Bittersweet

11_Bittersweet

It was a play.

Jeonghan threw a chair in front of the assembled members. Everyone tensely watched Jeonghan's reaction. It was the first time they'd seen Jeonghan like this, so they were understandably flustered. Mingyu quietly picked up the chair that had been thrown into the corner and put it back up. Then, he bowed his head and spoke seriously.





"I'll find it somehow."

"A guy who has never held a sword in his life is going to beat a loser?"

"You can't get what you want without taking the chance."






Jeonghan took a deep breath and sat down on the chair. He crossed his legs, crossed his arms, and glanced at Mingyu.It's not "can I?" but "must do."At Jeonghan's words, Mingyu clenched his fists. He was determined to get it done, even if it meant risking his life. Mingyu showed his unwavering determination, saying, "I'll do it, I'll get it done." The other members of the organization followed suit. Jeonghan, feigning anger, offered Mingyu Wonwoo's jackknife.





"Come find me. Somehow."





He handed the jackknife to Mingyu, as if training a dog to find Wonwoo by following the scent left on the knife. Mingyu accepted the jackknife and called everyone over. From now on, he would attack Seungcheol. The most important thing was to rescue Wonwoo safely. He moved with that as his sole thought. Everyone followed Mingyu. Jeonghan followed stealthily. Finally, they were going there. For the final chapter.










-









Seungcheol's side was in chaos. The guy who seemed to have betrayed him had returned to meet his own death. Seungcheol burst out laughing. How could I kill that guy to release the resentment I'd built up? He couldn't come up with an answer. It seemed like I'd lived this whole time just to have fun. How could I kill my own fun? Seungcheol approached Wonwoo and extended his hand.





"You act like you can't kill me anymore. Are you here to kill me?"

"..."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can't let you feel at ease, Wonwoo."

"Please... Boss."






Seungcheol offered Wonwoo a new knife. He didn't know what kind of torture he'd face if he didn't accept it. Wonwoo accepted it. He didn't like it. The grip wasn't great, and in his hands, accustomed to the jackknife he'd been holding, this knife felt utterly awkward. Seungcheol laughed at Wonwoo's shyness around the knife, as if it were a person.






"That's right, Wonwoo, you shouldn't give away your precious things to others so easily."

"How do you do that..."

"What is there that I don't know? Especially about you."





Wonwoo was completely defeated by Seungcheol. Or rather, he was just pretending. Seungcheol called out to Soonyoung. Soonyoung approached, nervously. Then, in an instant, she was kicked away. Wonwoo looked at Soonyoung, who had collapsed on the floor. Seeing her gaze, Seungcheol asked.Wonwoo, how are you feeling right now?“Oh, what do you say in times like this?” Wonwoo spat out the answer with a dry expression.






"I don't know."






Seungcheol patted Wonwoo's shoulder as if he was satisfied. "No one knows," he said.clinkerHe said he didn't put his heart into it.clinker. It was an unpleasant word. Wonwoo picked up the knife. His hand was free. The hand, as if it could take someone's life at any moment, approached Soonyoung. However, because his hand was shy about the knife, it slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.

As he was about to pick up the knife again and continue working, Seungcheol stopped Wonwoo, saying that he had lost interest. Then he told WonwooI'll find your jackknife.He left the place, leaving behind a dull Wonwoo and a terrified Soonyoung.

Soonyoung was so overcome by the fear she'd just experienced that she couldn't even utter a sound. Tears were welling up in her eyes, but even those seemed to have to stop. Wonwoo, who had been locking eyes with Soonyoung, stood up and was about to leave when Soonyoung called out to him.





"Bring me something and kill me. Just kill me with those damned hands!!"

"I didn't intend to kill you."

"...what?"

"I promised I wouldn't kill you."





Wonwoo's words only frightened Soonyoung even more. If he truly had no intention of killing himself, how could he explain his actions and that expression? It wasn't mere acting. That moment when he held the knife was definitely sincere. He had instilled fear in me to his heart's content, and now he wasn't planning on killing me? Soonyoung barely managed to calm her trembling legs and stood up, grabbing Wonwoo by the collar.





"There's a limit to nonsense. Then what's your expression like right now?"

"You really don't know anything."

"What do I not know? I don't know!!"

"Who said that I don't have feelings of love?"





To say there's no love is to say there's no such thing as a profound affection for someone, nor is there any possibility of genuine hatred. So, from Soonyoung's perspective, he never truly intended to kill her. He simply threatened her life because the circumstances were right. And that expression, oblivious to what was wrong with that, is even there.

Rumor had it he simply enjoyed this kind of thing with Seungcheol. I'd assumed he was a psychopath, possessed by a strange joy in killing. But it was more than that. The boy, who had grown up without love, had never truly loved or hated anyone. He simply accepted every situation and did his best to do whatever he was told.

Soonyoung's hands naturally relaxed. Wonwoo straightened his crumpled clothes. Who was he spying on right now? Seungcheol, who had raised the boy to recognize him and manipulate him as he pleased, was terrifying. Soonyoung hurriedly fled. She felt like she might die if she saw that indifferent expression again.










-








Wonwoo grabbed the knife Seungcheol had given him again. Even if it didn't fit his hand, if Jeonghan and Mingyu came and let it slip, both of them would panic. To avoid the same mistake as before, he had to quickly adjust his hand to the knife. Until Seungcheol arrived, Wonwoo repeatedly grabbed the knife and dropped it. Like forcing yourself to eat something you can't eat, your hand gradually became accustomed to the knife.

After some time, Seungcheol approached Wonwoo. Then he blurted out something meaningful.I guess Jeonghan cared for you more than you thought?Wonwoo tilted his head at Seungcheol's question. Seungcheol was about to rush towards Jeonghan, but he told Wonwoo to stay put, saying that was no longer necessary. Wonwoo stood up, saying he would go too, but Seungcheol made the atmosphere heavy.





“Don’t get me wrong, Wonwoo. I’ve never forgiven you.”

"sorry."

"If you understand, then protect the organization so that it doesn't get stolen. If you run away again, I'll kill you then."






Seungcheol locked the door. There was nowhere for Wonwoo to run. Or maybe there really was nowhere? Wonwoo felt more at ease than he'd expected. Locking the door to protect the organization from being raided didn't mean he had to guard the house in the first place, but rather to warn him not to run away. After all, Seungcheol would be the one opening the door. He just had to wait until then. He'd have time. Wonwoo picked up the knife again.







Outside, the air was tumultuous. The members of Jeonghan's organization and Seungcheol's were mingling, the sounds of friction and groans echoing here and there. Seungcheol searched for Jeonghan and Mingyu. Sure enough, neither of them were there. They must be waiting for Wonwoo somewhere. But Wonwoo was in his grasp, so he'd ultimately return without any gain.

It was then. Min-gyu got out of the car far away and joined the fight. When did his fighting skills improve so much? Min-gyu began physically beating Seung-cheol's gang members. Seung-cheol, watching this unfold, waited for his chance. And at the opportune moment, he mobilized the gang members who were still waiting, believing Jeong-han would be in the parked car.

The gang members quietly moved toward the car. However, something felt off as Mingyu fought. They thought he was simply blocking the men trying to reach the car, but Mingyu's fighting style showed no sign of protecting the car. Realizing this too late, the gang members signaled to Seungcheol that there was nothing there, and he immediately ran towards Wonwoo.







When he opened the door, Wonwoo was wielding a knife. Seungcheol, relieved on the one hand, called out to Wonwoo. Wonwoo greeted Seungcheol with a stiff posture. Seungcheol dragged Wonwoo out, saying it was no fun without him.






"I have to do it right."

"I will do my best to live up to your expectations."






Wonwoo walked into the chaos. He barely managed to fit the knife in his hand, and dealt with them one by one. If he'd done it his way, he'd probably lost his life, so he'd avoided that. He'd stabbed them once with the knife, then kicked them, sending them rolling on the ground, buying them time. Seungcheol was relieved to see Wonwoo in his usual state. He realized he really wasn't capable of feelings like love.

As he began to deal with one or two, Wonwoo's eyes fell on Mingyu. He knew he'd eventually have to use this knife to attack Mingyu. But he also knew it was impossible. The jackknife he wielded was special, and if it was the jackknife he knew, he wouldn't be able to defeat it with this one.

Wonwoo and Mingyu exchanged glances. Mingyu moved to knock Wonwoo unconscious, and Wonwoo moved to kill Mingyu. As Seungcheol was watching, wondering if anything could be more exciting, a phone call rang. Seungcheol, irritated by whoever was ruining the fun, answered the phone.

It was Jeong-han. And then Jeong-han walked up behind Seung-chul. Seung-chul was startled and immediately attacked, but Jeong-han dodged well. It was because of this Jeong-han that Seung-chul couldn't kill him, but should have stood shoulder to shoulder with him. In the end, Seung-chul stopped attacking and proposed a deal to Jeong-han.





"Okay, let's hear what you want, Yoon Jeong-han."

"I know that. Of course I want Wonwoo."

"You know that I don't get it when you and Wonwoo say you love each other, right?"

"It's a bit disappointing. Maybe I'm the exception?"

"If it's Kim Min-gyu, who's been following me around for a long time, I wouldn't know. But not you, Jeong-han."





As if he had expected this reaction, Jeonghan stopped the deal. If both sides wanted the same thing, then eventually one of them would have to give up. Giving up here meant giving up my own life. The two people, who could not have been unaware of this unspoken rule, grabbed knives.






"If we do it the old way, no one will die, so how about changing the rules a bit?"

"Until one of us dies... Are you okay Seungcheol?"

“You can’t beat me by just avoiding me.”

"You won't be able to defeat me just by attacking."






The two explored each other. When and how to attack, how to follow up with the next attack, how long to prepare for the next. After much deliberation, Jeonghan swung his knife first. Seungcheol, dodging Jeonghan's attack by retracting, tried to exploit the opening, but when the knife swung in that direction, Seungcheol quickly retreated, preparing for defense.

Seungcheol applauded Jeonghan's ability to attack. Then, Seungcheol immediately launched into an attack. As expected, Jeonghan was adept at dodging. Once he countered, Seungcheol immediately dodged. At this point, the two realized it was going to be a battle of stamina.








Wonwoo and Mingyu were also quite intense. Since one was the one who knocked out and the other was the one who killed, Mingyu was naturally cautious. If this continued, it seemed like Seungcheol's fight would end before he could knock him out, or his own life would be lost. In the end, Mingyu led Wonwoo to end the situation quickly. How?






"...!"

"Haa... I finally caught him. Jeon Won-woo."






I thought I was swinging the sword in my right mind. But when I realized that Min-gyu had taken over the flow,Blood was gushing from Min-gyu's shoulder.