DOTH Volume 3 Chapter 11.4

“Heeyeon-ssi. What is that?”

Shim Soocheon, seated beside him, leaned over and asked.

“Oh, these originally belonged to the Chairman… Before he left the country, he transferred them to me. I was just checking what was in here.”

“Stocks and real estate, huh? Oh, there are Sunha shares too?”

“I didn’t know about that… I guess the Chairman bought them and just left them under my name.”

After setting down the thoroughly reviewed documents, Jung Heeyeon began to fidget with the engraved card. Now that he had money he could use, it came to his mind that he wanted to buy a gift for the Director.

He got into bed before it was even ten. He’d gone to bed early on purpose, hoping that sleeping might make time pass more quickly, but of course, sleep didn’t come. Sitting up with his back against the headboard, he stared blankly out the window. That’s when his phone rang.

Jung Heeyeon checked it immediately. There was only one person who knew this number.

“Director.”

– Yeah, Heeyeon.

The kind voice responded gently, just like always. Was it really possible for the director to make a call like this in his situation? The natural question flickered through his mind, but it felt like a useless thought and he quickly brushed it aside. To Jung Heeyeon, what mattered was that he could talk to Director Yeon.

– Did you eat dinner?

“I did.”

– What did you eat?

“Uh…”

His voice trailed off instinctively. He had picked at his food so distractedly, he genuinely couldn’t remember what he’d eaten.

– You didn’t eat, did you?

The man’s voice dropped in tone, subtly weighted.

“I did, I just didn’t have much of an appetite… I had soft tofu stew this morning.”

– Hmm. Is that so?

“Yes. I remembered the one you made, so I had that.”

A quiet chuckle came through the phone.

– Good boy.

“Did you eat, Director?”

– I did.

The two of them talked about their daily activities for a while. Sitting with his knees hugged to his chest, Jung Heeyeon wiggled his toes.

“Director, I miss you.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. Silence fell on the other end. They had only been apart for a single day, but he suddenly felt like he was being childish, and a wave of guilt rushed over him. Still, he didn’t want to take it back. He just stared down at his toes until the Director’s voice quietly responded.

– Heeyeon.

“Yes?”

– Do you miss me?

“…Yes.”

– Yeah. I miss you too.

Jung Heeyeon bit his lip and barely held back from saying I hope you come back soon.

– I’ll be back soon.

As if reading his heart, Director Yeon spoke the very words Jung Heeyeon most wanted to hear. But his lips only moved slightly, but he couldn’t find a response to speak. He missed the director so much it hurt.

– Why aren’t you saying anything?

“Director.”

– Yeah.

“You know that I like you very much, right?”

The man laughed softly.

– I know.

“Yes. It’s alright as long as you know.”

– Heeyeon. Did you sleep poorly? Your voice sounds hoarse.

“…Yes.”

He thought about lying, but he ended up telling the truth. It felt like any lie he told would be seen through immediately by Director Yeon.

– I even left you my suit, I wonder why you couldn’t sleep.

“Ah…”

His eyes, which had been fixed on his toes, drifted over to the suit jacket neatly folded on one side of the bed. As there was another person staying in the house, he hadn’t worn it like he normally would, and had instead kept it well-stored. He crawled over on his knees and wrapped his arms around the jacket. The familiar scent of pheromones brushed his nose.

“It smells like your pheromones, Director.”

– Hmmm, you can smell my pheromones?

“Yes. I’m going to sleep holding your jacket tonight. I think I’ll be able to sleep if I do.”

A short sigh came from the other end—there might’ve even been a curse mixed in. Jung Heeyeon was momentarily startled at the man’s voice. The director never swore, except during sex…

– Haa… Heeyeon. When I get back, I’ll hold you.

“Pardon? Yes.”

Several voices could be heard in the background. Jung Heeyeon instinctively realized it was time for the call to end.

– I think I have to go.

“Yes. I’ll hang up now.”

– I’ll call again, so now, hug my jacket and sleep.

“Okay.”

– Goodnight.

And with that, the call ended.

Jung Heeyeon stared at his phone screen until it went dark, then clutched Director Yeon’s suit jacket and wriggled under the blanket. The subtle scent of pheromones seemed to ease his anxiety, if only slightly.

“……”

But sleep showed no sign of coming. He tossed and turned under the covers, and eventually felt something hard inside the jacket. Realizing he probably wasn’t going to fall asleep, he turned on the bedside lamp and sat back against the headboard. There was something heavy in the inner pocket, so he reached in. There was a wallet inside.

He knew better than to go through someone else’s wallet, but curiosity got the better of him.

He decided that he would tell the man and apologize when they met next time. Jung Heeyeon cautiously opened Director Yeon’s wallet. The inside was neat, containing cards, cash, and an ID. After hesitating for a long moment, he finally gave in and pulled out the ID card. The face in the square frame was not the gentle one he was used to—it was cold and expressionless. So this was what the director looked like without any expression.

Next to the picture was the man’s name.

Yeon Woobeom (連遇범)

The second hanja character was hard to interpret, but the first was familiar. It was the same character used in Jung Heeyeon’s own name.

He gently ran his finger over the character Yeon (連), then slid the ID back into the wallet. Turning off the lamp, he lay down again. 

Sleep still seemed far off, but with the director’s pheromone scent surrounding him, he felt like he could make it through tomorrow.

***

Jung Heeyeon opened his eyes slightly. It seemed he had fallen asleep without realizing it. Beyond the hazy night sky, snowflakes were falling softly.

He debated whether to close his eyes again, but eventually sat up on his bed. His mind was just as foggy as the sky outside, and it didn’t seem like closing his eyes would invite sleep again. Wondering if there might have been any messages from Director Yeon, he turned on his phone, but the screen was blank.

”What time…”

It was currently just after 5 a.m.—of course there were no messages.

“I slept longer than I thought.”

He had assumed it was a short nap, but apparently he’d slept fairly deeply.

Still hugging the suit jacket like a squirrel cradling an acorn, he fiddled with his phone. His finger slipped just before he could tap the call log, opening a web browser instead.

“Ah, Team Leader Shim told me not to read the news…”

Every outlet seemed desperate to tear someone apart. Just seeing the negative press about Director Yeon was sure to hurt him, so he moved to close the browser, but a breaking headline caught his eye.

Exclusive report: Sunha’s President Kang Seohyo embroiled in prostitution scandal—video may exist

It wasn’t a story he cared about, but the name ‘Kang Seohyo’ held his gaze.

Jung Heeyeon’s brow furrowed at the filthy word, prostitution. He had no desire to read further, let alone see any videos.

Just as he was about to shut off the phone, another headline appeared at the top of the portal site.

Jiwoo’s Director Yeon Woobeom cleared of illegal firearms smuggling… The true distributor remains unknown

After a moment’s hesitation, Jung Heeyeon clicked on it.

Jiwoo’s Director Yeon Woobeom has been cleared of involvement in the illegal firearm smuggling case. After conducting a search and seizure of containers owned by Director Yeon, police authorities have confirmed that the serial number of the M88A model used in the incident did not match. Authorities explained that because each model carries a unique product code, the real distributor would be identified.

Meanwhile, Director Yeon Woobeom’s legal team has provided documentation showing that any omission regarding the M88A during the K&H Company’s import process was merely an oversight, not evidence of illegal smuggling.

Considering there is only one firearm distributor in Korea, the recent incident in Gangnam is now taking a new turn. Police authorities are currently tracking the firearm’s serial number to pursue the individual responsible for the illegal distribution.

The article had been published far earlier than expected. He distinctly remembered Director Yeon saying the plan was to buy more time, so why…?

“Ah…”

A soft whimper escaped his lips. He had recalled the sweet whisper from just hours ago.

‘I’ll be back soon.’

He swung his legs off the bed and began to count the hours. It has been less than 48 hours. Hugging the suit tightly, he wandered into the living room, and there was Shim Soocheon, getting ready to leave.

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