“You dare to play around with me?! How shall I kill you?”
A fist rushed into Cocaine’s solar plexus. Without a chance to groan, he was stomped on with a foot. The sound of crushing bones filled the hospital. Kang Giha staggered back and pressed his hands against the wall. His body was so weak that even roughing up a eunuch singer left him breathless.
“So, the healer you mentioned was Yaba. How long have you known?”
Cocaine slumped with his head on the floor. Kang Giha gritted his teeth, pulling at his own hair.
“I’m asking you how long it’s been.”
“What does it matter now?”
Cocaine was white as a sheet, but despite everything that had been laid bare, he stubbornly resisted.
“Right. That’s not what’s important now.”
Kang Giha exhaled cigarette smoke into his face as he kicked him again. Cocaine coughed. Cocaine had no power to kill, so it was Yaba who had killed the doctors during the castration? A tingle ran through his body. He couldn’t believe that Yaba was a healer, even though he’d seen it with his own eyes. Above all, was it possible that Yaba himself didn’t know his true identity? No, setting aside everything else, he first had to find Yaba.
“The scissors the helmeted bastard was holding were for gardeners. Didn’t the landlord who stayed with us for a while when the Alliance raided the compound say he was a gardener?”
Imsoo replied.
“Yes, as far as I know. He said he used to live in the same neighborhood as Cocaine. I’ll get the kids to go check it out.”
“No need to check, I’m sure they’ve already taken off, along with the scissors.”
His anger was overtaken by shame that he had been taken advantage of by a nobody. Kang Giha kicked the fallen Cocaine in the side. He coughed violently.
“You conspired with that bastard to smuggle out Yaba, didn’t you? Tell me where you took him.”
“I stabbed him in the back of the head, didn’t I?”
Cocaine glared viciously with bloodshot eyes.
“I’d tear you apart right now, but the renovations are done and the Paradiso is about to reopen. There’s a whole bunch of bigwigs waiting to get their hands on you, and since I’ve been advertising that I’ve got a new face in town, I can’t afford to let your customers down, can I? Credit is everything in this field, so tell me where the gardener fucker is.”
“I don’t know.”
“Then find out. The lives of the rest of us snitches depend on it, and as you know, those trash will end up on the street.”
“You’re the trash. You’re the one who should be treated like shit!”
“Look at those eyes, are you going to scream?”
Kang Giha drove his awl-like fists into Cocaine’s stomach and side. But the defiant glint didn’t go away.
“Turn that Morphine bastard into sashimi.”
At Kang Giha’s command, Imsoo picked up the phone.
“Stop it! Don’t do it!!!”
Stop it… Cocaine turned blue and feverish. Seeing that he was defeated, Kang Giha threw the phone into Cocaine’s lap. He clenched his fists and glared at the floor.
“If it’s not my number… he won’t answer. He’s wary, and if he senses something strange, he’ll hide Yaba where no one can find him.”
Cocaine handed over the confiscated phone and punched in the number. His mouth burst open and he continued to bleed. He’d known for a long time that the boss had fallen for Yaba. Even if he knew he was a healer, he wouldn’t treat him like a slave. Sejun’s voice came over the beeping.
“Hyung, it’s me. What happened?”
— What about you, Chaewoo?
“I’m just… here.”
— Chaewoo’s voice is strange. Are you sick?
“I have a cold. Hyung, where are you…?”
— I’m in the neighborhood closest to the sky.
Come to think of it, he heard that when he reunited with Jang Sejun, he stayed in the same place he used to live. The neighborhood where he first met Yaba, where he hid from his boss as a child…
“How does he keep living there? I don’t even want to think about it.”
— Just…
Sejun was speechless.
“What about Yaba… Sejin?”
— He’s not eating… he’s making scary faces… and… he keeps singing.
Did that mean Sejun heard Yaba singing… Cocaine cleared his throat.
“It’s probably because of the sudden change in environment, he’s so sensitive, so… I think I need to bring him back. I know it’s a little late, but can you bring him back now?”
— Why?
He was speechless. It sounded like a child asking why the sky is blue. Cocaine gripped the phone.
“Sejin will get sicker if he stays there, and who knows what he’ll do.”
— Then Chaewoo can come here and heal him…
“My powers don’t work on Sejin. I don’t know why, but whatever, hyung, just trust me.”
— He trusted Chaewoo unconditionally.
“Then bring him over now. I’ll pick you up, where do you want me to meet you?”
He told him to get Yaba out of the apartment and keep him with him for a while. He had no doubt he would comply this time.
— No…
The corner of Cocaine’s lips twitched.
“H- hyung…?”
— From now on, I’ll take care of Sejin. We won’t be separated…
“…Hyung.”
— I don’t want to.
Tut-tut-tut—.
The breathless beeping pierced his eardrums. Cocaine panicked. He didn’t expect Sejun to do something like this. The boss lit a cigarette and focused on the call. A cold sweat ran down his spine. He barely managed to keep his expression straight.
“…Okay, hyung. I’ll go myself then. I’ll see you there.”
Maybe… Sejun hadn’t meant to send Yaba away in the first place? Cocaine hung up the phone. The boss narrowed his gaze. He prayed his voice didn’t tremble.
“We agreed to meet today. But he said he won’t come out unless I’m with him.”
Kang Giha twisted Cocaine’s hair upwards. A strong scent of cigarette smoke burst out.
“You always make sure to have an insurance policy, no matter the situation.”
Pr: BeeBee
My discord server for chatting! — Link
“You dare to play around with me?! How shall I kill you?”
A fist rushed into Cocaine’s solar plexus. Without a chance to groan, he was stomped on with a foot. The sound of crushing bones filled the hospital. Kang Giha staggered back and pressed his hands against the wall. His body was so weak that even roughing up a eunuch singer left him breathless.
“So, the healer you mentioned was Yaba. How long have you known?”
Cocaine slumped with his head on the floor. Kang Giha gritted his teeth, pulling at his own hair.
“I’m asking you how long it’s been.”
“What does it matter now?”
Cocaine was white as a sheet, but despite everything that had been laid bare, he stubbornly resisted.
“Right. That’s not what’s important now.”
Kang Giha exhaled cigarette smoke into his face as he kicked him again. Cocaine coughed. Cocaine had no power to kill, so it was Yaba who had killed the doctors during the castration? A tingle ran through his body. He couldn’t believe that Yaba was a healer, even though he’d seen it with his own eyes. Above all, was it possible that Yaba himself didn’t know his true identity? No, setting aside everything else, he first had to find Yaba.
“The scissors the helmeted bastard was holding were for gardeners. Didn’t the landlord who stayed with us for a while when the Alliance raided the compound say he was a gardener?”
Imsoo replied.
“Yes, as far as I know. He said he used to live in the same neighborhood as Cocaine. I’ll get the kids to go check it out.”
“No need to check, I’m sure they’ve already taken off, along with the scissors.”
His anger was overtaken by shame that he had been taken advantage of by a nobody. Kang Giha kicked the fallen Cocaine in the side. He coughed violently.
“You conspired with that bastard to smuggle out Yaba, didn’t you? Tell me where you took him.”
“I stabbed him in the back of the head, didn’t I?”
Cocaine glared viciously with bloodshot eyes.
“I’d tear you apart right now, but the renovations are done and the Paradiso is about to reopen. There’s a whole bunch of bigwigs waiting to get their hands on you, and since I’ve been advertising that I’ve got a new face in town, I can’t afford to let your customers down, can I? Credit is everything in this field, so tell me where the gardener fucker is.”
“I don’t know.”
“Then find out. The lives of the rest of us snitches depend on it, and as you know, those trash will end up on the street.”
“You’re the trash. You’re the one who should be treated like shit!”
“Look at those eyes, are you going to scream?”
Kang Giha drove his awl-like fists into Cocaine’s stomach and side. But the defiant glint didn’t go away.
“Turn that Morphine bastard into sashimi.”
At Kang Giha’s command, Imsoo picked up the phone.
“Stop it! Don’t do it!!!”
Stop it… Cocaine turned blue and feverish. Seeing that he was defeated, Kang Giha threw the phone into Cocaine’s lap. He clenched his fists and glared at the floor.
“If it’s not my number… he won’t answer. He’s wary, and if he senses something strange, he’ll hide Yaba where no one can find him.”
Cocaine handed over the confiscated phone and punched in the number. His mouth burst open and he continued to bleed. He’d known for a long time that the boss had fallen for Yaba. Even if he knew he was a healer, he wouldn’t treat him like a slave. Sejun’s voice came over the beeping.
“Hyung, it’s me. What happened?”
— What about you, Chaewoo?
“I’m just… here.”
— Chaewoo’s voice is strange. Are you sick?
“I have a cold. Hyung, where are you…?”
— I’m in the neighborhood closest to the sky.
Come to think of it, he heard that when he reunited with Jang Sejun, he stayed in the same place he used to live. The neighborhood where he first met Yaba, where he hid from his boss as a child…
“How does he keep living there? I don’t even want to think about it.”
— Just…
Sejun was speechless.
“What about Yaba… Sejin?”
— He’s not eating… he’s making scary faces… and… he keeps singing.
Did that mean Sejun heard Yaba singing… Cocaine cleared his throat.
“It’s probably because of the sudden change in environment, he’s so sensitive, so… I think I need to bring him back. I know it’s a little late, but can you bring him back now?”
— Why?
He was speechless. It sounded like a child asking why the sky is blue. Cocaine gripped the phone.
“Sejin will get sicker if he stays there, and who knows what he’ll do.”
— Then Chaewoo can come here and heal him…
“My powers don’t work on Sejin. I don’t know why, but whatever, hyung, just trust me.”
— He trusted Chaewoo unconditionally.
“Then bring him over now. I’ll pick you up, where do you want me to meet you?”
He told him to get Yaba out of the apartment and keep him with him for a while. He had no doubt he would comply this time.
— No…
The corner of Cocaine’s lips twitched.
“H- hyung…?”
— From now on, I’ll take care of Sejin. We won’t be separated…
“…Hyung.”
— I don’t want to.
Tut-tut-tut—.
The breathless beeping pierced his eardrums. Cocaine panicked. He didn’t expect Sejun to do something like this. The boss lit a cigarette and focused on the call. A cold sweat ran down his spine. He barely managed to keep his expression straight.
“…Okay, hyung. I’ll go myself then. I’ll see you there.”
Maybe… Sejun hadn’t meant to send Yaba away in the first place? Cocaine hung up the phone. The boss narrowed his gaze. He prayed his voice didn’t tremble.
“We agreed to meet today. But he said he won’t come out unless I’m with him.”
Kang Giha twisted Cocaine’s hair upwards. A strong scent of cigarette smoke burst out.
“You always make sure to have an insurance policy, no matter the situation.”
Pr: BeeBee
My discord server for chatting! — Link
