HYDP C31

Chapter 31

Knocking off the long, burnt line of ash from his cigarette, Cheonguk leaned against the smoking booth. Tidying up the disheveled collar of his shirt, he exhaled smoke toward the sky. After grinding out the last stub, he stepped out of the booth with his mind feeling clearer than before.

What blocked his way was the security team. But Cheonguk brushed past them as though he had already been expecting this.

He stood before the detector. Reaching into his inner pocket to swipe his entry card—

“Ah.”

Naturally, there was nothing to be found. Of course there wouldn’t be. He had just traded his diamond-embedded entry card for a contract worth 300 million won on his way back.

“Team Leader Cheon, aren’t you going in?”

As Cheonguk remained still before the detector, one of the security members asked him with a doubtful look.

“I lost it.”

“……Excuse me?”

“I think you’d better call our Deputy Director.”

The employees in the lobby instantly went pale and made immediate contact with the Deputy Director.

Meanwhile, over in the main assembly hall, Cheonjung—his voice raised in heated argument over the agenda—was suddenly informed of unbelievable news.

“What did you just say?”

Snapping in irritation, Cheonjung shot up from the head seat and stormed out of the hall. Startled by his behavior, his aides quickly followed after him.

“He says he lost his ID card.”

“What? Do you realize how much that thing’s worth!”

Staring incredulously at his secretary, Cheonjung then processed once more that the one who had lost the ID card was none other than Cheonguk. He clutched at his head.

“I knew he’d lose it someday. That bastard…”

“And… there’s another issue.”

“What now!”

“He wrecked a car. And… it turns out that the car belonged to Team Leader Ha Jin-uk from the Ethics and Audit Department.”

“…I’m not going to survive to the end of my lifespan at this rate.”

Dizzied to the point his vision dimmed, Cheonjung forced himself to regain composure and headed down to the first-floor lobby. There, he found Cheonguk unable to even pass through the gate, casually sipping a drink from the vending machine.

Without hesitation, Cheonjung walked straight up to him.

“You bastard!”

Thwack—!

Cheonjung smacked Cheonguk’s back hard, not caring about the eyes of bystanders. He had put some strength into it, but with Cheonguk standing solid like a block of wood, the lack of reaction only scratched his pride.

This bastard… doesn’t even flinch.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“There was a bit of an incident.”

“An incident? What kind of incident? So where’s your ID card?”

Although he had already received a rough report from his secretary, he still couldn’t believe it and pressed for confirmation.

“I lost it.”

“…You, damn it. Do you even realize how much that thing costs—!”

“Well then, I suppose I should resign. Right?”

“…What?”

“At my age, if I can’t even manage a single belonging properly… sigh. I’ll take responsibility and submit my resignation. Handle it as disciplinary procedure.”

“…You wet-behind-the-ears brat, what do you mean ‘at your age’?”

At the mention of quitting yet again, Cheonjung’s face went pale. With too many onlookers, he decided he first had to get Cheonguk out of the lobby.

“Just speak here. What, more secret talk again?”

“Get over here, now.”

With a face full of indifference, Cheonguk followed, rolling an empty can in his hand as a joke. Cheonjung glanced around nervously and then suddenly grabbed Cheonguk’s wrist, pulling him out.

“People can lose an ID card sometimes. Why are you overreacting so much?”

“If you’d lost a cafeteria meal ticket, I wouldn’t bat an eye. But it’s an ID card loaded with internal information, you brat. Do you not understand the risk of forgery? And the embedded chip, don’t tell me you lost that too?”

“Ah. Right, the chip.”

Forgetting about the chip entirely, Cheonguk scratched his head and gave nothing but a helpless smile. Overcome with thoughts of love, he hadn’t managed to take care of what actually mattered.

“But who would even bother to forge it? I’m the unofficial face model of Salchungbu.”

“God, because of that precious face of yours, the General Affairs office has been—ugh, suffering for days on end already. Even now, they’re working themselves to death, damn it.”

While Cheonjung was seething with fury, Cheonguk nonchalantly tossed the rest of the drink down his throat, crumpled the can, and threw it into the trash. At the same time, Cheonjung marched toward Cheonguk’s car, which was standing crookedly in its spot.

“Hey. Open your car. Quickly!”

“Snapping at me for nothing… It’s unlocked already.”

Seeing Cheonjung dart into the passenger seat, Cheonguk shook his head, exasperated, and got in on the driver’s side himself.

The inside of the car quickly fell into silence. The sound of Cheonjung’s heavy breathing filled the space, while Cheonguk gave him a sideways glare full of irritation and contempt.

“This time, we’re only reissuing your ID once. If you lose it again… then I’ll personally shut down your access records permanently.”

“Which is why I’m saying I’ll just quit.”

“Will you shut up?”

Cheonjung felt only more annoyed as Cheonguk continued to provoke him with half-joking remarks. Then suddenly, his eyes landed on a sheet of paper lying above the driver’s side. Normally, he would have ignored it, but for some reason today, his hand moved.

“…And what’s this now?”

Picking it up, Cheonjung read each line slowly. His complexion drained of color almost instantly.

“You… this, what the hell is this…”

“If you crumple that, you’re dead to me.”

“……”

The contract plainly stated that Cheonguk had borrowed 300 million won from Yeonsanhong. Stupefied, Cheonjung twitched his brows, unable to believe his eyes. Cheonguk casually jutted his chin toward the backseat.

Following his gaze, Cheonjung spotted a hardcase travel suitcase and immediately clamped shut his hanging jaw.

“He lent the money without hesitation. That kid trusts people so easily, I can’t fathom how he’ll survive this brutal, f**ked-up world.”

“……”

Confirmation delivered.

With a pleased smile, Cheonguk thought of Sanhong, while Cheonjung, watching him, felt nothing but true fear.

“You can see Sanhong’s handwriting there, right? Did you know his handwriting is ridiculously cute?”

“……”

“Check out where my signature and his overlap on a single line. Damn—it’s cute as hell. How did our signatures end up overlapping like that?”

That someone could be delighted to this point just from overlapping signatures was abnormal. Cheonjung already judged him crazy, convinced he was suffering from some severe psychological disorder.

“You… What the hell is going through your mind? Messing up that mission wasn’t enough, and now you’re borrowing money from him?”

“Yes.”

“…You’re insane.”

“He didn’t do anything. He was just there quietly, and I… I crashed into him head-on, one-sided. But even like that, he didn’t budge at all.”

“…Maniac.”

Cheonjung couldn’t understand how someone could fall so completely after only seeing a face for a few days. Was this what they called a “pot personality”? He figured Cheonguk would get bored just as quickly as he heated up, and sighed deeply.

“Even the Deputy Director must be shocked, you and him being tied together.”

“What do you mean, tied?”

“This.”

Reverently lifting the contract from Cheonjung’s hands as if it were precious, Cheonguk took a long, deep breath of it. The gesture made Cheonjung shudder in disgust.

“What the hell…”

“Ah, Sanhong’s scent—damn, it lingers in the paper itself.”

“You pervert. But you’re a beta, aren’t you? Can you even smell scents?”

“I can smell his. Sweet, like powdered fragrance… or maybe sugary.”

“You even sniffed in detail, huh.”

“Way better than the bachelor stench coming off you, Deputy Director.”

“…You really are a bastard. But… yeah, I’ll admit, his scent is good.”

The moment Cheonjung said that, Cheonguk’s eyes sharpened, glittering with murderous intent. He suddenly grabbed Cheonjung by the collar.

“You f**ker. How would you know that? You ever get hard in front of him?”

“You little shit! When did I ever! And don’t forget, I’m an Alpha!”

Whether he had genuinely forgotten or was ignoring it altogether, Cheonguk tightened his grip around Cheonjung’s neck with the intent to kill. With no other choice, Cheonjung sputtered out his defense.

Unable to comprehend his nonsense, Cheonjung’s temples throbbed with frustration. He sighed hard.

“Damn it, sink through the floor already. And if you do, what about me and Sanhong?”

“Hey. That money—do you even realize this is loan shark money? You idiot!”

“Which is why I keep saying I’ll quit here. What’s the problem, seriously.”

“Do you know how many requests are coming in for you now, and how many millions were lost from cancellations?”

“Then you handle them yourself.”

Shaking his leg restlessly, Cheonguk let his mind drift back to Sanhong’s face. It had become an involuntary reflex—he could only think of Sanhong now.

Clamping a cigarette between his lips, he lit it naturally, chuckling inanely like a lunatic as he swayed.

His neat features, big round eyes… consumed by a sudden urge, he wanted to devour him whole, to stuff him into his stomach.

“Sigh… cannibalism isn’t really my kink, though.”

“…For f**k’s sake, stop saying insane things like that.”

“Why? You know how it is. When someone’s too cute or too pretty, you just wanna bite into every part of them, chew them up.”

“I give up trying to understand you.”

“No, wait. Someone might snatch him away. Better carry him with me in my arms.”

“……”

“Damn… and he’s got such a tiny body too.”

As Cheonguk went on and on describing Sanhong with a smile that never faded, Cheonjung looked at him with something like awe now.

“And his nostrils are so ridiculously small, I feel like I need to fit gills onto him.”

“……”

“Shit. With openings that tiny, what if he suddenly stops breathing in his sleep and dies? Damn… now I’m worried. Does he even sleep well alone?”

“He’s well past thirty, you brat…”

But Cheonguk paid that no mind. Covering his mouth with his hand, he giggled like a horror scene come alive.

What the hell had Sanhong done to him, that he ruined one grown man this completely…?