Knock, knock.
Together with the sound of a polite knock, the door opened very carefully from outside. Yoonshin, who had been sitting at the desk in his office, slowly raised his head. He lightly waved the documents toward Secretary Tak, who was looking at him with a bright face.
“Attorney Do. Are you busy?”
“Ah, Secretary Tak. No. Please come in.”
Secretary Tak approached Yoonshin and held out the file he was carrying in his hand. Just as Yoonshin tried to read it immediately, Tak put on a stern expression and firmly placed his hand on top of the first page, blocking the action.
“Wait. Before you look. I have a question. Do you happen to know why Chief Kang has been in low spirits lately?”
Yoonshin listened with an air of being ready to answer immediately, then tilted his head. He himself had been wondering because he couldn’t find a clear reason.
“He has been on edge lately, right? I suspected as much since a few days ago. Did something happen?”
“I asked because I don’t know either. He’s been looking for headache medicine again.”
Inevitably, the words he had spat out indifferently inside the office some time ago came to mind.
〈I’m used to people using me anyway.〉
He suspected that something he had done had given him another headache, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. He had thought about it continuously lately, but the outline hadn’t even become clear. It was because he couldn’t recall any particular mistake or slip of the tongue. As the troubled Yoonshin quickly fell into his own thoughts, Secretary Tak keenly noticed this change and abruptly interrupted the flow by speaking.
“Yesterday, after the Youngjin Construction acquisition advisory meeting ended, didn’t you say you had something to ask me and that we should meet briefly today?”
Only then did Yoonshin recall the real reason Secretary Tak had come into his room, and he opened his mouth.
“Ah, yes. That meeting. It wasn’t an environment where I could speak. It was a complete battlefield.”
“Of course. All the big-shot attorneys in the firm would have been in that room.”
“Any tips you could give me?”
“Do you want to catch Chief Kang’s eye?”
Judging by Seheon’s words, that part seemed to have been resolved quite some time ago.
“More than that, I want to be of practical help.”
“Anyway, everyone here is good at their job. To make a strong impression among them, you just need to hold information that is fatal if revealed and precarious if hidden. You know what I mean, right?”
He could easily recall that much himself. But he wasn’t the type to be strong on under-the-table information. Building strong intelligence 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 could turn a blind eye to slightly immoral situations.
Perhaps because his lack of confidence was plainly visible on his face, Secretary Tak continued calmly.
“If you can’t get that kind of thing… you can answer questions from time to time. When that happens, don’t hesitate and answer well. Before being ordered, say you’ll try something. If you’re asked to submit a report, make sure the key points jump out at first sight. All the various preparatory briefs and legal opinions you’ve submitted so far, Attorney Do. You’ve made them all very easy to read.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Even in front of seniors far above you, even if it means disagreeing with their opinions, don’t hesitate to speak up. He hates being wrong, but he hates even more when someone is hesitant and reads the room just because someone is a senior in the industry. I’ve seen about five associates get kicked out of the conference room for that.”
“I think that merciless side is really Attorney Kang’s style.”
Whether it meant agreement, Secretary Tak let out a slight laugh. Then he continued to ask.
“Besides labor law, do you have a second area of law that could help with M&A?”
“Environmental law. I know it fairly well. I’ve taken on several cases for NGOs. 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 one hundred percent helpful in construction and manufacturing.”
Yoonshin asked casually, as if he had been waiting for those exact words.
“There’s a senior attorney in the special team who specializes in environmental law, but would it be alright if I joined in? That elderly gentleman.”
“What have you been listening to this whole time? Just go for it. Ah, do you know any firms that can conduct due diligence?”
“Firms? There’s an internal due diligence team at the firm—wasn’t it supposed to be assigned to them?”
“It just so happens that Attorney Kang doesn’t really trust that team. If a company has a lot of regulatory violations, they might lowball the price. If you know a place, just say you’ll take charge of it, Attorney Do.”
It was a good idea, but that was only if he produced results satisfactory to Seheon’s expectations.
“Just how much do I have to slash to satisfy him? I looked up some news articles, and they say Chief Kang is a specialist at that when acquiring.”
“Chief Kang isn’t a specialist in just one thing. He’s good at everything. If you heard how much premium the final acquirer put up during the last divestment advisory, you’d be shocked. Compared to when the acquisition news first came out, he extracted almost forty percent more.”
“How good of an asset was it?”
“It had been in the red for two consecutive years.”
“Is that possible?”
“You don’t watch economic news much, do you? You’ll get used to it soon.”
Yoonshin, who had been tilting his head, finally nodded and shoved into his mind the fact that Kang Seheon could not be judged by ordinary standards. Then he tried hard to recall firms that could conduct due diligence on environmental figures. They had been his late father’s connections, so they were trustworthy both in capability and information security. He pulled up the contact on his phone and wrote it down for Secretary Tak.
“The CEO of the firm is someone who was close to my father. I’ll reach out first. Once Attorney Kang gives permission, please have the staff make contact.”
“Let’s do that. Don’t worry. You know I’m good at my job, right?”
“Ha, thank you so much. How can I ever repay this kindness?”
“I told you. Please work at our firm for as long as possible.”
Secretary Tak smiled, said goodbye, carefully put away the memo Yoonshin had given him, and left the room. Their eyes met through the window. After giving a nod, Yoonshin spread the thick documents Secretary Tak had brought across his desk. Then he checked the clock, set a stopwatch, and began speed-reading very carefully.
This was a common brief that had been distributed to all the attorneys on the special team.
The rough acquisition plan seemed to already be established in Seheon’s head. Before entering into full advisory procedures, they were reviewing the most efficient transaction structure and checking legal issues through preliminary meetings.
“Youngjin Construction… Youngjin Construction. I have no connection to it, so why does it feel so familiar?”
While scanning the materials, Yoonshin searched the internet for the name of the construction company’s CEO. Staring intently at the CEO’s face and chewing over the three characters of the man’s name, he finally realized why everything had felt so familiar.
He had clearly heard about this couple’s story once while exchanging recent news with his older sister. She had talked about the husband’s affair while they shared abstract conversations like, “Is love truly eternal?” It must have been idle chatter during a leisurely moment, so it had remained hazy in his mind all this time.
〈You just need to hold information that is fatal if revealed and precarious if hidden.〉
Hastily recalling the advice Secretary Tak had left behind moments ago, he urgently called his sister. But she didn’t answer. This had been happening often lately. Swallowing a bitter breath, he contacted her chief of staff, and fortunately, a voice returned immediately.
— Attorney? What brings you here? I was just about to contact you since it seems we can meet after the New Year.
“Is my sister able to come out now?”
— Yes. Please let me know a convenient date. I will make the arrangements.
“I’ll check my schedule and get back to you. But my sister isn’t answering the phone again. Is she alright?”
He worried that her condition might have worsened again due to her husband’s violent behavior. When he asked very cautiously, the other party seemed to sense his tension and responded in a low voice.
— I see you were worried. Right now, she is visiting a friend for a moment, so she cannot answer. She is in the next room—shall I inform her?
“If that’s the case, I’m relieved. Actually, I wanted to ask about something. I vaguely remember a conversation I had with my sister. Jo Wonik, the third son of Youngjin Group. She is acquainted with him, right?”
— CEO Jo Wonik? Yes, not him, but his wife and the Director are close. They are meeting even now. But how did you know to call about that…?
“So I was half right. I didn’t call knowing that. There’s something I’d like you to check. Could you help me, Chief of Staff? It’s strictly off the record, of course. It’s regarding my work. I know it might be difficult to tell me, but I really need it.”
— Ah, this isn’t a good place to discuss such things. I’ll contact you again right away from my office. Would that be alright?
“Yes. I’ll wait.”
His heart soared with the hope that perhaps he could be of help to Seheon. He didn’t have any particularly useful personal information in hand, but he held one advantage over the other attorneys: the existence of his older sister.
Yoonshin, having ended the call briefly, glanced furtively to check the outside atmosphere. Beyond the busy staff of the secretarial team, he looked at Seheon’s lit office, then quickly lowered the blinds. Clack. Once the interior and exterior were blocked off, a much more tranquil atmosphere flowed through the room.
In the meantime, his phone rang loudly, and he answered.
“Yes, Chief of Staff.”
As Yoonshin listened to the responding voice, his eyes sparkled.
* * *
Just then, he saw a senior attorney go into Seheon’s office and come back out.
Just before the door closed, Yoonshin, who had been waiting in the hallway, leaned inward as if tagging in a relay. 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 face.
“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 enter. Yoonshin, primly holding a set of documents and his phone together, completely closed the door and approached.
“Did you properly review the materials I sent? Didn’t you come here because you don’t have time to idle in this room? There’s a meeting in an hour.”
“I’ve read through them once, at least. I came because there’s something I wanted to tell you separately.”
As if to say, “Try speaking first and we’ll see how important it is,” he crossed his legs and sat staring fixedly at Yoonshin.
If there was someone who could make another person nervous with just a look, it was Seheon. He felt his palms break into a sweat for no reason. As if telling him not to hesitate, Seheon snapped his fingers with a sharp click, and he finally opened his mouth.
“About Youngjin Construction. The debt ratio is almost the same as last year.”
“The ratio may be similar, but it’s almost all bad debt.”
“That’s true, but although they say it’s reached its growth limit, the performance isn’t zero. It’s suspicious that they’d sell a company of this scale at this particular timing. So I looked into it separately and found information that the third-generation owner’s influence strongly drove the restructuring. Jo Wonik. I assume you already know, Chief.”
Seheon’s face was expressionless as he responded calmly.
“I knew. So?”
“Not long ago, the target of the Youngjin third-generation heir’s affair changed. A movie actor.”
Yoonshin turned on the phone screen he had been holding like a precious vessel, found a photo, and showed it to Seheon. Seheon quietly looked down at the actor’s image on the screen, then soon fixed his gaze on Yoonshin before him. It seemed to mean, “Keep talking.” Therefore, Yoonshin himself was the one flustered.
“You aren’t surprised.”
“Should I be?”
“His affair is with a man.”
“Ah, so the surprising point for you wasn’t the affair itself, but that it’s with a man?”
Sending a meaningful look, he fixed his gaze on Yoonshin. Yoonshin swallowed dryly and tried to maintain as much composure as possible as he continued.
“Afterward, investments related to this actor increased very aggressively. Nearly 30 billion won of laundered money has flowed into a film production company. More is expected to come in. Hardly anyone in the outside world knows they are dating. CEO Jo believes even his wife doesn’t know.”
“Makes sense. Those two have been friends for a long time. People normally wouldn’t think that married men would date each other.”
“Exactly. But of all times, selling the construction company and opening the fund flow toward his affair partner at this exact timing when the relationship changed…”
“Suspicious?”
“Yes. Could this be seen as an intention to secure liquidity to invest in another business?”
“Hmm.” Seheon exhaled lowly and was silent for a moment. Since there was little sign of surprise on his face, it seemed this wasn’t entirely unknown to him either. He seemed to gauge how much he needed to explain to Yoonshin as he chose his words, then soon opened his mouth.
“I’m guessing it’s toward entertainment. He must have judged that this will make money from now on, perhaps having heard some rumors from somewhere. It must be related to his own love life. Hearing you say this, the previously hazy connection is now definitely established.”
“Even though it’s in a slump now, construction has better prospects in the long run, doesn’t it? Entertainment is too uncertain.”
“Fools don’t tend to think about the future. They just swallow the sweet talk others feed them immediately. I think a broker has latched on in between. But how on earth did you find out that CEO Jo got a male lover? Even I couldn’t find that.”
An embarrassed Yoonshin answered honestly.
“Uh, if this were a game, it’s kind of like a cheat key?”
“Your sister?”
“She’s friends with CEO Jo’s wife. Seems they’re quite close.”
Perhaps able to infer the general flow from those two sentences, Seheon nodded. Then he corrected his posture, which had been leaning comfortably against the backrest, and sat up straight. He gestured for Yoonshin to come a little closer and continued.
“Now, fourth-year. We have the information. A same-sex scandal is quite fatal to Youngjin Group, but it can’t deal any blow 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 naggingly unsatisfying not to use it. How can we use this information as efficiently as possible to slash Youngjin Construction’s price? How would you design it? Structure it.”
He clearly had an answer. And it seemed he wanted to see if the submitted answer matched the answer key he held. Yoonshin had no intention of repeating the same mistake he had made during the first test. So right before entering this room, he had persistently worried about how Do-guk could win, and he had also thought about what Kang Seheon would do. The answer came quickly.
“We don’t slash the price.”
“We don’t? Don’t want to make money?”
“Of course, only at first.”
His eyes narrowed as if quite surprised. Whether it was due to the content of the answer or because Yoonshin hadn’t hesitated and replied immediately, he didn’t know. It could also be for another reason that Yoonshin couldn’t think of right now.
“More specifically.”
“Youngjin Group isn’t a hole-in-the-wall shop. 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 but only momentarily, so they’ll defend. Even more so with a sale procedure ahead. Once used that way, this information becomes a scrap of paper.”
He sent a relaxed gaze as if in agreement. Knowing this meant to continue, Yoonshin went on.
“What if we make a premium offer under the table? We negotiate separately, saying we’ll bid with extra money on top of whatever price Youngjin puts out. In exchange, we set conditions favorable to us.”
“Then afterward, we lower the book value and slash the bid price.”
Construction stocks fluctuated especially easily depending on government policies and regulations. In other words, if someone deliberately shook them from the outside, the company’s value would inevitably waver. When the contract was somewhat taking shape, if they borrowed Taesan’s power and used this card appropriately on a political level, Youngjin Construction would have no choice but to compromise to some degree. By then, Seheon would have countless ways to push out other bidders.
It was an idea born from imitating Seheon while also taking into account the particularities of the case, but he showed little reaction.
He simply lightly swept his face with one hand.
By the time he slowly drew his hand down and faced front, the area around his eyes had turned cold. He seemed expressionless as usual, but it was subtly different. His locked voice was the same.
“You look excited talking about stabbing someone in the back.”
“It’s just a design, that’s all. I don’t feel good or bad about it.”
“Yeah. I got it. I’ll think about how useful this might be.”
“Does my answer at least meet the cutoff line?”
“Simple. A good person trying to do bad things can’t come up with ideas beyond that. It’s a bust.”
Along with the answer, the coldness that had been visible at the corners of his eyes moments ago vanished in an instant. If a colorless, odorless object could exist, perhaps at this moment his gaze and nature would be something similar.
Even so, Yoonshin felt strangely that his calm pupils were blaming him more than necessary. He didn’t know the reason. Feeling somehow awkward, he thought he should change the atmosphere. Yoonshin held out the documents he had still been keeping quietly in his arms and pointed to the front page.
“Here, this.”
Seheon took it and scanned the contents with his eyes quite carefully.
“Why this?”
“There’s pending litigation filed against Youngjin Construction in court. Environmental issues falling under the Soil Environment Conservation Act are involved. I’d like to join and work on it too. I know environmental law fairly well.”
“The claimed amount in this lawsuit may or may not have to be paid by the acquiring company. It needs to be contested further legally. If it applies, I’m thinking of treating this part as Youngjin Construction’s debt and using it as a card.”
“The size is small, but it’s worth linking to media coverage. Even with the same words, if you say they polluted the environment, people aren’t interested so it sounds small. But if you instill a sense of crisis saying residual soil pollutants have violated the people’s right to health, it’ll be different.”
Making mean wordplay against the media was a method Seheon often used. Public opinion manipulation could be called his specialty. He was known to put considerable effort into periodic meetings with media executives for that purpose. In the course of a media war, if the opposing side showed an opening, he would truly dig in tenaciously and certainly to seize victory.
Even when Yoonshin had been on the outside, he had watched from afar every time Seheon took on a major case that would be reported extensively. It had been a kind of benchmarking.
But this time too, Seheon seemed less than pleased with the plan Yoonshin presented. Feeling that this too was not the correct answer, Yoonshin closed his mouth. Then Seheon let out a deep sigh and connected to an internal line, filling the empty space with his sunken voice.
“Tak-bi. Contact Taesan and tell them to send someone. By 6 PM today.”
Having conveyed only the business at hand, he elegantly set down the intercom and stared at Yoonshin again.
“Public opinion isn’t born for free. It’s made. Want to try writing a draft press release on the environmental issue?”
“Can I?”
“I’ll decide whether to assign it to you after reading it.”
“Thank you.”
Yoonshin, having said his thanks, thought it right to leave about now and slightly turned his body. At that moment, Seheon wagged a long, straight finger as if telling him not to go yet.
“Let me ask one thing. If this scandal spreads, even by chance, your sister’s friend’s family and the lives of all involved will be ruined. They’ll be displayed one by one before people’s eyes like meat laid out at a butcher’s counter. Didn’t you feel uneasy giving it to me?”
“You wouldn’t use it that way, Chief. It’s more valuable hidden.”
“I’m asking how you felt bringing it before me.”
Of course, it was true that his heart was very uncomfortable, as he had essentially offered up another’s misfortune as a stepping stone for victory. From what he heard through the chief of staff, it seemed his sister had become close to CEO Jo Wonik’s wife because their situations were quite similar.
Considering divorce while fighting individually against a massive corporation was not easy, and by chance, their reasons were similar too, so they seemed to have formed a bond. The fact that he was stirring that up made him several times more uncomfortable.
But this was his job. Even the smallest piece of information should be shared if it helped Do-guk win. He had constantly given himself suggestions during this time, and now his mental preparation was completely finished. Yoonshin intended to endure it properly since he was going to do it anyway, not just get by.
Believing Seheon’s question was still one that set his limits and tested him as usual, Yoonshin responded with as much composure as he could muster.
“That family is already deeply cracked. I understand the wife is also considering divorce. It might rather help with the divorce proceedings.”
“Fine. Let’s say that’s the case. Don’t you think about the Youngjin Construction employees who will be devoured by another company overnight? I’m going to slash the price as much as possible. That’s what Taesan wants from me. Quite a lot of people will be laid off in the process… A few months ago, 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 you come to Do-guk, you must follow Do-guk’s law.”
Seheon pressed his lips together in a straight line like someone who had lost his words, then stirred his body slightly belatedly. Creak. When he leaned his back against the backrest, a chilling sound like a brake screeching rang out. For a short while, a silence eerie enough to make one’s skin crawl flowed. Seheon was the one to break the silence first.
“By 8:59 AM tomorrow, write the press materials along the two tracks you mentioned and put them on my desk. I’ll read them and call you.”
“Understood.”
Bowing deeply at the waist, Yoonshin left the office with noticeably lighter steps. Whatever the intermediate process had been, he seemed happy that Seheon had started giving him proper work. He also seemed to feel the satisfaction of having been helpful, just as he had said.
Seheon, who had been meticulously watching Yoonshin’s movements as he entered his own room and sat before his desk, soon picked up his pen. He then checked the important points of the documents on his desk.
After doing so for a while, he suddenly threw the pen cap neurotically. Sharp irritation clung to his fingertips like summer sweat. The face that had maintained an expressionless facade before Yoonshin crumbled.
With a pained expression, he bit his tongue inside his mouth, and his brows furrowed deeply as if encountering a tidal wave. Seheon, who had jerked his head back, moved his red lips.
After seeming dormant for a while, these days his head ached again. The cause was Yoonshin.
“You’re doing the work well according to the manual… so why do I feel like shit?”
He had wanted him to move like this all along. He had even repeatedly scolded him, asking why he wouldn’t. Do Yoonshin was doing it exactly right. Perhaps because of his adaptability, after a few ups and downs, he was now trying to imitate him quite plausibly.
However, thanks to that, everything that he could pretend not to see even though it was visible through his own demeanor was now revealed as clearly as if reflected in a mirror. Because he was pure, he was more cruel and ruthless.
Why? This was what he had been waiting for, yet watching it actually happen felt as if his heart were rotting.
Ridiculously, it now dawned on him that this wasn’t what he had truly wanted. This sensation of floundering, unable to get a grip, was a type of emotion he had never experienced before, so it was confusing.
“Damn it.”
Spitting out the curse as if chewing through a string of expletives, he forcibly cast aside the image of Yoonshin, who was quickly coming to resemble him, and focused on the documents again.
* * *
Yoonshin, who had commuted home by taxi after a long time, politely greeted the driver and got out of the car. In his hand was an opaque plastic bag. Inside were a few bottles of sparkling water, snacks, headache medicine, and lemon-flavored candy. Glancing over to see that everything was inside, he unwrapped one of the candies and put it in his mouth.
Just then, a biting cold wind blew and parted the collar of his thick jacket. The year was already ending, heading toward late December.
“Ugh, cold.”
Fidgeting with his phone, he organized a relatively free date and typed it into a message. It was already past midnight so it was late, but since he often called his sister even at dawn, this much seemed fine. Though he was truly ashamed, he felt it was time to bring up the subject of the arranged meeting.
He had contacted the person to say that taking on a new project would make it difficult to meet again this month. In the meantime, he had planned to organize his thoughts with his sister and send his refusal as politely as possible. But while his sister kept postponing their promise to meet, the end of the year was already approaching.
She would need time to sort out her situation as well, so delaying the timing further would be meaningless.
Just as Yoonshin was about to press the send button, he witnessed a black car racing toward the parking lot on the narrow road to his left. It was a luxury sedan not uncommon in this neighborhood, so at first he didn’t think much of it.
But when he saw the license plate, his thoughts changed.
It was Seheon’s car.
“Attorney? Attorney Kang!”
Yoonshin waved his hand belatedly, but the car merely passed him indifferently. Of course, given Seheon’s personality, he might have seen him and just passed by, but his intuition told him that Seheon really hadn’t seen him.
Quickly calculating the distance from the parking lot to here and their respective moving speeds to the lobby, Yoonshin ran to the building entrance. He sprinted at full speed and entered Building A where Seheon lived. He had never been there before so it was unfamiliar, but since the structure was the same, he could easily plan his route.
Yoonshin checked the elevator indicator panels going upward. Just then, the number of an elevator coming up from Basement 2 to this floor flickered.
While pressing the button and standing before the machine, the device opened its mouth wide. Inside, Seheon was leaning diagonally against the wall with his arms crossed, eyes firmly closed. He looked quite tired, which didn’t suit him. Unlike when he felt Seheon’s emotions toward him were unclear, seeing him look exhausted made his heart ache.
The double doors had opened, but it seemed odd that no one was getting on for quite a while. He belatedly opened his eyes and looked forward. Realizing the other person was Yoonshin, he tilted his head.
“Did I get the wrong building? That can’t be.”
“No. This is Building A. Nice to see you.”
Yoonshin savored the voice that was submerged like the deep sea and bowed his head. Only then did he load his body onto the heavy machine. Rolling the gradually shrinking candy around his tongue, he stole a glance at Seheon beside him.
“You’re late again today. You seemed to leave the firm early.”
“I met with Taesan Construction officials. But why are you getting on here?”
When Yoonshin didn’t answer, this time Seheon tilted his chin and glanced sideways, then added.
“I said, why are you getting on. Is there something you want to say?”
“You know you’re very strict about your personal information?”
“What do you want to know?”
“From head to toe, from cradle to grave. Everything.”
Seheon let out a hollow laugh. Seeing that, Yoonshin shrugged as if to ask why not, and Seheon laughed again lightly. It seemed he didn’t dislike Yoonshin’s proactive attitude.
“Fourth-year, why are you coming in at this hour?”
“I have something to submit to someone important by 8:59 tomorrow morning. I came after working on it. I have to pull an all-nighter at home too.”
Yoonshin, who had been anxiously watching the numbers rise on the position indicator, turned his body sharply the moment his words ended. Then he leaned his entire body softly against Seheon’s stiff frame.
Seheon quietly looked down at Yoonshin like that, then reached out and swept through his well-textured hair. As a bonus, he pressed his lips to the top of his head like a peck.
However, though he responded kindly to the childishness, the situation itself seemed quite uncomfortable. It seemed unfamiliar because he had rarely done such a thing.
“I’m neither your sister nor your father. You’ve got the wrong address.”
He knew that best of all. His sister and father had never treated him with such contemptuous indifference like Seheon. At first, he really hadn’t cared, but he kept feeling slighted, which was a problem. Yoonshin was distressed to be feeling something similar to emotional deprivation for the first time in his life.
“I wish you’d get used to it. I tend to be a bit spoiled. I’m the youngest.”
“What do you want? Speak. Let’s get it over with before the door opens.”
“Can’t you hug me? You’ve been a bit cold lately, Chief.”
Though he had asked for a hug, Yoonshin extended his right arm and wrapped it around Seheon’s waist before Seheon even moved. He then leaned his upper body as if blocking Seheon’s front. The moment he realized his pale face was looking down at him completely, he felt the instinct inside him craving deeper contact. Because the same thing was written in Seheon’s eyes facing him.
“Don’t you want anything, Chief?”
“If I do.”
“You can.”
As expected.
At that moment, he pulled Yoonshin’s waist in and pressed their lips together deeply.
“Mmh, nn…”
With his free hand, he caressed Yoonshin’s smooth cheek and pressed the corner of his mouth with his thumb. Inevitably, he pushed wet flesh between the parted lips and tangled their tongues together.
Warm body heat passed between each other’s mouths, enough to make them forget the cold weather.
Their rough tongues rubbed strangely against each other, and thick saliva intertwined. Yoonshin squirmed. Seheon searched the depths of his mouth endlessly while holding his skinny body with all his strength. The rustling sound of the bag brushing against the hem of his clothes every time they moved was bizarrely erotic. Heat boiled up from his feet and gradually warmed his entire body.
How much time had passed?
Ding. The sound of