ANTITOXIN Chapter 40

‘How tedious.’

This was the very first word out of Cha Jaeyi’s mouth the moment he saw the report.

It was a report containing a photograph of Han Seolwon staring off somewhere, his personal details, and his track record up to now. Throughout the entire time he looked over the report that had been meticulously compiled, his gaze was flat, and his expression was likewise merely indifferent.

Seeing his superior’s reaction, Joongsik made this judgment. He’s just going to clear him away, he thought. Or he might just treat him like an entirely nonexistent person, not even feeling he was worth messing with. To put it another way, he judged that he was a person who would exert no influence whatsoever on Cha Jaeyi. True, because of the accidental meetings that occurred in succession afterward, it did seem that there was some degree of change in his state of mind. Even so, his judgment regarding Han Seolwon did not change. He considered him, even when looking at it in the best possible light, merely a point of interest to enjoy for a brief moment—nothing more than that degree.

“Huuu…”

Therefore, it could not help but feel extremely bewildering. The behavior of his superior, who had picked up that Han Seolwon as he trembled violently under the influence of the drug, that was. Furthermore, it was an act committed the moment he arrived in Korea after a nine-hour flight.

In truth, that part was already a problem from the start. If things had gone according to plan, he should have been on a flight heading to Singapore right now. The private jet, hotel, vehicles, and so forth were all in a state where the settings had been fully laid out to match that. But he had blindly turned the route to Korea and committed this kind of act.

For the reason that:

‘This thing keeps ignoring my messages.’

Even if he seemingly lived his life according to his whims without much thought at a glance, he was a human who moved according to a plan in every matter. Even within actions that appeared impulsive, a meticulous calculation was in fact underlying them. Because he knew those characteristics, Joongsik thought that Cha Jaeyi, using the lack of contact as a pretext, would now finally clear Han Seolwon away.

However, the prediction went thoroughly wide of the mark. Far from clearing him away, did he not bring him along and toss him onto the hotel bed. Just like last time.

With a dumbfounded mood, Joongsik, who was looking at Han Seolwon as he lay as if collapsed upon the bed, subtly examined Cha Jaeyi’s countenance. Standing with his arms crossed, he was wearing a frosty gaze. Despite having brought him to the hotel, and even having personally carried him to lay him down on the bed, he actually showed an inkling of finding Han Seolwon’s presence objectionable. To be exact, it would be that he regarded the out-of-it state from being high on the drug as unsatisfying.

To be sure, it wasn’t alcohol but narcotics. Cha Jaeyi was a person who disliked even cigarettes. The reason? It was simple. It was because he cherished his own body too much. He claimed that to long enjoy a life that overflowed, having everything there was to have without lacking anything, he had to be healthy. By those standards of his, cigarettes were like a slow-acting poison. How would it be for narcotics? It wasn’t just a matter of disliking them; it was at a level of loathing them. Yielding a hundred times, cigarettes could be viewed as an individual’s preference, but narcotics were not. To him, a junkie was no different from a moron destroying his own body with money.

And he, when it came to things he disliked, whether they were objects or humans, did not accord them any treatment whatsoever. He didn’t even place any interest in them at all. Nonetheless, since he had picked up a junkie, it was truly no ordinary matter.

Han Seolwon, without even knowing who had picked him up, was merely trembling in his limbs continuously. The way he was huddled up tightly looked exactly as though he was suffering from extreme cold. Whether it was a symptom appearing because the drug was kicking in, or conversely because it was wearing off, could not be known. However, it was certain that he was in a considerably unstable state.

“Shall I arrange for a doctor?”

Unable to watch any longer, Joongsik suggestively proposed.

Since there was a primary care physician they sought out every time they came to Korea, it was from the sentiment of wondering if they shouldn’t call him and ask him to take some measures. Whether he would have ever handled a junkie before, he didn’t know, though.

“Why. Since he greedily sucked it down because he liked it, we should let him enjoy it.”

The reaction of Cha Jaeyi that returned was cynical.

At Seolwon’s unstable state, which made even Joongsik, who barely had a passing acquaintance, feel a sense of pity, Cha Jaeyi actually merely looked upon it with a sneer.

“To my eyes, it doesn’t particularly look like he’s enjoying it, but…”

On the contrary, it looked painful. To Joongsik’s eyes, that was. Nowhere on Han Seolwon’s wretched appearance did a hint of rapture show. If Woosik, who had followed him all the way into the house, hadn’t given a tip-off in advance, he would have just regarded it as him suffering from a severe body ache.

“Leave him be. The sight is quite stimulating and nice. Might as well watch the show, whatever.”

His twisted mouth seemed to represent Cha Jaeyi’s convoluted inner mind. It didn’t seem that watching was truly the objective; no matter how one looked at it, it was closer to throwing a tantrum. At any rate, because bringing up an issue again that Cha Jaeyi had once said no to would only make his own mouth sore, Joongsik did not add any more words.

“But, why are you watching as you please?”

All of a sudden, Cha Jaeyi turned the arrow toward Joongsik.

“It wasn’t watching, but grasping the situation.”

“Aren’t you done?”

“It is roughly finished.”

“Then get lost.”

Cha Jaeyi tilted his head toward the door. It meant to buzz off without further interference. Since there was no work to do even if he stayed longer anyway, Joongsik said, “Yes,” and meekly withdrew his steps. Jwasik and Woosik, who had been standing side-by-side by the doorway with their hands behind their backs, also followed Joongsik and went outside.

“Good work, both of you. You guys go on and rest too.”

Joongsik, who had stepped out first, stood in the middle of the living room and spoke to Jwasik and Woosik. At that, the two brothers extended greetings toward Joongsik one after another.

“You’ve gone through a lot of trouble too, hyung-nim. Please rest.”

“Yep, have a good night.”

“Right, see you tomorrow.”

After lightly waving his hand, Joongsik headed for the front door. Over his flat countenance, which tended to receive assessments of being like an iron mask, the fatigue he had been concealing up until now surfaced vividly. It was because the tension that had been packed inside the entire time dissolved in an instant. Even though it hadn’t been a day particularly busier than usual, he was strangely tired today of all days. It was a relief, at least, that his lodging was on the floor right below.

It was then.

“But, hyung-nim. What do we do tomorrow?”

Jwasik’s voice caught Joongsik. Only then realizing that he hadn’t shared tomorrow’s schedule, Joongsik turned his head with an ‘ah’.

“Ah, right.”

Although they had entered Korea unexpectedly, the instruction to cancel the Singapore schedule set for the day after tomorrow had not been handed down yet. Since it was an important meeting, it was closer to correct to view it as practically impossible to cancel. For the time being, they would have to move tomorrow right away.

Joongsik, who made a judgment after a moment of contemplation, instructed:

“Go and wait for now. I’ll scout out a private jet first and share the schedule with you.”

Not only Joongsik, but Jwasik and Woosik as well were using other rooms in this hotel as their lodgings. As Cha Jaeyi’s closest confidants and bodyguards who handled most of the schedule together, they scattered to their respective assigned rooms once the daily routine ended. On the next day, unless there was a separate instruction, they clocked in to Cha Jaeyi’s room again and moved based on the schedule delivered the previous day. Although it was a arena where movements and variables were frequent and unexpected situations popped up at any moment like today, the rough system was like this.

“Huh? Hyung-nim, says they’re going to Singapore tomorrow?”

“There wasn’t any word separately, but we have to go, go we must.”

“Tsk, it feels like we won’t be able to go, though…”

Jwasik muttered, scratching his chin. The soliloquy, which he seemed to have no particular intention of hiding, naturally entered the ears of Joongsik and Woosik as well. Woosik, furrowing his brow, spoke as if reprimanding his younger brother.

“What are you talking about? Why can’t we go?”

When moving, they utilized private jet services unless it was a special case. Normally, a reservation had to be placed up to 24 hours in advance, but if one tacked on a bit of a premium, a plane could be made to standby even in two hours. Therefore, there was no reason physically why they couldn’t go.

“That’s because.”

At Woosik’s question, Jwasik conversely pointed toward the bedroom with a bewildered expression as if wondering why he didn’t know.

“Because of that kind of state.”

This time, Joongsik added a question.

“What do you mean, that kind of state?”

Jwasik rolled his pupils as if choosing his words. The answer that came out only after that was quite a sight.

“A state perfect for pulling off a stunt.”

It is quiet.

The sound of bells, which had been ringing loudly as if to tear his eardrums, had ceased before he knew it.

Seolwon lowered the hands that had been tightly covering his ears. And he opened his closed eyes.

It is dark.

Like the noise that had vanished abruptly, the hallucination that had unfolded as if it were a physical reality was also cleanly gone. In the place where the nightmare had been, there was only a silent darkness.

However, there was no time to feel relieved. It was because he knew well the aftereffects that would rush in after a nightmare ended. Sure enough, as if it had been waiting, a chill seeped in from the tips of his toes. It was a byproduct generated from another poison used to suppress the poison called spirit sickness.

The chill crawling up along the blood vessels rapidly occupied his body. When it finally reached all the way to the crown of his head, Seolwon sank down, wrapped his arms around his body, and huddled up. Even though it was a cold he had experienced multiple times, it was painful every time he experienced it.

Trembling violently, he parted his mouth. Between his lips, which had turned pale blue, a listless voice leaked.

“Cold…”

And.

“…”

Beyond his unconsciousness, Cha Jaeyi was still admiring the trembling Seolwon. With a gaze as cold as the chill that had seeped inside Seolwon’s body.

“So… cold… huu…”

As if informing that the chill of his body was becoming extreme, Seolwon trembled even more severely as time went on. Despite that, no commotion arose on Cha Jaeyi’s face. He merely watched the suffering Seolwon indifferently.

“So, who told you to do a dog-shit-like thing?”