RMH 21

Chapter 21

It was a plausible deduction. Around Shin Yuseong, the only men were gangsters.

Every day, the only ones he had around him were an older man and a pair of twins.

“Hah… a face I’ve never seen before, huh?”

There was something off about this man that made him feel out of place just being called a gangster. Even in a blurry photo, the man exuded an unmistakable air of nobility.

‘This man is Rex.’

Almost certain, Hyukjun’s eyes flashed as he contacted the chief secretary.

“Hey, Director Park. Check the ID of the man I just sent. This is extremely important, so do it immediately.”

• “Yes! I’ll start right away, Director.”

Hyukjun ended the call with the chief secretary, his face flushed with excitement.

In a few hours, the identity of the man in the photo would be revealed. If it was Rex, fine. If not, Hyukjun planned to eliminate him within his own means. For him, getting rid of someone with money was no problem at all.

Just as he turned his head triumphantly toward the window…

“Perfect timing, huh?”

He noticed Yuseong standing in front of the keypad at the entrance, as if she had just arrived.

“Shin Yuseong. No matter how much you struggle, you’re in my hands.”

Hyukjun sneered and immediately got out of the car.

Yuseong, driving instead of Suhyuk due to his injured hand, parked the car and stepped out.

“Here, get out.”

She even opened the passenger side door, escorting him perfectly.

“…Uh, okay.”

Suhyuk stepped out awkwardly and locked the car with a beep.

Watching Yuseong, looking proud of herself, he felt a strange sensation.

‘This is the first time a woman has escorted me, even opened the car door…’

And she was at least eight years younger than him.

“You drive well.”

“I learned from my father properly. I’m good, right?”

“Yes, you’re the best driver.”

Suhyuk chuckled, following Yuseong, then suddenly stopped.

“Why?”

Because his shirt smelled faintly of cigarette smoke.

“There’s a convenience store outside, right?”

“Yes, right in front as you step out. Why?”

“I’m going to stop by for a bit.”

“But we have all the treatment tools at home… do you need something else?”

“To buy cigarettes.”

“Ah…”

“Why the face?”

Yuseong stared at him like, this guy is a total smoker, and reluctantly nodded.

“Okay. Make sure to press the call button later!”

Waving to Suhyuk, Yuseong walked inside. Suhyuk left the parking lot with long strides.

Heading to the convenience store right in front, he went straight to the essentials section.

‘I don’t smoke, and my father never smoked in front of me.’

Even though he didn’t need to care… for some reason, he didn’t want to do something he disliked.

More accurately, he didn’t want to be disliked by that little girl.

‘Of all days, I forgot my perfume.’

Tsk. He clicked his tongue, hurriedly grabbing a fabric deodorizer with a teddy bear on it.

As he turned to check out, a small square box caught his eye.

‘Hmm.’

After a short hesitation, he impulsively picked up the box.

After paying, Suhyuk returned to the parking lot. Back in the car, he sprayed the deodorizer on his shirt a couple of times.

“….”

A soft, clean scent, unlike him, enveloped his whole body.

Just as he wondered if this was right, his eyes met the teddy bear printed on the package.

“Ha… Kwonn Suhyuk, what are you doing?”

Suddenly, he felt a wave of reality hit him.

He looked strangely unfamiliar to himself, like a snot-nosed boy before his first blind date.

Feeling itchy, he threw the new items he bought into the glove box.

Then he got out of the car and walked toward Yuseong’s building line.

At the keypad in front of the door…

“….”

A phone lay on the ground.

Picking it up, Suhyuk realized it was Yuseong’s phone. His blood ran cold.

“What the…”

The screen was shattered.

Clenching his jaw, he turned around in a hurry.

“Help!!”

Yuseong’s shout came from somewhere nearby.

Cursing under his breath, he quickly put on a mask and ran toward the source of the sound.

Truly, there was no peace at all.

‘I should tidy up the house a bit before welcoming Kwonn Suhyuk.’

Although she had hastily decided to treat him at home, she didn’t clearly remember the state of the house before leaving.

So it was actually a relief that Suhyuk said he would stop by the convenience store.

She tidied the underwear on the balcony and took out the trash.

Ah. Would he eat dinner too? Was he picky with food?

While thinking all these things, she entered the password on the front door.

“Ah!”

Someone roughly spun her shoulder.

This was already the second time today.

‘My arms and shoulders aren’t revolving doors!’

Frowning, Yuseong looked at the face that had turned her.

“…!”

Her heart dropped.

It was someone who shouldn’t be here.

“…Kwonn Hyukjun. Why are you here?”

“Why? Can’t I come? My husband just came to visit his wife’s house.”

Startled, Yuseong immediately reached for her phone.

If Kwonn Hyukjun and Suhyuk met, things would get complicated.

She needed to prevent Suhyuk from coming to the parking lot.

But at the same time she opened the message window with Suhyuk…

“Hey, who are you contacting?”

Hyukjun grabbed Yuseong’s wrist.

The phone fell, and he picked it up, already unlocked.

‘Crap, no, what do I do? It must say Kwonn Suhyuk!’

Countless thoughts ran through her mind in those few seconds.

She thought of throwing herself over the phone to prevent him from seeing Suhyuk’s name.

“…What’s this, husband?”

A few nights ago, she had changed his name to <Husband> in a message to Suhyuk.

“Ha, what a relief…”

Yuseong let out a small sigh of relief.

“What? Relief? Are you crazy?”

But this only made Hyukjun angrier.

Wham!

“Ah!”

He threw her phone to the ground and approached her, pressing her as he got closer.

“W-what? Don’t come closer!”

“Are you really crazy? You’ve been showing no fear from the start, huh?”

Yuseong wanted to retort, but seeing Hyukjun so close, she froze.

“You said you had no experience with men? Yet you meet a man behind your back? And let him come and go in your house?”

Hyukjun’s eyes were half-crazed.

And that gaze was disgustingly familiar.

It was the same look she had seen when she was almost assaulted.

Goosebumps ran over her body as warning lights blared in her mind.

Her body stiffened, locked by strong trauma.

“Why so quiet? Did you finally remember the beatings from before? Huh?”

Hyukjun grabbed her wrist tightly.

“…Let go.”

“How dare you toy with me? Your husband is me, not that bastard. You filthy woman…”

His whisper was dirty and vile.

Hearing his crude words brought back memories, and Yuseong squeezed her eyes shut.

Back in high school, vulgar notes were always stuck to her back.

Because of that, she went to school all day tense, fearing someone would stick another note.

Sometimes she only realized after half a day that someone had been sticking those notes.

The shame and humiliation were indescribable, and the perpetrators enjoyed it immensely.

Everyone saw the notes on her back but didn’t say a word.

They even took photos and laughed in their group chat.

But now she understood.

There was no reason for her to endure such crude insults.

“…The filthy one isn’t me—it’s you.”

The person who deserved such abuse wasn’t her, but Hyukjun in front of her.

“All your blind dates failed because of that. Playing around freely down there. Do you think people don’t know because no one says it to your face?”

Hyukjun’s reckless private life was notorious, but being the only son of the Kwonseong Group chairman gave him leverage, making others cower despite his misdeeds.

Everyone had lived a life bowing first, so he probably didn’t realize his own image.

‘Then I’ll show you. Your filthy reality.’

Yuseong sneered at Hyukjun.

“I know but don’t speak up. So take your hands off, you filthy STD carrier.”

From recent investigations, she knew he had been visiting dermatology and urology clinics repeatedly—predictable given his reckless lifestyle.

“….”

Hyukjun didn’t respond; instead, he seemed calm, as if resolved.

Suddenly, Yuseong felt the immense strength in the wrist he had grabbed.