DE | Chapter 5.1

It started raining.

Nearly a week trapped in the pension, some new information had arrived. It was a story that came up on TV even if one did not try to listen. It was about Lee Kangpil taking over as the chairman of Geumho, which had been vacant.

But the man’s face on the screen looked haggard and aged. It was expected; his wife had died horribly, her head rolling around, and to make matters worse, his son had been kidnapped.

It seemed that Lee Kangpil often took the boy around, so Kotaro had adapted to the situation more easily than expected. He did not try to run away, and since others, including Oh Hyeontaek, played with him as if they were keeping watch, he seemed not to have developed the desire to escape.

Joo Seonghyeok had told them to buy the kid anything he wanted, so one of the rooms was now cluttered with toys. The man opened a window and smoked a cigarette, watching the back of the child who was happily banging on a game console with Lee Yeonhong. Smoke drifted from between his lips.

Once Lee Kangpil ascended to the chairmanship, it would take a tremendous force to pull him down. Joo Seonghyeok no longer had that kind of strength. But for now, it was enough just to prevent him from becoming chairman until he returned. The easiest way to do this was to send a part of the child as a gift.

Would it be more inconvenient to be without fingers or toes? Probably toes. Joo Seonghyeok, barefoot and in socks, looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes. After all, feet were not very visible. It would be better to cut off a toe, and the child would probably appreciate it more.

“Boss, I am hungry.”

“Mr. Joo Seonghyeok.”

“What?”

“Kotaro is hungry.”

“What kind of child eats as much as a pig, several times a day?”

“Children usually eat a lot. Do you not remember when you were young, Mr. Joo Seonghyeok?”

“Not really.”

***

Suddenly, Joo Seonghyeok wondered.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember your childhood?”

Lee Yeonhong’s smile disappeared as he focused on the game screen. Joo Seonghyeok stared intently at the man’s face. Lee Yeonhong tilted his head as if thinking, then suddenly a car crashed off a cliff on his screen. The man let out a short, “Ah.”

“I lost.”

“Yay! I won!”

“Kotaro, are you not playing too well?”

“After all the times you won! I just won this once! Let us play again!”

“No, let us eat first.”

—

Kotaro laughed and hugged Lee Yeonhong. The child cutely rubbed his cheek against Lee Yeonhong’s shoulder. Lee Yeonhong finally snapped out of it and chuckled, patting the child’s back.

“I do not know, Mr. Joo Seonghyeok.”

“What?”

“I cannot remember.”

Lee Yeonhong, holding Kotaro, walked out as the sound of pouring rain filled the air. Joo Seonghyeok watched the place where the man had exited with a somewhat vacant expression.

—

Dinner time was somewhat long. Watching several men struggle to feed Kotaro, who was reluctant to eat, was quite a spectacle. The sight of three huge men chasing after a child barely reaching their thighs made Joo Seonghyeok feel like bursting into laughter. Oh Hyeontaek was already giggling.

“What are you guys doing, idiots. Can you not even feed one child properly?”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Then, Kotaro bumped into Joo Seonghyeok’s leg. The man had finished his meal and was crossing his legs while smoking, and only then did he notice the child by his side. Their eyes met briefly.

Kotaro coughed.

“Why do you always smoke, sir?”

“Hey, hey! Child! Come here?”

“Pretty boy, what did he say?”

“Mr. Joo Seonghyeok, he is asking why you always smoke and curse.”

“Whoa.”

The thugs gasped as if they were going to fall backward. However, Joo Seonghyeok nonchalantly blew out smoke.

“Curious little brat… Want to try it?”

“Kotaro, do you want to try smoking?”

“Bleh.”

The meaning was clear without translation. Joo Seonghyeok’s other eyebrow twitched. The thugs held their breath, watching to see if Joo Seonghyeok would hit the child. Instead, he lightly punched Kotaro on the forehead.

“Ouch!”

“Cheeky little brat.”

“It hurts! It hurts! Sir, you are stupid! Dummy!”

Joo Seonghyeok understood those words. Now his lips twitched. Lee Yeonhong instinctively noticed Joo Seonghyeok getting annoyed but did not intervene. It was too funny to watch him argue with a child not even ten years old. Only the thugs were restless, especially the one holding Kotaro’s bowl and spoon saying, “Here, open up. The airplane is coming~” looked the most nervous.

“You are calling me stupid?”

“Stupid! Dummy! Dummy!”

“Oh, look at this brat…”

Joo Seonghyeok pulled Kotaro’s ear. The child stood on tiptoe, struggling to withstand the pain. Kotaro began to hit Joo Seonghyeok’s legs with all his might but soon started to sob. Someone inhaled sharply. As Kotaro’s sobbing grew louder, Joo Seonghyeok continued to pull on his ear until the child was screaming.

“Why are you crying? A boy should act like a boy…”

“Mr. Joo Seonghyeok, you really are old-fashioned.”

“Am I wrong?”

Joo Seonghyeok dropped the child as if discarding him. Kotaro lay on the floor crying, but no one dared approach him because of Joo Seonghyeok. Joo Seonghyeok looked down at the child with an indifferent expression.

***

“Hey.”

Tears big as beads rolled down Kotaro’s face as he hiccupped and looked up at Joo Seonghyeok. The man he looked up to was excessively large. His thick chest and broad shoulders, and his skin pale to the point of being ghostly, looked almost goblin-like, and his mismatched dog’s eyes shone as if they were about to devour the child. Though handsome, his narrow, slit-like, double eyelid-free snake eyes opened lazily, making Kotaro feel a sudden fear. Interestingly, the tattoos on the man’s body were not scary. Lee Kangpil had them too.

“Hey, will you not answer?”

“Mr. Joo Seonghyeok, do not oppress the child.”

“When have I oppressed him?”

“You are doing it right now.”

While eating, Lee Yeonhong gestured under the table.

“Come here, Kotaro.”

Kotaro hesitated a few steps backward, then suddenly got up and ran into Lee Yeonhong’s arms, beginning to cry again. Joo Seonghyeok clicked his tongue and looked around with a bewildered expression, as his subordinates seemed to be blaming him.

“What is up with you all? Why the long faces?”

“Mr. Joo Seonghyeok, you went too far.”

“What? What did I do?”

“Boss, why are you tormenting the child…”

“Hey, and you still call yourselves gangsters? At this rate, should I just raise this brat?”

“Why not?”

“What?”

The man who spoke candidly covered his mouth instantly. He was sweating profusely, watching Joo Seonghyeok’s reactions.

“No, I mean… the child listens well, and he is cute…”

“Do you even know whose child that is?”

“I do, but… could we not just switch some body parts and send off someone else’s child?”

“What the fuck?”

Joo Seonghyeok looked astonished and abruptly stood up. Oh Hyeontaek grabbed the man.

“Boss, calm down.”

“Stitch this brat’s mouth until I see him next time. If not, you will all die by my hands.”

Joo Seonghyeok spat his cigarette into the rice bowl and spoke irritably as he left. Oh Hyeontaek hurriedly followed him. Lee Yeonhong watched them for a moment, then slowly soothed the child, rubbing his face against his chest.

“Boss! Boss!”

“Fuck, why are you following me, huh? Hyeontaek, do you want to die too?”

“Please calm down.”

Oh Hyeontaek grabbed Joo Seonghyeok’s arm and sighed. Joo Seonghyeok gritted his teeth and glared at the man.

“Why are you so concerned about just one child? It is just a child.”

“Do you not see our guys freaking out over just one child?”

“Everyone is stressed, and that child is the only thing keeping them sane right now. I do not understand why you are so sensitive, boss.”

“What? Am I sensitive?”

“Aren’t you? You are just anxious because of Lee Kangpil, taking it out on an innocent…”

Joo Seonghyeok slapped Oh Hyeontaek hard across the face. The slap resounded, and the man’s head turned sharply. He seemed to have bitten his tongue, as blood trickled down from his mouth. Oh Hyeontaek twitched his lips, then looked up at Joo Seonghyeok. Like a beast’s maw right in front of him. Oh Hyeontaek admitted his mistake and bowed his head calmly.

“I am sorry. I spoke out of turn.”

“Hyeontaek.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let us try to save a child, just like our guys said.”

“What?”

“Do not catch one, call the old man instead.”

Oh Hyeontaek responded with a reluctant expression. Joo Seonghyeok had changed his mind, but Oh Hyeontaek thought others might appreciate it. Joo Seonghyeok brushed off Oh Hyeontaek’s arm and walked down the corridor after saying this.

“Mr. Joo Seonghyeok.”

“…”

“Mr. Joo Seonghyeok, what are you doing?”

Joo Seonghyeok slowly lifted his head. He was sitting on a toilet seat cover, smoking a cigarette with the water running in the sink. Ash and cigarette butts were messily strewn at his feet. Lee Yeonhong slowly looked around the bathroom to check if someone else was there, but Joo Seonghyeok just stared at the running water.

“Mr. Joo Seonghyeok?”

At Lee Yeonhong’s call, the man stood up abruptly. The large man looked threateningly down at Lee Yeonhong as he grabbed his hair. Then he slammed the

bathroom door shut. He allowed the sink to fill with water and then forcibly dunked Lee Yeonhong’s head into it.

“…!”

Lee Yeonhong was hit so hard that the water filled with blood, blurring slightly. His nose must have broken, or his mouth was torn. However, Lee Yeonhong did not resist.

After a bit of time, Lee Yeonhong’s limbs twitched instinctively as he tried to lift his head to breathe. Joo Seonghyeok pressed down on the man with all his strength. Bubbles rose, and a choking sound emerged.

Soon, Lee Yeonhong’s body went limp. Joo Seonghyeok pulled the man out of the water. His eyes were rolled back, bleeding from his nose, and his beautiful face was before Joo Seonghyeok, who then kissed him. It was more about exploring his mouth than giving artificial respiration.

Joo Seonghyeok grimaced at the taste and bit Lee Yeonhong’s lips. After pulling away, he forced the man to kneel. Lee Yeonhong’s body moved as Joo Seonghyeok intended, unconscious.

“Fucking bastard.”

Joo Seonghyeok undid his pants and shoved his penis into Lee Yeonhong’s mouth. Despite being scraped against the teeth, it felt pleasurable. He forced Lee Yeonhong’s jaw open wider and thrust his hips roughly. Lee Yeonhong’s golden hair was damp, and his face, losing consciousness while dripping blood from his nose, looked adorably lovable.

“Ugh, hoo…”

Joo Seonghyeok grabbed Lee Yeonhong’s cheeks. The man’s face, on the brink of drowning, was pale with fear. He wiped the nosebleed with his thumb, then ruthlessly thrust inside. He pushed his penis past the uvula and rubbed against the mucous membrane. Lee Yeonhong’s throat convulsed. The man coughed lightly. Joo Seonghyeok did not care and continued to shove his penis crazily into his mouth.

“Choke, gasp, gag…”

Every time Lee Yeonhong tried to regain consciousness, Joo Seonghyeok shoved it deeper, preventing him from breathing. The man’s body trembled. Semen shot inside, and Lee Yeonhong involuntarily swallowed it.

Unswallowed semen leaked out. Joo Seonghyeok looked at the dripping saliva and semen, then discarded Lee Yeonhong.

“…”

Lee Yeonhong looked up stupidly at the bathtub where Joo Seonghyeok was sitting, his head banging against it. Joo Seonghyeok tidied up his pants and started smoking again, then crouched in front of Lee Yeonhong.

“Pretty boy.”