My Bloody Valentine - 80

Taeshin’s gaze, directly locking onto mine, felt like it was tightening around my throat. His eyes were as unfathomable as the depths of the ocean’s abyss.

Startled by his suddenly strong grip, Han instinctively tried to pull back, but, as always, Taeshin ensnared him.

Han, as confused as his emotions, could only stand there, unsure whether to push him away or embrace him.

A large hand trailed up Han’s thin back, gripping his hair. As his fingers tightened around the strands slipping through like fine sand, Han’s face was pulled back.

“Ugh…”

Taeshin lowered his face to Han’s exposed neck, sinking his teeth into it as if marking it as his own. A deep imprint was left on Han’s delicate skin, claiming ownership.

“Ugh… it hurts…”

“Endure it.”

Han thought that the long, alternating caresses, rough and tender, were surely the prelude to sex. The hard bulge he felt beneath Taeshin’s bathrobe confirmed that he wasn’t mistaken.

Taeshin lifted Han into his arms, cradling him like a child, and carried him to the bedroom. He quickly undressed Han, laying him on the bed before stripping off his own robe and climbing in behind him, pulling Han’s waist deeply into his arms.

Han tensed, worried that Taeshin might enter him at any moment. Taeshin’s manhood slipped between Han’s thighs, like a snake finding a warm burrow to hibernate in.

But Taeshin did not thrust, nor did he try to rub himself against the soft insides of Han’s thighs. For some reason, he didn’t feel like doing that today.

He realized that skin was not just a protective barrier for internal organs; it had another purpose. It could be used to connect with someone else like this.

Taeshin pressed his chest fully against Han’s back, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tight.

The anxiety brought on by the appearance of someone coveting what was his began to ease. The familiar warmth and scent of Han’s body, snug in his embrace, melted away Taeshin’s fatigue.

Every time Taeshin’s breath landed on Han’s neck and shoulders, Han would flinch, but at some point, he relaxed, his body softening as he drifted off to sleep.

Taeshin listened to the even rhythm of Han’s breathing. The chaos in his mind instantly calmed. He was swept by a strange and unfamiliar feeling. It was as if the last piece of a puzzle had fallen into place, completing his soul.

Like the boy in the Dutch tale who plugged a hole in the dam with his finger, Han was filling the gaping hole in Taeshin’s cold heart.

Feeling utterly complete, Taeshin closed his eyes as well.

How much time had passed? Taeshin woke to the irritating buzz of a vibration.

He opened his eyes and immediately checked on Han. He had turned over at some point and was now sleeping soundly with his forehead pressed against Taeshin’s shoulder, using his arm as a pillow.

Reaching out with his free arm, Taeshin grabbed his phone from the bedside table and answered the call.

“Yes.”

― Director, we need you to come… immediately.

It was Lee Sangkyu, the chief secretary who worked closest to Chairman Bae.

Lee had served Chairman Bae for nearly 30 years. He was a man of solid character who never lost his composure, no matter the situation. Over time, their relationship had become less hierarchical and more like companions.

But Lee’s voice, unusually, was trembling.

“What’s going on?”

Keeping his voice low, Taeshin carefully withdrew his hand from under Han’s neck.

Did Chairman Bae have another health issue? Taeshin recalled the image of him ignoring the doctor’s advice and enjoying steak with wine.

He swung his legs off the bed and quietly slipped out of the room.

― Chairman Bae Jeonggil… experienced chest pains last night and was taken to the hospital. He passed away a short while ago.

“……”

Taeshin, who had been walking toward the living room, stopped dead in his tracks. After a long silence, he spoke in a deep, quiet voice.

“…Where should I go?”

He ended the call after being told the name of the university hospital where the funeral would be held. Taeshin went straight to his closet, putting on a black suit and tying a matching black tie. As he was fixing his hair, he paused for a moment, lost in thought.

Taeshin had never experienced feelings like loss or grief, the kinds of emotions people usually felt when they lost someone.

“Call me father, just once.”

When Chairman Bae had said that to him after a long time spent in the hospital, Taeshin had dismissed it as the ramblings of a sick man and pretended not to hear.

But he knew that Bae had cared deeply for him. He often urged Taeshin to join his family register, offering tasteless wine and tea, trying to find something in common, laughing heartily.

For a moment, Chairman Bae’s image flitted before his eyes, only to fade away again.

After getting ready, Taeshin glanced back into the bedroom before leaving. Han was still sleeping soundly, buried in the white sheets. Taeshin stood there, watching Han’s peaceful breathing for a moment, finding it hard to tear himself away, before finally stepping out of the room.

Outside the room, Junho and Myungseop, who had been informed earlier, were already waiting, prepared.

In the pre-dawn hours, the sound of the three men’s footsteps was muffled by the thick carpet as they walked down the hallway.

❖ ❖ ❖

Stepping out of the sedan, Taeshin’s gaze drifted to a gray van parked at the far end of the funeral hall’s parking lot. It was the type of vehicle commonly used by gang members during raids or by groups of undercover police officers.

The Yongdu faction, which Taeshin had clashed with in the past, had long since splintered, leaving no significant power behind. The people in that van were likely plainclothes police.

In the past, fights often broke out at the funerals of top-ranking gang members, so perhaps they were there as a precaution.

After glancing briefly at the van, Taeshin turned away and walked into the funeral hall.

In front of the large VIP room, where the funeral was being held, dozens of condolence wreaths were lined up. The titles written on the ribbons were impressive, indicating that people had sent their wreaths as soon as they heard the news.

Sang-gyu, who spotted Taeshin, quickly approached. He held out a mourning armband with two black stripes.

“He thought of you as a son while he was alive. Please take care of him on his final journey.”

Taeshin glanced at it for a moment before nodding silently. Sang-gyu then fastened the armband to Taeshin’s left arm.

Chairman Bae Jeong-gil had risen from a poor fishing village to become the president of a large construction company, embodying the spirit of self-made success.

At one time, he had taken on demolition jobs that other construction companies avoided, and with the instincts of a seasoned gambler, he entered the real estate development business, making a fortune. However, just as he was about to assume the presidency, he lost his wife, who had supported him through difficult times, and from then on, lived only for the growth of his company.

As a testament to the extensive network he had built, a steady stream of visitors paid their respects, ranging from members of the National Assembly to the heads of other companies.

Taeshin quietly greeted the guests, fulfilling his role as the chief mourner. Of course, there was a brief commotion.

“So, you’re openly pretending to be his son now?”

A drunken man staggered towards Taeshin with a sneer. It was Lee Cheol-seung, the former business director who had been forced out of the company after getting caught running an adult arcade on the side.

“Look here, Director Jang.”

Cheol-seung tapped Taeshin on the shoulder, grinning as if he found the situation amusing. A slight frown appeared on Taeshin’s face.

“Did you know that there wasn’t a single mention of inheritance in Chairman Bae’s will? Still want to play the son?”

“……”

At a subtle gesture from Taeshin, his men quickly approached and escorted the drunken Cheol-seung outside.

After that, the atmosphere at the funeral remained peaceful. The room was constantly filled with guests coming to pay their respects to the head of a major group.

People offered their bows and lit incense. Even in this place of mourning, Taeshin’s gaze remained dry and emotionless. Recently, there was only one person who could bring any light to his eyes.

During a brief break, Taeshin stepped outside and stood near the flower bed by the entrance, leisurely smoking a cigarette. Thoughts of Han suddenly came to mind, and instead of lighting another cigarette, he took out his phone and made a call.

― Hello…

Han’s sleepy voice answered the call. His day and night had gradually returned to a normal rhythm, having shifted in line with Taeshin’s, who now spent his time visiting Jeong-i and working mostly during the day.

“Were you asleep?”

Taeshin was slightly surprised by how soft his voice came out.

― Yeah… Oh, did you leave?

“The man I used to serve passed away. I have to stay here for a while.”

― Oh… Is it a three-day funeral?

“Yes.”

― Got it. Do your best.

“Okay.”

After ending the call, Taeshin felt a strange sensation tickling somewhere in his chest. It was like the small bubbles of emotion popping, one after another.

It wouldn’t be so bad if this could continue. There would certainly be an end to their current relationship, one based on repaying a debt and covering the cost of Yu-jeong’s treatment. That kind of arrangement would have to end sooner or later. But if he could abandon that transaction, keeping Han by his side without any conditions or fabricated reasons…

If, without any reason, you would stay by my side, that would be…

“Director, Chairman Han of Hanil Windows has arrived.”

Hearing the voice of one of his men calling from inside, Taeshin paused his thoughts and turned back. Unbeknownst to him, a faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips.

Throughout the funeral, Oh Seong-jin never made an appearance. It seemed he had decided there was nothing more he could gain from the late Chairman Bae.

Having stayed by the chairman’s side until the very end, Taeshin, who hadn’t gotten any proper sleep in two days, continued his role as chief mourner.

On the way back to the hotel after laying the chairman to rest beside his wife, Taeshin sat in the back seat of the sedan, gazing discontentedly at the slowly passing nightscape. He gave a command to the driver.

“Speed up, Myungseop.”

“Yes, Director.”

With a roar, the sedan’s engine revved as it automatically shifted gears and surged forward.

Just then, Taeshin’s phone vibrated in his pocket. The name of one of his men, who had been tasked with security in Tacenda, appeared on the screen.

― Director, sir… there’s been a problem.

“What kind of problem?”

― Well… It seems that Mr. Lee Han has… run away again.

“……”

Han always manages to surprise me.

Despite the unexpected news, Taeshin remained astonishingly calm. In fact, his eyes grew even more still, as if sinking beneath the surface of the water.

Staring out the window, Taeshin suddenly burst into an untimely laugh.

“No wonder… He was acting strange.”

He had been completely fooled by the shallow pretense, as if Han had really started to care about him.