The Perfect

“The excessive blood is your doing, CEO Ryu. Killing Special Department staff and framing Director Kook, using a fake to get information from the Heartless. Did you think such tricks would work?”“Maybe. I thought Director Kook only reacted to hostility. Clearly not.”CEO Ryu took a long drag from his cigarette, as if he’d learned something. Jinwook turned to Section Chief Bae.“Section Chief Bae. Director Kook might have gone to the last Heartless’s location…”Jinwook stopped, seeing the monitor. Section Chief Bae manipulated the controls, replaying the CCTV showing the Heartless. He quickly found what he wanted. The Heartless, breaking free from the chains, rampaged as Special Department staff shot him.“The last one is already dead.”“Then where did Director Kook go?”Director Kook’s location signal was still off. Not wanting to reveal his location meant he intended to harm someone without interference. But the last Heartless was dead. So his remaining target… Jinwook quickly turned to meet Section Chief Bae’s eyes. They both reached the same conclusion. Han Jemyung!“Oh, I forgot what Director Kook said when he left.”CEO Ryu’s voice made them turn. CEO Ryu frowned, recalling, then smiled.“He said, ‘I won’t let it go today,’ grinding his teeth.”Jinwook and Section Chief Bae simultaneously dashed outside.* * *Boom, boom!Thunder roared outside. The rain, which had started pouring hours ago, was so heavy it obscured vision. The parched ground, dry enough to be called a drought, was quickly covered in water. The sky, as if making up for lost rain, announced its presence with thunder and lightning. The heavy rain didn’t stop even at midnight.Flash, boom. Lightning split the sky like a flashbulb. The deafening noise made me flinch. It was a spooky night, as if ghosts might appear. Though I was in a place where I could use electricity freely, I couldn’t light a single candle.“Hide as if you’re not there.”Muscly Man warned. You’re about to be killed by Director Kook. It was hard to deny. I had already heard the urgent conversation between Clicker and Muscly Man. Yangsimless was rampaging more than usual, L&Y CEO Ryu had added fuel to the fire with dirty tricks, and Yangsimless had enacted bloody revenge. And he was coming here for the final revenge. Yes, the final revenge was me.“He said, ‘I won’t let it go today.’ We’ll stop him as much as we can, but expect some damage.”Muscly Man looked like he was going to war. My expression turned grim too. What kind of damage? I heard CEO Ryu smoked with a severed arm. Damn, will I be rolling around with a severed leg? Despite all my worries, I had no weapons to protect myself.“Look as pitiful as possible. Maybe Director Kook will lose the will to attack.”Clicker sincerely advised. He added that I naturally looked pitiful, which I couldn’t deny. Using my natural trait, I squeezed into the narrow space between the wardrobe and the wall.I think I fell asleep there for a while. Then I woke up, startled by a loud thunderclap. Or maybe my instincts sensed danger. Bang! I heard the door open and close outside. The urgent voice was Clicker’s.“Gasp! Director Kook, calm down. Let’s talk about this… Aagh!”Crash, bang!“Seungjae! Director Kook, I understand your hurt feelings, but… Ugh!”Crash, bang!Muscly Man’s scream echoed. I curled up tighter in the corner. Surely he wouldn’t really kill me? My mind was filled with fear when the door creaked open. At that moment, a strong lightning bolt struck outside.The bright white light spotlighted the figure entering the room. Yangsimless was covered in dried blood, from his clothes to his face and hair. He rolled his eyes, scanning the room. Gasp! A scream echoed inside. The sky screamed instead of me.Boom, boom!“Han Jemyung.”My name was called. He found me. Gulp! I covered my mouth and shrank like a turtle. Tap, tap. He walked towards me. Another lightning bolt struck, revealing his blood-covered face clearly. His expressionless face and fierce eyes were terrifying.“D-don’t come closer!”He stopped his step. But then he took another step.“If you come closer…”I needed to make a huge threat, but nothing came to mind. My mind was in panic. Meanwhile, he took another step. He was now close enough to grab and throw me. A threat burst from my mouth.“I’ll hate you more!”He paused.“Really. If you come closer, I’ll hate you the most in the world!”He stopped. Did it work? Or was he pausing to gather strength? I was out of breath like I had run a hundred meters. We stood in a tense standoff for a long time. The sound of heavy rain hitting the window, the dark house, the man covered in blood who wouldn’t leave me alone. The tension rose to my head. Then, a slow question came.“Do you hate me that much?”Yes. I nodded frantically. I hate you. I’m scared. He moved his hand. He was holding something. Gasp! Was he going to chop me with an axe?Thud.Something hit the floor.“Okay.”I peeked out from behind my arms. He had placed something on the floor and was stepping back.“Eat.”He left the room. I stayed alone in the empty room for a long time before realizing he was really gone. That’s it? He didn’t swing an axe at me for bloody revenge? I stared blankly, then finally gathered the courage to check the bag. It wasn’t a bomb. Inside the lunchbox was a lobster dish. The container was still warm.After the storm that felt like the end of the world, a peaceful morning came. But I still felt trapped in the storm. This confusion continued as I left the dorm early to go home. A handsome man in an expensive car spoke like a novel character.“Get in. I’ll give you a ride.”It was CEO Na. Normally, I would have gratefully bowed and entered the car.“No, thank you. I want to walk.”I refused and turned away.“Get in. You have something to say to me, don’t you?”“If it’s about Director Kook, don’t worry. He won’t bother me anymore.”CEO Na gave a strange expression.“I wanted to hear the information you got at the Ant House.”Ah, that. I didn’t get to share it because Yangsimless brought lobster. Lobster. Damn.“Mr. Han Jemyung, are you okay?”“Yes.”“Get in. I also want to hear about Director Kook. If you don’t, I’ll call him here right now.”“Let’s go.”I got into his car. It smelled of good perfume inside. Yangsimless’s car smelled like Malang Jjolang. While I looked outside, the car left the safe housing complex. Then CEO Na began.“Can I ask why you’re not worried about Director Kook?”I recalled last night. I said ‘I don’t like you,’ and he replied, ‘Okay.’ And he left the lobster.“I’ll just tell you what you’re curious about.”I quickly shared the information I hadn’t before. The problematic drug seems to have come from the U.S., and it has only appeared in the U.S. and Korea. The Special Agents think the supplier and Director Kook are connected and want to use me to monitor him.“But Director Kook will end his contract with the Special Department, so I’m no longer involved.”Whether the Special Agent framed me or not, if Director Kook sent me back, it wouldn’t matter. CEO Na seemed to want to ask why but stayed on topic.“The U.S. and Korea. The supplier must have a grudge against Korea.”CEO Na murmured and glanced at me.“But it’s not a grudge against Director Kook.”“The Special Agent doesn’t think so.”“They’re just trying to link Director Kook to get information. If they knew Director Kook a bit, they’d change their minds. If the supplier had a grudge against Director Kook, he’d have acted already.”True, if there was a grudge and an enemy, Yangsimless would have already found the supplier and dealt with it.“Director Kook is indifferent because the other side has no feelings towards him. Quite the opposite.”“Opposite?”“The mutated Heartless said it was an honor to meet Director Kook, right? The Special Department might think otherwise, but I believe it was genuinely an honor. Director Kook is quite famous in the overseas Heartless hunting industry.”He glanced at me again.“So, please don’t misunderstand that Director Kook is linked to bad people.”I just responded with a simple yes. Before, I would have mocked, thinking Director Kook himself was the bad guy. But now I couldn’t. I still thought he was a bad guy in my mind. How much had I suffered because of him? But Yangsimless’s misdeeds didn’t come to mind now. Only the recent events kept replaying in my head.“Mr. Han Jemyung?”He suddenly called my name, making me turn. CEO Na looked at me while driving. He seemed to ask if I was okay, so I spoke.“Director Kook confessed that he likes me.”Screech!The car suddenly stopped. I lurched forward. Gasp! If not for the seatbelt, I would have flown through the windshield. My fragile soul had already left my body, flown, and returned. What’s with this guy! Drive properly! I almost died young, never seeing the light as a genius writer!Luckily, it was early morning, so there were no cars or cyclists, avoiding an accident. Startled, I looked back, but CEO Na had stopped in the middle of the road, staring at me.“Director Kook said he likes you.”“Yes. But we’re in the middle of the road.”He apologized and moved the car to the side. Then he turned fully towards me.“Director Kook said he likes you?”Saying yes again felt burdensome. His eyes sparkled unusually.“What else did he say?”“…It’s personal, so I’d rather not answer.”“So he did say more. Being naive, he wouldn’t have immediately suggested sleeping together. Did he propose a kiss?”He speculated and then his eyes changed.“When you shouted no a few days ago, was it a response to Director Kook’s confession?”“…Yes.”He clamped his mouth shut. I worried he might stop breathing when he suddenly bent over the steering wheel, laughing madly.“Hahaha! He got rejected. Hahaha!”He laughed so much that tears formed at the corners of his eyes. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was this really CEO Na? Isn’t he Yangsimless’s cousin? He celebrated his cousin’s heartbreak thoroughly before finally calming down. Seeing my expression, he tried to stop laughing but kept twitching his lips.“That’s a huge event. If Director Kook’s family in America hears, they’ll rush to Korea to see the amazing Mr. Han Jemyung.”“Not good news for me.”“Of course, I won’t tell them. I’ll enjoy this rare show alone for a while.”“Am I part of that show too?”No, that’s… He started to deny but stopped seeing my face.“I apologize. I had no intention of mocking you, Mr. Han Jemyung.”“It’s fine. I’m used to mockery. But not Director Kook. It’s uncomfortable to hear mockery behind his back too.”The laughter faded from CEO Na’s eyes, replaced by a peculiar light I had seen briefly when we drank beer together. I decided it was time to stay silent and opened the car door.“The air is nice. I’ll walk from here.”“Just one more question. Why do you think Director Kook will leave you alone from now on?”“He said okay when I told him I didn’t like him.”“Do you know where Director Kook is now?”“No. And I don’t want to know.”He smiled instead of answering. His eyes sparkled again. Ominous. Previously, such an interested look would have made my heart race, but now I wasn’t pleased.“Mr. Han Jemyung, let’s go for drives together more often.”Drives, he said. Rejecting Yangsimless must have unleashed his hidden charms. If it were my novel’s protagonist, they’d be flustered and embarrassed, but in reality, I neither felt excited nor happy. Instead, I briefly wondered if rejecting Yangsimless so outright was a mistake. But as I approached my apartment complex, the thought vanished.In front of Building 205, a large truck labeled ‘Smiley Moving’ and a ladder truck were parked from the morning. How rich must someone be to hire such an expensive ladder for moving? I was impressed. The ladder reached up to the 15th floor. I live on the 15th floor too… Wait? I stopped and craned my neck back. Hold on, that moving house is… my house!“Gasp! What’s going on?!”A scream escaped my lips. I ran to the truck and movers carrying my stuff.“Wait! Those things… Gasp! That’s my stuff! What are you doing?!”“We’re moving—”One of the movers greeted brightly. I was speechless. I urgently grabbed his arm. He was carrying my drawer.“Wait, don’t touch other people’s stuff… Don’t touch it!”“We move the drawers closed, so we don’t see the contents, sir—”Again, he answered brightly. It was the impeccable Smiley Moving spirit.“It’s not about the contents. Well, it is, but why are you moving my stuff without permission? This is my house, my stuff!”“Yes—Got it. Surprise move, congratulations—”I snapped out of it briefly, spotting my desk and running to grab the mover’s arm.“This is my stuff. Don’t touch it!”“Yes, I’m wearing gloves, so don’t worry—”Smiley Moving was invincible. Words didn’t work. Determined to protect my stuff by force, I grabbed a corner of the desk.“No, no one takes my stuff.”“No one wants that shabby stuff.”A familiar voice came from behind. I flinched and turned to see Yangsimless standing behind me.“What are you doing here… Did Director Kook order this move?”“Your eyes are as foolish as your brain? The move is by Smiley Moving.”Concern for my eyes confirmed it. Yangsimless, you scoundrel!“Why are you moving my stuff without permission?!”“It’s a move.”“To where? And why do I have to move?”“To the 4K dorm. This place isn’t safe.”Without you, I’d live to 100 healthily, why do this?“Whether it’s safe or not, I decide. Even if Heartless is rampant, I decide.”“I don’t care about Heartless. Only your pathetic body falling at home.”“I only fell once in that house! And that was…”“That house? You fell while talking to me before living here.”“!”“Did you fall in that house too?”“…Probably not.”His eyes narrowed.“How many times must you fall to become this foolish.”I don’t want to hear that from someone with terrible spelling?!“Whether I fall or not, that house is safe. I decide where to live.”He scoffed. What? My anger turned into frustration. I couldn’t react for a moment.“You don’t know what’s most dangerous for you.”“It’s not my falling body.”“Not Heartless either.”“Well, that’s…”“Then it’s one thing.”He took a half-step closer. I flinched, stepping back, meeting his fierce eyes.“Me. I’m the most dangerous to you.”I couldn’t argue. Whatever he meant, I felt the danger.“Are you threatening me for revenge? For rejecting you?”I couldn’t believe my own words. Of course it’s revenge. Without it, he’s nothing. Damn, seeking revenge for a rejection?“No. I’m doing this to avoid revenge. I told you, I’m sending you somewhere safe.”“Is this to vent your anger?”“Leaving you in that shabby house, with that shabby stuff, wallowing pathetically isn’t venting.”I regretted feeling sorry for rejecting this man’s confession in the past. I should have laughed like a villain right after rejecting him.“If you really wanted to vent your anger, you wouldn’t have done something this bothersome.”He stopped talking and looked at me quietly. There was an unknown cruelty in his eyes.“You would have gotten what you wanted.”What do you want? Luckily, I didn’t ask out loud.“I’ve thought about subduing you with violence. Honestly, I think you’re quite an interesting opponent to overpower.”His expressionless face and dry voice made me tense up without realizing it.“Or I could use the secrets you have as leverage.”“What secrets?”“Everyone has secrets. Mr. Han Jemyung, you must be hiding something from me too.”A lot.“But I’m a rational and reasonable person, so I’ve decided to control my emotions.”He nodded with a faint smile as if praising himself. The year wasn’t over yet, but he definitely deserved the nonsense award of the year.“Did Director Kook fall and hit his head at home?”“No. I don’t fall even if someone pushes me.”I wanted to bring a tank and push him over. I barely suppressed the impulse and strengthened my voice.“Is your rational conclusion to move me? To protect me from Director Kook? Do you think the 4K staff can protect me from Director Kook?”“Of course not. Moving you to the dormitory is because the walls are thicker. The house you live in now has thin walls, so sounds are very audible. The 4K dormitory is better than such a lewd house.”Sometimes, there were comments on my novel saying they were curious about the writer’s mind. I took it as a compliment for my rich imagination, but that was arrogance. Compared to the Yangsimless in front of me, I’m no different from a newborn. What on earth is in that man’s head? My house isn’t filled with red lights, so what’s lewd about it?“What does it matter to Director Kook whether my house is lewd or not?”“Of course it matters since I’m moving next door.”“No, who decided you could move next door?”“It’s my move, so it’s my decision.”That’s true.“Yes, that’s right. You can move your house as you please. But this move wasn’t approved by me, the landlord!”“Lies. You live on rent.”“…The tenant didn’t approve it!”“The landlord did.”What? Did the landlord make a deal with Yangsimless?“But the landlord said something strange. Mr. Han Jemyung, you said you moved in recently, but the landlord said you’ve been living here for over two years.”“!”“I couldn’t ask in detail because I was in a hurry, but since you’re here, let’s call again.”He picked up his phone. I quickly grabbed his hand. He slowly raised his eyes. Then he alternated between looking at my hand holding his and me. Startled, I quickly let go.“Such trivial things aren’t important right now.”He looked down at me expressionlessly. But his serious face without expression made me uncomfortable. Because he confessed with that face.“It’s important to me. Because the person who insulted my character and caused me great financial damage might still be alive, pretending to be dead and deceiving you.”“!”“Mr. Han Jemyung, check the contract again. It might be a double contract. The heinous criminal might have pretended to be dead and deceived you. Where is the contract?”“…Where could it be?”Suddenly, he pointed to one of my moving boxes.“The second drawer of the three-tiered dresser.”Damn bastard, does he think this is a quiz show? And he got the answer wrong.“No.”“It felt strange.”My underwear is in there. This scary guy. I swallowed hard and quickly changed the subject.“Director Kook, why are you doing this to me? You clearly said you understood when I rejected you yesterday. You said you’d control your emotions.”“That’s right.”“Exactly.”“Yes, exactly.”My mind became confused. ‘Understood’ isn’t the ‘understood’ I think it is? Then what is it? My confusion was clearly reflected in my eyes. Unlike me, his eyes were unwavering and cold.“I understood your intention, so I’m planning to repay you properly.”…What?!