Chapter 13: The Return

But anyway, he had no rebuttal to his superior’s question about whether there had been a “need,” so he just kept his mouth shut. Taehyuk took his eyes off the now-quiet man and looked down at Jinho. Jinho was sitting on Taehyuk’s lap, facing him, completely nestled in his arms.

“You said the stray mutt seemed to come to his senses for a moment when you took off your suit jackets, but then lost it again as soon as he realized what state he was in?”

“Yes… No, more importantly, what the hell is this ‘stray mutt’ you keep talking about?!”

The man answered reluctantly, but grew uneasy watching his superior patting the back of a young man he’d never seen before. That strange nickname referring to the boy was the most unsettling part. So he impulsively raised his voice. At that, Jinho furrowed his brow slightly and turned his head the other way.

“Did I become too easygoing while I was away, Kim Jonghyuk?”

“…No, sir.”

Taehyuk patted Jinho’s hip as if afraid he might wake up, silenced the man—Jonghyuk—and fell into thought.

His body had actually recovered long ago. The old men had apparently tried to poison him with something potent, but Taehyuk wasn’t about to be taken down by mere drugs. Given his upbringing, being stabbed wasn’t new, and unless the poison was meant to kill, it was all the same. Plus, Kim Jinho’s initial treatment had been decent, and he’d been receiving regular medical care while Jinho was away, so there was no way complications could arise.

Despite that, he’d stayed in this house because Jinho had clung to him with those pitiful eyes. Let’s stay together for a long time. He never knew that expression of affection could be so endearing. Even now, thinking back, it was laughable but adorable. Unfortunately, he had Yeryeong, so he couldn’t reciprocate those feelings… but staying at the house was something he could easily do.

Above all, he’d grown fond of this place. The house was no bigger than his family’s bathroom, but it was cozy, and the meals—though not lavish—were satisfying.

The kisses he enjoyed every night were far more satisfying than with those foolish models or celebrities who only smelled of lipstick. And Jinho’s expression every morning when he relieved him was far more seductive than those from the entertainment districts. When Jinho clung to him with teary eyes, clearly overwhelmed by his own responsive body, Taehyuk felt the urge to pin him down and properly claim him more times than he could count.

The only flaw was that Jinho talked too much. His conscious chatter was one thing, but the unconscious muttering was even more remarkable.

Still, it didn’t bother him much—because even when Jinho grumbled about everything, the moment he showed even a hint of displeasure, Jinho would cautiously gauge his reaction and force a smile. That wasn’t half bad.

Watching Jinho tremble in fear with that expression that seemed to say “Are you going to hit me? You’re not, right?” always made Taehyuk laugh involuntarily. In short, his Kim Jinho was a little—no, quite adorable.

Taehyuk smiled, recalling the morning’s events. He’d deliberately shown his anger without hiding it when Jinho said he’d be coming home even later—a very irritating statement.

Since Jinho usually flinched and watched him nervously even when he just lowered his voice slightly, he figured that would make him obey out of fear. And as expected, Jinho was so terrified he had tears in his eyes and shook like a rain-soaked puppy. Naturally, his curfew was adjusted as Taehyuk wanted. Thinking back, Jinho was truly adorable then. Maybe I should have just made him cry…

“…Hyu—… hyeong—… hyung-nim!”

Taehyuk stopped his thoughts at the voice calling him and turned his gaze to the noisy Jonghyuk. His men had wanted him to return to the organization as soon as possible. But Taehyuk hadn’t done so—he saw no point in showing himself in front of those old men whose eyes were red with murderous intent, only to create more trouble.

While remaining in hiding, he’d reorganized his followers through Jonghyuk’s investigations into who was involved, and had persuaded the neutral elders. He’d also bought off smaller organizations under the opposing elders’ influence, expanding his power instead. Since these plans had been in place even before the attack, everything proceeded smoothly without his direct involvement. The attack had only caused minimal delay.

Taehyuk ground his teeth, thinking of his damned father who had orchestrated this situation just to spite him. If he’d investigated a little further, he would have discovered that his mother had gone to France for a boy band concert. But his father, misinterpreting her reason for leaving, had started trouble while pretending to be drunk at a dinner gathering of executives—provoking them by mentioning sensitive words like “successor” and “inheritance.”

Fortunately, he hadn’t prevented the rumor of his disappearance from spreading after the attack, which made things easier. They might not have fully believed it, but their slight carelessness had allowed his plans to proceed without a hitch.

Now it was almost over. With only one fox—the ringleader of the opposition—left to catch, his men had started raising their voices again. They insisted he needed to show everyone that Taehyuk was still standing—that the rumor of him being down had gone on too long and was making the lower ranks uneasy.

He hadn’t dismissed the thought entirely, but Jinho had held him back. That was why he’d delayed. But the frustrated Jonghyuk and his men had come looking for him without notice.

“Hyung-nim, you really need to return now.”

Jonghyuk brought up the matter again to Taehyuk, who was still quietly patting Jinho. He signaled to the others who had been standing silently behind him—say something too. One of them, catching the hint, opened his mouth to chime in.

“Aigoo, hyung-nim. You’ve gotta go back, don’t ya?”

Of course, Taehyuk didn’t even look at the man who spoke, let alone answer. Jonghyuk felt a sudden headache coming on and pressed his forehead.

“…Why are you, a Seoul native, speaking in a dialect you don’t even use?”

“f*ck. Don’t you know gangsters are supposed to speak in dialect, you brainless Kim Jonghyuk bastard?”

“It’s embarrassing as hell, so just speak standard Seoul dialect, you elementary-school-level Park Jaewon bastard.”

As their conversation echoed through the quiet room and seemed to be going off the rails, another man who’d been watching stepped between them, spreading his hands as if to calm them down.

“Both of you, look at hyung-nim’s face and shut the f*ck up. You goldfish-shit bastards.”

And then the man, who looked like he was about to mediate, only provoked them further.

“What did you just call me, you adorable lunatic?!”

“I told you not to call me by name, you f*cking bastards!”

“Quiet.”

All three went mute, as if struck dumb by the chilling aura emanating from close range. The room fell silent instantly, but Jinho, who’d been in Taehyuk’s arms, began to stir restlessly.

Taehyuk silenced the noisy trio with a single murderous word and soothed the whimpering Jinho. As he whispered “Shh—. There, there,” kissing his ear and patting his hip, Jinho soon fell into a deep sleep with a contented face.

The three, witnessing their superior’s unprecedented behavior, were shocked—but more than that, they were so creeped out they froze stiff.

“If he wakes up, you three are dead.”

Choi Taehyuk, back to his usual expressionless self, spoke coldly to the frozen trio. It was clearly meant in earnest.

“I’ll return soon.”

The three, who’d been staring blankly at Taehyuk and Jinho, snapped back to attention. This was no time to zone out. Jonghyuk, remembering that he’d been so caught up in the sudden events and bickering that he hadn’t delivered the most important report, stepped forward. What he’d meant earlier by “need to return” was literal.

“You must go today.”

At the urgent tone, Taehyuk lifted his head. In contrast, Jonghyuk bowed his head and spoke with an apologetic look.

“Matters have gone wrong.”

A problem they’d thought was minor turned out more complicated than expected, and in their eagerness to handle it well, they’d missed the reporting window—eventually letting it spiral beyond control. As Jonghyuk carefully chose his words to explain the situation, this time Jaewon stepped in.

“The fact that we had to come in person means it’s urgent.”

The atmosphere, which had been light moments ago, grew heavy. Finally finding his words, Jonghyuk reported the current situation in detail. Taehyuk’s brow, which had been occasionally stroking Jinho’s back or patting his hip, furrowed sharply.

“Indeed. I must go.”

“…I apologize.”

“Tch—. You idiots. The deadline?”

“Tonight.”

Taehyuk ground his teeth and lowered his head to look at Jinho’s sleeping face. The hand brushing his hair back was gentle, but his expression was not. He’d have to leave the stray mutt behind. That was his biggest dissatisfaction.

“So, hyung… Taehyuk hyung is…”

“Yeah. He’s leaving.”

f*ck. Shit. Why does he have to leave just when things were starting to feel bearable?!

Honestly, it’s nice that I won’t have to walk on eggshells anymore—but given the circumstances, this is definitely not a good thing.

I treated him so well for what?! It’s true that living with Choi Taehyuk was partly to build a connection, as originally intended—but now, there was another reason too.

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