Bittersweet

8_Bittersweet

From then on, rumors spread quickly. That Jeonghan had a lover, or perhaps someone special. But since Wonwoo was rumored to be Jeonghan's lover, it was never seen as a weakness, and no one dared approach them.

As planned, Wonwoo gained freedom, and Jeonghan also got a break from his tedious duties. Jeonghan's temperament sometimes caused Wonwoo to feel uneasy, but thanks to that, suspicions within the organization vanished. Wonwoo would be the only one who dared to look upon their boss with such cold eyes.

Today, Jeonghan called Wonwoo again. Calling him out in front of his organization members was just for show. But as they say, curiosity can turn into greed. One by one, the members' ears began to gather in Jeonghan's room. Of course, Jeonghan couldn't have been unaware.






"Wonwoo. There are already a lot of ears listening right now."

"What more do you want?"





This was a conversation they'd already noticed a while ago. After Wonwoo asked what else he wanted, nothing else could be heard. Not even the sound of their conversation, not even the sound of chairs moving or footsteps. It was just that something had fallen, and then nothing else.

The members of the organization made eye contact, then pressed their ears against the door again, then fled in surprise. The heavy breathing of two adult men could be heard from beyond the door.






"You punks. If I were you, you'd think it would be like that. Why are you so suspicious?"

"You should have scammed the members of the organization too."

"What do you know? Okay, the kids are gone, so let's get to the point."






Jeonghan handed Wonwoo a note. Wonwoo looked at it with a dubious expression. Then, Wonwoo's previously unchanging cold expression grew even colder. A feeling he couldn't quite put into words arose.

The contents of the memo weren't much different. It was one of those things that would naturally come up in an organization like this: a spy within the organization. The reason Wonwoo's expression grew cold at that obvious mention was obvious enough. It was someone from Seungcheol's side.

The reason rumors could spread so quickly. This was why Seungchul quickly learned of these actions. Wonwoo asked in a low voice, "Why did you tell me this important thing now?" Jeonghan said that in such a situation, he should pretend not to know and throw bait at the guy.

Let's think about it. If the boss of an organization were so obsessed with love that he couldn't do his job properly and couldn't even recognize a spy, would you be able to forgive him? Of course you wouldn't. He said anyone who welcomed that wouldn't be his kind. Thanks to that, Seung-cheol was able to find someone to bait him into taking care of him.





"But there's no one on our side who can handle that."

"It sounds to me like you're telling me to pick up a knife right now."

“But it’s not okay since we’re your only lover?”

"You really are good at saying things that don't make sense."





Jeonghan laughed heartily after hearing Wonwoo's words. And, as expected, Jeonghan blurted out a past he didn't want to return to. How many people on Jeonghan's side has Wonwoo killed so far? It must have been at least ten. Then how many people on Seungchul's side has Jeonghan killed? That too failed because of Wonwoo. So what does Jeonghan want?


I'm not asking for anything big. I'm not asking for death. For Jeonghan, disposal meant social burial. Jeonghan wanted to test Wonwoo. Was it really reasonable for Wonwoo to stay by his side? Had Wonwoo truly completely broken away from Seungcheol? Even if his actions up to now prove it, it's hard to believe without results, so this was an inevitable procedure.

But Wonwoo, who had only learned the word "process" from Seungcheol's perspective, couldn't possibly understand Jeonghan's words. Wonwoo turned around, telling Jeonghan to kill him instead, but Jeonghan ultimately told Wonwoo the meaning of the test himself. Otherwise, he felt like he'd be the real bad guy.






"I'm not telling you to kill me."

"Then what is it?"

"Let's make sure you never walk around this place again."

"That's it."

"Let's think of it as social embarrassment."





Social embarrassment. It wouldn't be easy for an organization to accept someone with such a high risk profile who's already a public figure. Perhaps if Seungcheol had worked hard, another organization might have been able to deal with him.

Jeonghan saw right through that. What he was doing was creating a justifiable excuse for the other side to kill. He knew that there were many people willing to shed blood, even if it wasn't his own. And that Wonwoo was one of those people.






"You don't have to kill anymore."

"You speak as if someone else is going to kill you."

"That's not wrong. Even if it's not us, there are plenty of monsters."






monster, that single word pierced Wonwoo's heart. He himself had called himself a monster, but he wanted to be rejected for saying that. Jeonghan's words had forced him to face the truth that he had been a monster all along. It must have been quite painful.

Ultimately, Wonwoo agreed to accept Jeonghan's test to protect his freedom. Wonwoo asked if he could borrow just one knife. Jeonghan handed it to Wonwoo without asking why. He wouldn't use it to kill anyone, so where would he point it? Jeonghan was tight-lipped.








-









Jeonghan gave Seungcheol's spy a job and told him he had to do it anyway to avoid suspicion. He told him it was a fake deal anyway, and that Wonwoo could just show up when the dealer was supposed to be there. Jeonghan passed on the information.

Wonwoo followed the information and hid in a fake trading location. It felt similar to the feeling he had when he worked for Seungcheol. However, the knife in his hand was different from his usual one, and the relatively bright tone and free-spirited clothing were a noticeable change.





Not much time had passed. Seeing the man who had just emerged, a murderous urge surged through me. It was a face I'd never seen before. Even though he was by Seungcheol's side, he hadn't revealed his hidden secrets to Wonwoo. That guy must be one of them. Wonwoo sighed. Then, his expression softened and he walked towards him.

At first, Jeonghan simply told him to return to the organization, saying he'd handed the job over to him. This was meant to create anxiety, fearing he'd be ostracized. Wonwoo, who had come this far, crumpled his expression, saying he couldn't go back. As expected, his expression remained unchanged.





"Can I just tell that to the boss?"





The man's crumpled expression suddenly shifted into one of terror. What is he afraid of? Perhaps it's the fear of that place, where if he fails to do his job properly and returns, only death awaits him. To think someone so incapable of even controlling his expression could be a spy? Wonwoo burst out laughing, dumbfounded.





"name."





At Wonwoo's words, he knelt, begging for his life. He pleaded, begging repeatedly, that he was Jeonghan's right-hand man, and that he could ask for something as small as that. Wonwoo pondered how to deal with this man, who had been so profoundly mistaken. Then, Wonwoo handed him a knife.





"Then do what you're good at."





It was to stab oneself.

The man must have figured it out to some extent. Wonwoo didn't seem unaware that he was on Seungcheol's side. Even his current behavior didn't seem to be a case of Wonwoo saying, "Guys like you are good at this kind of thing." He'd completely assumed Seungcheol was on his side, and since Wonwoo was also on Seungcheol's side, he'd sensed the same vibe, so I assumed he'd blurted out the words.

Finally, the man raised his knife. Wonwoo stared at the man with the knife. It was obvious he was thinking. It was the only way to avoid this situation. If Wonwoo were in this situation, there would be only one thing he could do.




"Kwon Soon-young. That's my name."




And then the tip of the knife turned towards Soonyoung, towards himself.













-











I was completely out of it. When I opened my eyes, I was in Jeonghan's room. Next to me, Mingyu was looking at me with a worried look. As Wonwoo struggled to get up, Jeonghan clapped his hands and spoke.




"Is it bravery or daring? Or is it lack of will to live?"




Wonwoo knew Soonyoung would risk her life. He handed her the knife, as Jeonghan had suggested, to socially ostracize her. The move proved remarkably effective. Jeonghan learned from Soonyoung's conversation that she was on Seungcheol's side, ultimately earning her absolute loyalty.

The problem starts next. Wonwoo suffered serious injuries because he plunged the knife into his body more hastily than expected. If this continues, he'll have difficulty moving until he recovers. Even worse, because his body is so weak, he can't escape Mingyu's nagging.





"Wonwoo hyung, are you crazy? Jeonghan hyung is like that too. Why did you tell him to do something like that?"

"I'm okay, Min-gyu."

"You still say it's okay after seeing this?"

"It's really okay."





It wasn't a lie. This was far less painful and agonizing than what Seungcheol had done. But he also knew that if he did it again, he would truly die. Wonwoo promised that this would be the last time he would do something like this. He told Jeonghan that he couldn't help but cherish him a little more.

Jeonghan also had no intention of ordering Wonwoo around after this incident and promised to protect Wonwoo's freedom from now on. Mingyu sighed worriedly, unable to scold Wonwoo any longer, so he scolded Jeonghan instead. When Jeonghan tried to laugh it off, Mingyu nagged at him again. Still, it was fortunate that this seemed to have ended well. Wonwoo found himself laughing without realizing it.






"Are you laughing right now, bro?"

"I'm sorry. But I think it's fortunate."






Wonwoo, who never smiled once after finishing workFor the first timeIt was a moment of laughter.