CRT Ch 36

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The city lights leaked through the gaps in the blinds of the darkened meeting room. Seok Ryu opened his eyes, but the feel and scent of the suit covering him made his body relax further. He must have been completely exhausted from not sleeping a wink for several days because of Noeul and Yoon Yubin.

He saw his pants scattered on the floor and the chairs in disarray. Cha Yilhyun was nowhere to be seen in the dark meeting room. Seok Ryu abruptly sat up, then winced. His entire body ached as if he had been beaten. He could still feel the phantom sensation of Cha Yilhyun’s tongue writhing within him.

The bandage wrapped around his upper body had loosened and slipped down halfway. He reached behind him and touched his back. The bleeding had stopped, but the uneven scars from the torn and healed flesh remained. His heart sank at the thought that Cha Yilhyun might have seen the mark of betrayal.

He got off the meeting table, pulled on his pants, and ran outside. If Cha Yilhyun wandered around alone and was discovered by Noeul, everything would be over.

The hallway, lit only by emergency lights, was quiet, and a sign reading “Under Construction” hung on the meeting room door. He wondered why there hadn’t been such a sign during the day. At that moment, a high-pitched voice echoed down the hall.

“What a coincidence! Mr. Seok Ryu, haven’t you left work yet?”

Unexpectedly, Ryu Jihoon was walking from the opposite end of the hallway. Ryu Jihoon’s sunglasses were strapped tightly to his face with a band, pressing them into his cheeks. Seok Ryu felt a pang of guilt, wondering if he had been too harsh on the man with the eye condition. At least this way, Ryu Jihoon would be able to defend himself against Noeul, which was a relief.

It was ironic that Ryu Jihoon appeared now, when he had been nowhere to be found when Seok Ryu was looking for him. He might think it strange seeing Seok Ryu in this state. The fishy smell and slimy feeling of semen lingered in his mouth.

Seok Ryu covered his mouth and entered the restroom. He hurriedly washed his face and hands with soap. When he returned to the hallway, Ryu Jihoon was on his phone. Sensing Seok Ryu’s presence, he quickly put the phone in his crossbody bag. Seok Ryu needed to contact Yejun first, but his phone, which had been taken by Cha Yilhyun, was nowhere in sight.

“Could I borrow your phone for a moment?”

As Seok Ryu approached, Ryu Jihoon flinched and stepped back.

“My battery is dead.”

“Weren’t you just sending a text message?”

“I was checking if my battery had died. I can show you if you don’t believe me.”

Ryu Jihoon fumbled in his cluttered crossbody bag for a while. Seok Ryu had no choice but to run around, searching for Cha Yilhyun. He wasn’t in the president’s office, nor anywhere else in the company. The secretaries had all left work, so there was no way to contact Cha Yilhyun. He left Cha Yilhyun’s suit on a desk in the secretary’s office and headed for the officetel.

As he descended into the dimly lit lobby, he frowned involuntarily. A strange fishy odor permeated the company. However, Ryu Jihoon didn’t seem to notice the smell. He stumbled, waving his hand in the air.

“I can’t see well, so could you help me…?”

Ryu Jihoon clutched Seok Ryu’s offered arm and followed him, stumbling.

“I won’t take Yoon Yubin. I want to focus on Mr. Park Yejun for the time being.”

“Good thinking.”

Seok Ryu could feel Ryu Jihoon glancing at him from behind his sunglasses.

“But where did you lose your choker?”

“How did you know I was wearing a choker?”

Seok Ryu had met Ryu Jihoon after Yejun had confiscated the choker.

“Ah~ It’s all over the company that you, a guy, are wearing a choker. There’s no age or gender in fashion, but people’s prejudices are really scary, right? But it’s a relief that you endured all the hazing and became a regular employee. Speaking of which, should we have a celebratory party to commemorate you becoming a regular employee? I have a corporate card…”

“How did you know I became a regular employee?”

Ryu Jihoon’s lips twitched.

“I knew because someone who joined the company on the same day as you became a regular employee today.”

Unconvinced by the answer, Seok Ryu stared intently at Ryu Jihoon. He felt like he could hear the sound of eyeballs rolling behind the sunglasses. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something unsettling about this man.

As Seok Ryu started walking again, supporting Ryu Jihoon, a dark-haired man suddenly barged in, kicking the revolving door. It was Lee Taeon. His eyes turned fierce the moment he spotted Seok Ryu.

“Hey, you…”

He let out a sigh and walked towards Seok Ryu aggressively. Seok Ryu froze in place. His heart sank, wondering if Lee Taeon had also succumbed to Noeul in the few days they hadn’t seen each other.

“Do you want to get hit? Why weren’t you answering your phone?”

“I lost my phone.”

There was something he needed to confirm.

“Where have you been all this time?”

“Checking out filming locations for ‘Lake of the Gods.’”

“Are you coming straight from the filming location now?”

“Got a problem with that?”

“Have you by any chance seen a man with wine-colored hair and eyes? Besides me, I mean.”

“Are you playing detective now?”

They were supposed to be starting filming for ‘Lake of the Gods’ in earnest, but why would an actor be checking out filming locations before shooting even began? Director Choi was overseas, so why was Lee Taeon there? It was suspicious, especially him bursting into the company so late at night.

No, Seok Ryu had confirmed that Lee Taeon had been away from the officetel on the day Noeul moved in. If he was returning from the filming location now, he wouldn’t have encountered Noeul. Above all, Yoon Yubin would have surely told Lee Taeon about his notoriety, so if he had any sense, he wouldn’t readily make this ill-tempered and arrogant man his slave.

Seok Ryu looked up at Lee Taeon.

“Don’t come near the company or the officetel from today. Don’t you have anywhere else to stay for the time being?”

“If you want to nag at me, become my manager, and then you can nag all you want.”

Seok Ryu felt foolish for expecting Lee Taeon to comply so readily. More than enough time had passed for Lee Taeon to have been reset after the failed doping at the advertising agency meeting. Seok Ryu still wasn’t sure if he should try to make him a follower again, but he wasn’t in a position to be picky now. He focused intently on Lee Taeon and attempted to dope him.

A moment later, Lee Taeon stroked Seok Ryu’s face with his large hand.

“If you keep glaring at people like that, you’re going to get hit.”

With this failure, Seok Ryu’s body went limp with despair. It was disheartening that not only the company employees but also Lee Taeon had become like this. Even with a fifty percent success rate, this dismal performance was unbelievable. Could it be that his powers were weakening because he didn’t have a source stone? Seok Ryu sighed, then remembered something he had forgotten.

“Ah, you remember that the loser in the game becomes the slave, right? I’m going to use that coupon now.”

He hadn’t expected to use the insurance he had prepared just in case like this. Lee Taeon, as if he also remembered, frowned deeply.

“I hate hotels.”

Seok Ryu had been worried he might try to weasel out of it, but Lee Taeon agreed with surprising ease. He wrapped his arm around Seok Ryu.

“Come on, I’ll take you.”

“Didn’t you hear me say not to come near the officetel?”

“I’m just taking you to the front door.”

“At this late hour?”

It was Ryu Jihoon who interjected out of the blue. Lee Taeon furrowed his brows.

“It’s late, so I have to take him.”

“Only two people can fit in Mr. Lee Taeon’s car.”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Taeon muttered and pulled on Seok Ryu’s arm again. At that moment, Ryu Jihoon snatched Seok Ryu and pushed him out of the revolving door. As soon as they were on the other side, Ryu Jihoon wedged his crossbody bag into the revolving door. Lee Taeon, now trapped, pounded on the door with a furious expression.

Ryu Jihoon shoved Seok Ryu into a taxi waiting at the bus stop and sat next to him. Seok Ryu’s seat was on the street side, so the door wouldn’t open.

“What are you doing?”

“Driver, let’s go! Hurry, hurry!!”

At Ryu Jihoon’s urging, the taxi driver hurriedly started the car.

💎

The traditional teahouse was located on a mountainside overlooking the night view. LED candlelight flickered in the silver candlesticks on the wooden tables. Silence had hung heavy in the room, filled with the sound of geomungo music, for several minutes.

Cha Yilhyun sat in a plush chair, checking a text message he had just received. The guest is here, so I’ve temporarily turned off my phone. He crossed one leg over his knee and placed a napkin on his thigh.

Jo Youngseop, sitting across from him, sipped his tea with a stiff smile. He wasn’t wearing the wedding ring he had worn last time. After wetting his throat with the clear tea, CEO Jo began,

“Haha! Please tell your manager there’s no need to apologize. I have such a gentle face that I often hear I resemble someone. JYS Planning and Songhyul have been trusted partners for years, haven’t we? It wouldn’t look good to get upset over something like this, so let’s just pretend it never happened.”

It was Cha Yilhyun who had persistently asked for a meeting, but it was Jo Youngseop who was making an effort to keep the conversation going. Cha Yilhyun began folding the napkin on his thigh neatly.

“Why would he apologize? He must have grabbed your collar because you deserved it.”

The smile disappeared from Jo Youngseop’s face. Yoon Inoh, arrogant from his recent rise to stardom, and Jo Youngseop, a major player in the advertising industry, had once clashed on a filming set. Jo Youngseop had used all his connections to try to blacklist Yoon Inoh from the advertising world. However, it had failed because Yoon Inoh’s stock was skyrocketing at the time.

And now, Jo Youngseop was letting it slide even after having his collar grabbed by an unknown actor’s manager? There could be only two reasons. Either he had a secret he needed to hide, even if it meant swallowing his pride, or he was already Park Yejun’s slave. If Jo Youngseop was Park Yejun’s slave, news of today’s incident would reach him.

“I’m removing Mr. Park Yejun from this advertisement. He won’t appear in any JYS commercials after this.”

Jo Youngseop stared at Cha Yilhyun with wide eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. But he soon smacked his lips.

“Well, it’s unfortunate for an actor with a bright future, but if that’s President Cha’s decision, there’s nothing I can do.”

Jo Youngseop didn’t seem to be Park Yejun’s follower yet. Even if he was, Cha Yilhyun was confident he could extract the information he wanted from him. He wouldn’t have started this if he wasn’t prepared. Cha Yilhyun meticulously adjusted the shape of the napkin and asked,

“What happened to the dog you returned?”

Jo Youngseop’s cheeks twitched at the unexpected question. He hurriedly tilted his teacup to hide his expression.

“The word ‘returned’ sounds a bit harsh. I sent him to a better environment. I heard he has a big yard to run around in…”

“Where did you buy the dog?”

“Why are you suddenly asking about that…?”

“I’m thinking of getting one myself.”

Jo Youngseop twitched his sparsely haired eyebrows, seemingly irritated.

“You can’t have pestered me for days just because of a dog. What is really going on?”

Cha Yilhyun pushed the meticulously folded napkin towards Jo Youngseop. The rule of origami is to not damage the paper. The challenge lay in following a complex blueprint within those limitations. The finished product must be simple and clear, recognizable from any angle.

“Did you buy the dog from a cabin?”

The napkin was shaped like a little boy with a round head and short limbs. The whites of Jo Youngseop’s eyes turned bloodshot as if he had been ambushed.

All the scenarios stemmed from Seok Ryu’s notebook.

—First meeting at the cabin, gentle and timid impression

—Half-brother, violent personality; stepmother, passive and helpless personality

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—CEO Jeong, Director Kwak, Team Leader Seo, Manager Byeon…

—17 successes

—Cha Yilhyun, President of Songhyul (Caution!!)

Most of the notes were observations of Songhyul employees, so at first glance, it looked like an ordinary manager’s log. A few words that seemed like codes caught his eye: “success,” “failure,” “delivery complete.” The word “failure” was most frequently associated with Cha Yilhyun. And the cabin.

The word “cabin” only appeared on the first page of the notebook. However, it wouldn’t leave his mind. In movies and dramas, cabins were often depicted as cozy spaces for families and lovers, but they were also places where dark and illicit events unfolded.

Cha Yilhyun decided to imitate the blind followers first. He wanted to understand why the employees suddenly started blindly worshipping Park Yejun, what Seok Ryu was afraid of, and where Park Yejun’s power over Seok Ryu came from. Only then would he be able to see what was hidden. The rule was to be thorough, to the point where even the director himself could be deceived, unbeknownst to the protagonist.

However, time passed as he clutched at elusive clues. Every time Seok Ryu looked at or spoke to someone else, Cha Yilhyun felt a pang of anxiety, like a child whose ice cream had been stolen. Seeing Seok Ryu grow increasingly haggard each day while being unable to even touch him was agonizing. He considered getting rid of Park Yejun and taking Seok Ryu by force.

Then Jo Youngseop’s dog entered the picture.

Jo Youngseop, who had been frozen, threw back his head and laughed boisterously, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“You have to admit, President Cha, you are one of a kind! I have no idea what you’re talking about with the cabin and all that. If you really want a dog, I can introduce you to a good cattery, so why don’t you look into that?”

Jo Youngseop loosened his tie and coughed awkwardly. Cha Yilhyun decided to trust Seok Ryu, who had lost his composure and expressed his emotions, rather than Jo Youngseop, who hid behind a mask of composure.

“I heard a rumor that CEO Jo adopted a boy a while ago. Was his name Shinbi?”

“I can’t listen to this anymore! I won’t forget how rude you were today!”

As Jo Youngseop jumped up from his seat, his teacup toppled over. The paper child lying on the table was swept away by the spilled tea, its shape ruined.

“If you leave now, you’ll have to face the consequences.”

Jo Youngseop flinched at Cha Yilhyun’s warning. Since neither barking furiously nor wagging his tail had worked, he bared his teeth.

“How dare a young whippersnapper like you try to sit on top of me?! Just you wait and see. I’ll stake my life on making sure no one from Songhyul sets foot in the advertising world!”

“Can I take that as a declaration of war?”

Jo Youngseop’s lower eyelids twitched. He was cowardly and incompetent, despite his bluster. Anyone who knew him well was aware that his title as a major player in the advertising industry was due to his reliance on competent employees. For JYS Planning, which was about to go public, reputation was directly linked to the company’s survival.

“Let me correct one thing.”

Cha Yilhyun leisurely raised his gaze to meet Jo Youngseop’s.

“Partners are equals. The moment you step out of this room, I will spread rumors that JYS has been blacklisted by Songhyul. Any actor who works with JYS won’t be able to appear on anything related to Songhyul. I’ll make sure they’re completely eradicated, whether it’s broadcasting stations or anything else.”

Bringing down an advertising agency was easier than origami. Jo Youngseop’s ashen face confirmed that Cha Yilhyun wasn’t bluffing.

“However, if CEO Jo sits quietly and listens to me, we can become friends again.”

Jo Youngseop’s barely revealed true face was a mixture of anger and fear. He slumped back into his seat, looking half-resigned. This meant it was finally time for a proper conversation. Cha Yilhyun leaned forward and asked in a low voice,

“How do you know Park Yejun’s manager?”

Jo Youngseop stared at the water-soaked table and then squeezed his eyes shut. After a long silence, he answered in a strained voice,

“I swear I met them that day for the first time. I just recognized them, that’s all.”

“What do you mean by ‘recognized’?”

“Right, there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize them…”

CEO Jo muttered something incomprehensible again.

“Why would someone like President Cha want anything to do with that place? If you don’t want to die a dog’s death, erase the cabin from your mind!”

“Can you go to the cabin if you die a dog’s death?”

“You’re out of your mind. That place is hell disguised as heaven!”

CEO Jo clutched his hair and squeezed his eyes shut.

“What do you want me to do? Do you want to see someone go insane?!”

Cha Yilhyun gritted his teeth.

“I’m close to losing my mind myself.”

After holding Seok Ryu in his arms again today, his desire to possess him was beyond the control of reason. Perhaps the cabin wasn’t a real place, or maybe it was some kind of code. Since it was the starting point at the beginning of the notebook, it seemed right to start there.

“How do I get to the cabin?”

💎

“To set foot in that place, you must be prepared to give up everything. Family, wealth, your life, everything.”

“Why should I gamble with someone as impulsive and arrogant as President Cha? You can tear apart my company, destroy it however you like. I’d rather die alone!”

Cha Yilhyun sat in his car after parting ways with Jo Youngseop. After four hours of persistent questioning, all he had gotten was Jo Youngseop’s confession that the dog he had abandoned was a boy.

Jo Youngseop remained tight-lipped about the identity of “them” and the cabin. Contrary to Cha Yilhyun’s expectations that enough intimidation would make him confess everything, the tightly shut iron wall wouldn’t budge. He decided to back down for today, feeling that pushing any further would only backfire.

Jo Youngseop’s reaction today was similar to Seok Ryu’s. That day, Seok Ryu had trembled, consumed by something beyond fear.

‘I have no choice in anything.’

‘If something happens to Mr. Yejun… I have to go back to where I originally lived.’

The cabin must be the key to all of this. He had already searched every cabin and orphanage with “cabin” in its name across the country, but none were related to Seok Ryu. The fingerprints taken from Seok Ryu’s notebook couldn’t be traced. The ID card was a forgery, belonging to a missing person.

Seok Ryu’s phone only contained Park Yejun’s number, offering no other clues. Cha Yilhyun had considered offering him the role of Biryu to loosen his tongue, but Park Yejun remained guarded.

Cha Yilhyun ran his hand through his hair as if tearing it out and slammed his fist on the steering wheel. He was startled out of his thoughts by the ringing of his phone. He put the receiver to his ear and heard the other person smacking their lips, as if eating.

—As you instructed, I went to the neighborhood where Park Yejun used to live. According to the neighbors, Park Yejun was relentlessly bullied by his half-brother since childhood, but they suddenly became close. After a person named Seok Ryu moved into their house.

Cha Yilhyun listened intently to the man’s words.

—But the strange thing is, his half-brother initially treated this Seok Ryu guy like a servant…

“And then he suddenly started bullying him instead. And treated Park Yejun like a servant in return.”

—Huh? How did you know? They say his half-brother beat Seok Ryu senseless at every opportunity. It’s a wonder he’s still alive.

Cha Yilhyun gripped his phone and clenched his teeth. He now understood why Seok Ryu seemed accustomed to sadism. Imagining Park Yejun smirking at the sight of Seok Ryu being abused made him want to crush Park Yejun’s face.

It was the same pattern again. The problem was that he couldn’t figure out why people’s attitudes changed so drastically. The sound of a lighter striking against a cigarette came from the receiver.

—And there’s something even more interesting. The day before Yoon Inoh disappeared, Park Yejun visited his apartment.

Park Yejun had used Yoon Inoh as bait to curry favor with Director Kwak, and Yoon Inoh had tried to ruin Park Yejun by bringing up the past malicious comments incident. And the person Yoon Inoh contacted before disappearing was Park Yejun… This was the most intriguing piece of information yet.

“It would be perfect if Yoon Inoh’s body turned up.”

—Haha, what a morbid thing to say… Oh, Yoon Inoh had a cousin who lived with him since his debut, and they disappeared together this time.

“A cousin?”

—As far as I know, Yoon Inoh is an only child and doesn’t have any relatives around middle school age. According to the security guard, that cousin always had bandages wrapped around him. Yoon Inoh seemed to cherish him usually, but there’s a possibility he was abusing him behind closed doors.

“Try to get the CCTV footage of Park Yejun entering and leaving Yoon Inoh’s apartment. And investigate the boy Jo Youngseop adopted.”

—Hey~ I’m not your servant’s son. You’re asking for too much.

“Aren’t we close friends who share secrets?”

—Hahaha! That’s right, close friends! If this case blows up, D-Day gets exclusive interviews with Yoon Inoh and Park Yejun!

It was Cha Yilhyun who had contacted reporter Hwang Kwangil of D-Day first. When he learned that Hwang was the reporter who broke Park Yejun’s malicious comments scandal, he knew he was the right man for the job. Cha Yilhyun was obsessed with Seok Ryu, and Hwang Kwangil was obsessed with scoops. Entertainment reporters were information gatherers that rivaled private investigators. Even if their snooping was discovered, they could just use journalism as an excuse.

After ending the call, Cha Yilhyun saved the recording of his conversation with reporter Hwang. Hwang would have done the same. A while later, the files Hwang had sent arrived. They were transcripts of interviews with Park Yejun’s former neighbors and the security guard at Yoon Inoh’s apartment building.

Reporter Hwang had even met with the CEO of Park Yejun’s former agency to gather information. He had to choose his targets carefully, as getting too close might arouse Park Yejun’s suspicion. In particular, the fact that Cha Yilhyun was backing him had to be kept strictly confidential.

Cha Yilhyun reviewed all the CCTV footage recorded since Seok Ryu joined Songhyul. One thing that stood out was that Seok Ryu stared into people’s eyes for an unusually long time when he met them. They all claimed they couldn’t remember their first encounter with Seok Ryu. Seok Ryu had also stared into Cha Yilhyun’s eyes every day, and back then, he had thought Seok Ryu was flirting with him.

Could it be that Seok Ryu was hypnotizing people? Was it possible for thousands of employees to become Park Yejun’s slaves through hypnotism? Then why was he still unaffected?

Even if he solved the puzzle completely, it wouldn’t be the end. The key was how strong Park Yejun’s hold on Seok Ryu was, and how far Seok Ryu would sacrifice himself for Park Yejun. Therefore, the only option was to make Park Yejun confess himself.

This required a level of sophistication far beyond any masterpiece he had ever encountered. Finding out who Seok Ryu was and who held his affections could wait until after he had him in his grasp. Cha Yilhyun opened the wine-colored notebook. He pressed his lips against the notebook, which still carried Seok Ryu’s scent. The thought of being watched by Seok Ryu sent a shiver of excitement down his spine.

Even without hypnotism, Seok Ryu had already turned his world upside down. It was absurd to think that he could forget his first encounter with Seok Ryu. He leaned back against the driver’s seat and closed his eyes, projecting the vivid afterimage of that day onto the back of his eyelids. How the dark red hair flowed, how melancholic those deep eyes were, the shape of the lips that had breathed on the window. Even the solitary shadow leaning against the wall had seemed forlorn.

“Just wait a little longer.”

Those words were also meant to reassure himself.