HYDP C21

Chapter 21

 At Cheonguk’s words, honed like a blade, Suho closed his mouth.

“Just days before the project, manifested as a dominant Omega….”

“That was probably the decisive cause of retirement. Otherwise he’d still be inside the organization.”

“…Right. From the start, they targeted Sanhong with impure intent. Didn’t they… That’s what it was.”

“…Boss?”

He muttered like a man entranced. He’d seen his superior lose the thread before, but today was markedly worse. Not just loose screws—like they were gone entirely.

Carrying the file, he walked right out of the department, ignoring Suho’s attempts to stop him through the earbuds. The earbud slipped from his ear; the call died.

Stepping out of the classified archive with that same savage face, he startled Kang-ju, who hurried over.

“Have you confirmed it? If you need a copy…”

“No. It’s in memory.”

“…Ah.”

“Not something I’ll forget.”

At that low, sunken voice, Kang-ju seemed to sense something and took the original without a word.

There were still two hours until start of day.

“Plenty.”

“……”

In those eyes, the intent to ruin the target was unapologetically clear.

“Go home.”

“…Ah.”

“No need to get unlucky by being tied up with me.”

He brushed past him, steps light.

He’d steeled himself the moment he let him access the file. Now all he could do was press down on the thundering in his chest; his face flushed red.

Then the phone rang. Suho.

“Hey, did our boss go to Gu Pilju?”

“Yeah…”

“What’s with your voice? Somebody hit you?”

“No. I just… saw an idol.”

“What the hell… Anyway, this feels bad, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. He told me to go home.”

“…Ha, shit. We’re screwed.”

With a hollow laugh, he sat up.

“Hey, shouldn’t we really stop him? That face—like he was going to kill someone.”

“I don’t know. He’ll handle it. We just need to stay quiet.”

“I’m… worried the other guy might actually die.”

“Then stay put—and if it looks like he’ll really die, stop him then. I’m almost there.”

Nodding, he ignored the order to go home and shadowed him quietly.

Cheonguk headed for “Team 2.”

The office was pitch dark, even the CCTV dead. In this building, CCTV was supposed to be on at all times. Sensing something off, he lowered his body and kept his guard up.

Thud—!

Clatter—!

Something breaking, from deeper in. He shifted and moved toward the sound’s source. Closer, he could hear mumbling and the noise of a violent struggle, mixed together.

“Mm, ngh…!”

“Haa… fuck…”

Flesh slapping, sticky. Obvious enough. He grinned and pulled out his phone. He listened.

“T-team lead… i-it hurts… stop…”

“Hey. Why do you think I took an Omega like you on the team? Huh? Pretty little treat, that’s why.”

“Mm, ngh…”

“I even forged your designation so you wouldn’t get fired. You pay back kindness, yeah? Oh, fuck. Hey. Can’t you squeeze tighter? With it this loose, think I can finish tonight?”

A few lines and the picture was clear. Screwing in the office at dawn—he clicked his tongue and kicked the door hard.

Bang—!

The locked handle popped off like nothing.

Roll—

“……”

“……”

As expected: Gu Pilju.

He stared, slack, not even understanding, until the rolling handle bumped his foot.

“Right here, look at me.”

Click—! With the shutter, the shot caught his flustered face perfectly.

“…What the hell?”

“Mm—ngh…”

The man pinned under him, seeing Cheonguk, jerked his head away. Shame outweighed fear now; he shoved Gu off and scrambled up.

“Hey! You fuck, get over here!”

“…Hah—!”

Gu yanked his team member toward him, vicious.

“Skipping out all day and I wondered what you do at night—turns out you’re doing whore work.”

“…What?”

“Or is fucking your hobby?”

“…This fucker…”

He looked up at the taller man, then recognized him and hissed:

“What’s the dwarf from Supervision doing here?”

“A tip said the Team 2 lead sells his body.”

“…What did you say?”

“Not a team lead—just a whore.”

Smirking, he put one hand in his pocket.

Same rank or not, losing face to a younger man like him felt like torture. He’d never been slapped down to his face like this; every word scraped nerves raw.

Catching the cue in his eyes, the team member grabbed his clothes and fled. Left alone, Gu clenched a cigarette in his lips and glowered.

“Hey. What are you trying to do with me right now?”

“Don’t talk to me. I don’t converse with whores.”

“Is that your lover? That why you’re pulling this shit on me?”

“I wonder if Baek Cheon-jung knows you sell your body.”

“……”

Insulted by hearing the deputy director called by name, he blew smoke into the air—then straight at him.

“Your mouth’s real short, huh?”

“Yeah. Hear that a lot.”

He stared openly, face twisted with disgust, then tapped his ash onto the other’s shoe.

Cheonguk lifted his toe to Gu’s shin. Slowly, he wiped the ash off against it. The look on his face was pure mockery and contempt.

Then he rushed him and smashed his face. It happened in a blink.

The desk clock slammed into Gu’s face. The sound of a heavy, hard object mashing bone and flesh ripped the quiet night.

Papers flew, a chair skidded back, clattering.

He dropped to the floor without a scream. Kneeling, he straddled him, then peered into the intact glass of the clock—the blood-smeared face reflected back, warped.

He had to endure a long beating without even knowing why.

“Hoo… fuck. Only now it breaks.”

“…Ghk—guhk…”

Satisfied by the jagged edge of the shattered clock, he flung it into a far corner. Blood seeped from the torn patches on his hands; he clicked his tongue.

Gu was barely breathing. Blood surging up from his throat clogged his airway, making a hideous whistling as he tried to breathe.

He spat a wad of phlegm looking down at the man prostrate like a corpse. Then from the mini-fridge he took a bottle of water and started washing his hands. He washed over Gu, soaking the blood-slathered body.

“A man should have a conscience. Hm? After doing something that vile, and you’re here shamelessly humping.”

“……”

“Real pity, Team Lead Gu. Bad luck—you ran into me.”

Dragging a chair, he sat with Gu’s body as his footrest. He lit a cigarette and casually used him as an ashtray.

Tap, tap. He flicked ash; black flakes turned his clothes sooty.

“…Son of… you… son of a bitch…”

“Mm. You called me?”

Under his work boot, Gu clenched his teeth in agony. Who knew how long passed. Footsteps, loud, from far off. Fortunately or not, more than one pair.

“…Hah!”

“……”

The sound came from Suho and Kang-ju.

They took in the scene and clamped their mouths shut.

“…We’re properly screwed.”

“He—he’s not dead, right?”

Raking his face with a hand, Suho started a call. Kang-ju held a finger under the man’s nose to check for breath.

Seeing how bad it was, he wanted to say something to Cheonguk—but nothing came. He shut his mouth.

The most “spectacular” dawn passed into the hour for arrivals. When Security showed, they cuffed both his wrists.

That was how it ended.

“…Fuck, I’m still not calm.”

That was the whole story. In the interrogation room, after hearing it all quietly, the deputy director faced the still-hot fury.

“How do you try to kill a kid that fragile. How do you try to kill something that beautiful.”

“……”

“Never seen anyone as cruel as that bastard Gu Pilju.”

“…Hey.”

“You’re the same. Weren’t you his supervising deputy? Then why are you so…”

“Hey. Cheonguk. Did you notice Gu Pilju’s left wrist and right ankle?”

“……”

He traced back the image of the man in his head. Now that he thought of it, the left hand hadn’t moved at all, and the leg had definitely looked bad.