KBC | Chapter 1.3

Suhyun slammed the driver’s door shut and took a deep breath. CEO Geum Taemu’s angry voice still echoed in his ears. A chilling voice, too angry to even shout.

“What did you say?”

“I lost Do Eunsu. I’ll find him right away. I’m sorry.”

“How did a kid who stayed home quietly manage to escape?”

“I took him out for a bit.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry.”

The silence over the phone was terrifying. Suhyun vividly imagined a future where he was dumped into the ocean in a cement-filled drum. Just as he thought he heard the splash, Geum Taemu’s growling voice cut through the waves.

“Did you do it?”

“Excuse me?”

“Did you screw him, kid?”

“No. He wanted to go to the convenience store, so I took him for a bit.”

“Secretary Seo.”

“Yes.”

“If you want to die peacefully, find Do Eunsu by midnight.”

“…Yes.”

Not “if you want to live,” but “if you want to die peacefully.” It was the first time Suhyun had heard such an unmotivating directive. He almost laughed but quickly covered his mouth in surprise.

I must be losing it.

He wasn’t scared anymore, just angry. Truly angry.

Why do I have to do this?

Fortunately, before committing the suicidal act of defiance, Suhyun looked at the phone that had been hung up and cursed. Even then, his professional instincts kicked in, organizing search teams among Geum Taemu’s subordinates and calling a police contact to secure CCTV around the convenience store.

A kid like that wouldn’t have gone far.

Suhyun sighed and drove to the most likely destination. He’d probably gone to visit his grandmother in the hospital or the nieces and nephews his reckless brother had left behind.

He had every reason to run, being worked to the bone, but how would he pay off that debt by running away? He didn’t seem to hate being with CEO Geum that much.

Suhyun shook his head, imagining Eunsu’s bleak future. Whatever life Eunsu chose was his decision. Suhyun wasn’t in a position to pity anyone when he was about to be drowned in a drum.

Even if he got caught and lost a leg, Geum Taemu, who was smitten by Eunsu’s looks, would eventually pamper him.

No one was pampering Suhyun.

Should I run away too?

Suhyun, who had set the GPS to the hospital where Eunsu’s grandmother was admitted, chuckled while diligently following the directions.

I should just book a flight and leave for Southeast Asia or Europe. Would they have the resources to waste on catching a rebellious secretary when they couldn’t even find Eunsu?

Yeah.

A tingling sensation ran through Suhyun’s fingers. It wasn’t the season for static electricity, yet it felt like his senses were awakening.

Let’s run away. From this dreadful job.

Suhyun’s car ignored the GPS’s instruction to change lanes and made a bold U-turn.

[You have deviated from the route.]

Suhyun laughed, hearing the GPS’s cold-sounding announcement, and turned it off. His phone, now on silent, landed on the pile of snacks in the passenger seat.

[You have deviated from the route. Please proceed to Huiseong Hospital.]

“No, thanks. Blah blah.”

Suhyun mimicked the GPS voice and giggled. He didn’t think about how the GPS was still talking after being turned off. The thrill of speeding toward the airport, almost recklessly, consumed his body and mind. It was an escape!

“Secretary Seo.”

Damn it. Suhyun swallowed the curse and hardened his face. He had booked the earliest flight possible, but Geum Taemu’s men were stationed at every airport gate.

Of course, he wouldn’t miss it. A man who had never lost anything he wanted in life. Suhyun suddenly wondered where this innate disparity came from.

Yes, this disparity was innate. Why did he, who studied and worked hard, live a life like a supporting character, while Geum Taemu enjoyed the position of a top predator all his life?

“I don’t recall hearing about a vacation.”

“When did I ever have a vacation?”

Suhyun snapped, and Geum Taemu raised an eyebrow. It seemed he was more surprised than angry, having never seen Secretary Seo talk back. Suhyun, with a defiant expression, gestured toward Geum Taemu’s side.

“You found Do Eunsu. Congratulations. Go home and make up.”

“Making up is only possible if the kid begs for forgiveness with his body.”

Geum Taemu groped Eunsu’s butt, still in the nightgown. Eunsu shivered and trembled. Suhyun, feeling fed up, replied coldly.

“Do as you please. I’m leaving.”

“Where to?”

“Anywhere. I’m quitting this job.”

Suhyun grabbed his throat as he spoke. The moment he said he was quitting in front of Geum Taemu, it felt like someone was squeezing his neck, making it hard to speak. As if such words could never come from Seo Suhyun.

With a flushed face, Suhyun managed to finish his sentence.

Geum Taemu burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

“Ugh, ah, stop….”

Eunsu, in Geum Taemu’s arms, squirmed and twisted his waist.

Ignoring the annoying moans, Suhyun looked around. Everywhere he looked, familiar faces from Geumpyeong were present.

Why are they going to such lengths for me? They should just fool around with the kid.

Suhyun sighed and bit his lip. The airport staff seemed to have no intention of stopping these suspicious-looking men. The world was always like this. Everyone bowed down before Geum Taemu.

“Kid. Watch closely. See what happens to Secretary Seo.”

“Ugh, yes….”

“They said you seduced Secretary Seo into taking you out.”

“No, sob, I didn’t… I didn’t spread my legs….”

Eunsu, burying his face in Geum Taemu’s chest, shook his head with difficulty. Suhyun clicked his tongue at the ambiguous gesture, unsure if it was defiance or affection.

“I was thinking of teaching our kid a lesson, Secretary Seo.”

Geum Taemu spoke lazily, stroking Eunsu’s cheek.

“At first, I thought about cutting off his ankle or gouging out his eyes.”

Of course. Suhyun retorted inwardly. Geum Taemu lifted Eunsu’s chin, who was trembling in fear, and kissed him deeply before continuing.

“His ankles are pretty, and his eyes are beautiful, so it’d be a shame to ruin them. But you know? Even a dog needs to be trained well to fear its owner and listen. So, if there’s a mistake, there needs to be a lesson….”

Geum Taemu, stroking Eunsu’s soft hair, grabbed his trembling hand and forced him to point at Suhyun.

“So I’m going to use Secretary Seo as the lesson.”

“…….”

“To show what happens when you run away.”

“…CEO.”

“I’m going to cut off his ankle, gouge out his eyes, and crush him in a car compactor. How about that?”

“Sob, I’m sorry….”

“CEO!”

Unlike Eunsu, who crumbled with tears, Suhyun shouted at Geum Taemu. Even the subordinates around them flinched and looked at Suhyun. Suhyun stomped his foot and screamed for the first time in his life.

“I never owed a 5 billion won debt, never been late, never disobeyed your orders! Who are you to crush me! Damn it, I’m sick of this! I’m done! I’m not doing this anymore, damn it!”

“…Secretary Seo?”

Even Geum Taemu seemed surprised, calling Suhyun with a bewildered expression. No one, not even the airline staff or travelers passing by with their luggage, could imagine a secretary saying such things to Geum Taemu.

Damn. Feeling like he had spat in the face of the world, Suhyun laughed. Then he boldly raised his middle finger.

“This is my resignation, you bastard!”

“Catch him!”

Before Suhyun’s words were even finished, he turned and ran. At Geum Taemu’s command, Geumpyeong’s men began to chase him.

I should have exercised.

Suhyun regretted only using his body to carry out his bosses’ orders as he ran like mad. A limousine bus honked urgently, but he didn’t look back. Getting hit by that bus and dying instantly would be a hundred times better than being caught by Geum Taemu and enduring slow, endless torture.

“Mark the left!”

The net surrounding Suhyun in the parking lot quickly tightened. His car was probably already confiscated.

Instead of heading to his parked car, Suhyun looked for newly arrived vehicles. He planned to hitch a ride, whether by asking or threatening. If that didn’t work, he’d dive in front of a bus for a quick death.

“Here!”

“Damn.”

A guy spotted Suhyun hiding behind a large van and shouted. Realizing he had nowhere left to run, Suhyun fell to his knees.

Should I bite my tongue and die? The determination to take his own life rather than be caught by Geum Taemu flashed through his mind. He hated it that much. He didn’t want to be controlled by others anymore. He wanted to choose his own death.

At that moment, something shimmered under the black van he was hiding behind.

What is that? Suhyun lay flat and checked the ground. The pursuers, thinking he was begging, chuckled and approached slowly. Suhyun’s hand reached toward the ground under the van.

What is this? Suhyun’s hand touched a strange crack. Beyond the lightning-like crack on the parking lot floor under the van, a blue sky was visible. The scent of air from a different season wafted from inside.

Suhyun’s fingertips were half-drawn into the crack. The breeze felt like spring. Different. This is definitely another world.

Even as he suspected Geum Taemu might have drugged him, Suhyun quickly made a decision. Whether he died from being beaten or went insane, the result was the same. He wanted to resist until the end.

“What’s he doing, hiding on the ground?”

“Secretary Seo was smart, what happened to him?”

Geum Taemu’s subordinates pointed and laughed. Meanwhile, Suhyun swiftly moved and completely hid under the van. The subordinates didn’t even call the van owner, instead forcing the window down and shifting gears to push the van forward.

Geum Taemu, who had approached with Eunsu in his arms, watched the scene. He intended to imprint the image of Secretary Seo, trembling with his head in his hands, onto Eunsu’s retina.

“…What?”

“Huh?”

The henchmen looked around with dumbfounded expressions. Even Eunsu, who had been panting in pleasure, opened his eyes wide.

Secretary Seo Suhyun, as if by magic, had vanished from the middle of the airport parking lot.

Forever.