Married For Now-Chapter 138: DESPERATE TIMES, DESPERATE MEASURES

SOHEE AND Kim Heedo picked up Go Gunjoon at his school as promised.

Then they went to Ilsung Gangnam— the flagship store— to buy new gadgets for the kid.

"I can’t stand the fact that my brother-in-law is using old Ilsung models."

That was what Kim Heedo said.

Sohee didn’t stop his husband from spending his money the way he wanted. In fact, he even encouraged Go Gunjoon to accept Kim Heedo’s generosity.

And that was how they ended up at Ilsung Gangnam.

Go Gunjoon looks brighter now than the first time I met him.

His half-brother was still attending his old, corrupted school because his parents hadn’t made a decision yet about his transfer.

But it seemed like a rumor about Go Gunjoon’s brother being rich and powerful had spread to his school. Hence, the teachers were being extra careful around him. Moreover, he was no longer being bullied by his peers.

And Kang Woong was already expelled.

But, of course, the drug scandal and Mayor Kang Doosik’s son’s involvement in it didn’t reach the media.

Kim Heedo promised to swipe it under the rug in exchange for Kang Woong’s statement.

"Choose any phone, computer tablet, and laptop that you want," Kim Heedo said casually to Go Gunjoon who was looking around Ilsung Gangnam with wide eyes. "If you fancy anything else, just get it."

"I like drawing," Go Gunjoon said, looking at Kim Heedo with sparkling eyes. "Can I get a drawing tablet, Brother-in-law? Ilsung released a tablet specifically made for drawing. I like it more than Apol’s drawing tablet."

"Sure. Go ahead and get one," Kim Heedo said, nodding. And then he turned to Sohee with a small smile. "You’re really brothers."

"I know, right?" Sohee agreed with a nod. "We’re both creatives."

We definitely got it from our mother. As far as I know, our mother used to paint. She was supposed to be an Arts student in Seoul if my deadbeat father hadn’t gotten her pregnant on purpose.

"Ah, Hyung. Wait a moment," Kim Heedo said, waving his phone at him. Shaman Jung’s name was flashing on the screen. "I need to take this call."

"Alright."

Kim Heedo then excused himself before leaving.

Shin Kang followed Kim Heedo, but the bodyguards in civilian clothes remained standing close to Sohee and his half-brother.

It’s still awkward having them around, but it’s better safe than sorry.

Sohee turned to Go Gunjoon to ask about his parents’ reaction to the financial support he was offering, but he paused when he saw his half-brother writing something on a small notebook. "What are you writing, Go Gunjoon?"

"I have a list of every single thing that I’ve received from you and my brother-in-law, Hyung-nim," Go Gunjoon explained, showing his notebook to Sohee. "I’ll pay you back once I can."

Pfft.

The kid even included all the food and drinks that they bought for him.

That’s a good attitude to have.

"I’m looking forward to the day you pay us back, but don’t rush. And don’t think that you owe us. Remember, we’re the ones who offered to support you first."

"I’ll keep that in mind, Hyung-nim."

"Good," Sohee said, and then he changed the topic. "What did your parents say about our offer? Did they get offended? Especially your father."

Aside from his mother’s opinion, he was worried that Go Gunjoon’s father might have gotten offended by their offer to his half-brother.

Admittedly, I didn’t think that far ahead when I offered to support the kid’s studies.

"Oh, Appa wasn’t offended. He actually felt sorry to Hyung-nim," Go Gunjoon said, avoiding Sohee’s gaze as if he was embarrassed. "Apparently, Eomma is a bad mother to Hyung-nim. I know I should have been ashamed and turned down your offer to support my studies. But that actually motivated me to succeed. I can’t succeed on my own, that’s why I want to borrow your strength, Hyung-nim. Then I’ll pay you back tenfold. Maybe if I succeed and I treat you well, you’ll learn to forgive our mother little by little."

"Do I need to forgive a person who never apologized to me in the first place?"

Go Gunjoon turned to Sohee, and then his face turned red from embarrassment. "Hyung-nim..."

"Don’t worry about my relationship with your mother, brat," Sohee said, ruffling Go Gunjoon’s hair affectionately. "She wasn’t a good mother to me, but she is a good mother to you. And that’s fine with me. I’ve gotten over it already."

"Hyung-nim, it’s still not too late..."

"Nah, I don’t need Eomma anymore. But you still need her, so you should listen to your mother. If she feels uncomfortable receiving help from the son that she abandoned, then listen to her. You’re too young to be rebelling against your mother."

Go Gunjoon nodded meekly. "Okay, Hyung."

"Good," Sohee praised his brother. "Ah, did you bring the recording?"

***

"HYUNG."

Sohee smiled at Kim Heedo who returned to his side while Go Gunjoon was browsing the array of drawing tablets in front of them. "What did Shaman Jung-nim say?"

It wasn’t like he was being a nosy husband.

He was allowed to ask that since he knew Shaman Jung called because of their issue.

"Shaman Jung said he’s coming out of the temple this weekend," Kim Heedo said, putting a hand on the small of Sohee’s back. "Can you make time then, Hyung?"

"Sure," Sohee said, and then he showed a fountain pen to Kim Heedo. But it wasn’t an ordinary pen, of course. "Anyway, I got the recording from Go Gunjoon."

"He carries around recording devices with him?"

"Well, he was being bullied. He carried this pen everywhere in order to record the bullying he was suffering from."

Kim Heedo looked impressed. "Smart kid."

"I know, right?" Sohee agreed, feeling proud of his half-brother. "Should we give the recording a listen?"

***

AFTER shopping, Sohee and Kim Heedo brought Go Gunjoon to the café in the 5th floor of the Ilsung Gangnam.

While having iced coffee and some pastries, they listened to the audio recording.

"Byeol sunbae is just a distributor— the dealer is his cousin. I saw his contact list once, and I think his cousin’s name is Jin Taewook. I remember because, well, I thought we could go directly to that person instead of working with Byeol Sunbae who’s leaving this business now."

"Shh! Don’t say that name again!"

"Why, Woong-ah? Is that person really a Korean mafia?"

"No, but that hyung-nim is living a "normal" life as an idol."

"An idol? Who... hey!"

"What? Why?"

"Go Gunjoon, that bastard! He was listening to our conversation!"

"Ah, dammit! Chase that punk!"

Sohee gulped hard after hearing the recording that ended when Go Gunjoon was chased by his schoolmates.

Kim Heedo also looked shocked by what they had heard.

Only Go Gunjoon— who was busy admiring the new smartphone, laptop, and computer tablet that they bought for him— didn’t care about the recording.

That wasn’t the case for Sohee and Kim Heedo.

"Jung Byeol only has one idol cousin," Kim Heedo said, gulping hard. "That means Sanha..."

"Yep," Sohee said while nodding. "Now we have a reason to confront them."

Sohee felt like they were getting closer and closer to the truth.

However, he was still wondering about one thing.

I wonder how Lee Junsu is involved in all of this.

Oh, wait.

Sanha and Lee Junsu are dating.

"Ah, I take that back," Sohee said while shaking his head firmly. "There’s no confrontation happening. Nope, nope, nope."

Kim Heedo knitted his eyebrows. "Why the sudden change of mind, Hyung?"

"Let’s drop Go Gunjoon home first."

After dropping Go Gunjoon home, Sohee and Kim Heedo went straight home.

"We’re leaving them alone," Sohee said as soon as they entered their apartment. He went straight to the kitchen, open the fridge, took out a can of soda, and took a sip before facing his husband. "Sanha and Lee Junsu are dating. We don’t know if Lee Junsu is aware of Sanha’s real identity, but I don’t want to know anymore."

Kim Heedo still looked confused.

"Dude, what’s not clicking to you?" Sohee said, a bit frustrated that Kim Heedo was acting a little slow. It was probably because even though Kim Heedo believed his suspicions about Lee Junsu now, Kim Heedo probably still couldn’t comprehend the bad things that Lee Junsu could have been involved in. "Sanha is involved with miracle pills, and the people selling those things know that miracle pills only work with the help of a Hyper-Dominant Alpha’s pheromones. And those people know that Song Sihyuk is a Hyper-Dominant Alpha. If we get too involved, they might find out that you’re also a Hyper-Dominant Alpha, Heedo-ya. So, let’s just leave them alone and live in peace."

"Are you sure about that, Hyung?"

"Yeah, and something else is bothering me."

"What is it?"

"Jin Taewook," Sohee said. "That seems to be Sanha’s real name."

"What about it?"

"Jin Taewook, Jin Taejoon."

"Hyung, ’Jin’ is a common last name— even Jin Minki has the same last name as theirs."

"Yes, but they both have the same first syllable in their names. Plus, only a few organizations produce miracle pills," Sohee said, squinting his eyes at Kim Heedo. "And, no offense, but you should just trust me in this, Heedo-ya. You better succeed as Ilsung Group’s future chairman because you can’t be a detective. Your problem-solving skills aren’t it."

Kim Heedo pouted and complain light. "Ouch."

Well, his husband was quick-witted most of the time.

Heedo is just probably being overwhelmed at the moment, especially since he’s also crazy worried about Hong Sera.

Sohee gently patted Kim Heedo’s cheek as an apology. "I know Jin Taejoon’s father didn’t want us meddling with his other son’s life, but we have to know if Jin Taewook is really the son who was supposed to be living a civilian life."

Call me an overthinker or whatever, but most of my gut feelings have been correct so far.

"Hyung, you told me we should stay away from them to hide the fact that I’m a Hyper-Dominant Alpha," Kim Heedo said carefully. "What are you going to do if we find out that Sanha is indeed Jin Taejoon’s younger brother?"

"We will find out next if Lee Junsu knows his real identity."

"After that?" frёeωebɳovel.com

"That’s when I’ll have to confront Lee Junsu even if I don’t want to," Sohee said in a serious voice. "But, before that, I need Shaman Jung’s guidance first. If Lee Junsu has a powerful shaman by his side, then I need one as well."

Kim Heedo looked at Sohee long and hard before he nodded. "Alright, Hyung— I’ll support your plan."

***

A DATE in a luxury yacht.

Lee Junsu should at least pretend that he was excited about his date with Sanha— especially since they were currently filming their reality show ’Just Got Married.’

The cameras weren’t rolling at the moment since they were on break.

We’re not alone, but why do I feel uneasy?

Everyone was busy except Lee Junsu and Sanha who were on the deck.

"Junsu-ya?"

"Yes, Hyung?"

"We’re filming the last episode, aren’t we?"

"Yes, Hyung. We’re gonna film the wedding scene after this date."

"Ah, what a shame."

Lee Junsu knitted his eyebrows. "What do you mean by that, Hyung?"

"It’s a shame that we won’t be able to film the wedding scene, Junsu-ya," Lee Junsu said, smiling creepily until his eyes turned into little crescent moons. "We’ve already been caught, so why don’t we die here together?"

Okay, that was confusing.

Lee Jusu knitted his eyebrows, but before he could even ask Sanha what the hell was going on...

BOOM!

Just like that, the yacht was on fire.

***

SOHEE LET out a gasp while watching the breaking news on the TV.

He wasn’t alone then.

Even Kim Heedo looked shocked by what they were watching.

"The cause of the fire remains unknown, but it has been confirmed that popular celebrity couple Lee Junsu-ssi and Sanha-ssi are both in critical condition..."

Sohee gulped hard.

Is this for real?

***

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