Chapter : 38
Taesin quietly pressed his index finger to Iseol’s lips, signaling her to stay silent.
Kanghoon’s voice came from outside.
“Ms. Yoon Iseol? Are you okay?”
What had he heard?
Answer him.
Taesin mouthed the words and removed his finger.
Still clutching Taesin’s arm, Iseol spoke.
“I–I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
“I thought I heard something. You’re sure nothing’s going on, right?”
“Yes. Don’t worry—go to sleep.”
“Then good night.”
“Good night to you too, Mr. Kanghoon.”
The sound of footsteps faded away.
Only then did her senses return.
Just imagining what might have happened if Kanghoon hadn’t interrupted made her dizzy.
Taesin pushed himself up and got off the bed.
As if trying to calm his excitement, he took a steady breath and looked down at Iseol, sprawled messily on the bed.
Iseol sat up and straightened her clothes and disheveled hair.
She was almost grateful to Kanghoon.
If not for him, how far would they have gone?
Would they have crossed a line they should never cross?
She had almost done something insane.
The two of them remained silent until they heard the door to Kanghoon’s room open and close.
“Let’s pretend today never happened. I hope… nothing like this ever happens again.”
There was no answer.
When she lifted her head, he was still looking at her with heated eyes.
He hadn’t answered earlier either—and now again.
Not answering meant he wasn’t promising anything.
She needed a clear response.
“Answer me.”
Taesin reached out and gently brushed her cheek.
“Good night.”
Leaving only those words behind, Taesin left the room.
Why won’t he answer?
As if the moment I give permission—if I just say it’s okay—he could do it again anytime.
Iseol traced her lips with her fingertips.
It felt as though the desire he had shown still lingered on them.
Or maybe it was her own desire.
If he hadn’t stopped, they might have gone all the way.
She wavered, unable to find balance between reason telling her it shouldn’t happen and the impulse urging her to pretend nothing was wrong.
Returning to the hideout next door to Iseol’s place, Taesin suppressed the desire that stubbornly refused to die down and headed into the bathroom.
The sensation of Iseol’s lips was still vivid.
Even though she wasn’t in front of him, her scent, taste, and warmth clung to him endlessly, sticky and persistent like pulled taffy.
It felt like he’d tasted forbidden fruit.
Pretend it never happened?
Never let something like this happen again?
Taesin’s jaw tightened.
He couldn’t promise that.
His desire was only just beginning.
If he hadn’t tasted it, maybe—but now, going back as if nothing happened was impossible.
Thinking back, he’d been drawn to Yoon Iseol from the very first time they met.
Even when he lay bleeding from a stab wound in a ferry cabin, even when he fell asleep shivering with chills while holding her, even when they met again as teacher and student—he had felt desire.
It might be natural for a healthy man to be attracted to a beautiful, lovable woman, but he wasn’t someone who easily let women close.
‘Ah… I’m sorry. I think I got too excited.’
‘I want to go home now.’
But seeing the look in her eyes at the fishing spot, as if pushing him away, twisted something inside him.
She was the one who’d warned him to be careful because he was dangerous—yet when she actually distanced herself, he felt irritable and bitter.
Was protecting her just an excuse?
Did he really just want her by his side?
So she couldn’t go to another man.
He pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge, drank half of it in one go, and stripped.
His suppressed desire was released, standing rigid.
He stepped into the bathroom and turned the shower to cold.
A sigh escaped him as the urge refused to subside.
It felt as though Iseol’s scent and taste still lingered in his mouth.
One kiss had opened the door to a dangerous world.
Looking into those clear, harmless eyes had made his blood boil.
The urge to make her cry and beg.
The urge to ruin her completely.
The urge to leave her trembling and sobbing.
The urge to fill her from head to toe with his mark, to make her belong only to him.
Desires he hadn’t even known existed within him revealed their dangerous claws.
Was it impossible to hide the blood of a lowlife gangster after all?
No matter how hard he struggled to escape that world, was he destined to belong to it to the marrow of his bones?
After taking his time finishing his shower, he stepped out of the bathroom—and his phone rang from the jacket he’d tossed aside.
It was Jaehyuk.
“Boss, everything okay?”
Everything okay?
Every moment spent with Yoon Iseol was one incident after another.
Following Choi Mugwang without fear just to eat a meal.
Almost falling for the bait of reduced interest.
Even stepping willingly into forbidden territory because he couldn’t resist her.
She was a woman who could drive him insane without even trying.
“Ha… It’s a long story.”
“What happened…?”
“How are things on your end?”
“I’m near Bae Youngseop’s house right now. This should go smoothly. Hwang Inwoo and Kim Heerok are gathered there too. Looks like they plan to stay up all night gaming while Youngseop’s parents are out.”
“No need to chase them one by one, then. We can handle them all at once.”
Jaehyuk planned to install spyware on the three guys’ phones tonight.
“We’ll wait in the car until dawn, and once they’re asleep, we’ll go in.”
He said security at Bae Youngseop’s place was looser than expected, so entry shouldn’t be difficult.
“What about Yushin?”
“He’s standing by at home.”
Yushin would send links to their phones, have them download and install the spyware, then erase the links to cover their tracks.
“What about Choi Mugwang?”
Taesin held the business card he’d gotten from Iseol.
Kanghoon had tracked down the Future Faction’s Jeonnam base and Mugwang’s residence, but said very few people knew Mugwang’s direct number.
Yet Iseol had it.
“I’ll look into it tonight.”
Mugwang’s residence was heavily secured—no one could come and go freely.
CCTV monitored the area in real time, and when Mugwang was home, layers of subordinates surrounded the place, making even approach difficult.
Mugwang earned enormous amounts of money and held a critical position within the Future Faction.
True to an MZ-generation gangster, he raked in cash through online illegal gambling, burner accounts, burner phones, and online drug distribution.
How could Taesin not be uneasy about someone like that showing interest in Yoon Iseol?
“I’ll contact you once we’re done.”
“Alright.”
The door opened, and Kanghoon came in.
Seeing Taesin wearing nothing but a shower towel, Kanghoon hesitated briefly before stepping inside.
“Were you with Yoon Iseol just now?”
Taesin nodded, and Kanghoon gave an awkward smile.
“Nothing like what you’re thinking happened, so don’t jump to conclusions.”
“Ah… yes.”
After another vague response, Kanghoon headed straight to the small room.
Inside the closet were six monitors, three computer towers, and various cutting-edge IT devices.
All of them had been assembled by Kanghoon himself.
After getting dressed, Taesin placed the business card on the desk.
“This is Choi Mugwang’s direct number. Track it.”
“Where did you get this? Even I couldn’t find it.”
“….”
Instead of answering, Taesin clenched his teeth.
“Can you hack it?”
“I’ll have to try. It won’t be easy.”
Using the carrier’s servers, Kanghoon pinpointed Mugwang’s location.
“He’s currently at the Mirae Credit office.”
“How long from there to his house?”
“About twenty minutes by car. Probably faster at night.”
That was enough.
“I’ll head to Mugwang’s house. Once I arrive, contact me and shut down the CCTV.”
“Don’t forget—CCTV shutdown is only possible for about twenty minutes. After that, all entrances will be sealed. Once sealed, it can’t be opened unless the owner himself解除 it.”
“Got it.”
Taesin stepped outside, got into his car, and drove off.
