I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 104

Episode 104

“Tell Director Han I’m grateful. Ah, if possible, I’d like to work with Director Han on the next project.”

At Jeong Hyeokjae’s words, Seok-hyung, who had returned after a short vacation, quietly looked at him. After confirming his name was officially engraved on the business proposal he had been competing for, Hyeokjae looked noticeably in a good mood.

“He’s not going to take a break from work forever, right? Director Han isn’t the type to enjoy working under someone… He’ll probably start his own company separately. Since he received help, I’m thinking of him as a business partner from now on…”

“I submitted my letter of resignation to Secretary Yoo. I hope you process it as quickly as possible.”

“Ah, how boring.”

Hyeokjae glanced at Seok-hyung at his words and threw himself on the chair. Sitting with his legs crossed, he asked Seok-hyung,

“What are you dissatisfied with? Things went as you wanted.”

“I have no complaints. It’s just that I have nothing more to expect from you, Director Jeong, so there’s no need for me to keep this position.”

“Ah… Well, when Director Han returns, you’ll have to go to his side.”

Hyeokjae clicked his tongue with a regretful face and tapped on the desk, then asked,

“Still, aren’t Director Han and I sort of business partners now? I’ve made up my mind to completely break away from Executive Han’s side and took this side.”

“……”

“I hope you don’t throw me away like a dog after the hunt is over. The documents I showed you… It wouldn’t be good for Director Han to have many people who know, would it?”

“Do as you please.”

“What?”

This isn’t right. Feeling something strange about Seok-hyung’s attitude, Hyeokjae got up from his seat and approached Seok-hyung, who was packing his things. Having quickly packed his few belongings, Seok-hyung glanced at him.

“…I have no intention of getting involved in practical work for the time being.”

“Well, you’ll be busy trying to start a new business… but still, don’t forget about me.”

Jeong Hyeokjae said, waving a document folder. It was one of the materials he had shown to gain trust.

‘Well, I’ve shown quite a bit too… but since we’ve shared each other’s secrets without hiding anything, we’re really in the same boat now.’

He thought, showing a satisfied smile. Seok-hyung and Han Seung-hyun. Although they had separated from HJ, he felt at ease thinking he had gained colleagues who couldn’t be ignored even without backup.

“I should see Director Han sometime soon. Last time, he was too cold to me. Although that’s also part of Director Han’s charm…”

“Then I’ll be leaving now.”

Seok-hyung cut off Hyeokjae’s words as he pretended to be close and left his office. Originally, he was planning to stay here a bit longer, but he put down practical work earlier than planned because he was worried about Seung-hyun’s condition.

He knew that the current Seung-hyun was not the Seung-hyun he knew. If anyone knew that, it would be him.

‘But that doesn’t mean I don’t care what happens to Director now.’

He didn’t blame the current Seung-hyun. He just couldn’t tolerate him doing as he pleased with that body.

Even if someone else was inside, that body belonged to the person he could give his life for.

Even if the gaze, words, and the direction of his footsteps weren’t his, those eyes, voice, and legs were that person’s. Seok-hyung couldn’t bear Seung-hyun not cherishing his own body.

For a very brief moment, he wondered if this feeling was what people usually called love, but he soon gave up. The name of the emotion wasn’t important. What mattered was only what he could and should do.

Seok-hyung loaded his few belongings into the car and headed to Seung-hyun’s house. He was worried because Seung-hyun wasn’t answering the phone despite him calling several times.

‘If he had blocked me, it wouldn’t connect.’

Unlike the previous number that had already been blocked, only the call connection tone kept going. Did something happen? Seok-hyung called Seung-hyun again.

[The other party’s phone is turned off…]

This time, the power was completely off. Even though he thought it was nothing serious, he had a bad feeling for some reason.

“Director.”

The closer he got to Seung-hyun’s house, the faster he unconsciously drove. Arriving at Seung-hyun’s house a little earlier than the expected arrival time, Seok-hyung entered the house without even properly parking the car.

‘Something…’

The moment he entered, he felt that the air inside the house was subtly different from the outside. He couldn’t explain why, but the feeling of the air on his skin was definitely strange.

Thud. Seok-hyung, who was trying to enter hurriedly, dropped something on the table. Instinctively picking up the fallen object and checking its identity, he frowned.

“…What is this?”

It looked like a kit to check something. The kit, stained red, was clearly indicating something. Seok-hyung flipped the kit and put it back in its place after seeing the words ‘Pheromone Detection Kit’ written on it.

‘The rut cycle…’

Although there was still quite a bit of time until the cycle, his body wasn’t in good condition, so there was a possibility that the cycle had been pulled forward.

‘Did the rut come a little early? No, before that, why is something like a pheromone kit here?’

As soon as he put down the object, the question flashed through his mind. And that question soon turned into anxiety that engulfed Seok-hyung.

“…Director.”

Seok-hyung hurriedly moved his steps towards Seung-hyun’s bedroom. The moment he opened the door, pheromones that Seok-hyung couldn’t feel spread out of the corridor.

“…!”

At a glance, it looked like he was sleeping, but the pills that couldn’t enter his mouth and spilled out, and his pale, sickly face indicated that something was wrong.

***

“The article has been dealt with, and the assemblyman has also stated his position, but it would be best to refrain from eye-catching activities for a while and focus on volunteer work.”

“You’re saying that because you have something prepared, right?”

“Yes. The welfare organization you were supporting has informed us that they will hold an event that Executive Han can attend.”

Three weeks after the article was published, the media that had been talking about Tae-sung’s affair found new prey. The public also turned their eyes to find new excitement.

Now, no one would notice the contents of the articles that had disappeared or been revised, so all that was left was to return to public events after an appropriate amount of time.

“…What is Han Seung-hyun doing?”

“He hasn’t shown any special movements since that incident. It’s so quiet that it’s rather worrying…”

Secretary Kang said, shrugging his shoulders. It was quiet for now, but no one who knew Seung-hyun would think this was the end.

“Seeing that Secretary Lee quit being Director Jeong’s secretary, it seems he went back to Director Han and is planning something else.”

“Probably.”

“But I thought he was someone who kept the line, is he planning to completely turn against the company? He was a cautious person, but this is almost like self-destruction…”

Secretary Kang clicked his tongue with a face that couldn’t understand. Tae-sung, who had been examining the documents for a moment, belatedly threw out a question.

“Does Director Han seem strange to Secretary Kang these days too?”

“Well… Yes. Wouldn’t anyone who knows Director Han think so?”

After a moment of surprise at the sudden question, Secretary Kang calmly continued.

“Because his behavior is too different from before. He was cautious and put quite a bit of effort into external underground work… This is just like he’s inflicting damage on himself as if there’s no tomorrow, isn’t it?”

“Does it seem like he’s become strange?”

“Well, from my perspective, he wasn’t a normal person to begin with…”

Secretary Kang slowly nodded. Indeed, even in Tae-sung’s opinion, this incident was too different from Seung-hyun’s usual method. Even if he gave up the right to inherit the company, he knew better than anyone how important connections were.

“Assemblyman Park was quite angry. Probably… even if he returns, he won’t be able to expect help from people on A Party’s side. The other side… will also be the same since they’ll be mindful of Chairman Han.”

A way that seemed like he didn’t care what happened in the future. It seemed certain that there was a change in his state of mind. After pondering for a moment, Tae-sung told his secretary,

“…I’d like to meet with Director Han for a bit.”

“Pardon?”

“Contact Secretary Lee. Say there’s still something left to talk about.”

If they meet in person at least once, Seon-hu will also know for sure what kind of person he is. If he’s lucky, he might be able to get a clue about his recent strange behavior.

“Yes, yes. I’ll try to contact him. But I’m not sure if he’ll agree…”

“If he refuses… find out his whereabouts. I’ll go meet him in person.”

From childhood until now, Seung-hyun was always an incomprehensible person to Tae-sung, but recently, he was showing behavior that was so different from usual that it was impossible to even predict.

It would be better to properly face the bad relationship, not knowing when he would do something again. Tae-sung thought so as he recalled Seung-hyun’s face.