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Baek Jiwon chattered on by himself until Dokyeom sat down on the bed. When his chopstick-like fingers picked up the spoon, he went back to watching the variety show and giggling.
“Oh, right. While you were washing up, Yeonhu hyung called. I told him you were awake. I also asked him to pass it on to Agon hyung and Dali. That should be fine. I had to talk Yeonhu hyung out of coming right away. It was exhausting.”
Should I give him a call? Dokyeom thought as he played with the spoon. Then he heard a clicking sound beside him. He turned to see Baek Jiwon standing there with his phone aimed at him, posing.
“I should send a photo. Otherwise, Yeonhu hyung won’t sleep tonight for sure. It came out a bit funny… Ah, whatever.”
Baek Jiwon clicked his tongue in annoyance and tapped on his phone, sending the photo to Beom Yeonhu. Dokyeom blew on the hot porridge, took a spoonful, swallowed, and said in a calm voice.
“Tell Yeonhu hyung that if he doesn’t rest, he’ll get scolded. If he doesn’t want to get hit on the back, tell him to eat something before coming.”
Outside the window, the sunset had long since turned murky. Beyond the hospital room door, there was only silence except for the medical staff making their rounds.
Only the TV in the room was noisy. Dokyeom busied his hands, estimating when Taeseongyeon would arrive.
If Taeseongyeon came, it would probably be tonight. He glanced at the clock. The hands had already passed seven.
At most, five hours until he came. It was best to organize his thoughts and rest before then.
***
The empty time passed listlessly, and deep night fell. When Baek Jiwon turned off the TV and went downstairs to the convenience store to get some drinks, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened as soon as he answered, and a shadow fell at the doorway. The person he expected stood beyond the door. It was Taeseongyeon.
As expected, he came in the dead of night when the sky was pitch black.
The hallway, lit only by nightlights, was quiet. There was no sign of Baek Jiwon returning. Maybe he had run into Taeseongyeon on the way and, startled, retreated to the break room, trembling.
Thanks to that, Dokyeom was alone in the hospital room when Taeseongyeon arrived. Unlike earlier when the room was filled with TV noise, now it was just silent.
A car horn sounded through the half-open window. That was when Dokyeom finally spoke.
“Since you’re here, why don’t you sit down? What are you doing?”
Dokyeom was the first to break the meaningless stare and move toward the sofa. As soon as he sat at the table by the window, he tilted his head and gestured with his eyes for Taeseongyeon to take the seat opposite him. Taeseongyeon wordlessly walked over.
Watching him, Dokyeom organized the questions he had been rehearsing in his head.
The reason he had gone to the trouble of editing the video to summon Taeseongyeon was to have a ‘conversation.’ Originally, he had thought it would be later, but after seeing the video, Dokyeom realized he couldn’t keep covering up the problem with him any longer.
At the very least, why did ‘Orias’ only appear in front of him? Why did it disappear whenever dangerous situations arose? And why had there been no word from ‘Orias’ since they entered the gate?
Had it hidden because it had something to be guilty about? At first, he thought that. But now that the day was ending, he had concluded that it ‘couldn’t come out.’
Taeseongyeon was probably involved in ‘Orias’s’ business. This wasn’t a hunch; it was certainty.
The car horn sounded again by the window. After a moment, Dokyeom noticed that Taeseongyeon was holding something in his hand. A fairly thick document envelope.
“……”
His attire was more disheveled than usual, as if he had been somewhere. His usually neatly combed hair was now messy, unkempt.
Among the news comments, there was talk that Taeseongyeon had never officially appeared. It seemed he had been somewhere in the meantime. For example, China.
“Looks like you went somewhere? Did you go to that troubled China?”
“How are you feeling, Han Dokyeom-ssi?”
But the reply was on a different topic. It was also when Taeseongyeon sat down on the opposite chair. The heavy document envelope rested on Taeseongyeon’s lap.
Dokyeom silently stared at Taeseongyeon.
The eyes that usually curved kindly were now cold enough to be seen at a glance. The eyes staring at Dokyeom seemed heavy and dark.
Why was he angry? Because Dokyeom sent that video as a threat? Because the guy who woke up after ten days told him to come and go just to see him?
Taeseongyeon had been angry inside the gate too. Why? At that time, Dokyeom was only full of questions like that. Later, he convinced himself it was because he had ’caused trouble’ for him.
Because he had fallen into a trap so easily, hadn’t contacted him quickly enough, hadn’t resolved things before it got to that state.
That was the reason Dokyeom had thought Taeseongyeon was angry. But, if it was for another reason,
“You sent an interesting video, Han Dokyeom-ssi.”
The phone was placed on the table, and Taeseongyeon suddenly spoke. Dokyeom looked down at the black phone. The video Dokyeom had asked Baek Jiwon to attach was only about six seconds long.
Even so, if this video leaked and was made public, all those involved in this incident would face social ruin.
To that extent, this matter exceeded the common sense of ordinary people. No matter how the Chinese side had acted, the Sahyeon Guild that slaughtered them could not escape public criticism.
What Dokyeom had sent was the last part of the video showing Taeseongyeon’s true face. The video that highlighted only the one-sided massacre, full of circumstances unfavorable to Taeseongyeon.
“There’s more. Should I show you more? Ah, but if someone sees it, they’ll be happy it’s a damning video. You should have held back. Why did you do that?”
“If I had known you were filming, I would have held back.”
‘Held back.’ From his expression alone, he had gone beyond ‘held back.’ Taeseongyeon probably knew that saying that with that face, which had no trace of guilt, would have no persuasive power. But saying it anyway meant he had no regret for his actions.
Taeseongyeon, who was more rational than anyone, why?
“Save the insincere words and let’s have a sincere conversation. Including what happened during that time.”
Until Taeseongyeon appeared here, Dokyeom had sat blankly on the bed, constantly thinking and worrying about how to handle this situation without causing gossip.
Releasing the video to the public would be like dying together with China. In the end, it meant resolving it through an implicit backroom deal. To resolve it that way, Taeseongyeon, who was at the top, was more suitable than Dokyeom.
Of course, he had no intention of letting him off easily.
Tap,
Dokyeom, facing Taeseongyeon directly, placed something on the table.
“You know what this is. I recorded it while struggling quite a bit, so don’t use it carelessly. Ah, but.”
A black USB stick lay alone on the glass table. Taeseongyeon’s gaze lingered there briefly, then silently rose to meet Dokyeom’s eyes. The moment their eyes met, Dokyeom slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
“I’m not giving it for free.”
What was inside the USB was the original video filmed inside the gate. At this moment, Dokyeom couldn’t tell what Taeseongyeon was thinking. He only knew that the expressionless figure sitting there was different from usual.
“Let’s make a deal. I’ll help you smooth over the China incident. In return, you give me something equivalent, Taeseongyeon-ssi.”
This incident had taught Dokyeom a lot.
The words he habitually said: ‘Take care of yourself.’
Dokyeom had thought those were just formalities because Taeseongyeon still needed him. He assumed Taeseongyeon regarded him as personnel to manage ‘Authority,’ since Dokyeom was the only one who could control Agon and Dali.
At least, that was what he thought before seeing the video. Of course, even now, that thought was half unchanged.
“Han Dokyeom-ssi.”
“Why.”
“Where does that confidence come from that I want that USB?”
“From me?”
“Why don’t you consider that the value of that thing might be different from what you think?”
“Then why did you rush here after receiving my message? Even if the value is different, it’s at least similar. And, Taeseongyeon-ssi.”
No matter how capable Taeseongyeon was, he couldn’t quiet China’s complaints without evidence. As long as he backed down one step. If he suppressed that self-righteous look and held back that hidden force, conceding just once.
“Without this, you can’t resolve this situation, Taeseongyeon-ssi. Huh? You can’t.”
Why do we hide so much from each other?
A hollow laugh escaped. Dokyeom was probably the first to hide something. Then, when he peeled back the layers, Taeseongyeon was the same.
Dokyeom was only human. There were times he wanted to spill all he knew. Actually, many times. Especially to Taeseongyeon, who had lent him strength many times.
But even so, from that suspicious depths, something always whispered to weigh the other party. To first know Taeseongyeon’s true face. To judge whether the other party was trustworthy, whether they could join hands.
That was what created the distance with Taeseongyeon.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Illusionary Dream is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Illusionary Dream
