By Zephyria 
Yeon-rok and Choi Hwan’s eyes and mouths hung wide open. Even after Yeom Cheon-ho stepped back a few seconds later, Moon Gyeon-woo remained completely frozen before belatedly snapping his eyes open.
“Now that we’ve had contact, do you feel a bit better?”
Yeom Cheon-ho maintained a smiling face throughout, but there was no particular sign of amusement. Clicking his tongue lightly, he pulled a handkerchief from his jacket’s breast pocket and wiped his lips. He then tossed the handkerchief carelessly onto the podium. It was clear from that action that he was venting his frustration.
Fearing he might get caught in the crossfire, Choi Hwan stepped back and stealthily pulled Yeon-rok with him. Following that pull, Yeon-rok asked cautiously.
“Gyeon-woo… Hyung?”
Gyeon-woo’s face looked as if it wouldn’t be strange if he lunged forward to kill Yeom Cheon-ho right then and there. However, far from making a scene, Moon Gyeon-woo remained silent. His face had turned pale. His body trembled violently before he finally opened his mouth.
“Ugh…”
He gagged a few times on the spot and eventually ended up vomiting. Since he hadn’t eaten anything that morning, it was nothing but gastric acid.
“Gyeon-woo Hyung… are you okay?”
No matter how disgusted he might be, Yeon-rok hadn’t expected him to actually throw up, so he asked worriedly. After his shoulders heaved a few more times, Moon Gyeon-woo spat once and, panting, looked around before reaching out. His hand suddenly gripped a heavy candlestick decorating the area near the podium!
Seeing the murderous glint in his eyes—as if he intended to crack Yeom Cheon-ho’s skull—Yeon-rok screamed and lunged at Moon Gyeon-woo to stop him.
“I’m home!”
As soon as he opened the front door, Yeon-rok shouted, feeling not just worn out and exhausted, but completely tattered. He was so glad to return home after fifteen days. It was especially true because stopping Moon Gyeon-woo, who had tried to charge at Yeom Cheon-ho to kill him, had been no easy feat. To make matters worse, Choi Hwan hadn’t cooperated in the slightest, wearing an expression that roughly said, ‘What a win.’
Since he truly missed Mrs. Park’s food, Yeon-rok quickly finished a meal as soon as he arrived.
“Eat up, my young master. It must have been so hard being held captive by that inhuman criminal. Look at how much weight you’ve lost.”
Mrs. Park had apparently planted about a hundred thorns of hatred toward Moon Gyeon-woo that would never disappear for the rest of his life, as she didn’t even call him ‘young master’ anymore. After filling his stomach, Yeon-rok looked into Choi Hwan’s scandal and the events that had occurred at Yeom Cheon-ho’s company. Even though he was told it had been settled safely, he wanted to see it for himself. Secretary Kim Jeong-seong kindly resolved Yeon-rok’s doubts.
“Fortunately, the investigators quickly recognized that the CEO has a strong spirit of law-abidance and is a diligent taxpayer.”
Hearing it put that way actually made it sound more suspicious. Anyway, if there were no legal issues, it must have been resolved well. Yeon-rok didn’t dig any deeper and returned to his room. Afterward, he slept soundly in bed with his attachment doll tucked under his arm, and upon waking, he felt in peak condition. He felt as though he could go a whole month without contact.
‘Huh? I think I smell Choi Hwan’s perfume on the bed.’
Was it just his imagination…? Regardless, unlike Yeon-rok, Choi Hwan—who hadn’t had contact for the entire fifteen days Yeon-rok was kidnapped—had lost weight. Seeing him say that dieting had been easy because of it made Yeon-rok feel pity, so he let Choi Hwan cling to him to an annoying degree. He had to head out again soon for his schedule anyway.
“I’ll finish my work as quickly as possible and come back. Don’t go anywhere and stay home.”
Choi Hwan urged him earnestly before leaving for his schedule. It seemed he had developed separation anxiety after the kidnapping incident. After soothing him and sending him off, Yeon-rok poked around looking for Yeom Cheon-ho. When he went out to see Choi Hwan off, he noticed Yeom Cheon-ho’s commuting car was still parked in the parking lot. However, since he wasn’t in the study or the bedroom, Yeon-rok went to ask Mrs. Park.
“Mrs. Park, do you happen to know where the CEO went? He’s not in the study or the bedroom.”
“He shouldn’t have left for work yet?”
Tilted her head in confusion, Mrs. Park suddenly remembered something.
“Ah. Why don’t you check the gym? He’s the type to relieve stress through exercise. When I saw him at breakfast, he seemed displeased the whole time.”
The type to relieve stress through exercise… Remembering this information well, Yeon-rok went to the gym. Upon opening the door and entering, he heard the dull sound of something being beaten. Yeon-rok soon found the source of the noise.
The exercise equipment that made particularly loud noises was kept in a soundproofed space, and inside, Yeom Cheon-ho was launching brutal attacks on a punching bag. Every time he swung a fist with heavy weight behind it, the punching bag swayed violently. Yeon-rok thought to himself:
‘No matter what happens, I must never defy the CEO.’
He didn’t have the guts that yesterday’s Moon Gyeon-woo had anyway…
Unable to dare disturb Yeom Cheon-ho while he worked out, he lingered and waited. And in his mind, he quietly ranked them.
‘The CEO is the strongest, then me, and then probably Choi Hwan and Gyeon-woo Hyung?’
Yeon-rok was confident he could win a fight against Choi Hwan. He would lose in a pure test of strength, but he felt he could win if he fought meanly and cowardly. Come to think of it, wouldn’t Choi Hwan even lose to Gyeon-woo Hyung? He’s the second largest in build, but he’s strangely clumsy…
After hitting the punching bag for a long while, Yeom Cheon-ho finally caught his breath and looked back. Whether it was due to a lack of contact, overwork, or both, the area around his eyes was dark. His drenched appearance was surprisingly decadent, which secretly surprised Yeon-rok.
“Ah. I’m sorry. Have you been waiting long?”
The image of him mercilessly beating the punching bag was gone, replaced by his usual polite demeanor. Mrs. Park had clearly said he was displeased, but Yeon-rok couldn’t tell.
“I’ll wash up and be right out.”
“I haven’t been waiting long! It’s not urgent, so take your time.”
While Yeom Cheon-ho washed himself in the shower attached to the gym, Yeon-rok awkwardly tried hitting the punching bag a few times. It was much heavier than he thought, so it didn’t even sway much. As he slowly distanced himself from the punching bag, Yeom Cheon-ho emerged after changing clothes, with a towel draped around his neck.
“Did you come to exercise as well, Yeon-rok-ssi? Kickboxing is quite an enjoyable sport.”
Recalling the memory of being tortured by Yeom Cheon-ho and Choi Hwan in the gym last time, Yeon-rok quickly declined the kind offer.
“No, I prefer other kinds of exercise. Like walking, or running, or stretching…”
“I see.”
Yeom Cheon-ho expressed blatant disappointment. Before the other man could try to persuade him further, Yeon-rok quickly changed the subject.
“…Um, do you think Gyeon-woo Hyung is doing okay?”
Yeon-rok thought of Moon Gyeon-woo, who had been kissed by Yeom Cheon-ho last time. He had even vomited… He must have been truly disgusted. Although he had eventually calmed down and made an excuse that it was due to motion sickness, considering the way he had glared terrifyingly at Yeom Cheon-ho and how he hadn’t let go of the candlestick until the end, Yeon-rok knew that couldn’t be the reason.
Given his personality and tendencies, Yeon-rok was worried that Moon Gyeon-woo would truly never allow contact with anyone but him, even if he were to die. That wasn’t all. In fact, seeing Yeom Cheon-ho and Choi Hwan, who hadn’t had any contact for the entire fifteen days, also made him anxious.
‘What on earth are these three planning to do…’
No matter how much they hate each other, they should at least be able to hold hands… I only have one body. His worries were mountain-high and the future looked bleak. It was hard enough with Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan fighting, but now even Yeom Cheon-ho was joining the fray. Anyway, there was actually another reason he had come to find Yeom Cheon-ho.
“Um, would it be okay if I visited Gyeon-woo Hyung just once?”
As Yeom Cheon-ho gazed at him blankly, a flustered Yeon-rok hurriedly continued with an excuse that wasn’t really an excuse.
“It’s just, Gyeon-woo Hyung was really sick. Since he was injected with a drug that hasn’t been properly verified, the side effects might have returned.”
It was true that Moon Gyeon-woo was in the wrong, but Yeon-rok was worried that with that temper of his, he might be lying down and suffering, so he wanted to check. On the other hand, he was worried whether Yeom Cheon-ho would permit it, as it was an opinion that went against the CEO’s decision. Especially since he was a man who had been beating a punching bag as if he were about to kill several people because he was in a bad mood. But surprisingly, Yeom Cheon-ho readily gave his permission.
“Yes, that is fine. From now on, you may visit whenever you wish, Yeon-rok-ssi.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Above all, after speaking with Mr. Moon Gyeon-woo again last night, it seems he is repenting for his mistakes.”