CH 26.4

In spring, the clothes of passers-by walking were much lighter. Cocaine moved his gaze as he sat in the passenger seat and watched the passers-by. Cha Yiseok made an uncomfortable silence with his body drooping in the driver’s seat. He looked angry at something. Cocaine kept his eyes on Cha Yiseok’s hand that was holding the steering wheel. He was speechless at his clean hands. The last time Cha Yiseok had heard his song after he injured his hand was at his hometown not long ago. Moreover, it was just a moment at the end of the song. Cocaine asked.

“How’s your headache? Do you have any other symptoms? Like… If you have insomnia or hear tinnitus…”

“Can a healer even do mind-reading?”

He added,

“It feels more like an earache than a headache. And tinnitus on top of that.”

Tinnitus with headache… It was the same symptom as Cha Myunghwan. Cocaine gripped the mask on his lap. Cha Yiseok’s complexion was worse now than before. It also looked blurry and unstable. If he was thinking correctly, they should stop listening to Yaba’s songs.

“It’s completely gone to your side. Now, even if you just lift your finger, Cha Myunghwan will get down on his knees and beg.”

Cha Yiseok said. Cha Myunghwan was still disrespectful, but after seeing the results of the examination, he did not put Cocaine down as blatantly as before.

“Depending on how you sing, healing and appreciation are different. Depending on the healer’s intention, volume, vocalization method, tone, and sound flow and amplitude, it is divided into healing and listening uses, and the effects are also different. Actually, I don’t know for sure. A scholar who was studying healers died in the middle, and I was just summarizing it based on unfinished data and experiences.”

Depending on the healer’s will, healing may be turned into an appreciation. Therefore, the attitude of the healer toward the patient was the most important. Cha Yiseok immediately understood his hidden intentions and retorted.

“Whether the muzzle is directed at me or at Cha Myunghwan is up to you.”

“If I fire live ammunition at CEO Cha, what will you do for me?”

“What do you want?”

He asked without delay.

“It will depend on the value of CEO Cha’s death to the Executive Director. If this task is worth greatly to you, then you owe that much to me.”

Hmm… Cha Yiseok placed one of his arms on the window sill and wiped his lips with his finger. The lips caught on the tip of his finger drew a strange smile as if they were pushing and pulling.

“Do you want to have sex with me?”

The words that popped were unexpected. No, it was so different that he couldn’t think of anything to say. Heat rushed to Cocaine’s face.

“… What… That’s…”

“Because you look like you want to be fucked by me. Or maybe not.”

He cut off and turned the steering wheel. Cocaine remembered the time when Cha Yiseok used to harass him with words. However, the feeling was completely different now than it was back then, when the purpose was to inflict shame. No, maybe it’s him who had changed. Cocaine relieved the heat of his cheeks with the back of his hand.

He was confident that he knew people’s hearts more than anyone else, but that person was an exception. He wanted to know what was inside, and he wanted to read his head. Whether his arrogance incited him or whether he was possessed by his glamorous appearance, he drew out dark emotions and tempered constantly. The tenacious gaze heated Cocaine’s blood.

“In return, there are conditions. Just listen to my songs from now on. Then I will do whatever the Director wants.”

The silver car stopped at a light. Cha Yiseok placed his arms on the handlebars and shifted his weight to it.

“I like your voice. It’s like a high-end drug that leads the mood to the top and never ends. But when I see you, why do I keep thinking of Chairman Cha? Like a bird that is graceful on the water but kicks hard under its feet. I’m not asking you for a favor. I’m ordering you.”

He lowered his eyes and said quietly.

“Cha Myunghwan is doomed to die. Anyone who tries to change that fate will be scolded. You’re a smart guy, so you have a lot of imagination, don’t you?”

Those words like a spell made all kinds of cruel imaginations. Cocaine covered his chilly shoulders. And he smiled.

“You just need to listen to my song. That would be good for you.”

He could feel Cha Yiseok’s gaze. Cocaine’s face reflected in the glass was distorted by the direction of the light. The eyes of his comrades did not return to their original place. Only Hashish held his position, but if he didn’t give him what he wanted, he would one day turn around like the others.

So, great power was needed. Absolute power that was not controlled by any situation or emotion. If you have Cha Yiseok, things will automatically follow. The seeds that had been suffocating in the open wounds stretched out their roots. Whether it was a fragrant flower or a poisonous plant that had to grow up remained to be seen.

***

“Lunatic! Why are you here now?!”

As Yaba entered the yard without a hitch, Morphine rushed to him. The two songs that he usually sang to Cha Myunghwan were the maximum. Cocaine sang five songs today without any disturbance. His neck was tired as he tried to follow it, and his muscles were also pulled. Was there something wrong with his own vocalization or posture? However, the brief encounter with Cha Yiseok sucked more energy than Cocaine and singing. Morphine clung to his arm and whined.

“Hashish and Heroin hasn’t come yet, and the landlord hyung has gone to work. I thought that Meth was going to die of boredom because he slept all day!”

Yaba brushed off the nuisance and threw the mask on the floor. Come to think of it, he left his bag at Cha Myunghwan’s house. He bought the costume on credit, but lost it after only wearing it a few times. Of course, that’s because of Cha Yiseok.

“Oh yeah. Director Cha was here earlier?”

Hearing that name now made him startled. Yaba swallowed his saliva.

“When?”

“After you guys left. I told him y’all went to Cha Myunghwan. But how did Executive Director Cha find out about this place?”

Cha Yiseok seemed to be completely determined today. He must have arrived at Cha Myunghwan’s house first by taking a shortcut there. Gradually there was nowhere to escape to. He would have to ask Kang Giha to set up a separate hiding place for him. So what about drugs? Yaba bit his lip and grabbed Morphine’s shoulder.

“Listen carefully. In the future, if Yiseok or any suspicious person asks where I am, never tell them.”

“Why?”

“The attack on the dorm was all coordinated by Yiseok from behind the scenes. Maybe they are still watching us from somewhere.”

“R-really? Okay!”

Morphine took in a breath and nodded his head.

“By the way, why are you alone? Where’s Cocaine?”

He was probably with Cha Yiseok now. He didn’t want to leave those two alone, but he couldn’t leave the world because he was held by the neck by Cha Yiseok.

“He was taken to the hospital because he was bitten by a dog on the neck. You know, right? The same breed as the dog that Giha had.”

“R-really?! Did Cocaine get very hurt?! How much it bit his neck that he has to go to hospital… ! He couldn’t even heal himself with his own song, how painful must it have been? If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t be so cold… !”

Morphine, who was making a fuss, tilted his head.

“Wait, did the boss have a dog? When? I’ve never seen it?”

“You don’t know the dog that Kang Giha raised? A few years ago, Dokki hyung-nim lost his dog, so he was beaten to death by Kang Giha.”

Morphine widened his eyes.

“You’re really bullshitting, what bullshit. It’s been less than half a year since Dokki hyungnim came under the boss. You’re lying about Cocaine too, aren’t you?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Don’t you know the dog that Kang Giha raised?”

“The boss, who hates being bothered, must not have taken care of dogs.”

“That’s why you left it to Dokki.”

“It’s only been half a year since Dokki hyung-nim has been under the boss! Oh, never mind! So what is the dog breed? What does it look like?”

“…”

When he asked that question, Yaba’s mind suddenly went blank. His memory was clouded. Saying that Kang Giha didn’t have a dog, Morphine caused a fuss as if he lost all his fortune. Yaba looked at him with his mouth tightly shut. Morphine swallowed his sneer and slid back.

“Ah, okay. Let’s just say he raised it! Fine, he raised it, so loosen up your expression! I’m scared to death!”

Then Morphine looked somewhere and made startled rabbit eyes.

“You brought him here. Would you like a cup of tea?”

Cocaine came in through the door. Followed by someone who didn’t fit into the narrow, backward house. It was Cha Yiseok. Yaba thought his heart was going to drop from the unexpected shock. Cha Yiseok noticed Yaba and stood tall. His languid eyes gleamed like a beast that was about to hunt. He walked around the yard.

Yaba was frightened out of his wits and ran into any room and locked the doorknob. In the room, Meth was sleeping. The handle rattled as he pushed his weight to prevent the door from opening. His hair stood up on the ends. A floor-scratching voice pierced the door.

“Come out.”

“… No.”

“I told you to come out.”

“No.”

Yaba gripped the doorknob until he had a cramp in his hand. There was a vivid sense of bloodthirst even through the door. He was appalled. At some point, the rattling sound retreated. The sudden silence was disturbing. As he put his ear to the door and straightened his nerves, at that moment,

Kwang—! Bang—!

There was a terrifying ‘bang’ that shook the entire house.

“Ahh… ! Wh- what?!”

Meth sprang up from his sleep. After a few rough attacks, the plywood door crackled and cracked. The room was devastated by pieces of wood and plosive sounds. When the smashed door fell off, Cha Yiseok appeared. Perhaps it was the weapon that struck the door, Cha Yiseok folded and unfolded his elbow, and rudely broke in. Yaba fled to the corner of the room and curled up his body. He was so surprised that no screams came out. Perhaps the best attack was to look at him with a sharp gaze. He came closer to the front of his face and curved his lips.

“Come on, you have to come out now.”

It was a sweet voice, but it was eyes with blood flowing back to the top. Yaba pushed him away and tried to run away. The other’s hand reached out from behind him. The scent of cologne covered his back. He lifted his heavy self at once and went down to the ground.

Cocaine was standing in the yard and their gazes collided. Those cold, poisoned eyes were both unfamiliar and familiar. The eyes of those who have been mixed with hatred and jealousy, the eyes of those who have tasted the fall to the bottom… It didn’t matter anyway. Yaba patted Cha Yiseok on the back and shouted.

“Let go! Put me down! Help me!”

There was no hand reaching out to the pig being led to the slaughterhouse. Everyone stood by as if waiting for the trouble to disappear. Morphine went another mile and opened the door. If Heaven helps him come back to life, or if only his limbs were left fully attached, Yaba swore he would stab them in the stomach with a knife.

Cha Yiseok covered Yaba’s lips as he struggled and suffocated him. He pulled out a knife from behind and was in a good position to cut off his throat. He shriveled his shoulders in horror. At that moment, Cha Yiseok’s finger slid into his mouth. He pressed his wet lips to his ear.

“If you stay calm, I’ll give you another one.”

A small, round thing was left on his tongue, from which the man’s fingers had slid out. This taste and texture was an antidepressant. Yaba just held on to the medicine. When his struggles subsided, Cha Yiseok shoved Yaba into the car with an easier pace. It felt like being thrown into hell. But it also made him feel like he was floating in heaven because of the antidepressant.

Cha Yiseok got into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and flexibly turned the steering wheel.

At that moment, Jang Sejun was walking along the wall opposite. Jang Sejun noticed Yaba who was crumpled into the car, threw the bags in his hands, and chased after the car but the backed up silver car ferociously turned his head and drove out of the alley. Jang Sejun, who was moving away, invaded the side mirror. A dog-like weeping face crept into sight. At some point, Jang Sejun’s facial features were strangely distorted as if they had been crushed. Somehow he felt a chill.