Chapter 5: No Way Out

He was struck speechless by the absurdity.

The man spoke so brazenly that Heesu didn’t even know where to begin pointing out the flaws.

He lacked even the energy to retort that such a thing was illegal.

Not that he ever had much energy to begin with.

Location tracking…

Why would anyone install such a device on someone else’s phone?

What did he mean by blocking payment functions, and how had they brought these belongings out of his house in the first place?

Ah, come to think of it.

‘How did Han Suyeon get into my house…?’

Yesterday, he hadn’t possessed the wits to question it, so he had simply let it slide.

Thinking back on it now, it was strange.

It was a large apartment complex known for its decent security, not some rooftop room in a shantytown, so how had he managed to break through the door?

Hadn’t he even nonchalantly punched in the digital passcode before entering?

“How did you get into my house?”

“And how did you know the passcode?”

Added to his fluster, the words stumbled out in a stammer.

Kang Changjin gave a low bow of his head.

“The CEO also deeply regrets entering without permission.”

“It was an inevitable measure to urgently escort you out, Mr. Yoon Heesu.”

The words [That’s not what I meant] hovered on the tip of his tongue before dissolving.

He wasn’t asking for an apology.

He was asking how he had gotten in.

But one glance at Kang Changjin was enough to tell he wasn’t the type to be reasoned with.

‘I’ll have to ask Han Suyeon directly later…’

That is, if the chance to meet him again ever came.

Exhaling a sigh, Yoon Heesu picked up his mobile phone.

Whether a location tracker was installed or payments were blocked, didn’t it suffice just to have the phone?

As if they hadn’t tampered with its contents, both his contacts and call logs remained intact.

Scrolling up the call history, Yoon Heesu froze for a moment.

There were incoming calls dated yesterday from an unsaved number.

A staggering eighty-six calls, at that.

“…”

“It is most likely the CEO.”

At Yoon Heesu’s frozen reaction upon seeing the screen, Kang Changjin chimed in subtly.

Yoon Heesu flicked his gaze upward.

“How do you know what I was looking at…?”

“You must have seen the missed call log.”

How did he know he had opened the call log?

And what kind of person placed eighty-six calls in a row?

While he had been crawling on the living room floor out of his mind on drugs, Han Suyeon had been calling him, according to Kang Changjin.

In other words, after calling eighty-six times, his patience snapped, and he broke through the door.

Although that bothered him, Yoon Heesu pushed it aside for later and tapped a name that appeared frequently—in fact, practically flooded—his call log.

The other party did not answer until the ringing tone rang out completely once.

It was a familiar routine.

As soon as the automated message connecting to voicemail sounded, he hit end and dialed again; this time, the other party picked up just as the ringing was about to end.

– Is that you, Heesu?

A husky voice.

An attitude lacking a single word of apology despite answering late, laced with an effortless ease.

He was Kwon Seungjae, Yoon Heesu’s unrelated cousin.

Hearing Kwon Seungjae’s voice with a sober mind made his body flinch instantly.

As always.

Barely steadying his voice, he parted his lips.

– …Hey.

– I, um…

– What about you?

– Speak properly.

– Well.

Yoon Heesu mumbled feebly.

At the pressuring tone, his mouth shut even tighter.

– This bastard went a single day without drugs and turned right back into a useless cripple.

The voice laced with mockery left him even more speechless.

An intuition told him that Kwon Seungjae already knew his situation.

Since Han Suyeon had explicitly stated he spoke with Kwon Seungjae, there might have been some sort of deal between them.

After hesitating, Yoon Heesu spoke.

– I… I want to get out of here…

– Just stay cooped up there for a while.

– Things are noisy because some celebrity bastard had a drug bust yesterday, so it actually works out nicely.

– Take this chance to seduce that bastard and show some filial piety to your late parents.

– Why would I…

– You’re good at it, aren’t you?

– Your specialty, seducing Alphas.

– Am I wrong?

Before Kwon Seungjae’s snickering could continue any further, Yoon Heesu hastily hung up the phone.

It was out of fear that Kang Changjin might overhear the call.

No, wait.

If they went so far as to install a tracking device, would they tap the phone too?

Then should he assume the contents of this call were already exposed?

Yoon Heesu stared blankly at Kang Changjin, his gaze asking if he had heard the conversation, but the man remained impassive without saying a word.

It was difficult to tell whether that was an affirmation or a denial.

Had he even understood why Heesu was staring at him in the first place…?

“You may rest assured that we do not wiretap or record your calls.”

“I did not hear what you just discussed, either.”

Kang Changjin answered as though he had read Yoon Heesu’s mind.

“Ah, yes.”

After blurting it out quickly, Yoon Heesu gently bit his tongue, thinking his reaction had probably looked foolish.

Without another word, Kang Changjin picked up his bag.

“The CEO is occupied with work and will not be able to visit for the time being.”

“If you need anything, please contact me.”

“I have already saved my phone number.”

At those words, he opened his contacts menu, and indeed, the name Kang Changjin appeared at the very top.

If Han Suyeon was busy, then this man, who wasn’t some junior secretary but the Chief of Staff, would be equally occupied, meaning he was suffering just as much trying to keep up with his boss’s foolish whims.

“…If he’s busy, why go out of his way to do this?”

This was a mystery as well.

Whether he truly had the luxury in his hectic schedule to concern himself with a mere junkie.

But whether Kang Changjin thought the murmur was meant for Heesu’s own ears or deemed it unnecessary to reply, he gave a polite bow and turned away.

He watched Kang Changjin’s retreating figure as he strode away with firm steps from the visitation room.

From behind, he definitely resembled Han Suyeon even more.

After the man closed the door and disappeared, Yoon Heesu was left alone in the visitation room.

It was quite a spacious area, yet there was no one other than Yoon Heesu.

Perhaps it wasn’t visiting hours, or maybe the people here simply had no one who would ever come visit them—something like that.

Yoon Heesu looked out the window.

The deep blue sea he had glimpsed yesterday could be seen in full view from this window.

Was it near Gangneung or Sokcho?

The rugged rocks jutting along the shoreline and the fierce waves that chilled him just by looking gave a vague hint of where this place was.

Snapping out of his daze, he pulled out his phone to check the weather, and as expected, it displayed [Donghae City, Gangwon Province].

A phone fitted with a location tracking device and blocked from making payments.

A rehabilitation center surrounded on all sides by the ocean and mountains.

Not a single silhouette of a person could be seen, but…

Leaving the shopping bag and phone behind, Yoon Heesu stood up from his seat.

In the clean hallway where sunlight streamed fully through the windows, there was no one in sight.

Checking the floor number, it was the third floor.

He saw a staircase in the center.

Trudging down the stairs, he unexpectedly came upon an exit leading directly outside.

Wouldn’t things work out somehow as long as he made it outside?

There had to be roads, and since this wasn’t a land with endless stretches of wilderness like America, he would eventually run into a passing car if he just followed the path.

Or maybe he would get hit by that car.

Harbouring such thoughts, he tried heading toward the exit door, but intimidating men in suits were standing on either side of it.

Before Yoon Heesu could even place his hand on the door handle, they blocked him.

“Mr. Yoon Heesu?”

“You cannot go outside yet as your permission for walks has not been granted.”

“…”

“Please return to your room.”

Their manner was razor-sharp.

Turning back without being able to mount any resistance, Yoon Heesu walked feebly down the corridor and thought.

‘What the hell, it really is confinement.’

***

He had returned to his room, completely forgetting to stop by the visitation room to grab his belongings.

Just as he was wondering if he had to go back, the shopping bag was already neatly placed on the table in front of the sofa.

‘It’s not like this is hotel service or something.’

Leaving it untouched, he sat on the bed.

There was no one who would call his phone anyway, and the laptop was only used for occasional online shopping.

With payment functions blocked, it was nothing more than useless scrap metal.

The moment he sat on the bed, a sudden wave of lethargy washed over him.

All strength drained from his body, making it impossible to remain seated.

Kicking off his slippers as if casting them away, he lay down, pulled the duvet up to his nape, and raised his gaze to find the window right in front of him.

Through the window with its curtains drawn wide open, the sea was visible just as it had been in the visitation room.

It was a bleak winter sea, but had it been summer, it would have given off quite the resort vibe.

While he stared blankly at the sea, a knock echoed, and the room door opened cautiously.

“Mr. Yoon Heesu, it’s time for your IV.”

“…”

The petite nurse bustled about, organizing the IV bottles and syringes brought on a stainless steel tray.

It was probably a neutralizing agent or medication.

Though he didn’t know for certain…

But did they even know what kind of drugs he had taken before administering this?

Ah, he said he had spoken with Kwon Seungjae.

He kept forgetting.

This was all because of the drugs, too.

What Yoon Heesu mainly shot up were synthetic drugs.

Ones developed by Kwon Seungjae.

It seemed to have been called by quite a cute name.

Methamphetamine, mescaline, LSD, marijuana, ketamine, and various other substances…

Though he didn’t know how they were mixed or what exact effects they produced, Kwon Seungjae’s syndicate hired ‘cooks’ to manufacture and distribute the drugs.

The first time he did drugs was at a party Kwon Seungjae had invited him to.

Shortly after his adoptive parents had passed away.

Even now it was true, but back then, disobeying Kwon Seungjae’s commands was utterly unthinkable for Yoon Heesu.

Because it was a time when guilt weighed upon him—the guilt of having stolen from Kwon Seungjae the adoptive parents who were like real parents to him.

In a room noisy with the clamor of men and women laughing, where the pheromones of Alphas and Omegas tangled stickily, and thick with the stench of alcohol and something foul, Kwon Seungjae had held out a glass to Yoon Heesu.

The moment he saw that glass, a strange feeling gripped him.

Would it be accurate to call it an ominous premonition?

Most likely, yes.

He wanted to refuse, but he had to drink it.

…The sensation of that day was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

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