By Zephyria 
Sunbae. He appeared! Lee-eum, who had been closing his eyes, looked straight ahead. As Nam-soo said, someone was walking towards the luxury foreign car. Although he was far away, he could tell at a glance that the other person’s face was covered in blood. He had gone to meet the boss of the organization that Yang Taek-il belonged to, but every time he went, he was told he wasn’t there, so he ended up following him here.
But he was in a terrible state. Lee-eum was puzzled. The man was not just any ordinary thug. He was a man of great influence, enough to be called a national figure. That kind of guy got his face punched? By whom?
“Looks like he got beat up, right?”
“It does.”
He started the engine and followed them. After driving for a while, the car stopped in front of a building with “Atelier” written on it. It was the last place Yang Taek-il had visited before his death, and a few days ago, the madam of this place had come in person to be interviewed as a witness.
Lee-eum and Nam-soo watched the scene from a distance.
“This is a business they manage, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Why did he come here?”
“Let’s go in and meet him for a bit. Anyway, this guy’s always out of his seat whenever we go to the company, so it’s hard to ask him anything.”
Lee-eum pondered for a moment and nodded. Yeah, that would be easier. He grabbed his cell phone and was about to get out when he suddenly felt nauseous. Ah, what’s this? This unpleasant feeling. Did the lunch I ate give me indigestion? Actually, I’ve had similar symptoms since the parking lot earlier. He loosened the top button of his shirt out of frustration, and Jeong Nam-su stared at him intently.
“Sunbae-nim.”
“What.”
“Your neckline is really beautiful.”
Lee-eum frowned.
“Are you crazy?”
“I’m not kidding, I’m serious.”
Jeong Nam-su made a silly remark, saying that it’s enough for a person to have a handsome face. What are you supposed to do if even your neckline is handsome? Normally, he would have laughed it off and told him not to talk nonsense, but Lee-eum sensed that something was wrong with his body and couldn’t remain calm.
He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt.
“Nam-soo-ya. Wait here for a moment. I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Why? Are you not feeling well?”
“I think the lunch I ate gave me indigestion. I’ll be back soon, so don’t go in alone. They’re not easy guys to deal with.”
“I know that. More than that, are you okay? Should I buy you some medicine?”
“It’s okay. I’ll be back, so wait.”
Lee-eum hurriedly got out of the car and ran into the building. He looked for a bathroom with the door open, but couldn’t find one. Then he went upstairs and found a passage connected to the next building.
He hurried to the other side and found an employee bathroom that was open. Lee-eum opened the door and went inside, repeatedly washing his face with cold water to clear his head. He had chills all over his body, but strangely, his body felt like it was boiling.
Lee-eum knew this rare symptom better than anyone. He took out one of the pills he had hidden in his wallet and swallowed it with tap water. The medicine didn’t take effect quickly, so his legs gave way and he slumped against the wall.
Why did it suddenly appear? He dropped his head between his legs and gasped for breath when his cell phone vibrated. He thought it was Nam-soo, but when he looked, the call was from a restricted number. Lee-eum took a long breath and answered the phone.
“Hello?”
The other person didn’t say anything.
“If you called, please tell me who you are.”
“…….”
“Are you in a situation where you need help?”
It was cut off without a word. What is this? There have been times when guys who have served their sentences come out and make threatening calls, but this is the first time someone has just listened to my voice and hung up. I was wondering if I should find out who it is and give them a lesson when the heat in my body gradually subsided as the medicine took effect.
Lee-eum got up and looked at his face in front of the sink. The redness under his eyes, which had remained, returned to normal. He sighed in relief and tore off a paper towel to wipe his wet face.
He doesn’t know how fortunate it is that Nam-soo is a Beta at times like this. Well, he has so little Pheromone and doesn’t show any signs even when he’s in heat cycle, so it would be hard for an Alpha to notice. In fact, no one has ever noticed.
Thinking that he was lucky, he opened the bathroom door and saw a man standing in front of him. Lee-eum’s expression hardened. It was the subordinate of the boss he had been tailing until just now. The man’s gaze fell from Lee-eum’s face down to his body.
He felt nauseous. Is he an Alpha?
Most Omegas would cum just by smelling an Alpha’s Pheromone scent, but Lee-eum couldn’t even smell it, and instead felt like he was going to throw up. Holding his breath, he passed the man and walked in the opposite direction. He thought it would be better to go back as he was today.
❖ ❖ ❖
Lee-eum, who came to Sehwa Construction early in the morning, looked up at the tall building. Detective Jeong, who got out of the driver’s seat, yawned and stretched. The sky was perfectly clear, without a single cloud. He thought it was a perfect day to go out and play.
“Sunbae-nim, are you feeling okay?”
“Stop asking. How many times is this since this morning?”
“I’m worried about you. We’re partners, and if Sunbae-nim is sick, my heart will be torn apart. You don’t know my heart at all.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“What’s with that reaction? Just tell me you’re disgusted. Tell me I’m creepy.”
“Are you a pervert? Do you like that kind of thing?”
“Doesn’t everyone have at least one unspoken taste in their heart? Don’t you, Sunbae-nim?”
“No.”
“Why? Think about it.”
They passed through the front gate and entered the building, joking around, and a spacious lobby unfolded. As they headed to the information desk, the employee who had seen them a few days ago recognized their faces and gave them a businesslike smile. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes were wary.
“Hello, we met last time.”
“Hello. What brings you here today?”
“You know Park Chang-shik, the former executive director who resigned? I was wondering if we could have a brief interview with the employees who worked with him. Not for long, maybe about 10 minutes?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think that will be possible.”
Nam-soo, who was listening, frowned and stepped forward.
“Don’t be like that, let’s just ask. It’ll only take a moment. Or tell us where they are. We’ll go up.”
“I’ll guide you if you bring a warrant.”
Watching the employee smile kindly, Nam-soo turned around and grumbled. “Shibal. Does she think a warrant is the name of some dog? Like they’ll just hand it over if we ask.” Lee-eum was about to ask the employee again, leaving Nam-soo behind.
That’s when the cell phone in his pocket rang, and he saw that it was Team Leader Oh.
“Yes, Team leader. Go ahead.”
Lee-eum’s expression gradually crumpled as he listened to the voice coming from the receiver. After saying he understood and hanging up, Lee-eum called Jeong Nam-soo.
“Detective Jeong. Let’s go back to the station.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“I’ll tell you on the way.”
Lee-eum hurried towards the exit, and Nam-soo followed behind. As they passed through the revolving door, they heard a flurry of footsteps behind them. When they turned around, they saw several men in black suits walking out at a fast pace.
Before they could wonder what was going on, a black car stopped and the men split to the sides and bowed respectfully. Detective Jeong scoffed as he watched.
“How great must the person who appeared be for them to make such a fuss?”
Lee-eum also watched the scene. Is it the company President? Then the door opened and someone stepped out of the car. Long legs were the first thing he saw, followed by a man getting out of the car. He was tall enough to make the burly men look small, and his physique was also sturdy.
“Nam-soo-ya. Get in quickly. The Team leader is waiting for us.”
Even though he went to the driver’s seat and opened the door, Jeong Nam-soo didn’t budge and stood there.
“Hey, Jeong Nam-soo!”
Nam-soo pointed somewhere with a dumbfounded expression.
“Sunbae-nim. That… looks familiar, doesn’t it?”
“That? Who?”
“Why does he look like him?”
“So, who?”
“The man who just got out of the car. Look closely.”
Lee-eum strained his eyes. One head was sticking out among the black men. The man, who had neatly styled his hair back with wax, walked towards the company without hesitation, and the employees followed him.
“Who does he look like?”
“You know, the one from last time. Amnesia! Young-shik!”
Lee-eum laughed in disbelief.
“Why would he be here? He must have gone home. Don’t talk nonsense and get in. I said it’s urgent.”
Lee-eum urged him to hurry, and Jeong Nam-soo reluctantly turned around, tilting his head. Just then, he heard someone calling, “Detective Kim.” When he turned around, he saw the man who had been far away walking towards them alone, leaving the employees behind.
The closer the man got, the more unbelievable Lee-eum’s expression became, and Jeong Nam-soo lowered his voice and made a fuss.
“See? What did I tell you!”
The man, wearing a black suit, walked right up to them and smiled handsomely, raising only one corner of his mouth.
“Nice to meet you. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
Lee-eum couldn’t say anything, his mouth open.
“You didn’t come to catch me for stealing 150,000 won, did you?”
“…….”
“And you definitely didn’t come because you missed me.”
“…….”
When he couldn’t speak, as if he had seen a ghost, the man took out a business card from his wallet and handed it over. Jeong Nam-soo, instead of Lee-eum, who was out of his mind, received the business card.
“CEO Choi Won-joon…?”
The moment Jeong Nam-soo casually read his name, Lee-eum didn’t know why he remembered what his Hyung had said.
【You don’t know how vicious those Sehwa guys are. They’ll do anything to get what they want.】
【Are you sure he only stole money? Look carefully to see if anything else is missing. From the beginning, that thing about losing his memory was suspicious.】
“You must be very surprised.”
When Lee-eum didn’t answer, Nam-soo chimed in naturally.
“You’re Young-shik, right? Wow, what’s going on? I thought you went home, but we’re meeting you here. Amazing. Right, Sunbae-nim?”
Choi Won-joon’s gaze was fixed on Lee-eum.
“It seems like you came to our company for something, would you like to come in for a moment?”
Lee-eum, who had finally regained his senses, belatedly opened his mouth.
“Ah, no… I have to go back to the station urgently. I’ll be going now.”
After giving a rough greeting, he got into the driver’s seat, and Jeong Nam-soo quickly climbed into the passenger seat. As he started the car, he could see the man standing there with one hand in his pocket, staring at them. Detective Jeong was constantly amazed, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Wow, is this a hidden camera?”
Lee-eum stubbornly closed his mouth and looked straight ahead. All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind. Among the case-related materials he had stored in the safe at home, didn’t he have the ones his Hyung had collected when he investigated Sehwa Group last year? Surely not. Even with that thought, he couldn’t help but feel suspicious.