His facial expression remained calm. Jae-young had expected him to frown when told that he had leaked information to Ju-seong, but that wasn’t the case.
Seung-kwon must have known. Or at least he had anticipated it.
“What are you going to do once you figure out his intentions?”
“We’ll strike first and then withdraw.”
Seung-kwon was indifferent, as if they were having an insignificant conversation. As if it wasn’t a big deal, his gaze, which had been directed at Jae-young, returned to his phone.
“Then Han Ju-seong will end up like Kim Jung-min.”
“…”
Only then did a change appear in Seung-kwon’s expression. It was subtle, but his facial muscles stiffened. He lowered his eyelids to hide his gaze that had shifted to empty space. Putting down the phone he was holding onto the sofa, Seung-kwon opened his eyes.
“Fuck, I didn’t want to say this much because of my pride.”
“…”
“Do you trust me, Jae-young?”
“…”
“How can you not say a single word until I have to ask?”
His eyes hesitantly assessed Jae-young’s complexion. It must be clearly visible—how upset Jae-young was about the current situation.
“You said to call if it was dangerous?”
Jae-young roughly pulled at the bracelet on his wrist. The bracelet, subjected to sudden force, snapped with a click. He irritably threw the broken bracelet at Seung-kwon.
“Seeing how you’re acting now, I can’t even trust that. You pretended not to know even when I almost died being strangled by that bastard. Even if there was a hole in my head right now, I wouldn’t call you. Once this job is over… let’s just part ways.”
The bracelet that hit Seung-kwon’s shoulder and fell looked miserable. Jae-young turned away from him with wide, glaring eyes.
Until that moment, Seung-kwon, who had been sitting as if rooted to the spot, abruptly stood up. He approached with quick steps and blocked Jae-young’s path.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m saying I can’t work with you anymore, you son of a bitch.”
“What do you mean you almost died?!”
Jae-young frowned at the voice that rose as if to split his eardrums. Seung-kwon, who was openly showing his anger, painfully grabbed Jae-young’s arm.
“Why won’t you tell me quickly?!”
Jae-young didn’t know what words to use to express his current feelings. Was he bewildered, or was he dumbfounded? What was certain was that Seung-kwon’s anger wasn’t an act.
What was even more strange was that Seung-kwon didn’t know about the incident, rather than the fact that he was angry at him. What had changed his emotions was the word that he had almost died, not the word about parting ways.
Ju-yeon had recognized the hand marks on Jae-young’s neck that day. He had naturally thought she would have told this to Seung-kwon. When Seung-kwon had visited Jae-young’s house, he had even cursed while pointing at his neck.
“Do Jae-young!”
Jae-young looked up at Seung-kwon with a face that hadn’t yet relaxed.
His grip was so strong that it started to hurt his forearm. Jae-young roughly shook off Seung-kwon’s hand and gripped his own forearm.
“…”
He was too dumbfounded to speak. If computer graphics from a TV program were applied, sparks would have shot up from Seung-kwon’s eyes.
The chaos in his mind from earlier had clearly settled to a cold calm. He had effectively doused Seung-kwon’s anger that had risen to the top of his head. He took a deep breath to calm himself.
“What difference does it make if I tell you now?”
“I told you to tell me.”
“I get that you didn’t know. But hyung, it doesn’t change anything. Look even now. You skip what I need to hear and only want me to say what you want to hear. If you’re going to keep your mouth shut like that, why are you working with me?”
Seung-kwon’s jaw muscles protruded as he clenched his molars. His breathing was rough, as if he was trying hard to suppress his rising anger.
“That bastard.”
After building a long silence, Seung-kwon finally opened his mouth.
“I’m going to bury him in South Korea.”
Only then did Seung-kwon’s plan reveal its true face. Jae-young felt as if his blood, mere liquid, was standing on end.
Bury? Sa Gong-hyun? Not preparing for when things go wrong? Deliberately? Why?
Questions trailed incessantly at the end of each thought. However, his firmly blocked throat did not pull out any sound.
“I’ll make him rot in prison for the rest of his life.”
“…”
“Sebin doesn’t just put anyone on the security team. That’s why I had to work under him. Looking back, it was a good thing. That way I could gather evidence.”
Jae-young’s lips moved silently. His mouth, which had only been inhaling air, finally made a sound. That sound was like a groan. An unpleasant sound.
“…Why. Why are you going this far, hyung?”
“Sa Gong-hyun is getting off easy.”
To Jae-young’s eyes, Seung-kwon looked like a merciless judge. His gaze was firm. There was a glimpse of ambition that he would accomplish it no matter what.
“I said I’d make him shed tears of blood. Since you don’t seem interested in doing it, I’m going to do it for you.”
“But that’s now…”
“Nothing has changed. I’ve just added one more thing to do to what we were planning.”
His mind went blank. He finally closed his lips, which had been opening and closing without rest. The saliva going down his throat was as heavy as a stone.
Somehow, he felt urgent. If the reason for attempting this was purely because of him, he wanted to persuade Seung-kwon that there was no need to go that far.
But no words came out. It seemed that no matter what he said, it wouldn’t change that steadfast heart.
No, rather, if he tried to persuade him, Seung-kwon would push the plan through no matter what. If he probed further here, it would lead nowhere.
Jae-young now knew the reason Seung-kwon had adopted such a mindset.
“So tell me now. When exactly did such a thing happen? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“…”
His heart was beating violently as if it would jump out of his mouth. The nausea he felt suggested he was more than just surprised. However, Jae-young tried hard to maintain his composure.
Jae-young suddenly let out a hollow breath and pulled the corners of his mouth to both sides. Even without looking, he could tell how treacherous and vile his reflection in the mirror would appear.
“Are you joking?”
However, that smile was one that bloomed from instinct, even more ingrained than habit. He himself hadn’t yet realized the reason. It just felt like he should do it.
“If it was something like that, you shouldn’t have hidden it, you should have told me right away. That way, I could have decided whether to help or not.”
Seung-kwon watched Jae-young’s expression with sharp eyes. Emboldened by that intensity, Jae-young twisted his face as if annoyed.
“I don’t know what you’re suspecting, hyung.”
“…”
“The one who wants to kill Sa Gong-hyun more than anyone is me. Because of that bastard’s mental illness, I was strangled and almost shot. My blood runs dry every day.”
Then, as if finally feeling relief, he laughed emptily.
Suddenly, a cognitive dissonance occurred. He himself was confused about why he was doing this, why he was deliberately acting for Seung-kwon. Jae-young approached Seung-kwon like a programmed doll and pulled his arm.
“So. The evidence? Have you gathered a lot? How much? Can you send him away for sure?”
Though he was smiling, he was tense inside. It felt like being trapped in a glass room that would shatter with one wrong sound. Seung-kwon, who had carefully examined Jae-young, opened his mouth.
“…For now, even if he gets out, he won’t get more than a few years. He’s created loopholes to escape through, so there’s no solid evidence for trafficking either. So…”
“…”
“We need to catch him for sure that day.”
That day. If it was that day, it was the D-day Seung-kwon had mentioned before. His half-folded eyes opened somewhat quizzically. There was something slightly suspicious about nodding in understanding.
“Weren’t we supposed to finish the job and leave right away that day?”
“You guys leave. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
