Kill Your X Chapter 34

[Next Police Commissioner Candidate Song Jeong-geun Virtually Confirmed, Confirmation Hearing to be Held Next Month]

It was an article about my father. It wasn’t very surprising since I had already heard the news at a family gathering recently.

The first police chief to rise from the ranks of a patrol officer in Korea, a myth of super-fast promotion, a star police officer whose skills were recognized through successive crackdowns on organized crime.

All of these were words describing my father’s brilliant career. The fact that he had the highest public recognition among all previous candidates for Police Commissioner also increased his chances of being appointed.

Unlike me, who wanted to stay out of the public eye as much as possible, my father craved a higher position. I guess he’d be relieved since the goal is right around the corner. I just hoped he wouldn’t bring up the topic of a strategic marriage again, using his promotion as an excuse.

‘Should I just live quietly, dating Si Yeonho? And never go near places like Jerome again.’

Lying in bed, I fell into an unexpected self-reflection. As Yeojun said, I didn’t really have any intention of deviating. I hate to admit it, but I don’t think I had the confidence to endure loneliness on my own.

Hearing about Hyun Jin’s incident today, and thinking about my father’s name continuing to appear in the news for a while, I already felt tired. Si Yeonho doesn’t seem to want a flashy relationship, and above all, he listens to me well and is good in bed. Shouldn’t that be enough?

I wanted to clean up my messy private life and live looking at only one person now. Since I was born with a preference for men, it seemed like that was the only luxury I could enjoy in this life.

[Sleep well, Yeonho-ya.]

I sent a goodnight text for the first time since we started dating. My mood fluctuated because there was no immediate reply even after waiting a bit. Is he very busy? Or is he still upset about the misunderstanding I had a few days ago? While trying to guess his inner thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

I was puzzled that there was no reply until I woke up the next morning, but as soon as I finished getting ready for work and got in the car, a call came like clockwork. Even though I had mostly slept while waiting, sarcastic words popped out of my mouth without me realizing it.

“I thought you were dead.”

―Me?

Swoosh. Swooosh. Loud background noise accompanied his low voice.

“What? Are you at the beach right now?”

― Hold on.

Soon, a thud sounded like a container door closing. As the surroundings became relatively quiet, he spoke again.

―Are you okay?

“Yeah. I can hear your voice well. But why are you at the beach so early in the morning?”

I forgot to complain about the unexpected location.

―I came to the port for work. I checked the message at dawn, but I waited until morning because I didn’t want to wake you, Sunbae.

Such consideration was hidden behind it. I was really something, sulking all morning and then immediately cheering up.

“What are you doing there?”

―I came to catch someone, but their route got twisted. I naturally thought they’d come in through the airport, so I waited there at first, but they came by boat.

“Is it that celebrity issue again? That person is really tiresome. I don’t know much about it, but isn’t this a clear case for contract termination? They’re causing trouble every day, so I doubt they’re doing their main job properly.”

Just how great of a person are they to treat someone else’s lover, no less the managing director of an agency, like a dog? The reason he couldn’t be reached late at night sometimes was definitely because of that celebrity.

―Half right and half wrong, but you don’t have to worry, Sunbae. Now that they’re in Korea, they’re in my hands.

“I’m glad to hear that. But if possible, can’t you have someone else chase people around? I told you before that I wanted you to reduce your workload, and you said you were willing to. I’d rather you not do that kind of work.”

―I will. I’m going to quit anyway.

I’ve done enough work. The small murmur was buried under the sound of the car starting. I asked again, my hands on the steering wheel.

“What did you just say?”

―You seemed upset that I didn’t reply right away last night.

“Hey, who’s upset?”

He naturally changed the subject, and laughter came from the speaker. Surprised by the ticklish sound I heard for the first time, I pulled the device away from my ear.

“What, why are you laughing?”

―Because Sunbae is cute. What were you thinking while waiting for my call?

I thought about all sorts of things. Whether he was very busy with work, and if so, whether he was eating well. Whether he was being disliked by his colleagues because of his peculiar way of speaking. Whether he was secretly losing affection for me, even though he had put up with my bad behavior without complaint until now.

As I pondered these thoughts every day, his presence had become undeniably solid within me. I didn’t dislike the strange sense of stability I was feeling for the first time in my life.

“I have to go now. I need to drive.”

―I’m glad. It seems like Sunbae does love me. Although it took longer than expected.

Click. He hung up and ran away. The ticklish feeling was unfamiliar, so I habitually denied it.

“Seriously, who loves who?”

Love? If anyone’s doing the loving, it’s Si Yeonho, who’s always following me around. It felt like my feelings for him were still far from being called love.

I think about him whenever I have free time, and I wonder what he’s doing. I wonder if he’s eaten, if he’s had a good day. And sometimes, when I feel like it, I want to strip naked and roll around in bed with him until dawn.

“Love…”

If this feeling was indeed love, then love was quite insignificant compared to what I had dreamed of.

✽✽✽

Quitting the escapades that had been my weekend responsibility for the past few years was boring, but I tried to convince myself that it was a good thing. Now that things had come to this, I wanted to spend more time with my boyfriend, but Si Yeonho, who said he would reduce his workload, seemed busier than before. He seemed to secretly enjoy me complaining, so I couldn’t reveal my childish feelings.

Then, something happened.

“Manager-nim, what’s up at this hour?”

I received a call from the general manager of Jerome in the middle of the night.

―Mr. Gyujin, I’m sorry to contact you so suddenly. I was wondering if you had any plans to visit Jerome today.

“Today? Not really.”

Relieved, the manager explained the situation in detail.

―Still, I thought I should tell you. There’s someone else in your private room right now. They’re occupying the room without permission, and they’re looking for you…

My private room was the space Si Yeonho had prepared for me after he took over Jerome. It was the place where we reunited after ten years, and I sometimes used it when I drank with Yeojun recently.

“Who is this other person? Si Yeonho? Or Moon Yeojun?”

―Um. Well, about that…

The manager trailed off after contacting me first. Si Yeonho said he couldn’t be reached right now, of all times. If it’s not Si Yeonho, and it’s not Yeojun, then who is it?

Feeling like something unusual was happening, I said I’d be there soon and hung up. I racked my brain the whole drive there, but I couldn’t think of anyone.

There are plenty of people I’ve hung out with at Jerome. But with the rumor that I’m seeing the owner spreading, is there anyone stupid enough among them to barge into my private room? Furthermore, someone who would treat me like a call boy and summon me so recklessly.

Unless they were crazy, this rude intruder would have to be someone on par with Si Yeonho, the de facto owner of Jerome. I tried contacting Si Yeonho again, but it was useless.

―The person you are calling cannot be reached at the moment…

“What are you doing again, wherever you are.”

He sometimes couldn’t be reached at night, but the fact that I couldn’t reach him when something like this happened doubled my unease. I was worried that something might have happened to him.

Contrary to my vow to never set foot in this place again, I entered Jerome for the first time in weeks.

My eyes widened at the sight that greeted me.

The manager, who was waiting for me not far from the entrance, rushed over.

“Mr. Gyujin! You’re here?”

“Whoa… What’s going on at Jerome today?”

It was a popular club anyway, but this was the first time I’d seen it packed to the brim. It was as if every registered member had flocked here, the inside bustling with people.

Above all, the average appearance of the guests was unusual. There were people here and there who looked familiar…

“Mr. Gyujin, I’ll explain the details later. Please come this way for now.”

I followed the visibly anxious manager. I became increasingly curious about who had barged into my private space without permission, and why the atmosphere at Jerome was so different today.

Finally, we reached the door to the room. The manager habitually tried to knock, so I just flung the door open. It was my space anyway, so I didn’t feel the need to be humble. But then.

“Uh…”

I couldn’t believe what I saw. Two people were snuggled up affectionately on the sofa opposite me. Two pairs of eyes turned to me at once. The one on the left, surprised, the one on the right, curious. What surprised me was the guy sitting on the left, the man who hurriedly withdrew his hand from intimate contact with his companion upon my appearance.

“Oh, are you the one Seunghan’s been seeing lately? Was your name Song Gyujin?”

A strikingly handsome man spoke to me. His face seemed familiar, and I soon remembered his name. No matter how little interest I had in celebrities, he was famous enough to be hard to miss if you lived in Korea.

Ma Yubin. One of the hottest movie stars in Korea right now. He was also signed to KNT Entertainment, where Si Yeonho worked.

It was quite fascinating to see a top celebrity by chance, but my gaze was fixed on the person sitting next to him.