Swallow Hunting - Chapter 8.2
Since he had brought the medication, Hae-jun was fine for now. He tidied himself up like a sparrow taking a sand bath and entered the shop. Because he had stopped by the hospital, he was a little late, and the players were already lined up. Hae-jun quickly slipped into the line.
When it was his turn, the customers were admitted inside the shop. Despite no visible sign of weakness, Hae-jun was repeatedly overlooked. Fidgeting with the pills hidden in his pocket, he pouted and tapped on his phone. Then the shop door opened.
The bell jingled, and the hyenas who hadn’t been chosen yet rushed forward, bowing and pouring out greetings. She appeared—elegant, composed, sunglasses hiding her eyes. Hae-jun froze. She scanned the line, then pointed directly at him.
Hae-jun gasped and shoved his phone into his pocket. It was Han Young-hwa.
“Let’s have a talk,” she whispered, coming close to Hae-jun’s face.
Hae-jun was conflicted. It hadn’t even been a full month since he had sucked that man’s dick. Fortunately, he had survived, but getting involved with Han Young-hwa meant he would likely go through something similar again. That suffocating, hot, and lewd feeling…
Hae-jun shuddered and erased the last word that popped into his head. Lewd, my foot—he had almost choked to death with his throat blocked.
Right. This time, he might have really died. It was clear it wouldn’t have ended with just sucking dick.
“Miss, I have to work right now.”
“Work, my ass!”
Han Young-hwa shouted sharply, powerfully removing her sunglasses with one hand. At the sharp, ringing scolding, Hae-jun’s shoulders hunched.
“Now, now, let’s not do this here.”
The Boss, who had been watching from a distance, approached and gently placed both hands on Han Young-hwa’s shoulders to mediate. Han Young-hwa fiercely brushed him off. She glared at Hae-jun with eyes blazing fiercely.
“I’m choosing him, so give us a room.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
The Boss, who had been watching to see when he could kick Han Young-hwa out, flipped his position like a pancake and bowed obsequiously. Everything proceeded smoothly, all the way to entering the room.
Hae-jun, unable to even greet her, awkwardly just nodded his head and sat down next to Han Young-hwa. As she put a cigarette to her lips, he lit it for her out of ingrained habit.
“Hajin.”
She exhaled a long stream of smoke.
“Help me out.”
Hae-jun rolled his eyes sideways. Getting entangled with Han Young-hwa again increased the likelihood of meeting that man. Hadn’t he kneeled, put his hands together, and begged profusely, swearing he would never go near him again? No matter how much the customer is king, his own life comes first.
“Miss. I’d naturally want to help you too. But I also have to live. I’m really, really sorry about running away from the hotel last time. I shouldn’t have done that, but the guy who showed up looked so terrifying… I’m very timid, I can’t even watch horror movies well.”
He was aware he was being pathetic, but persuading Han Young-hwa was the priority. Hae-jun moistened his eyes and put on the most pitiful expression he could. Eight out of ten times, people looked at him with pity. According to Yohan’s explanation, he looked like an abandoned dog, soaked in a downpour, watching a puppy lavished with love by its owner. When he asked if it was like the Little Match Girl, Yohan had slapped his knee and said, exactly!
“Hajin…!”
But Han Young-hwa was no pushover either. She abruptly burrowed into Hae-jun’s embrace. Her upturned eyes were filled with tears.
“It’s nothing serious. You just have to meet that person and tell him we were nothing. And we really were nothing, right? We didn’t even sleep together at the hotel.”
“…”
“I was just, for a moment, so lonely. That person ignores me and leaves me alone… but I can’t live without him. Hajin… Please help me.”
Finally, a single tear rolled down her cheek. She was quite the expert. Compared to her, Hae-jun didn’t measure up to her toes.
When a beautiful woman tearfully made a request with glistening eyes, his heart wavered. Still, wasn’t she the very person he had once tried to win over with unwavering loyalty, driven by that same spirit and heart?
However, Hae-jun had already clarified to the man that the two of them had a blank, non-existent relationship. Hae-jun muttered while shaking his head.
“I already explained it though…”
Han Young-hwa clung even tighter. Hugging Hae-jun’s waist, she shed tears from her other eye as well.
“Can’t you do it just one more time?”
He should have refused and said no. His own life was more important. Hae-jun bit the inside of his cheek, trying to regain his cold rationality.
“No.”
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