Vol 6 Chapter 39

The handsome man's face looked infinitely relaxed as he heaved a sigh. Watching Yoon Seok-ho, who had already cast away his earlier seriousness to some distant place, Nam Mugeon wore a blank expression, stunned by the company secret he had suddenly heard, before bursting out in a shout.

"Is, is that something to talk about so casually?"

"Well, what can we do? It's already been decided, and we have no right to refuse."

Although Mugeon might be dense, from what he had picked up while staying by Yoon Seok-ho's side, he knew that Saturn Korea Branch's current situation with headquarters wasn't good due to their confrontation. And now they were sending an audit inspector from there? What else could it be but an attempt to find fault?

Yoon Seok-ho laughed loudly as he watched Mugeon's face turn serious like his own had been earlier.

"Hahaha. Look here, Director Nam. That's not something for you to worry about. Whoever comes down, I'll be the one dealing with them, not you, so don't worry."

Words that scraped at one's insides, unclear whether they were meant to comfort or not, flowed out as if mocking his concerned heart. Nam Mugeon, who had been trembling with his head bowed and fists clenched, finally exploded and rushed out.

"Fine, fine! I was foolish to worry! When the audit inspection team comes, I'll pray that Branch Manager Yoon gets fired first! Full commitment to ousting evil superiors!"

Long after the door had stopped shaking from the bang that made it seem like it would fall off, Yoon Seok-ho propped his arms and lay his head down on the desk. Though the slouched posture didn't match his sharp suit, somehow it didn't look awkward on Yoon Seok-ho.

As he mindlessly flipped through the documents in front of him while rubbing his disheveled hair between his drooping arms, Yoon Seok-ho finally revealed a bitter expression above his smiling eyes.

"Ah, it's hard enough to pay hospital bills and make a living... what if his words come true and I really get fired... Then I'll just live off Director Nam's house forever, whether he marries Soyoung or not. Since he provided the cause, he should take responsibility."

Though Nam Mugeon who had already rushed out couldn't hear those words, he shivered feeling a chill down his spine.

However, a moment later, when Yoon Seok-ho rose again after lying on the desk like that, no trace of a smile could be found on his face. What remained was only Branch Manager Yoon, the snake who knew how to thoroughly manage people.

***

Kapros stared for a long time at Caesar, who stood with disheveled silver hair and an unreadable expression. Though countless people passed by Caesar chattering, none of them paid attention to him as he stared blankly into the distance.

Seeing him standing in the crowd as if he didn't exist made Kapros's chest feel heavily congested. Not once since that day three years ago had he been able to look at Jeong Seung-jo this calmly. Though his much thinner and sharper jawline and dark eyes were exactly as they had been in reality, perhaps because Kapros had only seen him speaking and moving intensely then, it hadn't felt like he had changed much, but the Caesar standing before him now looked so heavy and dark that it seemed he might crumble and blow away if touched.

'Jeong Seung-jo...'

That day back then, after Kapros had said he disliked him and he left for abroad, Kapros had thought he was living well. Though that had made him feel resentful, he had never wanted to see him standing like this with a dark complexion, as if separated from the entire world.

Even in the past, Seung-jo had been someone who preferred to be alone, and it had never looked lonely, but at this moment, for the first time, Kapros thought Seung-jo looked solitary.

While Kapros was grinding his molars and feeling confused about what to do, Caesar suddenly turned his head. Though it didn't seem like he was particularly trying to look at anyone, his gaze fell on Kapros standing blankly at the entrance of the alley.

"..."

The moment their eyes met, Kapros held his breath and prepared to retreat immediately while looking at Caesar's gray eyes visible beyond the hood, but Caesar didn't move for a long time. The brief moment, not even a minute long, where their gazes remained locked as if observing each other, was broken by Caesar's movement as he smoothly turned his eyes away just as the tension was about to peak.

'Did he... avoid me?'

Was he really avoiding him? Did that guy not recognize who Kapros was when he looked at him?

Though Kapros looked at Caesar who had naturally turned his gaze away with a confused feeling, the guy maintained that same expression from earlier and didn't turn his head this way again.

They had definitely made eye contact...

Perhaps this was unexpected luck. If Caesar had rushed at him as soon as they met like usual, Kapros couldn't have been sure how long he could hold out alone in this situation, but he had pretended not to see him, so if Kapros turned around and ran away right now, that would be the end of it. That should have been the end, but...

After a long while of confusion and deliberation cluttering his mind, Kapros finally chose to walk forward rather than turn back. With each step closer to Caesar, who seemed to be standing across a river, pushing through the waves of chattering passersby, his heart beat heavily to an strange degree.

Caesar didn't turn his head this way even until Kapros had completely approached him.

"...Caesar."

Finally reaching right in front of Caesar, after wondering what to say, Kapros called his name. Caesar, who had been staring blankly in another direction, blinked his lowered eyes a couple of times before turning his gaze toward Kapros. This time, meeting his eyes right in front of him with nowhere to avoid, they showed no emotion, like looking at an inorganic substance.

"It's annoying, so get lost while I'm letting you."

It was a voice that seemed to have given up on everything, literally. It was frustrating to see him act like this now, when before he had always been the one to attack first, but more than that, Kapros felt puzzled.

"Didn't you know I would come to this city? Why aren't you attacking this time?"

When Kapros asked while deliberately taking care to lower his voice, irritation briefly clouded Caesar's expression.