IPSTDS Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Had it already become Kangil’s time to get off work?

Nahyuk checked the time belatedly. Incredibly, so much had already passed.

“Are you not going to answer?”

Even at Kangil’s commanding call, no one seemed intimidated.

Nahyuk giggled and finally replied, while Daon only let out a low, mocking laugh.

“Yeah! I’m here.”

“Doesn’t this situation feel familiar to you?”

Come to think of it, something similar had happened not too long ago.

Nahyuk easily recalled that day—when Daon had been with him, teased Kangil, and made him rush to his house in a frenzy.

“If Kangil shows up now looking like a mess, it’ll be exactly the same as then.”

And soon, Kangil appeared, having climbed all the way up the second floor stairs.

He was slightly out of breath, as if he had run. The shirt he had left in so neatly that morning was now much more disheveled.

His hair was tousled as if he had raked it with rough hands, and two or three buttons of his shirt were undone.

“He really did come looking a mess.”

The problem was, his disheveled state looked sensual.

“Kangil, you didn’t drive recklessly to get here, did you?”

“……”

Kangil only narrowed his eyes at Nahyuk in silence, then spoke as though taking his irritation out on Daon.

“You could tell me you’re a nine-tailed fox and I’d believe it. Taking advantage of my absence to approach my darling.”

His mocking words carried him right up to Daon.

“Mr. Lee Kangil, what kind of talk is that? I just came to tell Hyung what upset me and get some comfort, that’s all.”

At that moment, Nahyuk felt Daon’s head lean onto his shoulder.

Daon, who acted like a perfect adult in front of his younger brothers, was clinging to Nahyuk like a spoiled child.

“Right, Hyung?”

Daon’s coaxing voice sounded cheeky even to Nahyuk’s ears.

But how could Nahyuk resent Daon, his favorite? Even that cheekiness sounded nothing but cute to him.

If it hadn’t been for Kangil’s burning stare, he would have stroked Daon’s head. He would have gladly indulged him, knowing how long it had been since Daon had shown such weakness.

But even with those thoughts, Nahyuk froze. He didn’t dare lay a hand on Daon, afraid it would anger Kangil.

“Kangil, calm down and sit. There wasn’t anything for you to misunderstand. We just talked and watched a movie, that’s all.”

But Kangil wouldn’t take his eyes off Daon.

“Ga Daon, I saw you smile just now.”

“Hyuuung, Mr. Lee Kangil keeps picking on me. I’m someone going through heartbreak right now.”

“Wait, heartbreak?”

Only then did Kangil turn his gaze to Nahyuk.

“Yoon Noah, when you said something serious happened, did you mean that Kim Daon and Seo Dowoong broke up?”

“……”

Since it wasn’t his business, Nahyuk stayed silent, but Daon answered confidently.

“Yes, we’re completely over.”

“Hmph.”

Letting out a dissatisfied sound, Kangil boldly shoved himself between them on the sofa. Nahyuk thought it impressive how easily he created a seat for himself.

Soon, Kangil was sitting in the middle, a victorious smile on his face. Then, as if to show Nahyuk belonged to him, he slung his long arm around his shoulder.

Daon only scoffed at the whole display.

“Even if you’re done with Seo Dowoong, what difference does it make? Don’t forget, my darling is in a relationship with me right now.”

“But it’s fake.”

Even at Daon’s sharp jab, Kangil didn’t back down.

“Not completely fake. You don’t know how lewd Noah can be.”

“……”

For the first time, Daon’s expression stiffened. Their playful back-and-forth halted.

Daon seemed to be weighing all the implications hidden in Kangil’s words.

Nahyuk worried that Daon might imagine indecent things about him, and the rapidly souring mood felt like walking on thin ice.

He pressed his foot down firmly on Kangil’s under the table. When Kangil didn’t even groan, Nahyuk frowned deliberately, urging him to shut up.

Then he tried to break the tension.

“Hey, let’s just eat dinner first. I’m hungry.”

But despite his suggestion, the two men locked in their power struggle didn’t budge.

So Nahyuk grabbed each of their arms and tugged.

“Come on, let’s go down.”

“…Ha.”

The first to stand was Daon.

“Hyung, I’m sorry. I made things difficult for you, didn’t I? You listened to me, you comforted me…”

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t do much.”

Not to be outdone, Kangil jumped up as well, glaring at Daon.

“Don’t you think you’re the worst when you act all nice?”

“Mr. Lee Kangil, it’s not an act. I really am a nice person. Unlike you.”

“And why do you think I’m not nice? Didn’t you see those articles about how I donate every year?”

“Isn’t that just for taxes or some other reason?”

“Watch your words, alright?”

At this rate, round two was about to start.

Just then, as Nahyuk let out an unknowing dry sigh, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

The sender was shockingly Park Sangcheol.

He had really sent Nahyuk the time and place to meet.

The time Park Sangcheol suggested was this Saturday morning, and the place was a café not too far from Nahyuk’s house.

As Nahyuk stared down at his phone with a hardened expression, the first to approach him was Kangil.

“Who’s bothering my wildcat again?”

Since Kangil already knew about Park Sangcheol’s existence and the messages he had sent, Nahyuk showed him the text without hesitation.

“……”

Kangil’s face twisted the moment he checked the sender and contents. At the same time, Daon also came over to look at the message.

“Park Sangcheol? That man contacted you?”

Daon’s expression looked even worse than when he faced Kangil. He seemed to dislike Park Sangcheol far more than he disliked Kangil.

“Yeah.”

“What’s the reason?”

Could he really tell Daon so easily about something that involved Seo Dowoong?

Seeing his hesitation, Daon spoke again.

“I’m not asking because I doubt you, Hyung. I’m worried Park Sangcheol might cause you trouble.”

“You still believe I’m not colluding with Park Sangcheol?”

“Of course. I believed you before, and I believe you now.”

“…Before?”

It sounded like Daon knew of some past that Nahyuk didn’t. Back in high school, when Park Sangcheol had tried to coax Yoon Noah into disgracing Seo Dowoong.

It might not be a bad idea to ask Daon about what exactly had happened back then, when the chance arose.

“Yeah. The one who didn’t trust you… was Seo Dowoong.”

Daon let out the name Seo Dowoong with bitterness, then turned the subject as though he didn’t want to say more.

“So, Hyung, what’s going on? Park Sangcheol contacted me too, and now that he’s even reached out to you, it seems obvious he’s scheming something shady.”

“He contacted you too?”

“Yes. It was about something trivial, so I just told Seo Dowoong. He’s an executive director at a major corporation—he should know how to handle it.”

“But if he couldn’t handle it, isn’t that why Park Sangcheol came all the way to me?”

“……”

“Park Sangcheol said he wanted to talk to me about Seo Dowoong.”

“…Really Seo Dowoong?”

“Yeah. But like you said, Daon, I don’t get how he thinks he can do anything to a corporate executive. We’re not high schoolers anymore.”

Whatever had happened back then, Nahyuk knew at least this much: the past and the present were different.

Seo Dowoong now wasn’t some minor under his parents’ thumb, nor was he a student trapped within the confines of school.

He held a position high enough to brush off Park Sangcheol’s low-grade nonsense. There was no need to worry about him.

Not that Nahyuk worried much about Seo Dowoong to begin with.

And perhaps, those old incidents weren’t even all that serious.

Looking back on the past as an adult often revealed how hollow it really was.

Things that had once felt like the world was shattering turned out, years later, to be nothing much at all.

How serious could something that happened when they were kids really be?

What worried Nahyuk more was Daon, caught between them.

“I heard that man became a journalist. Could he be planning to write some slanderous article targeting Seo Dowoong?”

“Maybe. But what I don’t get is why he’s trying to drag me into it.”

Kangil, who had been listening silently to Nahyuk and Daon’s conversation, finally spoke.

“Meet him. But not alone—I’ll go with you.”