| Poison | 🔞 | SeongJoong |

Chapter 3

[Warning: sensitive content]

As the day began to transition from light to dark, Seonghwa was becoming very impatient as he waited for Hongjoong to report back to him. He was beginning to believe that the faith he had in Hongjoong wasn't what he had anticipated.

The blonde-haired male sat at the large oak desk in the corner of his room, tapping on the wood softly as he stared blankly at his computer screen. Just as he grabbed ahold of the telephone beside his computer, someone came barging into his room. Seonghwa looked up, a pleased look flooding over his face when he saw Hongjoong coming towards his desk in a rush.

"I'm truly impressed with your work," Seonghwa said with a grin, resting his elbows upon his desk and interlocking his fingers together.

Hongjoong huffed out once he stopped in front of Seonghwa's desk, handing him a large yellow envelope. "Everything you need to know about Kendrick Downes is in that file. Everything from his birth records to what he had for breakfast this morning. Happy now?"

"Oh, I'm more than happy, I'm ecstatic. I knew you were the right person for this job, well done." Seonghwa praised as he opened the envelope to go over everything that it contained. "I suppose you've earned the bonus for your first job."

"Wait... Bonus?" Hongjoong raised a brow, tilting his head curiously.

Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong like he was stupid. "Yes, a bonus. Did you really think I wasn't going to pay you for your services?" He said with a slight scoff.

The blonde-haired male set down the envelope, reached down to open the top drawer of his desk, then pulled out a single check and held it out to Hongjoong.

Hongjoong hesitated for a moment, sighing out once he took the check from him. When he inspected the amount printed on the check, he almost passed out right then and there. His mouth dropped open with a frown, looking back at Seonghwa completely baffled.

"Is this fraudulent? This is some sort of test right?" Hongjoong questioned. letting out a breathless laugh. "You're fucking with me, you have to be."

"I promise you that check is entirely valid," Seonghwa said with a shrug. "Every cent of it is yours. I don't play around when it comes to money, you can trust me on that."

"Ten thousand dollars? Just for some information on one guy?" Hongjoong shook his head slightly, he couldn't believe this at all.

"If you would like me to void the check, I am more than happy to do so." Seonghwa titled his head slightly, holding out his hand as if to take back the check.

"N-No!" Hongjoong exclaimed, then quickly looked at the ground. "I mean, I'm extremely grateful for this. I didn't expect this high of an amount just for one job."

"Well hopefully this kind of compensation will keep you motivated to work for me faithfully," Seonghwa said with a subtle nod, taking his hand back. "You truly are a valuable asset for this kind of business."

Hongjoong held the check with both hands, just staring at the amount as he fell silent. He came from a decently wealthy family, but none of his family's money was inherited when they passed, all of his family's money had been left to a big charity for the homeless. Hongjoong had struggled financially for so long, this was a huge relief to him, he looked as if he were about to cry.

Seonghwa noticed tears beginning to well up in the eyes of the red-haired male, furrowing his brows in confusion. He stood up from his desk slowly as Hongjoong began to let out soft sniffles.

"What's your problem? Why are you crying?" Seonghwa never usually cared about things like this, but something inside him felt compelled to find out what was wrong with the smaller male standing before him.