Chapter 7
Jae Young-pyo, who had joined the Samyoung Unicorns alongside Taehwa as a university alumnus, was the catcher who received Taehwa’s pitches better than anyone.
They were called a dream battery and led Samyoung to victory in the Korean Series together, but their glory didn’t last long. Afterward, Jae Young-pyo was released from the team due to gambling, and Taehwa retired because of an injury.
They had lost contact for quite some time before Jae Young-pyo suddenly reappeared not long after the birdwatching club began. Somehow, he found out about the gatherings and started waiting for Taehwa in front of the meeting place.
He would take out hangover relief medicine from his pocket and hand it to him, or drive Taehwa home like a substitute driver. Eventually, he began entering the private rooms, tending to the members’ drinks, and blending in as if he were one of them. All of it was allowed under Taehwa’s tacit approval.
“He brought a pretty girl and then left with her.”
“He came all this way just to look for someone else.”
“Obviously, he must’ve heard that Jung Taehwa was here. Probably thought he could set her up with the Jung Sun Group’s heir.”
“What woman in Korea would turn down Vice Chairman Jung Hyung-woo?”
“Enough. What are you all saying in front of Taehwa? Hey, where are you going, Jung Taehwa?”
Michael, who had been lightly scolding the others, grabbed Taehwa just as he stood up. But Taehwa had already risen and shoved the door open, striding quickly down the hallway.
At the mention of a “pretty woman,” and then that she was looking for Jung Hyung-woo, why was it Seo Minju’s face that came to mind first?
He had let Jae Young-pyo join their gatherings, but only in the role of someone who served them. He allowed him to do as he pleased, yet firmly kept him in a position where he bore no responsibility and offered no help. There had been a reason for that.
…No way.
No matter how interested she might be in Jung Hyung-woo, would she really follow someone like Jae Young-pyo into a private room? Just to get closer to him? Why did her stubborn tendency—once she set her mind on something, she always saw it through—suddenly come to him so vividly now? Taehwa roughly ran a hand through his hair.
He was familiar with the layout of the bar since they often held gatherings there. As soon as he rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, he spotted the restroom. He quickly scanned the dead-end ahead—
…Nothing.
Taehwa squeezed his eyes shut. His chest burned as if it would burst.
A guy constantly chased by gambling debts. Someone who showed up with his face swollen from getting beaten by loan sharks, yet felt no shame mooching drinks off others.
And seducing and taking advantage of women was second nature to him.
Rage surged up his spine, making his vision flash white. Taehwa scrubbed his face roughly and began throwing open the doors along the hallway one by one.
“What is it? Are you with someone?”
“I’m sorry. I must have the wrong room.”
“Hey, President Kim, why are you only—huh? Who—”
“My apologies.”
Twisting his tie, Taehwa turned back and flung open the first room again. This time, it was empty. He was about to close the door when—
“Mm—!”
A muffled sound came from behind it.
Tilting his head, a familiar back came into view. The fact that there was a woman trapped beneath him was obvious from the sight of her slender ankles struggling between Jae Young-pyo’s thick legs.
“…!”
From that moment, everything happened in an instant.
Eyes blazing, Taehwa yanked Jae Young-pyo around and slammed him against the wall by the door. His lips, smeared with lipstick, parted in shock—
“Huh—?”
Before he could react, Taehwa’s fist shot up and came crashing down with a heavy thud. Jae Young-pyo’s jaw snapped to the side.
“Taehwa—agh!”
Blood streamed from beneath his jaw, bent at an unnatural angle. Grabbing him by the hair with both hands pinned behind his back, Taehwa smashed his head into the wall. Despite his expressionless face, his fingertips carried a ruthless, unrestrained fury.
“Shut your mouth before I knock your teeth out.”
“Ugh—calm down… let go of—this!”
With his face crushed against the wall, Jae Young-pyo twisted his body, but even his sturdy jaw couldn’t withstand the grip of a former pitcher. The grinding sound from his clenched jaw turned into desperate pleas.
“I messed up, alright?! Whatever it is, it’s my fault… I didn’t do anything serious, I swear! I didn’t do anything yet—ah, that hurts!”
As if he couldn’t hear a word, Taehwa continued to strike him at steady intervals—thud, thud. The blows were so fast and precise that Jae Young-pyo couldn’t even groan properly. His eyes gradually lost focus.
“…At least tell me why I’m getting hit, you bastard!”
“This is why—you never think.”
Another punch cut through the air. Jae Young-pyo shut his eyes tightly in resignation.
Instead of the impact, there was a sharp crack—the framed decoration on the wall shattered and fell to the floor. In that brief pause, Jae Young-pyo cried out desperately,
“I said I was wrong, damn it! I’m begging you!”
But Taehwa’s fist, now bleeding from the broken glass, rose again right in front of his face. Another heavy blow landed, snapping his jaw the other way.
“You should’ve known when to stop when I was letting things slide. What am I supposed to do when you keep pushing it, Young-pyo?”
Taehwa hauled up his now-limp body and pinned him against the wall again, raising his hand to strike once more—
“Taehwa! Jung Taehwa!”
His name was called twice. And then—
A familiar voice.
“…Damn it.”
Taehwa lowered his head with a bitter laugh. If Jae Young-pyo’s face was already like this, how much worse must the woman’s be? Without turning around, he pressed his elbow hard into Jae Young-pyo’s bloodied throat.
“Ugh…!”
He didn’t want to see Seo Minju’s face like that—crumpled and ruined. Beating this bastard to death felt like the only way to suppress the rage boiling inside him.
Just as he was about to bring his fist down again—
“…Please let me meet him!”
The voice that rang out was thin, slightly hoarse.
Something about it felt off. Taehwa turned his head.
At the open doorway stood Seo Minju, covering her mouth.
“……!”
The strength drained from his raised fist in an instant.
Not here—
Instinctively, he turned sharply the other way. The woman crumpled against the wall below spoke to him.
“I have to meet him… I really do.”
A stranger—no, someone he knew.
Gu Ji-ae. An actress, if he remembered correctly.
“See, you crazy bastard! I told you it wasn’t like that…! Say something! We only kissed—ptoo! Did we do anything more?!”
Pinned under Taehwa’s arm, Jae Young-pyo lifted his head and shouted, spitting blood as he spoke.
“Everyone, step back!”
By then, the staff had rushed in at the commotion. Michael and the others, who had run out of their room, reached Taehwa first and pulled the battered Jae Young-pyo away.
It wasn’t Seo Minju… It wasn’t.
He could have known with just one glance. If he had simply checked who the woman was, he wouldn’t have made this mistake—but he couldn’t hold back for even that brief moment. Taehwa couldn’t see anything clearly.
“Did you see his eyes? He’s gone insane…!”
“Jae Young-pyo, did you cause trouble again? Why is Taehwa this angry?”
“Why are you asking me? Ask the guy who beat me like this!”
His indignant shouting, the others’ scolding voices, and attempts to calm things down blended into a chaotic buzz filling the room. As people helped Jae Young-pyo to his feet, Taehwa stood there, pushed aside, exhaling heavily—
“Let me see.”
His fist, still burning with anger, was gently wrapped in warmth.
Following the soft grip around his wrist, his gaze landed on Seo Minju standing close beside him.
“……”
“Aren’t you tired of getting hurt?”
Her voice was quiet but filled with deep concern. Despite the noise around them, her words pierced clearly into Taehwa’s ears.
Should he admit it? That all this chaos had come from mistaking her for someone else?
His breath still rough with lingering anger, the crown of her head dipped as she softly blew on his scraped knuckles.
Taehwa stared down at her for a moment before lifting his gaze, sensing someone watching. His eyes met CEO Kwon Yong-hyun, who had been observing the scene. The man gave a calm nod and led his startled companions back into their room.
What the hell had he just done?
Tilting his head back, a sigh escaped him.
So much for staying uninvolved. His resolve—that it didn’t matter whether Seo Minju dated or married Jung Hyung-woo—had just been exposed as a lie.
“Marriage, my ass.”
A low, self-mocking curse slipped from his lips.
At that moment, his wrist was gently tugged by a weak hand, pulling him along.
