Inside the speeding car, Han Seung Jae ran his fingertips over his tablet, lost in thought. He had known that Seo Yi Kyung had been unable to sleep all night.
If Yi Kyung had asked for help, Seung Jae would have taken him to the hospital regardless of the hour. Yet Yi Kyung had stubbornly swallowed every groan of pain and persistently stifled his breathing.
“Director Han, we’ve arrived.”
Secretary Park called to him while holding open the rear door. Seung Jae stepped out of the car and handed him the tablet.
“If he was going to look that miserable, shouldn’t he have clung to me and begged? I would have helped him then.”
“Pardon?”
Secretary Park asked, tablet in hand. He quickly realized that the remark had not been directed at him and followed behind Seung Jae. Countless people bowed as Seung Jae passed. Ignoring them, he entered the elevator.
The face reflected in its doors was filled with displeasure.
Why won’t he beg me to help him?
Most people brightened the moment they saw Seung Jae. They placed their hopes in him, looked up to him, and began listing everything they wanted. Everyone around him had always behaved that way without exception.
The number on the display changed to 85. When Seung Jae stepped out of the elevator, a man speaking with an employee turned his head. Two other men who appeared to have accompanied him stood nearby.
The moment the man saw Seung Jae, his face lit up with anticipation. Seung Jae paid him no attention and strode coldly into his office.
Once the door closed, Secretary Park addressed Seung Jae as he approached his desk.
“That’s the president of Gawon Shipping. The meeting was scheduled for this morning. Shall I ask him to come in now?”
Seung Jae removed his dark suit jacket. Secretary Park took it and hung it up. Sitting behind his desk, Seung Jae looked at the watch on his left wrist.
“I’ll tell him to wait a little longer.”
Reading the situation, Secretary Park added the remark himself and withdrew. Seung Jae’s foul mood was unmistakable. If the president met with him now, despite how difficult the appointment had been to secure, he would receive nothing but scathing criticism, much less an investment.
Secretary Park turned and slipped a hand into his inner pocket. His phone vibrated repeatedly. He looked down at the screen.
Vice President Seo Dong Hoo of Woorim Construction.
While Seung Jae opened a document awaiting approval, Secretary Park held the phone to his ear and walked swiftly toward the door.
“Director Han is currently in a meeting. His schedule is full until this afternoon, so I’ll pass along your message once he’s finished.”
Secretary Park’s measured voice came through the phone. Seo Dong Hoo lowered the phone from his ear.
“Fuck. Does he think I’m an idiot?”
The driver holding open the rear door flinched. Dong Hoo shoved the phone into the inner pocket of his gray suit and climbed out.
He looked up at the townhouse in Seongbuk-dong. The walls surrounding it were so high that nothing inside was visible. Even so, the corners of Dong Hoo’s mouth slowly rose.
“Well, look at that. Our Yi Kyung has really made it.”
The driver removed a fruit basket and a box from the trunk. Standing before the iron gate, Dong Hoo pressed the doorbell.
At the same time, Butler Do was hurrying through the house. He passed the elevator, which was being cleaned, climbed the stairs, and knocked repeatedly on the bedroom door at the end of the hall.
“Young Master Yi Kyung!”
The door opened a crack, and Yi Kyung, who had been resting after taking painkillers, peeked out. He stared blankly at Butler Do, who appeared unusually flustered.
“Is something wrong?”
Could Han Seung Jae have come back?
Otherwise, Butler Do would never have come rushing to find him like this. Yi Kyung reflexively began to raise his right hand, then lowered his arm again. Butler Do spoke with an uncomfortable expression.
“The vice president is here.”
“……”
Perhaps because of the painkillers, Yi Kyung did not immediately understand. Butler Do lowered his voice and whispered.
“Your older brother.”
“Ah.”
Yi Kyung’s lips parted faintly. He remembered that in the original novel, “Seo Yi Kyung” had an alpha brother eight years his senior.
Butler Do looked troubled, then abruptly thrust both hands forward and waved them as though something had just occurred to him.
“I swear I didn’t call him. I merely thought about doing so, but he appeared without contacting us first.”
Yi Kyung followed Butler Do into the sitting room. Seo Dong Hoo stood inside.
He had opened a glass display case himself and taken out the deer-shaped hunting trophy resting on the velvet. Holding its golden head, he gripped the antlers and shook it. The rubies set in place of the deer’s eyes gleamed red.
“Is this Director Han’s taste? It’s nothing special. Here I thought he’d have something impressive.”
He suddenly turned his head. Dong Hoo’s gaze appraised the turtleneck and cardigan Yi Kyung wore, then estimated the value of the ring on his finger. When his eyes reached Yi Kyung’s bandaged wrist, he carelessly tossed aside the deer’s head.
Striding toward him with both palms displayed, Dong Hoo suddenly broke into a smile. He looked as though he were anticipating an emotional reunion between brothers.
Yi Kyung took a step back in his slippers, but Dong Hoo’s arms were longer. He swept Yi Kyung into an embrace and wrapped both arms around him.
“Mmm. The smell of money.”
Yi Kyung raised his left hand and pushed at Dong Hoo, but his feeble arm lacked the strength to move him. Unable to stand by any longer, Butler Do intervened and seized Dong Hoo’s arm.
“Sir, you mustn’t behave like this here…”
This was not the Seo family home. A housekeeper was also approaching with a teacup in hand, and there were plenty of other people watching.
Smack!
The sharp sound of palm striking flesh rang through the sitting room. The housekeeper’s face went white as she stepped backward.
After striking Butler Do across the face, Dong Hoo barked,
“Vice President.”
“Yes. I apologize, Vice President.”
Butler Do bowed repeatedly. Yi Kyung frowned. So that was why Butler Do had mentioned his father but had never brought up Seo Dong Hoo.
“So what if I want to hug my own brother and roll around with him? Fuck, are you going senile now? I was in such a good mood. Why the hell did you have to butt in and ruin it?”
Having grown up getting whatever he wanted and doing whatever he pleased, Seo Dong Hoo was like a time bomb liable to explode without warning.
Dong Hoo had entered the house like this in the original novel as well, and every time he did, he demanded money. He behaved as though he were merely collecting something that already belonged to him. Each time, “Seo Yi Kyung” confided the family’s circumstances to Han Seung Jae and asked for his help.
That was how Dong Hoo always got what he wanted. It was only natural that the same thing happened again and again, with the intervals between his visits growing shorter each time.
Yi Kyung spoke.
“Butler Do, go take care of your work.”
“Pardon?”
Still holding his cheek, Butler Do turned his head. Dong Hoo grinned again, apparently mollified at last.
“That’s right. We haven’t seen each other in ages and want to catch up, so go do your work. This house is enormous. You must have plenty to keep you busy.”
Dong Hoo craned his neck and looked around. Butler Do hesitated, then slowly dragged his reluctant feet away. After surveying the sitting room, Dong Hoo headed for the sofa. Before he could sit, Yi Kyung spoke bluntly.
“I don’t have any money.”
There was no need for them to sit down. Dong Hoo had only one reason for coming.
Besides, it wasn’t even a lie. Yi Kyung had opened his eyes to find himself inside a novel. Of course he had no money. The same was true of “Seo Yi Kyung,” the original owner of this body.
The house belonged to Han Seung Jae. Even all the clothes Yi Kyung wore were his. The only things here that belonged to “Seo Yi Kyung” were his well-used art supplies. Even Butler Do could remain by Yi Kyung’s side only because Seung Jae allowed it. If Seung Jae decided to send him away, that would be the end of it.
“……”
Dong Hoo stopped dead. So did Butler Do. Dong Hoo forced the corners of his mouth to stay raised as they threatened to fall.
“What kind of ridiculous thing is that to say? Don’t make your brother angry…”
Dong Hoo turned and approached him again, patiently explaining each point.
“You might not have any, but you have the esteemed Director Han, don’t you? Do you have any idea how expensive that trophy in the display case is? Well, perhaps you simply don’t know.”
Yi Kyung suppressed the sigh threatening to escape at Dong Hoo’s words and behavior, which were little different from what he remembered from the original novel.
“Married couples use each other’s money whenever they want. It’s perfectly fine.”
An image of himself standing face-to-face with Han Seung Jae unfolded in Yi Kyung’s mind. He wasn’t sure whether what they had could even be called a marriage, but it was true that Seung Jae had plenty of money. Even so, Yi Kyung had no intention of begging or pleading with him. He knew better than anyone how that path ended. How many people could knowingly choose to walk the same road?
“Seo Yi Kyung.”
It was the same name, yet it felt different depending on who said it. Whenever Han Seung Jae called him, every muscle in his body tensed and he froze from head to toe. But hearing Seo Dong Hoo say his name made his teeth clench.
“You know Father doesn’t trust me because he thinks I’m immature. That’s why I want to show him what I’m capable of and earn his approval. You know you’re the only person I can ask for a favor like this, don’t you? We’re brothers. We share the same blood.”
Dong Hoo changed tactics and began trying to coax him.
“If I succeed, you succeed too.”