RFT 39

Do Ye-jun recalled Cheon Sa-hyun’s laptop, where the pet cam screen had been left floating alone. Below it, Excel and other document programs were open, but he wasn’t particularly curious, so he hadn’t bothered to click on them. Seeing Do Ye-jun lost in thought, Cheon Sa-hyun wore a meaningful smile.

“Do you think there’s something there?”

“…Are you committing some kind of fraud? Embezzlement or something? No, with a brain like yours, I bet you’re more than capable of it… Gasp, that’s it. That must be it.”

What started as a tentative guess quickly turned into conviction. Do Ye-jun clapped his hands with a loud snap, like someone who had just discovered a new fact.

“Hey, don’t worry. I won’t report you anywhere. To be honest, I’ve been treated to a lot of things by you, so I can’t say I’m completely clean either…”

Do Ye-jun scanned Cheon Sa-hyun’s car. It was an obviously expensive foreign car. Could this have been bought with embezzled money too?

At that thought, his buttocks felt uncomfortable against the seat. It felt as if he had become an accomplice. While Do Ye-jun made a fuss, Cheon Sa-hyun’s expression grew increasingly incredulous.

“What on earth are you thinking, Hyung?”

“…Am I wrong?”

“Yes, you are. Why would you imagine such a thing?”

“I mean, it comes up a lot in dramas and stuff…”

Since it was a common trope in novels as well, he simply thought it was plausible for a villain like Cheon Sa-hyun to be involved in such things. Hearing Do Ye-jun’s words, Cheon Sa-hyun let out a deep sigh.

“That’s a drama. You’ve seen me working with your own eyes, Hyung.”

“Ah, right. You did work incredibly hard.”

It was true that it didn’t make sense for an embezzler to be a workaholic. Do Ye-jun scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Then, he leaned back comfortably into the seat again.

“You shouldn’t be a detective, Hyung. Your agency would go bankrupt.”

“…I didn’t even plan on doing that, okay?”

Do Ye-jun flared up slightly at being judged unfit for a profession he had [Read on Read BL Novels]no intention of Read on Read BL Novelspursuing. However, he couldn’t stolen contentdeny the statement. Still, his pride remained, and he pouted.

“…But you were watching me while you worked.”

“……”

“You were watching me through the pet cam, right? You weren’t watching Bori, were you?”

“Did it make you feel bad?”

Cheon Sa-hyun’s voice sank low. The car’s speed gradually decreased, and a red light blinked beyond the window.

“I’m not sure how I feel… By any chance, are my sleeping habits really bad?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, why are you watching someone sleep? It’s embarrassing.”

Ha, Cheon Sa-hyun let out an ambiguous breath, somewhere between a sigh and a hollow laugh.

“You don’t have any sleeping habits, Hyung. You sleep quietly.”

“Really? I mean, I thought so too, but since I can’t see myself sleeping…”

Do Ye-jun breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he didn’t do anything unsightly in his sleep.

“Ah, but sometimes you cuddle up to me.”

Do Ye-jun frowned and looked at Cheon Sa-hyun.

“You’re lying, right?”

His tone was nearly 100% certain. Cheon Sa-hyun shrugged.

“Who knows. No matter what I say here, you won’t know which part is the truth, Hyung.”

“Wow, do you realize you’re practically Pinocchio?”

“That’s the first time I’ve been called Pinocchio. I’ve heard a lot that my nose is high, though.”

Cheon Sa-hyun countered Do Ye-jun’s words slyly. Cheon Sa-hyun’s straight bridge of his nose caught his eye. Undeniably, his nose was well-shaped. It was only natural. There wasn’t a single flaw on Cheon Sa-hyun’s face. That was a fact even his worst enemy would have to admit.

As if something had occurred to him, Do Ye-jun frowned and spoke.

“Exactly. Your nose is so high that it keeps bumping into mine when we kiss, which is uncomfort— holy shit.”

Mid-sentence, Do Ye-jun covered his own mouth. Cheon Sa-hyun, who had been listening quietly, burst into laughter.

“Hey, I’m just tired right now, so I’m not in my right mind. Nonsense is just spilling out regardless of my will.”

He hurriedly offered explanations, but it seemed Cheon Sa-hyun could no longer hear anything. They remained stationary, unaware that the light had turned green, until a horn blared from the car behind them.

“Hey, start the car! Hurry!”

As Do Ye-jun waved his hands urgently, Cheon Sa-hyun started the car while chuckling.

“You really are cute. I’ll be careful not to make it uncomfortable next time.”

The tips of Do Ye-jun’s ears turned red with a mix of unfairness and shame.

A short while later, they arrived at Cheon Sa-hyun’s house. After parking in the underground garage, Cheon Sa-hyun spoke to Do Ye-jun.

“I’ll go in alone, so wait here.”

Do Ye-jun simply nodded without a word. He kept his lips tightly shut, fearing he might make another slip of the tongue if he opened his mouth. Cheon Sa-hyun laughed softly and poked Do Ye-jun’s cheek with his finger. Then, before Do Ye-jun’s gaze could turn fierce, he got out of the car and disappeared into the distance. While Do Ye-jun was glaring in that direction for a while, someone familiar appeared.

“Oh…!”

It was one of the two men he had met in the elevator of Cheon Sa-hyun’s company around lunchtime.

“…Does that person live here too?”

Click.

Opening the door to his home for the first time in a while, Cheon Sa-hyun felt a chilling atmosphere from the moment he stepped into the entryway. It was definitely a different feeling than usual. The entryway was clean, with not a single shoe out of place, but there were subtle traces that looked like someone’s footprints.

There was no way he had left such marks.

Cheon Sa-hyun slowly took off his shoes and entered the house. As he walked down the hallway, the sight of the living room was a disaster. It looked as if a thief had broken in; everything was in disarray, and Cheon Sa-hyun’s belongings were scattered everywhere. The position of the sofa was skewed, the windows he had kept closed were half-open, and even the curtains had fallen.

Cheon Sa-hyun didn’t even let out a hollow laugh. He simply scanned his devastated home with an expressionless face. It wasn’t just the living room that was a mess. The bedroom and study he primarily used were even more of a wasteland than the living room.

Amidst the chaos, nothing seemed to be missing. Maintaining his expressionless face, Cheon Sa-hyun avoided the scattered items on the floor and headed toward the dressing room in his bedroom. The situation in the dressing room was the same. Amidst the clutter, Cheon Sa-hyun picked out a few pieces of clothing and put them into an empty bag nearby.

As he stood up, the watch display case caught his eye as an anomaly. Unlike the other items, the inside of the display case was neatly organized as usual.

If there was one thing that had changed, it was that one watch from the corner had disappeared. It was the watch his grandfather had given him as a gift the year he became an adult. He recalled a certain person who had eyed it like a hyena the moment he received that gift at a high-end traditional Korean restaurant.

He had a feeling from the moment he saw the house in disarray. That this was Cheon Jae-min’s doing.

Leaving it in such a mess was likely a form of threat and harassment. Seeing how he had left it in a shambles just to show off, it [stolen content]was obvious that this was done to upset him. By trespassing into his most private space, it was a display of [Read on Read BL Novels]power—showing that he possessed this much capability and could strip everything away at any time.

It was a method perfectly suited for Cheon Jae-min. Stealing the watch that had been given only to the biological grandson, Cheon Sa-hyun, and which he himself could not obtain, was also very typical of him.

Cheon Sa-hyun had never worn that watch once since receiving it. Cheon Jae-min had likely assumed the reason was because it was ‘precious,’ but it was actually the opposite. He had simply shoved it in a corner because it was a nuisance to deal with.

Carrying the bag with his clothes, Cheon Sa-hyun left the bedroom and called his lawyer. A watch wasn’t the important part. Cheon Sa-hyun entered the study and began to reverse-track the traces left by the intruder. He didn’t keep important things here, so there was nothing to worry about significantly, but one could never be too sure.

-Hello? Director?

“Yes. It’s me. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

-Yes… it has, but what brings you to call so suddenly…

“A thief broke into my house.”

-What?

A crashing sound could be heard over the phone. Read on Read BL Novels[unauthorized copy]It seemed the lawyer had been startled and dropped something on [stolen content]the floor. The pained lawyer let out a small “Ouch…”

-What kind of thief?

“It seems they broke in to steal my business secrets… and one piece of jewelry is missing.”

-Yes, yes… I’ll be there right away.

“Ah, I have somewhere I need to go urgently, so if it’s alright, may I leave the entryway password in a message?”

-Ah, yes, yes! If it’s alright with you, Director… Uh, what about reporting it…

“Not yet. I suspect it’s someone I know. Still, I’d appreciate it if you could prepare the complaint in advance. I might have a use for it someday.”

-Yes. I will have it ready.

Cheon Sa-hyun hung up the phone and left the house. In the distance, he could see Do Ye-jun through the passenger window of his car. Cheon Sa-hyun’s pace quickened slightly.