TATMFL - 45

Ziiing―  

After a bout of territorial tidying and cooling off his sweat, Do-kyung paused mid-cigarette to check his phone.  

Perhaps it was because he had just “seen blood,” but his languid eyes suddenly sparked with life the moment he saw who was calling.  

Straightening up from where he had been leaning casually against the railing, Do-kyung grinned and quickly answered the call.  

“Well, well, who do we have here?”  

-Why are you answering so late?  

“Huh?”  

Before he could even finish his sentence, a sharp voice cut through the line, making Do-kyung blink in surprise.  

He pulled the phone away from his ear and checked the call history—12 missed calls, all from the same person.  

Yoo Ra-on, breathing heavily into the receiver as if trying to suppress her anger. It was her.  

Though bewildered by her sudden fury, Do-kyung couldn’t help but grin widely at the fact that she had initiated contact for the first time.  

“What’s going on? Why does she sound so mad? Could it be that she’s upset because I didn’t answer sooner?”  

-Hye-sung.  

The mention of Hye-sung’s name caused Do-kyung’s previously cheerful expression to twist in irritation.  

Tsk. Clicking his tongue, Do-kyung impatiently ran his fingers through his hair.  

Of course. There was no way she would call him out of the blue without a reason.  

The strands slipping through his fingers were damp with sweat. For some reason, the trivial discomfort irritated him more than usual, and he grimaced.  

Meanwhile, Ra-on’s sharp voice grated on his nerves.  

-Do you have nothing to say?  

“Well, should I have something to say?”  

Do-kyung frowned at his own unintentionally snarky tone. He wasn’t some sulking child, yet his emotions were far too blatant. He tightened his grip, and the cigarette between his fingers snapped in half, falling to the ground.  

But despite knowing this, he couldn’t stop himself from being abrasive.  

Do-kyung tilted his head mockingly.  

“If you suddenly ask about Hye-sung without any context, wouldn’t that leave me pretty confused, Ra-on?”  

-Hmph.  

A sharp breath hissed through the receiver.  

-You were so confident, and yet you couldn’t even protect Hye-sung. What exactly have you been doing?  

“What?”  

Just as he thought he heard her suppressing her anger with controlled breaths, a tightly restrained voice followed.  

Do-kyung didn’t miss the icy rage simmering beneath her words.  

-While those bastards were harassing Hye-sung with their nonsense, what exactly were you doing, Han Do-kyung?  

For a moment, Do-kyung frowned, confused. But then, his face turned cold as realization dawned.  

Ra-on’s voice continued to spill out, laced with resentment and self-reproach, sounding utterly broken.  

-I never trusted you in the first place. And yet, in my ignorance, I… went cherry blossom viewing like everything was fine.  

“…”  

Her wavering voice dripped with sarcasm.  

-It was stupid of me to trust someone like you, a thug.  

With that, the call abruptly ended. Do-kyung’s expression twisted violently. His unusually dark demeanor prompted Joon, who had been waiting nearby, to approach cautiously.  

“Is something wrong?”  

Krrk. The sound of friction seemed to emanate from Do-kyung’s clenched hand, though it was impossible. Joon’s eyes twitched at the unnatural noise.  

The pheromones emanating from Do-kyung were anything but ordinary.  

His pupils contracted sharply as he spat out his words.  

“The guys I assigned to Hye-sung. Bring them here. Now.”  

“…Yes.”  

Without another word, Joon nodded and retreated.  

Do-kyung’s eyes burned with an intensity that made it clear he was not someone to be trifled with right now.  

And then—  

BANG!  

“Shit.”  

The railing dented under the force of his thrown phone.  

---  

“Ghhk!”  

The pressure on the man’s throat intensified.  

The gaze looking down at his writhing face was chilling.  

“So. Care to explain?”  

“Ugh, ggh, kkh…”  

“How did I end up hearing about Hye-sung’s troubles from someone else? Hmm?”  

“Kkh…!”  

The strength in the hands desperately clutching Do-kyung’s shoe heel began to fade under the relentless pressure. By the time the whites of the man’s eyes rolled back and his face turned pale, Joon stepped in to restrain Do-kyung.  

“He hasn’t even answered yet, and you’re going to kill him.”  

Joon called out again.  

“Young Master.”  

Thwack! Do-kyung’s foot slammed mercilessly into the man’s face, already on the verge of passing out.  

Ghhhuu… The unconscious man could only manage a faint groan.  

“Get rid of him.”  

Even after incapacitating three men, Do-kyung still looked unsatisfied as he ran his fingers through his hair.  

His face, frozen at the peak of his rage, was eerily calm. Watching him, Joon suppressed a shudder.  

Of all things, why did this mistake have to involve Ra-on? Mentally clicking his tongue, Joon anticipated a long night of cleaning up bodies. He shifted his gaze.  

There, dragged here before the men assigned to protect Hye-sung, lay others groaning and crawling on the floor.  

Hwarang—a loan shark company with a fancy name. These were the men who had lost all rights over Hye-sung about a month ago when Joon had delivered the contract to Do-kyung.  

And while Do-kyung’s subordinates had been distracted at the convenience store, these bold fools had gone to harass Hye-sung.  

Joon sighed, recalling the investigation results.  

Apparently, these reckless idiots hadn’t held back when linking Hye-sung and Do-kyung, saying whatever they pleased. No wonder Hye-sung had figured out Do-kyung’s identity, rendering the signed contract meaningless.  

Still, Joon hadn’t expected Hye-sung to go straight to Ra-on and tell her.  

Thinking of Hye-sung’s delicate appearance, Joon pinched the bridge of his nose before releasing it. The overwhelming pheromones emanating from Do-kyung made it feel like suffocation.  

At that moment—  

Thwack!  

Do-kyung’s foot smashed into the head of the man squirming at the front.  

“Kkh!”  

Blood splattered, and a couple of shattered teeth skittered across the floor.  

Crouching in front of the trembling man, Do-kyung slapped his cheeks lightly, one by one, and smirked.  

“I believe I paid the full price and formally acquired that contract. So, what business did you have with my client that made you so bold? Tell me, Mr. Loan Shark. Hmm?”  

“Gghk, ggh…”

The loan shark boss, overwhelmed by the murderous pheromones emanating from Do-kyung, was on the verge of suffocation, his eyes rolling back into his head.  

Do-kyung stared at him with an utterly indifferent expression, resting his chin on his hand.  

“Did we really look that pathetic? Pathetic enough for scumbags like you to poke your noses where they don’t belong?”  

“According to our investigation, it appears they were contacted by Se-jin’s side,” Joon interjected smoothly, as if he’d been waiting for the perfect moment.  

Do-kyung burst into a frivolous laugh, as though he’d just heard some amusing news.  

“Hah! So it’s Se-jin again?”  

Just three days ago, he had visited the company at the summons of his uncle, Han Mu-jin, and heard rumors of suspicious movements from Se-jin. At the time, he had brushed it off as a last-ditch effort before the final evaluation.  

He hadn’t expected that name to resurface in his ears so soon.  

They had told him not to cause any unnecessary disturbances since an important contract was looming, so he had stayed quiet. And yet, here was the result of their mischief.  

From the circumstances, it seemed they had stumbled upon Hye-sung while digging for weaknesses to exploit against him—Do-kyung’s thorn in their side. As for Ra-on, there was no need to say more. They likely targeted her first because she was the easier target. There was no need to dirty their own hands when they could provoke trouble indirectly.  

Do-kyung’s pitch-black pupils, gleaming with murderous intent, looked down at the loan shark boss, who was now barely clinging to life.  

“Hah.”  

With an irritated frown, Do-kyung ran his fingers through his hair, completely unfazed by the fresh blood staining his hands.  

He stood up and delivered another blow to the man’s head.  

Then, placing a cigarette between his lips, he tilted his head slightly.  

“Protect her properly.”  

It wasn’t a complete sentence, but there was no mistaking who the protection was meant for.  

Joon, already mentally calculating how to position manpower around Ra-on, nodded.  

“Yes, understood.”  

Moments later, Do-kyung, who had been silently staring at the dim warehouse ceiling, suddenly muttered under his breath.  

“If I go see her now, would she hit me?”  

She had sounded furious.  

No, it wasn’t just anger. Something deeper churned beneath Ra-on’s voice.  

Her tone, laced with regret and suppressed sobs, tightened around his throat like a vice. No matter how many cigarettes he smoked in quick succession, the suffocating feeling refused to lift.  

Do-kyung, who rarely smoked, clenched his jaw tightly as he bit down on his fourth cigarette, crushing it between his teeth.  

“Ugh…”  

Do-kyung’s eyes grew heavy with exhaustion.  

Even after personally punishing those responsible and hearing their agonized screams, his mood didn’t improve—it only sank further. If anything, he felt like he was sinking deeper into a quagmire.  

“…Shit.”  

Do-kyung crushed the cigarette he had been holding between his fingers. The bright red ember, which had just begun to glow, vanished instantly as it fell to the floor.  

As Joon, who had been watching him anxiously, moved to approach, Do-kyung suddenly took long, determined strides forward.  

“…Young Master?”  

There was no response. Instead, the piercing sound of tires screeching violently echoed through the air.