Chapter 75
Gyeongjae tapped his fingers rhythmically against the wooden table, his impatience growing with every passing second. Hana had been gone for a while, but her absence was the last thing on his mind.
What was driving him crazy was Yeonho.
He recognized Kim Yejun.
The name had come up in the results of his investigation, listed among the men who had assaulted Yeonho, and the memory of it sat in his chest like a stone.
Gyeongjae couldn't comprehend whether Yeonho actually knew he was standing next to his rapist or if he was being tricked.
Seeing Yeonho act so intimate with Yejun made Gyeongjae's stomach twist with a violent urge to rip the bastard away and shove Yeonho somewhere safe.
Min-Hyuk and Seungjo both picked up on Gyeongjae's restless demeanor, while Jaehwan remained entirely neutral, sipping his drink.
Dongjun had left a few minutes earlier to take a call from the company, so it was Min-Hyuk who finally brought it up, repeating the question Yeonho had dodged.
"Gyeongjae, do you know that guy?"
Gyeongjae didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the hallway where Yeonho had disappeared.
"Hey, I asked you something. That guy said he's Yeonho's boyfriend. Is it true?"
"No. I have no fucking idea."
Unable to sit still any longer, Gyeongjae pushed back his chair and strode toward the restroom.
Min-Hyuk felt a wave of cold irritation wash over him. He was furious that a stranger dared to overwrite the marks he had left on Yeonho's skin.
It didn't bother him as much when it was men from his own social circle—Gyeongjae, Seungjo, Jaehwan, or Dongjun.
They all understood the unwritten rules between them.
But seeing a random, greasy pervert acting possessive over Yeonho made his blood boil.
Following Gyeongjae's lead, Min-Hyuk stood up and walked after him.
Inside the locked restroom, Yeonho was confronting Yejun, ready to end their arrangement on the spot.
"You think I didn't hear you?" Yeonho spat, his blue eyes piercing. "I heard every single word between you and Hana. It hasn't even been an hour and you're already acting on your own. I guess shitheads like you really are completely useless."
He turned to leave, already regretting that he had ever used Yejun as a pawn, but fingers clamped around his arm.
"Let go."
"No, baby, please. Let's forget everything. Let's leave the country and live together. Yeah?"
Yeonho let out a harsh breath and shoved him hard enough to make him stumble
"Forget?" Yeonho sneered, his eyes icy. "You delusional piece of shit. You honestly think I'd forget what you did? And now you think I'd run away with you? Disgusting. The deal is off. I don't waste my time on spineless dogs."
"You..."
Yeonho reached for the door, but Yejun caught his shoulder, spun him around, and slammed him back against the counter.
A hand closed around his throat.
Yeonho clawed at Yejun's arms and tried to pry them away, but it was no use.
Yejun's raw weight held him down effortlessly.
"You're not going anywhere, Yeonho. You're mine, and mine alone."
Yejun leaned down and dragged his tongue across Yeonho's cheek.
Panic surged through Yeonho, his breath hitching as air failed to reach his lungs.
'I'm going to die... fuck...'
As Yejun's hands began forcefully groping his body, the long-repressed trauma of the gala scandal came crashing back over Yeonho.
The familiar feeling of utter helplessness paralyzed his muscles.
Seeing Yejun's manic, bloodshot eyes staring down at him in the exact same way he had years ago made Yeonho's knees go weak.
He tried to stop himself from sinking back into the memory, force himself to stay grounded, to act like the cold villain he pretended to be, but his body refused to cooperate.
'Calm down. Think of something... '
But it didn't work. Trauma ran too deep.
"I'm going to fuck you just like before," Yejun whispered hungrily. "And no one is coming to save you."
"No! Stop! Don't touch me!" Yeonho cried out.
"Stop fighting me!" Yejun barked directly into his face.
Tears welled up at the corners of Yeonho's eyes, driven by a sickening mixture of terror and rage.
Was his past really repeating itself right here?
He cursed his own arrogance. He had been an idiot to believe he could tame and control a monster like Kim Yejun.
Playing the cold, manipulative villain hadn't protected him at all—it had only pushed him straight back into the predator's jaw.
So much for believing he had changed, and look where it had brought him.
The terror drained the fight out of his body, and his mind went blank. He lay back against the counter with his head resting on the mirror, staring at the restroom ceiling.
Yejun pushed up his knitted sweater to expose his bare torso.
'Someone... save me...'
Click.
Somewhere behind them, a stall door swung open, but Yeonho's mind and body were too frozen to react.
"What the fuck? Get out. Can't you see someone's trying to have a good time here?"
Yejun froze as a tall figure stepped out, walked calmly over to the row of sinks.
"Hey!"
Yeonho couldn't tell who Yejun was shouting at. He heard only footsteps and then the tap running, a steady rush of water as someone washed his hands as calmly as if nothing in the room concerned him.
The silence unsettled Yejun more than any threat could have.
"Did you hear me?! I said get the fuck out!"
The man dried his hands on the towel hanging by the wall, still without a word.
"Don't... please..." A thin cry escape Yeonho.
"Shh, baby, don't cry." Yejun hauled him off the counter and dragged him into the stall, sitting him down on the toilet seat.
He was reaching to close the door when a huge, veined hand caught the frame.
"Huh?"
The door swung wide open.
"What the fuck is wrong with—!"
Through his blurred vision, Yeonho saw a tall figure seize Yejun by the collar, haul him out of the stall, and throw him across the floor.
Yejun scrambled up, shouting.
"Do you want to die?! I told you to get out!" Something metallic scraped against his fist.
Yeonho curled up on the seat as crashes and shouts exploded around him. His trembling fingers tugged his sweater back down, and all he could do was hold on.
___________________________________
Gyeongjae reached the end of the hallway just in time to hear a loud thud echo from inside the restroom.
He grabbed the handle and twisted it, but the door was locked from the inside.
Before he could turn away to find a staff member, he caught the faint sound of Yeonho's panicked voice yelling from within.
Gyeongjae banged his fist against the wood. "Yeonho? Are you in there?"
No answer came.
Min-Hyuk caught up, stopping beside him. "What's wrong? Where's Yeonho?"
"The door's fucking locked. He's inside. I heard his voice."
Gyeongjae pulled out his phone and speed-dialed Yeonho.
Seconds later, the quiet ring of Yeonho's phone sounded through the thick door panel.
"Let's just wait—"
"I'm not waiting. Something is wrong with that guy." Gyeongjae kept calling, one attempt after another, waiting for anyone to pick up.
Back at the table, Hana had returned and was sitting with a satisfied little smile, pleased that Yejun had backed off thanks to their deal. When she asked where the other men had gone, Jaehwan told her they were taking care of some business.
Only Hana, Seungjo, and Jaehwan remained at the table.
Suddenly, Seungjo's phone vibrated violently against the tablecloth. His phone let out a sharp warning chime.
The notification was from Yeonho's wristwatch.
He picked it up to see.
[ WARNING! Subject emotional state highly unstable! Body entering paralysis mode due to extreme psychological distress! ]
A second notification arrived right behind it.
[ Subject is located nearby. Hyperventilation may lead to cardiac arrest. ]
He opened the app, and a red alert flooded the screen.
[ Subject's body cannot be read. No data found. ]
The live tracking had gone completely dark, which could only mean something was very wrong.
"I'm going to the restroom," he said, already rising from his seat.
Hana said something behind him, but he didn't hear a word or perhaps he ignored her completely.
As he turned the corner, he tapped his screen to replay the live audio clip recorded by the watch's mic seconds before the feed died.
And what he heard was enough.
He stopped the first staff member he passed and asked for the restroom key.
The man handed it over without a single question.
When Seungjo arrived, he found Gyeongjae and Min-Hyuk standing near the locked entrance, repeatedly dialing Yeonho's phone.
"Seungjo? What the hell are you doing here?" Min-Hyuk asked when he spotted him.
"Step aside." Seungjo was already fitting the key into the lock.
The three of them stepped inside, only to find Yejun swinging wildly with brass knuckles, lunging repeatedly at Dongjun.
Dongjun sidestepped every reckless punch with effortless ease, not even bothering to strike back.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" Gyeongjae demanded, stepping up beside Dongjun.
Yejun's eyes bulged in shock as three more powerful men flooded into the room, realizing they were all Hana's wealthy suitors. Fear flickered in his chest, but his insane obsession quickly overrode his survival instinct.
"Where is he?" Gyeongjae asked, staring Yejun dead in the eye. "What did you do to Yeonho?"
"Inside that stall." Dongjun nodded toward it.
Gyeongjae glared at Dongjun. "How the hell did you get in here?"
Dongjun didn't bother answering. He drifted back toward the far wall, lit a cigarette, and watched as if waiting to see what would happen.
Gyeongjae clicked his tongue, irritated. "Move. I'm going to check if he's okay."
Before he could take a single step, Yejun threw a punch, and Gyeongjae sidestepped it with ease.
"You swing like a little bitch," he said. "Scared? We can do this the easy way. Let me through, and let me see Yeonho."
Yejun heard something in the way Gyeongjae said that name. It was close and protective, and it set his obsession on fire.
"You're not getting my Yeonho. He's mine. He only needs me. My baby only needs me. If you don't want to die, get out!"
His shouting didn't faze Gyeongjae in the slightest. If anything, Gyeongjae smiled and let out a low chuckle.
"'My Yeonho'? 'Baby'? Do you have a screw loose, you fucking bastard?"
"I don't care!" Yejun screamed hysterically, stepping back to block the stall door. "He's mine! I'm taking him somewhere where it's only us! I'm gonna fuck his body like the perfect doll he is! I've waited years for this! And No one is taking him from me!"
Gyeongjae's expression hardened into pure disgust. "You fucking son of a bitch. You have the nerve to spew that bullshit in front of me?"
"You can't stop me! " Yejun spat back at Gyeongjae. "Who the fuck are you, huh?! Shit... did you fuck him already?!"
"Watch your mouth, or I'll split your skull open." Gyeongjae warned, his fists trembling at his sides.
Seeing Gyeongjae's murderous expression, Yejun laughed even louder, mocking every single man in the room.
"HAHAHA! You did sleep with him! What now?! Did every single one of you fuck Yeonho already?!"
"Shut up and I'll fucking kill you right here." Gyeongjae's self reasoning was wavering.
Yejun didn't stop at all.
"Did you all take turns fucking him too?! You high-and-mighty pieces of shit! You think you're special?! Huh?! You fuckers! You think you can have him?! Too bad! He'll never forget me! I'm buried deep in his mind along with every other guy who laid a hand on him or should i say every guy who raped him! Hahaha!"
Yejun's hysterical laughter echoed off the marble tiles. "My sweet, perfect Yeonho... built just to be used by men! Hahaha!"
Listening to Yejun mock Yeonho's trauma so shamelessly, Gyeongjae's self-control snapped completely. He lunged forward to cave Yejun's face in.
"Don't." Seungjo caught Gyeongjae's shoulder. "Do you want everyone finding out a brawl broke out in the restroom?"
Gyeongjae was itching to make Yejun bleed. He wanted to wreck that face and break both his legs, but Seungjo was right.
Slowly, his shaking fist lowered to his side.
Behind Yejun's shoulder, the stall door stayed shut.
No breath, no sob, not even the faintest sound came from inside, and that silence frightened Gyeonjae, Min-hyuk, even Seungjo more than anything Yejun had said.
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