CH-049

Why did he lie?

"Newbie."

Recently, Jang Yijoong's mind had been complicated.

Only Seo Shinu knew that he had been at the hideout that day. Only he could have clearly known. Who had let the 'repairman' into the hideout.

It was a reckless plan from the start. It was incredibly sloppy, but it was executed inevitably due to the Association President's insistence on seeing the hideout in person. Sure enough, contrary to the initial plan, Seo Shinu had remained in the hideout.

Evidence and a witness, and the unstable position of a newbie. It would be stranger if he wasn't found out as a spy. He thought his life in the organization was over today.

But his mentor acted contrary to expectations. He told a strange lie he had never imagined coming from his mouth.

"Hey, hey."

Why did he step in?

To cover for him?

"Are you ignoring me?"

It was a fact he wanted to deny, but given his actions so far, that hypothesis was the most convincing.

'Seo Shinu is an unusual person.'

Having stuck by him a few times, he'd never seen him harm anyone. He was to the point of wondering why he was doing villain work. He had greedy, thieving aspects, but that wasn't a flaw notably bad enough to single out.

"He told me to tell you not to worry."

"......"

For some reason, his fingertips felt ticklish. Jang Yijoong wiggled his fingers.

"Hey!!!"

Thwack!

The back of his head stung from being hit by something. Only then did Jang Yijoong turn his head. The pink-haired sunbae was fuming with an angry face.

"What."

"What? Ha... Do you have a lighter?"

"I don't. Don't bother me."

"You need to get some sense beaten into you."

It was just as Lulu clenched his fist.

Someone opened the break room door and came in.

"Ah, Sunbae."

It was the very person who had complicated Jang Yijoong's mind. Lulu hastily shoved the cigarette into his pocket.

"I thought everyone had gone back."

"I was worried and was waiting with the newbie. But..."

Lulu looked Seo Shinu up and down. It was an incredibly rude gaze, hard to believe he was looking at his Sunbae.

"You can walk."

"I got treated and came."

Outwardly, aside from footprints on his clothes, Seo Shinu looked neat.

"...The misunderstanding got cleared up quickly, I guess?"

"Yes."

Even to the probing words, Seo Shinu smiled.

A small mutter followed from beside him.

"Lulu wanted to support you, though..."

Jang Yijoong averted his gaze from Lulu's cheeks, puffed up as if sulking. And then his eyes met Seo Shinu's.

One way or another, it was clear he wasn't in a good mood. He could tell because his eyes weren't smiling at all.

The eye contact ended quickly as Seo Shinu turned his head first. He closed the door and fully entered the room.

"Seeing you two here like this, I guess you're both free."

When Seo Shinu, who was limping, coughed, Lulu nudged Jang Yijoong next to him.

"Newbie, get Sunbae some water."

"Can't be bothered..."

"I'll drink it."

Seo Shinu lifted a paper cup, but instead of pouring water, he brought it directly to his mouth.

And then he spat out blood.

'Internal bleeding.'

He looked fine on the outside, but it was clear from the circumstances that he had been beaten.

After spitting out the blood, Seo Shinu rinsed his mouth with water.

Lulu, who had been watching that scene, suddenly grinned.

"Anyway, as expected, you came here. You really do like this room."

Though called a room, it was a space without even proper furniture. The paint on the wall was peeling off, making it look like construction wasn't finished. It was completely different from the Boss's properly furnished room.

Seo Shinu leaned his back against the window and lit a cigarette.

"The view outside the window is pretty."

"Even though there's nothing out there!"

Seo Shinu didn't reply and cast his gaze out the window. Slightly mumbled words leaked out along with the cigarette smoke.

"But, Lulu."

"Yes, Sunbae!"

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Lulu is free!"

"Free?"

"Yes! Ah."

Seo Shinu stared at Lulu, moving only his eyeballs.

"......"

"...Cough."

Noticing that Seo Shinu's mood was uncomfortable, Lulu gave a fake cough.

"Lulu should go to work."

He backpedaled all the way to the door.

"See you next time."

"Work hard."

"Yes."

Lulu closed the door and left.

As the rowdy person disappeared, silence rushed in. Jang Yijoong stood up from his spot.

...His anxiety grew the more this went on.

Seo Shinu rested his arm on the window frame. Even though he must have sensed a presence behind him, he didn't turn around.

"Yijoong-ssi, why don't you go to work soon too?"

Jang Yijoong reached out his hand. Just before his large hand touched Seo Shinu, he opened his mouth.

"Can't go yet. I have something to ask."

"? Me...?"

Seo Shinu's eyes widened as he turned to look back with a puzzled expression. But he was a step too late.

The outstretched hand grabbed Seo Shinu by the throat.

Thud!

And pinned him to the wall. He wasn't conscious of it, but due to having no leeway, the motion was quite rough.

In a corner of his mind, he had been constantly doubting. If Seo Shinu had sent him out and planned something alone with the Boss.

Until the moment right before this moment, he had anticipated all sorts of futures and devised countermeasures. However, reality was that an injured Seo Shinu appeared, and the anticipated situation did not occur.

He could neither understand nor be certain. So the impatience grew.

"What did you tell the Boss?"

The neck in his grasp was hot. Even when a little strength was unconsciously applied, Seo Shinu stayed still without resisting.

"I understand that Yijoong-ssi made a mistake that day."

His breathing gradually became ragged.

"Covering for a hoobae is a sunbae's role, isn't it? Because I'm also responsible for not properly telling you that you shouldn't let outsiders in without permission."

Seo Shinu gasped a few times and closed his eyes.

"So..."

Jang Yijoong only then noticed something was wrong.

"Seo Shinu?"

No answer came back. The body in his hands was hanging limply.

When he released the throat he had forcibly pinned to the wall, Seo Shinu collapsed.

***

"Ugh..."

I felt a soft sensation. At the same time, a savory smell wafted from somewhere.

I opened my eyes and went out to the living room. There was a familiar back view.

"Boss?"

"......"

"What are you doing?"

The Boss was holding a ladle and standing in front of a pot. The Boss looked back at me.

"A useless guy like you isn't even worth cooking for."

I came to my senses with a start. An unfamiliar ceiling came into view. I was still wrapped in blankets.

"!"

As soon as I raised my body, the pain hit me, and my body reflexively stiffened.

I looked around. Where I was lying was an ordinary, unremarkably plain studio apartment. A large man was standing in front of a pot. It was a familiar silhouette.

"Yijoong-ssi?"

Jang Yijoong glanced back at me. Setting down the ladle he was holding, he took off his apron and approached.

I unconsciously tensed my body. The memory just before I lost consciousness came to mind.

As I quietly watched him, Jang Yijoong sat down next to the bed with a blank face.

"Sorry for hitting you. There was a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

"I guess I got anxious and used my strength without realizing it."

I frowned. At that, Jang Yijoong subtly avoided my eyes.

"I grew up getting hit a lot. So sometimes when I get angry, my hands move first."

"Ha, there are other places for your hands to go."

A hollow laugh escaped me involuntarily.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"...Seo Shinu, have you ever seen someone beat a dog on the hottest day? When I was young, that's how,"

"Enough, enough. I get it."

"Are you mad?"

I was fucking furious. But this wasn't a situation where I could get angry and throw a fit. I've worked so hard up until now to raise this bastard's favorability.

"Sigh... No."

The answer was a given.

I touched my forehead. I felt gauze. Most of the external wounds were treated at the hideout, but did I get injured again when I hit my head on the wall?

"They said it's a body ache cold."

"I guess I overdid it lately."

"Here."

A spoon entered my vision. Looking now, a bowl was in Jang Yijoong's other hand.

"It's plain rice porridge."

I glanced behind Jang Yijoong. A steaming pot was visible in the kitchen area where he had been standing until recently.

'...He made it himself, right?'

"Where is this?"

"I didn't know where your house was, so I brought you to my place for now."

"Huh?"

Is a spy allowed to do something that careless?

Despite only spouting ridiculous things, Jang Yijoong was holding out the spoon with a face as if nothing was wrong.

"......"

I threw off the blanket and got up. Fortunately, my clothes were the same as before I lost consciousness.

"You're not going to eat? I made it with care."

Who knows what's in it, why would I eat it?

"I appreciate the thought, but I should get going now. I have an appointment."

Holding my aching head, I headed for the front door. Jang Yijoong didn't stop me. He remained seated by the bed, lost in thought again.

"......"

The sound of the spoon hitting the bowl was heard.

"Seo Shinu."

Around the time I had finished putting on my shoes, I turned around at the calling voice. Jang Yijoong wasn't looking at me, though. With his eyes on the porridge bowl, he hesitated as if about to say something.

"......"

"......"

The silence grew longer.

"Can I go now?"

Jang Yijoong, who had been moving his lips, barely managed a single sentence.

"...Get back safely."

"Yes, then have a good weekend."

With a formal greeting as the end, I closed the door and fled out.

***

'I meant to make him comfortable.'

Jang Yijoong poured the remaining porridge into a plastic bag. Among the food plopping down, a foreign object was visible.

He put his fingers in and pulled it out. What came out was a small plastic lid.

"It got in there."

To make a mistake. It was a rare occurrence.

He threw the lid into the trash can.

Following that, he emptied the pot too. While cleaning up, Jang Yijoong kept recalling the face of the man who had been in this place until just moments ago.

He covered for him even though anyone would find him suspicious, and instead got assaulted but didn't get angry once. Until the very end, far from pressing him, he ran out like he was being chased, while injured.

'Have a good weekend, he said?'

He knew the possibility was low, but maybe.

"Is he really just a pushover?"

Since the person himself had left, there was no way to find out.

Jang Yijoong put down the empty pot. And then he called the name of his housemate.

"Whitedun."

A short time passed. The monster, who normally would have come running excitedly, was nowhere to be seen today.

"?"

Jang Yijoong, who had been looking here and there, finally approached the bed. White fur remained in the spot where Seo Shinu had lain.

"Ah."