The Damned - Chapter 50

At that time…

Beom, who had been reading research papers on S-rank gates and power augmentation, received an unexpected call from Cheon Gwang-Nyeon. Feeling uneasy about it, he picked up.

“Hello.”

[President Moon, it’s been a while. How have you been?]

The amused tone hinted he’d found some excuse to torment him, so Beom considered hanging up right away.

[I had a drink with one of your people, and… they’re quite drunk.]

“…Hah. Is there actually an idiot among my people willing to drink with you?”

[Apparently, there is? Yeo-Woon, want to talk to him?]

Hearing that name made Beom frown.

He didn’t even care about the details of how Yeo-Woon ended up meeting Gwang-Nyeon; his only thought was that he needed to get him back immediately.

“Where are you? Give me the address.”

[Uh… President? Is that you? Um, this place is… Where… are we?]

“…Sigh. Put Cheon Gwang-Nyeon back on.”

While grabbing his car keys and coat, Beom left his office. Gwang-Nyeon’s voice on the phone was laced with amusement.

[There’s an idiot in Waste Disposal willing to drink with me. Living long enough, you see all sorts of miracles, huh?]

“Where are you?”

[At your favorite Japanese restaurant. I’ll send the location.]

“No need, I know the place.”

[You must be in quite a rush.]

Ignoring him, Beom got in his car, tossed his phone aside, and sped off.

He couldn’t understand why Yeo-Woon, who’d said he was meeting a friend, was drunk and out with Cheon Gwang-Nyeon. Beom slammed the accelerator, disregarding any stoplights in his way.

* * *

Arriving at the restaurant, he parked haphazardly and went in. There, a heavily intoxicated Yeo-Woon was practically draped over Gwang-Nyeon’s shoulder as they exited a room.

Striding over, Beom yanked Yeo-Woon towards him.

“What’s this? I never thought President Moon would come personally,” Gwang-Nyeon laughed, surprised that Beom himself would come to fetch his new hire.

“…President?”

“Yeo-Woon, stand up straight and put weight on your legs.”

“How am I supposed to stand straight if my legs aren’t holding up…?”

Thanks to the alcohol, Yeo-Woon even dared to back-talk, something he’d never normally do.

Exasperated, Beom all but dragged Yeo-Woon outside as if apprehending a criminal. Though Yeo-Woon’s legs buckled, Beom practically carried him, preventing him from stumbling.

Gwang-Nyeon, entertained as if watching a show, trailed a step behind, arms folded. After shoving Yeo-Woon into the passenger seat and fastening his seatbelt, Beom closed the door.

When Yeo-Woon tried to get out, Beom leaned against the door, blocking it, and lit a cigarette.

Inside, Yeo-Woon fumbled, but Beom and Gwang-Nyeon ignored it.

“He left saying he’d meet a friend. I didn’t know my employee would befriend someone that much older. He must not know how to choose his friends wisely.”

“Sorry, I found him on the street, crying, so I took pity.”

Gwang-Nyeon eyed Beom with curiosity as he blew out a puff of smoke.

When was the last time Moon Beom had shown this much emotion? Gwang-Nyeon found it oddly refreshing.

“…Crying? He was crying?”

“If you’re curious, why not ask him yourself?”

Beom extinguished his cigarette, ignored Gwang-Nyeon, and went around to the driver’s side. By then, Yeo-Woon had tired of banging on the door and had fallen asleep, slumped against the window.

“President Moon, can I ask you something?”

“I’m busy. Ask later.”

Opening the driver’s door, Beom made it clear he wasn’t interested in indulging Gwang-Nyeon.

But Gwang-Nyeon pressed on.

“Do you pity that kid?”

“No.”

With a curt reply, Beom shook his head and got in the car.

* * *

Jolted awake by the car’s movements, Yeo-Woon was disoriented, thinking he must be dreaming. He remembered being with Gwang-Nyeon at the restaurant, but somehow, Beom was now beside him.

“…President?”

“Go to sleep. I’ll be mad if you stay awake.”

“Why?”

What? Why? Beom’s hands tightened on the wheel.

Yeo-Woon, emboldened by the alcohol, had a shamelessness that his normally timid self would never display.

“You said you were meeting a friend. Is Cheon Gwang-Nyeon your friend?”

“Well… we just kind of met on the way.”

“And that means you can just drink with anyone and get that drunk?”

“Why can’t I?”

Why not…?

Like a child learning to talk, Yeo-Woon kept asking, “Why?”

Beom found it hard to answer. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want to deal with a drunk person. Why did he feel so annoyed by this?

“I’m not even yours, President. I can drink with whomever I want.”

“Sure, you can. Just don’t drink with Cheon Gwang-Nyeon.”

“Why?”

“…Because that woman’s a drinking fiend. She never gets drunk. You’ll be the only one drunk, so don’t drink with her.”

It was a flimsy excuse.

Hunters didn’t get drunk easily, anyway, unless they downed pure alcohol. Beom felt as if he were getting drunk from Yeo-Woon’s presence alone.

“Why else would I drink but to get drunk?”

“You cried, didn’t you?”

“A little.”

That woman really has no loyalty.

Yeo-Woon muttered to himself, cursing Cheon Gwang-Nyeon. His eyes were slightly swollen, as if he’d shed a few tears.

“Why were you crying?”

“…There was someone I wanted to see, but I couldn’t meet them.”

“The friend you said you’d meet today?”

Yeo-Woon shook his head.

“I met them, actually. They’re not even that close of a friend… but no, it’s not them. There’s someone else I miss.”

After those words, only the sound of Yeo-Woon’s labored breathing filled the car.

Beom found himself relieved. It was better than continuing this ridiculous conversation.

But the peaceful silence didn’t last long.

“Sir.”

A few minutes hadn’t even passed before Yeo-Woon spoke again, his eyes now open and fixed on Beom.

“What? We’re almost there. Hang on.”

“I’m going to enter the gate this time. The Salt Plains. I’ll go into the S-Class gate, level up…”

Yeah, sure. Beom responded absentmindedly, turning the steering wheel to make a right.

Then, Yeo-Woon spoke again.

“I’ll also find the diamond. And when I bring it back, sir, let’s sleep together.”

Screech—

The car skidded to an abrupt halt on the empty road, leaving a mark behind.

“…What?”

“When I bring back the diamond, let’s sleep together.”

“You….”

“Not just sleep-sleep. I mean, let’s have sex.”

***

Yeo-Woon passed out completely after dropping that bomb on Beom.

Worried that Doo-Sik, who was already in a delicate, rebellious mood, might throw a tantrum, Beom laid Yeo-Woon down on his own bed. He tapped Yeo-Woon’s forehead as he lay there sleeping.

“What on earth goes through your head?”

“Mmm…”

Even in his sleep, Yeo-Woon flinched slightly in pain.

The door was ajar from carrying Yeo-Woon inside, and soon Charles jumped onto the bed and began licking Yeo-Woon’s face.

Though it was clearly a dog licking Yeo-Woon’s face, the sight still annoyed Beom.

“Charles, down.”

“Woof! Woof!”

Charles barked in protest, slamming his paws on the bed. He was so small that it barely made a dent, but Beom, irritated, lifted Charles and placed him on the floor.

In an instant, Charles transformed back into a human, standing proudly before Beom.

“Charles, mighty hunting dog. Obeyed well. If I obey, I can stay by Yeo-Woon’s side.”

“Sigh… As if today wasn’t already chaotic, now you’re acting up too?”

“Beom, a man keeps his promises. Charles, brave hunting dog, kept his promise. Tonight, Charles will sleep beside Yeo-Woon.”

At that, Beom took off the watch he was wearing and set it on the desk.

Seeing this, Charles unconsciously took a step back. Every time Beom took off his watch, it usually meant intense training was about to begin. Pavlovian conditioning had kicked in, and Charles immediately tensed up at the sight of the watch coming off.

Pavlovian conditioning refers to the behavioral and physiological changes brought about by experiencing a predictive relationship between a neutral stimulus and a consequent biologically significant event

“What did I say would happen if you didn’t obey?”

Whimpering, Charles turned back into a dog and dashed out of the room in a flash.

After watching Charles retreat, Beom locked his door, sat on the sofa, and closed his eyes, feeling a wave of exhaustion finally take over him.