* * *

Jeong Sanho twitched as if ready to lunge at any moment.

However, his hands were tied behind him, and the men pressing down on his shoulders left him no choice but to writhe in place.

Soohyuk, watching without a hint of emotion, held out his hand toward Cheongoh.

A black leather glove was placed in his palm.

Taking his time, Soohyuk put on the glove and then pressed his foot into Jeong Sanho’s thigh.

The pain from being crushed made Jeong Sanho let out a short groan.

“I’m in a bit of a hurry, so let’s get straight to the point. What did you say when you spoke with Baek Jingyeom two months ago?”

“Mmm! Mmm….”

At Soohyuk’s signal, the man holding down Jeong Sanho roughly ripped the tape from his mouth.

“Huff, huff….”

Annoyed by the sound, Soohyuk pressed down harder with his foot, increasing the pain, causing blood vessels to pop in Jeong Sanho’s eyes.

Just as he was about to scream, Cheongoh clamped a hand over his mouth, muffling his cries.

Soohyuk tilted his head slightly, waiting for the answer to his question.

Jeong Sanho, looking like he was about to pass out, barely managed to nod his head.

Soohyuk eased the pressure on his leg, and Jeong Sanho’s body collapsed in relief from the tension and pain.

When the hand over his mouth was removed, he drooled as he struggled to recount what had happened.

“Huff… Some guy suddenly came to see me.”

“Your tongue’s too short.”

“…Came to see me.”

A man had suddenly appeared and asked about Jingyeom.

At first, Jeong Sanho refused to talk, but after being offered a large sum of money, he spilled everything he knew.

As for Jinwoo, he suggested that Baek Myungjun knew more than he did and immediately set up a meeting.

Baek Myungjun had revealed secrets about Jinwoo’s birth and some dealings with a loan shark company, then promptly squandered the money on gambling.

At this, Soohyuk glanced at Baek Myungjun.

It wasn’t surprising that he’d sold out his children’s information for money, only to blow it on gambling.

Just pathetic.

But the story didn’t end there.

The man contacted Jeong Sanho again to help find Jingyeom, promising even more money than before if he brought him in.

That’s why Jeong Sanho had desperately searched for Jingyeom.

As he listened to Jeong Sanho’s story, Soohyuk rubbed his chin, feeling bored.

He hadn’t expected to hear about Director Gwak’s secretary.

The whole thing irritated him. From beginning to end, it was all about money, money, money.

“What I asked was something different.”

“I-I didn’t say anything else! I swear!”

“This is your last chance. What did you say?”

“…That Baek Jinwoo isn’t Jingyeom’s real brother, so I thought I should let him know!”

“Why mention they’re not real brothers?”

Jeong Sanho gulped nervously and quickly bowed his head.

“What I want to hear isn’t something everyone already knows. I’m asking about the conversation you had with Baek Jingyeom.”

As Soohyuk raised his leg again, Jeong Sanho hurriedly shouted.

“Baek Jinwoo… likes Jingyeom… not as a brother, but in a different way….”

“…….”

“That’s really all I said! He asked where Jingyeom was, but I told him Jingyeom wouldn’t say! I swear I didn’t do anything else…!”

The boldness Jeong Sanho had at first disappeared in an instant.

Now, he was begging for his life, swearing he’d never tell anyone about what had happened here.

When he had overheard Soohyuk’s conversation in the alley last time, he heard the words “escape” and “surveillance.”

Now, seeing himself kidnapped and imprisoned, he realized Soohyuk was no ordinary person.

It wasn’t just Soohyuk. Tak Wonbeom was also dangerous, so he knew better than to run his mouth.

He had lost track of time while being confined, but since they hadn’t killed him yet, he assumed they wouldn’t.

That assumption vanished the moment Soohyuk showed up.

Soohyuk seemed like someone who could really kill him.

“Hah… So you told him that.”

Soohyuk’s hollow laughter echoed through the air.

Jingyeom had collapsed in Jinwoo’s room.

That meant the two must have had some kind of conversation, and whatever it was had pushed Jingyeom to his limit, breaking him mentally.

On top of learning everything that day, Jingyeom must have been under immense stress.

But was it really enough to lead to cardiac arrest?

‘Did Baek’s secretary say it was a confession?’

Hearing something from someone else and hearing it directly from the person are naturally different in terms of impact.

If Jinwoo had personally expressed his feelings, the shock would have doubled.

But this is all just speculation. In the end, to know everything, they would have to hear it directly from Jinwoo.

Soohyuk’s brows furrowed in irritation, clearly displeased with how things weren’t going his way.

He scanned the five people sitting on the floor, then walked over to Baek Myungjun, crouched in front of him, and met his gaze.

Soohyuk carefully peeled the tape off Baek Myungjun’s mouth.

“I’m really curious, so I have to ask… why did you take in Baek Jinwoo and raise him?”

“Ha, ha…”

Unlike the others, who were trembling in fear, Baek Myungjun let out a disgusting, phlegmy laugh, his eyes glazed over.

“Even if you add up both of their life insurance policies, it’s not even 100 million won. Was it all for that small amount of money?”

“…Only rich bastards like you think 100 million is nothing.”

Baek Myungjun sneered in a rough voice, as if Soohyuk’s response had been expected.

Soohyuk responded with a cold smile.

“So, in the end, it wasn’t for the sake of your friend’s kid—it was for the money.”

“Where did you take Baek Jingyeom?! Hand him over now! Do you know how much he’s worth?!”

“…Are you out of your mind?”

Baek Myungjun, his voice dark and menacing, stared at Soohyuk with eyes that seemed ready to pop out of their sockets.

His face turned crimson as he screamed about bringing back Baek Jingyeom immediately.

“I only waited until the surgery was over! That bastard’s worth over a billion!”

At that moment, Soohyuk’s gaze shifted, and without hesitation, he yanked Baek Myungjun by the back of his head.

The murderous glint in Soohyuk’s eyes sent a shiver down Baek Myungjun’s spine.

“You were planning to sell Baek Jingyeom? …To whom?”

Soohyuk’s voice was so chilling that Baek Myungjun instinctively trembled all over.

He had met many shady people through his years dealing with loan sharks, but none as terrifying as Soohyuk.

He wasn’t being threatened with death, nor was there a weapon pointed at him, but just locking eyes with Soohyuk made his legs shake uncontrollably.

The thought that he could actually die here paralyzed Baek Myungjun with fear.

Soohyuk dragged him by the back of his head toward a heater, one of those drum stoves lit to warm the cold air.

He pushed Baek Myungjun’s face closer to the searing heat.

Though Baek Myungjun screamed in agony, Soohyuk didn’t budge.

“I don’t have much patience when it comes to Baek Jingyeom.”

“Ah, ahhh, aaaah!”

“Unless you want your face burned off, you’d better start talking.”

The warehouse echoed with Baek Myungjun’s screams until he finally confessed who he had planned to hand Jingyeom over to—a man who had previously been obsessed with Jingyeom.

After leaving the warehouse, Soohyuk, reeking of burnt fabric, discarded his leather gloves and jacket into a burning drum barrel outside.

“If you’re cold, at least get proper heating. What is this, the ’80s? Drum barrels aren’t going to warm you up.”

“I won’t be here long enough for it to matter.”

“Yeah, you might be fine, but your men will suffer. Clean up without any issues. I’m leaving.”

“Have a safe trip.”

Lee Cheongoh bowed and remained at his post until Soohyuk disappeared from sight.

He stayed there until the car was completely out of view, then turned around.

After that night, the five people vanished without a trace, and a few days later, the man Baek Myungjun had named was also eliminated.

---

When Soohyuk arrived home, he stood under the shower for a long time, washing away the lingering scent of blood.

Then, freshly dressed, he headed straight to the hospital.

In the quiet hospital room, the two brothers lay peacefully asleep.

Soohyuk approached Jingyeom’s side, moving quietly so as not to disturb him.

Anger surged within him again at the thought that Jingyeom could have been sold off to some filthy bastard without anyone knowing.

He clenched his jaw to keep his rage in check, gazing down at Jingyeom.

‘Baek Jinwoo may feel bad about this… but I can’t wait any longer.’

Before, he had been willing to give Jingyeom time, waiting patiently for him to come around.

No matter how much Jinwoo or Wonbeom tried to push themselves on Jingyeom, Soohyuk had been confident he could win him over.

Of course, that feeling hadn’t changed even now. But…

‘If this keeps up, I might die before we even get to live happily together.’

Soohyuk gently caressed Jingyeom’s cheek as he slept, completely unaware of what had almost happened.

He couldn’t bear the thought of Jingyeom collapsing again—it felt like his heart would stop along with him.

Jingyeom had become a part of Soohyuk’s daily routine, a constant in his life.

A habit he couldn’t go a day without.

A life he could never have imagined before.

Soohyuk wanted to give Jingyeom a new life in return for the one he’d gifted him.

‘From now on, let’s live doing only what you want. I’ll make sure of that.’

Soohyuk smiled softly, bending down to kiss Jingyeom’s forehead.

* * *