Knock, knock.
The door opened very carefully from outside along with a polite knocking sound. Yunsin, who had been sitting at his office desk, slowly raised his head. He lightly brandished the documents he was holding toward Secretary Tak, who was looking at him with a placid face.
“Attorney Do. Are you busy?”
“Ah, Secretary Tak. No. Please come in.”
Secretary Tak approached Yunsin and held out the file he was carrying in his hand. As Yunsin tried to read it immediately, Tak put on a stern expression and placed his hand on the first page with a thud, blocking the action.
“Hold on. Before you look at this. I have a question. Do you happen to know why Chief Kang has been in low spirits lately?”
Yunsin had been listening with the air of giving an immediate answer at any moment, then tilted his head. He himself had been wondering because he could not find a clear reason.
“He has been a bit sensitive lately, right? I suspected so a few days ago. Did something happen?”
“I’m asking because I don’t know either. He asked for headache medicine again.”
Inevitably, the words Seheon had calmly spat out inside his office not long ago came to mind.
〈I’m used to people using me anyway.〉
He had a feeling that something he did had given Seheon another headache, but he could not grasp exactly what it was. He had been worrying about it constantly these days, yet he could not even make out a clear outline. It was because he could not recall any particular mistake or slip of the tongue. As Yunsin sank into his own thoughts and became troubled, Secretary Tak keenly noticed this change and abruptly cut in to break the flow.
“Didn’t you say yesterday after the Youngjin Construction acquisition advisory meeting that you had something to ask me, and that we should meet briefly tomorrow?”
Only then did Yunsin recall the real reason Secretary Tak had come into his office, and he opened his mouth.
“Ah, yes. That meeting. It wasn’t an environment where I could speak. It was a complete war zone.”
“Right. All the big-shot lawyers in the firm must have been in that room.”
“Do you have any tips?”
“Do you want to catch Chief Kang’s eye?”
Judging by what Seheon had said, that part seemed to have been resolved quite some time ago.
“More than that, I want to be of real help.”
“Since everyone here is good at their jobs anyway, if you want to leave a strong impression among them, you just need to hold information that is fatal if revealed yet precarious to hide. You know what I mean, right?”
He could easily recall that much himself. But he was not the type to excel at under-the-table information. Building up information power required a lot of money and effort. One needed the boldness to take risks and the decisiveness to cut ties when necessary, and above all, a flexible set of values that allowed one to turn a blind eye to slightly unethical situations.
Perhaps because his lack of confidence was plain on his face, Secretary Tak continued calmly.
“If you can’t obtain something like that… you can be questioned from time to time. When that happens, don’t hesitate and answer well. Before being ordered, say you’ll try something. If you’re told to submit a report, make the key points stand out at a glance. All the various preparatory briefs and opinion letters Attorney Do has submitted so far have been very easy to read.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Even in front of seniors far above you, and even if it means refuting their opinions, don’t hesitate to speak up. He hates being wrong, but he hates even more when people hesitate and watch the mood just because they are industry seniors. I’ve seen about five associates get kicked out of the conference room like that.”
“I think that unfiltered part is really like Attorney Kang.”
As if in agreement, Secretary Tak let out a soft laugh. Then he continued to ask.
“Besides labor law, do you have a second specialty in law that’s helpful for M&A?”
“Environmental law. I know a bit. I’ve taken on several cases for NGOs, too. The Soil Environment Conservation Act, the Waste Management Act, the Hazardous Materials Safety Management Act—I’m especially familiar with those. Come to think of it, there’s a pending lawsuit involving Youngjin Construction.”
“That’s perfect. Environmental law is a hundred-percent help in construction and manufacturing.”
Yunsin asked nonchalantly, as if he had been waiting for those exact words.
“There’s an environmental law specialist on the special team, though. Is it okay for me to butt in? That elderly attorney.”
“What have you taken from everything I’ve said? Just take the shot. Ah, do you know any firms that can conduct on-site assessments?”
“Firms? There’s a due diligence team inside the firm, though. Wasn’t that team supposed to handle it?”
“Attorney Kang doesn’t really trust that team. If a company has many regulatory violations, the value can be driven down. If you know a place, just say Attorney Do will take charge of it.”
It was a good idea, but that was only after he produced results satisfactory to Seheon’s expectations.
“Just how much do I have to drive the price down to satisfy him? I looked up some news articles, and they say Chief Kang is a specialist at that when buying.”
“Chief Kang isn’t a specialist in any one thing. He’s good at everything. You’d be shocked to hear how much premium he got the final buyer to pay during the last divestment advisory. Compared to when the acquisition news first came out, he almost got forty percent more.”
“How good of an asset was it?”
“It had been in the red for two consecutive years.”
“Is that even possible?”
“You don’t watch the economic news much, do you? You’ll get used to it soon.”
Yunsin, who had been tilting his head, finally nodded and stuffed into his mind the fact that he must not judge Kang Seheon by ordinary standards. Then he tried hard to recall firms that could conduct on-site measurements for environmental figures. They had been his late father’s connections, so they were reliable in terms of skill and information security. He pulled up a contact on his phone and had Secretary Tak write it down.
“The company president is someone well acquainted with my father. I’ll reach out first. If Attorney Kang permits, please have the staff contact him.”
“Will do. Don’t worry. You know I’m good at my job, right?”
“Ha, thank you so much. How can I ever repay this repeated kindness?”
“I’ve told you. Please work at our firm for as long as possible.”
Secretary Tak smiled and bid farewell, then carefully pocketed the memo Yunsin gave him and left the room. Their eyes met through the window. After exchanging silent greetings, he spread the thick stack of documents Tak had given him across the desk. Then he checked the time, set his stopwatch, and began speed-reading very meticulously.
This was a common brief distributed to all lawyers on the special team.
It seemed that a rough acquisition plan had already been established in Seheon’s head. Before entering into full advisory procedures, they were reviewing the most efficient transaction structure in the early meetings and checking legal issues.
“Youngjin Construction… Youngjin Construction. I have no connection to it, so why does it feel so familiar?”
While skimming through the materials, Yunsin searched the internet for the construction company’s CEO’s name. After staring at the face of the representative director for a long time and mulling over the three syllables of the man’s name, he finally realized why everything felt so familiar.
He had definitely heard about this couple’s affairs once while catching up with his sister. Talking about how the husband was having an affair, they had exchanged abstract conversations like, “Is love truly eternal?” Because it had just been idle chatter during a leisurely time, it seemed to have remained hazy in his memory until now.
〈You just need to hold information that is fatal if revealed yet precarious to hide.〉
Hastily recalling the advice Secretary Tak had left moments ago, he urgently called his sister. But she did not answer. Lately, this happened often. Swallowing a bitter breath, he contacted her chief of staff, and fortunately, the voice returned immediately.
“Attorney Do? What brings you to call? I was just about to contact you because I thought we might be able to meet around the New Year.”
“My sister can come out now?”
“Yes. Please let us know a convenient date. We will arrange the location.”
“I’ll check my schedule and let you know. But my sister isn’t answering my calls again. Is she okay?”
He was worried that her condition might have worsened again due to her husband’s violent behavior. When he asked very cautiously, the other person seemed to sense his tension and responded in a low voice.
“I see you were worried. She is currently visiting with a friend for a while, so she couldn’t answer. She’s in the next room—shall I inform her?”
“If that’s the case, I’m relieved. I have something I’d like to ask. I vaguely remember a conversation I had with my sister. Jo Wonik, the third son of the Youngjin Group. She’s acquainted with him, right?”
“President Jo Wonik? Yes, rather than him, it’s his wife who is acquainted with the director. They are meeting even now. But how did you know to call…”
“So I was half right. I didn’t call knowing that. I have something I’d like you to check. Could you help me, Chief? It’s strictly off the record. It’s about my work. I know it may be difficult to tell me, but it’s absolutely necessary for me.”
“Ah, this isn’t a good place to have such a conversation. I’ll contact you again directly from my office. Would that be alright?”
“Of course. I’ll wait.”
He was buoyed by the hope that he might be able to help Seheon. While he did not have any particularly useful information at hand personally, there was one area where he held more favorable ground than the other lawyers: the existence of his sister.
After ending the call for a moment, Yunsin glanced outside to check the atmosphere. Beyond the busy secretarial staff, he gazed at Seheon’s lit office, then quickly lowered the blinds. Clack. With the inside and outside blocked off, a much more tranquil atmosphere flowed through the room.
In the meantime, his phone rang loudly, and he answered.
“Yes, Chief.”
Yunsin’s eyes sparkled as he listened to the responding voice on the other end.
* * *
Just then, a senior attorney was seen entering and coming out of Seheon’s office. Just before the door closed, Yunsin, who had been waiting in the hallway, leaned inward as if touching a baton. After bowing politely to the senior attorney and entering the office, Seheon tilted his head as if bewildered by the sudden appearance of a new figure.
“I don’t recall calling for a fourth-year.”
“Are you busy?”
Seheon checked his wristwatch and flicked his hand as if to say he could come in. Yunsin, respectfully holding a set of documents and his phone together, fully closed the door and approached.
“Did you properly review the documents I sent? Didn’t you come here because you had no time to waste in this room? There’s a meeting in an hour.”
“I’ve read through them once, at least. I came because I have something to tell you separately.”
As if to say, let’s hear how important it is, he crossed his legs with a thud and sat staring fixedly at Yunsin. If there was someone who could make another person nervous just by looking at them, it was Seheon. Yunsin felt his hands sweating for no reason. Seheon snapped his fingers with a sharp click, as if telling him not to hesitate, and Yunsin finally opened his mouth.
“Youngjin Construction. Its debt ratio is almost the same as last year’s.”
“The ratio is similar, but it’s practically all bad debt.”
“Even so. They say it’s reached its growth limit, but its performance isn’t zero. I found it suspicious that they would sell a company of this scale at this particular timing. So I looked into it separately and found information that the third-generation owner exercised strong influence behind the restructuring. Jo Wonik. I assume Chief Kang already knows.”
Seheon’s face was expressionless as he responded calmly.
“I knew. So?”
“Recently, the affair partner of the Youngjin third-generation heir changed. It’s a movie actor.”
Yunsin, who had been holding his phone as if it were a precious vessel, turned on the screen and found a photo to show Seheon. Seheon quietly looked down at the actor’s image on the screen, then soon fixed his gaze on Yunsin before him. It seemed to mean, keep talking. So instead, Yunsin grew flustered.
“You’re not surprised.”
“Should I be?”
“His affair partner is a man.”
“Ah, so the surprising part for you wasn’t the affair, but that it’s with a man?”
Sending a meaningful look, he fixed his gaze on Yunsin. Yunsin swallowed dryly and continued, struggling to maintain his composure as best as he could.
“After that, investments related to this actor increased very aggressively. Close to thirty billion won in laundered money flowed into a film production company. More is expected to come in. Almost no one on the outside knows they are dating. Representative Jo thinks even his wife doesn’t know.”
“Makes sense. Those two have been friends for a long time. Normally, people wouldn’t think two married men would be dating.”
“Exactly. But of all times, changing the relationship at this timing and selling the construction company to open a flow of funds to the affair partner…”
“Suspicious?”
“Yes. Could this be interpreted as an intention to secure liquidity to invest in other businesses?”
“Hmm.” Exhaling a low breath, Seheon fell silent for a moment. Judging by the lack of any sign of surprise on his face, it seemed this wasn’t entirely unknown to him either. He chose his words as if gauging how much he needed to explain to Yunsin, then soon opened his mouth.
“I’m speculating he’s moving toward entertainment. He must have judged that this would make money going forward, perhaps after hearing some rumor somewhere. It must be related to his own love life, too. Now that I’ve heard your story, a vague connection has become clearly established.”
“Even if it’s in a slump now, in the long run, isn’t construction a better prospect? Entertainment is too uncertain.”
“Fools don’t usually think about the future. They just lap up the sweet talk others feed them. I think a broker has gotten involved. But how on earth did you find out Representative Jo got a male lover? Even I couldn’t find that.”
Yunsin, feeling sheepish, answered honestly.
“Uh, if this were a game, a kind of cheat key?”
“Your sister?”
“She’s friends with Representative Jo’s wife. Seems they’re quite close.”
Whether because those two sentences were enough to infer the general flow, Seheon nodded. Then he corrected his posture, which had been leaning comfortably against the backrest, and sat up straight. He gestured for Yunsin to come a little closer and continued.
“Now then, fourth-year. We have information. A same-sex scandal is quite fatal to the Youngjin Group, but it can’t do any damage to the M&A itself. Unless they hit rock bottom with each other, it can’t be made public anyway. But it’s a waste and frustrating not to use it. How can we utilize this information as efficiently as possible to drive down Youngjin Construction’s price? If it were you, how would you design it? Draw up a structure.”
He clearly had the answer. And it seemed he wanted to see if the submitted answer matched the answer key he held. Yunsin had no intention of repeating the same mistake he had made during the first test. So before entering the office, he had persistently worried about what method would let Doguk win. He had also thought about what Kang Seheon would do. The answer came quickly.
“We don’t drive the price down.”
“We don’t? You don’t want to make money?”
“Of course, only at the very beginning.”
His eyes narrowed as if quite surprised. Whether it was due to the content of the answer or because he replied without hesitation to every question, Yunsin didn’t know. It could have been for another reason he couldn’t immediately think of.
“Be more specific.”
“The Youngjin Group is not a mom-and-pop store. Youngjin Construction is a mid-sized construction company. Even if a single law firm shakes them with a scandal, it might affect the stock price momentarily, but that’s it—they’ll defend themselves. Especially with a sale procedure imminent. Once used that way, this information becomes scrap paper.”
As if in agreement, he sent a relaxed gaze. Knowing it meant to continue, Yunsin spoke on.
“What if we make a premium proposal under the table? If Youngjin puts out a price, we negotiate separately saying we’ll bid higher with a premium. In exchange, we set conditions favorable to us.”
“Then later, we lower the book value and drive down the bid price.”
Construction stocks fluctuated especially easily depending on government policy or regulations. In other words, if someone deliberately shook them from the outside, the company’s value would invariably waver. When the contract began to take shape, if they borrowed Taesan’s power and politically utilized this card appropriately, Youngjin Construction would have no choice but to compromise to some extent. By then, Seheon would have any number of ways to push out the other bidders.
It was an idea born from imitating Seheon while also targeting the particularities of the case, but he showed no particular reaction. He merely brushed his face lightly with one hand.
Then, by the time he slowly lowered his hand and looked straight ahead, the corners of his eyes had turned cold. He seemed expressionless as usual, yet there was a very subtle difference. His locked voice was the same.
“You look excited talking about stabbing someone in the back.”
“It’s just a design, nothing more. I don’t feel good or bad about it.”
“Right. I got it. I’ll think about how useful this might be.”
“Is my answer at least around the cutoff line?”
“It’s simple. A good person trying to do bad things can’t come up with anything better than that. It’s a bust.”
Along with the answer, the coldness that had been in his eyes moments before had vanished in an instant. If a colorless, odorless object existed, perhaps his gaze and disposition at this moment would be similar.
Even so, Yunsin felt strangely that those calm pupils were blaming him more than necessary. He didn’t know the reason. Feeling awkward, he thought he should change the atmosphere. Yunsin held out the documents he had been keeping quietly in his arms until then and pointed to the front page.
“Here, this.”
Seheon took it and scanned the contents with his eyes very carefully.
“Why this?”
“There’s a lawsuit pending in court against Youngjin Construction. An environmental issue that violates the Soil Environment Conservation Act is at stake. I’d like to join in on it, too. I know environmental law fairly well.”
“Whether the claim amount in this lawsuit must be paid by the acquiring company or not depends. We have to fight it out more legally. If it applies, I intend to treat this part as Youngjin Construction’s debt and use it as a card.”
“The size is small, but it’s worth linking to media reports. Even if it’s the same thing, if you say they polluted the environment, people lose interest and it sounds trivial. But if you make them feel a sense of crisis by saying the residual pollutants in the soil violate the people’s right to health, it becomes different.”
Using despicable wordplay against the media was a method Seheon often employed. One could say public opinion manipulation was his specialty. To that end, he was known to put considerable effort into periodic meetings with media executives. In the process of a public opinion war, if the opponent showed a gap, he would truly and despicably dig in and seize victory.
Yunsin, too, had watched from a very far distance whenever Seheon took on a major case worthy of large-scale reporting. It was a kind of benchmarking.
Yet this time too, Seheon seemed less than pleased with the plan he presented. Feeling that this, too, might not be the correct answer, Yunsin closed his mouth. Then, exhaling a deep breath, he connected the internal line and filled the empty space with his low, settled voice.
“Tak. Contact Taesan and tell them to send someone. By six p.m. today.”
Having delivered only the essential point, he elegantly set down the intercom and looked at Yunsin again.
“Public opinion doesn’t happen for free. It’s made. Want to try writing a draft press release on the environmental issue?”
“May I?”
“I’ll decide whether to assign it to you after seeing it.”
“Thank you.”
Thinking it was about time to leave, Yunsin turned slightly. At that moment, Seheon flicked a long, straight finger as if telling him not to go yet.
“Let me ask you one thing. If this scandal spreads by any chance, your sister’s friend’s family and the lives of everyone involved will be completely ruined. They’ll be displayed before people’s eyes one by one like meat lined up at a butcher’s stall. Weren’t you reluctant to hand it to me?”
“Chief Kang, you wouldn’t use it like that. Because hiding it is more valuable.”
“I’m asking how you feel, having brought it before me.”
Of course, since he had essentially offered up another’s misfortune as a stepping stone for victory, it was true that he felt very uncomfortable. From what he had heard through the chief of staff, it seemed his sister had become close to Representative Jo Wonik’s wife because their situations were quite similar.
She was considering divorce, but it was difficult for an individual to fight a massive corporation, and by coincidence, their reasons were similar, so they had formed an empathy. The fact that he was now touching upon that made him several times more uncomfortable.
But this was his job. Even the smallest piece of information should be shared if it could help Doguk win. He had given himself incessant affirmations over the past period, and now his mental preparations were completely finished. Yunsin intended to stand his ground properly, rather than just getting by.
Believing Seheon’s question was still the usual probe to set his limits, Yunsin mustered as much composure as possible to respond.
“That family is already deeply cracked. I understand the wife is also considering divorce. It might actually help with the divorce litigation.”
“Fine. Let’s say that’s true. Aren’t you thinking about the Youngjin Construction employees who will be devoured by another company overnight? I’m going to drive the price down as much as possible. That’s what Taesan wants from me. In this process, quite a lot of people will be laid off… A few months ago, I think you would have thought of those people first. Now, you’re working on my team without a care. And voluntarily, at that.”
“You’re the one who taught me that if I came to Doguk, I should follow Doguk’s rules.”
Seheon closed his lips tight like a man who had lost his words, then stirred his body slightly. Creak. When he leaned his back against the backrest, a chilling sound like a brake screeching rang out. For a brief moment, a silence frighteningly deep flowed. It was Seheon who broke the stillness first.
“By eight fifty-nine a.m. tomorrow, write press materials along the two paths you mentioned—big and small—and put them on my desk. I’ll read them and call for you.”
“Understood.”
Bowing deeply at the waist, Yunsin left the office with quite a light step. Whatever the process, he seemed happy that Seheon had started giving him real work. He also seemed to feel the satisfaction of having been helpful, as he had said himself.
Seheon, who had carefully watched Yunsin’s path as he entered his own office and sat at his desk, soon picked up his pen. Then he checked the key points of contention in the documents on his desk.
After doing so for a while, he suddenly threw the pen barrel away nervously. Sharp irritation drenched his fingertips like summer sweat. The face he had maintained expressionlessly in front of Yunsin crumbled.
Biting his tongue inside his mouth with a troubled expression, his brow furrowed heavily as if struck by a violent wave. Seheon’s red lips quivered as he tilted his head sharply back.
After a brief lull, nowadays his head was hurting again. The cause was Yunsin.
“You’re doing your job well by the manual… so why do I feel like shit?”
He had always wanted Yunsin to move like this. He had scolded him repeatedly, asking why he wouldn’t. Do Yunsin was doing exactly that now. Perhaps because of his adaptability, after a few ups and downs, Yunsin was now trying to imitate him quite convincingly.
However, thanks to that, everything he could pretend not to see even when it was visible through his own reflection was now revealed as clearly as if reflected in a mirror. Because Yunsin was pure, he was all the more cruel and ruthless.
Why? This was what he had been waiting for, yet watching it happen now felt like his heart was rotting.
Ridiculously, it occurred to him that this wasn’t what he had truly wanted. This feeling of floundering was a type of emotion he had never experienced even once, and it confused him.
“Damn it.”
Spitting out a curse as if chewing through a string of profanity, he forcibly pushed Yunsin—who was quickly coming to resemble him—out of his mind and focused on the documents again.
* * *
Commuting home by taxi for the first time in a while, Yunsin politely greeted the driver and got out of the car. In his hand was an opaque plastic bag. Inside were a few bottles of carbonated water, snacks, headache medicine, and lemon-flavored candy. Checking that everything was in place with a glance, he unwrapped one of the candies and put it in his mouth.
Just then, a chilly wind blew with a whistle and parted the collar of his thick jacket. The year was already ending, heading toward late December.
“Ugh, cold.”
Fidgeting with his phone as he walked, he organized his relatively free dates and typed them into a message. It was past midnight and quite late, but since he often called his sister even at dawn, this seemed fine. Though he truly had no face to show, he felt it was time to bring up the topic of matchmaking.
Because he'd taken on a new project, he'd contacted the person in question to say it would be difficult to meet again this month. In the meantime, he'd planned to sort things out with his sister and send a refusal as politely as possible. However, while his sister kept vaguely postponing their meeting, the end of the year was already approaching.
She would need time to sort out the situation as well, so delaying the timing any further would be meaningless.
It was just as Yunsin was about to press the message send button. He spotted a black car driving toward the parking lot from the narrow road on the left. It was a luxury sedan not uncommon in this neighborhood, so at first, he hadn't thought much of it.
But when he saw the license plate, his mind changed.
It was Seheon's car.
"Attorney? Attorney Kang!"
Yunsin waved his hand belatedly, but the car merely passed him by indifferently. Of course, given Seheon's personality, he might have seen him and simply driven past, but Yunsin's intuition insisted that he truly hadn't seen him.
Quickly calculating the distance between the parking lot and this place, and the speed it would take each of them to reach the lobby from their respective positions, Yunsin ran to the building entrance first. He sprinted at full speed and entered Building A, where Seheon lived. Though it was unfamiliar since he'd never been there before, the structure was the same, so he could easily map out the route.
Yunsin checked the indicator panels of the elevators going upward. Just then, the number of an elevator rising from Basement Level 2 to this floor flickered.
While he stood in front of the machine pressing the button, the device yawned open. Inside, Seheon leaned diagonally against the wall with his arms crossed, eyes closed tightly. He looked quite tired, which didn't suit him. Unlike the times when Yunsin felt his feelings toward him were unclear, seeing him looking exhausted made his heart ache.
The twin doors had opened, yet it seemed odd that there was no sign of anyone getting on for quite a while. Only then did he open his eyes and look forward. Realizing his counterpart was Yunsin, he tilted his head.
"Did I get the wrong building? That can't be."
"No. This is Building A. Nice to see you."
Yunsin chewed over the voice that was sunken as deep as the seabed, then bowed his head. Only then did he board the heavy machine. Rolling the slowly shrinking candy around his tongue, he glanced sideways at Seheon.
"You got off late today too. It seemed like you left the firm early."
"I met with the Taesan Construction people. But why are you getting on here?"
When Yunsin didn't answer, this time Seheon tilted his chin and glanced sideways, then added,
"I'm asking why you're getting on. Is there something you want to talk about separately?"
"You know you're really stingy with your personal information, right?"
"What do you want to know?"
"From head to toe, from cradle to grave. Everything."
Seheon let out a hollow laugh. Seeing that, Yunsin shrugged as if asking why not, and Seheon burst into a short laugh again. It seemed he didn't dislike Yunsin's proactive attitude.
"Why is a fourth-year getting home at this hour?"
"I have something to submit to a higher-up by 8:59 tomorrow. I came by after working on it. I'll have to pull an all-nighter at home too."
Yunsin, who had been anxiously watching the numbers climb via the floor indicator, finished his sentence and simultaneously twisted his body around. Then he gently leaned his whole frame against Seheon's rigid body. Seheon quietly looked down at him like that before reaching out and brushing through his finely textured hair. The peck he planted on top of his head was a bonus.
However, though he'd responded affectionately to the act of cuteness, the situation itself seemed quite uncomfortable. It was something he'd almost never done before, so it appeared unfamiliar.
"I'm not your sister or your father. You've got the wrong number."
That was something he knew better than anyone. His sister and father had never treated him as coldly as Seheon did. At first, it really hadn't bothered him at all, but he kept feeling hurt, which was a problem. Yunsin found himself in trouble, experiencing for the first time in his life a sensation similar to being starved for affection.
"I hope you get used to it. I tend to be a bit clingy. I'm the youngest, after all."
"What do you want? Say it. I'll take care of it quickly before the doors open."
"Can't you hug me? You know you've been a bit cold lately, Chief."
Despite having asked to be hugged, Yunsin extended his right arm even before Seheon moved, wrapping it around his waist himself. Then he leaned his upper body as if blocking Seheon's front. The moment he realized Seheon's pale face was looking down at his own reflection entirely, he felt an instinct within himself craving deeper contact. Because Seheon's eyes facing him reflected the exact same thing.
"Don't you want anything, Chief?"
"If I do."
"You can do it."
And sure enough.
At that very moment, he pulled Yunsin's waist close and pressed their lips together deeply.
"Ngh, nngh..."
He caressed Yunsin's smooth cheek with one free hand, then pressed the corner of his lips firmly with his thumb. As Yunsin's lips inevitably parted, he pushed his wet flesh inside and their tongues entwined.
A warmth hot enough to make them forget the cold weather traveled back and forth inside their mouths.
Their rough tongues rubbed against each other strangely while sticky saliva tangled together. Yunsin squirmed. Seheon held that frail body tightly and ceaselessly explored the deep recesses of his mouth. With every shift of their bodies, the rustling sound of a paper bag brushing against their clothes was bizarrely erotic. Heat began to boil up sluggishly from the soles of their feet, gradually warming their entire bodies.
How much time had passed?
Ding. The sound of the doors opening rang out. Upon hearing it, Yunsin dodged Seheon's tongue in his own mouth and popped the candy that had been running around into Seheon's mouth. Then he pulled his lips away. He licked up and swallowed the long, transparent strand connecting them as if snatching it with the tip of his tongue, then stared at Seheon's face with half-lidded eyes. Seheon, who'd suddenly found himself rolling the candy inside his own mouth, looked quite bewildered.
"You should get off."
"What is this?"
"Is it good? It's my favorite."
"You really have me wrapped around your finger."
"How could I dare. Ah, right, this. I was wondering how to give it to you, so this works out."
Yunsin took out some headache medicine from the rustling paper bag, pushed Seheon out, and slipped it into his coat pocket.
"I heard you're taking medicine again. Don't be in pain. I'm worried. If you can, please go to the hospital. Prescription medicine works much better."
"..."
"I'll head home now to finish the rest of my work. Dream of me. See you tomorrow."
He quietly observed Yunsin, who was bidding farewell in fast-forward only minutes after they'd met.
Eventually, the elevator doors slowly closed, blocking Seheon's view. The gentle face that had been waving goodbye quickly disappeared before his eyes. Glancing at the indicator panel, it seemed the machine was going back down.
However, Seheon couldn't go home and remained standing right there. He chewed over his thoughts, crunching the round candy—which was now only half its original size—with his even teeth. It was refreshing and sweet, yet on the other hand, the fiery aftertaste near the back of his throat was exhilarating. Just like Do Yunsin.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he could no longer endure it.
It was truly the first time in his life he'd been driven to such a reckless resolve.
To hell with it.
"Ha, fuck."
He frantically pressed the button for another elevator, and boarded the machine that happened to be coming down from the upper floor.
Zing. The moment the doors opened, he sprang out as if rebounding. Because his hesitation had been brief and luck was on his side, he fortunately managed to catch Yunsin by a hair's breadth as he entered the connecting passage to Building C. Seheon spotted the familiar back and eagerly grabbed his wrist. Yunsin turned around in surprise, about to shout, then froze.
"Chief?"
Instead of answering, Seheon mentally gauged which location—his own home or Yunsin's—was closer. Then, keeping his hand captured, he strode unhesitatingly toward the elevator directly ahead. Perhaps because it was late at night, when he pressed the button, an empty machine quickly rose up and yawned open. They naturally boarded it.
"Why are you doing this, Chief—"
Smack. Before he could even finish speaking, Seheon violently shoved Yunsin against the wall and kissed him, cupping his face with both hands. It was a kiss rough and intense as a downpour.
"Ngh! Attorney, nngh, slow—ngh!"
Thud. Having dropped the paper bag, Yunsin wrapped his arms tightly around Seheon's neck to keep his balance. Entrusting his lips to Seheon as if clinging to him, Seheon began to ravage Yunsin's mouth roughly as if it were his own property. All the while, the elevator steadily rose toward Yunsin's home.
"Undo it."
Seheon parted their lips slightly and caught his breath. Then he pushed Yunsin further against the wall and gestured with his chin toward his own necktie. When Yunsin undid it with trembling hands, Seheon snatched away the disheveled tie, shoved it inside Yunsin's loosely knit sweater, and then easily lifted that slender body into his arms.
Instinctively intertwining his legs around Seheon's solid back, Yunsin pushed his hands into Seheon's hair and continued to focus on kissing. Heat bloomed over their hastily meeting lips. So engrossed were they that drool—impossible to tell whose—trickled down along their chins.
Before long, the elevator doors opened once more. Even then, the two were kissing fiercely. Carrying the slender body in his arms, Seheon stepped outside and walked adeptly to stand before a certain front door. As if matching his rhythm, Yunsin reached his hand around Seheon's back and fumbled to open the door.
Beep. The door opened, and the two collapsed inside as if falling.
Their heated gazes met—Yunsin, who had sunk to the floor as if pinned down, and Seheon, who braced himself above as if claiming the space. Their intoxicated eyes clashed in the air again and again like kisses.
The sensation of hot breath escaping through parted lips and scattering around the other's jaw was electrifying.
"How did you know my house was here?"
"From this position, I could recite your permanent resident address by heart."
He'd already predicted that Seheon wouldn't bring someone home without confirming at least that much.
"I have some things to do before dawn. How far are you going?"
"Do you have condoms at home?"
"No."
"Then we'll go as far as we can without them. If you don't want to, refuse now."
"If I refuse, will you not do it?"
"No, I'm going to do it no matter what."
Staring at each other as if filling an emotional hunger, the two crashed their lips together again. As if Seheon's words were a signal flare, they soon began stripping each other's clothes with extremely frantic hands.