Chapter-7🥲

He looked directly at Tae.

“Make sure everyone understands who Tiger Gang truly belongs to now.”

The moment the serious conversation ended, Chairman Han’s playful expression immediately returned as though the coldness from a moment ago had never existed, and he stood up from the couch while dramatically opening his arms toward his son.

“Come give your father a poppo.”

Tae completely ignored him and simply walked past without slowing down.

“Sleep well, my baby!”

Tae didn’t turn around, although a small smile quietly appeared on his lips despite his best effort to hide it, while behind him, Chairman Han eventually sat back down on the couch and stared silently toward the ceiling.

There were too many thoughts running through his mind, too many things he needed to consider and too many possibilities he needed to prepare for, although his expression remained calm.

Meanwhile, Tae headed toward the bathroom, where the warm water slowly washed away the exhaustion clinging to his body, but strangely, his thoughts refused to quiet down and instead kept drifting back toward Yun.

The faint bruise on his cheek.

The sadness in his eyes.

The way Tae had gently touched the mark earlier.

Then, slowly, his thoughts drifted toward something else.

The forehead kiss.

The brief moment when Tae’s lips had touched his forehead.

The embarrassment suddenly hit him all over again.

Tae closed his eyes and groaned quietly.

“Ah… fuck.”

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

Even though he genuinely regretted acting without thinking, a small and uncontrollable smile still appeared on his face because somewhere inside, he was happy that he had done it.

After finishing his shower, Tae walked into his bedroom wearing a bathrobe and collapsed onto the bed, staring silently at the ceiling while the image of Yun refusing to look at him continued replaying inside his mind.

After a few moments, Tae reached for his phone and opened WeChat, scrolling through his contacts before suddenly remembering that he had completely forgotten to take Yun’s number.

“Tch…”

He clicked his tongue softly before opening the group chat with Jun and the others instead, where dozens of unread messages were waiting.

He didn't bother reading them and simply typed a short message.

Take care of Yun for the next two days.

A few seconds later, another message appeared.

If anyone messes with him, message me immediately.

The group chat instantly became noisy.

What the hell?

You’re seriously acting strange these days.

Since when did you start caring about people?

Tae ignored every message, locked his phone, and placed it beside him before closing his eyes.

A few minutes later, exhaustion finally caught up with him, and he fell asleep peacefully.

---

The next morning, several black cars quietly left Seoul and began heading toward Busan, their dark silhouettes moving through the early morning streets as the city slowly disappeared behind them.

Before the journey began, Tae called Kim Joo.

“We’re taking Kim Hyuk with us.”

There was a slight pause on the other end of the call because Kim Hyuk was one of the men who had worked under Chairman Han for years, and hearing his name unexpectedly made a strange feeling settle inside Kim Joo’s chest.

“…Understood,” Kim Joo replied calmly.

Although the feeling remained, he didn't allow it to show in his voice or expression.

The cars started moving toward Busan.

Kim Hyuk sat inside one of the vehicles with Tae and Kim Joo, and after driving for some time, he casually glanced toward Tae.

“By the way, Tae…”

“Where are we going?”

Tae didn't answer, his eyes remaining fixed on the road ahead, so Kim Joo calmly answered instead.

“It’s just some small business in Busan.”

Kim Hyuk didn't seem suspicious and simply leaned back against his seat before closing his eyes.

Outside the window, Seoul gradually disappeared into the distance as the road stretched farther toward Busan.

---

Yun quietly entered the classroom while holding his bag tightly against his chest, and knowing that Tae wouldn't be coming to college that day made the campus feel strangely emptier than usual.

He slowly looked toward the seat near the window where he usually sat and had just started walking toward it when he suddenly heard someone calling his name.

“Hey, Yun!”

“Over here, come here.”

Yun stopped and looked toward the voice, where Jun was sitting with his friends and waving him over.

He hesitated because he didn't really want to go, but after realizing that refusing might only make things worse, he quietly walked toward them and sat beside Jun.

The moment he sat down, Jun casually threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer, making Yun immediately uncomfortable as he tried to move away slightly, although Jun clearly understood that Yun didn't like it and still didn't remove his arm.

“Tae told us he isn't coming to college for two days,” Jun said casually. “Do you know why?”

Yun struggled to move Jun’s arm away while keeping his eyes lowered.

“Hmm…”

“I don't know.”

Suddenly, Jun became loud.

“Ow! Ow!”

Everyone around him immediately turned toward him.

“What happened?”

“My shoulder!”

“Ow, ow…”

“I think I have a cramp in my shoulder.”

Jun glanced at his friend and lifted the corner of his lips into a small, knowing smile before resting his head against Yun’s shoulder.

“Yun…”

“I have a cramp in my shoulder.”

“Can you go to the nurse’s room and get me some pills?”

Yun stared at him silently, clearly not wanting to go, but the words refused to come out, and after a moment of hesitation, he quietly stood up and headed toward the nurse’s room.

A few minutes later, he returned with the medicine and sat back down beside Jun, only for Jun to immediately frown.

“Why did you take so long?”

“Because of you, my cramp became even more painful.”

Yun lowered his head without answering, and before he could settle back into his seat, Yuji suddenly looked toward him.

“Yun.”

“Can you go get some bread and milk?”

Yun hesitated because he wanted to refuse, but once again, the words didn't come, so he quietly nodded and stood up.

After that, everyone began telling him what they wanted, asking for bread, milk, drinks, and snacks until Yun finally gathered enough courage to speak.

“Um…”

“Can you give me the money?”

The mood immediately changed.

Yuji rolled her eyes.

“Yaa…”

“Don't you have money?”

“Go and buy it with your own money.”

“You're seriously driving me crazy.”

Yun slowly raised his head and looked at her quietly before answering in a low voice.

“Um…”

“I…”

“I don't have money.”

Yuji’s expression immediately became irritated.

“Ahh… fuck.”

“This guy is seriously making me crazy.”

One of the other boys laughed before leaning back in his chair.

“Aww…”

“My beautiful Yuji.”

“Don't be so hard on him.”

“He might cry.”

The entire group burst into laughter, and Yuji eventually reached into her pocket, pulled out some money, and threw it toward Yun.

“Now go.”

“Go get everything we asked for.”

More laughter followed as Yun slowly bent down and picked up the money from the floor before walking toward the cafeteria.

Behind him, they continued talking about how easy Yun was to bully, how he never fought back, and how he always did whatever they told him to do.

Ten minutes later, Yun returned carrying several plastic bags in both hands and quietly handed everything to them, but unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it.

For the next hour, they continued sending him on errands, constantly changing their minds and making unreasonable excuses.

“I don't eat this.”

“I’m allergic to that.”

“Go get something else.”

“Bring me this.”

“Go buy that.”

Yun barely had a chance to sit down as he continued moving back and forth across the campus, his legs beginning to ache and his breathing growing heavier with every trip, yet he never complained and simply continued doing whatever they told him.

After some time, Jun suddenly stopped talking and looked around.

“Guys…”

“Don't you smell something?”

One of his friends sniffed the air before frowning.

“Yeah…”

“I smell something disgusting.”

Yuji frowned.

“I think it’s pee.”

Yun stood in front of them in confusion, his entire uniform damp with sweat because he hadn't been given a chance to rest, his face pale and his hair sticking lightly to his forehead, yet none of them seemed to notice how exhausted he actually was.

Instead, they all looked directly at him.

Yuji took a step backward.

“Don't come closer.”

A few others covered their noses while another student opened the classroom door.

“What's that smell?”

“Seriously…”

Yun immediately shook his head.

“No…”

“It's not pee.”

“It's just…”

“My sweat.”

But nobody listened, and the more they laughed, the more Yun felt the familiar weight beginning to settle inside his chest.

Some students continued laughing while others pointed at him, and the voices around him slowly began blending together with memories from years ago.

The laughter.

The pointing fingers.

The mocking voices.

The humiliation.

Everything felt painfully familiar.

And once again, Yun hadn't done anything wrong.

He had done everything they asked.

He hadn't complained.

He hadn't fought back.

Yet somehow, he was still the one standing there while everyone laughed at him.

His chest tightened as he tried to take a steady breath, but it came out shaky and uneven, and after forcing himself to remain calm for another few seconds, he finally reached for his bag.

Without looking back at anyone, Yun ran.

---

The moment he reached home, Yun threw his backpack onto the floor before walking straight into the bathroom, where cold water poured endlessly from the shower above him and quickly soaked his clothes and hair.

At first, Yun tried to hold everything inside, standing silently beneath the water with trembling shoulders while his uneven breathing echoed softly against the bathroom walls, but eventually, the emotions he had been forcing down became too heavy to contain.

He broke down.

After sliding down onto the bathroom floor, Yun remained there for a long time, staring blankly ahead as the cold water continued falling around him while memories of his past mixed with what had happened that morning.

Later, exhausted beyond words, Yun fell asleep on the bare floor without even bothering to get a blanket.

The memories continued haunting him, replaying the laughter from today and the humiliation from years ago until he felt as though he had been dragged back into the same helpless place he had spent so long trying to escape.

He didn't want to go to work.

He didn't want to see anyone.

He didn't want to do anything.

But he needed money.

He needed to survive.

So eventually, Yun forced himself to stand, changed his clothes, and walked toward the convenience store with the same exhaustion weighing heavily on every step.

When he arrived, he looked completely exhausted, his face pale enough to immediately attract attention, but he still had to work because he didn't have the luxury of simply going home.

Minji noticed him almost immediately and quietly approached him.

“Oppa…”

“What happened?”

“Is everything okay?”

Yun didn't answer, simply looking at her with eyes filled with tears that refused to fall while his throat felt painfully dry.

Minji immediately understood that he wasn't okay, but she didn't ask again because she felt that if she pushed him any further, he might break down completely, so she quietly left for the storage room and gave him the space he seemed to need.

A few minutes later, the convenience store door opened, and a group of people entered while laughing and talking loudly, their voices filling the quiet store.

Yun slowly looked up.

“Welcome.”

But the moment he saw their faces, he froze.

The past suddenly rushed back into his mind, and his breathing became uneven as one of the men stepped closer to the counter and stared at Yun for several seconds before turning toward his friends.

He pointed toward Yun.

“Hey, guys…”

“Do you remember this guy?”

The whispers began immediately, followed by laughter.

“Haha…”

“I remember him.”

“Isn't this our kawai Lee Yun?”

Ryunseok looked directly at Yun’s face with a mocking smile.

“Hey…”

“Are you still living that pathetic life?”

Yun couldn't answer because his vision suddenly blurred and his body felt weak, and before he could steady himself, his knees gave way beneath him.

THUD.

He collapsed onto the floor.

Ryunseok stared down at him without showing even the slightest concern.

“I didn't even do anything.”

“I thought we were going to have some fun.”

“But he just collapsed.”

He stared at Yun for a few seconds before nudging him lightly with his foot.

“Hey…”

“Wake up.”

The storage room door suddenly opened, and Minji rushed outside the moment she heard the commotion.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Should I call the police?”

“Or are you going to leave?”

The group immediately became uncomfortable, and after exchanging glances, they finally left the convenience store.

Minji watched them disappear down the street before quickly rushing toward Yun and carefully helping him sit up.

“Yun!”

She brought him some water and stayed beside him until she was certain that he was conscious and able to respond properly, but after looking at his exhausted face, she realized there was no way she could allow him to continue working like this.

So she closed the convenience store early.

Even though Yun quietly protested and insisted that he could still work, Minji refused to listen and simply shook her head.

“You're going home.”

“You're not working anymore tonight.”

Yun didn't have the strength to argue with her, so Minji helped him back to his apartment, where she prepared something simple for him to eat and stayed until she was certain that he had finished.

Eventually, Yun lay down, and within minutes, exhaustion pulled him into a deep sleep.

Minji stood quietly beside him for a moment and watched his peaceful face, noticing how different he looked while sleeping compared to the exhausted and frightened expression he had been wearing earlier.

After a few moments, she slowly picked up her bag and left the apartment.

For several minutes, Minji simply walked in silence before reaching into her pocket and opening WeChat, where she stared at the screen for a moment before finally opening a conversation.

Her fingers slowly moved across the keyboard.

Something happened to Yun at the convenience store.