Secretary Tak, who had been silently watching the road ahead as he drove, shifted his gaze slightly to the side. It was to look at Seheon, who was checking the tablet PC screen in the backseat, through the rearview mirror.
He had volunteered to drive his boss to work specifically because he had something important to discuss, but Seheon had been extremely sharp since early morning, making it nearly impossible to find the right timing for a conversation. It didn't show on the outside, but Tak could tell from his long experience. Seheon had definitely pulled an all-nighter.
Secretary Tak, who had been constantly watching for an opening, opened his mouth the moment he sensed the man in the back let out a short exclamation.
"I was quite surprised as well."
In the mirror, Seheon wore a face of sheer disbelief. As if agreeing with Secretary Tak's words, he tapped the tablet screen with his straight, firm fingertips. Even that touch was steeped in emotion.
The various pieces of information regarding the lawsuit on this screen were definitely familiar to his eyes. He remembered it as a case Yoonshin had handled. It had already been well over half a year since the procedures for that lawsuit were completely wrapped up.
"So what you're telling me is that Do Yoonshin was retaliated against over a mere 4-billion-won divorce suit. Not 400 billion, not even 40 billion, but a pathetic 4 billion. And this is the doing of that bastard Chairman Won of COP Group?"
COP was a mid-sized food specialty company, a comprehensive food enterprise encompassing food, raw materials, and services. It owned over 20 affiliates; while it couldn't be called a global group, it was a famous company with a fairly high market share in the domestic market.
About a year ago, Yoonshin took on the couple's divorce suit at the request of Chairman Won's wife. The marriage period was short and the wife's contribution was minimal, but Yoonshin had managed to put a much larger sum than expected into the plaintiff's hands, and Seheon remembered him being quite proud of that.
"That is... presumed to be the case... meaning. First of all, based on the principle of presumption of innocence..."
"Yeah. Keep teaching me like that going forward. It feels both bad and good to learn constitutional law from my secretary."
"...I apologize. But Chairman Won is supposedly an enormous cheapskate. They say he's all about money, money, money whenever he opens his mouth."
"I remember hearing from Yoonshin that he threw a fit over his wife spending even a single 10,000-won bill. 4 billion is indeed a painful amount of money to lose for someone like that."
"Yes. I secretly obtained information through the defendant's side's leaked secretary office that they had been holding a serious grudge. Furthermore, as you can see, there's a suspicious call history on the burner phone the SUV driver opened right before the accident, and the other party seems to be related to their secretary office. It's information the police haven't confirmed yet."
Seheon, whose nerves were on edge, gripped the palm-sized tablet. Closing his eyes briefly before opening them again to calmly suppress the surging rage, he regained his composure with terrifying steadiness and continued speaking expressionlessly.
"Were there any signs beforehand? You've been keeping an eye on Yoonshin's work."
"No, nothing in particular. They did bluff quite aggressively, but Attorney Do handled it like a gentleman. As far as I know, there were no mistakes on our end either."
"Then it really is just about the money."
While he couldn't pinpoint the opponent's exact intentions, there was an outline that emerged when sketching the big picture. Considering that they didn't act immediately at the time but only carried out such an act now, it would be more appropriate to call it venting anger rather than retaliation. There was also a possibility that he had redirected the bowstring of anger he felt toward his ex-wife toward this side.
Whatever the reason, Seheon had no intention of letting it slide now that the board had been set. Turning the page on the screen back, he carefully took in the man's profile and added,
"Yoonshin probably won't be able to guess right away that this side is the perpetrator, but unless he finds out on his own, don't blabber before he asks."
"The police investigation is underway; won't he find out eventually?"
"He caused the accident right in the middle of the road. COP will likely try to bribe the police. The probability of the main culprit remaining hidden is high."
"Ah... that makes sense. Yes, understood. Is that enough evidence?"
He didn't need any more concrete evidence that Chairman Won was the perpetrator. Sometimes, there are situations where circumstantial evidence speaks for itself. And from now on, the information he truly needed would be hard to find at Secretary Tak's level.
"Your role ends here. I'll be using other people from here on, so keep your mouth shut."
"What are you going to do? If it's alright, I'd like to help both physically and materially too. This is truly crossing the line."
"What do you mean what? I have to repay what I received."
It was an exceptionally calm voice, but it sounded as if he were saying he would make the man regret being alive.
Cough. Embarrassed, Secretary Tak coughed involuntarily and leaned forward. He pressed his upper body close to the steering wheel before pulling back, and once again observed the man in the rearview mirror. Seheon had already opened a document and was reading it with calmly settled eyes.
How many seconds passed? Sensitive to gazes, he seemed to notice the secretary's observing eyes. Startled by Seheon, who casually gestured with his hand without even looking, Secretary Tak straightened his posture. Then Seheon continued speaking.
"When I give the signal, make an appointment with the Commissioner of the National Tax Service. Tell Investigation Bureau Section Chief Kim to attend as well. Secretly."
"As expected, you're starting the counterattack with tax law. Because what they love the most is money."
Secretary Tak was right. Seheon's first move on this game board was tax law. He didn't intervene often, but he had been interested in it for a long time, making it a very strong field for him.
What businessmen feared the most was a tax audit. Once they caught the eye of the National Tax Service, they would repeatedly shrink back whenever expanding their business or moving large sums of money, so they generally tried to avoid being caught on the radar. He intended to take advantage of that appropriately. Since Chairman Won couldn't live without money, the answer came out simply without even needing to think. That was where he had to start for the impact to be massive.
Sometimes there are types of people who are so stupid that they only realize the truth after they've committed the act. He usually didn't deal with such people directly, but this was an exception.
"I've never seen people who love money pay their taxes properly. I'll start with tax law and end with criminal law."
"He really picked the wrong person... You never let go once you bite. I won't offer my condolences."
"Ah, and you must keep it strictly confidential that Section Chief Kim is attending that seat. He's from Doguk, and it hasn't been made public yet. This is just between you and me. Along with everything I'm going to do to Chairman Won from now on."
"To Attorney Do as well? Are you sure I shouldn't tell him anything? He'll be disappointed."
"Did Yoonshin get my permission to make a secret?"
"Pardon? Not telling you that he was hurt... it's hard to call that a secret... rather, he was being considerate of you since you're a busy CEO..."
"Just drive properly."
Secretary Tak replied in the affirmative, clamped his mouth shut, and focused on driving. The roads, which had been somewhat empty due to the early hour, were gradually getting busier with vehicles. Seheon reviewed the documents a bit more in the quiet gap, then inadvertently looked out the window.
Everyone has a reverse scale that must not be touched.
There were certainly times when that had been his pride. He never let off anyone who touched it. However, it was difficult to try recalling how he had felt when defending it when he was hurt, even though it was a past event that had definitely occurred. He remembered all sorts of other trivial things perfectly, but only that was hazy.
Searching for the reason for this contradiction, Seheon quickly realized that it was because a more intense memory had overwritten his past memories. Replacing it with the phrase 'something more precious than the pride he had cherished like his life' would roughly explain it.
He was truly furious over this incident.
Because of a deed a man committed over 4 billion won he couldn't bear to lose, he intended to make him lose everything he had.
'He touched the wrong thing.'
Rubbing his large hand as if wiping his mouth, he suddenly felt that the day was too long right from the start. It was always a struggle to suppress with reason the impulse to run over immediately and kiss someone.
Breathing slowly, he picked up the documents again and began reading down them.
* * *
The general ward's lounge was unusually noisy. Several patients wearing identical hospital gowns stood gathered around, surrounding Yoonshin who sat at the center table. He faced the middle-aged woman sitting across from him with clear eyes and opened his mouth.
"Well, I've looked over the documents you gave me as thoroughly as possible."
Since he had been hospitalized for quite a long time after the accident, his body had recovered to the point where daily life was possible without much difficulty. The seasons had changed once in the meantime.
Thanks to the time allowed, his legs and lower back had practically healed, but the bone fracture in his fingers plagued Yoonshin. Even so, it couldn't be said that it was difficult to commute to work. The only one refusing to acknowledge that was Seheon. He even ignored the doctors' opinion that it was fine to discharge him, constantly making him change the cast on his fingers, forcing Yoonshin to extend his hospitalization against his will. He'd rather not know exactly how much the daily hospitalization fee for the VVIP ward's special room—which boasted hotel-level facilities—was, if possible.
When the accident first happened, he had asked for his clients' understanding and redistributed the cases he was handling to his team, but now he really didn't need to do that anymore. Thus, he was already reviewing most documents in his hospital room. However, that felt a bit insufficient. He wanted to work at his proper, stable workspace, but he had no idea when Seheon would allow it. For that reason, he had taken up a hobby of coming to the general ward to provide legal counsel to the patients.
He never thought the day would come when he would long so desperately for Doguk, which at first definitely hadn't seemed like a good fit for him.
Honestly, he hadn't even expected it in his dreams.
"Of course, if we say there was a defect in the ingredients, administrative action is the baseline, and a criminal lawsuit is also possible. But... honestly, this takes a long time, and since the damages involved in Food Sanitation Act cases are inherently small, it's better to utilize the government arbitration system rather than a lawsuit."
The woman in front of him was a patient who had suffered from food poisoning after eating at a restaurant. Thinking of it as pro bono work, Yoonshin answered solemnly. His lips moved softly as he continued speaking.
"However, it's not really my place to tell you exactly what to do, so how about you first gather with others who have suffered the same damages and discuss it? It's true that moving as a group gives you more leverage."
"So it is a violation of the law, right?"
"Yes, if we closely examine the damages and liability, we could even draw out occupational negligence causing injury."
Smiling comfortably at the woman who looked to be in her 40s, Yoonshin suddenly cast his gaze behind her. As his head moved, the eyes of the people around him also shifted in the same direction all at once.
At the end of their gazes hung a large monitor filling the wall. Coincidentally, news that would interest him was being broadcast. Because of the surrounding noise, the sound wasn't clear, but reading the subtitles alone was enough to infer the general situation and tone.
On the screen, a man was fleeing from the press. He was the second-generation founder and current overall chairman of COP, a famous food specialty company.
'That person...'
He was also the husband of Yoonshin's client whose lawsuit was settled a few months ago.
He had heard that Chairman Won's company had been hit with various troubles recently. Not only owner risks related to his private life but also the facts that there were problems with the ingredients and food manufactured, distributed, and sold by COP were revealed one after another. Furthermore, the Fair Trade Commission had issued warnings for several reasons, including false advertising and failure to report affiliates. Up to this point, he could still understand.
What was strange was the National Tax Service's movement. It seemed they were conducting a special tax audit targeting COP. The nuance was that they were suspecting tax evasion to create massive slush funds. If things continued that way, at least tens of billions of won in additional taxes were expected. Looking at the board, it seemed they held solid evidence.
Usually, mid-sized or large corporations of that scale don't face tax audits without warning. Because corporations generating profits and paying taxes properly helps the national economy, unless they are doing something severely wrong in their management, special audits are generally conducted with prior warning. But in COP's case, it was glaringly revealed to the public that they had been caught off guard by a surprise attack.
It was all happening legitimately within the bounds of the law, making it awkward to add anything, but Yoonshin felt somewhat unsettled. It was because of the timing, intensity, and method of it all.
COP's brand value was being completely slashed by the minute.
Just like when Kang Seheon led an M&A.
'It wouldn't surprise anyone if Chairman Won killed himself tomorrow.'
They were hammering him from all directions to that extent. It looked as if an invisible, powerful entity had made up its mind to make Chairman Won lose everything he held. Watching him lay down the stones step by step, with cruel calmness, was terrifying even as a mere spectator. If the situation continued down this path of deterioration, that man might never be able to stand back up.
At this point, one thing bothered him. It was the police's investigation results regarding his own assault case.
A few weeks ago, the police relayed that, unlike their initial statement about a possible mastermind, it appeared to be the SUV driver's solo act, and they were soon going to book him. It suddenly came to mind that at that time, quite uncharacteristically of his persistent nature, Seheon had casually remarked, 'The case is resolved well, so all you need to do is forget about it now.' He had thought Seheon was saying that because it was a bad memory and it was better to just erase it, so he followed his words. But seeing the situation turn out like this, it was highly suspicious.
The law has sentences declared by the court. It means there is an appropriate value for crimes that society has agreed upon and everyone keeps together. If the results on that screen were Seheon's sentencing for his accident, it was easily understandable. Because he had no mercy.
"What the hell did they do with their money to end up like that. They're going to go bankrupt. Is COP going to be acquired by someone else?"
"He got divorced not too long ago, he should be holding a shamanic ritual or something..."
"What ritual? Messing with food is bad. It's divine punishment. Look at his face. It's full of malice."
He heard people around him murmuring about Chairman Won, but it didn't catch Yoonshin's attention. His eyes remained fixed precisely on the screen.
The news ended the report with a closing remark that Chairman Won's troubles seemed unlikely to end anytime soon.
But of all times, right then, footage related to the divorce lawsuit flashed on the screen last, causing the eyes of everyone in the lounge to focus back on Yoonshin. It seemed to be because of the sight of a lawyer coming down the courthouse steps alongside Chairman Won's wife in the footage.
"Yes... that's right. It's me..."
Smiling awkwardly, Yoonshin rummaged through the snacks in front of him, trying his best to divert attention elsewhere, but it wasn't working. In particular, an intensely sharp gaze landed on his cheek. Turning his head in that direction, he saw a female patient, estimated to be in her mid-20s, resting her chin on her hand and focusing on him with eyes full of determination to scrutinize his every facial feature.
As she seemed to slowly lean her body forward as well, Yoonshin subtly leaned back and asked outright.
"Is there something on my face?"
"You're much more handsome in person, Mr. Lawyer."
"Huh, I look average on screen?"
"No! You look great on screen too. Seeing you like this, you look a lot like your older sister. I wondered where I'd seen you before."
"I do benefit from my bloodline. My sister is incredibly beautiful."
"Director Do Lee-kyung, are you dating that lawyer? That incredibly handsome lawyer at Doguk."
Yoonshin's mouth corners twitched in a spasm. Because he dealt with so many people, he was skilled at laughing skillfully at all sorts of unamusing remarks, but it was hard to laugh at these words.
"Ah... I don't think it's my place to speak carelessly about my sister's private life..."
It was the moment he was about to close the conversation with a barely maintained kind smile and an appropriate reply that didn't cross the line.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
From a place not too far away, the sound of someone violently striking the lounge door was heard. The people, who had been leaning in and chatting about various topics, turned their eyes toward the source of the noise. Yoonshin was the same. Surprisingly, Seheon stood there with a rather sharp expression. It seemed he had violently slammed the door with his palm.
"Huh?"
Glad to see a welcome person in an unexpected place, Yoonshin immediately waved his hand. The woman next to him also seemed slightly startled, swallowing her breath upon seeing the famously 'incredibly handsome lawyer.' She made an expression confirming that the rumor was true, then her eyes shone as if saying, 'I'll keep the secret well,' which made Yoonshin think a lot.
'It's not my sister, he sleeps with me.'
Just as Yoonshin, unable to say that out loud, was opening and closing his lips looking at her—
Bang!
This time, Seheon violently struck the door with his clenched fist, enveloping the surroundings in silence.
Even an expressionless face holds emotion. He rarely ever smiled brightly to begin with, but he also didn't constantly wear such a disgruntled expression. It was before Yoonshin, quickly realizing his mistake, could even make an excuse. Seheon arrogantly flicked his finger, sending a signal to follow him, then coldly turned away. Watching his tall, lean back walking away, Yoonshin immediately half-rose from his seat.
"Then, that's it for the legal consultation today. I have a guest."
Bowing to everyone who looked disappointed, Yoonshin followed Seheon as fast as he could.
Seheon had gone out as if he would leave right away, but he was visibly walking slowly, seemingly conscious that Yoonshin's legs weren't fully healed yet. Thanks to that, Yoonshin quickly caught up to him, caught his breath, and nudged his arm with his elbow to acknowledge him.
"When did you get here? You said it would take another hour."
"Coming to the general ward at this hour, it seems you're doing some late-night pro bono work?"
"The VVIP ward has too few patients and doesn't let me walk around late at night... I'm planning to keep doing talent donations here for a while. I'm incredibly bored and free these days."
"I can see right through you, so don't try to test me. Still, no going to work."
Of course, he knew he'd say that. Feeling sheepish, Yoonshin glanced down at the cast on his fingers and pressed closer to Seheon, peeking up at him sideways. Although he wasn't pushing him away as he approached and was answering his questions well, his mood still seemed considerably uncomfortable.
Now was the time to explain what happened earlier. Before they were alone in a dark and secluded place.
"About what happened in the lounge just now. I have nothing to be ashamed of."
"You were smiling so shamelessly."
"It's because my sister came up."
"I think that makes me even angrier. You smiled while thinking of another woman. Isn't that cheating?"
"Of course...!"
It doesn't seem like it.
No, it's not that it doesn't seem like it, it's definitely not cheating.
Briefly considering whether to explain it that way, Yoonshin just gave up on persuading him. When this man was being unreasonable without logic, trying to talk him into understanding often resulted in Yoonshin getting dragged into an argument. It was better to hold his tongue; the win rate was at least a bit higher that way.
That was that. Seeing him, Yoonshin wanted to touch bare skin. Suppressing his desire and chewing on his lower lip, Yoonshin unnecessarily leaned his hospital-gown-clad upper body against Seheon's clothes where the firm texture of his muscles could be felt, then pulled away. Doing that a few times as they walked side by side, the two crossed the skybridge connecting the buildings, crossed again, and finally entered the VVIP ward. Unlike other places, a pleasant air and an indescribable silence flowed there. Because of that, there were far fewer watching eyes, and a solemn atmosphere lingered.
Naturally, the two spoke less. How far had they walked? Seheon, who had been deep in thought, asked this question as if he had been continuously curious.
"It seemed like you were giving consultations. You didn't give out your business card already, did you?"
Confused by the lack of a subject, Yoonshin countered with a question.
"Who are you talking about?"
That moment.
The man, who had been matching his stride, suddenly stepped in front of Yoonshin, blocking his way.
This was in front of the emergency stairs leading up to the private rooms. With a rather sinister tone and a cold expression, Seheon repeated the exact words he had just heard as if copying them. He looked like he couldn't understand it at all.
"Who, are, you talking about?"
"No, well..."
"Did you give it to multiple people?"
"No! Just one person..."
"So you did give it."
"It kind of ends up like that...?"
"If I hadn't asked, I would have never known forever. Because you kept your mouth shut. Right?"
Startled, Yoonshin moved his lips.
Seheon immediately read the affirmative nuance the silence implied and poured out harsh words.
"Do Yoonshin. It hasn't been that long since you almost died in an accident, and you're giving your contact info to just anyone. Are you protesting against me right now because I won't let you go to work? Or are you picking at me because I interfered with your fun pro bono work? Did I read between the lines correctly?"
"Ah... am I not allowed to give it?"
"If it was fine, would I be asking until my mouth hurts? Who."
"Um, sunbae."
"Answer first. Who."
He might have made a mistake. He had felt that Seheon was acting extremely sensitive about exposing his whereabouts anywhere after the accident. Since he kept making petty excuses to prevent him from going to work, he couldn't not know. However, he hadn't given his business card on purpose to protest against him blocking his discharge or return to work. He had thought Seheon would say it was okay.
The other person was an industrial accident victim he had encountered a few times in the general ward lounge recently. It was impossible for him to solve the worries of everyone he met. But as someone who majored in labor law, it honestly made him uncomfortable to just pass over industrial accident cases.
Fiddling with the innocent cast on his fingers with his other hand, Yoonshin answered carefully.
"...It was an industrial accident. There's a man who had a fall accident on site. I gave it to him. He's in his 50s... he wasn't at the lounge earlier."
"Industrial accident? Not that woman who was staring at you sticky-sweetly earlier?"
Yoonshin bristled.
"Of course not!"
He also wanted to add that the person was more interested in the rumors about him than in him, but he kept that to himself, afraid it would just be adding fuel to a dry fire.
Hearing the explanation, Seheon's reaction, which had been sensitive to the top of his head, softened slightly. He couldn't miss this timing. Yoonshin quickly added.
"Should I ask for it back? Tell him to go to someone else..."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. Your feelings are the most important to me, sunbae. If you hate it, I won't do it."
Looking around to confirm no one was there, Yoonshin smiled as he leaned toward him, as if striking with a final attack and defense simultaneously. Seheon's cold eyes, which were staring down at that sight, slowly narrowed.
"You're only getting craftier... But you still need to verify their identity. Pass it to Secretary Tak."
"As expected. I knew you'd allow it."
He sneered openly, unable to admit it.
"What do you know."
"I know my lover is overflowing with love for me."
"Who is that crazy bastard."
Responding with a wide grin, Yoonshin grabbed Seheon's clothes and shook them for no reason. Perhaps because he still had some lingering resentment about Yoonshin being surrounded by strangers in the lounge and smiling at an unknown woman, his attitude was stiffer than usual. As if proving it wasn't his delusion, when Seheon pushed him away and tried to head for the elevator where a couple of people were standing, Yoonshin pointed to the emergency stairs ahead to convey his intention to walk a bit more quietly.
Seheon stared intently at Yoonshin, then stretched and pinched the soft cheek right in front of him. Then he reluctantly opened the stairwell door. Once they were completely alone, he scooped Yoonshin, who was wearing a hospital gown, into his arms. Even if there were no signs of anyone right now, anyone could open the doors on each floor and appear at any time, so Yoonshin immediately resisted.
"What are you doing? Someone will see!"
"I'm being careful enough. You're so slow it's frustrating. Cooperate."
If he really wanted to be careful, he shouldn't be carrying his male lover in a place where it wouldn't be strange for someone to pop out at any moment. Yoonshin could have repeated that, but he didn't. He wanted to do it, and Yoonshin didn't mind it either, so he could no longer think of a plausible reason to stop him.
Fortunately, since he was a patient hospitalized for a traffic accident, he had a great excuse in case of an emergency.
Above all. This act of him holding him so fully in his arms made Yoonshin incredibly happy.
"When I'm with you, sunbae... I'm so happy that sometimes it's scary."
He only flinched briefly; he didn't stop walking, nor did he answer. He didn't even ask what he meant by that. Even so, Yoonshin felt as if he had heard his answer. The fingertips holding him, the breath brushing against his ear, the heartbeat transferring through his pulse were all gradually growing rougher.
Yoonshin hugged Seheon's stiff neck tightly and, as if this wasn't enough, buried his face deeply into his broad shoulder.
* * *
The two safely arrived at the hospital room.
Locking the door and entering, Seheon carefully sat the body he was holding on the bed. Then, apparently intending to wash his hands, he headed for the bathroom attached to the room. Waiting for him to return, Yoonshin sat like a doll and then spotted a small box in his casually turned gaze, tilting his head. A dessert box wrapped in familiar packaging was sitting on the bedside table.
He quickly calculated that Seheon, who had arrived first, had come looking for him all the way to the general ward because he wasn't here. It seemed he had bought it.
This morning, during their usual pre-work call, he had casually mentioned to him that he was craving sweet pumpkin pie from the pie shop near the official residence. Since there was no particular addition other than an acknowledgment, even Yoonshin, the speaker, had completely forgotten about it all day, but seeing that this man had remembered and gone out of his way to stop by and buy it made his heart inexplicably ache with emotion.
"How did you buy this?"
Seheon, washing his hands at the sink, glanced back at the sound from behind. Yoonshin stood up and shook the dessert box at him. Putting the box down since he seemed to have confirmed it, he continued to ask.
"Was the shop still open? No, did they even have any left in the first place? If you go late to this place, they don't even sell them, so I can only eat it on days off."
Carefully drying the moisture from his hands and stepping back into the room, he loosened his tie and answered, perhaps finding it absurd himself the more he thought about it.
"I reserved it after the call this morning. You're probably the only one who could make me buy a pie as a tribute on my way home from work."
"It shouldn't be anyone but me."
Laughing lightly, he stood in front of Yoonshin. He lifted the thinner hospital gown here and there to inspect the leg where the surgical scars were healing well and other wound areas. Because of that, their gazes couldn't meet at one point and subtly crossed.
"Where are you looking like a pervert?"
He casually brushed off Yoonshin's warning.
"You said it was too sweet and not that great when you had it before, so why did you suddenly want to eat it?"
"Right. It suddenly crossed my mind. I think the memory of eating it came back to me. Sunbae, do you remember the day we first ate that?"
"I do. Even though I said I hated sweet things, you forced me to try it first. I don't know who the pervert is."
The fact that they stayed in the same time, the same space, doing enjoyable things could simply be expressed as a 'memory.' It made the two people who made up that time and space do the magical act of recalling the exact same memory.
While Yoonshin reminisced about Seheon's appearance that day, Seheon, who had pushed back his disheveled bangs and pressed his lips against his smooth forehead as if stamping it, added this.
"I've done countless things with you, and I remember them all clearly. Even the feelings I felt back then."
"How did you feel the day we first ate that?"
"I just liked you."
Yoonshin, who was ready to chatter back as he usually did in front of him, suddenly fell silent. Strangely, his heart was so full that he couldn't muster the courage to say anything. As he just stared up at Seheon, he gladly accepted his complicated gaze and opened his arms wide.
Gladly throwing himself into his embrace, Yoonshin tightly hugged his firm waist. Then, he tilted his center of gravity so their bodies could press closely together and advanced little by little, forcing the other to step back.
How many steps did they take?
Thud. Feeling the bed frame touch the back of his thighs, Yoonshin slowly slid the hands wrapped around his broad back down to grab his hips. Taking advantage of Seheon not refusing, he changed the position of his left hand to the front and grabbed his thick crotch.
"How long are we going to go without putting it in?"
"Did you forget your legs and back were wrecked? You can only do daily activities; you're not fully recovered."
"One, they weren't completely wrecked. Two, I'm almost at the recovery stage. Three, I don't mind pseudo-sex acts, but... I want to put this in below, not in my mouth. Can't you stop teasing and just put it in a little today?"
"A little? How much is that?"
"...Just the tip? It's so teasing."
"Just the tip... Is that possible? I'm not confident."
"You're worried you might do it recklessly, right? I'll give you a signal if it seems like you're going to lose control, sunbae. Then you can pull out slowly and put it back in."
"What's the point of you stopping me. I'm not confident I'll listen. At least until your back is completely fine, ugh."
Squeeze.
Instead of saying he wouldn't listen anymore, Yoonshin gripped the cock in his hand tightly. Reflexively, Seheon shot both arms out and braced his weight on his hands against the bed. Caging Yoonshin in his embrace, he stared at the clear face close to him with their bodies awkwardly overlapped.
Even during that time, Yoonshin's hand ceaselessly caressed Seheon's cock. The shaft, which was already voluminous and hard to grip, was doubly wrapped in underwear and pants, making it even more difficult to stimulate all at once. Nevertheless, as he repeatedly squeezed and released it between his fingers as if Seheon were putting it inside him, the thick penis quickly swelled in volume, expanding in an instant as if it would pierce through the high-quality fabric.
"Haa, Do Yoonshin. Let go."
"No."
"What do you mean no. This is sexual harassment."
"If you permit it, sunbae, it's legal. Stay still."
Understanding his lack of resistance as acceptance, Yoonshin faithfully moved his hand.
The air in the spacious room quickly heated up red. Veins bulged tightly on Seheon's forearm as he watched Yoonshin do as he pleased for a while. His breath grew much heavier and damp. Letting out rough breaths continuously, he must have thought he couldn't take it anymore, as he suddenly flipped Yoonshin's body over.
Thwack. Seheon pressed right up behind Yoonshin, who was propped on the bed with both arms. He placed his hand over Yoonshin's left hand as if resting on it, interlocking their fingers as if embracing him, and hooked his other hand to pull down the hospital gown's sweatpants. Immediately after, he unhesitatingly unbuckled his own pants, took out his rigid cock from his drawers at some point, and poked it right between Yoonshin's elastic thighs.
"Heut! Sunbae, ugh..."
Naturally, Seheon's cock rubbed against Yoonshin's sensitive perineum. His fully hard cock easily reached Yoonshin's scrotum and root, which were aching for stimulation, passing through the gap of his pale thighs. Every time he thrust back and forth, their dicks dangerously collided. Every time that raw sensation hit, sweat dampened their interlocked hands.
Holding Yoonshin's slender waist with his free hand and pistoning, Seheon suddenly yanked Yoonshin's hair back. Yoonshin's pale face, pulled back, looked up at him with only his cheeks flushed red with excitement. Seheon licked the flushed cheek greedily as if devouring it and asked in a highly dangerous voice.
"Are you burning up?"
"Uht, heuh, ugh."
"Do you know what it's like to burn with impatience? You don't know anything."
"Sunbae, a little, it hurts, ah..."
"I told you. I get turned on when you're in pain. That's why we can't do it now. Protect yourself when I'm holding back."
Fully heated up, Seheon yanked his hair back once more and this time frantically sucked on Yoonshin's parted lips.
Even though they had only slightly stripped their lower garments without even time to take off their clothes, the air inside, surrounded by their lewdness, was outrageously obscene. Grabbing Yoonshin's jaw as he panted with pleasure, Seheon increased his speed even more and locked lips with him in a kiss. He messily thrust his tongue into the easily opened mouth and ravaged the inside with his flesh as if applying lubricant to the inner walls of a vulva and crushing it.
Even while kissing, the lower body's movements continued. He deliberately moved his lower half to stimulate their cocks to rub against each other. When Yoonshin, feeling dizzy, grabbed his firm waist with his right hand, not knowing what to do, sadism intensely bloomed in the predator's eyes as he watched that agonized figure.
Releasing Yoonshin's head so he could face forward again, Seheon tilted his face as if to bite into his nape. He was about to bite down hard on the delicate skin precariously visible above the hospital gown top, but barely reminded himself that the other was a patient and turned his head away instead. Hoo, barely catching his breath, he leaned his body as far forward as possible.
"Ugh!"
Thud. Yoonshin's upper body, which had barely been holding on, completely collapsed onto the bed. Seheon climbed on top of him as he lay prone with his arms resting on the neatly made blanket. Their lower bodies sank down to the floor together. They folded their legs side by side, touching the ground only with the cross-sections from their knees to their calves.
He seemed conscious of Yoonshin's injured leg after all. He trapped Yoonshin between his crotch and overlapped their lower bodies. It looked like he was trying to reduce the burden of the kneeling posture. Noticing immediately, Yoonshin responded by twisting his legs to overlap his own over Seheon's calves.
As he corrected his posture, Yoonshin's upper body inevitably hung over the bed like laundry. Every time Seheon, clinging behind him, thrust his hips, Yoonshin's prone body bounced.
As if demanding compensation for not being able to bite the prey's nape earlier, Seheon fiercely bit his own wrist that was wrapped around Yoonshin's arm. Chomp, like a beast's fangs piercing, all sorts of cruel impulses and fierce desires were loaded onto the bite mark. Whether he knew it or not, Yoonshin continuously trembled.
"Ah, heuh, more, give me more."
The man behind gladly fulfilled Yoonshin's wish. He continuously thrust his cock between the tightly squeezing thighs. Naturally stimulated, Yoonshin's also stood fully erect in tandem and began to leak precum. Thwack, thwack. The two hardened pillars violently rubbed against each other out of sync. Gently licking Yoonshin's ear with his tongue, Seheon whispered as if coaxing him.
"Don't beg so much. It's hard to hold back."
Squelch, squelch. As their skin rubbed together, a wet friction sound arose. The opaque pre-cum flowing from Seheon's glans soaked between Yoonshin's legs. At the same time, the fluid from Yoonshin's cock made the bed frame damp.
Bending his knees halfway and hooking his outstretched legs over Seheon, Yoonshin barely endured the lower body's stimulation with the endurance and muscle strength of his upper body, immersed in a deep, distant rapture and merely spitting out mindless, hot breaths.
"Ah, no, no... put it in..."
"Yoonshin. You're going to recover cleanly soon, right?"
"Heuh, yeah!"
"If you want me to eat up your dick and your gaping hole until they're wrecked, you need to heal quickly, right?"
"Ah! Ah, good, feels good. I, I think I'm going to come. Heut. Pound me, yeah?"
Truly, if it were up to his heart, he wanted to slam his cock in with his full weight over and over again.
Pulling out every ounce of reason, both existing and non-existent, and correcting his posture, Seheon extended his fingers long. He put his middle finger into Yoonshin's mouth and wet it until it became slick. Then, he shoved it right in, just above the thigh he was penetrating, into the crevice of his buttocks. Poke, piercing the inner wall and skillfully finding the thrilling spot, he stabbed right into the prostate.
Once, twice, three times, he started the engine in the squelching inside as if inserting the glans, then forcibly increased the number of fingers, pushing all four in. Because of the fierce stabbing inside, Yoonshin, whose prostate was stimulated, jerked as if his waist was bouncing up and trembled his thighs. As if he had been waiting for that very reaction, he thrust deeply and fiercely again and again, clack, clack, from the first knuckle of his fingers to the valley where his palm met. Because of his rough insertion, Yoonshin fell apart.
"Ah! Heuhng! Sunbae, uht!"
The prisoner's moans, racing for breath, slowly raised in volume. From Yoonshin's face to his neck as he was being ravished, everything flushed red. The hand gripping the sheet trembled violently. If Seheon hadn't still been holding it tightly with their fingers interlocked, it would have stretched back and left long, deep scratches on his body.
Seheon also seemed to be slowly reaching his limit. His movements gradually became more ferocious. With their long experience, they knew what this moment was. It was right before the climax. It was a relief that the space was soundproofed well, so they didn't have to muffle their explicit sounds. Completely heated up, his gaze unfocused, Yoonshin shuddered. Seheon shoved his glans between the thighs as if burying his cock into the inner wall and rubbed the rigid shafts together lewdly. At the same time, he fiercely stabbed the winking hole with his fingertips.
Finally, both of their lower bodies contracted in a familiar shape at the same time.
Thwack! Thwack!
Putting on a final spurt, he slammed his cock and fingers deep to the root. Every time he pulled back after inserting, the skin of the thighs followed as if the soft flesh of the vulva was being pulled out. They both vividly felt that maddening sensation. The first to react was Yoonshin.
"Ah! Ah, I'm going to... hah-ugh!"
Soon, with a spurt, a whitish liquid poured from Yoonshin's urethra. At almost the same timing, a highly viscous milky fluid spurted from Seheon's cock as well. Haa, haa. The two, panting heavily, caught their breath silently. After doing so for a while, they looked at each other with their heads slightly tilted as if they had made a promise. Only then did they realize how foolish they had been and burst into laughter together.
"I don't know what we were doing with a bed right in front of us. I should have just asked you to lay me down."
Smooch.
Instead of a reply, Seheon kissed Yoonshin's flushed cheek and playfully tapped his cock, which was still resting between Yoonshin's thighs. After teasing his embarrassed lover a few times, feeling that he couldn't just leave him like this, he scooped up the half-limp Yoonshin into his arms. He sat him up on the bed in succession and leaned his body, which couldn't support itself properly, against the headboard. He unbuckled the watch on his wrist and continued speaking languidly.
"Do you want to practice before changing the sheets?"
He wondered what a couple who had already experienced hundreds, thousands of real battles had to practice at this point.
"At what?"
"Let's practice. Whether I can put it in and pull it out slowly."
"You'll put it in for me?"
When Yoonshin pointed at Seheon's exposed cock, he also glanced at the glistening penis and shrugged.
"Yeah, just the tip."
"You said you couldn't because you thought you'd hurt me."
"That's why I'm saying let's try."
"Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
He took his place between the questioning Yoonshin's legs. Pulling the hospital gown pants down further so they rested above his knees, he visually inspected the glossy thighs, which were slick because the semen hadn't been wiped away. The gaze he drove into the gap of his crotch was extremely stern and grave.
Having the space between his knees observed in detail was much more shameful than he had thought. Flustered, Yoonshin jerked, trying to close his legs. Immediately sensing the movement, he spread both legs to the limit as if saying no way and explored the intimate genitals. Not only that, but he also spread the winking hole with his fingers and inspected the inside. The belated answer was a bonus.
"Even though I didn't properly loosen you up, four fingers went in. Did you feel it?"
"T-that's because..."
"You masturbated back there."
At his blatant question, Yoonshin flushed red and protested immediately. He was truly unjustly accused.
"No? I was just preparing. Because you said you'd sleep over, Attorney..."
"You only stretched it? Really?"
"..."
"Just because that hole is attached to your body doesn't make it yours. It's my dick's home. I could throw you into a detention facility for home invasion, but I'm compromising by shoving my dick into you instead, so be grateful."
"...Where did you learn such dirty words?"
"Where would I have the time for that? You're the one who has an overflowing amount of time to masturbate back there."
Yoonshin, who usually knew how to respond shamelessly to most dirty jokes, blushed as much as his face could allow.
"I really didn't! If I had, I wouldn't feel so wronged!"
It was true that when he loosened himself up below, he inserted his fingers and fumbled a bit at the spot that usually made him fall apart when touched. But knowing it would only make him crave the stimulation of Seheon's long, thick cock pounding into him even more, he hadn't thrust them in repeatedly. Since that seemed to give Seheon something to tease him about as well, he kept his mouth shut without explaining in detail.
Instead, when he tried to push him away by moving his legs, Seheon let out a mocking laugh and scooped Yoonshin up into his arms. He easily subdued his resisting body and headed straight for the bathroom.
Sitting the body he was holding on the edge of the bathtub, he turned on the warm water. It wasn't that he disliked it, but rather that he was embarrassed, so Yoonshin soon stopped resisting and behaved obediently.
As hot water poured out, the tub gradually filled with splashing water. Seheon carefully stripped off all of Yoonshin's hospital gown and underwear, which he was wearing like rags. He put his hand directly into the water to check the temperature, and seemingly deciding it was fine, gently sat Yoonshin down in it.
Seeing him glance at the shower booth on the opposite side, it seemed like he was going to wash up since he had come after work. Yoonshin stared up at him unbuttoning his shirt right in front of his nose. Sure enough. Feeling his gaze, he grabbed his face firmly, planted a smooch on the top of his head, and brought up the expected words.
"Sit here for a bit. I'll shower and come back."
"Just get in."
"..."
"Hurry. I hate being apart. Don't make me beg too much."
Slapping the surface of the water lightly with his hand to urge him to get in quickly, Yoonshin made a splashing sound. He stared down at that while slowly taking off the rest of his clothes.
"Even if you beg, no."
"You put me in the water while I was covered in semen, sunbae."
"That's different. Wait."
"Fine. Then you're definitely sleeping over today, right?"
Recently, Lee-kyung had been frequenting the hospital room. Since Yoonshin hadn't rested this comfortably in years, she seemed to want to see her younger brother often and a lot during this opportunity.
Thanks to that, Seheon repeatedly visited only after sunset. He usually came at dawn and left at dawn. Today, since she had told him she had prior engagements and couldn't come, Yoonshin had specially begged him to sleep over. When he set the condition that if he wouldn't, he should discharge him from the hospital, he easily accepted.
He was glad that he seemed to hate letting him out of the hospital enough to endure the discomfort of sleeping outside, but he kept his mouth shut, honestly thinking that saying that would prolong his hospitalization.
While Yoonshin was lost in thought, he threw off his dress shirt and answered, putting his hands on his pants that had been disheveled since earlier.
"Yeah. I'll go to work from here tomorrow. That's why I stopped by the official residence."
"You didn't stop by just to buy the pie, right? You could have asked the housekeeper to bring your clothes."
"Killing two birds with one stone."
"Sunbae."
"Don't beg. It makes me want to give in. I'll wash up quickly and come back."
"That's not it, it's Chairman Won. The COP owner who's causing a fuss lately."
He paused while taking off his lower garment. Half-naked, Seheon stared intently at Yoonshin, who was sitting naked, curling his body, as if it was still embarrassing to receive his gaze under the bright lights.
"Why is that name coming up here?"
"All of COP's affiliates have been flipped upside down."
"So why are you talking about that in a bathroom where we're alone together?"
"It was obviously your design, sunbae. I have a sense for these things. Was Chairman Won the one who ordered the hit with the car? Then everything makes sense. The reason the police aren't investigating properly, the reason you're condoning it, and the reason Chairman Won is in that state right now—it's all because of you."
Carefully interpreting those words, he resumed undressing and felt dismayed.
If one could sigh with their eyes, he would have exactly that look in his eyes.
"Why do you assume it's my design whenever someone goes bankrupt? It must have been something bound to explode."
"A person who has been on a roll until he's nearly sixty fails this systematically overnight?"
"Isn't that life?"
"I didn't know you majored in philosophy."
"I'm sorry, but law is my major. Go learn something like social welfare and where do you get off acting like you have a degree higher than your almighty sunbae."
Squeeze. The naked man, pinching Yoonshin's cheek and stretching it long, headed for the shower booth.
Swooooosh.
The sound of the fierce stream of water pouring from the showerhead hitting the glass of the booth was soon heard. The sound of those transparent rain-like droplets hitting the wall and shattering one by one added on top of that. Watching Seheon's silhouette beyond the steam, Yoonshin tilted his head.
Strangling every breathless breath from every corner and taking everything away. Thus keeping them alive but making survival more painful. That was the method Kang Seheon used when he wanted to make someone's blood run cold. After that, whether it was a lawsuit or an acquisition battle, the opposing side would eventually be driven to raise the white flag, and he would seize the upper hand. Also, he was a rationalist who always repaid what he received.
He thought he knew that man better than anyone. Hearing him deny it so stubbornly made him slightly confused. It was one of two things. Either he was truly innocent, or he didn't want him to know. Knowing that feigning ignorance was the better answer either way, Yoonshin kept his mouth shut.
Watching him shower, Yoonshin checked the bathtub, which had quickly filled halfway due to its small size. Just as he was about to check the faucet to see if he could make a larger amount of water come out faster, he flinched at a familiar noise from afar.
'A phone?'
Because of the sound of the water from the tub and the shower, the sound wasn't clear. Glancing at Seheon, who showed no signs of coming out yet, Yoonshin had no choice but to get up. He roughly dried his body with a large towel and approached the bathroom door in that draped state. Going over and pressing his ear to the door, he definitely heard a vibration sound.
'Mine is a ringtone.'
It seemed Seheon had received a call. The fact that it came at this hour also meant it wasn't an ordinary matter. Intending to bring it to him, Yoonshin pushed the door open. But perhaps noticing these movements, Seheon suddenly threw open the shower booth door and flicked his finger.
"Where are you running off to?"
His appearance, with water dripping over his well-muscled, elastic body, was sensual whenever seen. It wasn't the first time seeing this erotic scene, but strangely, he felt shy. Yoonshin quickly struggled to avert his eyes outside the door and answered.
"It's not running away..."
"We're both naked here, where are you looking elsewhere. Are you that relaxed?"
"But you got a call?"
Only then did he seem to catch the vibration sound as well, falling silent for a moment. He soon opened his mouth again, but he didn't change his initial tone.
"It has nothing to do with you."
"Only big-shot clients know your contact info, sunbae. If they're calling at this hour, it's an important call. It's out there. I'll bring it to you quickly."
Bouncing outside before even hearing Seheon's reply, Yoonshin shivered in the air conditioning as he searched for his phone. Fortunately, he saw it quietly lying near the bedside table along with his car keys. He quickly grabbed it and went back into the bathroom, and Seheon, who was roughly towel-drying his wet hair, reached out his hand.
That was when.
Yoonshin's phone also started ringing, creating a loud vibration. They felt a sense of oddity and locked eyes. They didn't know exactly what was going on, but something was happening. An exclamation mark with that meaning clearly rose in their crossing gazes. Soon receiving the phone and checking the screen, Seheon answered irritably.
"CEO Song, do you have no concept of time? I clearly said not to contact me tonight unless the headquarters is terrorized..."
Seheon, who had been answering sharply, clamped his mouth shut at some point. Without saying much, he quietly listened to the other's voice. Yoonshin watched him with concern for a moment, then quickly came to his senses, went back out to the room, grabbed his own phone, and returned to the bathroom. The caller was Secretary Tak. Just as a suspicious Yoonshin was about to answer his phone, Seheon snatched it away like a hawk. He even put his own call on hold for a moment and answered Yoonshin's phone instead.
"Tak, I'm on the phone with CEO Song right now. Since the call is connected, stop calling him. What time do you think it is to be calling a patient?"
Click.
Pouring out only what he had to say and ending the stolen call, he turned his attention back to his own phone.
'I'm not sick?'
When Yoonshin mouthed those words silently, he raised his index finger.
Shh.
Then, tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear, he found a gown on the shelf. Taking out a thin bathrobe, he draped it over his still-damp body and went out to the powder room outside the bathroom without any explanation.
Right now, what Seheon was trying to escape was just this enclosed bathroom. But Yoonshin's intuition was saying otherwise. It felt like that man was about to escape this hospital and return to Doguk at any moment. Was it something that couldn't be resolved over the phone? Because he was so anxious, he ended up committing an act he would never do during Seheon's business calls without realizing it.
Grabbing Seheon's wrist, which still had teeth marks, Yoonshin said this to him as he looked back.
"You said you were sleeping over today."
Covering the speaker part with his hand, he whispered quietly to Yoonshin.
"I'm not leaving. I'll make a call and come back."
"..."
"I'll be back soon."
Seheon affectionately kissed Yoonshin's forehead and escaped the space filled with humid air. His back as he crossed the doorway felt unreasonably alienating. Click. The sound of the door closing outside was heard. Yoonshin, left behind, returned to his original spot, submerged himself in the tub, which was now more than two-thirds full, and fell into thought.
What kind of matter would CEO Song and Secretary Tak have to call Seheon, who had gotten off work, again? And a crucial matter at that, which they had no choice but to call about even though he had warned them not to contact him unless it was an emergency. What on earth could it be?
Whatever it was, it seemed Doguk needed Kang Seheon right now.
'I need sunbae too.'
It had happened occasionally before, but after Seheon became the CEO, the instances of him being stolen away by the company became more frequent. He was especially realizing these days exactly what it meant for him to become the CEO.
Hoo. Exhaling deeply, Yoonshin grumbled inwardly.
'He's mine...'
He felt disappointed, but he knew he shouldn't resent him. It was something he had warned about from the beginning, and he had also braced himself and supported it. Kang Seheon, who was envied by everyone, and Kang Seheon, who was needed by everyone, was always something to be proud of. Even a little while ago, he had purposely stepped up more so that he could answer the phone. Because he wanted to be a good and nice lover. It was hypocritical, but ironically, it was also sincere.
However, there were times when he felt lonely in his absence, and often times when he felt frustrated because he wanted to be a strength to him but didn't know how.
Grumbling silently, Yoonshin shook his head and suddenly remembered the sweet pumpkin pie box that would still be sitting quietly on the bedside table. No matter what. It seemed he would have to eat that alone. This kind of premonition was rarely wrong. Actually, he hadn't told him earlier, but the memory of the day they first ate it was vivid for him too. Looking at Kang Seheon, who had reluctantly taken the first bite of the pie as if he couldn't win against his pestering despite showing all sorts of signs of dislike, he had been thinking the exact same thing.
That he just liked him.
Leaving his body in the warm water, Yoonshin finally turned off the faucet.
Then, as if sinking into a swamp, he settled down for a while and submerged himself under the water.