The corner of Seunghyeok’s mouth, which had been lifted in cold mockery at the attitude that seemed to ignore him completely, slowly lowered and stiffened into a straight line.
After exhaling the cigarette smoke he had been holding in his mouth in a long stream, he lazily closed his eyes and dragged his palm down over his lips.
“Hey. Where do you think you’re going.”
His voice sank chillingly low. Ihyeon’s lips dried instantly, but he didn’t stop walking. Before he knew it, he stood in front of the bulky men blocking the door.
“Please move.”
They were staring past Ihyeon’s shoulder. Not statues of knights in some medieval corridor, yet they stood firmly in place with their hands clasped behind their backs.
“I said move—”
“Kwon Ihyeon. Did you think I called you in here just to take that one guy away?”
At that moment, thud — something struck his calf and dropped to the floor. The footsteps behind him sounded as if they were moving farther away, followed by the creaking scrape of an old metal chair.
Ihyeon slowly lowered his head toward his feet. A familiar-looking wallet lay on the ground.
“Apparently a little rat got bold and messed around in the owner’s office. And this came out of there.”
“……”
“But it’s strange. When I set the trap, the one I caught was him.”
Swallowing, Ihyeon slowly turned his head. What Seunghyeok was saying no longer sounded like a joke.
“One of you is real and one’s a decoy. Which one do you think is real?”
“……”
“No — which one do you think I’m going to make real?”
He had no idea why the wallet he’d lost had been found in the owner’s office, but this wasn’t the time to think about it. Rather than worrying whether Jinseok was okay, it felt like he should be hoping he didn’t end up in that same condition.
Seeing Ihyeon staring blankly at the wallet, Seunghyeok crookedly pulled up one corner of his mouth.
“Feel like talking now?”
When Ihyeon only bit his lip without answering, the bulky men behind him grabbed Jinseok’s body and hauled it away. Unlike Ihyeon, who had struggled under the weight, they moved lightly.
This time Ihyeon let go without resisting. Jinseok’s wrist slipped from his grip and dropped, and Ihyeon clenched his teeth.
“We’ll take our time figuring out what happened to him…”
Seunghyeok lazily crossed his legs and continued.
“As for what to do with you.”
“……”
“I’d rather not throw punches again. Bit tiring.”
The joking gesture of rubbing his wrist sharpened Ihyeon’s wariness. The gazes of everyone else in the room began to feel threatening. Watching him, Seunghyeok spoke in a detached tone.
“Want to grab my pant leg and cry a little? Who knows. Maybe I’ll feel sorry for you and pretend not to notice.”
The ridicule was unmistakable. Ihyeon lowered his eyes and bit his lip silently, and Seunghyeok continued in a sneering voice.
“If you don’t like that, then at least give my boys a good show.”
“……”
“You like that sort of thing.”
Not understanding the meaning, Ihyeon swallowed. Seunghyeok snorted at Ihyeon’s trembling eyelids and leaned back.
“Hey, guys. You ever actually seen two faggots go at it in real life?”
At the blunt remark, Ihyeon’s eyes shot upward. Seunghyeok lounged with his head against the chair, idly swinging his foot.
The crew were startled that Seunghyeok — who usually showed disgust even at the mention of homosexuality — had said that first. As they exchanged glances, unsure how to respond, someone quickly spoke in a joking tone.
“Ugh, boss. Makes me want to puke just thinking about it. What brought that on, haha.”
Once one person opened the floodgate, the others awkwardly laughed along, trying to lighten the mood. Seunghyeok watched them, then added,
“They say humans and animals have sex to leave behind their genes or whatever. I might not have a high school diploma, but I know that much.”
“……”
“But men rubbing bodies together and mixing tongues — that’s fascinating, isn’t it? Completely useless for reproduction. Right?”
The crew exchanged uneasy looks at his erratic words. Noticing, Seunghyeok let out a hollow laugh and put the cigarette back between his lips.
“Ah. You guys didn’t know. He’s gay.”
The direction of his chin pointed at Ihyeon, who stood stiffly. At the sudden statement, the crew all shut their mouths and watched each other. The storage room fell abruptly silent.
“……”
Even being directly outed, Ihyeon didn’t react. He only bit his lower lip hard and glared at Seunghyeok. Seunghyeok stared back persistently with pitch-black eyes. After a moment of locked gazes, Seunghyeok looked away first and crooked a finger at someone.
“Hey. You — come here.”
“M-me…?”
A young man who had been tense in the far corner looked around, then pointed at his own chest. Nervousness obvious, he shuffled forward.
His eyes were sharp but his face still carried boyishness. His bleached yellow hair was frayed at the ends. The lean, muscular man was known for throwing punches outside, but standing before Seunghyeok, he looked like a delinquent high schooler facing an adult.
Without realizing it, he bowed his head. Seunghyeok spoke to him.
“What’s your name.”
“Sir! Jang Yunsu!”
“Good. Yunsu — try kissing him once in front of everyone.”
“…What?”
At the unexpected words, the man lifted his head blankly. Normally Seunghyeok would have handed him over to Taesik for discipline the moment he asked stupidly, but this time he chuckled and kindly repeated himself.
“Try kissing him. Give the boys something interesting to watch. I can’t do it myself, right?”
At the blatant humiliation, Ihyeon clenched his fists tightly. He didn’t dare move his feet, only glared at Seunghyeok with all his tension raised.
Reading Seunghyeok’s expression and the room’s mood, Yunsu realized it wasn’t a joke and anxiously darted his eyes around, afraid trouble might spread to him.
He glanced at Taesik beside him for help, but Taesik only frowned and gestured for him to obey. Left with no choice, Yunsu mumbled and walked toward Ihyeon.
The shoulder of an unfamiliar man filled Ihyeon’s vision. The moment a rough, hot hand grabbed his jaw and cheek, Ihyeon slapped it away with the back of his hand.
A sharp crack rang out, and an awkward silence followed. Yunsu, face flushed red and blue, looked again toward Seunghyeok.
“U-ugh…”
In the heavy quiet, only Jinseok’s ragged breathing echoed as he hung limply. Seunghyeok sighed and stood.
“Ah… Ihyeon. Everyone’s disappointed because of you.”
“……”
“Alright, alright. Is it because I didn’t pay you?”
Muttering as if dealing with a stubborn child, Seunghyeok dug through his wallet with a frown, then held out his hand to someone behind him.
“Hey, I’ve only got checks on me. You have a fifty-thousand-won bill?”
“Yes, boss.”
“Give it here. He’s picky for someone who looks like that — if you hand him too much, he won’t take it.”
A yellow-tinted banknote was placed into Seunghyeok’s hand amid snickers. He walked over and tucked the half-folded bill into Ihyeon’s shirt pocket. As the distance closed, the acrid smell of cigarette smoke drifted over, but Ihyeon kept his eyes fixed straight on Seunghyeok.
“If it was too much, you should’ve said so. I didn’t know.”
Ihyeon still said nothing, staring at him, and Seunghyeok patted his shoulder as if encouraging him. Despite the sharp gaze piercing him, a mocking smile rested on his handsome face. Grinding his molars, Ihyeon slapped Seunghyeok’s hand away and muttered,
“…I don’t do that for money.”
“Then don’t take it. Just do it.”
“……”
“Do I look like I’m suggesting it?”
Seunghyeok’s demeanor flipped as he raised his eyes and growled low. The suddenly violent mood tightened even the idle crew’s bodies.
“Ah. Or you don’t like him?”
“……”
“You get horny over someone with the same equipment, but I guess you still have a type.”