Swallow Hunting Chapter 10

Haejun sat on the second floor of a franchise café across the street from the building, never taking his eyes off the window.

He stared so hard his eyes ached, half-expecting a corpse or a suspicious bag to be carried out at any mont. But most of the people going in and out through the main entrance looked like ordinary office workers. Occasionally, a bulky guy in a suit would appear, or a high-end foreign car would get swallowed by the underground parking garage, but none of that was enough to raise real suspicion.

If he could see inside, he might at least calm down a little, but from outside there was nothing to see. Ti passed relentlessly as he drank his coffee in agitation. He desperately wanted to run, but to put it bluntly, if Han Yeonghwa lied to the boss about him, he figured he wouldn’t just get his ankles grabbed—he’d probably get slapped at least once. That thought left him stuck, unable to go forward or back.

He steeled himself, left the café, and entered the building. Han Yeonghwa had told him the man’s na, but it didn’t co to mind right away, so he checked the text ssage before approaching the information desk.

“Um, I have an appointnt with CEO Lee Kangjoo.”

“Your na, please?”

“Cha Se— no. Han Yeonghwa.”

Even if they didn’t rember him, they’d know Han Yeonghwa, so he gave her na. The staff mber asked him to wait and made a call. After a brief exchange, the employee guided Haejun inside the building.

They didn’t head toward the lobby. She opened an ergency door, led him into a stairwell, then took a separate elevator up to a high floor. As soon as the doors opened, a reception room ca into view. The employee told him to wait inside, bowed, and left alone. Haejun almost grabbed the hem of her skirt and begged her to stay by his side, even for a mont.

Unlike the flashy hallway, the reception room was clean and plain. A sofa, one large potted plant, a coffee machine, and expensive-looking tea bags. There was a desk that looked like it belonged to office staff, but it was empty—probably lunchti.

The only unusual thing was a large aquarium with no decorations at all. Inside the square tank, a massive fish swam leisurely. Trying to ease his nerves, Haejun walked over and narrowed his eyes.

A long, thick body, whiskers like a catfish, brilliant golden scales, and big, dull-looking eyes.

Haejun knew exactly what kind of fish it was. One of his clients long ago had been into aquariums, so Haejun had morized a few famous species just in case.

“Arowana.”

The fish couldn’t possibly understand him, but as if responding to the sound, the arowana smoothly twisted its body. At the sa ti, a sharp scream ca from behind him. Haejun jumped like a cat startled by thunder.

The faint sound was coming from behind the door. Clinging to the aquarium glass, Haejun trembled for a mont, then curiosity got the better of him. He lifted his heels and crept toward the door. He pressed an ear to it carefully, but the sound was muffled, blocked by soundproofing.

How many minutes passed? Just as curiosity had him tied in knots, desperate to know what was happening inside, the door flew open. He barely managed to stifle a scream and stumbled backward, throwing himself onto the sofa. Cold sweat poured down his back.

With the door wide open, he could finally see inside. It was brutal. One man was collapsed on the floor, twitching.

His bare upper body was beaten so evenly it looked like freshly butchered raw at. His face, turned to the side, was completely smashed. Blood stread from his swollen, ballooned face, pouring out of his nostrils and gaping mouth to pool on the floor, where broken teeth lay scattered in the red ss.

Two bulky n in suits quickly moved to deal with the man who looked more like a corpse than anything else. Another man—Lee Kangjoo, the one Haejun never wanted to et, yet had ended up making an appointnt with thanks to Han Yeonghwa’s half-threats—stood perfectly fine on his own two feet.

The bodyguards didn’t even glance at Haejun. They hoisted the fallen man and carried him straight across the reception room into the elevator. Blood trailed from the unconscious man’s bowed head and dripped onto the floor with a dull splat.

Haejun startled and snapped his head forward. He placed his fists on his knees, sitting stiff as a recruit at attention.

He rolled his eyes sideways, stealing a look at Lee Kangjoo. Kangjoo ran a hand through his disheveled hair and stripped off his blood-splattered shirt. Even without seeing clearly, the mottled marks told the story—scars from cuts and stabs that had healed back over. No tattoos. His back was clean.

His broad, heavy torso disappeared beneath a fresh shirt. Afraid of being caught staring, Haejun snapped his eyes forward at lightning speed. Lee Kangjoo wiped his hands with a handkerchief and walked out of the room. Whether it ca from the man or the floor, the tallic stench of blood filled the air.

“Sorry you had to see sothing so ssy. I don’t usually do it here, but things were a bit urgent.”

He had clearly beaten a man half to death, yet his voice sounded languid, like he’d just woken up from a short nap. That made it even scarier. Haejun’s shoulders tensed hard.

“N-No, sir!”

He almost jumped up and rattled off his full na and rank. Maybe that look amused him, because Lee Kangjoo snorted softly and sat down across from Haejun. Haejun didn’t have the courage to et his eyes, so he stared at the air just above them. Having just witnessed blatant violence, his face had gone deathly pale.

“So. Why are you here? It’s not like we’re on friendly terms.”

“Well, um...”

“Well, um,” the man echoed, mimicking him. His throat and mouth felt parched. Even though the room was a comfortable temperature, sweat beaded on his forehead.

Say just one thing and leave. Never see this man’s shadow again. Haejun repeated that to himself over and over.

“It’s about Yeonghwa noona...”

“Didn’t we already finish that conversation? I know Han Yeonghwa said she had sothing she really wanted to say and sent you, but we shouldn’t replay the sa track.”

“...I ca to tell you one more ti that we were never anything. Yeonghwa noona was really upset. She said she can’t live without you, begged to tell you the truth myself. That’s why I ca. We really, truly had nothing going on. And Yeonghwa noona still loves you deeply. I’m sorry to bother you.”

He bowed deeply and rattled it all off like a machine gun, secretly praying Lee Kangjoo would just wave him away and tell him to get lost.

But Lee Kangjoo didn’t respond right away. Uneasy, Haejun glanced up. At so point, Kangjoo had started tapping his ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ chin with his index finger, looking down at him. When their eyes t, he even smiled.

“Han Yeonghwa said she loves ?”

“Yes.”

“So she sent Cha Haejun to clear up the misunderstanding.”

“...Yes.”

“And you believe that?”

This world was crawling with con artists, but Haejun wanted to believe it. Besides, there was no other reason she’d send him here.

“Well...”

Lee Kangjoo lowered his head and ran a hand through his hair. He massaged the back of his neck with thick fingers, then looked at Haejun. He smiled playfully, almost like a boy, but the words coming out of his mouth were anything but innocent.

“Whatever the reason, she picked her timing well.”

“What?”

“I was already kind of horny.”

“...What?”

“At the very least, you were usable.”

While Haejun had been talking, Lee Kangjoo must have been lost in his own thoughts. Haejun couldn’t grasp it at first, then a scene flashed through his mind and his mouth fell open in shock.

This was a man who didn’t hesitate to ruin soone’s life no matter who was watching. Doing the sa thing to Haejun’s fragile throat and mouth again would be nothing to him.

The mory of thick flesh forcing down his blocked throat and tongue, of cum finally splattering across his face and inside his mouth, sent a sudden rush of heat straight to his groin. He’d lost his mind. Haejun secretly pinched his thigh as hard as he could. The pain, sharp enough to bruise, snapped him back to reality.

“You get hard when you see blood, right? Don’t you, Haejun?”

“No!”

Never. He’d been beaten far more tis than he’d ever beaten anyone—if he popped a boner while getting the shit kicked out of him, that’d make him a candidate for a psych ward, not a sane person. He shook his head, but Lee Kangjoo was already standing right in front of him.

“I don’t want to use the mouth of a guy with a dick either. But look at the situation. What else do I have to use here besides you?”

“My right—”

“Your mouth’s secondhand anyway. Since you’re here, let’s do sothing useful.”

The correct answer—use his right hand—was cut off clean. Useful for who? Haejun edged backward, only to bump into the back of the sofa. Lee Kangjoo’s shadow was so big it swallowed him whole.

“Try sucking better than last ti.”

This wasn’t why he’d co. He never imagined things would turn out like this.

Even when Haejun shook his head like a terrified kid, Lee Kangjoo smiled calmly and grabbed a fistful of his hair. The grip was brutal enough to tear a scream out of him—a warning not to try any pointless resistance.

“I’ll even let you use your hands this ti.”

How generous, like an ocean in its vastness.

But there was nowhere to run. Hesitating would just an more hair ripped out. Like swallowing mustard through tears—no, like crying while sucking dick. With a miserable expression, Haejun placed his hand on the belt of the man’s pants.