Can Murder Be a Workplace Accident? Chapter 1.2

Hugging the signing board, she smiled sweetly. She was right. From now on, the type of works Gallery Spring would bid on would change significantly depending on the new director’s perspective and tastes.

Until now, they had participated in bidding centered on modern Korean art, but they would need to prepare if the new director was interested in artists from third-world countries or newcomers, or if they changed genres to sculpture or ceramics. There was no greater insult for an auction house than to be told there were no works to bid on.

“I’d like to tell you, but I don’t know.”

Lee Jihye stopped organizing her materials and turned her head toward Min Isak. He pushed up his glasses as if to ask what she was looking at.

“The special exhibition is just around the corner, isn’t it? There must be a lot of matters to decide.”

“I suppose so. The exhibition plan was already completed under the former director, so that doesn’t matter. It’s up to the owner what paintings get hung. It is a private gallery, after all.”

It was information that would get out anyway, but Min Isak acted coy, making a nonsensical excuse. Executive Director Jung stood up from her seat with a dubious look on her face.

“…Right. Well then, I’ll be on my way. Is Tuesday morning all right for the delivery?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

As was customary, Min Isak also stood up and offered a handshake, saying, “It was a good auction.” But instead of shaking his hand, Executive Director Jung bowed at the waist and left the VIP room.

“You knew, so why didn’t you say anything? Is the director’s name a business secret?”

Having packed all her things, Lee Jihye slung her laptop bag over her shoulder.

“Just because.”

“Just because? …I can’t believe you just said that, Chief Curator.”

“Sometimes I want to be like that, too.”

Min Isak habitually swept his bangs up. He had cut his hair short because his appearance, which still made him look like a college student even though he was over thirty, was quite a nuisance.

“Let’s go.”

The two of them left the VIP room and got on the elevator.

Even if it was an auction he participated in almost every month, he felt the tension release once it was over. He leaned his back against the handrail that ran across the wall and took a long breath. His back, shoulders, and waist were stiff.

If Executive Director Jung knew the news about the director change, then most of the people who participated in today’s auction probably did as well. If he got caught by someone he knew, he would obviously be plagued with the same question he just heard. There is no stronger motivation than simply not feeling like talking.

But if he was asked, he might have to answer depending on who the conversation partner was. He prayed and prayed in his heart not to run into anyone he knew.

—First floor.

The elevator doors opened. Perhaps because of the heat, Min Isak’s breath caught in his throat. The lobby of Hangang Auction was bustling with people pouring out of the auction hall. On one side, there was even a bar set up with finger foods and champagne.

“You can clock out now, Ms. Lee Jihye. Or you can stay here and build some connections.”

“Really?”

Her eyes sparkled.

It was an after-party hosted by the auction house after the major auction had ended. Even at a glance, impressive figures were present. From famous painters whose names even people ignorant of art would know, to museum directors and curators, art critics who appeared on television culture programs, writers, professors, and also major collectors known only to insiders. All the great people were gathered here.

In the intern’s eyes, it must have looked like a different world. He knew well how she must be feeling now, as he himself had had a time like that. In just a few years, she would realize that it was a place of bluster where gossip and rumors about figures in the same field, rather than impressions of the works, speculation about the winning bidders, or in-depth discussions about art, were passed down by word of mouth in the name of unofficial information.

Now, when she knows nothing, is the best time.

Min Isak walked out into the crowd with a self-deprecating thought.

As a new figure appeared, a few people acknowledged him. They smiled with crinkled eyes or raised their champagne glasses, giving Min Isak a silent nod. The time when he would be intimidated by the gazes of prominent figures had long passed.

The tiger whose authority he borrowed was a tiger with considerable power.

His workplace, Gallery Spring, was considered the next best art museum after the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (hereafter Seohyun) and the private Infinity Museum of Art (hereafter Ima). It was only third because of its short history; in ten years, it might even surpass Seohyun.

The chief curator of such a place. It was not for nothing that Executive Director Jung personally gave him the VIP treatment. He had nothing to be ashamed of. Min Isak also responded to the silent nods with a bright smile.

“Ugh!”

Just then, a middle-aged man bumped into Min Isak as he passed. The man’s shoulder was so strong that Min Isak staggered back significantly.

The man had been the one to bump into him first, yet he did not even apologize. How did a person with no basic manners get in here? Frowning, he glared at the man, but he was engrossed in the task of piling finger foods onto his plate.

The man, dripping with gluttony, wore a polo shirt that looked like something sold at a large supermarket. He had pulled up his beige hiking pants over a bloated belly and cinched his waist tightly with a belt of an unidentifiable brand.

The man was the bidder who had competed against him until the very end. He looked like he could not even state Picasso’s full name. Who the hell is he?

“First time seeing him? He’s the division manager of Seohyun’s Planning and Operations Division.”

Someone who had chummily slung an arm around his shoulders from behind gave Min Isak the answer.

“The manager of the Planning and Operations Division? He’s not even in a curatorial position, he’s in administration. Why did he come to an auction?” he replied naturally, without surprise.

The man who had spoken was someone he knew well. Professor Kwon Hyuk of Korea National University of Arts. He pointed at the gluttonous middle-aged man with his empty hand.

“Who knows.”

The man, whose droopy eyes were his trademark, was known as a social butterfly in the art world due to his personality that rarely made enemies. Since he often participated as an advisor for public institutions, it was not strange for him to know not only the curatorial researchers and their superior, the head curatorial researcher, but also the administrative staff.

“It’s a business that involves tens of billions of won, so he supposedly insisted that he, the one in charge of the budget, had to go to the auction. The supervising curator of the Collections Management Division had a really hard time.”

“That’s a good excuse. Did he just want to try raising a paddle once?”

“I guess so. It’s one thing for a real estate auction, but how often do ordinary people get to come to an art auction? They’ve probably only seen it in 007 movies.”

He shrugged, affirming Min Isak’s words.

“So? Did you have some fun?”

Min Isak also raised and lowered his shoulders in the same way. He did not say anything, but Kwon Hyuk looked down at his small head and grinned. He already knew which work Min Isak had bid on and won.

“They’re saying you’re a real pain in the neck,” Kwon Hyuk said, taking two champagne glasses from a passing server. He held out one of them to Min Isak and gestured with his chin at the entire crowd gathered in the lobby.

“You think they’re the only ones who say that? I must have done quite a few things wrong.”

Min Isak grinned and took the glass. “This is non-alcoholic, right?” he asked, then tossed it back without waiting for an answer. He was not such a novice that he needed to check every single time.

The Adam’s apple moving as he gulped was as suggestive as if it were swallowing something else. Kwon Hyuk sipped his champagne, wetting his thick lips. His throat became dry on its own.

“Shall we go?”

Min Isak carelessly placed the champagne glass on a table. His vacant eyes looked up at Kwon Hyuk, then fell to the vicinity of his shoes planted on the floor. A mischievous feeling arose, and Kwon Hyuk played dumb.

“Where to?”

“…Weren’t you here to collect a debt?”

His voice, lowered to a whisper, was like the morning after a night of passion. Goosebumps prickled on Kwon Hyuk’s neck, and he was already getting heavy down below.

“I know, I know very well.”

Kwon Hyuk also drained his champagne in one go. He placed his own glass neatly next to the one Min Isak had set down and wrapped both arms around his shoulders. Bending his upper body slightly, he avoided others’ eyes and stroked the nape of his neck with his thumb.

“Chief Curator Min. I’ve booked a hotel near Apgujeong Station, how about it? I requested a late checkout, too.”

Min Isak’s body flinched. The rims of his ears turned slightly red, and the fine hairs stood on end like dandelion seeds.

Even though he was called a tough nut, having just passed thirty, he still had a youthful air about him. Kwon Hyuk, feeling leisurely for once, smiled broadly. Fine wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m scheduled to return to the office, so I can’t stay for that long.”

“It’s Friday, though. And the director position is vacant right now.”

The hands on the lobby clock pointed to five-fifty in the afternoon.

He tempted him, gently scratching the nape of Min Isak’s neck with his fingernail. Since the former director was fired, he was the most senior person at Gallery Spring until the next one arrived. He could handle things like his work hours or business trip schedules at his own discretion.

“That’s all the more reason I have to go in. Director Lee Yanghee made a huge mess on her way out.”

Min Isak said curtly. Rights and responsibilities were proportional. Although it was temporary, as his position had become higher, the number of things he had to clean up after had also increased.

Lee Yanghee, who had served as director for nearly five years, was suddenly given a notice of termination, and a person who lived on pride was not likely to leave quietly. Just yesterday, he had broken out in a cold sweat trying to appease an artist who insisted on canceling his exclusive contract after hearing something from Lee Yanghee. She had overturned all the projects as if to take out her frustration on the owner, Printemps Kim. And the person who had to take the fall and clean up all the shit Lee Yanghee had left behind was Min Isak.

“It’s a total disaster.”

He cut off Kwon Hyuk’s question before he could even ask how much trouble she had caused.

“You’re so heartless. …Really? Have you forgotten who you have to thank for buying the Lee Ufan today?”

Grumbling, Kwon Hyuk covered his mouth and whispered in his ear. The fact that he was able to win the Lee Ufan for 6.1 billion was purely thanks to Kwon Hyuk’s cooperation. To Kwon Hyuk, he was a debtor.

“If you and I, Professor, go to a hotel hand in hand like this… it’ll start a rumor.”

“So you’re saying it doesn’t matter as long as no one sees?”

“I’ll give you ten minutes. I have to get back to the gallery, so get off within that time. You know there’s no kissing, right?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not a premature ejaculator. Follow me.”

Kwon Hyuk grabbed Min Isak’s arm and led him out of the lobby.

Hangang Auction was a publicly traded company. As it catered to the wealthy, every corner was decorated with care. The cream-colored leather sofa placed in the lobby, which anyone could sit on, was a work from a workshop in Antwerp, Netherlands, and a three-seater set cost over 100 million won. They had even spent a fortune on the restrooms, a place one would have no business entering otherwise.

“Take them off.”

After locking the restroom door, Kwon Hyuk washed his hands at the black ceramic sink. The hand cream placed next to the hand soap was a product supplied as an amenity to luxury hotels. Squeezing out a good amount of the stuff, which had a milky sandalwood scent, he spread it thoroughly over his hands.

With his back to him, Min Isak unbuckled his belt. Watching the black slacks slide down below his buttocks, Kwon Hyuk approached him from behind. He kicked away the fabric pooled around his ankles with the toe of his shoe.

“It’ll be a problem if they get wrinkled. I have to go back to work.”

“…Working so hard is only good for Kim Chunja.”

Min Isak bent down to pick up his slacks. The hem of his black turtleneck, which had covered him to mid-buttock, rode up to his lower back. Perhaps due to his posture, the outlines of his cute testicles and penis were clearly revealed between his twitching gluteus maximus muscles. Kwon Hyuk licked his lips.

He wanted to put dark coffee-colored stockings on those legs, which were not even wearing underwear. Just the thought of those legs wrapping around his waist, begging him to put it in deeper, made his head spin.

“Stop playing around, what time do you have to be back by?”

While Kwon Hyuk was asking, Min Isak neatly folded his slacks, placed them on the countertop extending from the sink, and pulled down his dark gray boxer briefs as well. The air conditioner in the ceiling hummed, blowing out cold air. His hairless lower body felt a chill. From over his shoulder, he heard the sound of Kwon Hyuk’s zipper coming down.

“Seven o’clock.”

Kwon Hyuk stopped in the middle of taking out his dick and looked at his wristwatch.

“It’s ten past six right now.”

“That’s why I told you we should meet tomorrow instead of today.”

“I told you, I have a seminar tomorrow.”

Min Isak turned around. The white legs revealed below the black clothes covering his upper body were sleek. Inside his business shoes with their sharp toes, he wore black socks that came up to mid-calf, and even wore sock garters to keep them from sliding down.

“It’s not like it comes out right away just because you order it to.”

Contrary to his nonchalant words, the limp thing gained strength in an instant.

“Front or back?”

If they had gone to the hotel, there would have been no need to choose. From Hangang Auction to Gallery Spring was a drive of about 15 minutes. The time allotted to the two of them was only about 35 minutes. To enjoy all the positions they wanted, they had no choice but to be like rabbits. He pondered carefully.

“…”

“Or should I suck it?”

As the answer took too long, Min Isak knelt in front of him and straightened his back. With his small but sharp nose, he playfully nudged the head of the erect cock, acting cute. It would not be bad to have that small mouth take his cock and fuck him until the edges were raw.

“No.”

He pouted his lips as much as his cock and put on a condom.

“From behind.”

As soon as the words were out, he stood up from his spot. Without any sign of hesitation or coyness, he placed his hands on the countertop and showed his back with a business-like attitude. The sharp points of his shoulder blades protruded under the thin knit turtleneck.

Standing behind him, Kwon Hyuk reached out and pressed down on the hand cream container placed in front of Min Isak’s eyes. The sticky white cream looked just like semen. He squeezed out enough cream to drip between his fingers and spread it on his own penis.

“Grab your ass and spread it.”

“Hoo.”

Min Isak took a long, deep breath to relax. He lay his chest on the countertop and reached his hands back. The hole revealed between his peach-colored buttocks pursed its lips like a pouting person. Kwon Hyuk grabbed the flesh of his buttocks with his palms and pushed his thumb into the hole.

“I came prepared. You can just fuck me without any problem.”

“Haha… still, ten minutes is a bit much.”

He had intended to gently loosen him up even though they were short on time, but this was absurd. So brazen. He pulled out his thumb and thrust his index and middle fingers in without hesitation.

“…Ugh!”

The two hands gripping the counter tightened. On his thin forearms, veins bulged, as if to show he was a man too.

“Hmm, it is pretty soft.”

The hole, which had struggled to swallow the fingers, now sucked and pulled at them like a vacuum cleaner, as if it had never struggled at all. He chuckled softly and spread his inserted fingers apart. The hole stretched with difficulty, and Min Isak groaned. When he pulled his fingers out, the white cream dripped down his perineum and testicles and onto the toes of his shoes.

“It’s not so much that I can’t… shove it in, I guess.”

“Ugh!”

Kwon Hyuk thrust his dick all the way in at once. Min Isak took a short breath and slammed his head onto the countertop as if collapsing. Under the tight-fitting knit, his spine twitched.

“Chief Curator Min, are you sure you came prepared? If we’re going to hurry up and finish, you have to let go of my dick, don’t you?”

“It’s been, it’s been a while, that’s why. Hoo. Hooo.”

He relaxed with a deep breath and made an opening. Kwon Hyuk laughed pleasantly and began to move his hips.

“Is that so? It must have hurt even if you were loosened up. …Shall I make you feel good?”

Kwon Hyuk put his hand inside his clothes. He pulled Min Isak into an embrace by his flat stomach. Every time he took a breath in and out, he could feel his own dick under the thin layer of skin.

“…Should I at least kiss you?”

He slid his hand up to his chest. On top of the muscle with nothing to grab, a small nub of flesh stood erect. He twisted the assertive nipple as if pinching it. Eup, he swallowed a moan and twisted his hips.

The hot inner walls twisted as if to wring Kwon Hyuk’s cock.

“…Ah. Fuck.”

He had whined about being seen as a premature ejaculator, but next time, he was about to be openly mocked with a “ten minutes should be enough, shouldn’t it?”