OMLM | Chapter 22

“Do thugs really have such dark eyes?”

Jung Woochan, who had been screaming, suddenly felt a rush of intense fear. It really felt like he might get killed without anyone knowing.

The one trampling him mercilessly was clearly an outlaw, unlike himself, still coexisting in society despite his worse deeds.

Finally, Jung Woochan trembled his jaw and frantically rubbed his hands, now dirty with mud. All his bravado had vanished.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, spare my life!” Only after that cry did Cha Hyuk relax his grip.

On the verge of suffocation, Jung Woochan gasped for air, tears filling his eyes. At his pathetic sight, Cha Hyuk let out a sneer.

“I really need to let you know how much…”

His cold eyes intensely scrutinized Jung Woochan’s red, bloodshot eyes and trembling lips.

“How insignificant and trivial you are.”

“Please!”

As Jung Woochan pushed himself up with strength, Cha Hyuk merely observed the groaning man who couldn’t even properly retaliate.

Completely broken down, Cha Hyuk stepped back.

Jung Woochan quickly got up, not caring about his dirty clothes, and staggered back. Mud smeared behind him.

Cha Hyuk approached the terrified Jung Woochan, pressing his back against the wall.

“You need to realize how badly you’re behaving, how rudely you’ve been to someone who once loved you. How do I make you understand?”

Digging in his pocket, Cha Hyuk pulled out a cigarette and lit it. With a click, smoke lazily curled into the air.

“Didn’t you say you were going to Jeju for your honeymoon?”

Sucking in the smoke, Cha Hyuk looked down at Jung Woochan with half-closed, weary eyes. Jung Woochan, silent, just looked up at him.

Leisurely exhaling, Cha Hyuk seemed to be contemplating how to enlighten him.

As the thin smoke spiraled up, finally vanishing, Cha Hyuk continued.

“You might want to stay there for a while. Putting the sea between us might give me more time to think if I should come after you.”

Just tremble quietly, wondering when I might show up, feeling the unease of being pushed out of the world where everything once went your way.

“Have I done so wrong to be threatened by a gangster I don’t even know!”

Jung Woochan yelled, his face contorted.

He knew he had done wrong. Jung Woochan had a conscience, he knew he had strayed from decency.

He wasn’t devoid of remorse toward Kang Yebon. He had it. That’s why he had tried to meet and confess everything. But it was Kang Yebon who had refused, and even brought a thug to his house.

His wrongs and bringing a thug to threaten him were separate matters, an excessive retaliation.

The throbbing in his chest amplified his sense of injustice. Jung Woochan glared at him, who was wielding unjust violence.

Cha Hyuk watched him assert his unfair treatment, the burnt-out cigarette dropping its ash under the red light.

As Cha Hyuk remained silent, Jung Woochan thought his point had been made. He was about to add more when Cha Hyuk finally spoke.

“Do you really think you understand the extent of your wrongdoing?”

“It’s my life, why wouldn’t I know? I may be a bastard, but even bastards have common sense. This is just you meddling unnecessarily!”

His defiant statement was immediately followed by laughter.

Cha Hyuk narrowed his eyes, emitting a disbelieving laugh.

“A bastard with common sense, huh. That’s the second most ridiculous thing I’ve heard this year. -The first being Kang Yebon saying there’s not much difference between 35 and 33.-”

Unaware of how absurd he sounded, Jung Woochan’s face was utterly serious.

“Unfair, huh. Want me to show you what real injustice looks like?”

Cha Hyuk removed the cigarette from his lips, slowly lowering his hand.

Beneath the still-lit cigarette was Jung Woochan’s face.

The smoke slowly obscured his vision, his eyes fluttering uncontrollably.

“Don’t hit me, save me…!”

The ash fell just above his eyes.

Jung Woochan instinctively squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head.

The sting on his cheek was slight, but that was all. When Jung Woochan timidly opened his eyes, Cha Hyuk’s mouth was twisted in a smirk.

“You cringe at just the ash; you’d definitely die if it was for real.”

Despite his gentle tone, Cha Hyuk rubbed out the cigarette on Jung Woochan’s wedding suit jacket.

As Jung Woochan flinched, Cha Hyuk carefully placed the extinguished butt in his pocket.

“Forgot to give a wedding gift.”

Cha Hyuk winked cheekily, raising his eyebrows.

Completely dazed, Jung Woochan still sprawled on the ground, murmured weakly.

“What is Kang Yebon to you, that you would go this far…”

Cha Hyuk gazed thoughtfully at the stained exterior of the building.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, still looking away.

“I hope he never finds out how I’m involved here.”

As Cha Hyuk turned to leave, Jung Woochan exclaimed.

“So I admit it! I’ve done wrong, but my wife and unborn child are innocent! My family doesn’t deserve to suffer! Why make them endure this too!”

“That’s a serious misconception. I never said I’d involve your family.”

“You threatening me is as good as threatening my family!”

Cha Hyuk stared at Jung Woochan, whose face twisted with emotion, for a quiet moment.

“Does the world owe you a life as you desire? If you can’t protect them from the consequences of your own actions, maybe you shouldn’t have started this.”

And are you really worried about your family’s safety? Cha Hyuk questioned, and Jung Woochan couldn’t utter a word.

In front of those piercing dark eyes, his mouth refused to move.

Those deep black eyes were so dark that Jung Woochan could see his own pitiful reflection in them.

After a while, Cha Hyuk turned and walked away.

Left alone, Jung Woochan felt the oppressive atmosphere lift as Cha Hyuk disappeared. He looked down at his hands and ruined wedding suit.

He remained silent for a long time until Minyoung came looking for him, angry, before he could leave the damp place.

Leaning on Minyoung’s support as they walked, Jung Woochan muttered, “Was I really that wrong?”

Lee Seunggu seemed off. Kang Yebon couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but he could definitely tell it wasn’t the usual Lee Seunggu.

Even now, Lee Seunggu was subtly avoiding his gaze.

If there was something bothering him, he usually spoke up; this was the first time he behaved like this, so Kang Yebon squinted slightly, studying Lee Seunggu.

Lee Seunggu shifted his gaze again while talking to Kim Junghyun.

“So, do you know what that crazy guy said to me?”

“What did he say?”

Kang Yebon tried to engage, but Lee Seunggu seemed intent on ignoring him, burying himself even deeper among Kim Junghyun and Park Soojung.

He had been acting like this since the morning. At first, Kang Yebon thought he was mistaken, but now it was clear it wasn’t just his imagination.

“Ah, there’s the bus. I’m going!”

“I’ll go too. See you tomorrow.”

After passing through the rear gate, Park Soojung and Kim Junghyun rushed to the bus stop, lucky to catch the buses that had just arrived. They hurried not to miss them, as the buses might get full.

Finally, only Lee Seunggu and Kang Yebon were left. Lee Seunggu became suddenly very quiet, his mood noticeably subdued.

“Lee Seunggu.”

Lee Seunggu pretended not to hear, but they both knew better. It wasn’t noisy enough to miss Kang Yebon’s call, and they weren’t that far apart.

“Lee Seunggu.”

Only after Kang Yebon’s voice showed a hint of irritation did Lee Seunggu reluctantly shift his gaze and mumbled a response.

“What.”

Kang Yebon frowned slightly.

He thought back but couldn’t recall doing anything to upset Lee Seunggu. They hadn’t even been in touch over the weekend.

“If you’ve got nothing to say, I’ll go. I have plans.”

As Lee Seunggu started to walk away, Kang Yebon grabbed him.

This was new territory for them; Kang Yebon felt a twinge of anxiety. Lee Seunggu was one of his closest friends, and he didn’t want to end up alone.

“Why are you mad? Did I do something wrong?”

Lee Seunggu stood still, his lips pressed tightly together, then sighed heavily.

“Kang Yebon.”

“Yes.”

Lee Seunggu glared at him for a moment before speaking gruffly.

“You went to that wedding, right? With hyung too.”

“Oh.”

Kang Yebon realized then what had upset Lee Seunggu.

It dawned on him that he had seen Kim Beomjun at the wedding.

He must have told him. Kang Yebon looked slightly embarrassed. He had been so preoccupied with Jung Woochan and Cha Hyuk that he hadn’t thought to tell Lee Seunggu.

Though he had said he wouldn’t go, hearing it from someone else must have led to misunderstandings.

Now Kang Yebon understood why Lee Seunggu was upset. At the same time, he was puzzled why Lee Seunggu hadn’t just talked to him first as he usually would have.

“Sorry. There was a situation, and I ended up having to go. I really wasn’t planning to. Honestly.”

Kang Yebon stretched his eyebrows sincerely, looking remorseful. Lee Seunggu watched him silently for a while then asked.

“What situation?”

He dodged Kang Yebon’s probing look. Kang Yebon blinked several times, making a troubled face.

“There was a bit of a situation. It’s not a big deal, and it’s okay now. Don’t worry about it.”

There was a brief silence. Lee Seunggu sighed deeply again and then dropped Kang Yebon’s hand that was gripping his arm. His face seemed to carry a somber shadow.

“Kang Yebon, you never tell me anything. I wish you’d rely on me a bit more, but it seems you won’t.”

Lee Seunggu had always wanted to be kept in the loop about things happening to Kang Yebon, which Kang Yebon had known for a long time.

But knowing everything about someone in a relationship wasn’t always good.

People often had secrets that were hard to share, and not spilling every detail didn’t mean they weren’t relying on each other.

Kang Yebon thought Lee Seunggu understood this too, as he usually didn’t press others as persistently.

Kang Yebon’s eyelids trembled and then drooped as he murmured.

“…Sorry.”

Lee Seunggu twitched his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, he said nothing more and closed it again.

The silence between them grew profoundly quiet. After a while of not looking at each other, Lee Seunggu was the first to speak, their gazes finally meeting.

“So what exactly am I supposed to care about for you?”