EMP Chapter 11

Upon closer inspection, the root of all this mess was the person sitting in front of him. Kwon Jiwook no longer felt like beating him up. After all, fists wouldn’t even leave a scratch on this guy, so perhaps he had resigned himself to the power dynamic. A self-deprecating laugh escaped him. As their eyes met, Park Juyeon pressed for an answer again.

“Why is that?”

“Why what?”

“Is there a reason you don’t want that Sunbae to find out?”

Park Juyeon’s expression had been stiff for a while, as if he had bitten into something sour. Perhaps he was offended that someone like Kwon Jiwook was asking about the photo. Kwon Jiwook gave him a puzzled look but responded.

“There is. That bastard would be humiliated.”

“So he still has pride to protect. No, wait. Isn’t it just that he wants to look good?”

Kwon Jiwook glared at him. But Park Juyeon’s expressionless face remained unchanged. His eyes, fixed on Kwon Jiwook, held a steady gaze. Kwon Jiwook couldn’t figure out what had offended him. Why was making an exception for Kim Suhyeok such a big deal? Annoyed, Kwon Jiwook muttered a curse.

“……What the fuck is your problem all of a sudden?”

“I was just asking because your attitude seemed suspicious. Do you like that Sunbae?”

What kind of nonsense was this? Even a passing dog wouldn’t believe such a joke. Offended, Kwon Jiwook lunged at Park Juyeon and searched his pockets. Park Juyeon, unfazed, casually moved his hips back, pulling away. Grabbing Kwon Jiwook’s wrist was an added bonus.

“Let go. Are you going to let go? Hey, don’t piss me off and just give me your phone. I’ll delete all those damn photos.”

“No. I don’t want to. And what are you so pissed about? The photos are only out there because you broke your promise…….”

Park Juyeon stopped talking as he faced an enraged Kwon Jiwook. He had finally built some rapport, and now it was all about to go to waste. Park Juyeon stumbled over his words, trying to backtrack.

“……Fine. My bad. But I can’t delete them. They’re my jack-off material.”

“You’re insane.”

Kwon Jiwook’s expression twisted as if he had touched something dirty, and he shook off Park Juyeon’s hand. Looking at Park Juyeon only made him sigh.

Park Juyeon spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. If someone overheard, they might agree, ‘Yeah, right. Kwon Jiwook is Park Juyeon’s jack-off material.’ Kwon Jiwook found it utterly ridiculous. Thinking, ‘He must be the most shameless person in the world,’ he waved his hand in the air.

“How do I make you delete them, huh? It’s about time you did.”

“The contract…….”

“If you bring up the contract now, after spreading the photos everywhere, I swear I’ll kill you.”

“I haven’t spread them all yet, that’s why I’m saying this. Besides, do you really think you can kill me? You’re weaker than me.”

Kwon Jiwook could tolerate Park Juyeon’s shameless pushing or feigned ignorance. When Park Juyeon acted that way, his expression would become innocently childlike, which made it less unpleasant.

What he couldn’t tolerate was the mocking attitude Park Juyeon had now. The corners of Park Juyeon’s mouth were curled up in a clear sign of mockery.

Kwon Jiwook couldn’t stand it when Park Juyeon openly looked down on him. He couldn’t throw the first punch, so he would always tremble and suppress his anger. Although he had occasionally struck out in anger, Park Juyeon’s fierce gaze made him try to restrain himself.

He wanted to retort with words rather than violence, but Park Juyeon’s words were not wrong. Park Juyeon knew this, which is why he looked so confident.

Moreover, Park Juyeon seemed to enjoy watching Kwon Jiwook suppress his anger. So today, Kwon Jiwook decided to react differently.

“Then I’ll just die.”

Kwon Jiwook was getting tired of always playing into Park Juyeon’s hands and getting worked up. He thought for a moment and then blurted out something ridiculous, knowing it was absurd.

“…….”

Park Juyeon’s face went blank. Kwon Jiwook braced himself for the mockery that was sure to follow. But the reaction he got was unexpected.

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“Yeah, even I think that was a bit much…….”

“Sunbae, you’re not someone who would take your own life over something like this.”

Park Juyeon’s face hardened, and he firmly grasped Kwon Jiwook’s shoulders. He spoke in a cold voice, as if telling him not to talk nonsense, and then stared into Kwon Jiwook’s eyes, checking if he really meant it.

Kwon Jiwook looked up at him with a puzzled expression. His eyes flicked back and forth between Park Juyeon’s eyes.

“……No…….”

This wasn’t right. This conversation was off.

The person he thought wouldn’t bat an eye at such talk was genuinely shaken by his words. If Kwon Jiwook’s expectations were correct, Park Juyeon should have laughed it off as a joke.

But Park Juyeon was nitpicking at strange things. If Kwon Jiwook were to die for some trivial reason, Park Juyeon seemed ready to chase him to the ends of hell.

“Anyway, don’t talk like that.”

“…….”

“…….”

Realizing the strange atmosphere, Park Juyeon roughly pushed Kwon Jiwook’s shoulders away. Kwon Jiwook let out a small groan and rubbed his shoulders where he had been gripped.

……At this rate, it seemed like Park Juyeon was cherishing Kwon Jiwook’s life. Park Juyeon ran a hand over his face. He realized he had gotten angry over something strange, which wasn’t his intention.

Park Juyeon let out a deep breath, finally calming his excitement. He was back to his usual self.

“Hyung.”

“……What.”

“Let’s be really serious with each other this time. No pointless provocations. I don’t want to see you in pain either.”

Kwon Jiwook thought he was most annoyed when Park Juyeon underestimated him, but he realized he needed to rethink that. He found Park Juyeon most unpleasant when he spoke smoothly with an unchanging, calm face. The factors that triggered his dislike were constantly changing.

“Why are you being so serious all of a sudden?”

“Come to my place.”

“Wow, fuck. You’re so persistent. Crazy.”

I won’t go, I won’t! Up until now, it was just talk, but your attitude is pissing me off, so I won’t go! Kwon Jiwook shouted as soon as he heard Park Juyeon’s parrot-like words.

“This time, I’m serious. If you come to my place, I’ll delete the photos in front of you. I promise.”

Park Juyeon took Kwon Jiwook’s hand and pulled him closer, placing his other hand on top of Kwon Jiwook’s. He held Kwon Jiwook’s hand tightly with both hands and shook it gently a few times. The soft palm felt strange.

And so did Kwon Jiwook’s expression.

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Why the sudden change? You were dead set against deleting them just five minutes ago.”

“You wanted me to delete them.”

That was the strange part. Just moments ago, Park Juyeon was adamant about not deleting the photos, saying it was Kwon Jiwook’s fault and part of their contract.

Could Park Juyeon be……. a split personality? Kwon Jiwook pondered this seriously and then said something that felt a bit nauseating to even utter.

“You said……. you use them as jerk-off material.”

“Do you want me to? Never mind. If you really go crazy and kill yourself, what am I supposed to do?”

Park Juyeon dismissively waved his hand, as if even his own words were bothersome. It seemed that preventing Kwon Jiwook’s suicide had become a higher priority than using the photos for personal pleasure.

Kwon Jiwook felt like a part of his brain had stopped functioning. He couldn’t understand why Park Juyeon was suddenly changing his attitude, why it mattered if he died, and how he could trust him again……. There were so many questions, but his mouth was saying something else.

“What about the photos that are already out there? Do you think those bastards are the only ones who saw them?”

“I’ll take responsibility for that too. I’ll make sure they’re all deleted, no matter what.”

“……No. You just delete them. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Kwon Jiwook gritted his teeth, seething at the mere thought.

“That fucking asshole. I’ll take down that giant first, and then the one with acne. I’ll kill them all.”

He muttered to himself. Park Juyeon listened quietly and smiled awkwardly. I’m sorry, Hyung. I think you’re just as foolish as them. He swallowed the embarrassing words.

“So, are you coming?”

“You won’t delete the photos?”

“If I delete them here, you might refuse to come. I’ll delete them as soon as we get to my place.”

Park Juyeon was the type to carry Kwon Jiwook off and kidnap him if he resisted, but seeing Park Juyeon’s bright smile, Kwon Jiwook was momentarily speechless.

It was puzzling why Park Juyeon was so happy about this.