KTSR | Chapter 49

Ijin’s jaw dropped at Kwon Hyeongdo’s reaction.

“You really know what Seon Ijin is scared of.”

“Th-then… is there anyone who isn’t scared of that?”

Ijin was so freaked out by Kwon Hyeongdo slowly approaching him that he instinctively pushed against the floor with his foot. The chair slid back, only to get caught on the edge of the floor that had warped from the cold. Kwon Hyeongdo, who nearly fell backward, steadied himself before leaning in and whispering to Ijin.

“I’m fine. Even if my face and my… you know, end up on video.”

“……”

“Some things are too precious for only a few to know. My video could bring happiness. A kind of welfare? Something like that.”

Kwon Hyeongdo suppressed a laugh as Ijin’s expression changed drastically. Each of his facial features seemed to scream in unison, “This crazy guy…” It was blatantly obvious.

“I’m not the type to enjoy good things alone.”

“…So you’re saying I should do the same? Since it’s already rumored that I’ve been passed around, I shouldn’t hold back and use myself generously?”

Ijin saw Kwon Hyeongdo overlapping with the huge guy he had seen earlier. He seemed like he would laugh crudely and say, “Exactly.”

But Kwon Hyeongdo didn’t answer. Ijin, who had turned his head away expecting a quick response, looked back at him in confusion.

“Oh. The water’s boiling.”

A beep came from the kettle. It seemed like it had been making noise for a while, though I hadn’t noticed until now.

Only after Kwon Hyeongdo turned away from him could Ijin finally breathe a sigh of relief. Kwon Hyeongdo opened the lid to check the water and cursed.

“I’ll have to boil it again. It’s all evaporated.”

Kwon Hyeongdo took a big bite of noodles, chewed, and then nudged Ijin’s cup of yukgaejang.

“The noodles are going to turn into udon.”

Only then did Ijin pick up his chopsticks, but he still didn’t eat. Kwon Hyeongdo took another big bite of noodles and then opened Ijin’s cup ramen lid.

Despite his job, Kwon Hyeongdo had surprisingly pretty hands, making it hard to gauge their size. But seeing them now, Ijin realized how big Kwon Hyeongdo’s hands were. They were like pot lids. Pretty pot lids, that is.

Even when Kwon Hyeongdo folded the lid into a makeshift cup and offered it, Ijin didn’t take it. Kwon Hyeongdo clicked his tongue and forcibly placed it in Ijin’s hand.

Ijin looked at Kwon Hyeongdo’s hand and muttered.

“Hands that aren’t meant for hard work.”

At that, Kwon Hyeongdo flipped his hand back and forth, examining it. Thick rings adorned his middle and pinky fingers. He had taken them from a jewelry store during a brief stint collecting debts before he settled down in Gangwon-do. Though they had some scratches over time, they were real gold and held sentimental value. So he wore them almost every day, unlike his other rings.

Kwon Hyeongdo spun the ring and grinned.

“Since I don’t have the hands for hard work, I live by swindling people. But isn’t it great? My fingers are slender and long, not skinny like a gigolo’s, so they have a nice feel. If your fingers are short and knobby, they just scrape the entrance and cause internal injuries.”

It was not worth listening to. Ijin ducked his head to avoid Kwon Hyeongdo’s teasing fingers and slurped the thin noodles.

“See, I always keep my nails neatly trimmed. You wouldn’t know since you’ve never rolled around with another guy. You don’t know how gentlemanly I am.”

“Did all the gentlemen die without me knowing? You’re not talking about dinosaurs when you say gentlemen, are you?”

Kwon Hyeongdo laughed as he pulled a new cup of ramen he had prepped and opened the lid.

“You don’t even know how lucky you are to have met me. If it were Executive Director Ma, you’d already be torn up down there.”

Ijin chewed and swallowed the noodles that tasted like nothing.

“…Is Executive Director Ma the guy we saw earlier today?”

“Yeah.”

“Is an executive director higher than a director? Higher, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

Kwon Hyeongdo answered nonchalantly, smacking his lips, lamenting the lack of kimchi.

“Then… he’s stronger than you?”

But the moment Ijin asked that, Kwon Hyeongdo’s lighthearted demeanor vanished.

Kwon Hyeongdo snapped his head to look at Ijin. His gaze was nothing short of fierce. Like a beast. Ijin shuddered internally.

“Why. If I say yes, are you going to go suck up to him and ask him to take care of you?”

“Hey…”

Ijin threw down his chopsticks and glared.

“Is that all your brain can think of? I was just asking if he’s stronger than you.”

“Why are you even asking that? He’s someone you won’t get involved with. If you have nowhere else to focus your attention, use it on me. Be curious about what positions I like, what cup ramen I prefer, what cigarettes I smoke, stuff like that.”

“Are we dating? Why would I be curious about that crap?”

Ijin made a gagging sound, as if he was about to throw up. Kwon Hyeongdo crossed his arms and chuckled. As he straightened his back and spread his legs a bit, his clothes fit snugly, making him look even more intimidating.

“I don’t know why you’re curious about Executive Director Ma, but you should give up on that old relic. Rumor has it he’s got a sunflower dick.”

“Sunflower…?”

“Like this… with beads all around it. Get it?”

Kwon Hyeongdo made a circle with his fingers and tapped underneath with his other hand.

Just imagining it was grotesque and disgusting.

“Some guys only get one bead, but if he’s gone full sunflower, he’s a freaking pervert. Or maybe he’s just insecure because he’s small?”

Kwon Hyeongdo tilted his head, then smiled with interest at Ijin’s pale face. Leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs, Kwon Hyeongdo asked confidently.

“Hey. Now I’m curious. Is it just a rumor or true? Want to go check it out?”

“……”

“Let’s do it. Executive Director Ma can’t have gone far.”

“N-no way.”

Ijin shook his head furiously.

Kwon Hyeongdo stood up and picked up the feature phone he had tossed on the desk. He seemed to press something with his back to Ijin, then quickly put it to his ear and said, “Oh, hello. It’s Kwon Sangmu.”

Panicking, Ijin jumped up and approached Kwon Hyeongdo. He tugged at his clothes, but Kwon Hyeongdo didn’t budge.

“No, I was asking how far the executive director has gone. Has he left the IC?”

“K-Kwon Hyeongdo.”

Ijin shook his head desperately.

“Oh, he hasn’t left yet? Then can he come back? Because…”

“K-Executive Director Kwon…”

Kwon Hyeongdo glanced over his shoulder at Ijin’s head.

‘How is his head so perfectly round?’

Ijin couldn’t see Kwon Hyeongdo’s smiling face because his head was bowed low.

“About that jockey we saw earlier.”

Ijin finally grabbed onto Kwon Hyeongdo’s leg. Kneeling, he wrapped his arms around his leg and looked up, pleading.

“Executive Director Kwon…”

Only when he heard the trembling voice did Kwon Hyeongdo turn his head.

“Yeah. What?”

He covered the phone’s microphone with his palm and mouthed the words, and Ijin, with teary eyes, rubbed his cheek against Kwon Hyeongdo’s leg, begging.

“Please don’t send me. I won’t mess around…”

In Ijin’s mind, the sunflower dick had expanded into something alien and grotesque. Not knowing much about it, he imagined the beads as large as those used in marble games, and the dick as something monstrous and nauseating.

“Please…”

“……”

Kwon Hyeongdo looked down at Ijin, who was rubbing his cheek against his thigh, and unconsciously swallowed. His right-side member, which had been resting, swelled heavily.

Lowering his hand, Kwon Hyeongdo gently patted Ijin’s head.

“Then say, ‘I’ll only take Executive Director Kwon’s dick.’”

Ijin looked up at him, eyes blank. The feature phone, still warm with Kwon Hyeongdo’s body heat, pressed against his flushed cheek.

“I-I’ll only take Executive Director Kwon’s…”

His voice wavered and trailed off. Kneeling, he tilted his head back to look up at Kwon Hyeongdo.

Kwon Hyeongdo smiled with his eyes, mouthing the words—“Sun, flower.”

Damn bastard… He looked like some legendary gigolo who could seduce every madam in town, yet he carried himself like the king of criminals.

Ijin bit his lip, barely forcing out the rest.

“I’ll only take Executive Director Kwon’s dick…”

“……”

There was no response.

Silence followed. Ijin couldn’t stand the brief moment and rubbed his palm on his thigh.

[♩♬♪♩….]

What came back was the sound of a ringtone….

Ijin jerked his head away, and Kwon Hyeongdo casually answered the phone with an “Oops.”

“Oh. Chairman Choi.”

He didn’t… make the call?

It took a moment for Ijin to comprehend the situation. Once he did, he shot up. Understanding the situation and Ijin’s pent-up anger erupted almost simultaneously.

A barely comprehensible scream burst out, “You damn son of a biiiitch!”

As soon as the scream ended, Kwon Hyeongdo, who had turned around to suppress his laughter, bent forward.

“You bastard, I’ll kill you for sure!”

Ijin jumped on Kwon Hyeongdo from behind, biting his head and pulling his hair at the same time.

“Ah, ah. Ah! Damn, ah! You crazy brat. Ah!”

Kwon Hyeongdo’s phone slipped from his hand, hitting the floor with a dull thud. He reached back, trying to pry Ijin off—but it wasn’t easy.

Ijin clung to him like a lifeline, his legs locked tightly around Kwon Hyeongdo’s waist, core muscles flexed as he held on with stubborn determination.

Kwon Hyeongdo staggered, slamming into walls and the sofa in an attempt to shake him off, but Ijin refused to budge.

As the thumping sounds continued, Kim Jaeman woke up with a start, wiping the drool from his mouth and shouting with half-closed eyes.

“Hey, hyung! I told you to do that stuff at home or in a motel!”

Even amidst the chaos, Ijin was still pulling out chunks of Kwon Hyeongdo’s hair.