Hazardous Concentration Chapter 27

After asking if I was all right, he clicked his tongue, saying it seemed there had been a misunderstanding.

Only then did Eunhoo realize that yesterday’s incident was an accident born of a misunderstanding.

Hearing the gist of it, it seemed the waiter he saw that day had mistaken Eunhoo for someone there to sell his body. No wonder the things he said had been so strange.

—He says it was his side’s mistake and that he’ll compensate you for it.

Seeing as the company, which wouldn’t have been favorable had he suffered a loss, was speaking so readily, it seemed they had named a pretty high compensation amount.

—In exchange, they wanted you to not make an issue of yesterday’s event and keep it quiet. You know it too, Mr. Eunhoo. Creating a dispute for nothing only brings trouble to this side, so….

He cut off the conversation that was about to drag on by saying he understood. Eunhoo wasn’t in a position to refuse anyway. And he had naively thought that the matter was completely over. How naive.

Yeo Taejun, the other party involved in that accident, reached into his coat, pulled out a cigarette case, and extracted a cigarette. Click, the flame that soared from the lighter burned the wick.

‘Are your bronchial tubes bad?’

Shouldn’t one ask that before lighting it? He thought it was self-centered, but he didn’t even have the strength to question it, so he just let it be.

‘No.’

‘Want one?’

‘…I don’t smoke.’

Eunhoo didn’t do cigarettes, nor did he do alcohol. It wasn’t that there hadn’t been temptations in his life. Because of his unusual body, he had suffered from quite severe depression during puberty. Like adults do, he had stared at the cupboard where the alcohol was kept, wondering if his worries would disappear if he drank. However, he never ended up crossing that line. He didn’t want to worry his parents, who whispered their apologies to him for their whole lives. And after he became an adult who could legally enjoy alcohol and cigarettes, his family had gone bankrupt.

‘You grew up straight.’

Yeo Taejun smiled, saying it was admirable.

‘…More than that, may I ask what the business is?’

Like a high-end car, the seats were comfortable beyond description, but Eunhoo didn’t have the luxury to enjoy that comfort. He was anxious.

He was concerned about what happened in the alley, and above all, being in an enclosed space like this with Yeo Taejun kept weighing on his mind. Although it had ended in an attempt, it was an undeniable fact that he had been pinned down by him and sucked here and there that day. Most traces had disappeared, but the bite mark imprinted near his collarbone still remained faintly.

‘Why are you in such a hurry? Is someone chasing you?’

The current situation was more unsettling than someone chasing him. Eunhoo showed that feeling clearly on his face, but he sucked on the cigarette he was holding without a care. Then, he skillfully exhaled smoke. Even after that, he just smoked and didn’t say a word. It was when Eunhoo was shifting his bottom, feeling too uncomfortable with that silence, that he stubbed out the cigarette, not even half-smoked, into the car’s ashtray.

Afterward, the place Yeo Taejun took Eunhoo to was a Chinese restaurant not far from [Songnim]. It wasn’t the kind you commonly see in the neighborhood; it looked expensive, with an exterior that was luxurious from the start.

‘Why are we here?’

If it was something to talk about, they could have done it back there, so he wondered why he had to go through all this. Yeo Taejun stopped the car and said nonchalantly.

‘You have to eat dinner anyway.’

7:00 PM. It was when [Songnim] was in the midst of working busily. Because he moved so busily, he was usually hungry at this hour, but today, he had no appetite at all. Besides, there had been such an incident earlier; there was no way he could eat as if nothing had happened.

‘Get out.’

Eunhoo stared quietly at Yeo Taejun, who was getting out of the car first. I didn’t know, but this man is quite self-centered.

The Yeo Taejun I had imagined until now wasn’t like that person.

The cursing, too. He looked like someone who wouldn’t even bring such things to his lips. Moreover, what about his ingrained violence?

Eunhoo swallowed hard, recalling the scene where he had beaten the collection agent to a pulp a little while ago.

‘Not getting out?’

The passenger door clicked open. Yeo Taejun was watching him with his head tilted to the side. That face seemed to be saying, “You’re making me say it twice again.”

‘I’m getting out.’

Eunhoo realized a fresh fact. The fact that the image of Yeo Taejun he had held until now was nothing more than something he had imagined on his own.

Then again, everything he knew about Yeo Taejun was only external. And even that was just the basics.

For instance, that he was Yeo Gijoon’s hyung and the next owner of TS. Other than that, he knew nothing about Yeo Taejun himself.

As they entered the restaurant, as if they had contacted them in advance, a server led them to a private room. Although the menu was different, he worked in a similar place, but he wasn’t used to this atmosphere at all. While the food was surely excellent, he didn’t feel like reaching for it. He couldn’t really taste it, either. And he kept feeling anxious, wondering if it was okay for him to be sitting there leisurely eating.

In the end, after picking at it a few times, he put down his chopsticks.

‘Are you done?’

‘…I don’t have an appetite.’

His stomach felt nauseous, as if it had been turned inside out. Hearing his reply, Yeo Taejun slowly rubbed his brow and continued.

‘After eating only that much? That’s why you’re as scrawny as a starving dog.’

His tone was elegant, but the content was vicious. It was a curious talent. However, this wasn’t the time to be admiring that. The expression of Eunhoo, whose nerves were frayed, clouded over. Even if he let his guard down for just a moment, thoughts of the incident in the alley kept popping up in his head. In the end, he had no choice but to hesitate and ask.

‘I, is that person okay?’

Unlike Eunhoo, who was restless and trembling with anxiety, Yeo Taejun picked up the glass placed to his side, took a sip of water, swallowed it, and answered nonchalantly.

‘He’s fine. He didn’t die.’

Eunhoo’s eyes widened.

‘H, he d….’

As he became overwhelmed with fear, Yeo Taejun sighed and continued.

‘And just for your peace of mind, there won’t be anything for you to worry about because of today’s incident.’

To say there’s nothing to worry about after he was the one to create the cause for worry. At the absurd statement, Eunhoo felt a surge of anger, forgetting the trembling he had been doing just a moment ago, and shouted as if to challenge him.

‘That’s easy for you to say because you’re not the one involved! But I am!’

Wasn’t it that man who was managing his debt? Eunhoo swept his palms over his deathly pale face. He felt like something could burst at any moment, right today. As his vision went dark, his head throbbed. As time passed, resentment toward Yeo Taejun, who had caused this situation, welled up.

‘Why on earth are you doing this to me?’

Even if what happened in the room was one thing, everything after was intentional. Eunhoo was curious about the motives of the man who kept appearing in front of him. His situation was already complicated enough, and that man had stirred it up properly, making it even more difficult. With his nerves frayed, Eunhoo seemed to have lost his fear and asked sharply.

‘Don’t tell me… you’re doing this because of my body, too?’

His face reddened as he said it, but if that weren’t the case, he couldn’t understand his actions at all. At that, Yeo Taejun burst into a chuckle.

‘I didn’t think you’d be the one to say that first.’

Yeo Taejun leisurely skimmed the part of the glass his lips had touched with his finger and admitted it readily.

‘To start with the conclusion: yes, I like you.’

‘…’

‘To be exact, I like your body.’

At the direct words, Eunhoo was speechless for a moment.

‘Your flesh comes to mind from time to time. Can you believe it? That I got an erection just from that thought alone.’

Yeo Taejun pointed his chin toward his crotch. It was hidden by the table, but there was no way he couldn’t know what that meant. Eunhoo’s face burned red.

‘So, are you saying that… you want to sl, sleep with me right now?’

Even as Eunhoo asked, stammering, one question popped into his mind. Earlier, when the collection agent had a bulge down there, he had only felt disgust. But now, he only felt embarrassed.

What’s different?

The tone is the only thing that’s different; isn’t what he’s demanding the same? Yet why is it not terrifying? This wasn’t a normal emotional circuit. He didn’t know why he was like this.

‘To be exact, a verification.’

‘What is that supposed to mean? What kind of verification?’

When Eunhoo asked in a trembling voice, Yeo Taejun said, “What do you think?” tilted his head slightly to the side, and then said:

‘The reason your body comes to mind from time to time.’

‘…’