TBM Vol 4 Part 8

Lee Il-seo turned to look at Sa Seung-yeon. The tear stains that had streaked his cheeks were now gone, and his characteristic firm yet gentle gaze rested on Sa Seung-yeon’s face for a moment.

After standing still as if thinking about something, Lee Il-seo nodded weakly and began walking ahead again. Sa Seung-yeon followed one step behind.

They moved beneath an orange streetlight, flanked by low green iron fences, until Lee Il-seo turned down a narrow path. At the end of it sat a small, forgotten playground.

It was an old playground with just exercise equipment, a slide, swings, and benches. There was a lot of rust all over, making it impractical for actual play. It seemed like it had been built along with the villa long ago and left unmanaged.

In the cold winter, with snow piled in corners, no one visited the old playground, making it a perfect place for the two to talk briefly. Each time the wind blew, the swings rattled.

Lee Il-seo, who seemed familiar with the place, sat on the bench first, and before sitting down, Sa Seung-yeon took off his coat and wrapped it around Lee Il-seo’s shoulders. The long coat, still warm with Sa Seung-yeon’s body heat, covered Lee Il-seo’s padded jacket and jeans.

Lee Il-seo instinctively raised a hand to return it, insisting he was fine, but paused when he caught the scent lingering on the coat. The uneasy twist in his stomach slowly eased. He’s probably giving it because he’s not cold, he reasoned to himself, letting his hand fall.

Then, as if remembering something, Sa Seung-yeon reached toward him.

“Get me a cigarette from the pocket.”

“Ah, yes.”

Lee Il-seo searched the coat and handed over the cigarettes and lighter. Sa Seung-yeon lit one and brought it to his lips. The bitter scent of tobacco spread beneath his nose as he turned his head to blow the smoke away from Lee Il-seo.

“Looking at your complexion, you seem sick. Have you been to the hospital?”

Lee Il-seo’s fingertips twitched slightly. He’s always quick to notice. Avoiding eye contact, he stared down at the concrete beneath their feet and replied.

“Yes, I have.”

“What did the doctor say?”

“Just… Stress-related…”

If it was stress, then wasn’t he the cause of most of it? Guilt tightened Sa Seung-yeon’s chest. He said nothing, while Lee Il-seo, careful not to reveal too much about his health, gently nudged at a concrete block with the toe of his sneaker and shifted the topic.

“If Gu Dong-yeong stirs up trouble because of today… Please let me know.”

“I did what I did because I didn’t want to hear more of that crap. Don’t worry about it.”

Sa Seung-yeon, cutting off Lee Il-seo’s words, exhaled cigarette smoke as if sighing and continued.

“I told you. I’m not normal these days.”

Sa Seung-yeon grinned faintly around the cigarette, but Lee Il-seo didn’t return it. That grin didn’t bring comfort. Sa Seung-yeon had gotten angry because of what Gu Dong-yeong said to him, and even if he insisted it was fine, Lee Il-seo couldn’t ignore it.

Lee Il-seo chewed on the soft flesh of his lip. Constantly pressing and rubbing his fingers and lips, Lee Il-seo asked the question he had been holding back.

“You knew Gu Dong-yeong?”

“Yes. For several years now.”

He expected that, yet it still felt like the ground gave way beneath him. Fighting to keep his face neutral, he forced out the next words.

“It seems Gu Dong-yeong has been talking about me.”

“To be precise, he once mentioned that he almost had his debut canceled because of a trainee. And after you were cast as my co-star, he revealed that the trainee was you.”

So, all this time, during filming, through the laughter and fragile closeness, Sa Seung-yeon had thought him to be the kind of person who made indecent videos with lovers, flirted with other trainees, and seduced people carelessly. Then came the scandal with Director Chae Geum-soo, right after casting. It would have been strange not to misunderstand. His mouth tasted bitter, and his chest ached painfully.

“Gu Dong-yeong was lying.”

Sa Seung-yeon looked at him, but Lee Il-seo’s face was bowed, half-hidden, eyes downcast. Layered in thick clothes and wrapped in someone else’s coat, he spoke softly.

“It’s true I was with Gu Dong-yeong, but I only looked after the other trainees. I’ve never met Director Chae Geum-soo privately…”

“You already said that earlier.”

“…”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

He couldn’t tell whether Sa Seung-yeon believed him, or simply didn’t care enough to ask. Either way, Lee Il-seo went quiet. Maybe his past meant nothing to him. Still, the desire to clear the misunderstanding had gotten the better of him.

Sa Seung-yeon finished his cigarette, tossed the butt to the ground, and crushed it under his heel.

“Are you sure all the videos are deleted?”

“…Yes.”

That was certain. Lee Il-seo hadn’t known about them either, and when the truth came out, he was just as terrified. The manager who conducted the interview told him that they had definitely deleted the videos and had reset and disposed of Gu Dong-yeong’s phone.

“Why did you do such a dangerous thing?”

“…I didn’t know he was recording.”

The shift in Sa Seung-yeon’s expression was sharp. A string of curses followed under his breath, about cracking Gu Dong-yeong’s skull open. Lee Il-seo lowered his head further, hating his own foolishness, dreading how disappointed Sa Seung-yeon must be.

Silence settled between them again. The swings creaked with the cold wind. Somewhere behind them, wisteria vines shivered, adding to the winter hush.

The playground grew quiet as Lee Il-seo pulled Sa Seung-yeon’s coat higher on his shoulders and breathed in more deeply. Perhaps because Sa Seung-yeon’s scent surrounding him was so pleasant, his sunken mood improved slightly, and the forgotten intoxication began to stir again.

“You’ve probably heard it before.”

Lee Il-seo’s gaze slowly met Sa Seung-yeon’s. One brow lifted at the unexpected shift in tone.

“You said I sing well.”

“Did I?”

Sa Seung-yeon frowned, trying to recall. He thought he’d said something like that… But had he actually said it aloud?

“You said you were curious about my performance, too.”

Sa Seung-yeon still looked unsure, brow creasing as he tried to place the memory. Lee Il-seo awkwardly turned up the corners of his mouth.

“In the broadcast room. We ran into each other.”

His voice, tinged with childlike softness and alcohol, floated gently in the cold night. His reddened eyes curved faintly with emotion, while Sa Seung-yeon’s eyes narrowed slowly, sensing something off.

He felt something off about the word ‘broadcast room’ and his dark eyes slowly scanned Lee Il-seo’s face as if trying to recall something. Lee Il-seo didn’t avoid his gaze, waiting for Sa Seung-yeon to remember.

Broadcast room, song, performance.

Suddenly, the image of a small freshman. Name forgotten. Face blurred. Someone who’d visited the broadcasting club and misplaced a song file. Sa Seung-yeon had listened to that short verse on loop until the student returned and complimented it.

“The band club…”

Only after hearing Sa Seung-yeon’s answer did Lee Il-seo turn his head toward the ground, pressing the pavement block firmly with his toe. Sa Seung-yeon, stiff with surprise, stumbled over his words.

“You… That was you?”

“It’s understandable you didn’t recognize me. I’ve grown almost 10 centimeters taller since then… And we only briefly passed by each other.”

Lee Il-seo cleared his throat and continued with a deliberately bright voice.

“I only sang for fun. But after you complimented me that day… I decided to become a singer.”

Back then, those words had struck like sunlight on his wounds, fresh from Kang Hyung-won’s abuse.

“Of course, I ended up switching to acting after being kicked out of the company because of Gu Dong-yeong’s lies, but I never forgot you, sunbaenim. It really gave me strength then… The feeling that I was good at something…”

His voice was clear, slow. But it faltered near the end. His breath fogged the air, heavy and damp.

A muscle jumped in Sa Seung-yeon’s jaw. The memory stayed foggy, unformed. But knowing that voice, that moment, belonged to Lee Il-seo… It shook something loose inside him.

Countless voices swirled in his head, making him dizzy. The thought ‘could it be?’ passed through his mind.

“You… Don’t tell me, then… Even before we became partners…”

Silence answered him. The unspoken truth hung in the air. Sa Seung-yeon’s breath stuttered. Lee Il-seo hadn’t developed feelings after becoming partners. He’d already had them. That proposal, so casual from Sa Seung-yeon’s perspective, must have been unbearable to receive from a first love.

And Sa Seung-yeon had urged him to sort out his feelings and had the audacity to suggest returning to just a casual relationship. What expression did Lee Il-seo have at that time? With what tone and gaze did he answer? None of it came to mind. It was as if his head had become blank, with nothing remaining.

A nausea twisted deep in Sa Seung-yeon’s gut. He bit his lip hard, unable to say anything. Lee Il-seo glanced up briefly—just once—then looked away again.

“I’m sorry. Saying it now is a bit… Creepy, isn’t it?”

“…What?”

“I didn’t say it to burden you. I just… Felt so suffocated, really suffocated.”

A sigh from Lee Il-seo, barely released, clouded the air in white.

“I’ve never lived in a way that deserves people pointing fingers. I don’t care about others misunderstanding me. But you… I didn’t want you to think I was like that. If you believed that, then these last nine years would feel meaningless.”

At the end of his subdued voice, Lee Il-seo wrinkled his nose and turned his head.

“But that’s what you thought, wasn’t it?”

Despite the tears gathering in his eyes, he asked it lightly, almost like a joke. But Sa Seung-yeon couldn’t laugh. He couldn’t even breathe right. Because it was true. And Lee Il-seo also knew.

“I…”

Lee Il-seo stood before Sa Seung-yeon, who, for once, looked completely flustered. It was a rare sight—Sa Seung-yeon, always composed and in control, now visibly shaken. Taken aback by the unexpected vulnerability, Lee Il-seo hurriedly raised his palm, as if to wave away any misunderstanding.

“No, I wasn’t trying to blame you…”

Lee Il-seo, examining the frozen Sa Seung-yeon with an embarrassed expression, spoke in a fading voice.

“I’m sorry for being selfish after saying I would sort out my feelings.”

Even now, in the midst of their tangled emotions, Sa Seung-yeon could see it, that familiar gaze that always prioritized the other’s heart over his own pain. The weight of nine years pressed into that look. Sa Seung-yeon ran a hand absently over his cheek. His head buzzed, as if he’d gone numb.

“I, I’m… Sorry.”

Lee Il-seo’s eyes twitched at the hasty apology that emerged from the daze.

“You must’ve noticed how I spoke, how I acted, the way I looked at you. I misunderstood. I’m sorry.”

A slightly delayed smile spread across Lee Il-seo’s face, which had been momentarily frozen at Sa Seung-yeon’s rambling apology.

“It’s okay. I’ve let go of everything I held against you.”

“…”

“Then shall we… Go now?”

Despite his stuffy, nasal voice, a more comfortable smile appeared on his lips. Lee Il-seo stood up from the bench, took off Sa Seung-yeon’s coat, neatly folded it, and placed it on the bench.

“Lee Il-seo, wait a moment.”

Sa Seung-yeon reached out, stopping him instinctively. There was something too final about Lee Il-seo’s gentle smile, as if he had truly come to the end of something. But Lee Il-seo didn’t pause. He only offered a small bow.

“I’ll go in first.”

“If you leave like this… I, I…”

What was he supposed to say? It was Lee Il-seo who needed time to process his feelings. That much was clear. And yet, here he was—already past the storm, while Sa Seung-yeon stood at the edge of it, emotions he couldn’t name swelling inside him.

“Thank you for today.”

Even as he watched Lee Il-seo walk away, leaving the playground behind, Sa Seung-yeon remained rooted to the spot. Lee Il-seo had resolved the final misunderstandings. He had released the last lingering feelings that had bound him. But everything Lee Il-seo let go of had tangled itself into Sa Seung-yeon’s heart.

He had no idea what to do in this situation because it was the first time in his life he had experienced such helplessness.

“Hah.”

Lee Il-seo sighed deeply, shutting his eyes tightly as he climbed the stairs. He already regretted impulsively revealing his past connection to Sa Seung-yeon, just ten minutes after doing so. As if Sa Seung-yeon wasn’t confused enough after his confession, he had to go and ramble about his old love while drunk.

[I had an urgent matter and left first. I’m sorry, hyung.]

He sent the message to Choi Kyung-hyun, who might come looking for him, then wrinkled his nose. The cigarette smell had grown stronger; it clung stubbornly to the walls, sharp and stale. His neighbor’s complaint now rang louder in his mind.

He had quit smoking after filming ended, though he had occasionally smoked while playing Haru. At first, each inhale burned his throat, but with time, the sting dulled. The habit lingered even after wrap day; he sometimes found his fingers reaching for a phantom cigarette.

Would having a cigarette now improve his suffocating sensation? Trying to remember if he had any cigarettes left, he pressed his door lock code.

At that moment, he sensed someone’s presence on the landing. Without turning his gaze, he could tell someone was slowly coming down the stairs. The sound of footsteps, thud, thud, thud—echoed particularly loudly in the narrow space.

Maybe it was the smoker. But not wanting to get into a confrontation, Lee Il-seo turned away and pushed the door open.

The auxiliary light flicked on, illuminating the dark entranceway. Cold air curled around his feet as he stepped inside. He should’ve turned on the heat before leaving. As he pressed down on the back of his sneaker to slip it off, his hand paused mid-motion, his expression going stiff.

The usual mechanical sound of the door lock behind him after closing the door wasn’t there. As he hesitated before walking into the room, a low voice sounded behind him.

“Il-seo.”

Only then did the door shut behind him, followed by the reassuring click of the lock. Lee Il-seo turned his head slowly, like a rusted hinge grinding into motion. Eyes wide. Breath held.

“Uncle…?”

He blinked, thinking maybe he was seeing things, maybe the alcohol was messing with his head. But the figure standing in the doorway was unmistakable. Lee Il-seo frowned deeply with an expression like he’d seen a ghost.

“How… Did you…”

And then it clicked. The missing cake from the day Kang Hyung-won visited the company. The increasingly strong smell of cigarettes in the stairwell. The realization drained the blood from Lee Il-seo’s face. Hair bristled on the back of his neck. Kang Hyung-won had known his address. He’d been here. Watching.

Recalling the obsessive eyes that had constantly followed him in that small, soot-stained house in the past, Lee Il-seo bit his lip hard. The taste of disgust crawled up his throat.

“Looks like things are going well for you.”

Kang Hyung-won’s face had aged over the years, but as an Alpha, his physique remained solid, intimidating. That physical presence crept back in like a shadow, stirring a fear Lee Il-seo thought he’d buried. Even now, as an adult, he felt small in front of him. Fragile.

The auxiliary light illuminating Kang Hyung-won went out, and darkness fell over the small room. The massive figure, standing like a rock, continued speaking.

“Your father has been waiting for you all this time.”

“…”

“I didn’t expect you to take your grandmother and leave like that, but I thought you were young then and could make impulsive mistakes. But stubbornly, you never came back. Even though you knew I had no one left after I lost your mother.”

Suddenly, Kang Hyung-won removed his shoes and walked into the room, and the auxiliary light turned on again, triggered by his movement. Lee Il-seo stepped back cautiously, avoiding Kang Hyung-won, who was backlit.

Kang Hyung-won’s thick hands that used to grab his body, the violence he inflicted after cramming him into tight spaces, the eyes that would monitor him with a seemingly docile demeanor the next day, but always ready to snap, memories that remained like sharp fragments came rushing back, making Lee Il-seo’s breathing rough. With each step Kang Hyung-won took toward him, the walls seemed to close in. Lee Il-seo’s eyes obsessively darted between the walls and the front door.

“Il-seo-ya.”

Kang Hyung-won, reading the fear on Lee Il-seo’s face, frowned and reached out his hand. Lee Il-seo shook it off and exhaled rapidly. Kang Hyung-won looked down at his hand, where a dull pain remained, and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

The fist had been clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white now loosened helplessly. Lee Il-seo stared blankly at Kang Hyung-won. After hesitating with his lips, Kang Hyung-won added words that seemed like roughly cut pieces of paper.

“I really did wrong. Treating you like that…”

Like that?

Spying, stealing underwear, beating him and locking him in a small utility room, threatening his grandmother, and repeatedly doing unspeakable things while he slept. Even after claiming to have loved his mother so much, and now he was sweeping it all under a vague phrase, like that?

Lee Il-seo’s eyes contorted as he clutched his throat in distress. He couldn’t breathe properly. Desperately pulling down the knit fabric around his neck didn’t help. It felt like his windpipe and lungs were shrinking. Scratching at his throat, Lee Il-seo squeezed out a hoarse voice.

“Please leave.”

Kang Hyung-won’s eyes wavered at the desperate murmur.

“You know… You have no right to be here.”

“I know, I know, but…”

“…”

“I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting. I don’t have bad intentions. Even though it’s late, this father wants to do something for you.”

His bloodshot eyes shimmered, heavy with emotion. But Lee Il-seo saw through it. That color hadn’t left his eyes. That repulsive color.

“What kind of father…”

“…”

“Looks at his son with those eyes?”

Kang Hyung-won bit his lip at Lee Il-seo’s chilling words. As he had always been, Lee Il-seo’s face was calm, but his voice was as sharp as a honed knife.

“I know what you did to me every night. How dare you call yourself a father to my face after doing that?”

Fear. Anxiety. Rage. They knotted in Lee Il-seo’s chest like barbed wire. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a tremulous breath.

“Don’t come back here again.”

“…”

“It’s disgusting.”

If Kang Hyung-won wouldn’t leave, Lee Il-seo planned to leave himself. Now that Kang Hyung-won knew this address, this place could no longer be his home. He had been thinking of moving to a larger place anyway, and he could come back for his belongings later with police or company staff.

After being tormented by Gu Dong-yeong for hours, to come home and face Kang Hyung-won, what a wretched day.

Lee Il-seo slipped his feet into his sneakers at the entrance, intending to pass by Kang Hyung-won. But as he grabbed the doorknob, he was seized with a feeling like his neck was being choked, and then a strong force pulled him back into the room, making his fingertips lose grip on the doorknob.

“Ugh!”

Kang Hyung-won yanked Lee Il-seo’s collar, and with his neckline in Kang Hyung-won’s grip, Lee Il-seo was dragged into the room without being able to resist even once. Lee Il-seo, already physically weakened, couldn’t withstand the grip strength of an enraged Alpha. Nevertheless, Lee Il-seo struggled and fought with all his might.

“Let go!”

At Lee Il-seo’s shout, Kang Hyung-won deliberately let go as if throwing him aside, and Lee Il-seo slid across the floor before crashing into the wall. The small table tipped over with a clatter, scattering its contents. Lee Il-seo staggered upright, hand pressed to the throbbing side of his head.

Kang Hyung-won stood there, still, solid. A statue in the gloom. Only his eyes moved, gleaming in the low light. It overlapped with the image that had filled Lee Il-seo’s vision just before the utility room door closed. His breathing instantly became rapid, and his reason clouded. As Lee Il-seo desperately struggled to escape, even by crawling, Kang Hyung-won restrained him by gripping his shoulders.

“Ah, let me go!”

“You need to stay still if you want me to let you go!”

“No, no!”

Lee Il-seo struggled, scratching Kang Hyung-won’s hands with his nails. At Lee Il-seo’s frantic resistance, even Kang Hyung-won hesitated and stepped back. As Lee Il-seo desperately pushed Kang Hyung-won away and tried to get up, a kick finally struck his side.

“Ugh…”

Lee Il-seo clutched his stomach and crumpled to his knees. He hit the floor hard, thrashing, gasping for breath. Panic laced Kang Hyung-won’s voice.

“S-see, I told you to stay still!”

Raising his head, Lee Il-seo shouted sharply in an even louder voice.

“You’re not even my real father…”

“You little—”

But before he could finish his sentence, Kang Hyung-won strode over, straddled his struggling body, and pressed his neck with his large hands.

“Fine, I misspoke. I’m not your father.”

“Cough, ugh…”

Kang Hyung-won’s eyes clouded over, rationality slipping away. Lee Il-seo’s breath snagged, the air strangled not just by the hands on his throat but by something heavier, more suffocating, a thick, sticky weight crawling from his lungs to his gut. It was Kang Hyung-won’s Pheromones. His body recognized them before his mind could. And it recoiled.

But his struggling hands gradually lost strength. Despite Lee Il-seo’s resistance fading, Kang Hyung-won continued to press down on his chest with his forearm while using his other hand to lift Lee Il-seo’s coat and shirt.

“If you won’t treat me as your father, I have no reason to see you as my son anymore.”

Kang Hyung-won’s voice, hissing like a snake, penetrated Lee Il-seo’s muffled ears. Goosebumps spread across his body, and his eyes burned.

“Uh, mmph. Don’t, do this…”

“Shut your mouth.”

The hand on his chest clamped over his nose and lips. He couldn’t breathe. His ears were bitten, lips trailing downward to his neck. The sickening, damp heat made his stomach churn. Lee Il-seo wanted to fight, to scream, but his limbs refused him. He was limp, his strength gone. Pheromones poured from Kang Hyung-won like poison. His mouth roamed greedily, biting, licking, sucking the exposed skin with revolting hunger.

He hastily fumbled with Lee Il-seo’s cold, bare body before touching his belt buckle. Tears that had been filling Lee Il-seo’s eyes flowed sideways along his temples, as pushing and blocking with his hands proved futile in this helpless situation.

Knock, knock.

Just then, the sound of someone knocking on the front door was heard. Kang Hyung-won’s movement of lowering the pants zipper stopped, and Lee Il-seo also stared at the door with wide eyes.

“Police. We’re responding to a disturbance complaint.”

Knock, knock, knock. As the knocking continued, Kang Hyung-won was frozen in hesitation.

“We know you’re in there. Open the door.”

Taking advantage of Kang Hyung-won’s confusion, Lee Il-seo caught his breath and pushed him with all his might. Kang Hyung-won, seemingly having regained his senses, was pushed back weakly, just breathing heavily. Lee Il-seo staggered to his feet, pulled down his coat and shirt, quickly wiped his tears, and answered the police.

“Yes, I’m coming.”

When he opened the door, two police officers in uniform were standing there. Unable to fully open the door or lift his head, Lee Il-seo asked what was wrong.

“We received a noise complaint from a nearby household.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

“Please be careful about throwing objects or raising your voice in the early morning, as sound travels easily at this time.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

The officers, seemingly satisfied with his calm demeanor, turned to leave. Lee Il-seo kept his head bowed, his heart hammering. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he attacked him, so his lips wouldn’t move.

‘The Temperature of Flood’ had finally found its footing. And already, he’d dealt with being stabbed by Sa Seung-yeon’s stalker, the motorcycle accident, that ugly run-in with Bae Taksu. He couldn’t drag the cast and crew into another scandal. Couldn’t derail everything they’d fought to stabilize.

But if he stayed home like this…

“Then we’ll be on our way.”

“Ah, I’ll come along…”

At Lee Il-seo’s sudden words, one of the police officers raised his eyebrows and said, “Pardon?”

“I was planning to go out for a smoke too.”

“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”

Lee Il-seo stepped out, gently closing the door behind him. One officer glanced back, his brow twitching like he recognized something in Lee Il-seo’s voice. But seeing only a lowered head, he let it go.

With each step, Lee Il-seo looked back, wary of Kang Hyung-won. Fortunately, Kang Hyung-won seemed cautious around the police and didn’t follow Lee Il-seo as he left the building with them.

Lee Il-seo walked down the alley, matching his pace with the police as much as possible, and after they got into their patrol car, he immediately ran to the playground.

“Haa…”

He knew Sa Seung-yeon wouldn’t be there. Still, he searched, each corner, each bench, until he found himself standing on the snow-covered pavement, motionless. His eyes landed on a cigarette butt, abandoned by Sa Seung-yeon.

He had pushed Sa Seung-yeon away, insisting he’d go alone. Why? Did he expect some twisted consolation now? That was because Sa Seung-yeon had once saved him from Gu Dong-yeong, he’d somehow do it again? And even if Sa Seung-yeon had been here, could Lee Il-seo have brought himself to admit what almost happened? That Kang Hyung-won had nearly r4ped him?

“Haa…”

His chest trembled, each exhale drawing out the ache in his heart. He hated the way he felt. Weak. Pathetic. But after everything, he couldn’t pull himself together.

Standing still made him cold. Lee Il-seo shivered and moved his feet, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

First, he stopped at a convenience store to buy a mask. Then, he took a taxi to a nearby motel district, eyes flicking nervously to the rearview mirror the whole ride. Every shadow, every shape in the dark, made his heart leap.

With a tired face, Lee Il-seo reached the room and immediately went to the bathroom. He felt grimy due to the smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and the sweat that soaked his entire body. As he was undressing, Lee Il-seo let out a short, sharp breath when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

Bruises had formed along the pressed areas on his wrists and neck, and his body was covered with abrasions. The most revolting mark was the bite mark Kang Hyung-won had left on his neck.