He opened the bedroom door and slammed it shut. Seung-kwon was frowning, and Jae-young planned to find the smart key before he woke up so he could continue his interrupted sleep.
Jae-young went to the living room and looked for Seung-kwon’s jacket. The jacket was on the dining table along with a mirrorless camera.
After rummaging through the jacket pocket and finding the smart key, Jae-young gritted his teeth.
Surely he hadn’t made a copy in that short time? Anxiety washed over him, but without a way to verify, he decided to let it go for now.
He swept his bangs aside and threw the smart key in the trash. He grabbed a handful of his thick hair once and then released it.
Suddenly, the camera on the table caught his eye, and he picked it up.
“He should know his limits. A person needs to sleep while working…”
Jae-young muttered to himself as he turned on the camera. He touched the LCD monitor and flipped through the photos.
I’ve seen this one already, and this one too… While mindlessly browsing through the photos, Jae-young suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“…Have I seen this one before?”
It was funny to ask and answer himself, but no, he hadn’t. It was a photo he was seeing for the first time, and that wasn’t because he had forgotten to check the files Seung-kwon had uploaded. Seung-kwon never uploaded this photo in the first place.
He tilted his head and zoomed in on the picture. Immediately, his eyes were filled with shock. A man with a sack over his head was lying collapsed. And Sa Gong-hyun was standing nearby. The location looked like a construction site.
What appeared to be a knife was vertically stuck in the back of the man’s hand, and Sa Gong-hyun was stepping on its handle with his right foot. Flipping to the next photo, it showed the man still alive, seemingly struggling.
Judging by the blood splattered around him, it seemed the hand wasn’t the only place he’d been stabbed.
Checking the date, he saw that the photo was taken when Seung-kwon was in Incheon. Did he do this and then have sex with me? His stupidly gaping mouth exhaled empty air.
His nape felt stiff, as if hit with a club. In that moment, he had forgotten—that Sa Gong-hyun wasn’t an ordinary citizen.
“…Crazy.”
Jae-young, who had been mindlessly flipping through photos, now cursed. When one of the underlings standing nearby removed the sack the man was wearing, his hidden face was revealed.
“…”
…Why the hell is this bastard here like this?
It was that man. The “14cm” who had been bothering Jae-young at the club. Though his face was bruised and bloodied as if he’d been beaten, Jae-young could recognize him. The man’s cheap brown loafers finally caught his attention.
His heart pounded violently. Jae-young put down the camera, breathing calmly. He carefully recalled his conversations with Sa Gong-hyun.
Previously, Jae-young had mentioned this man to him. He had brought up the man to cover up his own mistake, and judging by Sa Gong-hyun’s reaction at the time, he didn’t seem to know the man personally.
Jae-young hadn’t thought the man, who had received what was essentially a threat from him, would cause any trouble in such a short time. The man lacked courage. Though he had been skeptical about the “boyfriend” claim, his face had turned pale.
Could it be that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut and went around spreading that story again? Jae-young, who had been lightly clicking his upper and lower teeth together, picked up the camera again.
What exactly had happened in the meantime? He kept flipping through the photos, lost in thought.
A photo appeared of one of the underlings injecting something into the inner part of the man’s arm. What could they be injecting? Since it wouldn’t be anesthesia, drugs perhaps?
After seeing the man writhing from the forced injection, Jae-young finally felt a wave of nausea. He swallowed heavily.
The reason Sa Gong-hyun went to Incheon that day wasn’t specifically to see this man. Besides these photos, Seung-kwon had uploaded over a dozen photos of different situations.
Why did Sa Gong-hyun deal with this man? Because he had spread Jae-young’s story without permission? Despite knowing full well the rumors that Sebin wasn’t just an ordinary construction company?
If Sa Gong-hyun knew he was Hayashi Ren, would he end up like this man? Was this what he meant by “warning”?
Suddenly, a chill ran through him. As one question faded, another would abruptly thrust forward. The reason Sa Gong-hyun had dealt with the man so cruelly, and Seung-kwon…
“What the—!”
“Why are you looking at that?”
“…You startled me.”
The reason Seung-kwon hadn’t uploaded these photos separately.
He was already tense, and when the camera was suddenly snatched from his hands, he was thoroughly startled. Seung-kwon, who had appeared without a sound, looked down at the camera monitor with an expressionless face.
He calmly turned off the camera. After placing the camera on the table, he opened the refrigerator door.
“How much did you see?”
His voice was as nonchalant as if he were asking about someone’s well-being.
“Why didn’t you upload those photos?”
Jae-young spoke calmly. Seung-kwon took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drank.
“What photos?”
“Those… where the man, I mean…”
“…”
He couldn’t even finish his sentence. He didn’t know how to explain it. As he licked his dry lips with his tongue, Seung-kwon studied him intently.
“Because it’s not related to the job.”
“…If you knew it wasn’t related, why did you take the photos?”
“Why is this bastard talking back so precisely?”
“If you answered properly, I wouldn’t need to talk back.”
“I took many photos that aren’t related, and there are many I didn’t upload. What more is there to explain?”
His voice continued without much effort, as if he found it bothersome.
“Sa Gong-hyun… why is he doing this? Do you know, hyung?”
“What else would a gangster be doing besides that?”
Seung-kwon walked past Jae-young. Jae-young immediately followed behind him.
“Still, there must be a reason.”
“Why are you asking me? Go ask him directly.”
“Say something that makes sense.”
“If you know it doesn’t make sense, then shut up and don’t be needlessly curious. I don’t know either.”
Seung-kwon was especially prickly today. Perhaps because he hadn’t slept properly for the past few days, he spat out sharp words as he opened the bathroom door. Jae-young stopped in his tracks while chasing after Seung-kwon.
This was beyond the pot calling the kettle black. It was absurd that Seung-kwon was the one angry at him.
“How can you say you don’t know? And why are you getting angry?”
Even though Jae-young had stopped walking, Seung-kwon didn’t turn back to look at him. Without any response, he entered the bathroom and closed the door irritably, expressing that he wasn’t in a good mood.
“…This is so damn annoying.”
There wasn’t a single thing that he found agreeable. His head was already hurting because of Sa Gong-hyun, and now Seung-kwon was adding to his anger, which made him quite heated.
Despite having woken up refreshed, fatigue was washing over him again. He had come here with a bad mood, and it seemed like he would leave in an even worse one. Just as Jae-young was about to turn around with a troubled face, the bathroom door, from which no water sound had been heard, suddenly opened, and Seung-kwon walked out quickly.
“Do you like it that much?”
“What are you talking about out of nowhere?”
“Do you enjoy being with that gay bastard? You used to say it was disgusting, but you’re holding up better than expected?”
Huh, before he could reply, an empty breath escaped him.
“Grinning like an idiot just because of one phone call. Seeing how happy you look, I almost mistook you for a real homo.”
“…”
“If you don’t want to be misunderstood, just focus on the job, Do Jae-young. Don’t unnecessarily project your emotions onto your role.”
He should have been angry, asking what nonsense that was, but he was so dumbfounded that he just silently moved his lips. Seung-kwon retraced his steps, picked up his jacket and camera, and walked toward the front door.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
