* * *
“Um… Is this seat taken?”
Lying on the sunbed, Junhee slowly opened his eyes.
In front of him stood a man with sunglasses perched on his head, smiling shyly.
‘…It’s not like I own this place, but telling him to get lost seems excessive.’
Instead of answering, Junhee glanced toward the numerous empty sunbeds.
There were at least a dozen others available. So why this one?
Even under Junhee’s unwelcoming gaze, the man stubbornly settled into the sunbed beside him.
Then, without hesitation, he peeled off his shirt, revealing a toned, tanned body with well-defined muscles.
“The weather’s perfect for tanning.”
He started talking unprompted, rummaging through his bag until he pulled something out.
Squeezing tanning oil onto his palms, he spread it over his chest, slapping it in with practiced ease.
His oiled-up skin glistened under the sun.
As the pheromones of a dominant Alpha drifted from his exposed body, Junhee found his gaze lingering.
Noticing this, the man smirked and offered the bottle to Junhee.
“Sorry to bother you, but I can’t reach my back. Could you help me out?”
Lying face down, his shoulder blades flexed, muscles shifting under the skin.
Junhee stared at the bottle, then at the man’s back, before replying,
“Ah… Sorry, but…”
“Hm?”
“I think I’m going to throw up.”
“…What?”
“Ugh…!”
Slapping a hand over his mouth, Junhee bolted from the sunbed.
He barely made it to the middle of the beach before doubling over, dry heaving into the sand.
The man, watching in stunned disbelief, turned beet red and scurried away.
After some time, Junhee finally returned to his seat and made his way toward a quaint café by the shore.
From the open entrance to the cozy interior, the place had a refreshing, tropical vibe.
It was relatively quiet, likely because two massive cafés flanked it on either side.
That was exactly why Junhee kept coming back.
“Aww, my handsome regular is here again!”
The middle-aged café owner, watering the potted plants at the entrance, greeted him warmly.
Calling him a “regular” was a bit much—he had only been here six or seven times.
But since he’d visited almost daily after discovering the place, it was understandable.
After all, this was a tourist destination.
Most visitors dropped by a café or restaurant once and never looked back.
“You want an iced vanilla latte again?”
“I’ll have a hot one today, please.”
“Sure, sure! Eunji, one vanilla la—oh, wait. Eunji quit, didn’t she?”
The woman smacked her forehead and hurried behind the counter.
Junhee picked a secluded spot by the window and gazed blankly outside.
As expected, the café was peaceful today.
It might not have been great for business, but to Junhee, it was a relief.
He pulled out his wallet and counted his remaining cash.
Two crisp 50,000-won bills and a few smaller ones.
“143,000 won…”
He had scraped together whatever cash he could, but since he barely packed anything, he needed to buy a lot of essentials—clothes, underwear, toiletries, food.
Everything cost money.
He had brought both his credit and debit cards, but crime shows had drilled one thing into his head—using them always got people caught.
And he couldn’t risk getting caught by him.
‘But I can’t rely on Vincent forever, either.’
As it turned out, Vincent had planned to stay here for a while.
He had rented that massive place for months in advance.
Vincent had insisted it was non-refundable anyway, so he might as well use it freely, but Junhee couldn’t bring himself to take full advantage.
Thanks to that, he’d been able to stay much longer than expected, but he still hadn’t decided his next destination.
…Where to go, what to do next.
‘Maybe he’s already forgotten about me. Just chalked it up to bad luck and moved on.’
He might regret not being able to take revenge, but he wouldn’t feel any sorrow over it.
He might think about it from time to time, but he wouldn’t miss it.
That was the gap between Ki Taeryu and his own emotions.
At most, Taeryu had probably only seen him as a way to satisfy his desires—a mere release partner.
Thinking he’d actually come looking for him was nothing short of arrogance.
He wished he could erase the memory of the time when he had foolishly believed Taeryu had real feelings for him.
Ki Tae-sung was different—he was family, and there were other reasons for his obsession.
But in the end, the most pressing issue was that he needed cash.
His fridge, once fully stocked, was now empty, and even the pantry had run out of instant food.
What little money he had left wasn’t enough for groceries.
“…Should I get a part-time job?”
“Young man! Are you looking for a job? Do you need work?”
Junhee, mumbling to himself, flinched and looked up in surprise.
The café owner stood there, balancing a tray of cups, eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Perfect timing! If you’re interested, how about working at my shop?”
“Huh? I—what?”
“Ah, good thinking! This place isn’t exactly convenient to get to, so we hardly get any applicants. I’ve been stressing over where to find someone. You’re just what we need!”
The owner placed a vanilla latte on Junhee’s table and sat across from him, diving straight into negotiations.
“I’ll pay you more than minimum wage! Do you know how to use a coffee machine?”
“…I’ve worked at a café before.”
Junhee had done all sorts of jobs since he was a minor just to make a living, so experience wasn’t an issue.
“Perfect! You’re exactly what this place needs. You’re hired!”
It was the fastest hiring process Junhee had ever seen, from scouting to finalizing the deal in mere moments.
“Oh, by the way, do you have a health certificate?”
“That…”
Ever since becoming an adult, Junhee had been getting a health certificate every year to help out with meal service at the orphanage.
“Yes, I have one.”
“Well, would you look at that! It’s like a golden opportunity just rolled right into my shop!”
The owner clapped their hands like a delighted seal, beaming.
“Um, but I have a bit of a situation… Would it be possible to get paid in cash?”
“What? Cash?”
The owner’s eyes widened, then answered without hesitation.
“Advance payment is possible too!”
Knock, knock.
No response, as expected.
Yeo Daeyun used the key card and stepped inside.
“….”
Before he even made it past the long hallway, his foot bumped into scattered junk.
He nudged the broken objects aside with the top of his shoe, making his way deeper inside.
The air, thick with stagnation, stifled his breath.
Among all the wreckage in the hotel room, he searched for the most shattered thing of all.
“Director.”
The study—if it could still be called that—was littered with torn books and shattered picture frames.
Careful not to step on the glass, Daeyun approached a chair with a broken armrest.
Slumped precariously over it, asleep like the dead, was Ki Taeryu.
Having gone three days without sleep, it was no wonder.
Daeyun himself had barely rested, catching short naps in the car while searching for Junhee, as per Taeryu’s orders.
The amount of money thrown at private investigators and gangsters nationwide was staggering.
A complete waste, but to Taeryu, it was worth less than a used tissue.
Daeyun inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth.
There was only one way to drag Taeryu’s consciousness back to the surface.
“Yoo Jun—”
“Yoo Junhee? Fuck, did you find him?”
Eyes that had been tightly shut flew open.
His sharp, slanted eyes blazed with intensity, dark circles deepening their ferocity.
Having lost some weight, his already defined jawline had sharpened further, making his naturally severe expression even harsher.
Even Daeyun, who had long since grown used to this, found himself momentarily startled.
“There was a tip-off about someone who might be Yoo Junhee, but it’s not confirmed yet. The intel came from the gangsters, so it’s unreliable. I was planning to check first and—”
“Move. Now.”
Before Daeyun could finish, Taeryu ran a hand over his exhausted face and murmured.
“Y-yes, sir!” Daeyun straightened his posture and nodded, but then—
He saw something unexpected.
His superior was brushing off the suit jacket he had used as a blanket, slipping one arm into a sleeve.
“…You’re coming with me, Director?”
Sliding his other arm into the jacket, Taeryu lifted his gaze.
“Obviously.”
“…But, sir, the Chairman specifically instructed you to attend today’s meeting.”
“Like I care.”
“He’s furious. If you skip again today, he said you should be prepared for the consequences.”
Ever since Junhee’s disappearance, Taeryu had barely set foot in the company, leaving Daeyun to endure the Chairman’s explosive wrath.
Taeryu sneered.
“The old man still has plenty of energy. He should just run the company himself. Why even bother with an heir? He can hoard it all for eternity.”
Since the engagement party, the bride’s family had been strangely silent.
There were no rumors, which meant a hefty compensation and penalty fee had been paid—no doubt about it.
Still, the Chairman’s demands for marriage and an heir remained unchanged.
“It’s too far for you to go yourself, Director. Let me check first and confirm before you—”
“Want me to rip your ears off?”
Taeryu’s icy gaze locked onto him.
“…I’ll book two plane tickets.”
Just a day ago, while driving back from a distant countryside town, Daeyun had made a wish as he watched the sun rise.
That Yoo Junhee would be found soon.
But now, he wanted to take it back.
‘Please, Junhee… stay hidden.’
Never be caught again.
* * *
