By Zephyria 
“I went to the hospital a moment ago and heard he had woken up, so since Seon-yu is currently there, I couldn’t bring—”
Before Jin Seok-young could finish his words to shield Jin Seon-yu, Han Seung-jae extended his long arm and unfurled a rolled-up black cloth.
“I believe I clearly told you to find Seo Dong-hu, yet all you place before me is this piece of trash.”
“Ha! He slipped out through the back door, so I had no choice but to lose sight of him. We are continuing the search, so we will track him down soon.”
With a menacing expression, Jin Seok-young gripped his own knee tightly. If only he hadn’t let Seo Dong-hu slip away, the situation would be more favorable than it was now.
The sword, drawn from its sheath by Han Seung-jae’s hand, had been wiped clean of blood. However, that didn’t mean the wounds on Seo Yi-kyung’s body had vanished.
Even if the torn flesh closed, scars would remain.
Han Seung-jae had never been particularly interested in damaged things.
“Director Han.”
Jin Seok-young’s face stiffened slightly. The pressure from the blade brought close to his chin made the fine hairs on his skin stand on end. His sharp Adam’s apple moved steeply.
Han Seung-jae spoke with an indifferent tone.
“Then go find him.”
As he spoke, Han Seung-jae kept the blade aimed at Jin Seok-young’s chin. There seemed to be no intention of pulling his hand back.
With a flushed face, Jin Seok-young tilted his head back, though he had kept his neck stiff as if he’d rather die. He managed to escape by awkwardly bowing his head beneath the blade. Having suffered this humiliation, he rose from the sofa and spoke to Han Seung-jae with determination.
“I will definitely bring back Vice President Seo, so until then, don’t you dare lay a finger on Seon-yu.”
“I don’t know. I’m not a very patient man.”
Muttering self-deprecatingly, Han Seung-jae dropped the blade onto the table. A sharp metallic sound echoed as it hit the glass surface. Jin Seok-young glared fiercely and turned around.
Han Seung-jae stood up and headed toward the desk where he had originally been sitting. As he took his seat, Secretary Park began tidying the table.
Just as Secretary Park was neatly sliding the blade back into its sheath to place it on Han Seung-jae’s desk, Han Seung-jae’s voice leaked out coldly.
“Take it out and break it in two.”
Secretary Park lifted the sword again. Without asking a single question, he left the Director’s Office.
Han Seung-jae’s hand, which had been flipping through documents, loosened, and he looked straight ahead.
Recalling his conversation with Jin Seok-young, he remembered the emotion that had momentarily surfaced. Even after recovery, scars would remain on Seo Yi-kyung’s body.
He remembered the fuss the doctors had made at the hospital.
—It was a stroke of luck that he was wearing a cast. Because of that, the sword couldn’t penetrate deeply.
—It truly is a relief.
The doctors had exchanged words. At that moment, Han Seung-jae had reached out without hesitation. The doctors on either side jumped and tried to stop him.
—You mustn’t do that, Director Han. We just finished the sutures. If you remove the bandages now, the patient’s wound might reopen…
Looking down at the long scar etched near Seo Yi-kyung’s chest, Han Seung-jae’s blood ran cold. Originally, he never spared a glance for broken things.
Everything around him had always been excessively abundant. Things were either in his hands before he even spoke, or they were items Butler Choi—who had practically raised him—had struggled to obtain, only to be crushed in his hands.
“If he were an object, he would have been easier to handle.”
He would have placed him in a glass display case and ensured he couldn’t take a single step out of it.
But Seo Yi-kyung was not an object. He was different from the things Han Seung-jae had easily acquired. Just when he thought he had him gripped firmly in his palm, he would slip through his fingers in an instant, leaving only a lingering scent.
* * *
After leaving the Myeongjun Financial Group building and getting into his car, Jin Seok-young was agitated. Driving aggressively, he relayed the series of events with Han Seung-jae to Jin Tae-won over the phone.
“It seems Director Han hasn’t found Vice President Seo yet either.”
[Are you sure?]
“Yeah. He told me to find him quickly.”
He didn’t mention that there had been murderous intent in the eyes of the man holding a sword to his throat. Perhaps Han Seung-jae had genuinely wanted to cut him down.
When the car stopped at a red light, Jin Seok-young checked and touched his Adam’s apple in the rearview mirror. Fortunately, there was no blood. However, Jin Seok-young could more than understand Han Seung-jae’s anger.
He, too, would have been that furious if he heard that Jin Seon-yu had been stabbed somewhere.
Over the phone, the sound of Jin Tae-won lighting a cigarette could be heard. Whether he was exhaling smoke or simply pausing, he spoke through the silence.
[…Tell Seon-yu not to leave the house for a while.]
The fact that Jin Seon-yu was already at the hospital flickered before his eyes. If Jin Tae-won found out he had disobeyed again, it wouldn’t end with a single slap. Moreover, since Kwon Gwi-jun wasn’t there to take the blow for him, Jin Seon-yu would likely collapse on the floor, unable to endure it.
Jin Seok-young replied that he understood, ended the call, and immediately dialed Jin Seon-yu. He intended to urge him to come out to the front of the hospital, put him in the car, and take him home himself. However, Jin Seon-yu did not answer.
“Dammit.”
Nothing was going right.
Jin Seok-young first turned the car toward Haseon Hospital.
Just as he was about to get out of the car he had hurriedly parked, he picked up his phone, which was ringing repeatedly. He answered the call from Secretary Go.
“What happened?”
[We found Vice President Seo.]
“What, you found him?”
Jin Seok-young slammed the steering wheel. If they had been just a bit faster, he wouldn’t have suffered such an insult from Han Seung-jae. However, he realized now was not the time to dwell on such trivial matters.
“Where is he?”
He was about to move the car he had just stopped, but then he looked up at Haseon Hospital through the window.
“Just grab him and bring him in. No, just secure him and send me the location. I’ll go there immediately. Don’t lose him by trying to move him around.”
Jin Seok-young continued speaking as he hurriedly exited the car. While handing Seo Dong-hu over to Han Seung-jae was an urgent matter, he couldn’t stand to see Jin Seon-yu get beaten to a pulp by Jin Tae-won.
[But there’s a bit of a problem…]
Secretary Go’s troubled voice came through the phone, but Jin Seok-young replied while walking quickly.
“What problem? Of all times, Seon-yu isn’t answering his phone!”
[Vice President Seo is dead.]
Jin Seok-young’s hand, which was about to press the elevator button after pushing through the people in the hospital, froze in mid-air.
“What?”
With a stunned face, he questioned Secretary Go as if doubting his own ears.
“What does that mean?”
Jin Seok-young had clearly seen Seo Dong-hu run out through the back door with his own eyes. And that was last night. So what did he mean by saying Seo Dong-hu was dead?
However, Secretary Go’s response came back.
[They say the cause of death was excessive bleeding, but for now… I think you should come and see the situation for yourself.]
Secretary Go seemed to be withholding details about Seo Dong-hu’s condition. Jin Seok-young watched people exiting the elevator, then turned on his heel. He thought it would be better to call Jin Seon-yu.
First, it seemed he had to go to where Secretary Go was.
“Alright. I’m coming now. Where should I go?”
* * *
Buzz—
Jin Seon-yu, sitting in a chair next to the hospital bed, looked down at his phone, which was ringing repeatedly. Jin Seon-yu had taken off his sunglasses. Although the area around his eyes was slightly red, the swelling had gone down.
Seo Yi-kyung looked at the same spot.
“Shouldn’t you answer? It keeps ringing.”
“It’s okay.”
“It could be something urgent.”
“He’ll just nag, nag, and nag again.”
“He’s probably doing it because he’s worried. You should probably head back now, too.”
Jin Seon-yu’s face turned slightly gloomy. He placed his phone face down on the bed and took out another phone, handing it to Seo Yi-kyung. It was the one Seo Yi-kyung had dropped during the scuffle with Seo Dong-hu.
However, as he had been rushed to the hospital and Jin Seon-yu had been calling out for him desperately, there had been no time to gather belongings.
Although it had been stained with blood, a helper at the house had wiped it clean before handing it to Jin Seon-yu.
“I’ve charged it. You should be able to use it right away.”
Seo Yi-kyung looked at the phone placed on his thigh. He put the phone Jin Seon-yu had left on the bed into his back pocket and put on his sunglasses.
“I’ll come again.”
Seo Yi-kyung nodded. As Jin Seon-yu left the room, he grumbled while calling Jin Seok-young. As soon as the ringing stopped and the call connected, Jin Seon-yu spoke first.
“I’ve just left the room. I’ll be down shortly.”
Jin Seon-yu assumed Jin Seok-young had already parked the car and was rushing him. He always did that. It wasn’t hard to predict Jin Seok-young’s behavior.
[Alright, just get home quickly.]
However, the words coming through the phone didn’t sound like the usual aggressive Jin Seok-young. He had expected him to start by getting angry.
“Aren’t you in the parking lot?”
[I can’t come pick you up, so take a taxi home.]
* * *
Jin Seok-young lowered the phone from his ear. He stared at a grey hoodie stained with dried blood. It was the clothing Seo Dong-hu had been wearing when he lost him last night. However, if he hadn’t been told it was Seo Dong-hu, it would have been difficult to recognize him.