The One Who Should Have Stayed Buried

Seo Tae-ju had dreamed of something long ago.

Back when he had nothing, there had always been a man by his side.

He hated having smelly men cling to him, but that one was different.

Small, cute, with a surprisingly amusing personality.

He had no strength but ran around trying his best, like a small puppy.

So Seo Tae-ju kept him around for a while.

In his entire life, it was the first time he had let someone stay so close.

Someone once said that once you grow attached, nothing is more dangerous.

One day, Seo Tae-ju realized this.

The trigger was a small accident.

A monster attacked the man, and Seo Tae-ju risked himself to save him.

In the end, the man survived with only minor injuries.

“Are you okay? You got hurt because of me, right?”

The teary face brought Seo Tae-ju back to reality.

This is dangerous.

Seo Tae-ju had a dream, a goal he needed to climb higher to reach.

Weakness could not exist.

Get rid of it.

So he decided to eliminate the weakness himself.

On the man’s birthday, while he was distracted celebrating, Seo Tae-ju sold him to a human trafficker.

The trafficker was infamous for brutality, and most people he bought died quickly.

Seo Tae-ju received a large sum for it.

Thanks to that, he was now closer to his ambitions.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Alright.”

Seo Tae-ju slowly opened his eyes.

The dream during the car ride irritated him.

He washed his face roughly to reset his expression.

It was just a dream.

By now, that boy would be dead.

Or dying in some perverted old man’s house.

Forget it.

He tried, but the name resurfaced clearly.

Park Garam.

Yes, the boy had been named Park Garam.

The puppy-like kid.

Seo Tae-ju stepped out of the car and entered the mansion.

He walked into his study, where a summoned guest waited.

A sharp-faced man with an unpleasant look, like a sneaky rat.

Seo Tae-ju disliked having such a person in his study, but he had no better meeting place.

Still, the man’s stealth ability was excellent, so their dealings had gone smoothly.

“We finally succeeded!”

“You mean the matter of Lee Jae-heon’s lover?”

“Yes, we caught him.”

“Are you sure he’s really the lover?”

“Of course. Who else walks around holding hands like that? Have you ever seen Lee Jae-heon behave like that with anyone else?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Seo Tae-ju tapped his lips slowly.

“And he even brought the flowerpot. Now we can finally learn what makes it so precious.”

“Do you have an appraiser at your hideout?”

“Yes.”

“Rank?”

“C-rank.”

“I’ll send a higher-ranked one. Report if you find anything.”

“Understood.”

The man smiled widely, clearly pleased due to his hatred of Lee Jae-heon.

Well, someone like him would be.

After some more talk, Seo Tae-ju suddenly asked:

“What was the lover’s name?”

“Park Garam.”

“Park Garam?”

“Height?”

“A bit short.”

“What does he look like?”

“Decent enough, but not exceptional. Not a standout beauty.”

“Maybe… no, forget it.”

He almost asked if he looked like a puppy.

The name Park Garam, small stature — how common could those traits be?

Seo Tae-ju questioned himself.

There might be another one somewhere.

But it bothered him.

“I want to see him.”

“You’re coming to the hideout?”

The man was shocked, since Seo Tae-ju had always refused before.

“Since we caught him, I should at least inspect the place.”

Seo Tae-ju hid his true thoughts and spoke something convincing.

The man looked touched.

So simple-minded.

Easy to use, though.

Was the captured man truly the one he abandoned?

If not, fine.

But if yes?

How would he react?

His heart thumped.

It felt like his dead nerves were coming alive.

Does he still like me?

Or does he despise me?

He remembered the man saying Park Garam was now Lee Jae-heon’s lover.

How did someone he sold to a trafficker escape and end up with Lee Jae-heon?

I thought Lee Jae-heon was the same type as me.

Someone who trusted no one.

Someone incapable of a real lover.

Just like Seo Tae-ju.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Go. Contact me when the schedule is set.”

After the man left, Seo Tae-ju leaned back comfortably.

Things were about to get interesting.

Garam’s kidnapping was not announced publicly.

It would only spark controversy, so they planned to handle it internally.

“We have to go.”

“Go where? Your ribs are broken.”

Kang Jung-bae looked exasperated at the stubborn man on the bed.

“You need to rest for days.”

He offered a bowl of thin meat porridge.

“People are so petty. Just because a worker got hurt they won’t send a healer. If someone high-ranked got hurt they’d gather every healer in the city!”

“Hyung, I have to go.”

“Oh? Speaking formally now? Earlier you were swearing at me.”

“Garam was kidnapped.”

“What?”

“I said he was kidnapped.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard.”

He realized he hadn’t seen Garam for two days.

“He was attacked by terrorists, and they were targeting Garam.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s Lee Jae-heon’s lover.”

Park Deok-pal frowned as he spoke.

“Then you really shouldn’t go. They’re people aiming for Rank 1. We’re C-rank awakened, and that’s being generous. We’d be useless.”

“Even so, I can’t just lie here.”

Grinding his teeth, Park Deok-pal forced himself to stand.

“Aghhh!”

“Aigo… are you trying to die? You’re too soft-hearted.”

Kang Jung-bae set aside the porridge and helped him up.

“You stood up, now what?”

“I need to meet Lee Jae-heon.”

“Oh sure, he’ll definitely meet you.”

“I’ll meet him somehow.”

Step by step, with Kang Jung-bae’s support, Park Deok-pal walked.

His ribs made breathing painful, but he didn’t stop.

“I don’t know if this is smart…”

Kang Jung-bae helped him climb upward.

The hospital ward was mid-floor, so higher floors might lead to Lee Jae-heon.

But that hope was crushed.

Before they reached the upper floors, Kang Yu-jun blocked them.

“What are you two doing here?”

If it were any other temporary worker, Kang Yu-jun would have kicked them out immediately.

But he believed Park Deok-pal was close to Garam, though Garam didn’t see it that way.

“I want to meet Lee Jae-heon.”

“Lee Jae-heon?”

“Yes. Please.”

“You should rest instead. It seems no healer was assigned… return to your room. I’ll call someone.”

“No!”

Park Deok-pal shouted.

“I must meet him!”

“And why is that?”

“Because that’s the only way to find Garam!”

At that, Kang Yu-jun’s eyebrow twitched.

“Why do you need to find Park Garam?”

His gaze turned sharp, suspicious.

“Well… because…”

“Because?”

“We’re friends.”