I need to sleep. I have to sleep to go to work. I need to sleep, but… Ah, sh*t. Soo-hyun sat bolt upright in bed. Having arrived at dawn and trying to catch even a brief moment of sleep, sleep wouldn’t come, and his mind only grew more alert. He felt like he’d downed several energy drinks.

Sighing deeply, he glared at the tightly closed wardrobe. Having brought it all the way here because he couldn’t find a suitable storage locker in the early morning, he wasn’t sure if it had been the right decision. Wondering if that thing was keeping him awake, he got out of bed and approached the wardrobe.

Opening the bag and taking out the object, a sparkling item revealed itself.

“If this is real diamond…”

Just imagining it made him feel thrillingly excited. He wanted to get it properly appraised but had nowhere trustworthy to take it. If he acted carelessly and got reported to the police like last time, he’d be in serious trouble. If he’d known this would happen, he should have kept in touch with his prison buddies. There was someone there who dealt with stolen goods, wasn’t there?

With belated regret, he searched online for the differences between diamonds and cubic zirconia. Several photos appeared. He held one between his thumb and index finger, comparing it against the fluorescent light again and again. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem like cubic zirconia.

His eyes hurt from staring at it so long. Damn it. Finally, he opened the wardrobe again. Inside sat the bag containing cash and bonds he’d received from Yang Ho-beom. He removed those and hid what he presumed to be diamonds deep inside.

He felt like he’d won the lottery overnight. According to his search, if they were diamonds, they were about 3 carats each, and depending on the type, worth around 20-30 million won each. With 30 pieces in total, the amount would be… As he calculated in his head, the corners of his mouth gradually curled upward.

Soo-hyun locked the wardrobe door tightly, like Pandora’s box. Lying in bed, his mind remained wide awake. Before his eyes, the diamonds—or what he presumed to be diamonds—danced. If those were real diamonds, he’d have enough to run away and live comfortably.

Of course, he desperately wanted revenge against Seo Min-jun too. But as time passed, he grew anxious about whether it was possible. Would people really believe him? He had been to prison, had a history of psychiatric treatment, had struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and had numerous s*xual partners over the years.

His thoughts increasingly leaned toward running away. Then Yang Ho-beom’s face appeared in his mind. If Seo Min-jun’s father-in-law became president, Seo Min-jun would gain tremendous power… Would he really leave Yang Ho-beom, who was his mortal enemy?

“Ah, seriously…”

Why am I worrying about that guy? Soo-hyun rolled around hugging his rolled-up blanket, groaning. Then he dozed off and happened to dream of being chased by a tiger. It was a white tiger as big as a house, appearing wherever he went, baring its teeth and threatening him.

He woke with a start and, even knowing it was a dream, rubbed his face vigorously to shake off the creepy feeling. Looking at the clock, it was almost time to go to work. Moving his body might make him feel better. Soo-hyun slowly went to the bathroom, showered, and came out. As he was changing clothes, the manager who had finished the night shift entered.

“You’re up already?”

“You’re back…”

“What’s with your face? Couldn’t sleep?”

Soo-hyun just smiled weakly. The manager took out his phone while undressing. He turned on YouTube and played a channel he subscribed to. Whenever he came to the dorm, he always turned on videos before heading to the shower. Something must have happened because this time he let out a regretful sigh.

“I think our Cheri is sick. They say she can’t upload videos for a while.”

Cheri was the name of a dog from the channel he was devoted to. During livestreams, the dog’s owner had mentioned his username several times for how much he donated for treats. He mainly watched mukbang and animal videos, with Cheri being his favorite. Soo-hyun thought that perhaps, just like how he himself used to live glued to the TV out of loneliness, the manager might be the same.

“Do you find that entertaining?”

“Yeah. It’s my only pleasure.”

“Don’t say that. You should create an account and broadcast too. Everyone’s doing it these days.”

“Not everyone can broadcast. First, you need the looks…”

The manager stopped talking and stared at Soo-hyun. Thinking something was on his face, Soo-hyun rubbed his cheek, and the manager snapped his fingers, pointing at him.

“You should do it. You’re perfect. Kids who look like you get subscribers just by sitting and folding paper.”

Huh, Soo-hyun laughed with a dumbfounded expression. No thanks. Who would watch paper folding? What kind of broadcast could someone like me do? If I did, those debt collectors who used to chase me would probably swarm in from all directions. This time, they might really take my kidney.

Then a thought occurred to him. If my face became known, wouldn’t people wonder about my well-being? If I suddenly disappeared, wouldn’t there be at least one person like the manager who would worry? At the very least, I might avoid dying like a dog.

As his thoughts spiraled, the manager naturally grabbed his underwear and headed to the bathroom.

“Soo-hyun, eat breakfast before coming up. Don’t starve yourself.”

Not forgetting to nag. After telling him he understood, Soo-hyun changed into his uniform and headed to the 22nd floor. He’d lost his appetite long ago, breakfast or otherwise. He tapped his card and opened the penthouse door, and today the air felt particularly heavy.

On the table were empty liquor bottles, broken glasses, and drops of blood. Soo-hyun immediately sensed something was wrong. Could Kim Woo-young have been murdered here last night? Instinctively looking at the window, it was intact with no sign of damage.

Cautiously moving to the bedroom, he saw someone lying face down with their upper body exposed. A dragon tattoo writhed on the man’s back. Why is Yang Ho-beom here…? Since Soo-hyun started working, Ho-beom rarely slept here. Looking closely, there was blood on the bedding and his hands were covered in it.

Wondering if there might be a corpse, his arm was suddenly grabbed. Ho-beom had woken up and was staring at him with half-open eyes. The spot where he was grabbed felt hot, so he gently pulled his hand away and looked around. Instead of a corpse, he spotted a familiar shopping bag in the corner. He rushed over and pulled out the cardigan Woo-jin had given him.

“You look thrilled.”

Ho-beom sat up and sneered, and Soo-hyun glared back at him. He was about to leave to clean when he couldn’t help but worry about the wound. Soo-hyun turned back and asked gruffly.

“What happened to your hand?”

“Cut it on glass.”

You should be more careful. Sighing, he brought the first aid kit from the drawer. As he sat on the bed and opened the box, rummaging through the medicine, Ho-beom stared at him. Does he know I went out last night? I dodged around at the terminal worried about being followed.

Feeling uneasy, he avoided eye contact and held out his hand.

“Let me see. I’ll put some medicine on it.”

Surprisingly, Ho-beom obediently offered his hand. Seeing the palm torn open with flesh exposed, Soo-hyun’s face contorted. Shouldn’t this be stitched at a hospital? He asked if it hurt, but there was no answer. Even as he applied antiseptic, Ho-beom didn’t make a sound. Tough bastard.

“Are you okay?”

Still no response. Ho-beom is most frightening when he shuts his mouth like this, making it impossible to know what he’s thinking. Hiding his anxiety, Soo-hyun secured the gauze with tape when Ho-beom took a deep breath and exhaled. Thinking he was in pain, Soo-hyun looked up and couldn’t help but smile. With his hair sticking up messily, he looked cute. That this beast of a man could seem cute—he must be going crazy.

After letting go of his hand, Soo-hyun joked:

“There. Perfect.”

As he stood up with the organized medicine box, Ho-beom spoke.

“Where did you go in the early morning yesterday?”

He nearly dropped the first aid kit. Yet Ho-beom remained calm. Soo-hyun’s hands tensed. He had suspected it, but still… How much did he know? He had checked multiple times, but no one had followed him to the columbarium. Soo-hyun put down the first aid kit and sat across from him.

“Actually, I went to see my mom… at the columbarium.”

Ho-beom raised one eyebrow.

“At that hour?”

“My father told me. I went without thinking, and she was there.”

“…”

“If you don’t believe me, you can check. I’ll give you the contact information. They have CCTV there,”

“I—”

Ho-beom started to speak but stopped. Soo-hyun couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked:

“You what?”

“I thought you ran away.”

Soo-hyun erased his tension and formed a smile on his lips. I wanted to run away. But there was no guarantee he wouldn’t be caught no matter where he went. Besides, he needed time to verify if those were real diamonds. Until then, please…

Soo-hyun moved his upper body slightly forward.

The distance between him and Ho-beom shortened, and he didn’t forget to smile prettily.

“I told you. You and I are in the same boat.”

Ho-beom reached out and cupped Soo-hyun’s face. Soo-hyun rubbed his cheek against it. He slowly raised his eyes and gazed intently at Ho-beom. With a sincere expression asking to be trusted. The hand touching his cheek now touched his ear and brushed his hair back.

“Your hair has grown a lot. It needs trimming.”

His tone was seemingly affectionate yet somehow cold. Before he could analyze further, Ho-beom stood up first. I’m going to wash up. As he disappeared into the bathroom, Soo-hyun, left alone, sighed with relief and clutched his chest. Whew, well done. He bought it. That bastard, pretending not to know while having me followed. Sneaky bastard.

Not letting down his guard, he watched the bathroom where Ho-beom had disappeared before standing up. On one hand, he felt uneasy. Should he have told the truth? But what could he say? That he had his grandfather’s possessions and was planning to sell them? Or try to convince him to split them fifty-fifty?

Such stupid and ridiculous thoughts. Just then, ding, a message arrived. Who could it be this early?

At first, he thought it was spam and was about to ignore it, but then a photo appeared. What’s this?

Soo-hyun’s eyes widened as he looked at it in confusion.

Although it wasn’t taken from the front, he immediately recognized Seo Min-jun.

And the background where he was standing was clearly…

Chairman Yang’s residence.