Page 62 of Obsession of the Egoist
“Never mind.” Kuon pushed away, his face turning red. “Why did you leave?”
Wanting to see more, Yugo tilted his head. Having no idea what’s going on in Kuon’s head, he felt both amused and confused. “Why? I went out to change my clothes because someone shredded my suit to pieces.”
“You should have woken me up… Do something like this again, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
“Oh, I see,” Yugo murmured. Never before had a pathetic death threat, said in a low, vibrating voice, made him so happy. He had to bite his lip to choke the laughter. “So, you’re grumpy because you didn’t get your morning kiss? Let me fix that.”
He leaned into the man, but the slam of Kuon’s palm against his face shoved him back.
“Fuck off!” Kuon grumbled, but the aggression left his shoulders. Pulling Kuon’s hand away, Yugo drew closer.
“Kuon?” He froze an inch away from the strapped face. “Open your mouth.”
“Wha…”
A slight resistance preceded the submission, as Yugo locked their mouths, but in a moment Kuon leaned into the kiss. His hands found Yugo’s jacket and crumpled the collar.
Yugo smiled, getting high. The intoxicating feeling of victory soared when the black-eyed man, who stood in the doorway holding a long military knife, and whom he’d been watching from the corner of his eye for the last five minutes, stepped back out, shutting the door.
A PANDORA’S BOXopened in Rick’s chest, releasing all the evils in the world into the swirling chaos that his soul had become. His eyes, rebelling against his will, refused to look away from the anguishing scene. He wanted to run away, but his body, frozen to the spot, didn’t want to move. When Kuon leaned into the kiss, he let out a long, silent breath, before turning around and leaving the hospital, because he wasn’t sure what he would do if he stayed longer.
“ALLOW RICK INTO THE ROOM,”Yugo told Greg as he leaned back onto the passenger seat. The noisy city streets bled into the forest backgrounds as they drove west. Undergoing all kinds of check-ups, Kuon had to stay in the hospital for another few hours, but Yugo couldn’t wait longer. The hard drive burned him through his pocket, inflaming his curiosity and impatience.
“Boss?” Greg shot up a questioning glance in the rearview mirror. “Why? Didn’t you want to get rid of him?”
“I changed my mind. Kuon will have a hissy fit if he thinks I’m isolating him again,” Yugo said, closing his eyes for a second. “I’ve tolerated him for so long; I can wait one more day. Tonight Kuon will move in with me, so there is nothing to worry about. Also, his attachment to Kuon is kinda charming. They’ve known each other for what, two years? They even live together, yet Kuon said they never fucked. Rick wanted to slice my throat today, but retreated as soon as he realized that Kuon isn’t being forced, which made me think… He is like a loyal dog who will rip out the throat of anyone who would harm Kuon. He will never do anything Kuon hates, because he is scared to lose that fragile connection they have, and that makes him harmless to me. He will be waiting for Kuon to choose him, which will never happen. If not me, Kuon would rather choose that woman.”
“That’s cruel.” Greg allowed himself a smirk.
“Anyway, since he is no threat, he can stay for a while, if it makes Kuon happy. Maybe I will put him to good use one day.”
Greg said nothing more, and Yugo’s focus dissolved into the background as his mind drifted. Unhurried thoughts warmed his chest with the memory of the last night, then he sobered as he remembered Mio.Twenty thousand Bitcoin is a lot of money. What the hell is he doing?
“Aren’t you disappointed?” Yugo asked as soreness itched in the depth of his chest. Trying to figure it out, he dug deeper into the invisible raw spot.
“Huh?”
“Mio. What was he thinking, stealing from Tobias? It’s one thing to hack his PC, and another to steal… And such big money… How much is it, two hundred million euros? Why does he need so much? Tobias never forgives or forgets anything. He will rip him apart…”
“Do you want me to track Mio down?”
“Yes.” Yugo nodded. “I want to know what he is doing before he does it. Make sure you know where he is and where the money goes. If the game is too dangerous, I want to be able to stop him before it goes too far.”
“Got it.”
Through the thick foliage, he saw the familiar silhouette of his mansion and the thick blanket of wild grape covering the front. Watching it cling to the white stone, Yugo wondered why Mio never told him that he’d gotten the hard drive?
Greg parked. When the engine died, Yugo got out of the car and, entering the mansion. His palms moistened when he rushed upstairs and into the small, hidden room at the back of his bedroom, then connected the hard drive to the computer.
Attention spiking, he flopped down on the seat.
TWO HOURS LATER, WHEN YUGO’Sback ached from sitting in the same position, the door opened, and Greg entered the small monitor room. The tray he carried emitted a strong coffee aroma.
Placing a small porcelain cup of ristretto on the desk, he said, “Anything?”
“Everything… Politics, military officers, police, Rudolph, even you and me.” Yugo breathed, before opening a video file. “Now, explain this to me… Only you and I had this footage. You said that all the copies were destroyed.”
Greg squinted, staring at the screen, where the younger version of himself was wrapping his hands with boxing tape. Behind his back, by the concrete wall, a man sat on a stool. His hands were tied to his torso, and a sack covered his head. The younger version of Yugo unhurriedly smoked behind the prisoner. Turning the video off, Yugo faced Greg. His inquisitive glare boring into the deadpan eyes.
