PEN Vol 3 Ch. 4

Cheon Sejoo didn’t come out even after the promised 30 minutes had passed.

After about an hour, Sejin, bored from waiting, began to consider whether he should go inside the building. Just then, the door of the building opened, and a very large figure appeared. However, it wasn’t the silhouette of the person Sejin had been waiting for. Cheon Sejoo had a much slimmer and leaner build compared to this.

Sejin squinted his eyes, trying to make out who it was.

As he did so, the figure gradually approached the car, and the parking lot sensor lights came on. It was then that Sejin realized that Cheon Sejoo was being carried on someone’s back.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar person. It was the rough-faced man Sejin had run into a few times at the house and in the alley near this building, carrying an unconscious Cheon Sejoo.

Was he so tired that he had fallen asleep after working?

Shaking his head bitterly, Sejin thought of the hardworking Cheon Sejoo.

He then clicked his tongue, thinking about how Sejoo worked tirelessly without regard for his own exhaustion, despite there being probably no one who would appreciate it. Still lost in thought, the man approached the passenger seat and, without hesitation, pulled the door open.

Startled by the interruption, Sejin looked up at him with wide eyes.

“…….”

“…….”

Moon Sunhyuk, surprised to see someone sitting in the passenger seat, frowned deeply when he saw Sejin. Without a word, he stared down at Sejin before shutting the door and opening the backseat instead. He then carefully placed Cheon Sejoo in the back and even buckled his seatbelt before walking around the car and climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Why’s he like that? Is he sleeping?”

As soon as Sunhyuk started the car, Sejin immediately asked. His informal speech didn’t sit well with Sunhyuk, who shot him a cold glance. His expression as if saying, Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?

 However, Sejin wasn’t fazed.

“I asked why Cheon Sejoo’s like that.”

Pushing even further, Sejin even called Cheon Sejoo by name, causing Sunhyuk’s frown to deepen. He knew about the kid that Cheon Sejoo had brought into his home from Shinsa Capital and also this same kid who had been staying with him, but he didn’t expect him to be this disrespectful.

Sunhyuk roughly stepped on the accelerator and the car lurched forward as he spoke.

“Why are you calling the Manager’s name so carelessly?”

His deep, low voice reverberated through the car.

Moon Sunhyuk had been reprimanded by Cheon Sejoo numerous times for hitting the younger guys, but he was the kind of person who couldn’t just sit by and watch seeing a brat showing so little respect to someone like Cheon Sejoo, who deserved their utmost respect.

Though hitting him wasn’t allowed, surely a stern warning was okay.

With that thought in mind, Sunhyuk was about to lash out, only to be met with a sharp glare and retort from Sejin.

“He doesn’t seem to care, so what’s it to you? Why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong with him?”

Sunhyuk’s fingers twitched around on the steering wheel. This little brat was nothing but a nuisance for Cheon Sejoo. Not only was he freeloading at Cheon Sejoo’s house, bothering him day and night, but he also whined about having to see to his mother, making Cheon Sejoo trek back and forth to Ehwagak.

And didn’t he cause some trouble last year that even needed a lawyer to step in?

How could someone act so disrespectfully toward a person who was taking care of them so devotedly?

The thought of it made Moon Sunhyuk feel like he was going to explode with anger.

Hah.

Taking a deep breath, Sunhyuk shut his eyes briefly before opening them and responding.

“He’s just sleeping, so be quiet.”

He would have loved to hit this kid just once. He figured that might teach him some manners, but Sunhyuk held back.

Unlike the guys at Shinsa Capital, like Youngjun or Haewoong, Sejin was still just a kid who hadn’t even reached adulthood yet. If Sunhyuk laid a hand on him, the kid would probably crumple like a piece of paper. Worse, hurting someone that fragile might disappoint Cheon Sejoo.

Completely unaware of Sunhyuk’s inner thoughts, Sejin looked at him with disdain and shot back.

“Do you even know that Cheon Sejoo hurt his hand? He needs to go to the hospital before it gets worse. We were supposed to go after his work, so instead of going home, take him there. I’ve already set up the navigation.”

“…I told you, he can’t get up right now, so just be quiet.”

“Why can’t he get up? Did he pass out?”

Sejin still pressed him with questions and Sunhyuk clenched his fist in frustration. The endless questions were starting to wear him down.

“He’s sleeping because of the medicine, so shut your mouth, you little brat.”

“…….”

Sejin, irritated by the hostile tone and the rude nickname, closed his mouth with an annoyed expression. With the long-awaited silence finally settling in the car, Sunhyuk silently cursed and turned his head back to focus on driving.

The truth was, Cheon Sejoo wasn’t just asleep because of medication, he had actually been injected with a sedative. Inside the workshop’s cabinet, there were various drugs stored that Cheon Sejoo used for different purposes. Sedatives, anesthetics, even aphrodisiacs meant to break a person’s mental state, and other types of drugs.

After Moon Sunhyuk had taken the injured Haewoong out, one of the thugs had filled a syringe with several of those drugs. He hid it in his hand which held a monkey wrench, then injected it into Cheon Sejoo just before dying. Fortunately, the thug had grabbed a sedative and not something worse. It was only sheer luck, considering Cheon Sejoo hadn’t labeled the bottles.

Once the thug had been killed and Cheon Sejoo collapsed, Sunhyuk immediately carried him out. He called Jinyoung from the observation room to clean up the mess while he brought Cheon Sejoo upstairs to check his condition. Once he confirmed that Sejoo was only in a deep sleep, Sunhyuk had brought him out of the building. He had planned to take Cheon Sejoo straight home so that he could rest comfortably but was surprised to find Sejin waiting in the car.

Sejin had sarcastically asked if Sunhyuk even knew about Cheon Sejoo’s injured hand, but Sunhyuk was well aware of that.  Although Sejin hadn’t noticed, the bandages wrapped around Cheon Sejoo’s hand had already been replaced with new ones. The wound had reopened and bled again after Cheon Sejoo gripped his knife during the fight.

“Get out.”

Soon after, they arrived at the parking lot, pulling into the designated parking spot for Unit 4100. After turning off the engine, Sunhyuk stepped out of the driver’s seat and carefully hoisted the still-unconscious Cheon Sejoo onto his back.

Sejin hovered nearby with a suspicious expression on his face as they made their way to the elevator, clearly concerned about Cheon Sejoo’s lack of response. Sunhyuk ignored him and pressed the elevator button. Since the building was equipped with a private elevator for residents, they were able to reach the 41st floor without any trouble.

Moon Sunhyuk entered Cheon Sejoo’s apartment and went directly to his bedroom, gently laying him down on the bed and covering him with a blanket. After making sure Cheon Sejoo was settled, he returned to the living room.

“…….”

At the kitchen’s island bar stood Sejin, staring at him with wary eyes.

His pretty face automatically drew people’s attention, but the sight of his face only worsened Sunhyuk’s mood. It deeply bothered him that someone like Cheon Sejoo, who had never allowed anyone close, made an exception for this rude kid. However, there was nothing he could do. Sunhyuk didn’t want to go against Cheon Sejoo’s decisions.

After a moment of carefully choosing his words, Moon Sunhyuk finally spoke to Sejin in a scolding tone, almost like he was persuading him.

“…Don’t bother the Manager.”

Moon Sunhyuk disappeared towards the entrance after saying those words. The moment he was out of sight, Sejin let out a sigh. There were just too many things that he couldn’t understand.

Why did someone who had said they were going to work end up taking medication and falling asleep?

Why did that man get so angry about Sejin calling Cheon Sejoo by his name, yet not seem to care that Sejoo had injured his hand?

And what kind of medicine had Cheon Sejoo taken that knocked him out so thoroughly that he was sleeping like the dead?

Unable to contain his frustration, Sejin messed up his hair before getting up. He went to his room, took a shower, and changed his clothes. Then, he headed to the kitchen to prepare a meal for himself. He was starving, having missed dinner after their visit to Ehwagak.

Once he had filled his stomach, he finally resumed his thoughts.

Cheon Sejoo was someone who was particular about cleanliness, he would always take a shower as soon as he came home. Someone like him would surely be bothered by the fact that he had collapsed into bed without even washing up. But more than that, Sejin couldn’t stop thinking about Cheon Sejoo’s hand.

Sejin sighed again as he recalled how Cheon Sejoo’s right hand had been covered in blood.

What if it got infected since he left it alone?

What if the wound festered and caused more serious issues?

These thoughts keep worrying him.

In the end, Sejin opened the kitchen cabinet and took out the first-aid kit. Grabbing disinfectant, ointment, and sterile gauze, he headed to Cheon Sejoo’s room.

Though he’d often entered the room to clean, this was the first time he entered while Cheon Sejoo was present. The atmosphere felt different. Normally, the room was cool and quiet, but now, with its owner lying there, it felt heavy and subdued. Sejin approached the bed, feeling as though the air was somehow heavier.

“Cheon Sejoo.”

He called out softly, but there was no response. Staring down at Cheon Sejoo, Sejin swallowed nervously. Even with his eyes closed, Cheon Sejoo’s sleeping face was breathtakingly handsome. Even as a fellow man, Sejin’s heart raced looking at him. But whether Cheon Sejoo was handsome or not didn’t matter right now.

“I’m just going to check your hand…”

Muttering quietly, Sejin climbed onto the bed and gently lifted Cheon Sejoo’s right hand. It seemed someone had tended to it at the office because the bandaging looked different from what Manager Han Jiwon had done back at Ehwagak.

Pouting slightly, Sejin began unwrapping the bandage to inspect the wound.

There were clots of dried blood gathered in the open cut, causing Sejin to grimace, but other than that, the wound seemed to be in decent condition. There didn’t appear to be any infection or swelling. It seemed like he only needed to change the gauze.

Sejin sprayed iodine, cleaned the wound with an alcohol swab, applied ointment, and then placed sterile gauze over both the palm and the back of the hand, wrapping it with medical tape. It wasn’t as neat as what Han Jiwon or someone at the office had done, but to Sejin’s eyes, it looked decent enough.

After finishing the somewhat clumsy treatment, Sejin pulled back the blanket that covered Cheon Sejoo. Since Moon Sunhyuk had only removed Cheon Sejoo’s suit jacket before leaving, Cheon Sejoo was still dressed in a shirt and slacks.

Sejin frowned when he noticed small bloodstains on Cheon Sejoo’s white shirt. It must have been blood that splattered from his hand. It wasn’t a pleasant sight and felt incredibly unsanitary.

“…I’m going to change your clothes.”

After some hesitation, Sejin whispered softly near Cheon Sejoo’s ear, as if asking for permission. Knowing how particular he was about cleanliness, he figured Cheon Sejoo would probably thank him if he woke up in the morning and realized that Sejin had taken off the dirty clothes for him. With that thought, Sejin stood up and went to Cheon Sejoo’s dressing room.

On top of the dresser, the loungewear set Sejin had folded and placed earlier was still there. He grabbed one of the thin T-shirts, and loose sweatpants that Cheon Sejoo often wore, and after some hesitation, he also picked out a fresh set of underwear before heading back to the bedroom.

When he got back to the bed, Cheon Sejoo was still asleep. Sejin sat down beside him and quietly gazed down at his handsome face.

Unlike when he had his eyes open, Cheon Sejoo looked defenseless asleep. The guarded demeanor he always wore seemed to have faded. Sejin found himself captivated, staring at the familiar yet somehow unfamiliar man. It was the same feeling he had when he first saw the wound on Cheon Sejoo’s hand earlier, a strange sensation stirred deep inside a corner of his heart. Sejin was surprised to see that Cheon Sejoo could look so vulnerable.

When awake, Cheon Sejoo was one of the strongest people Sejin knew. He always appeared composed, always observing the world from a distance, as if nothing could affect him. He seemed as though not even a needle could slip through him, as if nothing could ever hurt him. But here, asleep, Cheon Sejoo wasn’t like that at all.

He seemed just like any other person.

Just like Sejin, he was someone who could get angry, cling to someone desperately, or grieve for someone else. Just an ordinary human being.

That vast disparity closed the emotional distance between them.

Without realizing it, Sejin reached out and gently touched Cheon Sejoo’s face.

His fingertips brushed over Sejoo’s cold skin, and at that small contact, Sejin suddenly felt that Cheon Sejoo wasn’t some unreachable figure, but a person who was living in the same world as him. He realized that Cheon Sejoo wasn’t a man left behind and faded and alone in the darkness, but someone right next to him.