Chapter 32 (Volume 2 END)
by Gideon“…”
If I go grocery shopping before heading home, my stomach will be completely empty by then, right? Then I can eat all the pasta Taemo made for dinner.
And here I was, stuffing myself at the convenience store out of sheer stubbornness, completely ignoring his effort. The thought of food made his mouth water. A faint smile spread across Juhyeon’s face, reflected in the passenger window. He remained blissfully unaware that Taemo’s gaze had flickered to the window and then away.
⊹ ⊹ ⊹
Now, all that was left was to mend things with Kang-i by frequenting Superman. Then the three of them could go back to how they used to be. But things didn’t go as planned. Just like last time, Taemo burst into his room without warning and started badgering him to pack his bags.
“Why are you here so early…”
“Early? The sun’s already high in the sky, kid.”
Taemo practically shoved Juhyeon out of bed, nearly sending him tumbling to the floor. This time, Juhyeon found himself standing upright before his pajamas could even ride up. Only then did he notice the curtains were open. The sunlight streaming through the window was blindingly bright.
“Ah…”
Juhyeon rubbed his eyes hard with the back of his hand, his movements sluggish. Still half-asleep, he stuffed his clothes and sword into his backpack, washed up quickly, and followed Taemo out the door. As usual, there was no explanation. Juhyeon didn’t bother asking; he knew it was a waste of breath.
“Huh? This place…”
But the road they were taking felt familiar. It wasn’t far from the neighborhood where Juhyeon used to live. Pressed against the window, Juhyeon’s eyes darted around, scanning the scenery.
“Don’t go near my old neighborhood. You said you were falsely accused of something, right?”
Taemo still remembered the words Juhyeon had said when he’d stormed into his rooftop room. Memories he’d barely managed to forget resurfaced—the way the others had quietly turned their suspicious glares on him when the Golden Calf went missing, and Jaeseon’s subtle, probing questions.
“Ah…”
“What kind of misunderstanding was it?”
“It’s a long story. Some older guy lost a Golden Calf at the hideout—a heavy one, worth a few dozen don. And they suspected me of stealing it. Those ignorant bastards… they always looked at me first whenever something went missing.”
The real thieves probably slept soundly, knowing all the suspicion had fallen on Woo Juhyeon.
“You’re surrounded by people like that, so you’re blaming yourself for everything.”
“I guess I’m just used to being treated that way. Even Seo Jinyoung… he did the same thing back then.”
I mentioned Seo Jinyoung’s name and then carefully watched Lee Taemo’s reaction. If they were in the middle of something, Taemo might get upset. But he didn’t seem to care. He just kept turning the steering wheel slowly, leisurely scanning his surroundings.
“…”
I didn’t want to keep thinking about Seo Jinyoung. The problem was that I couldn’t stop picturing the scorching gaze I’d fixed on Lee Taemo.
They were staying at a motel. It was located right in the middle of the food alley, so the soundproofing was practically nonexistent. Once the sun went down, the outdoor tables would be packed, and as the night deepened, the sounds of lovers making love would surely drift into the hallways. Walking down the narrow corridor, one behind the other, Woo Juhyeon felt a strange tension.
But he was the only one affected. Taemo entered the room with a perfectly casual expression. The interior was surprisingly clean—perhaps it had been recently renovated. Still, the thought of being alone with Lee Taemo in a place like this made Juhyeon’s head spin.
“So, how many days did you say we’re staying here?”
“Two weeks.”
Taemo ripped off his baseball cap and tossed it aside. As he ran a hand through his messy hair, the veins on the back of his hand stood out prominently.
“…Ah.”
I see. The words were so faint they barely left his lips.
The tension in the room was so thick it made every movement feel strained. Juhyeon perched awkwardly on the edge of the bed, his posture stiff.
“…”
An awkward silence stretched between them. Juhyeon feigned indifference, idly kicking at the backpack he’d dropped by his feet.
God, this is suffocating.
When Taemo had visited his neighborhood, he’d managed to find a rooftop apartment to stay in. Juhyeon couldn’t fathom why he was staying in a motel this time.
Taemo, who had been checking his phone while perched on the vanity chair, stood up. The distance between them was so short that his shadow stretched all the way to Juhyeon’s feet.
Juhyeon swallowed hard, his back straightening instinctively.
“…”
Swish.
Juhyeon couldn’t even blink as Taemo slowly walked past him. Why am I acting so weird? he wondered, mortified. He could only hope Taemo wouldn’t notice how ridiculously tense he was.
Passing the bed, Taemo pulled back the blinds. Then, he leaned down, staring intently out the window. Could he be pretending to be distracted because he’s aware of me too? Juhyeon licked his dry lower lip and stole a glance at the sharp line of Taemo’s neck.
“Over here.”
“Huh? Yes?”
Juhyeon’s shoulders flinched at the sudden voice. Without moving from his position by the window, Taemo simply raised a finger and beckoned him over. Juhyeon hurried to his side. As he stood there, Taemo reached out and draped an arm over his shoulders. Their bodies pressed closely together.
“The window under the red sign. You can see it clearly, right?”
Taemo’s closeness, practically holding him in his arms, made Juhyeon’s skin prickle. Unlike Juhyeon, who stood frozen, Taemo tapped his index finger against the windowpane. Only then did Juhyeon’s gaze shift from the large hand resting on his shoulder to the view outside.
“Yes, I see it.”
“That’s the manager who sticks to the customers whenever they go to the wine bar. Your job is to stay glued to this spot and time that bastard’s movements.”
“Ah.”
So that’s why we’re in this neighborhood. It was all because of Seo Jinyoung’s request. From what Juhyeon recalled, Jinyoung had mentioned a wine bar nearby that the target customer frequently visited. They must have chosen this spot—a motel right in the middle of the food alley rather than a rooftop room—specifically to keep an eye on the manager.
“If you have the time, you can tail him. But…”
“…”
“Just don’t run into any low-life punks. Got it?”
The hand wrapped around my shoulder tightened. The grip squeezed my arm so hard it almost hurt, then let go. Even then, Juhyeon’s gaze remained fixed on the building across the street.
Through the large window, the man inside sat with both feet propped up on his desk, staring at his phone. He was chewing on an ice cream stick and snickering—a sight so familiar, he looked just like the thugs we’d seen at the hideout. Surveillance won’t be hard, I thought.
“I understand.”
Juhyeon nodded with a solemn resolve. He had to excel at whatever tasks he was given—whether it was stealing, erasing evidence, or simply playing the role of the obedient new recruit. After all, that was the only reason they were keeping him around.
“This is way better than cleaning up blood, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Definitely—”
The question was so obvious that Juhyeon had looked up and started to answer without thinking. But his voice trailed off as his gaze met Taemo’s, who had been looking down at him. In those pitch-black eyes, he could almost see his own frozen reflection.
“…”
“…”
He was so flustered he’d forgotten how to look away. They were close enough to feel each other’s breath. Suddenly, the memory of that night flooded back—the touch of lips, the hot breath, the heavy scent of alcohol, and the strands of hair tickling his eyelids…
His throat tightened involuntarily.
“Um…”
The sound of Juhyeon swallowing hard was embarrassingly loud. Taemo could have easily mocked him for it, but instead, he straightened his back without a hint of a smile.
“Let’s eat.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned away. Not a trace of regret or longing lingered in his posture. Juhyeon was the only one whose face—and even his neck—was flushed crimson.
After their meal, they went for a tour of the neighborhood. Though it wasn’t far from where Juhyeon used to live, he didn’t know the area well. The daytime heat would have made them sweat after just a short walk, but the evening air was still bearable. Taemo didn’t pay much attention to their surroundings, nor did he say much. Juhyeon wondered if Taemo was just killing time because he didn’t want to go to a motel yet.
They were passing the dim walkway and entering a brightly lit alley lined with shops when Taemo, who had been walking half a step ahead, came to a sudden halt. He yanked off his cap, ruffling his hair in the process. Then, he shoved the cap down onto Juhyeon’s head, pulling it low. A shadow instantly fell over Juhyeon’s eyes.
“If your face gets recognized, it’ll be a pain for me, too.”
Juhyeon lifted his chin, wondering if he should say thank you. But Taemo’s hand pressed the brim down firmly, forcing Juhyeon’s head to droop. Taemo’s large hand patted the cap a few times before he stepped back.
“…”
From his lowered vantage point, Juhyeon saw Taemo’s silhouette, hands shoved in his pockets. Since Taemo hadn’t stopped, Juhyeon had no choice but to keep following.
How much longer did they wander the neighborhood? A familiar building came into view in the distance.
This was the building where he’d first witnessed Lee Taemo commit a murder. Three months had passed, but there had been no real progress on the construction. Always stirring up trouble and leaving the neighborhood in a mess, Juhyeon thought, clicking his tongue.
His eyes suddenly lit up. He’d just found a topic to break the awkward silence. He quickly moved to Taemo’s side.
“Do you remember that building?”
As he pointed to the relatively tall structure, Taemo’s gaze followed. It was a nondescript building, yet Taemo recognized it instantly. He pushed back the hair tousled by the damp wind and let a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth.
“That’s where Woo Juhyeon’s legs gave out and he fell on his ass, wasn’t it?”
Was it really?
He couldn’t remember what he’d looked like or what he’d said. All he knew was that he’d been terrified, witnessing his first murder. The only things that remained vivid were the details: the back of Lee Taemo’s left hand gripping the knife, the smell that had wafted through the air, the hand movements so swift his eyes couldn’t even follow them, and the blood spattering in the wake of the blade.
He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, the brutal scene in his mind blurring slightly. I guess this is how I get used to it, he thought, even though I keep telling myself I’m scared and can’t sleep.
“I always thought you were a bit of a psycho, Hyungnim,” he said. “But seeing you do that to a person… I seriously thought it was a prank show for a second.”
“You thought I was a psycho, yet you came so willingly when I told you to suck my dick?”
“You didn’t go along with it willingly. You threatened me.”
The memory still sent a chill down Juhyeon’s spine. For the first time in his life, he’d known the terror of being hunted. What if a killer breaks into my house? What if he hurts my friends? What if he takes my life? The anxiety had been so overwhelming that Juhyeon, who usually couldn’t stand being alone, had shut himself inside his house for days on end.
“You’re calling that a threat?”
“…”
“Maybe you’ve just never been properly threatened before.”
Taemo leaned down, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Their eyes met beneath the brim of his cap. His face and tone were still terrifying, but Juhyeon had grown used to the smirk that now tugged at the corners of his lips.
“…But seriously. There are plenty of punks in this neighborhood. There must be plenty of guys way better at this kind of work. Why me?”
Just because I’m good at pickpocketing? That couldn’t be it. He hardly ever had Juhyeon steal anything. It would have been much easier to bring along someone with a strong stomach and a familiarity with blood. No matter how he thought about it, Juhyeon felt like he’d been forced into this job. Like a puzzle piece being shoved into a spot where it didn’t fit.
“Who knows.”
Taemo didn’t answer right away. As if pondering the question, he just kicked a pebble rolling on the ground with the toe of his sneaker. After a heavy silence, he turned around to face Juhyeon.
“You have kind eyes.”
It was the first time he’d ever heard that.
Juhyeon was constantly misunderstood as glaring, even when he was just looking. To hear someone call his eyes “kind”—and from Lee Taemo, no less—was a first.
“…What? My eyes?”
Taemo slowly withdrew the hand he’d been keeping shoved in his pocket. His long, calloused fingers breached the shadow cast by the brim of Juhyeon’s hat. Before Juhyeon could even think to block him, Taemo had crossed the line, his fingertips now tracing the delicate skin around Juhyeon’s eyes.
“They make me want to corrupt you.”
His voice, carried by the humid air, felt almost sticky. The fingertips that had been tracing his eye now rubbed his skin with a newfound intensity. It was a touch where an incongruous warmth and a rough texture coexisted.
“…But you look even less suited for it than I expected. That’s a problem.”
“…”
Lee Taemo sometimes said things that made no sense. He would pique my curiosity and then turn his back as if it were nothing. This time was no different.
“Let’s go. It’s hot.”
Sure enough, Taemo withdrew his hand in an instant, as if he had never even touched my face. He shoved the fingertips that still held Juhyeon’s warmth into his pocket.
“…He keeps doing this.”
This is why it’s so hard to stop caring about Lee Taemo. He kept reaching into Juhyeon’s heart, only to pull back. It made Juhyeon want to know more, to understand what he was thinking. He even harbored the vain hope that if they got closer, Taemo would one day give him the answers without being asked. Even though he knew better.
“Wait for me! You don’t even know the way!”
The moment I saw his back as he walked ahead, my legs moved on their own. I had grown all too used to following in his shadow. Just as one grows accustomed to the slowly warming summer air.
To be continued in Volume 3
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