Prey (Lee Seohan) - Chapter 155

– The person you are trying to reach is not available at the moment. Please leave a message after the tone…….

Beep.

“Ha.”

Jeonghan ran his hand roughly through his hair inside the private jet. His eyes, fixed on the vast clouds outside the window, were filled with unease.

Seol Suhyeon wasn’t answering her phone.
At first, it just rang, but at some point, her phone had been turned off entirely.

He had anticipated this.

He also knew that calling her now wasn’t the best decision.

Yet, he couldn’t stop himself from dialing her number.

Seol Suhyeon had always been a matter beyond his control, so it wasn’t surprising.

At that moment, Chief Joo entered the in-flight office.

“The final reviewed contract has been uploaded to the server.”

“Got it.”

Jeonghan responded, his gaze still fixed on the window.

Chief Joo, observing Jeonghan’s furrowed brow and the phone clutched tightly in his hand, asked,

“Are you alright?”

Jeonghan, who had been irritably brushing his hair back from his forehead, suddenly paused. His gaze shifted toward Chief Joo.

“…….”

Jeonghan, locking eyes with Chief Joo, who knew everything about the situation, let out a small laugh.

“As if I could be alright.”

Speaking in a low voice, Jeonghan glanced down at the phone in his hand.

“You know I’ve never been alright. Not once.”

When it came to Seol Suhyeon.

Condensing the weight of his unspoken words, Jeonghan, with bloodshot eyes from sleepless nights, stared at the phone’s screen.

Last night’s memory of Seol Suhyeon’s voice surfaced in his mind.

‘Even as you held me, you were tormented by guilt.’

‘Do Jeonghan, because of me, you were always…… breaking in that way.’

Breaking, yes. That’s right.

Because he had made choices that no human should ever make.

Because the desire to have Seol Suhyeon was a craving no human should possess.

And yet, the moment that truth—something he had always known with sickening clarity—was spoken aloud by Seol Suhyeon, it suddenly felt meaningless. Ridiculous, even.

So what? What the hell does it matter?

Becoming a beast isn’t hard.

I don’t know any pain greater than losing you.

With a hollow laugh, Jeonghan’s bloodshot eyes gleamed dangerously, like a predator’s.

Looking at Jeonghan’s eyes, Chief Joo spoke with concern.

“I think it would be best for you to get some rest, Director.”

“…….”

Jeonghan remained silent, prompting Chief Joo to sigh. At that moment, his phone rang.

Chief Joo glanced at the screen, his expression changing.

Looking at Jeonghan, he saw that Jeonghan’s gaze was fixed on him.

After briefly locking eyes with Jeonghan, Chief Joo answered the call.

“What’s the matter?”

As he listened to the caller, Chief Joo’s eyebrows twitched.

“Right now?”

With a face filled with surprise, Chief Joo shifted his gaze to Jeonghan.

“Seol Suhyeon has departed the country today.”

“!”

The turmoil in Jeonghan’s eyes gave way to focus.

“To where?”

“They don’t know…….”

Jeonghan stood abruptly, snatching Chief Joo’s phone out of his hand and speaking directly.

“Explain again, Chief Park.”

Ah, Director. That is……

Suhyeon’s security chief reported in an awkward voice.

Today, Ms. Seol Suhyeon left work after lunch at the company, stopped by her house, and then took a taxi without a carrier. We didn’t realize her destination was the airport, so while we were fumbling, it seems she departed.

Jeonghan’s eyebrows twitched.

“Without a carrier, you say?”

Yes, Director.

Jeonghan let his hand holding the phone drop loosely.

“……Ha.”

Director, Director?

The sound of someone calling from the phone continued, but Jeonghan was staring into space.

So, she really plans to ignore my warning and take it all the way to the end, huh.

Grit.

Grinding his teeth, Jeonghan handed the phone over to Chief Joo.

“Turn the plane around at the next airport.”

Chief Joo looked startled.

“Are you planning to return to Korea?”

Jeonghan looked straight at Chief Joo.

“Yes.”

“The contract is…….”

At Jeonghan’s face, chillingly cold and sharp, Chief Joo couldn’t finish his sentence and closed his mouth.

Since Jeonghan had been the one driving this contract, he would know better than anyone else the damage it would cause. Not just the impact on the company, but also the loss it would inflict on the government, which had invested with high hopes in the aviation business.

Even while bearing the astronomical loss, Do Jeonghan had chosen to go after Seol Suhyeon.

And Chief Joo had no choice but to follow his orders.

“Understood.”

Chief Joo, who had replied, quickly left the office.