IWDAR Chapter 12

Tae-uk, who had turned his back, stopped walking. 

A resolute voice, filled with the same determination as the recent expression of gratitude, held him firmly in place. 

The soft voice, devoid of any trace of tears, betrayed no hesitation. Tae-uk slowly closed and then opened his long, almond-shaped eyes before turning around. Meeting his gaze, Wooyoung unconsciously clasped his hands tightly.

“I know I’m being shameless right now. But, as you mentioned… I truly need your help, CEO Mo.”

Tae-uk had an oddly sharp look with his small pupils, but all his features were striking, captivating Wooyoung’s attention every time their eyes met. 

Having such a man stare intently at him made Wooyoung’s mouth feel dry. 

How long did the oppressive silence last? 

A dark shadow fell over Wooyoung’s lowered head, fixed on his slipper-clad feet. 

Startled, he looked up to find the man, who had approached so close, looking down at him with sharp eyes. Like a predator closing in on its prey, its presence masked. 

Wooyoung’s slender throat trembled as he held his head high. Though he could have bent his knees, the man didn’t offer the same generosity as he had at the event. As if there was no reason to.

The rabbit-year-old, a newborn babe. 

A cruel smile spread across Tae-uk’s lips. 

“There’s no such thing as kindness without a reason. What do you think I’ll demand from you, Han Wooyoung?” 

At this point, he might actually cry, Tae-uk thought.

Even as Tae-uk echoed his own words back at him, Wooyoung didn’t flinch or blush. Rather, he seemed to consider Tae-uk’s words entirely reasonable.

“Please hear me out, and if you have any demands in return, feel free to tell me. I’ll do anything I can do.”

“What if I demand something you can’t do?”

“Then I’ll make a choice.”

“Demands aside, I might not even be interested in hearing your proposal.”

“Then I’ll leave the room immediately so as not to cause you further displeasure.”

Their gazes locked, and they stared at each other for a log moment. Wooyoung’s clear eyes, devoid of any impurities, were strangely difficult to look away from. 

Normally, Tae-uk would have felt distinct displeasure in this moment. But instead of displeasure, he found himself curious about what those small lips would request. 

Finally swallowing his derision, Tae-uk asked, 

“What is it you want to ask?”

Wooyoung’s eyes widened. 

His lips, tightly pressed together like a seashell, as if suppressing a surge of joy, trembled slightly. Tae-uk, unknowingly, formed a faint smile at this transparent display of emotion. 

Unaware of the smile due to his nervousness, Wooyoung carefully held out the USB drive he had been clutching since stopping Tae-uk. 

“I… I want to audition directly for you, CEO Mo.”

 ｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈•  ｡ﾟ

“You! I told you not to even think about coming back here until you got your act together! Do my words mean nothing to you? Huh?!”

Wooyoung remained silent in the face of Hyun-jong’s outburst. 

The freedom granted to him after returning from the hotel lasted a mere three days. After the commemorative party weekend, Hyun-jong had been relentlessly hounding both Wooyoung and Soohee. 

The fact that there had been no contact from ON Entertainment for several days after was the source of his rage. Soohee, who had been reluctantly dragged to the office with Wooyoung, also looked extremely displeased.

“Do you know how difficult it is to be in the same space as Mo Tae-uk? What’s so difficult about spreading your legs?! You screwed up the one opportunity that finally came your way!” 

Every word that escaped Hyun-jong’s mouth sounded like a scream. 

While the target of the vulgar insults was Wooyoung, it was Soohee’s face that had drained of color. 

Wooyoung recalled Soohee’s response when he’d asked if the President had been particularly angry lately. She needn’t have hidden it.

Countless people had directed their anger at Wooyoung throughout his life. They all had their own reasons for expressing fury, reasons that Wooyoung couldn’t comprehend. 

Nevertheless, Wooyoung had always endured it all silently. 

The cruel noise from this man, who treated him like a prostitute, no longer caused him pain. 

When Wooyoung stood there like a wooden post, utterly silent, people usually reacted in one of two ways. 

The first was to rant and rave, eventually tiring themselves out and shooing Wooyoung away. The second was…

Whack—!

“You son of a bitch! How dare you look me straight in the eye?! You’re not even remotely remorseful, are you? Huh?!”

“President!”

Unable to contain his rage, Hyun-jong raised his fist. Wooyoung, struck squarely in the face by the massive fist, collapsed to the floor.

“Cough…! Ugh…”

Clutching his cheek, Wooyoung let out a low groan. 

Even with drops of blood staining the floor, his dry eyes showed no trace of tears. However, the absence of tears didn’t mean he wasn’t in shock. 

He had been quite startled when he was hit in the head at the hotel, but back then, the presence of others seemed to have restrained Hyun-jong somewhat. 

This was the first time he’d been punched directly in the face, his bare skin exposed. His foster parents never laid a hand on any visible part of his body.

“H-Han Wooyoung! Are you okay?”

“What gives you the right to take his side? How many times have I told you to manage this kid properly?! Do you think I’m paying you a regular salary so you can let him roam around and come back injured without knowing why?!”

Hyun-jong seemed to have lost all reason. 

Soohee clenched her fists and held her breath. 

‘Should I just beat the shit out of this bastard and go to jail?’

She’d heard that when people get truly furious, their tongues go numb. It seemed to be true. 

As Soohee gritted her teeth, trembling with humiliation, a dark shadow fell over her. 

Wooyoung, who had been sprawled on the floor, slowly got up and stood in front of her. Soohee gaped in disbelief.

“CEO, please don’t do this to Soohee. Perhaps because his tongue had been bitten in the blow, Wooyoung’s words sounded more like “Pleathe don’t do thith to Soo-hee.” 

It was the worst possible scenario. 

“Just shut up, you insignificant thing!” Soohee screamed internally.

“If there’s been no contact from CEO Mo, it’s entirely my fault.”

Wooyoung’s face, already swelling, was turning a bluish hue. His skin was naturally sensitive. Such a brave front from someone in his state wouldn’t deter anyone.

“What did you just say to me?”

As a result, Hyun-jong’s expression hardened noticeably. In President Park Hyun-jong’s eyes, Han Wooyoung was nothing more than a child with nothing to his name, someone who, no matter how much of a fuss he made, would eventually cower before a contract. Seeing him raise his head and act all high and mighty made Hyun-jong’s blood boil.

“…So, I’ve become a laughingstock in your eyes, haven’t I?”

Muttering under his breath, Hyun-jong roughly rolled up his sleeves. 

Soohee held her breath. 

The way he was even taking off his watch suggested this wouldn’t end with just a few blows.

“Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson and fix that filthy attitude of yours. Then you’ll be crawling to CEO Mo on your own, thanking me. I’m personally stepping in to fix your life for you, you understand?”

Wooyoung, calmly gazing into Hyun-jong’s murderous eyes, closed his own. He was about to resignedly accept the impending beating when…

Knock, knock—

Someone knocked on the tightly closed office door of the president’s office. Both Soohee, trembling with fear, and the fuming Hyun-jong froze. Wooyoung opened his closed eyes.

“I-I apologize for interrupting your important conversation, President. But… ON Entertainment just contacted us…”

A female employee, as terrified as Soohee, managed to utter the words in a trembling voice. Wooyoung clearly saw Park Hyun-jong’s rage dissipate. The murderous intent vanished in an instant, replaced by a surge of elation in the man’s eyes.