I Never Thought Such Childish Feelings Would Remain
I never thought such childish feelings still remained within me.
He had deliberately stayed away from Sua. It was a calculated gamble. If the man who had always appeared without fail suddenly vanished, perhaps she would think of him a little more. And in the end, maybe she would choose him after all.
But no matter how long he waited, there was no answer. He had begged her to choose him with raw sincerity, yet it seemed it still wasn’t enough to move her heart.
In his growing agitation, he had sent Leroi. Every day to the cathedral, to watch what Sua was doing and report back. Yet unlike his own desperate longing, she continued her days unchanged. The sight of her made him resentful and, at the same time, crave her so fiercely he thought he might go mad.
If he simply stayed quiet and waited, he knew he would eventually break and run to her again, pleading. So Tezman threw himself deeper into the outside world. He personally took on tasks he had no need to handle himself.
A wet crunch traveled up through his sole as the shin bone snapped.
“Aaaargh!”
Tezman stared down indifferently at the man writhing and screaming on the ground. When he finally shifted his gaze, Duhan was already standing close beside him.
“You’re especially vicious today, sir.”
“Shut up.”
“Why? This is when I like you best, Tezman-nim.”
Duhan stepped casually over the fallen man and continued speaking.
“When you turn cruel, that is.”
Duhan laughed aloud and swung his fist at the next man charging toward Tezman.
A heavy thud rang out. The man flew back in a single blow. Duhan continued in the same nonchalant tone.
“By the way, it looks like Ye Wumen has lost his mind. He’s been siphoning off drugs behind the Chenpu boss’s back and distributing them himself.”
Ye Wumen had now openly declared his intention to seize his father’s position. Because Boss Ye Gahang’s power remained strong, no major internal fracture had occurred yet. The real problem was that Ye Wumen’s faction was steadily growing.
Not satisfied with obstructing Pavard family business at every turn, he had begun selling drugs in their own territory.
“If you’re going to go crazy, at least do it cleanly. The nerve of him.”
Tezman watched Duhan hunt like a starving dog, snatching at anything in reach, then quietly moved on.
He couldn’t even hear what Duhan was babbling about anymore. The fact that Ye Wumen was sniffing around his territory wasn’t what mattered.
Even now, the only thing driving him insane was Sua’s image flickering before his eyes.
“I think I’m the one who’s gone crazy.”
At Tezman’s low murmur, Duhan glanced back. His eyes flooded with pure delight. If Duhan was the hunting dog, then Tezman was its master. Watching Tezman seize a Chinese-speaking man by the throat and slam him straight into the ground, Duhan felt goosebumps rise across his skin.
Slash. Something grazed Tezman’s arm, spraying blood into the air. More Chinese curses flew as the knife came at him again.
“How dare a worthless insect like you—!”
The moment Duhan and the other capos tried to rush forward, Tezman raised a hand. The clear signal to stay back. Even though he knew the warm liquid soaking his left arm was blood, his expression remained utterly calm.
He caught the arm of the second man thrusting a blade at him, twisted it, and shattered the bone.
“Graaaah!”
The scream cut off abruptly. The man’s neck twisted with a sickening pop as he collapsed. Blood droplets fell onto his head with soft, wet sounds.
“Hoo.”
With a heavy exhale, Tezman slowly swept his hair back and lifted his gaze. In the darkness his eyes glowed with a cold, phosphorescent light. The capos watching him felt their breath freeze in their throats.
“Hahaha… Tezman-nim.”
Duhan burst into laughter, his eyes shining with reverence. Ignoring the wound as if it were nothing, Tezman gave a simple signal with his eyes.
Clean it all up.
At once every capo and soldier moved. Duhan tore into the enemy like a rabid dog.
Tezman, watching from behind, quietly turned away. The rest was more than enough for Duhan and the others to handle. He pulled his phone from inside his jacket and dialed.
— Tezman.
“Looks like Ye Wumen has made a big move.”
— Yeah. Who would’ve thought he’d build a factory in Europe.
“We’ve swept the place. Clean it up.”
— Will do. But we’ve got one more problem. What do you want to do?
“What is it?”
— Looks like Ye Wumen has set up a base in Hong Kong.
“He moves fast.”
— He’s still an idiot, though.
Both men snorted at the same time.
“I’ll handle it.”
Tezman ended the call. As he moved to slip the phone back into his jacket, pain flared in his forearm and he frowned. Deciding against it, he walked straight to his car. The driver bolted upright and opened the rear door.
Leaning back in the seat, Tezman let out a rough breath. If things continued like this, Cact would undoubtedly throw a fit asking why he had gone alone, but he no longer cared. The driver, back behind the wheel, asked,
“To the estate, sir?”
Tezman nearly answered “the cathedral” on instinct. He pressed his lips together. Even now, the cathedral? He was almost disgusted with himself.
He raised a hand to cover his eyes, wishing he could stop thinking about her for the rest of the day.
“Yes.”
Halfway to the estate, his phone rang. Since he was already holding it, Tezman brought it to his ear.
— Tezman-nim.
It was Duhan. The reason for the call was obvious. The sweep was finished.
“Duhan.”
— Yes, Tezman-nim.
“Go to Hong Kong.”
— Hong Kong?
A sly chuckle came through the receiver. It was the laugh of a man who had already guessed exactly why he was being sent.
— Can I raise hell while I’m there?
“Do as you please.”
— I’ll head out and return. I’ll clean everything up nicely and come back.
After ending the call, Tezman closed his eyes once more. Even with his monstrous stamina, the past several days spent eradicating Ye Wumen’s scattered forces across Europe had left him exhausted.
The car finally stopped in front of his estate after a long drive. He stepped out with visible fatigue, his footsteps unusually heavy today. The cold air inside the mansion greeted him with its familiar absence of warmth.
He was used to it now. The cold. The hardness. The oppressive weight of it all.
Pain throbbed in his left arm. The cut seemed deep, but fortunately the blood that had soaked his clothes appeared to have clotted on its own. His steps turned toward the study. The bedroom could only be reached by passing through it; the connecting door was a security measure.
When the weary Tezman opened the study door, a figure was waiting inside.
“Leroi.”
At his voice, Leroi approached at once. The sharp metallic scent of blood. Realizing it did not belong to anyone else, Leroi quickly scanned Tezman’s body. When he saw the deep gash on the left arm, his brows drew together tightly.
“I’ll call a doctor immediately.”
“No need.”
“Then at least let me call Cact.”
Knowing Leroi would summon someone no matter what he said, Tezman simply nodded without further argument. Leroi took out his phone and made a call.
“This is Leroi. Tezman-nim has been injured.”
He ended the brief call. Moments later the study door flew open and Cact rushed in, medical kit in hand.
“Tezman-nim…!”
Watching Cact examine the wound with a grave expression, Tezman spoke as though it were trivial.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing serious.”
“I will suture it at once.”
Cact had even earned a medical license for the sake of being useful to the Pavard family. He disinfected the wound with practiced skill, then took a syringe from the kit. Anesthetic.
“The laceration is quite deep. I’m not sure how effective the anesthesia will be.”
The needle slid into the forearm marked by a coiling black snake. As Cact prepared the suture thread, Tezman’s gaze shifted to Leroi standing nearby.
“Leroi.”
“…Yes, Tezman-nim.”
“Your report.”
The fact that Leroi had waited in the study until this hour meant he had something to say. And since Tezman had stationed him at Sua’s side, it could only concern her.
Perhaps she was secretly preparing to return to Korea again. The brow that had stayed smooth even during disinfection crumpled at once.
Leroi, clearly debating whether to speak in the current atmosphere, finally opened his mouth.
“The sister asked me to convey a message.”
Just as he thought. It would either be that she was leaving for Korea or that she could not accept him. This was no time to sit calmly receiving treatment. He had to go to her immediately and hold her. Tezman rose from his seat.
“Tezman-nim…! You must not move. I still need to suture—”
“I’m going to the cathedral. I need to see the sister.”
Leroi stepped in front of him, blocking the way. Then he delivered the final words.
“She said she wants to see you, Tezman-nim. The sister did.”