# 4. Flustered

―I was actually just talking to Gyoo-ryeon about that.

The voice on the other end belonged to Kim Gang-mu, Gye-yeong’s closest friend and a resident at a major university hospital. Kim Gang-mu, born into a prestigious medical family, and Han Gyoo-ryeon, a third-generation chaebol, had been Gye-yeong’s brothers-in-arms since their days at LaON. They were the only ones who truly understood his relentless drive to purge the city of its ugliest, hidden corruptions.

"Are the LaON kids still running missions for Hanbidan these days?"

―You did the exact same thing, so don't act so surprised now.

Gye-yeong might have been born with a silver spoon, but he had tasted absolute ruin when his parents were murdered by corrupt villains. With the unyielding support of Gang-mu and Gyoo-ryeon, he had forged himself into an elite operative, extracted his bloody revenge, and reclaimed his family’s immense wealth and power.

Having amassed an astronomical fortune through his brilliant business acumen, he was now retired from active field duty. He spent his overflowing time and money placing requests with Hanbidan, indulging in the peculiar hobby of acting as a secret guardian angel for active operatives.

"The one who brought the medical foundation corruption USB tonight... looked sixteen or seventeen at best."

―Were they desperate for cash? Their skills must have been something else if you are actually praising them.

"Not bad for a high schooler. The data was immaculate, too."

―When are you going to leak it?

"Today."

Gye-yeong handled things with lightning speed. The files had already been handed over to Prosecutor Ma Ri-seon at the Prosecution Service and Inspector Yeo-ren at the Police Agency. Within Hanbidan—where operatives from broken backgrounds gathered—Gye-yeong secretly sponsored or directly took under his wing those whose character and abilities had been rigorously proven.

―Gye-yeong, go easy on my father’s foundation. I want to handle the fun parts myself.

"Your father is a man who wants for nothing."

―I’ll take that as a compliment. Oh, by the way, don't forget we're touring the redevelopment zone next week.

Just then, a bright, cheerful male voice cut in over the phone. This was Han Gyoo-ryeon, a notorious playboy from one of Korea’s wealthiest families, who also ran a prominent construction company.

―Gye-yeong! It is Gyoo-ryeon. I heard that burned-down orphanage holding out in the redevelopment zone is causing headaches. Let’s go check it out together.

"Fine."

―Well, Gang-mu and I are about to go wild tonight! Are you really not joining us?

"Too much effort."

―Haha, alright. Get some rest.

It looked like Kim Gang-mu and Han Gyoo-ryeon were heading out to borrow some liquid courage for a long, passionate night. Gye-yeong smiled faintly as he disconnected the call. He thoroughly enjoyed profound solitude, finding himself most at peace when he was completely alone. Yet, as he cranked up the heat in his bathtub and took a deep pull of his whiskey, an unusual afterimage clung to the back of his eyes.

Like someone who is already done living.

The look in that boy’s eyes tonight.

The heavy shadow of hollow despair drifting within them had scratched violently against Gye-yeong's chest. As he pressed the glass to his lips, the sharp alcohol burned down his throat, vividly reviving the intense image of the boy.

Perhaps because the kid had been scrambling through the rough wilderness, he had carried the fresh scent of earth and crushed leaves. But lurking beneath that layer was a sweet, intoxicating scent that threatened to paralyze a man's reason.

The memory of sliding his hands over every inch of that frame under the guise of searching for weapons remained vividly seared into his fingertips.

It was lean yet yielding, smooth yet intensely stimulating to his nerves. The realization that he had come dangerously close to pinning the brat flat against the desk and consuming him whole left Gye-yeong profoundly unsettled.

"And why the hell were his eyes so damn empty... tsk."

Spanning far past his thoughts on the redevelopment project, the boy's hollow gaze swirled chaotically inside Gye-yeong's mind.

A cold droplet of condensation on the whiskey glass broke free, falling with a soft plop into the steaming water of the bath.

= = =

One week later. The lobby of a massive university hospital.

Two men, whose striking appearances easily eclipsed any movie star, were seated on a sofa. Han Gyoo-ryeon, possessing a soft impression with light brown hair that bordered on blonde, and Gye-yeong, exuding the imposing majesty of a cold marble statue next to him, were waiting for Kim Gang-mu. Surrounded tightly by a wall of private bodyguards, they naturally drew the fixated stares of every visitor in the hospital.

On the large television in the lobby, breaking news regarding the medical sector corruption was being broadcast heavily. The two men focused on the screen, completely indifferent to the crowd's wandering eyes. Gye-yeong soon grew bored, shifting his gaze to a book handed over by his secretary, while Gyoo-ryeon smirked, finding Gye-yeong's cold detachment amusing.

"Nice work again, Gye-yeong. You really are incredible."

"It was nothing special."

Gye-yeong remained as stoic and detached as ever. Possessing astronomical wealth, a brilliant mind, and an unyielding sense of justice that refused to tolerate corruption, he sometimes struck Gyoo-ryeon as someone so flawless and unbothered he might as well be an artificial intelligence.

"Gyoo-ryeon, where is Gang-mu?"

"I know, right? Why is my darling working so hard on his day off? Though that meticulous nature of his is exactly what makes him so attractive."

Gyoo-ryeon smiled fondly, scanning the hospital interior. Just then, the sharp click of leather shoes echoed from the end of the hallway as Gyoo-ryeon’s secretary, Kim Jeong-gyu, approached.

"Everything has been processed, sir! An arrest warrant has officially been issued for the hospital director."

"Wow, that was fast."

Secretary Kim adjusted his glasses and bowed politely. Gyoo-ryeon nodded, highly approving of his efficiency, before turning his attention back to Gye-yeong.

"Still, since my darling is so busy, maybe we should have left him out of the redevelopment project?"

"Gang-mu wanted in himself."

"He really is so sweet. Ah, since we're here... I'll have to ask him to look at this paper cut on my hand later. Ouch, it stings."

Gye-yeong ignored Han Gyoo-ryeon’s theatrics, simply turning the page of his book. Kim Jeong-gyu looked at Gyoo-ryeon and let out an unfiltered, heavy sigh.

"Sir, please grow up."

"Oh, come on. A guy like me needs a little childish charm to stay attractive."

Right then, an intellectual-looking man approached, slipping off his white lab coat. It was Kim Gang-mu.

"Gyoo-ryeon, Gye-yeong, did you wait long? Sorry."

"Finally, my dedicated Gang-mu arrives!"

Kim Gang-mu joined his friends with a warm, gentle smile. Glancing up at the breaking news on the television screen, he directed a word to Gye-yeong.

"Gye-yeong, you went through a lot of trouble to take care of that."

Gye-yeong looked up, his gaze locking onto the news broadcast. The anchor’s voice echoed, stating that decisive evidence retrieved by a secret operative was the ultimate catalyst for the bust.

"By the way, that Hanbidan operative who retrieved the evidence... I heard they were a breathtaking beauty."

At Gang-mu’s casual remark, a sharp, piercing intensity instantly flooded Gye-yeong's expressionless eyes.

"What?"

"Apparently, it was a stunningly pretty kid. Disguised as a nurse, they slipped out with the files completely unnoticed. The hospital staff are all singing the same tune."

In that fraction of a second, Gye-yeong's pupils trembled.

The memory of that bizarre boy trembling inside his embrace, the sweet scent that had invaded his senses that night, violently flashed through his mind.

He clamped his jaw shut, but his mind was already spiraling into a violent vortex of uncontrollable suspicion.