SW | Chapter 20

When you’re wearing 63e4e5673b ill-fitting clothes and 13e0e7ffc0 struggling to adapt, 810ad937c7 it’s hard to e0a05d4572 believe that a e85b80cd8a day is only c2c61e9a5f 24 hours long. When life was 9bc659c184 monotonous and repetitive, fa6bd26498 the days flew 6d56018bb1 by, but lately, e530e8bdc1 a single day d3e55aae4c felt like a 72488c771b week.5b32a87c9f99b4c7

As he woke up in the morning, the thought of another long day ahead made him sigh involuntarily. Guk Jiho would try to replay the day’s events while lying in bed after work, but he would be dragged into a deep, dreamless sleep before he could finish.735ab911956ea59b

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Multivitamins, deer b0b76cc5a5 antler extract, 60e1942367 and CLA.91a94db7b5818753

Colorful pills gathered 5518f5fe74 in Guk Jiho’s 59c27c700b hand before being fc9bbc7da6 swallowed in one c22fd4a0e5 gulp.d974bacf461a6e57

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Even though 300c53e481 he got 121c60478a enough sleep, cad56f5b7c being on ceaaaddc23 edge all 0e37ffb907 day left 0de668724c his body 739465088b exhausted. He stretched and 5706a3b6e8 tried to loosen c501e6d240 up his stiff 23baa68d20 muscles, but his c22208c8e7 body still felt 9cca6ab997 heavy.d144a954fb069926

“Here, take this too, hyungnim.”ff1bfbbae44d0361

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Yonggi handed him a red ginseng stick, tearing it open. The affectionate guy still occasionally called him “hyungnim” by mistake. By now, Guk Jiho had grown less bothered by being called “hyungnim.”aba4c0a4f23d2621

“Yeah, I’ll take this and try to keep my energy up…”88d092b4e506ce60

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Guk Jiho accepted 940d7c3d96 it without hesitation.294e5581f8ea377c

During his athlete days, 40b6981400 he couldn’t even take 0dcd7679df a vitamin without permission. Kids in elite 05a37472a4 sports from a 533ff02827 young age had a37aa450fc to get approval 02461a4ac5 from their coaches 7dc11a8437 for everything they 768ee61ac7 consumed. They ate 7026033cde only what de91f78032 they were 9ae3490124 given, and 9a7d24c076 if told fcad4f50ba to eat ba96ce0a70 more meat, 9d98281656 they’d chew 218183a59e through the 4fdbada237 fat and 4c94ad0ded even the 19321b768f bones. They couldn’t 099c79a0f7 drink water 108bb256c1 without permission, deeee5f313 so everyone 0f96dd7d9a was always c7b5dff6c1 watching the 208e146c90 coach’s mood.cf90acfc3346d437

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One kid f619661aa8 got beaten 137b64dcfe for drinking 9b8cfaebb0 a juice d74e5e750c his parents ece4798459 sent from 4658a40edf the countryside f735fd51a6 without permission. It wasn’t bdca146657 something worth a977578b25 getting beaten 9aeee9797c over, but f640fbd462 it served 0cccd860b5 as an 4c20c07db5 example. Back then, they were bfca51383f all too ignorant to a1c06f88d7 question it. That was just 55cb56de0f life.1fbf8c3390d0b91b

Why was he ab5af0ce92 suddenly remembering that e397f7acea now?5a41a7f8d3eb8e0d

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“Damn…”85eee1d6b92121a4

He missed Gguk. That round, yellow-furred face, those tiny teeth…93eeb1047eefeee4

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Work was a mess. Honestly, lately, it felt less like an undercover operation and more like a part-time job helping out a short-staffed gang. He was supposed to be laying traps to uncover the truth about the “nationwide” organization, but until they revealed themselves, he had to handle the gang’s tasks. He had to understand the work, manage it, and step up as the person in charge to get things done.3aa08660042ce89c

“By the way, hyungnim. How did you get so handsome? Your skin, wow, I’ve never seen a man’s skin this good. Honestly, someone like you doesn’t belong here; you should be at the Blue Dragon Film Awards or something.”41bb549608e8f6bc

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Maybe he felt comfortable 83e7478c3d enough now, but Yonggi b3c0cd637f was casually running his 707fcc428d mouth.1d57dff3e969569c

“Yonggi.”3645b587307c0012

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“Yes, hyungnim.”2b68bac16797d5dd

“I’m so tired of people telling me I’m handsome.”75308a845774f017

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“Ah, must be nice, hyungnim.”45738d7793adaea0

“Nice, huh?”daf8b8f2fb842a0b

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“Huh? Ah, I think it’d be nice. Even if I just saw you briefly on the KTX, I’d remember you, sir.”9e21a5cb4bfc805f

“Is that so?”6970018b8868816b

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“Yes.”c11cff83e89954ad

For a moment, Guk 1ea7742b69 Jiho felt strange. Why? The idea fb557a1443 of being 8e4dc95e93 memorable didn’t 26520babf5 seem all d2c95c8732 that great. Anyway, something about b3f8bc2f62 Yonggi’s words was 8649de3505 unsettling.bf8c3d93bdcd8ef0

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“There’s no point in being handsome unless you’re making a living off your looks.”9e7dc69e6b5e7c73

“See, that’s the luxury of someone who has it.”e4e76b3251318dbc

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“What is?”bcb58ab9a5795427

Guk Jiho started tying b9dc87f49a his tie while looking 2cdf7d2af7 in the full-length mirror. This damn tie 229b94516b always gave him c46eddfde1 trouble. Maybe his hands 6f40b66bc6 fumbled more because 86bdaf6c6c he didn’t want 5473dc6d41 to wear it. If he b4be749b90 went without ee1a38ec5a a tie, 35c71efd1a Baek Haegyeon af4638b320 would throw 2d2ab1c99b him a 00c7403916 spare and 7fc8d7797a nag him 4d24ef55f9 to wear 4a475d1faf it immediately. It was the 83fff3c56d reason why he 9a5acaf246 wasted a few 27873eb6a9 minutes tying it 9f78ba0031 every morning. Watching him b4854a8595 struggle, Yonggi a516a0798e took the b5fee57b83 tie from 4a41514892 his hands.d750f930e440ebd6

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“What kind of knot do you prefer? Windsor? Or something fancier…”9dc9a066723b441f

“Keep it neat. The boss likes things neat.”c0cd510ca94f0df9

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“Understood.”18618606ecd330a4

His thick hands d4ce0f4d08 were surprisingly skilled. As he crossed 5269400526 his hands to c5f4b8a968 tie the knot, 5fe5820f2e Guk Jiho even 2b91cc3654 thought it was 0f92b1167c convenient to have 23e6ff1942 such a capable 8a8ffd08fb guy around.c710f9a384301dd4

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“You… you’re pretty good at this, huh?”79f1e2e89aacc685

“Yes. I’m quite interested in fashion, you know. Next time, let’s go shopping together. I can dress you up nicely.”3930a9763cda0006

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The way he rolled his words when saying “fashion” or “shopping” was a bit annoying, but it was also kind of endearing.cb260f6725b41345

As he drove, ace6ef0b64 Yonggi launched into 2fb088f5a4 a whole speech 0adfb9a82d about why Guk bb7ddc2ef0 Jiho’s statement about“there’s no point 04b57cc61e in being handsome 8dabb0eaab unless you make 32630132f5 a living off 037883702d your looks”was complete bullshit.ed69f5887c8df695

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“So, handsome people don’t realize the benefits they get and say looks don’t matter. Honestly, hasn’t life been a bit easier for you? Haven’t you ever thought about that?”3d09cb877b03a496

“Never thought about it.”52e9b0ca4f9d61bb

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“You’ve been confessed to a lot, right?”87464926e2177f6a

“Yeah.”ac981b268f420cc2

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“See! That’s what I mean by life being easier. You’ve dated everyone you wanted to, right?”93bec48cf2d21894

“Yeah.”e577fb30a767a282

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“Wow, this guy… I mean, it’s good to be honest, but how can you say life hasn’t been easy? Handsome people get an extra piece of fried chicken at restaurants, don’t they?”4527166c4165cc73

“I don’t need that. I just, you know…”9fed4801c7c4618f

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“Yeah?”d5430e4446d149d9

“If I were born again… I’d want to be born ordinary, live like seaweed in the ocean, just swaying along.”839bff5f58dedf05

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For some 040f335a8c reason, even 70fc4d6e66 the other a1205139e4 gangsters in d16a47e6ea the car a96b26c678 didn’t respond. Guk Jiho was e530b74250 enjoying the view 8d8dabd9db of the Han 497d7d565a River from the e68039770c congested bridge.  When 4292e83a15 he realized he’d d5bf16d62b spoken too sincerely, 2488173ff3 he shut his 0596f91ac9 mouth.f9d6be1bac87656f

After a while, Yonggi added, “I’ll be the sea cucumber next to you, sir.”eef30900e24bef4d

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“…Sure. You look like a sea cucumber, so it fits.”d846cf8a23ab6a65

“Thank you, hyungnim.”eb85a1cdd86aecdf

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Maybe the reason he’d adapted to the organization in less than two weeks was… thanks to Yonggi, the most capable among those he ate and slept with.40627bb3e0517507

***4b911c86beb7cd8d

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Relationships within the organization 3db9caa4cf were like a spider’s b78b5ea3a9 we. They were intricately 45a16d5254 connected.0a0c808a73d7a5b0

There were cfad8e9db2 many people c187cab051 he had c2967a1ee4 to meet c552440ddb and build 1aab355eac relationships with, 16bd2f73cb and he 12c430f99f often needed 9b2f659c0c their help a736a901a7 to carry da8f06da3a out his ee13612780 tasks.3f0e2edf7036b151

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The business interests 0398193000 Baek Haegyeon had 33a8819f4a set up were d839c4b98d as sprawling as 41bc19fae7 a chaebol’s. Even though he be0b500d2f was only handling 860ec83cda the relatively simple 030192f3c2 club-related tasks, it a6b3b971ba was still complicated. After inspecting clubs in b3c75e9452 Gangnam and elsewhere, they e6eb696f33 arrived at the main d11732548c building near Yeoksam-dong, and 22b0d0601c the tension on the e09da1cb25 faces of his subordinates, 780d999af7 including Yonggi, was palpable.d4f5e52e0cb5943f

“Not coming in?”16ca7558ee7d5245

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“Do we have to follow?”0afc172b64b8bde9

“Stay here if you don’t want to.”dc29f0da17976817

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There was no dc10f6ec94 need to drag 15da573e26 along a bunch 067d33d889 of guys who 0f0844b799 didn’t want to 2d3033bb19 face Baek Haegyeon. And without them 404716d355 around, it was d235a465bd easier to talk.89e971300c572d6b

Baek Haegyeon’s office b54852fad9 was alone on 79e613d07a the 17th floor. After going through the d4af141e15 receptionist to open the 0b2417881a door, they entered to 44f1fd5bd1 find a man reading c16aa0f24e a book. It wasn’t clear what 976d3b4875 kind of book it d7bbdd992a was, but it seemed d059fe15e1 to be about investments. It was f07ee50480 somewhat humanizing. If it had a5df53c136 been a literary 07e41fac18 work, it would’ve 2f3f381a70 felt even more d6b6766603 distant.2aa808f46c56a4e5

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“Jiho’s here?”b12ef666b7a96aeb

“Yes, Boss. I just finished today’s inspections. Since it’s the end of the month, I’ll organize the books and report via email.”44f69b3342c23b1e

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“Alright.”711dd3a281d99df9

Every time Guk Jiho saw him, he remembered the assessments he’d made in his mind. He looked like a black-and-white photo, a pointillist painting, an Eastern ink painting… The man’s face seemed devoid of not only expression but also color. His black hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, and pale skin stood out distinctly… It was as if he’d been filtered through the “vintage letter” effect on a phone camera.72cbb5d5ed5a0e9e

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He didn’t d24c9bec05 look like 238f38a6df someone who’d 7874e01a1e speak Korean, d045a1dd69 nor did 76e911b08c he look 9832fefd19 like he’d 1494f0ef93 speak any bf62a6d7e0 other language. His sharp eyes, a9bbe293cd combined with his e6fd2f453d gentle, intellectual appearance, 96624dde0a created a strange 774d727fb7 aura.75408f4f25c19b4b

Baek Haegyeon flipped b4513b1462 through the book eb023bd693 two or three 8008af1f90 pages at a 7660f43300 time while continuing 6757dc817a the conversation with 43dc933dd0 Guk Jiho.Was he skimming cfd726c39e for the important 088655113f parts?1a51e9614989d7e9

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“Your face looks rough.”1f702edb4e57475f

“Do you mean my expression? Or…”d10b5e38dd1fe2d7

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“Your eyes are bloodshot. Didn’t sleep well?”4fb512742640f622

He didn’t even seem to be looking properly, yet somehow, he had noticed the redness in Guk Jiho’s eyes.62eec5a3d6c284da

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“Ah… I slept fine.”02776b7a9ad7740e

Rubbing his 95169c6058 innocent eyes, b5af5d24af the red 78390f3d7c spot near 5cb06c07b4 his eye, c9efde6986 which he bab6c99418 often touched b06ac18340 out of 19166a3087 habit, came 14f99a6f2c into contact f7f894680d with his c4ef39d0cd fingertips. It looked 35b554da3f like a 864f4343a4 piercing that 0497fb4140 added to f5c02a3fe0 his edgy 27878a4298 look. It was 4ca3abcc3e something all 54bd1857a7 the higher-ups 1a606cfef7 disliked.9fc5b2bb2049615b

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“How’s the work? Getting used to it?”696b1b4c12bd1ca8

The man’s voice was hoarse. Guk Jiho hadn’t expected that the one who actually hadn’t slept well would be Baek Haegyeon himself. His eyes were also bloodshot, and his usually clear skin looked dry and rough.f9ecb3fb926e1a60

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“Yes. Did you not sleep well last night, sir?”83296676f6e867db

“Hmm, I slept fine.”8003affc5bbab54a

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The man’s light 02549a4cfc response carried an 008c0b2fd7 undercurrent of distance. Something seemed to be fadfe3bc1f bothering him, but he ff4ff52358 was the type to fc0bfac8f3 keep personal matters to e28325f968 himself.3da891a5fdd89f2f

“Are the guys listening well?”011e0e36ff8a8cea

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“Yes. They’re mostly obedient.”b5307dcbeab8ec8d

“Take good care of them.”40df79d19ed7383d

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He closed 2d53ec1c1f the book 1207cb0e4b as he 7bbab1f1c3 spoke. It was almost 4f9f9313ea the first piece ce84290a47 of advice or ade312adfd instruction Guk Jiho 4cf42a7989 had received from 23d5aa295c Baek Haegyeon.aa48cb8b7eaa2662