Chapter 126
Angel stepped out of Ivy’s room and moved down to the lower floor.
The image of Ivy, drenched in cold sweat and struggling, continued to linger in his mind.
As he headed toward the kitchen to cool his head with cold water, Angel stopped in front of a door deep within the first floor—a familiar silhouette emerged in the darkness.
“Boss.”
At Angel’s call, Hawon turned his head. Moonlight fell onto his face, standing in the dimly lit corridor.
Angel glanced briefly at the door from which the sound of laughing and talking leaked out—a memory surfaced, confirming it was Yeonbyeol’s room.
“Why here…?”
Without meaning to, Angel’s words trailed off, a realization dawning upon him that it was a boundary he should not dare to cross.
“Where are you heading again?”
Angel barely shifted his gaze from the door and directed it toward Hawon’s face. Fresh blood still smeared his pale cheek.
Seeing Angel’s gaze fixate, Hawon wiped his cheek with the hand gripping the gun.
“Time is running out, so what else can I do?”
The blood that had dried on his cheek was certainly not his own—it belonged to those he had killed that day.
Angel narrowed his eyes slightly.
The sight of this man being unable to catch his breath with the relentless pressure was incomprehensible.
“…Is the boss really like that?”
If not, then what is?
Hawon let out a small, sardonic laugh.
“Maybe.”
He tucked the gun back into his jacket and walked past Angel without hesitation.
Repeating the motion of clenching and unclenching his fist, Angel finally spoke before Hawon could get too far away.
“Give me a moment.”
Hawon stopped. When he turned, Angel was looking at him with a determined expression.
“I need to speak with you.”
Meeting Angel’s gaze, Hawon pierced through him with his own. But Angel held his ground, not flinching.
After several seconds of staring, Hawon responded without words, settling onto the sofa in the living room. Angel sat opposite him, asking calmly,
“Don’t you have time to rest? It’d be better here than a hotel.”
Hawon leaned back on the sofa, loosening his tie and relaxing his posture.
“Finally got the spot you’ve been after for so long. Must be satisfying.”
His languid voice made Angel involuntarily tense up.
The tie that once cinched around Hawon’s neck fell to the floor.
“I guess if I don’t set boundaries, I might as well play along.”
Hawon sneered.
Angel briefly glanced at the tie on the floor before speaking in a composed tone.
“Yuhwa is going to try to kill Yugyeom.”
“….”
“Those present when Yugyeom killed Yuhobum were all loyalists of Yuhobum. They never saw eye to eye with Yuhwa, much like Yuhobum did not either, until the day Yugyeom took Yuhobum’s life.”
Though Yuhwa was next in line for the position, not everyone was willing to accept her as the boss.
The boss didn’t particularly favor her, and her ruthless elimination of male bloodline rivals only fueled her antagonists.
Furthermore, some saw having a female successor to Utopia as a disgrace.
For various reasons, there were many forces biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike, but the opposition to Yuhwa was quite substantial.
Until Yuhobum died.
“Yugyeom, the only remaining option, is now a sworn enemy to be torn apart, just like Yuhobum was. Soon, Yuhwa will be following in Yuhobum’s footsteps, building an increasingly solid power base.”
Pausing to gather his thoughts, Angel clasped his hands together briefly.
“The boss proposed this.”
A steady gaze met Hawon’s.
“Won’t you join me in bringing down Utopia?”
Angel maintained eye contact with Hawon, emphasizing his words.
“Since the death of the boss’s father, and the death of my younger sibling, what the boss is seeking to do is essentially my revenge.”
Angel’s hands, still grasping each other, trembled slightly. Hawon silently chuckled, leaning back against the sofa once again.
“At first, I thought Yuhobum was the one who killed my father. Did you know that the first time Yuhobum saw my mother, he was completely smitten?”
“…What?”
Angel’s eyes widened, his voice coming out three beats too late.
“Then I thought that old man sent my father to be killed. But after catching one of the men who went around collecting debts, he confessed everything.”
Hawon’s gaze shifted aimlessly to the ceiling, illuminated faintly by the bluish light of dawn.
“Yuhwa gave my father’s corpse to Yuhobum and secured her place as the heir.”
Speaking as if recounting someone else’s story, there was no emotion—no anger, sadness, or sorrow—in Hawon’s voice.
“…Why didn’t you kill Yuhwa then? Yuhobum I could understand, but someone like Yuhwa could’ve been easily dealt with.”
Angel spoke carefully.
An amused smile tugged at the corner of Hawon’s lips.
“The moment my mother died, my father’s life was already over. To me, he was already dead. Nothing more than a figure that didn’t exist.”
Hawon sat up straighter, his body losing its relaxed posture.
“And even if I killed the heir, what joy would that bring?”
His black eyes glimmered coldly beneath the blue light of dawn.
“To truly enjoy the highest position, I’ll drag him down myself, all the way to the bottom.”
Angel instinctively held his breath, feeling the chilling atmosphere pressing down on him.
The man, bathed in an unnerving stillness, simply smiled lazily.
After a moment of quiet contemplation, Angel released the words he had been holding back.
“I’ll join you.”
At first, he wanted to escape with a lighter burden—to find a place where there was no pain, no death, and begin anew.
But he soon realized that running away wouldn’t protect anything. Angel had something he needed to protect.
An innocent child who resembled his lost sibling.
And people who might suffer the same fate if nothing changed.
“There’s something else I’d like to ask.”
Angel added.
“Can I borrow a few of your men for just one day?”
Hawon rested his chin on his hand, tilting his head slightly.
“Where do you plan to use my people?”
Angel couldn’t speak immediately, even though his answer had already been decided.
However, knowing that any lie would eventually be exposed, he reluctantly spoke the truth.
“…I’m planning to go to an amusement park.”
A deep, mocking smile crept onto Hawon’s eyes.
“Are you asking me to make sure you don’t get shot while riding the carousel?”
Hawon’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
In an instant, Angel’s face flushed red. Though he had anticipated a reaction, he hadn’t expected this level of embarrassment.
“Oh, no. It’s just that the kid seems scared, like they’re running from something.”
Angel stammered, the heat rising in his face.
“It’s not because I want to go for fun!”
Closing his eyes tightly, Angel shouted softly. Laughter soon followed.
Though his eyes were still closed, Hawon’s mocking expression lingered vividly.
“Alright.”
The answer came smoothly, surprising Angel slightly.
As expected, Hawon was smiling—but not just in mockery. Beneath that smile, there was an undertone of self-deprecation, anticipation, loneliness, and contentment—all mingled together.
Hawon leaned back lazily, speaking with a loose grin.
“I’ll add one more condition.”
—
“I find myself thinking about the past when I see you like this.”
I spoke as I watched Lee Chan furiously typing away on his laptop. Lee Chan sprawled out on the floor, as though it were his own room.
Since moving into this house with Yugyeom, Lee Chan had been engrossed in his work. It was worrying that he might slam his head into the keyboard in his intense focus.
“How so?”
Lee Chan didn’t even bother looking at me.
I hugged a pillow tightly and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, spinning slightly.
Our eyes met when Yugyeom, who was sitting by the chair beside the bed, glanced at me. Upon seeing me, Yugyeom smiled softly, his eyes crinkling.
I returned a small smile to him, then turned back to Lee Chan with a sharp remark.
“Like the time you got robbed by Angel?”
“Cough! Cough!”
Suddenly, Lee Chan began coughing violently, spitting out the lemon candy he was eating.
Ugh, gross. I scrunched my face but couldn’t help but chuckle.
“That time, when Angel cleaned you out after you bragged about setting a trap and running away?”
Lee Chan’s clenched fists began to tremble slightly. His sharp eyes locked onto mine with a dangerous glare.
It felt as if I could hear the crack forming in Lee Chan’s once impenetrable pride.
“It’s okay, Chana. Unless you plan on stabbing us in the back, Angel won’t be cleaning out your computer again.”
I spoke softly, trying to soothe the anger bubbling in Lee Chan.
But then, inevitably, Lee Chan exploded. He jumped to his feet and lunged at me.
“Hey!”
Caught off guard, I jumped up and hurriedly stepped down from the bed.
Lee Chan followed closely behind, chasing me around the room. It felt like he was going to catch me any second.
Desperate, I darted to a spot where he couldn’t reach.
“Hey! Are you siding with him?”
Of course.
As expected, I hid behind Yugyeom, causing Lee Chan to halt mid-stride. Clinging tightly to Yugyeom’s sleeve, I stuck my tongue out at Lee Chan.
Unable to contain his anger, Lee Chan lunged at me, but Yugyeom stepped fully in front, shielding me.
Lee Chan was completely blocked from my view by Yugyeom’s broad back.
“Would you rather I take your side, Chana?”
Yugyeom extended his arm behind him, holding my hand firmly.
“Did you want that, Chana?”
Peeking out from behind Yugyeom’s back, I grinned mischievously at Lee Chan.
“Ugh…”
Lee Chan grumbled for a while before sharply turning away.
“I’m leaving. It feels better when we were just arguing about killing each other.”
Collecting his laptop and the fallen lemon candy from the floor, Lee Chan stomped toward the door.
**Knock knock.**
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
“Who is it?”
“Who else would be knocking on your door in this house?”
Lee Chan answered my question grumpily.
I pushed Lee Chan aside from blocking the door and flung it open with a loud bang.
