Chapter-2👀

THUD.

Lee Yun’s body collapsed onto the classroom floor.

For a moment, the entire room froze as nobody seemed to know what to do.

“W-What happened?!”

“Hey!”

Several students immediately stood in panic while others stared at the unconscious figure on the floor.

Han Tae’s eyes widened slightly as he looked down at Yun, and for the first time that morning, his usual indifference disappeared.

Without saying anything, Tae stood up, bent down, lifted Yun onto his back with ease, and carried him toward the door while the entire class watched in disbelief.

Because Han Tae had never looked like someone who cared about anyone, especially not like this.

One of the girls whispered,

“Han Tae is carrying him…?”

“Since when does he care about people?”

Tae ignored them and continued toward the medical room.

The college nurse immediately checked Yun’s condition after Tae carefully placed him on the bed.

“He probably collapsed because of stress and a fever,” she explained.

Tae listened silently, his eyes remaining on Yun’s pale face before finally turning away and leaving.

A few minutes later, he returned to the classroom as though nothing had happened, but the moment he entered, everyone looked at him again.

One of his friends finally asked,

“…Do you know that guy?”

“No. I don’t.”

“Then why did you carry him to the medical room?”

“You literally gave him a piggyback ride.”

Tae clicked his tongue.

“Because he collapsed beside me.”

“I had no choice.”

Even after hearing his explanation, nobody seemed convinced.

After classes ended, Tae’s phone suddenly rang.

The moment he saw the caller ID, his expression darkened slightly.

“I need to take care of something.”

With that, he left Hanguk University.

---

An hour later, several black cars stopped in front of an abandoned shed far from the city.

The area was almost completely silent, with only dripping water and the occasional movement of the wind disturbing the darkness.

Tae stepped out first, his brown hair tied loosely into a messy bun as he adjusted the sleeves of his black shirt.

Several men followed behind him like shadows.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody dared to.

Kim Joo, Tae’s right-hand man, stepped forward and opened the rusted shed door.

Inside, a restrained man sat on the floor, his clothes dirty and disheveled as he stared nervously at the people entering.

The moment his eyes met Tae’s, his entire body stiffened.

Kim Joo spoke quietly.

“That bastard borrowed 300 million from your father and hasn’t even paid back one million.”

Tae remained silent.

“And now he came asking for another 100 million.”

Kim Joo paused before continuing.

“When your father refused, he started blackmailing us.”

“He threatened to expose you.”

The man suddenly laughed nervously.

“So what if your classmates find out?”

“What are you gonna do?”

Tae slowly walked forward and sat in front of him.

“Pay back the 300 million within three weeks.”

The man scoffed.

“And if I don’t?”

“I’ll expose everything.”

A dangerous silence filled the shed.

Tae slowly turned his head.

“Kim Joo.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Get me a rod.”

The atmosphere immediately tightened.

What followed was enough to make everyone inside the shed lower their eyes.

When it finally ended, Tae grabbed the man by the collar and leaned closer.

“Three fingers.”

The man trembled.

“For the 300 million.”

Tae’s light green eyes hardened.

“And one toe…”

His voice remained dangerously calm.

“For blackmailing me.”

The man immediately began begging, but Tae remained unmoved.

After releasing him, Tae stepped back.

“If you fail to pay the 300 million within three weeks…”

His gaze remained cold.

“And if you blackmail me again…”

“You’ll regret ever coming after me.”

A few minutes later, Tae changed into a plain black shirt and walked out of the shed.

The cold night air brushed against his face.

He reached into his pocket for a cigarette.

Nothing.

His fingers found only an empty packet.

“…Tch.”

Annoyed, he shoved his hands into his pockets and headed toward a nearby convenience store.

---

The bright fluorescent lights of the store glowed against the darkness.

Tae pushed the glass door open.

The moment he stepped inside

He stopped.

Behind the counter stood Lee Yun in a convenience store uniform.

His pale face looked exhausted beneath the harsh white lights, and dark circles rested beneath his tired eyes.

For a few seconds, Tae simply stared at him.

Yun noticed him as well but quietly looked away and continued scanning items.

Tae’s expression immediately darkened.

Earlier that day, Yun had collapsed right in front of him.

Before leaving the medical room, Tae had even left a short note beside the bed.

Go to the hospital after waking up.

Yet instead of resting, this idiot was working.

Tae walked toward the counter.

“Are you fucking crazy?!”

Yun froze.

“You collapsed this morning!”

His voice echoed through the store.

“You had a fucking fever!”

Several customers turned nervously toward them.

“I told you to go to the hospital! Then why the fuck are you working right now?!”

Yun lowered his eyes.

“…I’m fine.”

Tae let out an irritated laugh.

“Fine?”

“You looked half dead this morning.”

A coworker quickly came out from the back room.

“What happened?”

“He has a fever,” Tae snapped. “And he collapsed earlier.”

Her eyes widened.

“What?!”

She turned toward Yun.

“I told him to rest earlier too, but he refused.”

Tae clicked his tongue before grabbing Yun’s wrist.

“You’re going to the hospital.”

“I said I’m fi”

“No the fuck you’re not.”

He pulled Yun outside.

A black car was parked nearby.

“Get in.”

Yun quietly sat in the passenger seat.

As he reached for the seatbelt, Tae suddenly leaned over and grabbed it first.

Yun froze.

Tae calmly pulled the belt across him and clicked it into place before leaning back as though nothing unusual had happened.

The inside of the car became completely silent.

After several minutes, Yun finally spoke.

“…Why are you doing this?”

Tae kept his eyes on the road.

“We’re not even close.”

Silence followed.

Then Tae finally answered, irritation obvious in his voice.

“Because I’m irritated.”

Yun looked toward him.

“You collapsed in front of me.”

His grip tightened around the steering wheel.

“I left you a note telling you to go to the hospital, but instead of resting, you went to work looking like you were about to collapse again.”

He clicked his tongue.

“…It’s fucking annoying.”

---

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of the hospital.

After checking Yun, the doctor looked through the reports.

“He has a high fever, and honestly, his physical condition isn’t good.”

Tae’s brows furrowed.

“He’s suffering from malnutrition, stress, and lack of sleep.”

The doctor sighed.

“If he continues living like this, he’ll collapse again sooner or later.”

Yun quietly lowered his eyes.

“Make sure he eats properly, rests enough, and avoids overworking himself for a while.”

Tae remained silent before turning toward Yun.

“You’re fucking nineteen.”

Yun looked up.

“Then why the fuck do you have malnutrition?”

He sounded more frustrated than angry.

“Do you not eat properly?”

Yun remained silent.

“Don’t you have anyone to take care of you?”

The moment those words left his mouth, the room became completely silent.

Yun’s fingers rested motionlessly against the blanket.

Tae clicked his tongue softly before asking again, this time in a quieter voice.

“Don’t you have anyone to take care of you?”

Silence.

Slowly, Yun lifted his head and met Tae’s eyes.

There was no anger in them.

No sadness.

Only exhaustion and a loneliness that had existed for far too long.

Then Yun quietly answered,

“No.”

A small pause followed.

“I don’t.”