Formless Chapter 70

“You have a bruise on your forehead too.”

Gangwoo’s hand swept Heewoon’s hair back. The bruise on his forehead was from falling to the floor earlier when he moved too forcefully, but in any case, it was because of those people. So Heewoon said nothing.

Gangwoo gently stroked Heewoon’s head. Seeing his face stifling sobs, he quietly said.

“Bring the bastard who hit Heewoon to me quickly.”

He didn’t even glance behind him.

The man tapped the other man’s arm.

“…Ah, yes.”

The man, who had answered dazedly, walked out of the operating room. His mind was complicated, and he ran his hands through his hair as he walked. There were a few people who had come with Gangwoo right in front of him, but they didn’t stop him, so the man could go straight to the hallway.

“Damn it.”

The man cursed, looking at the scene in the hallway.

“Is there no one conscious?”

Only faint moans came from the men sprawled everywhere in the narrow hallway. The man roughly ran his hands through his hair and then helped the toughest one up.

“…Hyung-nim. Suddenly… some bastards…”

“I know.”

The man only looked straight ahead. The severely beaten one, perhaps disoriented, babbled nonsense and stumbled along. It was incredibly difficult to support the large, sagging man, but the man finally reached the operating room.

“Is that him?”

Gangwoo, who had been carefully peeling off the tape from the back of Heewoon’s neck, looked back. Heewoon, his nose crinkled from the tugging hair, glanced over.

“Yes.”

The man moved his arm and stood aside. Something on the back of the man’s hand briefly caught Heewoon’s eye. As he squinted to see more closely, Gangwoo tilted his head and asked.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

A few strands of hair being pulled out were nothing compared to the pain in his leg. Heewoon unconsciously touched the top of his leg, and Gangwoo’s gaze fell there. He needed to go quickly. Gangwoo dropped the removed tape on the floor and stood up.

“Gangwoo…”

“Yes?”

“Not that man… over there.”

Heewoon gestured. Heewoon’s finger pointed to the man who had helped the other man in. When singled out, the man waved his hand with a flustered face.

“You must be mistaken because it’s dark, but it wasn’t me.”

Heewoon’s face contorted, watching the man deny it. It was because the moment his entire family was kidnapped flashed back. His mother’s expression, being dragged into the dark car, also came to mind.

“I bit his hand. Because he tried to take Mom.”

“Hand?”

Gangwoo looked at the man’s hand. He immediately spotted a distinct reddish-black bite mark on the back of his hand. Gangwoo’s brows gradually furrowed.

“I-I didn’t intend to hit him, but he suddenly bit me.”

The man offered an excuse, his face turning bright red. It must have been humiliating to be at the mercy of someone younger than him.

“Sunbae.”

Gangwoo turned back, calling Heewoon in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Why do you put dirty things in your mouth?”

“…”

“I knew it from the moment you picked up and ate something that fell.”

Heewoon mumbled, “Sorry,” blankly. Gangwoo stared intently at Heewoon’s bite mark remaining on the back of the man’s hand, then twisted his lips.

And Heewoon witnessed a horrific sight. Gangwoo was hacking at the back of the man’s hand with a knife and punching it until blood splattered.

Only a few minutes passed, but the floor was covered in blood. Heewoon felt nauseous and squeezed his eyes shut. Regretting that he should have closed his eyes earlier.

“I sent enough for the hospital bill too.”

Heewoon opened his eyes only after he heard Gangwoo’s voice. Gangwoo was wiping his hands and speaking to the man.

“Yes. I know.”

His mother, his hyung, Heewoon. The man who had toyed with their entire family answered Gangwoo respectfully. Heewoon stared intently at the man who had often appeared in his nightmares for several years.

“Where are you looking right now?”

Heewoon was startled when Gangwoo, who was suddenly in front of him, bent down.

“Gangwoo… Hic!”

Whether it was the lingering effect of witnessing the assault, or surprise, a hiccup escaped him. He had been told not to make other sounds and just speak. Heewoon hurriedly covered his mouth. After receiving confirmation that he would be saved, he didn’t want another leg broken.

“This is from surprise, it couldn’t be helped…”

“I know. We’re leaving now, so it’s okay.”

Gangwoo put his hands under Heewoon’s arms and lifted him up. When his broken leg swayed, pain flared, and Heewoon clung more tightly to Gangwoo’s neck. Gangwoo, who briefly adjusted his posture, stepped over the fallen man and the doctor and went out the operating room door.

The sight of the terrible operating room receded. His hyung still on the operating table, the two men sprawled, bleeding, the man standing to one side taking out and lighting a cigarette, and his mother fallen on the floor.

“Oh, Mom…”

Words leaked through his clenched lips.

“Mom and hyung will be sent to the hospital immediately.”

“…Yes.”

Heewoon, whose gaze had been fixed on one spot, buried his face in Gangwoo’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The whirring of the elevator and the noise of people outside felt strange.

When Heewoon lifted his head, they were outside the hospital. In front of them was an imported car that Gangwoo sometimes drove. When the driver opened the door, Gangwoo carefully helped Heewoon inside.

“Ugh…”

As Heewoon squeezed his eyes shut and endured the pain, he felt a hand stroking his head. Heewoon turned his head. Seo Gangwoo’s face, looking at him tenderly despite having broken his leg, came into view.

“Gangwoo.”

“Yes.”

A soft reply that always came when he called. Heewoon’s eyelashes fluttered. Watching Heewoon bite his lip hard, Gangwoo chuckled softly like a sigh.

“You can cry now.”

No sooner had the words finished than tears fell from Heewoon’s eyes. The streaming tears quickly stained his cheeks.

Heewoon’s lips parted, but only sobs came out. Gangwoo embraced Heewoon, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and calmly patted his shoulder. Heewoon kept parting his lips, as if wanting to say something. Only after crying for a long time did words come out intelligibly.

“Haa, those people…”

Gangwoo looked intently at Heewoon’s face, which was thoroughly wet with tears and looking up at him. Heewoon, embracing Gangwoo’s waist, continued to speak, whimpering.

“They said they’d take my organs. They lied for three, three years. They said they’d stop the interest too. I thought I could pay off all the debt…”

Heewoon, who had been rambling incoherently, finally sobbed and embraced Gangwoo’s neck. Patting his back, which was shaking with sorrow, Gangwoo said gently.

“See? There were those shitty bastards again.”

“Uh-huh.”

“If you had told me beforehand, I would have gotten rid of them all.”

That was true. If he had listened to Seo Gangwoo, this wouldn’t have happened. Everything: telling him to speak up if anyone bothered him, asking him to inquire if he had a request, telling him to call. He remembered how gentle Gangwoo’s tone and expression had been then.

Heewoon’s cries became a little more sorrowful. Even as he sobbed, Heewoon didn’t stop talking. That bastard there lied to me, he said I could pay off the debt if I worked hard. And he said they brought me to the operating room on purpose to make me watch them take out my hyung’s organs. And told me to call him hyung-nim…

His words were hard to understand, mixed with sobs, but Gangwoo nodded and answered each point.

“The bastard with the scar under his chin, right.”

“Hic, yes. Hic.”

“I understand.”

Gangwoo patted Heewoon’s back. Heewoon, who had been muttering that he was so scared, was no longer heard saying anything.

“Looks like he fell asleep.”

Gangwoo slowly stroked Heewoon’s head. He adjusted his posture to allow Heewoon to lean comfortably against him, then stroked his wet cheek. The ends of his handsome lips curved smoothly upwards.

Heewoon was diagnosed with a fibula fracture.

“Still, the extent of the fracture isn’t severe, so non-surgical treatment is possible.”

“Is that so?”

The doctor was slightly flustered, seeing the guardian ask indifferently.

“Yes. Fortunately, without surgery… And since the patient is young, he’ll recover quickly.”

“Ah…”

Gangwoo nodded.

“The cast period will be about six weeks.”

Six weeks. The doctor said, watching Gangwoo silently murmur.

“Rehabilitation is important, but it won’t be difficult for the patient.”

“Because he’s young?”

“Yes.”

Gangwoo stroked his chin. Was it because the face that cried when he approached was pretty? Had his heart subconsciously softened? Gangwoo chuckled softly and rose from his seat.

“Then we’ll be discharged today.”

At that, the doctor’s eyes widened, and he asked again.

“Discharged? Ah… Yes. Please do as the guardian finds convenient.”

“Thank you.”

Gangwoo smiled slightly. The doctor paused briefly and then said.

“Um… Is Chairman Seo doing well?”

“Yes. I’ll send your regards to my father.”

The doctor immediately raised his hand as if to stop Gangwoo, who was leaving the examination room, but then lowered it.

Next to Gangwoo, who had left the examination room, a man in a suit immediately joined him. Gangwoo glanced at the man and asked.

“Is Heewoon awake?”

“He’s still sleeping.”

“Did you reconfirm there’s nothing wrong with his body?”

They probably used cheap drugs, Gangwoo added, frowning slightly.

“They say there’s nothing wrong. And all the staff have been withdrawn.”

Gangwoo nodded and headed for the stairs. It was because the elevator had no intention of coming up from the basement. Gangwoo, who had entered the emergency exit, suddenly seemed to remember something and said to his secretary.

“Ah. Keep watching the family. Report any anomalies.”

“Yes. I’ll assign personnel.”

The voices of the two men echoed in the emergency exit stairwell.

“And the bastard who kept calling Heewoon. Catch him. And give his boss a generous extra sum.”

“Understood.”

While climbing the stairs, Gangwoo gave his secretary a few more instructions. When they exited the emergency exit, the man bowed.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“Yes. Good work.”

Gangwoo immediately walked down the hallway towards the inpatient rooms. Heewoon hadn’t woken up once since falling asleep in the car.