PAHO 71

A hoarse voice, like dry tree bark. Even without turning around, he could roughly guess whose mouth it came out of. It had to be that disgusting old man who had been clapping his hands and amusing himself alone just a moment ago, the Chairman of the National Defense Committee, Choi Seokdae.

“Hey, you there. Didn’t you hear me? Huh? Can’t you speak Korean? Moshi moshi? Ni hao? Sawadee krap?”

Despite the obvious provocation ringing in his ears, Nam Gyeonhwa ignored it and focused solely on helping Na Taebeom up. He wrapped Na Taebeom’s left arm over his shoulder and lifted him, and Na Taebeom leaned his whole body against Nam Gyeonhwa as if pouring himself onto him. Barely managing to keep his balance, Nam Gyeonhwa held onto him and tried to slowly take a step.

A liquor bottle flew from behind and smashed against a marble pillar with a loud crash, and screams erupted from here and there. Nam Gyeonhwa silently looked down at the liquid that had flowed all the way to the tips of his sneakers. The sound of splashing footsteps grew closer.

“You’re straight-up ignoring me.”

Holding onto the body that kept slumping over as its center of gravity faltered, Nam Gyeonhwa caught his breath. At that moment, the person who seemed to be the head of security ran into the hall and approached Choi Seokdae.

“Chairman Choi, are you alright.”

At the polite question, Choi Seokdae, rolling his eyes menacingly, abruptly slapped the man across the face.

“First Lieutenant Park. I told you to keep a good lookout, and this is the best you can do? Huh? Didn’t I tell you to keep a good watch and not let anyone in?”

“…I apologize.”

“Apologize? You son of a bitch, is saying sorry enough? Your head is dumber than a military dog’s. Or should I send you up on that stage right now and have you whip out your dick?”

Choi Seokdae, having berated him, slapped his cheek again in succession. Despite the character assassination and violence, First Lieutenant Park stood with his hands clasped behind his back and didn’t resist once. After slapping his face to his heart’s content until both cheeks were red and swollen, Choi Seokdae panted and gestured toward the doorway with his eyes.

“Before I make you put on a nude show, drag that bastard who’s trying to leave over here first.”

First Lieutenant Park, both of his cheeks swollen, bowed his head deeply and turned around. While the argument was happening, Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been trying to discreetly exit the door while supporting Na Taebeom, bit his lip upon seeing the soldiers blocking his escape route.

Grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragged back, Nam Gyeonhwa was forced to his knees, pushed down by the stout men standing behind him. He lifted his head and confirmed that Na Taebeom had been tossed onto a sofa across the room, where he sat slumped over. Helped back to his spot by other soldiers, he was leaning against the sofa, only panting silently. It was hard to believe he had just drunk a lot of alcohol. Seeing that he was barely conscious and couldn’t even move properly, it was clear he was high on drugs, not drunk.

If he could at least get Na Taebeom outside and hand him over to Gwon Jongdae or Gwon Seong-a, they could deal with the aftermath more quickly, but looking at the state of the soldiers surrounding them so tightly, it seemed it would be difficult to carry him on his back and run away secretly.

Tap. The tip of a dress shoe that had cast a shadow at his feet tapped the floor. Choi Seokdae, who had approached at some point, was looking down at Nam Gyeonhwa.

“I thought you were mixed-race because you couldn’t understand what I was saying, but I guess not.”

A slimy gaze swept over his face. A faint, limp smile appeared on the uncommonly clean-cut face.

“Judging by your looks, you’re definitely not a reporter. If you were one of the flitting staff, I would’ve remembered your face, but I’ve never seen you before.”

“……”

“I wonder who you might be?”

At the swaggering question, Nam Gyeonhwa took a deep breath.

“…I’m the direct bodyguard for Superintendent Na Taebeom of the Wiyeonggwan.”

“Direct bodyguard?”

Choi Seokdae burst into a sneer and tapped his dress shoe again. Tap, tap.

“So what’s your name.”

“……”

“I know your affiliation, so what’s your name.”

Without even giving him a moment to think, Choi Seokdae bent down, grabbed his chin, and forced his head up. The gaze that swept down the white face revealed under the stage lights glistened lewdly.

“If you don’t tell me in three seconds, I’ll make up a name for you and call you whatever I want. I’m pretty good at naming things, you see. That guy up on stage got a new name today too. ‘Dog’s Cunt.’”

Three, two, one. Even as the numbers counted down, Nam Gyeonhwa remained silent. Choi Seokdae, smiling slyly, curled the hand that had been holding his chin into a hook and slowly stroked his lower jaw.

“Let’s see, your face looks so soft and tender, just perfect for sucking dick. Should I call you a fleshlight?”

At the humiliating verbal abuse, Nam Gyeonhwa’s pupils trembled faintly. The Yanggang Prison fleshlight. Assume the frog position. Jeers and laughter shook his mind, sending a cold chill down his spine, while his captive arms trembled with rage. Turning his chin to show Nam Gyeonhwa’s face to the soldiers, Choi Seokdae looked at First Lieutenant Park.

“First Lieutenant, what do you think of this bastard’s face? He says he’s the superintendent’s bodyguard, but no matter how I look at him, doesn’t he look perfect to be used as a fleshlight rather than a bodyguard?”

“…I’m not sure, sir.”

“Well, I’ll be damned, look at him playing coy. You’re saying you’ll only get a feel for it once he’s stripped and you’ve fucked him?”

A flash of contempt crossed the lieutenant’s troubled face. First Lieutenant Park opened his mouth.

“Chairman Choi. This is a civilian who has nothing to do with us. It would be best not to provoke him any further. Word will get out.”

“Word will get out? Are you notifying me right to my face that you’ll file an internal report? Who do you all think you are, so high and mighty, when you volunteered to follow me all the way to Nakdo hoping for a promotion thanks to me, huh?”

“The other VIPs are still inside.”

“Fuck, so what? I took a glance earlier and they didn’t seem like a big deal, and you’re giving me shit over something like that?”

Incensed, Choi Seokdae pushed First Lieutenant Park’s forehead with his finger. First Lieutenant Park, his brow furrowed from a sudden surge of temper, trembled with clenched fists before finally looking away. It was a silent submission.

The gaze that had briefly turned away stuck to Nam Gyeonhwa again. Choi Seokdae picked up a bottle of water rolling at his feet, wet his throat, and walked in front of the soldiers standing in a line with their hands clasped behind their backs, sizing them up as if choosing merchandise. Before long, Choi Seokdae picked out the one with the slimmest build.

“Sergeant Lee, you. Get it on with this bastard. Let me watch for a bit.”

The appointed Sergeant Lee swallowed dryly. Frowning at the man’s helpless expression, Choi Seokdae grabbed his own crotch.

“Are you deaf? Take off your pants, pull out your dick, and fuck this guy!”

“Yes, I will carry out the order.”

While Sergeant Lee, who had flinched, hesitantly undid his belt, Choi Seokdae grumbled and rinsed his hands with the leftover water, then returned to the sofa and sat down. A young man who had been cowering on the sofa as if dead crawled over, trembling, and offered him a glass of liquor, but Choi Seokdae shoved him away as if annoyed.

“Let go, I said let go!”

As the figure drew closer, Nam Gyeonhwa violently shook his captured arms, resisting. A maelstrom of voices churned in his mind. Look at this bastard leaking from his front and back. He won’t need to drink water for a few days. Distant laughter made his eyes grow hot, and nausea welled up in his throat.

The hesitating Sergeant Lee clutched his lower body and thrust his hips toward Nam Gyeonhwa. The moment the half-erect tip, peeking through sloppily opened underwear, came close to his lips, Nam Gyeonhwa pulled both of his struggling arms forward with force. At the strong resistance, the two stout men who had been holding his arms on either side staggered. Among them, the grip of the soldier holding his right wrist loosened.

“Hey, hey, grab him! Quickly!”

As Nam Gyeonhwa yanked his arm free with brute force, the stout men pounced on him to keep him from escaping, pinning him down with their whole bodies. A face sending a vulgar, unpleasant laugh toward the struggling man flashed before his eyes.

Just then, with a clattering noise, a table was overturned.

“Fuck. It’s so damn loud.”

Along with the presence of a heavy figure, a low voice resonated deeply. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been twisting his body with force while pulling on the carpet, looked up at the figure staggering toward him. Na Taebeom, pressing his temples and frowning, slowly approached Choi Seokdae.

“Hey, that thing from earlier today, it wasn’t alcohol, was it.”

His growling breaths were evident with every step. Before he could get close to Choi Seokdae, two soldiers blocked Na Taebeom’s path. Na Taebeom glared back and forth at the two stout men, who were visibly tense, and cracked his neck.

“…I was going to let it slide if I could, and send you back nicely. But fuck, you’re so disgusting I can’t stand to watch anymore.”

At those words, Choi Seokdae’s eyes flashed. Na Taebeom, who had been lightly shaking out his fists, suddenly staggered and leaned against the sofa. His panting face was clouded. The soldier, having reconfirmed that he was in a weak state, unable to even keep his balance, rushed toward him.

“Na Taebeom!”

At the same time as Nam Gyeonhwa shouted, Na Taebeom was pushed by the charging soldier and fell to the floor. Normally, it would have been difficult for even two stout men to handle him, but perhaps spurred on by how surprisingly easy he was to subdue, the soldier abruptly mounted the fallen body. He threw a series of punches at Na Taebeom, who was struggling just to catch his breath. Barely blocking the punches with his hands, he pushed away the opponent weighing down on his body.

“Fuck. Some fucking piece of shit.”

Staggering as he barely got to his feet, he muttered a curse with a sharp look on his face. The soldier who had retreated a step let out a battle cry and once again threw his body hard at Na Taebeom. The two entangled bodies tumbled onto the sofa, and the overturned table rattled in time with the fierce struggle.

“Wow, he’s holding out better than I thought.”

At the surprisingly evenly matched brawl, Choi Seokdae giggled. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had confirmed with a sidelong glance the man’s carefree profile as if he were watching a play, clenched his teeth. If something were to happen to Na Taebeom before the Special Police Unit arrived, everything they had done so far would go awry. Now, with all the attention on Na Taebeom, was likely the most unguarded moment. Taking a deep breath, Nam Gyeonhwa slammed the back of his head hard into the face of the soldier holding him tightly from behind.

Thwack. With a loud impact sound, the soldier who was pushed back with a single scream was then struck hard with an elbow, and without a second thought, he immediately rushed toward Choi Seokdae.

“What—!”

Before he could even finish his shout, Nam Gyeonhwa quickly covered his nose and mouth with his palm. With a gulping sound, the man’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice. Before long, the struggling body went limp. Grabbing a wine opener from the table, Nam Gyeonhwa aimed it at the unconscious Choi Seokdae’s neck.

“……”

His eyes, glaring at the soldiers standing under the chaotic music, were venomous and fierce. This wasn’t simply a hostage situation to resolve the current crisis. His personal rage, determined to kill the scumbag who had inflicted such a terrible humiliation, even showed a sense of anguish.

A soldier standing beside him called out, “Captain.” It was a question of what to do. Although his movements were quite fast, the opponent was just one person, and he could be subdued if three or four of them jumped him. First Lieutenant Park, who had been watching silently, stepped back instead of using force.

“We won’t cross the line.”

In truth, the line had been crossed long ago. So, it was a gesture of goodwill, stating that they wouldn’t let things spiral into a complete disaster. At First Lieutenant Park’s single command, the remaining soldiers also stopped, standing at parade rest. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been glaring at them with a cold face while holding the opener, finally lowered his hand and pushed Choi Seokdae away. Despite falling to the floor, Choi Seokdae showed no sign of waking up and remained quiet. As the ferocious atmosphere seemed to subside, the staff members who had been holding their breath here and there began to exit through the door one by one. Following that, the sound of footsteps rushing down echoed, and the ones who appeared were the Special Police Unit.

“Are you alright.”

Na Taebeom, in the middle of wrapping a blanket Gil Useong handed him around his body, pressed his throbbing temple.

“Fuck. My head hurts and I’m so dizzy I could die.”

“They said they’re bringing a narcotic antidote painkiller from the medical center. The alcohol you were drinking was immediately sealed and handed over as evidence.”

Despite the ongoing situation report, Na Taebeom just held his head and pressed it firmly. He had planned to meet Choi Seokdae as scheduled and leave the reception room, but the man had suddenly offered a drink, saying it was a gift he’d received. They had done a body search before entry, and he figured what could happen with just one glass, so he accepted it without a word, and that was the source of the trouble.

At some point, the surrounding lights began to feel sharp like needles, and his consciousness started to fade in and out. Even when he closed his eyes, it was dizzying and nauseating, as if paint had been poured between his eyelids, so every time he closed and opened them, light and sound shook his senses like demons.

“Fucking hell, seriously. I don’t get what’s so great about this shit that they take it. This is why I hate junkies.”

Because his memory was spotty, he couldn’t even recall what he had talked about with Choi Seokdae. He had been introduced to him as a person of interest who maintained a close relationship with the defense industry enterprise said to be the most influential in the country after Samwon, but that was now all for naught. If he had known sooner that the guy was not only impotent but also a voyeuristic pervert, he wouldn’t have even bothered to entertain him personally.

Even in that state where it was hard to open his eyes, the feeling of tightly hugging something warm and cozy with both arms was vivid. And even the sensation of that cozy warmth embracing him back. Gil Useong, who had been gazing intently at Na Taebeom as he frowned and slowly sifted through his mind, opened his mouth.

“Still, thanks to Officer Nam Gyeonhwa, it seems it won’t be difficult to resolve the situation.”

“Nam Gyeonhwa? What did my puppy do?”

“Don’t you remember, sir? The one who entered the room where you were first was Officer Nam Gyeonhwa.”