Swallow Hunting - Chapter 4.2
Hae-jun shook his head and pulled himself together. Whatever was waiting for him in that room, at the very least he would get paid his TC. Dragging his heavy legs, he made his way down the hallway.
Of all things, the room number was four. It was the room the boss had put the most effort into decorating. He swallowed hard and knocked. There was no response. Thinking they might not have heard, he knocked again. When there was still no answer, he carefully opened the door, plastering a business smile across his face.
“Hello! Lucid’s cutie, the face of the house, your unni-loving fluffy puppy, Hajin, here to greet you…!”
Hae-jun could not finish his sentence. Beyond the lavishly set table of drinks, someone was already seated. A man who had appeared in his dreams the night before, prying open his mouth and pouring cement down his throat instead of alcohol. That man was sitting right there.
At Hae-jun’s over-the-top introduction, the man burst out laughing with a light snort. It seemed he found the greeting quite amusing. Hae-jun, on the other hand, could not laugh along.
He was terrified. His legs shook uncontrollably, far worse than when a ghost suddenly jumps out in a horror movie. His face drained of color, his mouth went dry, his bladder shrank as the urge to pee hit him, and the tip of his cock tingled sharply. The man possessed something that dominated the entire room. He was not holding a knife or a gun, nor had he declared any intent to kill, yet he inspired sheer fear.
“Your name is Hajin?”
Because he was trembling so badly, Hae-jun realized a beat late that the man had spoken. He immediately dropped to his knees, slamming his forehead to the floor at the same time.
“I am sorry!”
He blurted out an apology first thing. No matter how hard he racked his brain, there was only one reason the man could be here. Han Young-hwa. He had come to beat up the guy who tried to sleep with his lover.
“I am sorry, hyung! I was wrong! I thought noona Young-hwa was single! If I had known she was your lover, I would not have even stepped on her shadow!”
“……”
“Please spare me! I will never meet noona Young-hwa again! And we did not sleep together that day! I swear it. I did not even touch a single hair!”
Only Hae-jun’s desperate shouts echoed loudly through the room. Even if the sound leaked outside and the other hosts overheard and laughed about it later, he did not care. Protecting his life came first.
“Please spare me!”
The man said nothing even after hearing Hae-jun’s earnest plea. Tears welled up in Hae-jun’s eyes. He wondered if this was really the end.
Even if he bolted for the door right now, it felt like the man would grab him by the hair instantly. The place of his murder might not be some remote hillside but this very room in the shop. Every crime investigation show he had ever watched while eating flashed through his mind.
“Hyung, hyung…?”
At the sound of a sharp inhale, Hae-jun looked up in confusion. The man had lowered his head, covering the lower half of his face with a large hand. His shoulders shook, and the sound of suppressed breathing kept slipping out.
“Hyung…?”
When Hae-jun called again, the man lowered his hand. As if struggling to hold back laughter, the corners of his mouth kept lifting. He bit down on his lips, then composed himself and looked down at Hae-jun. A smile lingered, like the afterglow of a burst of laughter.
“So. I hear you were in that kind of relationship with Han Young-hwa.”
“No! Absolutely not. Hyung, that is a dangerous thing to say.”
He waved his hands so hard it could have stirred up a gust of wind, denying it fervently. Perhaps because he had laughed, the man’s impression softened a little. He was still frightening, but his wickedly handsome face stood out all the more.
What kind of feelings did Han Young-hwa have, doting on him while having a man like this by her side? Was it because she had lived with a top-tier handsome man and wanted a different flavor? He himself was not exactly lacking in looks wherever he went, but compared to this man, he was a mangy mutt running around a yard, a mole digging holes in the ground.
“You have a slick mouth.”
“If you take this tongue away from me, I am a corpse, hyung.”
The atmosphere seemed to be easing up, little by little. Hae-jun could not bring himself to meet the man’s eyes, only sneaking glances at him on the sly.
“Are you good with your tongue?”
[Footnote]
- A service fee the customer pays to the employee when a staff member joins the table.
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