction, he turned his head to find Sang-cheon frozen in shock with his mouth agape.
“Why?”
What do you mean why? How can you not be surprised right now? Sang-cheon barely managed to move his frozen jaw to make a sound.
“You’re saying Won-woo-nim attacked his own family? No, why? Is it possible you did it and he’s taking the fall?”
“…”
“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just wondering if I should kill the landlord here since I don’t like him and frame him instead.”
The landlord took a step back and immediately changed the subject.
“Ah, but is Won-woo-nim’s relationship with his family that bad? Even so, the Guide Center is practically his family’s biggest business. There are rumors that the place that burned was the server room. That’s why it’s been chaos all day.”
Gye Yoon knew as well. He had been receiving constant contacts from Chief Jung because of it. The Gye Family decided not to respond officially until the Ji family made an announcement.
“The Ji family is in trouble. With the People’s Committee vote coming up soon, it’s a complete overlap of bad luck.”
At Sang-cheon’s words, Gye Yoon twisted the corner of his mouth.
“There is no such thing as bad luck for Ji Geun-oh.”
Ji Geun-oh was a man whose greed was vulgar, but he also possessed the brazenness to flip every truth into a lie for the sake of it. That thick-skinned nature was the key ability that had allowed him to rise to his current position.
False agitation. Therefore, he would turn this crisis into an opportunity this time as well. Sang-cheon wondered what Gye Yoon meant, but there was no time for an explanation. Knock, knock. Someone was knocking on the door of Sang-cheon’s office.
Seong-hyeon frowned as he looked at his Hyung, who was wearing an oxygen mask. He understood that it was because he had inhaled smoke and been injured due to the fire, but the [visit our site[visit our site]BL Novels" style="display:none;" aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsnt-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]other wounds had nothing to do with the Guide Center incident.
Right now, Dong-hyeon’s face was a wreck. His face was so swollen and bruised that he was unrecognizable, like a boxer who had been unilaterally beaten in a match. The head injury he already had seemed to have reopened, requiring several stitches.
“So you’re saying he was hit by Father at first?”
Seong-hyeon asked Director Shin, his Hyung’s confidant, who was guarding the hospital room.
“Yes.”
The man answering also had a bruised face and a bandage wrapped around his arm as if it were broken, but his injuries were not important to Seong-hyeon. It was only natural for subordinates to be beaten when they failed to do their jobs. The problem was what he said next.
“However, the injuries worsened because of your younger brother.”
“What, fuck… seriously, Ji Won-woo did that? The one who broke into the Guide Center and made a mess of it was really that bastard Ji Won-woo?”
Even though he had asked and confirmed it several times, Seong-hyeon couldn’t believe it.
“Ji Won-woo-ssi came to the Guide Center in person and requested a meeting with the eldest son. He entered the room, and after that, he appeared on the CCTV in the archives.”
He had heard this answer several times as well. That’s why it was even more absurd. To think his Hyung was beaten by Ji Won-woo.
“Fuck, he acted like he was the only one who was great. And he gets beaten by that bastard Ji Won-woo? I’m too embarrassed to even tell anyone, shit. Who told him to make a secret passage to the archives right in his own room? He’s not an idiot, but…”
“Shut your mouth.”
At the cold command, Seong-hyeon looked back in surprise and then frowned deeply. An unwelcome figure had appeared. A woman dressed in high-end, wrinkle-free Western clothing approached with the clicking sound of heels.
“What vulgar language.”
“Noo, Noona. When did you get here?”
Despite Seong-hyeon’s flustered question, Ji Yoon-im first scanned him up and down as if evaluating him. Although she didn’t say anything, Seong-hyeon [Read stolen contentcontent -->on Read BL Novels]frowned upon noticing the contempt in her eyes.
“Don’t frown. Your face is the only thing you have to brag about.”
“Ha, sh…”
Seong-hyeon swallowed his curse and grit his teeth. Everyone thought Dong-hyeon was the child receiving the most attention from their father because he managed the Guide Center, but the reality was different. The child Ji Geun-oh cared about most was his eldest daughter.
Because she had married into the direct line of the Yang Family, who ruled the West. The Yang Family was Ji Geun-oh’s greatest ally. That was why Dong-hyeon and Seong-hyeon had not been able to treat their Noona carelessly since childhood.
“Father is the one who makes the most use of my ‘great face’.”
“If Won-woo hadn’t been broken, that would have been Won-woo’s job.”
Seong-hyeon flared up, but again, he couldn’t show his anger. Partly because of the age difference, but after entering the Yang Family, she acted even more noble than before, as if she had actually become a Yang. No matter how much he hated her, he had to bow to his Noona because of the Yang Family’s prestige. Now that the Hyung who had been helping his business from behind had become like this, he needed Yoon-im’s support if he wanted to take his Hyung’s place.
“Won-woo’s face was decent, but as Noona said, he was broken. No, that’s Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsin the past. Seeing how Hyung was beaten, it seems he’s been grinding his teeth and preparing for a very long time. Sigh, I don’t know why Hyung was such a fool that he couldn’t manage a single person like Ji Won-woo.”
He felt Yoon-im’s cold gaze, but Seong-hyeon shook his head as if feeling sorry.
“I noticed Ji Won-woo was strange. There’s this arrogant bastard named Yoo Geon-young who is Won-woo’s Team leader, and it seems Hyung just trusted that guy’s word and thought Won-woo was the same as before. Ah, I thought about warning him, but Hyung was so busy with Father’s work that I thought he’d handle it well on his own. Good grief.”
“You knew and didn’t say anything? You’re at fault too.”
Looking at Yoon-im’s cold expression, Seong-hyeon readily agreed.
“Yeah, I’m at fault too. That’s why I want to make up for it while Hyung can’t move.”
“My little brother, I thought his head was empty, but he’s filled it with cunning in the meantime.”
“Isn’t that better than being empty?”
Seong-hyeon replied nonchalantly with a smile, but Yoon-im did not smile back. [[Read on Read BL Novels]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">visit our site]data-wm="unauthorized copy" style="display:none;" aria-label="unauthorized copy">unauthorized copyHe was used to her gaze that viewed him as a far inferior being, but looking at it again, his stomach twisted. Still, Seong-hyeon didn’t let his smile fade.
“More than that, since Noona’s head is full, you must know Father’s thoughts? The People’s Committee vote is right around the corner, Hyung is in that state, and the Guide Center is wrecked. Seeing that Noona came, I guess the Yang Family decided to help?”
“What would you do if you knew?”
“I need to know so I can do as Noona says.”
Seong-hyeon added seriously, as if persuading Yoon-im.
“Unlike Hyung, I know very well that I lack brains. That’s why I’m confident I can quietly do as I’m told.”
“Quietly? You?”
The corners of Yoon-im’s mouth twisted in a sneer. But Seong-hyeon knew that was actually a good sign. When his Noona underestimated her opponent like that, it was easier to get what he wanted.
“So what is Father’s plan?”
Yoon-im stared at Dong-hyeon through the large window and finally spoke after a long while.
“We have to frame someone. We need to create a villain who dared to make a child of Ji Geun-oh look like that.”
With those words alone, Seong-hyeon immediately caught on to his father’s plan. Ah, he’ll act out the paternal love of a heartbroken father, shedding tears in front of the media. Even though in reality, he was the one who beat his son to death. By doing so, he would use another son to cover up the issue that had worsened because of Ji Won-woo.
“Is there a candidate for the villain?”
“Why would we need a candidate?”
As soon as he heard that, Seong-hyeon chuckled. Right. They didn’t even need a candidate. Because there was a place they had used well whenever they needed a villain over the past few years.
“When I see it like this, I wonder if the Gye Family is really an ally.”
Seong-hyeon giggled and turned his back on his [[unauthorized copy]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read BL Novels]injured Hyung’s hospital room. And just as Yoon-im said, not long after, an exclusive article broke.
‘The Gye Family, who tormented Guides, finally loses its mind and attacks the Guide Center.’
Seo-na, who visited Sang-cheon’s office, was momentarily shocked to see Gye Yoon upon entering, but she quickly stepped forward to protect Won-woo. She glared sharply at Gye Yoon.
“I know who you are.”
Gye Yoon cast an indifferent look at the wary gaze treating him as an enemy.
“So what?”
“What do you mean ‘so what’? I’m saying that if you attack Won-woo-nim, I won’t stand by.”
Gye Yoon seemed unwilling to deal with her through words and tried to take a step forward. Whether she misunderstood him or not didn’t matter, but the opponent was someone Won-woo liked. That said, he had even less desire to bother explaining everything one by one. Naturally, he intended to simply suppress her with power. But suddenly, Sang-cheon jumped between the two.
“Wait, wait! Not in my office! I can’t stand to see my equipment get damaged!”
As Sang-cheon blocked them with a pathetic reason, Gye Yoon slowly turned to look at him.
“Then close your eyes.”
“No, I absolutely will not. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t close my eyes even on a roller coaster, and I don’t even close them when making a wish in front of a birthday cake! Why are you like this!”
Thanks to Sang-cheon’s useless boasting, the tension between the two Espers shattered. Seo-na, in particular, looked at Sang-cheon with pity before glancing back at Gye Yoon.
Seeing that Sang-cheon was protecting him to this extent, she concluded that he wasn’t an enemy, but she still couldn’t believe it. Why was the brute of the Gye Family here? And acting as if he were quite close with Sang-cheon. Noticing Seo-na’s gaze, Gye Yoon cast his characteristic chilly look.
“What are you looking at?”
“I don’t want to look at you either. If only Won-woo-nim wasn’t here. Why on earth are you here?”
When Seo-na fought back using informal language, [unauthorized copy]Sang-cheon looked at her in horror. He visit our sitehated the idea of his equipment breaking, but being covered in her blood would be even more terrible.
“Ah, Esper Han Seo-na-nim. Th-this person is acquainted with Won-woo-nim.”
Gye Yoon, who had been staring coldly at Seo-na from the side, added a word.
“And it’s a very deep relationship.”
Sang-cheon, who had been trying to help him, whipped his head around.
“What ‘deep relationship’ do you have?”
“We’re linked through Nani.”
He couldn’t bring himself to deny it. While Sang-cheon was too appalled to speak properly, Seo-na cut in with a sharp voice.
“Nani? If you mean Hwang stolen contentNani, unauthorized copyare you talking about Hwang Sang-cheon-ssi’s daughter?”
At her question, the two men slowly turned their heads. Looking at the shocked Sang-cheon and the irritation-filled Gye Yoon, it was clear there was something there, but again, she didn’t dig deeper.
“If it’s a problem involving Hwang Sang-cheon-ssi’s daughter, resolve it with her. Don’t drag Won-woo-nim into it.”
“You.”
Gye Yoon looked at Seo-na with indifferent eyes and asked.
“You said you know who I am?”
“Yes.”
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