32.
Pyo Sera tilted her head and gestured to Park Dongsu. He followed her gesture and moved closer to her.
“What on earth is going on?”
“I don’t think this is something we should discuss here.”
“Is that so? Then let’s go to my room first.”
Pyo Sera nodded and called a security guard.
“You there!”
“Are you talking to me?”
“Yes, tell those people who were entering Director Choi’s room to come to my room.”
“Right now?”
“Right now!”
“Yes, I’ll bring them!”
The security guard who answered loudly immediately ran inside, and another guard filled the vacant spot. With this cooperative attitude, Park Dongsu also obediently followed Pyo Sera’s instructions. He was someone who disliked creating disturbances in establishments, but he didn’t seem angry now. As soon as he entered her room, he turned around and asked Park Dongsu:
“So, what’s going on?”
Well, she was always a curious person.
“Someone passed drugs to a person Director Choi is keeping.”
“Aren’t drugs common around here?”
“It was passed from the outside. And the recipient didn’t know it was drugs.”
“That’s a problem.”
Pyo Sera moved leisurely and sat on a nearby sofa.
“Have a seat.”
“Thank you, but I’m fine standing.”
“So rigid. If it’s someone Director Choi is keeping… it must be Lee Haseo, right?”
There was no point in hiding it, as the truth would come out soon enough. So Park Dongsu told the truth.
“That’s correct.”
“I wonder why?”
Pyo Sera crossed her legs with a peculiar smile. Since Park Dongsu didn’t know the exact answer to the “why” question either, he remained silent this time.
Meanwhile, the security guard who had gathered the workers knocked on the door. There were three of them in total. Though they looked different, they were all clean-cut and handsome. If they hadn’t ended up in a place like this, they might have been idol trainees.
“Let’s see. Two are missing?”
“One caught a cold and went to the hospital, and the other one is absent without notice.”
“Who has the cold?”
“Sion.”
“Then the one who’s absent without notice must be Ion.”
Ion was quite close friends with Sion, which is why they had similar names.
‘More accurately, he’s more like a subordinate who’s easy to manipulate than a friend.’
Sion was cunning and always manipulated Ion. But since it didn’t cause problems for the establishment, Pyo Sera didn’t dig deeper. No matter how important employee management was, she couldn’t intervene in such matters.
“Let’s see. Do you suspect any of these people?”
“If you give me some time, I’ll investigate.”
“Do you need a separate space?”
“That would be appreciated.”
“They’re workers, so treat them gently.”
“I’ll try my best.”
As the conversation between Pyo Sera and Park Dongsu continued, the faces of the three standing men turned pale.
“Now, quietly follow this man.”
Still, none of them disobeyed Pyo Sera’s words. They were always smiling gently, but they knew what she was really like. How many employees had caused problems and disappeared from the establishment?
“It’s a bit sad that they’re so obedient.”
Pyo Sera said this as she leaned back on the sofa. Park Dongsu didn’t waste time. He was experienced enough that it didn’t take long to extract the truth from weak individuals.
“I’m finished.”
“Are the kids alright?”
“No major injuries.”
“Your skills are still good. But you know you need to pay for medical expenses and compensation for the time they can’t work, right?”
“I know.”
“And this matter is something Director Choi owes me for, correct?”
“I’ll relay that message.”
Park Dongsu answered steadfastly.
“Good, so was there a culprit among them?”
“No.”
“Then we’ll need information on the other two. How much is this going to cost?”
“As much as you want.”
Pyo Sera’s eyes rounded with pleasure at the desired answer.
* * *
Sion thought:
‘Things are going strangely.’
While staying at home as usual, a familiar man visited late at night. He was someone who usually handled Choi Minchul’s dirty work. He told Sion that things had gone wrong and gave him the location of a motel in a secluded area.
He said Sion would be safe if he hid there, but Sion couldn’t fully trust that. So he made time to stop by Ion’s house. Ion was someone he had known since childhood and who strangely had affection for him.
‘Plus he’s stupid too. Just the perfect type of person to use.’
Although it seemed like that might be why his life hadn’t been smooth so far, he felt no guilt. Instead, he had pretended to be Ion’s friend all this time despite it not suiting him. Sion handed Ion whatever money he could gather and told him to go to the countryside immediately to hide. Ion asked why, but Sion said he couldn’t explain right now.
“But one thing’s for sure. If you’re there, I’ll be safe.”
Ion looked like he didn’t understand anything. Naturally, since he didn’t know anything.
“I’ll definitely explain later. Can you do this?”
“Umm.”
“We’re friends. The only two friends.”
After hesitating for a while, Ion slowly nodded.
“That’s right. The only two friends. But what about the establishment?”
Ion also knew that breaking the establishment’s rules was dangerous.
“I’ll explain it well to the establishment. It’ll be fine.”
The hesitation didn’t last long. As always, Ion moved according to Sion’s words.
‘What a convenient friend.’
Sion waved goodbye as Ion ran out of the house. It was almost laughable how Ion disappeared, not knowing what was about to happen. After sending Ion away, Sion returned to his upscale apartment. Although Choi Minchul told him to hide, running away at times like this was amateur behavior.
While he had a close relationship with Choi Minchul, he knew he couldn’t be abandoned. From the beginning, they were connected because of weaknesses, so what trust could there be now? Sion spent time at home and then visited the hospital.
He faked a cough to get cold medicine prescribed and even obtained a medical certificate. He took a photo of it and sent it to the establishment, receiving a reply that he could rest until he recovered. The establishment was managed well enough that they allowed employees with contagious diseases to rest until they recovered.
“It’s done.”
Now Sion was safe until Ion was caught and spilled everything. Maybe Ion would keep his mouth shut. He was originally a dim-witted guy, so it was possible. Sion let out a deep sigh and called Choi Minchul.
“Minchul-ssi.”
─ What? I told you to hide, didn’t I? Where are you? Why aren’t you at the motel?
“I’m at home.”
─ Are you crazy? If you had hidden, I would have arranged to get you out of the country.
“Overseas? Where overseas? You’re not planning to sell me, are you?”
─ Hey! How many years have we been together? Would I really do that?
You absolutely would, and worse. Sion bit his lip repeatedly.
“Of course I trust you, Minchul-ssi. But you never know. We’re dealing with the Director. So I made a few moves of my own.”
─ What did you do?
Sion calmly explained what he had done so far. Hearing this, Choi Minchul snickered.
─ I’m something, but you’re something else too. You’re really something. Fine, you’ve bought some time. So what do you want?
“Help me escape overseas for real.”
─ When was it ever fake?
When Sion remained silent without answering, Choi Minchul, who had been rambling, changed his tone.
─ Alright. This time I’ll prepare a real plane ticket. I’ll also arrange a suitable identity for you, so don’t worry.
“Thank you.”
─ No need for thanks between us.
The bastard kept up his act until the end. But since changing the terms in the middle would be troublesome for Sion, he went along with Choi Minchul’s words. And so the call, which was short yet long in a way, ended.
Sion rubbed his forehead with his hand and sighed again.
“I was prepared for this from the beginning.”
He didn’t have the courage to refuse Choi Minchul’s orders. Plus, he hated Lee Haseo so much he couldn’t stand it. Cheolsu from the establishment said it was important to know one’s place, but who cares about that?
“You and me. What’s so different between us?”
Some people get in the Director’s good graces and live comfortably, while others roll around under Choi Minchul. Still, because of this incident, Lee Haseo wouldn’t be able to live comfortably either. It was something done assuming it would be discovered eventually. Sion was happy to see Lee Haseo fall into the abyss, and Choi Minchul was satisfied not to disobey Ryu Jiho’s orders.
As he was thinking this, the phone he had just finished calling vibrated. Sion cleared his throat and picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
─ Sion, it’s Cheolsu.
“Ah, what is it?”
─ Do you know where Ion went?
“Ion? Shouldn’t he be at home at this hour?”
─ He’s not there. He’s disappeared without contacting the establishment. You’re his friend, so I thought you might know.
“I don’t know either.”
─ Really?
“I don’t know. Even friends don’t know everything, right?”
A soft breath could be heard from the other end. It seemed like Cheolsu suspected that Sion had done something to Ion. But without evidence, he couldn’t say anything.
─ Ion is a good kid.
“And I’m a bad one?”
─ Sion. If you’ve done something wrong, tell us yourself. You know what kind of person she is.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
─ I see.
That was the end of the call. Cheolsu wasn’t the type to interfere in others’ affairs, so he wouldn’t raise suspicions first. Now Sion just needed to hold out for a few days before escaping overseas, and it would all be over.
“A happy ending.”
It would probably be like that.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
