Black Paradise Chapter 3.4

Ilyeong calmly ate the porridge. The starchy texture clinging to his mouth was no longer hot, but lukewarm. Thanks to that, Jeon Seogu’s meal also became a little easier. However, with the barrage of questions Haoran was pouring out, his opposite hand could not rest and was busy. The notepad was filled with Jeon Seogu’s personal information.

“Your name is Jeon Seogu… twenty-one years old……. What, you’re a hyung to me? But what can I do, I’ve already spoken informally. The moment I won the lottery, I made up my mind. From now on, unless it’s someone truly exceptional, I’m going to speak informally to everyone. If you don’t like it, you can speak informally to me too.”

「I don’t mind. Do as you please.」

“You really are a party pooper. Now that I look at you, Mr. Kwon Ilyeong and Mr. Jeon Seogu have some similarities.”

Haoran was probably the only person on Earth who could preach the value of being weak to the strong and strong to the weak without a hint of shame. He still thought of winning the lottery as a rise in social status.

Haoran clicked his tongue, tut-tut, but did not leave the table. Then, he pointed his index finger back and forth between Ilyeong and Jeon Seogu.

“Oh, by the way, how did you two get to know each other? And how did you get tangled up with Colonel Jamie?”

At the sharp question that cut to the core, Jeon Seogu put on an awkward smile. There was still a mountain of answers to be heard from Jeon Seogu, so it would be a problem if he got exhausted here. Ilyeong let out a long sigh and decided to deal with Haoran’s arrogant questions for him.

“Mr. Jeon Seogu and I met by chance on this cruise, and how we met is none of your business. As for the Colonel Jamie Moore you’re so curious about……”

“The Colonel is?”

Ilyeong devised an effective way to completely root out Haoran’s interest in one fell swoop.

“……close with Nam Giyoon. That’s how he recognized me. You know how that family has no manners, so can you imagine how nasty Colonel Jamie must be? So stop messing around and stay away from him.”

The eyes, which had been full of suspicion, were on the verge of flipping over completely when a familiar name came up.

“He knows Nam Giyoon? For real…?!”

“Yes.”

“No wonder their gazes were a bit similar. Is that why he’s hitting on Mr. Kwon Ilyeong like that? You know, Captain Nam Giyoon also……”

Haoran saw Ilyeong’s murderous expression and stealthily shut his mouth. Jeon Seogu blinked his round eyes.

It did not matter if they could not distinguish between truth and lies. If Haoran were to dig into Colonel Jamie’s background with that awful curiosity of his, it would only make things difficult for other people. So, all he had to do was keep him away by any means necessary. It was a rational method, and such a lie was not accompanied by guilt. He recalled someone’s words that a person can only be honest when they die. If so, this would be a secret he would keep until he closed his eyes.

Having finished half the porridge, Ilyeong put down his spoon. Jeon Seogu, who had cleared his food a while ago, belatedly followed Ilyeong and put his spoon down as well.

*

Haoran faithfully carried out the habit he had learned well over the past two days. He washed the plastic bowls without a word of complaint, and while he was neatly stacking the bowls into a bag, Ilyeong and Jeon Seogu moved to the living room. Each held a ripe banana in his hand.

Ilyeong now knew that the fruits in the basket were the welcome fruit pack prepared for the people staying in the 8th-floor guest rooms.

Jeon Seogu carefully peeled the banana and took small bites of the flesh. Just a few days ago, this one piece of fruit had put him in a difficult situation, but seeing Jeon Seogu’s face, happy as if he had tasted heaven, his anger subsided a little.

Taking care of a field mouse was a troublesome and bothersome task seventy percent of the time, but there were occasionally rewarding moments like this, about ten percent of the time. The remaining twenty percent was a hellish swamp where he would keenly realize that he himself was still a field mouse. Ilyeong shook his head to shake off that dreadful feeling.

“So unsophisticated. You don’t even know what really expensive fruit is. Come on out.”

Haoran, who had finished cleaning up at some point, grumbled as he came over with a tray tucked under his arm. He held up a fruit that resembled a large orange as if it were a trophy. Its shape, with a small sphere placed on top of a large one, looked just like a snowman.

Haoran wrestled with the stubborn peel for a long while, then split the large fruit and gave a piece to everyone. His hands were all sticky with juice, which was unpleasant, but seeing Haoran’s effort, Ilyeong also put a piece in his mouth. It was just sour, and the membrane surrounding the pulp was tough, so it was not to his taste at all. Haoran also furrowed his brow and muttered.

“I don’t think it tasted like this. Is it not ripe?”

The fruit, with three pieces now gaping and empty, was pushed aside. Haoran also quietly took a banana and bit into it. The way he was loosely leaning against the sofa as a backrest looked as comfortable as if he were in his own home.

“Ah, I’m bored, should we go shopping too? The other winners go around on a set course every day, but we’re the only ones cooped up here.”

“You mean window shopping, not shopping. Do you have money?”

“Nope? I didn’t bring any. If they have a conscience, Paradise will feed and support us. Surely they wouldn’t bring us here and then just ignore us, right?”

Jeon Seogu lowered his eyes and silently fiddled with the banana peel. This time, Ilyeong too was at a loss for words for a moment. Not knowing exactly what was going on, he felt just as frustrated and helpless. He needed to get Haoran out of there quickly to ask Jeon Seogu anything, but the kid was so shameless that even dropping hints had no effect on him.

Ilyeong composed his expression and placed the peel on the tray with a clatter.

“You say you’re bored, so why do you keep coming here? You’re annoying, so just leave now.”

“That hurts my feelings. On this cruise, the only person on my level is Mr. Kwon Ilyeong.”

“Why? You can just hang out with Jun or Yuuto.”

Haoran pouted.

“Don’t even talk about those traitors. They’re both busy these days. Mr. Jun is busy chasing after Sophie, and Yuuto is……”

A tut-tut sound of someone clicking their tongue interrupted him. Haoran continued his words.

“He doesn’t even acknowledge me anymore. I don’t know what got into him, but he’s stuck right by Mr. Ji Taeun’s side and won’t leave. It’s a completely random combination, right? They get along so well, they were whispering to each other non-stop. Just like they were plotting something together……”

Ilyeong briefly frowned and mulled over Haoran’s words. Yuuto and Ji Taeun. Why would the two, who had no connection, suddenly? Was there even the slightest hint of that when they sat together last time?

As if he read the doubt on his face, Haoran added an explanation.

“I don’t know the reason either. When I tried to talk to them this morning, they freaked out and ran away. Geez, treating me like a bug. So I decided to lose interest too. Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, you shouldn’t worry about it either. Didn’t you change rooms because you had trouble with that Yuuto guy anyway?”

Haoran, in a posture that seemed to be melting into the floor, swiftly looked around the luxurious guest room. Then he started muttering something, which was mostly a complaint about not wanting to share a room with Jun either. In every way, it did not seem like he had any intention of leaving this room soon, which was quite a predicament.

Ilyeong sighed and, looking around, placed the fruit basket in front of Haoran.

“If you’re bored, peel this. I have something to talk about with Mr. Jeon Seogu.”

“Can’t we do it together? Let me in on it too.”

“If you don’t want to be kicked out, be quiet like you’re not here. Or go out and do that window shopping you like. Mr. Jeon Seogu, please talk with me for a moment.”

Haoran pouted but listlessly rummaged through the fruit basket. Jeon Seogu, who had been glancing between Ilyeong and Haoran for a moment, shot up from his seat with a notepad and pen.

Ilyeong walked back to the home bar table. On the way, he grabbed another pen that was provided in the room.

「There are listening ears, so I will also use writing instead of speaking. Is that okay?」

「Yes, yes.」

Sitting side by side, he and Jeon Seogu exchanged the notepad as if they were doodling. Ilyeong chewed on the pen cap, deliberating over his questions. Finally, the first question was written.

「Are you also a lottery winner?」

Just writing this one line made his palm damp. Jeon Seogu gazed at Ilyeong with an unreadable look. It seemed to be pity, and it also seemed to be sadness. Jeon Seogu’s pen moved briefly on the paper.

「Yes.」

Ilyeong quickly put on a calm expression. He had guessed as much, since winning the lottery was the only way a person from the evacuation district could be out on this vast ocean, but hearing it directly, he could not help but feel his heart stir. Beeeeep. A tinnitus resembling a siren rang in his ears. Ilyeong lightly tapped his temples and tried his best to continue writing calmly.

「How old were you when you won? Which district did you come from?」

「I was fifteen, six years ago. I came from District 3. That’s also when I first met Colonel Jamie.」

“……”

Only Jeon Seogu’s quickened breathing pressed down heavily on the kitchen. The fingers holding the pen trembled faintly, and his fingernails were tinged with a bluish color.

The lottery was a project hosted annually in rotation by the allied nations of Asia, North America, and Africa. This year it was the turn of the Asia base, headed by Seo Yoonseok, and since the cycle repeated every three years, the year Jeon Seogu won would have also been under Asia and Jamie’s charge. Jeon Seogu added something he was not asked to write.

「There were originally two others besides me. Those hyungs died with their ankles cut off while trying to escape, and I was caught asking another winner for help three years ago, so」

Before he could even finish the sentence, Jeon Seogu’s lips quivered as if he were about to open his mouth. One did not need to ask what the outcome of that must have been. To cut the ankles of those who run and cut the tongue of those who ask for help. The gruesome story made the corners of his eyes throb.

The person who had actually said it calmly picked up the pen again. Jeon Seogu, while writing a long message in the corner with the smallest handwriting yet, kept glancing towards Haoran with his glass bead-like eyes.

「I said earlier that I came because I was hungry, but actually, I came because I have something to tell the Doctor. It’s something I can only say now that the Colonel isn’t here.」

As he wiped the sweat beaded on the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand, a strangely desperate atmosphere emanated from him. The boyish naivety of a few minutes ago, when he was blushing while clutching his starving stomach, could no longer be felt. Jeon Seogu compulsively wiped his lips as if he were being chased by something.

「On the last day, the Colonel is planning to take all of the Doctor’s medicine.」

Ilyeong firmly shut his lips. Even at their first meeting, Jamie had been watching for any opportunity to snatch all his medicine, so it was not particularly surprising news.

He wiped his palms, which had started to get sweaty, on his pants pockets and picked up the pen again.

「I expected it.」

「Do you have some kind of countermeasure?」

A countermeasure. The pants touching his skin suddenly felt as heavy as if they were soaked in water. The sensation he felt beyond it was a razor blade. He carried it like a talisman in case of an unexpected situation, but if a truly dangerous moment came, would he really be able to use this?

Thinking about Jamie’s solid, muscular physique, Ilyeong slowly shook his head. He himself had a good build, but it was impossible to deal with a soldier with a body soaked in drugs.

With a pale face, Jeon Seogu anxiously bit his lip and fretted. A strange atmosphere was felt from his appearance. Ilyeong tore the paper, which was densely filled with writing, crumpled it carelessly into his pants pocket, and wrote a sentence on the next page.

「But Mr. Jeon Seogu..」

Poke, poke. The pen made a few dots while he contemplated.

「Why are you telling me this?」

This was the very reason for the uneasy feeling he had whenever he saw Jeon Seogu.

He reminded him of the field mice he had taken care of. Powerless and weak beings living at the very bottom. Those field mice would sometimes have kind eyes, and the next moment, they would be measuring the right time to stab him in the back and stir his guts. They were disgusting parasites that would only fall away after meticulously picking off every bit of bone and flesh.

If Jeon Seogu, who exuded the same scent as them, was like that, he too must surely want something. Why was he wearing such a shameless face without saying anything?

The two eyes, like black glass beads, reflected the light as if they did not understand. Ilyeong hardened his facial muscles and waited for an answer. When Ilyeong did not back down, Jeon Seogu gnawed on his lip with a slightly anxious look. Then, after his eyes darted around, he pointed to the bunch of bananas on the table, which were beautifully dotted with brown spots.

“Bananas? ……You have to say something that makes sense.”

For the first time, Ilyeong scrunched up his brow and raised his voice. From the living room, Haoran shot up as if he would run over here at any moment. Jeon Seogu’s shoulders stiffened. Ilyeong casually shook his head towards Haoran, then whispered quietly in Jeon Seogu’s face.

“I don’t know what kind of person Mr. Jeon Seogu thinks I am, but I am different from Haoran. I don’t feel sympathy for flimsy excuses like being hungry or being given a banana. In my position, who can I feel sorry for? Save that for people like Haoran over there, who have looked down on others their entire lives.”

「Doctor, I」

“You did it on purpose from the beginning, right? Dropping the note that you came from the evacuation district, dropping the banana in front of the Colonel, it was all because you kept wanting to tell me something.”

The clear eyes trembled uncontrollably as if he had been hit right on the mark. Ilyeong continued to speak calmly.

“Are you perhaps testing me?”

The wide-open eyes blinked at Ilyeong.

“Whether I can save you or not…. It feels like I’m constantly being tested. Am I wrong?”

“……”

“I’m not blaming you, so speak honestly. I think it will be easier for me to come up with a plan if I know what Mr. Jeon Seogu wants.”

Jeon Seogu kept his head down for a long time without lifting it. Tick, tock, tick, tock. The sound of the second hand moving was loud. Ilyeong tapped the pen tip on the stone table. Tap, tap. After a long silence, Jeon Seogu picked up the pen.

「I want to go too. Please take me with you, to Paradise…….」

It was the second SOS.

「I feel like this is the last chance. I won’t get in the way. I won’t do anything to disturb the Doctor. If there is anything I can do to help, I will do it.」

So, please….

He had a strange feeling, as if he had heard Jeon Seogu’s voice, which he had never heard before. Ilyeong folded the paper with his wish written on it neatly and likewise stuffed it into his pocket. When he stood up from his seat, the listless eyes rolled to follow him.

“……If Colonel Jamie doesn’t show up tomorrow either, come to my room again when the moon rises. There are a lot of people moving around during dinner time, so you probably won’t be noticed. From now on, don’t come in broad daylight like this.”

Jeon Seogu quickly nodded his head. Ilyeong pointed with his chin at Haoran, who was still glancing this way.

“For today, eat the fruit, apply the medicine, and then you should go.”

The clever Jeon Seogu knew exactly what he had to do and quickly changed his expression. He returned to Haoran with a harmless face, as if nothing had happened, as if he knew nothing.

Ilyeong, unable to shake his suspicion, watched Jeon Seogu, who was feigning ignorance with an innocent expression, and Haoran, who was asking this and that, before going into his room.

After closing the bedroom door, he opened the safe and pulled out the duffel bag from inside. He dragged the limp duffel bag straight into the bathroom. He mercilessly opened its gaping mouth and compulsively checked its contents.

One red tin case containing White, and five black tin cases containing Black.

The oval-shaped white pills looked so similar that it was difficult to tell them apart at a glance. However, the White had a small ‘W’ engraved on its smooth side.

Jamie would somehow take all of this White on the last day. And he was planning to tie him to this sea and ruin him, just like Jeon Seogu.

His hand, which had feigned composure in front of Jeon Seogu, was now trembling faintly. Ilyeong crouched on the bathroom floor, buried his forehead in his clasped hands, and mulled over his thoughts.

A strange terror, fear, and helplessness washed over him like a wave, once again driving out his breath. Ilyeong took a slow, deep breath and corrected his thoughts.

There would be a way somehow this time too. It had always been like that until now, and he would live like that in the future. Even if he lived pressed under this pressure for his whole life…….

It was at that moment that Seo Juhyeok suddenly came to mind. The voice he could not forget for a single moment tormented his ears like a buzzing tinnitus.

“You have to be careful on the ship. It’s easy to get eaten by what’s under the water if you’re not.”

“Of course, I plan to push them all off the stage.”

The voice, murmuring contradictory things, ironically cooled his heated mind.

Ilyeong neatly organized the medicine boxes. While organizing the black tin cases, he felt an impulse to just pop one in his mouth and pretend not to know, but he overcame it well. If he took the drug, his mind would be hazy for at least a few hours, and right now, every single minute of that time was precious.

Finally, after putting the duffel bag back in the safe, completing all procedures, Ilyeong rejoined the living room with a calm face.

The three small fries sat together, sucking on the fruit as if it were medicine. The sweet pulp, dismantled and tumbling inside their mouths, was the only peace they had tasted on this cruise. Of course, in their minds, all three were busy with various other thoughts, but that was something no one could know.

*

Seo Juhyeok massaged his stiff shoulders and nape as he walked briskly. Dealing with an unexpected obstacle and implementing the changed plan consumed more energy than expected.

Walking along a long corridor, he stopped at the orange twilight that suddenly flooded in through a window. Unlike its warm color, it was a dry light from which no temperature could be felt. Having been stuck in a dark den full of thick smoke, even this felt like an oasis he had encountered for the first time in days.

Seo Juhyeok stood for a moment as if savoring the light, then began to walk again. He did not forget to take out a handkerchief and wipe his dirty hands.

“Lieutenant Colonel Seo.”

Seo Juhyeok’s uninhibited steps stopped when he neared the main hall.

Was it already time for dinner? Even amidst the noise of the bustling crowd, that voice was heard clearly. The familiar but not very welcome title made the corners of his mouth harden subtly for a moment, but Seo Juhyeok quickly put on a gentle smile.

After arming himself completely with composure, he turned around and saw a tall, slender woman standing alone. Only then did Seo Juhyeok raise an eyebrow in acknowledgement.

“Ms. Jang Heeyoon. It’s been a while.”

The person Han Taejoo was head over heels for. More than that, she was more distinctly imprinted in his mind as Lieutenant General Jang’s only daughter.

Jang Heeyoon, who had been studying Seo Juhyeok with scrutinizing eyes, smiled smoothly and came closer.

“It hasn’t been that long. We met just a few days ago.”

“Hm. Did we? I’ve been a bit forgetful lately.”

Jang Heeyoon let out a soft chuckle. The two of them stood in a dark shadow behind a pillar, away from the main hall’s fountain.

“So, did you make good use of the key you ‘picked up’ from me?”

Seo Juhyeok habitually took out an unlit cigarette to put in his mouth, then raised his eyebrows.

“I suppose Taejoo told you.”

“Yes. He asked if I had ever lost the room key he gave me. I naturally thought he handed them out to other women too, but it seems he only gave the spare key to me.”

“He has a surprisingly devoted side to him. So what did you answer?”

“When I told him it disappeared at some point, he started cursing Lieutenant Colonel Seo. It seems he thought you stole it from me. You put me in a difficult position, so I didn’t defend you either.”

Jang Heeyoon naturally accepted a cigarette. She too only put it to her lips without lighting it.

Seo Juhyeok leaned against the pillar and stared blankly at the fountain in the hall. The angel statue in its center was engrossed in letting holy water flow from its white hands today as well. Thanks to the distant separation, it looked as though the people loitering around the fountain were willingly being sprinkled with that holy water. The scene was as sacred as the bestowing of God’s grace.

A soft chuckle escaped. Seo Juhyeok did not hide his smile and looked back at the woman.

“He’s a bit annoying, but he’s a cute fellow. To be fooled by something like that.”

The key card from Han Taejoo that he had used that day was the one he had received from Jang Heeyoon on the first day he was assigned a room.

Han Taejoo, who had engaged in a dissolute sex life his entire life, did not know how to handle the puppy love that had come upon him unexpectedly.

As expected, Jang Heeyoon was displeased with the room key card he had abruptly handed her, and Seo Juhyeok had swiftly collected it. Han Taejoo, knowing nothing, was unaware of what mistake he had made towards Jang Heeyoon and, being enthusiastic about attending orgies, had strayed even further from a normal courtship.

In the end, you reap what you sow. From Seo Juhyeok’s perspective of watching the whole situation, it was as entertaining as any novel, so he was just watching.

“Lieutenant Colonel Seo. If I drop something else today, will you pretend not to see and pick it up again?”

Jang Heeyoon dangled a key card from her fingertips. This time, it was Jang Heeyoon’s, her room key.

An interested smile played on Seo Juhyeok’s lips. It was not very surprising, as all the privileged people on this cruise boarded with the purpose of enjoying such deviations. Needless to say, orgies had become even more rampant since White became widely available.

On top of that, a temptation from the woman his friend had a crush on. It was certainly an attractive wrapping that people with a screw loose would go crazy for.

When Seo Juhyeok just stared at the fountain without answering, Jang Heeyoon, perhaps thinking he was contemplating, added her voice.

“Why is Lieutenant Colonel Seo backing out of such an interesting thing for once? I’m giving you a golden opportunity to deny the ridiculous rumors circulating on the cruise. If it’s weighing on your mind because of friendship, then……”

“There are a few errors in what Ms. Jang Heeyoon is saying.”

Seo Juhyeok’s eyes, which had been staring at one point, glinted as if he had found something interesting. Jang Heeyoon’s eyes followed their trajectory.

“I am no longer a Lieutenant Colonel, and I have no particular desire to deny those pathetic rumors. Above all, I am not the type to back out of something interesting for the sake of loyalty. However……”

Seo Juhyeok smiled languidly as he watched Ilyeong’s retreating back, Ilyeong having stiffened and then started to flee after their eyes met.

“Because something more interesting has come up right in front of my eyes. Thank you for the offer, but please find someone else. If possible, not Han Taejoo. Because you are too good for him.”

He stepped out of the shadows and began to stride into the main hall. Laughter did not cease as he watched the back of the slender body skillfully weaving through the crowd.

“I already warned you that if you run away one more time, I will come to catch you again……”

Could this also be called Doctor Kwon’s temptation? Letting out a long, satisfied sigh, Seo Juhyeok harbored the intention to gladly respond to Ilyeong’s temptation. It was already so fun that his head was spinning.

To think that every day could be this enjoyable without drugs. He was so proud of him that he even felt like patting his bottom a few times. Seo Juhyeok leisurely began to corner him.

*

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Ilyeong muttered the curse, which he rarely ever used, out loud several times. Without doing so, it felt like he could not overcome this maddening pressure. He was so agitated that he felt as if his head would explode with a bang and his heart would be torn to shreds.

If he could, he would never have wanted to leave his room. However, attending dinner was mandatory, and Chan, the only soldier who would have been understanding of his situation, had not shown his face for days. He had no choice but to leave his room only during dinner time, and of all times, he had to run into Seo Juhyeok.

Seo Juhyeok’s face, which he had not seen in a long time, was perfectly fine. No, it even seemed like his complexion had gotten better. He was hiding his form next to a large pillar slightly off to the side of the main hall. Next to him was a stylish and attractive woman.

Could it be that during his absence the past few days, he was not only with Jamie but also with that woman?

He had only stopped for a moment to entertain that thought, but in that brief instant, his eyes met Seo Juhyeok’s. It was a maddening situation.

He thought it might be a mistake, but among this large crowd, he had clearly recognized him. A gaze so direct that it was impossible to ignore shone from within the dark shadows.

Come to think of it, the first time he saw him on this cruise, Seo Juhyeok had found him at once, just like now.

The reason he instinctively turned and ran was due to a primal fear. No, it was the work of the parasites in his brain.

Ilyeong ran, using the delusions that had swelled up during Jamie and Seo Juhyeok’s absence as his driving force. Occasionally, people he bumped into hurled curses at his back, but he could not even hear their words. He was concentrating all the energy in his body on his legs, so there was no room to use any other senses.

He knew from the start that Seo Juhyeok was chasing him. When he glanced back just after leaving the main hall, he was just coming past the fountain. And while doing so, he was grinning softly, as if it were absurd, or as if it were fun. Their briefly met eyes glinted like a madman’s, yet also shone with the innocence of a child who had found an interesting toy.

He was so shocked that he almost fainted on the spot. He had already learned that Seo Juhyeok seemed like more of a crazy psycho when he was sober than when he was drunk on alcohol or drugs. Ilyeong forced strength into his legs, which felt like giving out, and ran hard.

“Hoo… hoo-wook… hah……”

His ruined stamina signaled a red light after about ten minutes of being chased. The son of a bitch in his brain complained of motion sickness, presenting him with extreme pain. The winter wind shrieked wildly, urging him to run further. But even so, this was now his limit.

As soon as Ilyeong rounded a corner in a deserted, dark corridor, he leaned his back against the wall and stood there. Pale moonlight flowed from the window he faced. He roughly wiped the sweat that had trickled down his cheek and under his chin with the back of his hand, gasping for breath.

Only then did a little self-loathing follow for having run away without a moment’s thought. These days, there were times when he felt an impulse that was getting a little out of control, and the self-restraint he had been barely holding onto had crumbled like a sandcastle at Seo Juhyeok’s appearance. Thinking that far, he became anxious again.

A moment ago…… wasn’t Seo Juhyeok holding something? A gun? A knife?

“Why did you stop running?”

“Ah……!”

At the voice that suddenly struck his left ear, Ilyeong nearly fell backward.

The delusion, whose reality he could not be sure of, had been swelling up before it was abruptly halted. Just before he collapsed, a firm arm caught his waist.

“Oh my. You have to be careful.”

It was Seo Juhyeok. Up close, a faint scar on his cheek, resembling an Indian dimple, sparkled in the moonlight. Seeing his playful face, his breath hitched as if something was caught in his throat.

He had not even sensed his presence, so when did he get here? Ilyeong pushed against his chest and stepped back.

“You’ve gotten thinner……. Your hand seems to be okay now.”

Seo Juhyeok muttered, looking at his own arm that had suddenly become empty and Ilyeong’s hand, which had a bandage on it. Ilyeong, panting, glared at his face.

“Why are you chasing me.”

“Because Mr. Kwon Ilyeong ran away so desperately first.”

“When did I? I was just going my way, and Mr. Seo Juhyeok misunderstood and chased after me.”

“In the hall earlier, did you see me or not.”

Ilyeong, without a hint of being intimidated, lifted his chin even more defiantly.

“What changes if I saw you?”

“You left without even saying hello.”

“Why would I say hello to Mr. Seo Juhyeok?”

“That hurts my feelings. I was happy to see Mr. Kwon Ilyeong.”

His words were suddenly cut short. As if intending to block off any possible retort, Seo Juhyeok added one more sentence.

“I was in a bit of a bind because this face kept lingering before my eyes, but did Mr. Kwon Ilyeong not think of me?”

“……”

I thought about you so much I was sick of it. I thought about you until my brain was spinning and my eyeballs were about to fall out.

Ilyeong swallowed those words and glanced at his hands. They were empty hands, with no gun or knife in sight. No, that’s not right. He might have hidden it behind his back to make him let his guard down.

Ilyeong, not letting his guard down, backed away. Seo Juhyeok, as if reading that strange atmosphere, just twitched his eyebrow.

“If you run away again, this time I will really sling you over my shoulder and walk around. Do you like taking walks?”

“……If you did that, it would only be an embarrassment for Mr. Seo Juhyeok. What kind of threat is that?”

“Why would that be an embarrassment? I wanted to do that from the moment Mr. Kwon Ilyeong started running away. If you’re doubtful, you can test it right now.”

Seo Juhyeok defenselessly exposed his chest. He, wearing a black shirt, had several buttons undone today as well. He had mostly seen him in a disheveled state, so it was nothing new, but today it was somehow more subtly…….

Ilyeong moved his retreated steps and strode into the wide chest. Because Seo Juhyeok had his arms spread, it became a posture that felt subtly like an embrace. He lowered his face a bit more and smelled the scent on the shirt collar.

Only the faint scent of a perfume that suited his languid image could be smelled. Was he not drunk? Just then, cool fingers grabbed Ilyeong’s chin and lifted it lightly.

“You’re really unpredictable.”

Up close, Seo Juhyeok’s face was a little stiff. His dark eyebrows twitched, and his jaw tensed. It seemed he was caught off guard, not having expected Ilyeong to actually approach. Just like this, he always feigned lightness, but would sometimes unexpectedly show his true face underneath.

Ilyeong stared intently into his eyes. The corners of Seo Juhyeok’s eyes folded thinly.

“Why are you smelling me.”

“I thought you might have been drinking, so I was just checking. But it seems you weren’t. That’s all.”

Ilyeong shook off his hand and stepped back again. Seo Juhyeok rubbed his lower lip, his eyes sparkling.

Ah. Only then did Ilyeong’s lips part blankly as he realized the reason for the strange feeling he had sensed from him.

“……Drugs.”

Ilyeong stared blankly at his fingers. Could it be marijuana? Rummaging through his hazy memory, it seemed that what Seo Juhyeok was holding in the main hall might have been marijuana, not a gun or anything of the sort. But no matter how much of a half-conscious person he was, would he really have been doing drugs in such an open place?

It would be more certain if he pulled that hand over and smelled it once more, but even without doing so, there was no smell from his chest that would particularly bring marijuana to mind. The pungent smell from the buds and leaves of cannabis is different in kind from the acrid smell of ordinary hay burning.

If Seo Juhyeok had smoked marijuana, it would be impossible not to notice from this distance. Then, a drug other than marijuana…….

「‘Black’? I think that was the name, but I’m not sure. I think he kept repeating that word, but I can’t remember well. I’m sorry….」

“Drugs?”

Black. Drugs. Jeon Seogu’s writing and Seo Juhyeok’s voice strangely overlapped.

For an instant, it was such exquisite timing that it sent shivers down the back of his neck. Seo Juhyeok looked down at Ilyeong askew with unreadable eyes.

“How would Mr. Kwon Ilyeong know that? This one shouldn’t have a smell, and I only did it once to give a demonstration.”

As expected, he truly has no denials, so naturally. Ilyeong did not take his eyes off the shameless druggie in front of him. The corners of his eyes crumpled slightly against his will. Seo Juhyeok’s atmosphere was as loose as melted butter, though not as much as when he was drunk on alcohol and cannabis.

“Mr. Seo Juhyeok, you don’t have much of a sense of caution, just like when I first saw you. To talk about such things so easily.”

“The fact that I do drugs is hardly anything new.”

“It seems you don’t particularly hide it from those around you either.”

Hmm, Seo Juhyeok closed his mouth for a moment, looking like he was thinking about something, then bent his waist slightly. Thanks to that, the shadow penetrated a little deeper onto Ilyeong’s body.

Looking down at Ilyeong, who was taking a hesitant step back, Seo Juhyeok whispered without batting an eye.

“The story about hiding a tree by going to the forest. I’m sure Mr. Kwon Ilyeong has probably heard it at least once.”

The lips pressed close to his ear tilted.

“Whoever is chasing me, I tend to just let them come and find me. And I diligently plant a seed in that person as well. To make them become a tree like me, without them knowing. So that we become one giant forest.”

The tone was as casual as if he were telling an interesting old tale, but all of Ilyeong’s nerves were on edge. He could now imagine Seo Juhyeok as a soldier much better.

He is a chaser who slowly tightens the noose around the fugitive’s neck. He is also a vicious destroyer who gives up his flesh to the enemy and takes their bones. Chasing prey and being chased by a hunter are nothing more than a game to him. Even common order and boundaries all become useless before him.

Ilyeong glared into the pitch-black eyes up close and spat out his words as if chewing them.

“Did you win over the Colonel that way too?”

Seo Juhyeok, who had pulled his upper body back, held a light smile on his lips.

“I thought Mr. Kwon Ilyeong might know something, but I didn’t expect you to ask so directly.”

“Since you guessed, it saves us the trouble of weighing each other out. Colonel Jamie, where is he now?”

“But this is a bit unexpected. Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, if the Colonel disappeared, you should be happy. Why do you want to see Colonel Jamie Moore?”

The roundabout way of speaking was evidence that he was reluctant to answer. He was hiding his true feelings under a tight seal and once again feigning a perfect smile. If he could, he really wanted to crawl into his head and pull out what on earth he was thinking.

The absence of the two druggies for the past few days had made him so anxious. The only conclusion Ilyeeong had managed to obtain amidst the withdrawal symptoms that felt like his brain was being squeezed was that Seo Juhyeok and Colonel Jamie had joined hands. Every night, he had nightmares of them coming to slit his throat with guns. No, in fact, every moment since he found out they had talked about Black had been a nightmare.

That is why his current relaxed attitude was even more frightening. If… just as he thought, Seo Juhyeok knew everything about Black and had come to get him, why was he leaving him alone now? Wasn’t a time like this, when they were left alone in a place with no one around, the perfect opportunity?

The questions he threw at himself gnawed at his brain. Ilyeong did not avoid the gaze of Seo Juhyeok, whose smile was gradually beginning to fade. He deliberately tensed his throat.

“I believe I told you last time. Colonel Jamie and I are not in the kind of relationship you think we are, Mr. Seo Juhyeok.”

“That kind of relationship?”

He was sick and tired of him latching onto every word. Ilyeong glared at him with force in his eyes, but Seo Juhyeok just stubbornly twitched his eyebrow as if he had to hear the answer. Well, there was no reason he could not tell him. Ilyeong also responded shamelessly.

“Isn’t it obvious? Stories like me sucking Colonel Jamie’s dick, or Colonel Jamie licking my ass.”

At the explicit choice of words, Seo Juhyeok let out a short, hollow laugh. However, contradicting his smiling expression, the corners of his eyes immediately turned cold.

“That’s quite a detailed description.”

“This isn’t the first or second time I’ve been embroiled in rumors like this.”

“Is that so? That’s also something I’m learning for the first time. But Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, I’ve never once thought that. Isn’t that too much of a leap?”

“You’ve really never thought that?”

“Just hearing it makes me feel this disgusted, so why would I.”

Seo Juhyeok’s smile turned acrid, as if he were genuinely displeased. It was only for a fleeting moment and was soon buried under a calm expression, but the hair on Ilyeong’s head stood on end. He felt regret for having unnecessarily provoked him. As he shut his mouth, Seo Juhyeok continued, as if giving him a concession.

“Come to think of it, I think I heard that the Colonel was trying his best to fuck you.”

Fuck… Ilyeong almost choked on the vulgar word, but he held it in. It was because Seo Juhyeok’s smiling face as he said it seemed somehow more menacing than before.

“And above all, the Colonel also spoke as if he would keep Mr. Kwon Ilyeong by his side for his entire life.”

“……”

He could not stomach the last words with a good grace. Ilyeong’s shoulders stiffened rigidly. Seo Juhyeok observed Ilyeong’s reaction for a short interval before continuing.

“Don’t make that face. I came chasing you today wondering if I could see Mr. Kwon Ilyeong’s smiling face, but if you’re like this, it’s meaningless.”

“What are you trying to say……”

“I’m saying I don’t want to get serious.”

Though it seems it’s already gone wrong from the point he got pissed off. He muttered and added words as if making up a light joke.

“This provocation wasn’t fun, Mr. Kwon Ilyeong.”

Provocations are only acceptable to a level that can be seen as cute. It felt like he was getting back the words he himself had said at the restaurant last time. His head rang with a ding and shivers shot down his spine. He tried hard to compose his breathing and forced a smile onto his lips. I don’t want to get serious with you either. As if desperately protesting.

Seo Juhyeok also smiled languidly again, as if in praise. The situation, where they were each hiding their inner thoughts with smiles, felt strange.

“Was his name Jeon Seogu.”

No. Was it not praise? Seo Juhyeok caught him off guard like this again, taking advantage of his unguarded moment. The corners of his mouth, which he had been forcing up, twitched in a spasm.

“He visited Mr. Kwon Ilyeong’s room yesterday. He left like he was running away only after quite some time had passed.”

“Don’t tell me you put someone on Mr. Jeon Seogu?”

Seo Juhyeok smiled without a word. Did he say background checks were a habit? Ilyeong squeezed his eyes shut. He had thought that someone might have seen them, but he never imagined that one of Seo Juhyeok’s own people would be attached to him.

Come to think of it, there was no way he would just leave Jeon Seogu alone after he had heard the conversation about Black. It was such an obvious thing, but his mind had been so back and forth lately that he had overlooked this simple fact. A surge of curses welled up against his complacent self.

While Ilyeong was mulling over his thoughts, Seo Juhyeok’s left arm brushed past his shoulder and rested on the wall. The hard arm gave Ilyeong a feeling of pressure, as if his escape route had been sealed. In that same posture, Seo Juhyeok tilted his head askew.

“So, what I’m saying is, did Mr. Kwon Ilyeong also hear something from that person?”

Thump. It was the sound of his heart dropping from his head to his toes. The anxiety that had been slowly growing in size since earlier made his brain feel nauseous.

Seo Juhyeok and Black. The end for drug offenders is only death. Fragmented memories began to flow backward. Ilyeong genuinely felt sick to his stomach and covered his mouth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Let’s stop with the probing like that.”

“Hm. Is that so. I thought you might have heard something when I saw Mr. Kwon Ilyeong running away like his dick was on fire in the hall earlier.”

That became the trigger. The words that Seo Juhyeok let slip as if talking to himself finally tore through Ilyeong’s brain. A headache and tinnitus suddenly began to rage. Ilyeong, as if punishing himself out of habit, struck the side of his own head hard.

For Ilyeong, it was a desperate emergency measure, but in the eyes of others, it was nothing more than a bizarre act of self-harm, which Seo Juhyeok immediately stopped. It seemed he also heard a voice muttering curses amidst the hitting sound that felt like his head was exploding.

The more Ilyeong struggled to twist and pull his captured wrist free, the stronger the force pushing him back became, and eventually his body was pressed against the wall. At that point, Ilyeong began to struggle with his whole body.

“Let go of me!”

“Calm down!”

“Just leave me alone, you fucker!!”

While flailing his limbs to get away, he struck Seo Juhyeok’s side hard with the arm that was not being held. Seo Juhyeok contorted his brow and immediately snatched his other hand as well.

His attempt to kick with his foot was also futilely blocked. His leg was pushed firmly between his thighs. He was pinned motionlessly, like a bug mounted on a wall.

Ilyeong heaved, his eyes shot with broken capillaries. Seo Juhyeok tried his best to maintain his composure and examined Ilyeong’s face.

“If you have something to say, let’s say it with words. Don’t suddenly self-harm in front of me and make the person watching feel strange.”

“……”

As if to punish the unresponsive Ilyeong, he raised his knee and pressed his lower body more intensely. His thigh twitched with a start, and a single, short moan escaped reflexively.

Pervert bastard, psycho bastard. He should have known from the start. Whether his heart exploded or his legs fell off, he should have just shaken him off back then. Ilyeong panted for breath.

“I told you to let go.”

“What if I say I can’t until I get an answer?”

“I won’t let you get away with it. I’m going to tell the woman who was with Mr. Seo Juhyeok earlier that you’re actually a pervert who gets turned on by men at any time and a druggie who can’t live a single day without drugs. I’ll also tell her that you’re a psycho who gets excited by killing people.”

For an instant, a bluish glint flashed across Seo Juhyeok’s eyes. Perhaps it was a mistake, because when he blinked once, Seo Juhyeok was smiling, shamelessly revealing his even set of teeth.

“That would be interesting. To think you have me figured out so well. This is the first time I’ve received such a cute threat, so I think I’m getting hard again. Tell me. How should I repay you?”

Seo Juhyeok’s eyes shone. He had almost forgotten again. That common sense did not apply to Seo Juhyeok.

Though he was chattering on about repayment and whatnot as if it were a funny joke, Seo Juhyeok was quite pissed off right now. It seemed that the anger he had been suppressing since earlier had finally burst out. Contrary to the thought that he should not provoke him any further, his uncontrolled mouth spouted words on its own.

“Why, if I really go around blabbering things carelessly, are you going to push me off a cliff too?”

“A cliff?”

Seo Juhyeok soon let out a small sigh as if he remembered the conversation at the restaurant.

“I said I would seat Mr. Kwon Ilyeong in the audience.”

“You also said you wouldn’t let it go if I intruded on the stage any further.”

“That hurts my feelings. I only said it would be troublesome. How could I push Mr. Kwon Ilyeong when he only does such pretty things.”

His words had thorns. Ilyeong struggled once more, aiming for the gap when his cool eyes crumpled slightly as if genuinely dumbfounded.

Seo Juhyeok let out a hollow laugh and pinned his arms more firmly against the wall.

“I was disappointed because you were being so wary after meeting for the first time in a while, was it because of those words?”

The fear of having his inner thoughts read was brief, and he ground his teeth at Seo Juhyeok’s composure. Lies. It was all lies. Disappointed, my ass. Anyone could see his pissed-off eyes, yet he was spouting such nonsense.

Thinking it would be better to just let him interpret it as he pleased, Ilyeong kept his mouth shut. The corners of Seo Juhyeok’s mouth twisted even more.

“Now that I’m being misunderstood, it’s going to be hard to pretend I don’t know anymore, just out of a sense of injustice.”

“What misunderstanding? Do you think I don’t know? In the hall earlier……”

Definitely a gun……. The words dried up in his mouth. Contrary to his expectation that he would have a gun hidden behind his back, his hands were firmly holding his arms.