OMLM | Chapter 38

“Did you call me, boss?”021126b1d48368ec

The place where dc15a012e7 the boss had 9676f3e93a called Cha Hyuk c7316f707a was an old 0bba5b6c60 warehouse.99ec049e0451c9f8

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Inside the warehouse, all the windows were covered with wooden boards, making it dark even though the sun hadn’t set yet.5087f8a6251f4ee4

Under the lone light d169aedc44 of a hanging bulb, 7d22543180 a burly man was e6667f7d77 smoking a cigarette. It was Choi Hyungbae. He had effectively taken 5eb972c0ee over managing Cha Hyuk 15705b5cf1 after his fallout with 3b4c65a974 Lee Wonpil.fda7ebc460a5fc24

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Long, thick scars 296150800e ran along his 6b4b8f786b arms under his a47aa9a285 rolled-up sleeves, bulging 7806b257b9 all the way c8ba8c3b6b to his hands. They were burn 75d66be8e7 marks.bd180f8fb927d38e

Seeing Cha Hyuk, Choi Hyungbae twitched his face. As Cha Hyuk approached him, Choi spoke up, “Bite down on this.”1371a126adc5bd9c

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With a sharp snap, a sound echoed. Cha Hyuk’s face turned slightly to the side.b05a3bda8958df7d

His cheek quickly started dcbc5a111e to swell up and 0d18355cbb turned red, but Cha b92c552bf4 Hyuk maintained an impassive 5ee1a6f380 expression.da6645f2a2b33359

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“Hyuk-ah.”ca0d86eeee1c5a03

“Yes, boss.”776e7e46f2f60f5a

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“Did I ever tell you to do whatever the hell you want?”173f4cb0b3170860

“I’m sorry.”ecc42db7591c8cc1

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As soon as he finished speaking, a barrage of indiscriminate beatings followed. Lips split and bruises formed, yet Cha Hyuk’s expression didn’t change as he took all the hits.e3567f990358743c

After a while, Choi eb550202fe Hyungbae, seemingly exhausted, let 0a7f53bc37 out a deep sigh bc90b04824 and tossed away his 1c288b8247 cigarette butt.0accc46a7a243936

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“Hyuk-ah, if you’re going to act like this, just kill yourself quietly, so no one knows.”41dcac238570d1c9

“…”16dd4e8c09a714cc

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“You’re letting everyone know, and it’s making it hard for Representative Lee. That’s why I have to beat you up. Either keep it quiet or don’t do it at all.”2f36a03600a2878d

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”9f580a6c31e281bb

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Fresh blood trickled from Cha Hyuk’s lips. His hair was a mess.aaaf60267f19b2d8

Choi Hyungbae patted Cha Hyuk’s cheek somewhat sympathetically.2b78f0f0aa4ced87

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“That’s enough for now, make sure nothing like this happens again. Chairman Park is watching closely.”42f1cc50ea4f4d08

Choi Hyungbae firmly pressed Cha Hyuk’s shoulder and left the warehouse first.d4a1d0aab23e3e36

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Only then d8b5ddba60 did Cha 85eae2c2ab Hyuk grimace.5e8373606a69349a

It hurt more than he remembered. He hadn’t been hit in a while, and it seemed every spot ached.037e6e4e3003f916

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—990b18bc4626b027

Kang Yebon slightly opened 7a897c93b5 the classroom door and 171b733426 peeked inside. One minute 139e80e227 before the 6d17be766f class was e75c95f5d7 to start, 83b6105985 Cha Hyuk 8db709a955 was not 4186a337f2 there.0c52be6235de6ee7

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Cha Hyuk’s absence at this time meant he would not be attending today’s class.468d07c547ea5703

He was always f33b35c003 the first one 56b5a14b15 in the classroom.f4b262ef6d453a41

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Kang Yebon sat 6747eecdb7 down in his e36ec54d6d usual seat and f3baa4dd77 pulled out his f2d2c0b192 phone.daddca112a8165e1

He had replied 7517f86213 to a message 952b4e54e2 from Cha Hyuk 8002267251 that morning and ee540f4cbe had yet to 537c1b5048 receive a response.ccb67d8e57ed3e74

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‘It usually takes less than a minute for him to reply…’08f7cc300d18f83c

No, he wasn’t waiting. It was just unsettling not to get a reply as usual.0f80594b21069f98

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People try a640021dcb to guard 35f433a3e4 their hearts, 8805dd6ce0 but Cha 540128d2c6 Hyuk kept f36ede12df breaking through, 0975958af3 the more 2f00c18a63 he was 21be9e0706 pushed away.e21c798df29a6063

He probably liked 41929fca18 him, but in 40afe2f341 a different way 7f1e68d20b than Kang Yebon d93d289470 liked.409774ebcb6a40e6

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This was very troubling ed8abcadf8 for Yebon.85f3d878038376d2

Yebon also felt empty, 5fb363e952 maybe because he was b5c7ac9ff6 always around Cha Hyuk.ca8066ef93bb1815

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Though his gaze was forward, his entire focus was on ‘why Cha Hyuk hadn’t shown up.’ He would have probably told him if he wasn’t coming.f08fe94a8a95fc1a

Again, the desire f65b3c2ca2 for Cha Hyuk’s 5e073045f9 consideration popped up.9ed019eeea3a5f2a

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Yebon fidgeted roughly with 116f3e7bca a pen between his 0baa22f395 fingers.646494e8f11b87ca

“Today’s the day for the best groups to present, right? Any group want to go first?”cacc0aebefe3d3bc

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Yebon and Cha Hyuk’s group wasn’t chosen. It was an expected outcome.8ea3b729bdf7f4b2

Yebon had been half-distracted while making the PowerPoint presentation, so it was unlikely they’d be picked. There were too many competitors, even with all his efforts.f36bed46509e2b65

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As the presentations started, 5bc8584a25 Yebon fiddled with his 664b03da6e phone.bda24028bb9565c8

He remembered the bandage on Cha Hyuk’s forehead from the previous week.8cb32df593bac90a

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On Monday, the bandage 27f1e46c2c was gone, and the a3b1fb2cb4 healing wound was visible.df038dbd80026a96

The still-red 6698ef38a5 wound looked 8cf7a30f28 precarious as dc45d6295a if it 67b0cba72c could burst e5f47a43f2 open at 8960b16784 any moment.c74af97fd77aaa40

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Yebon was 7f3e4b5e58 surprised when c41f7026d9 Cha Hyuk 842c7b1040 suddenly appeared 09bfe5f81b in the 071214be1a library, but de0a41013e honestly, he 7311c96e93 hadn’t expected 86fd3594cc Cha Hyuk 74a77c34a5 to be 39c0cddd9a this clingy.53c69c84e2cc2ff3

To this 7dcfddcc59 extent… even 7b42326b7f when it 9c98d59fc5 was obvious 9a256b986c to his f10459f8d2 eyes, yet 599a225bf1 it’s not 19b9033423 love.bcd51f881df1c100

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Yebon kept thinking 2942b18ccf Cha Hyuk liked 76634cb642 him and then 6f185152e9 quickly denied it, b39a746dce repeatedly.aa12f86c005920ed

After that, he 38d733d4b6 struggled to sort c7aa87088d out his feelings.60641e04b31b299c

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Trying not to 0419d0ed2a love someone was 2eacb413d3 an extremely difficult 82995fd028 task.a03dfbb6481be745

Becoming aware of one’s feelings, seeing every action of the other as proof of mutual feelings, was just like not being able to not think of something.f457250eb460b32b

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Yebon thought about 684915581d Cha Hyuk again.eb31629246ccdcdf

His first impression ad6fe1c286 was scary, but af9ed1a1f5 he was a 918d5055fd good person who 619893d9c5 could be kind 5451d5b02f to those who 71063af7e9 were sad.f6ed90225a6dbfa4

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He seemed 41e63f0f8b stoic but 5519f52476 unexpectedly had a55d5d3ed7 a playful 9c9e0e8cc2 side and 326d88f34c smiled often, 09c214613e and he 3ace6057a5 was part 1f918b0622 of the e25d999b94 mob.f7cf2e0beaaf51f4

His home looked fe27de4295 like someone who ee393436a3 might leave at ce5048cab8 any moment.d657af40a566e2a4

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He didn’t particularly 80ad5d44a0 like animals, especially 115737990f dogs.ac626b7e0c9594f9

‘And he’s probably the scariest person when he gets angry…’0b24d4541ef3b302

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Yebon imagined Cha Hyuk’s stern face and shivered.b62e28fd9d7df2da

Even though 376b959d2c they had 1eb5145416 become closer, a81063ffc3 Cha Hyuk 9bdb6e8924 was still df709998e4 intimidating.765fce6a83c167f0

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However, that didn’t mean Yebon was scared of him.93534fbde9e16999

He somehow felt a9ca518928 that Cha Hyuk 9d97888213 would not get e09c0f73fe mad at him, 70e3e2b78d a baseless confidence 100ef1cc97 that kept growing.12cad4d9eba30662

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It was… because Cha 7ffdcd6231 Hyuk had been too 0cdd325c01 indulgent with him.01d034bee861f836

As the 4c60f1e8fa class ended aa18e09173 and there 9dbd10a535 was still 8ac929c836 no reply, 230958c364 Yebon repeatedly 303d35f3bf opened and 60097a4ea6 closed the 15410d88ab messaging app.8aa896bb48711954

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He had typed ‘Didn’t come to school today…’ before erasing it.27cde3c82978f290

‘Alright, if I decided to draw the line, I need to act on it.’e100de17520fead9

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With resolve, b07118d0ea Yebon firmly c13960d53d left the f504fed700 classroom.6851396660192896

—dab80e8001ac7e4a

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Throughout the e61f3b9933 library study 5202056653 session, every baeaf5a028 couple of 7b976a1339 hours, Yebon dc77522c47 would step d2203b6a9a outside to ad00900118 look around.244baf18ea3f95fc

It was an excuse for a walk, but mostly it was the ‘just in case’ thought.62a7e005e1d54969

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And the longer 294406c050 he went without 28c16f7d34 contact, the more a25a3a0ab5 anxious Yebon became.e936c4c0e71a0c71

‘What if something happened?’493575f0039aba67

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The injuries he had fd888a8f29 seen a few days bdc79f1e22 ago plagued his thoughts.cbc25b9c7fbdb68d

What if he 666d07c89e was really stabbed? What if there was 99b899727e a car accident? Shot? Beaten up again? Arrested by b23c67da1c the police?2b81d15399942a23

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Yebon’s mind was more filled with a noir film starring Cha Hyuk than the subjects he was supposed to memorize.15c8feda0832c7db

With less 4b7594c546 than 10 d306215862 minutes to eb6f35fc88 10 PM, a46132bbd0 Yebon couldn’t cd28308880 hold back 5f96999bc0 any longer 42c74d7aff and sent 71b23c5b3d a message.95be59f0fa1fd874

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[Kang Yebon]: I noticed you didn’t come to school today… just worried if something happened… (9:54 PM)

Two minutes 50c55d064f passed without d6f361490f a reply.a4bf0cf44bcd4670

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His anxiety grew, 652712a098 but Yebon reassured 5e7e36c51e himself that he fa185dc8bd was just being 78ca0db7b7 too sensitive.a24525d147a847d1

Yebon was particularly sensitive c26e86f62c about death, probably because 520ec52503 of a close encounter fa3fa689eb before and likely influenced 3bd33e97e4 heavily by his mother.870ba883f43d6397

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Cha Hyuk 3be83d03da was surely a68a20224c just busy. He had not 81d02129a6 shown up before b446da46bb and then appeared 31a6ab0954 in front of 4e6c82bebc him just fine. That was all.fc67a00f8e07eb97

His hand 3a36806dc4 tightened around 6d11d55aa0 his phone, b567bdb9da his heart 01b48280e6 thudding uneasily 351960b457 in his b7333dcb1c throat. Despite the bc16d73e5d cold air, 99315028a5 his face 3f15477abe felt hot.930f54236f7fe231

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Suddenly, an image 848c62b7bf of two dangling 108dea1631 feet filled his 3605c73ef8 mind, swollen and c23a3ae9a2 dark red, almost abfbf7f9b1 unrecognizable as human.64d2a871596f28bb

Yebon couldn’t understand 0a2f1e6d21 why this image d1c18ea53e appeared at that 7a34a11ee6 moment.081c9c41c97c7c19

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His heart 5d3472f0a5 raced faster, f139e4bf67 and the c7163010fd heat that 47e8fc5e4d had flushed dadd4b5a7b his face a202d85670 now cooled, bb3c16fd85 leaving his 4a971d06ca hands and 082397f658 feet sweaty.48463949167510ca

As Yebon 81a338f886 staggered with 0c7f32f868 a pale 3fe3892d46 face, his d038ce7fbe phone vibrated.869a317bda7442a1

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He quickly cd15860b72 answered the 64de380b8d call. It was Cha a61b44cdaf Hyuk.9a47de6cdd7ac167

“Hello! Hyung!”3361a31f4feed383

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-…e4f1dda1d120dea1

The silence on the c9e381ca63 other end was chilling.a9b07fa5aa73c489

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“Hyung? Cha Hyuk hyung, are you okay? Say something!”c3aa1f3af69f51f9

– Yeah, it’s Cha Hyuk hyung.b9687f165a549b9b

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Relief washed 96987ff11d over Yebon 04398f98b2 at the eb1a2b6703 sound of 8f10fdf537 the voice 7ceb3e0ead he had 20e56c07ee longed to 6855e9ccd9 hear.19e60021f097a3fc

He had 7dd4932fed been overly 50945d7769 sensitive after 7267c4804d all. It was a 4512200044 relief.d38e8d5b1729fa05

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– I didn’t expect you to answer right away.d88820499148b7ac

That comment brought 6ab925740d a wave of 4e93c194f9 embarrassment.801275c5f5f1b65b

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When had he been f2fd4bdafc pushing him away, and 212bdb334e now this seemed like 9c239f31ea a reproach.127d14c2b7f39bee

– Are you home?48823db0afaa8b61

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“No, still at the library…”d6c8bef8c9658057

– Why are you still at the library, you usually were home by 9 before this.748f3b35a689580b

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“Yeah, that’s right.”213a3b4630997a9b

A brief 31579585be silence passed. Knowing Cha Hyuk was b6e0e5fd6b safe, Yebon thought he 2ef44d2c16 should hang up, but 604a3ef56e his hand remained glued fcf634584b to his phone at ac7d89fbba his ear, motionless.af1cb3e58156d26c

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“Where are you, ahjusshi?”9416ec143d56a49f

– …Hyung’s at home.4d228acb0b99d8d0

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Acknowledging that, Yebon 6850e6a1a9 suddenly felt a 3baac1d8aa dissonance.7ab358fbc1d1c85e

Maybe it was 9ec5ba7747 because of the 37343970ae voice through the cee8fb9d1a phone, but Cha a542a788d1 Hyuk’s voice sounded ed07d63ac7 drained. His words 7b7504d49b kept trailing cd791e8ed3 off or 0e40b278e0 fading.bbf6180d74adf25a

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“Are you sick?”360f3b2a5617c4be

– …2318f1a80daa5ab2

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“Ahjusshi?”5e8f68635563dc37

The silence 9168f8072e from Cha 6e97c10f99 Hyuk tightened af97873650 Yebon’s grip 4b88c3e040 on his f5332fd797 phone.3bd440378bc2d3fd

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