Chapter 4

Gyuhan took a taxi home, and the following morning, he discovered dark bruises blooming across his aching buttocks matching the exact outline of those handprints.

When he showed up at the office in utter shock, he learned that Gong Jio had taken annual leave. Jio ignored all personal calls throughout the weekend, and when the new workweek began on Monday, he arrived perfectly fine, maintaining a cold, strictly professional demeanor as if nothing had ever happened. He still refused all personal contact, and whenever Gyuhan tried to approach him socially, all he got was the same biting sarcasm he had displayed at the bar yesterday. That cold standoff had persisted for nearly three months now.

So, the true root of this entire catastrophe really was Go Woonha.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Gyuhan dialed his younger brother’s number. Having zero desire to contact Go Woonha directly, he hoped to glean a few updates about the man’s situation from his brother. If he could just hear that Woonha had tripped and broken a limb, or lost a fortune in the stock market, his mood would instantly improve.

“Hey, Gyuwon-ah.”

Nurturing those hopes and prayers as the line rang, Gyuhan greeted his brother with a bright smile.

— “Hey, hyung. What’s up?”

Cha Gyuwon’s voice sounded lower than usual, almost like a hushed whisper. It seemed something gloomy had happened. While Gyuhan hated the thought of his brother feeling down, he secretly hoped the culprit was Go Woonha.

“Nothing special, just checking in. It’s your first time dating, and I felt bad for not looking out for you as your older brother.”

There was no reason an older brother needed to meddle in a sibling’s romance, especially when Gyuhan himself possessed zero dating experience.

“So, uh, are you two doing well? Both of you.”

— “Yeah… Woonha-hyung was a bit sick, so he’s doing rehab right now…”

“He was hurt? Where? Are all four limbs intact?” Gyuhan pressed eagerly, unable to hide his anticipation.

— “No. Just… you know.”

Gyuwon’s voice dropped even lower, tinged with dark embarrassment.

Ah, did I sound too excited?

Just as Gyuhan cleared his throat to regain a proper, supportive tone, a sharp gasp cut through the line.

— “Uh, hyung, can I call you back in a bit? Ngh!”

Ngh?

Gyuhan’s smile froze on his face.

— “I-I’ll call you right back, hyung!”

— “A bit? That soon? Haah… Hurry up and hang up, Gyuwon-ssi.”

A familiar, sultry voice purred through the receiver.

Gyuhan sprang from his chair, the reality of the situation slamming into him with crystal clarity.

“Hey! Go Woonha!”

He roared the name at the top of his lungs, but the call was abruptly disconnected from the other end.

Confronted with an intimate glimpse into his brother’s private life that he never wanted to know, alongside Woonha’s energetic voice proving the man was far from needing any real rehabilitation—he was clearly full of vigor.

Gyuhan marched over to the heavy punching bag hanging inexplicably in his executive office. Letting out a furious “Aaaargh!”, he unleashed a wild barrage of punches. Finding his tie cumbersome, he slung it over his shoulder and began unclasping his cufflinks to throw himself into a proper beating, only to freeze when he turned and spotted Gong Jio leaning casually against the doorframe—an entirely unexpected development.

“Go Woonha?”

Jio murmured with a dry, mocking chuckle, “Sure, go right ahead. Claiming you’re saving your chastity for your wife while getting laid by men, and now howling your ex’s name in your office because you’re still hung up on him. Fuck’s sake. Here is your legal advisory report, Director Cha.”

Wait, what? A report? Looked and got hard?!

Jio tossed the document binder onto the desk with a careless clatter. Professional boundaries were completely out the window, reduced to a total circus. Look at the state of this company. That line was usually Gong Jio’s specialty.

Perhaps because he had never uttered such words before, the superior, Cha Gyuhan, shouted an entirely different defense at Jio’s retreating back, “Goddammit, I told you I don’t date men, Jio-ya!”

His voice boomed through the corridor. With the lunch hour emptying the office floor, the lack of an audience was the sole saving grace.

This won’t do. I have to clear up this misunderstanding once and for all.

Following a brief moment of deliberation, Gyuhan opened an internet browser window and typed “Matchmaking Agency” into the search bar.

“Hmm. Can’t go here. Can’t go here either. Uh… here… isn’t an option either, I see.”

Clicking his tongue, Gyuhan filtered through the options one by one.

It was not because they were outside his taste, but rather because the agencies themselves repeatedly rejected him, barring him from entering.

According to Gyuhan’s original life blueprint, he should have already been a devoted husband and a wonderful father of three. Reality, however, was the complete opposite. It was not for a lack of effort; if anything, he had tried far too hard.

The moment he turned twenty-five, Gyuhan had registered with a matchmaking agency. He aggressively marketed his charms. Fortunately, possessing substantial personal assets while still being young, he was able to secure a remarkably high profile tier. The only reason he fell slightly short of the absolute top tier was due to a minor detail in his eyes—his tattoo.

The ink he had begun having etched across his back after completing his military service was nearly fully shaded by the time he joined the agency.

“It’s a very small tattoo. Really no big deal. It’s not like tattoos are that rare these days anyway.”

“Ha-ha-ha!” His booming laugh had sounded dreadfully awkward.

The staff should have caught the warning signs right then and there.

Things had gone smoothly with his first match. He even secured follow-up dates. Moving past the third meeting out of the five guaranteed dates provided by the company, they arranged their fourth date at a water park. Although he had not felt that electric spark, a comfortable, stable rapport was beginning to form. Gyuhan set out for that fourth date in high spirits, only to get dumped spectacularly—and through the agency, no less.

“Dear member… That is hardly what anyone would call a small tattoo.”

Confronted by the representative murmuring with laced fingers and a mournful expression, Gyuhan had been left speechless. He had no room for excuses, nor did he intend to make any. The experience yielded a profound revelation and deep reflection. Honesty was always the best policy. Hollow lies achieved nothing, and he had undoubtedly lost a golden opportunity because he had lied. Having reached that clean, simple conclusion, Gyuhan made a swift and spotless recovery.

He received a tiny refund and was politely expelled from the membership rolls through a courteous rejection.

Even though it had only lasted four dates, she was someone who had passed through his life. Believing in proper social etiquette, Gyuhan waited a full calendar year before registering with another matchmaking agency. This time, he was assigned a lower tier rating; his tattoo was simply too massive.

Yet the rating hardly mattered to him. Having never earned stellar grades in school, why would he care about arbitrary status tiers? Inner character was all that counted, so long as he could meet his destined woman.

Gyuhan was brimming with confidence.

“Dear member… That is hardly what anyone would call a normal, everyday self-employed business.”

Until, that is, he had the misfortune of running into his company employees on his way out from a second date.

“They’re sweet, gentle uncles. Sure, they look a bit intimidating, but the more you see them, the more endearing they get. Aren’t bear-like men all the rage these days?”

“There are different kinds of bears, sir. Brown bears, polar bears, and black bears are entirely different beasts. By any chance, have you ever seen a Malayan sun bear?”

“A Malayan bear?”

“…”

“Anyway, Assistant Manager and Section Director are totally normal corporate titles. They’ve washed their hands completely clean, too. Does this agency judge people strictly by their past? Look, I don’t know every detail of those uncles’ pasts, so without a single lie, yeah, maybe they did bad things back in the day. But they’ve completely turned over a new leaf!”

“A new… Um. Dear member.”

The representative offered a polite smile.

“This is not a religious charity.”

“Ayy, who said it was? Just market me as a dangerous man. Dangerous and sexy!”

Gyuhan possessed zero hesitation when it came to promoting his charms. Why hesitate when his sex appeal was an undeniable fact? He even unbuttoned an extra collar button right in front of them to prove his point, but the agency staff did not bat an eye.

“Dear member. The dangerous charm that ladies find appealing does not refer to a criminal record.”

While the remark was borderline insulting, Gyuhan never took things the wrong way, his eyes sparkling as he fired back instantly, “Oh, I’ve never even had a single ticket slapped on me! I’m a spotless man. An accident-free, sexy driver. How’s that for a pitch?”

Unsurprisingly, he was dropped from that agency as well.

Next time, he laid (what he considered) everything bare. Only after submitting his corporate history and verified credentials did he manage to secure a membership. Gyuhan met several older women and treated them with utmost devotion. Though he was rejected consecutively, it was no longer due to his family background or his ink. While the agency representative never stated it outright, the feedback followed a consistent theme. “I honestly couldn’t tell if my date was a suitor, a host-bar player, or a club tout.”

To Gyuhan, the reasoning was utterly incomprehensible. He had simply given his absolute best based on everything he had observed and learned to treat the ladies like royalty, so why?

Yet in this vast world, there were always people whose tastes aligned with such earnest antics.

A few encounters extended to a third date because the women found him hilarious and endearing—mostly older noonas. Even so, none of them chose Gyuhan as a prospective marriage partner. Harboring zero resentment, Gyuhan naturally settled into a comfortable dynamic with them as a reliable younger brother. Matchmaking agencies, it seemed, failed to produce a lover while expanding his professional network with valuable business contacts. In the end, every single one of those noonas eventually tied the knot, and Gyuhan attended every wedding, clapping vigorously, presenting generous cash gifts, and faithfully staying for the after-parties.

Having experienced every conceivable social outcome at a matchmaking venue except the agency’s primary goal, Gyuhan and the exhausted representative were left with nothing to do except sit in silence or trade frustrated complaints.

Eventually, before Gyuhan could even bring up the topic of renewing his registration, the agency delivered their verdict. “We feel our services are simply inadequate to properly accommodate a member of your caliber.”

And so, Gyuhan was cut loose once again—not just from one place, but dropped by agency after agency in rapid succession.

Well, he never took the rejections to heart. He had met wonderful noonas and made great friends, and even if romance had eluded him, he had yet to feel that electric spark of destiny anyway.

“Haah… Finding true love is fucking exhausting.”

Muttering under his breath, Gyuhan scoured the internet for agencies he had not yet tried, eventually submitting an application to a newly launched matchmaking startup.

He had matured more than enough over the years. He could feel it in his bones; the time to meet his destined partner had finally arrived.

Mistaking sheer desperation for divine revelation, Gyuhan booked a consultation for the earliest available date and time, spinning his executive chair around with a heavy sigh.

The weather outside the window was gloomy and overcast. On a day like this, working up a good sweat with Gong Jio would have been absolute perfection.

Instead of praying for his destined partner or listening to lucky cosmic frequencies after registering with the agency, Gyuhan found himself feeling bitter as he thought of his friend, who remained deeply offended for reasons he still could not fathom.

Jio pursued a wide variety of athletic hobbies, all focused on working up a vigorous sweat. Sports like tennis and bouldering were activities Gyuhan would never have touched if not for Jio dragging him along. To get him hooked on the fun only to sulk and pull away felt terribly unfair. In the mood for tennis today, Gyuhan grumbled in disappointment, “Nothing beats grinding through a brutal workout, sweating buckets, and knocking back a drink together.”

Smacking his lips, Gyuhan picked up his phone. Working at the same company meant their contact would never be entirely severed, which was a blessing. Since he could not understand why Jio was angry, Gyuhan resolved to just take the direct approach. Wasn’t his greatest strength the ability to endure any beating or verbal abuse without flinching?

With a stubborn persistence he had never displayed toward his dating matches, Gyuhan sent a message to Jio.

❮0go⠇

Jio-ya, I’m not into guys. I think there’s a misunderstanding, so I registered with a matchmaking agency. Next year, I’m definitely going to make you catch my bouquet.

Feeling that message was slightly lacking, Gyuhan decided to bare his genuine feelings more directly.

❮0go⠇

Aren’t you my life partner, my bestie, my absolute best friend?

So badass.

Gyuhan admired his own text with a swell of pride.

It felt a little embarrassing, but having gathered the courage to send it, his sincerity was bound to get through.

The reply did not arrive immediately. The response finally pinged just as Gyuhan was packing his briefcase to head home.

❮0go⠇
—Cut the bullshit.

“Huh? Is he being shy?”

Gyuhan assumed Jio was simply too touched to express his feelings honestly, until he read the next message.

❮0go⠇
—Don’t you dare talk to me first unless I speak to you, because it makes me want to beat the shit out of you.
—Actually, should I just beat you half to death once and go do some prison time?

“Say what?”

❮0go⠇
—Leave on time and you’re dead. I’m swamped because of you, so keep your ass glued to that chair.

Even though Jio was not there to watch him, Gyuhan obediently planted his rear firmly back into the seat.

A moment later, the office door was wrenched open simultaneously with a sharp knock. The sheer force of the entrance threatened to shatter the frame, bringing with it an overwhelming, terrifying momentum.

“What kind of idiot executive tries to leave on the dot at the end of the month? Do you want to die?”

The words were harsh, but the delivery was blunt and utterly flat. That was simply how Gong Jio always operated, leading most people to remark that they could never tell how angry or happy he truly was. Gyuhan assumed that emotional opacity was the main reason Jio lacked longtime friends.

Yet Gyuhan could read Jio’s emotional temperature with absolute precision. Right now, Jio was obscenely furious. He was definitely not acting out of awkward shyness over the text messages.

“Hey, you…”

“I told you not to speak.”

“…”

Gyuhan nodded obediently, signing the document where Jio pointed. In a uniform cadence and at rapid speed, Jio recited the core summary, primary purpose, and expected legal outcomes of the paperwork. Having executed his duties like an artificial intelligence, Jio collected the signed documents from Gyuhan.

“Uh, Jio-ya. When are you going to stop being mad at—”

“Shh.”

Closing his eyes, Jio furrowed his brows and let out an irritated hiss of breath. Pressing his index finger firmly against his lips, his effort to suppress his mounting fury was palpable.

“Seriously.”

“…”

“If you don’t want to get beaten to a pulp in your own office…”

“…”

“Don’t say a single word, Gyuhan-ah.”

“…”

And with that, Jio vanished.

Left in a daze, Gyuhan was soon swept up in an urgent field assignment that demanded his immediate attention, driving the encounter from his mind. His vow to figure out why Jio was angry enough to contemplate a prison sentence was promptly forgotten, along with the impending contact from the matchmaking agency.

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