The alcohol cautiously moistened his mouth. It was the first time he had savored alcohol so carefully since he properly learned to drink. If he drank too much and lost his senses, it would be a disaster.
Just how much did Sa Gong-hyun know? Did he also know that Jae-young was trying to smuggle out the ledger with Seung-kwon?
Jae-young glanced sideways at Sa Gong-hyun as he tilted his glass.
The probability was likely low. On the day Seung-kwon had confessed the hidden plan to Jae-young, he said it was he who had delivered Jae-young’s personal information to Manager Jo.
Moreover, if something happened to Seung-kwon, he would touch the bracelet, and then Ju-yeon…
Suddenly, Jae-young flinched around his eyes. He had forgotten that Seung-kwon’s bracelet was with him. Jae-young fondled the bracelet with his thumb, almost flicking it.
More rational suspicion was needed now. He had to gain a sharper understanding of this situation without requesting help from anyone.
Why hadn’t Sa Gong-hyun tried to kill him if he knew? To take him down all at once? That couldn’t be it. He didn’t have enough people to execute such a large-scale plan.
Why did he say he wouldn’t ask? Because he already knew everything? Was he waiting for him to tell the truth? Out of sympathy?
Following Sa Gong-hyun, Jae-young took a sip of wine and lowered his gaze. He rested both feet at the edge of the chair.
Still holding his glass, he hugged his knees. He could see the wine that had been poured into an on-the-rocks glass for lack of proper wine glasses. Jae-young hesitantly moved his lips.
“I lied to you, Hyun-ssi.”
Jae-young hesitantly moved his lips. Was this the right approach? He was scared, but for now, this was his only option. If he didn’t reveal what had been discovered first, there would be no way to restore the already broken trust.
Sa Gong-hyun still didn’t know the details. If there had been any strange signs, either Seung-kwon or Ju-yeon would have contacted him first.
The phone in his pocket hadn’t vibrated even once.
“Actually, I don’t have an uncle. I had one aunt who raised me until high school after my parents passed away, but I don’t know how she’s living now. I grew up pretty much neglected.”
The personal information that had been passed to him would have only listed his parents as family. So he thought Sa Gong-hyun wouldn’t know. How did he find out that Ju-seong wasn’t his cousin? Had he investigated again? Questions endlessly chained together.
It was even stranger that he didn’t show any suspicion. It would have been strange. He must have been suspicious.
“Those feelings should be genuine.”
“I thought you’d ask about something more significant by now. This is more bland than I expected.”
“If you don’t want money and don’t want to sleep with me, there’s no reason for you to stay by my side.”
“So it’s better not to think about backstabbing.”
“Because if it’s Do Jae-young, it’s obvious I’d overlook it even if I knew.”
Only then did he recall their previous conversations that he hadn’t taken seriously at the time. Clearly, he had expressed his doubts several times.
There was only one way to cover up that suspicion. He needed to preemptively strike first. By cleverly hiding only the things that really needed to be concealed.
“My aunt hit me once, saying I was just wasting rice after taking all my parents’ insurance money. I prayed she would be punished… and not long after, she was scammed. The house was foreclosed with a red tag on it, so I ran away without looking back. I haven’t contacted her since.”
The confession continued longer than expected.
“That hyung I mentioned—I met him right after I left home. We weren’t in any kind of relationship, but he helped me out a few times in the past. That’s why I still keep in touch with him occasionally. I lied about him being my cousin… because I was afraid you might misunderstand.”
“…”
“…I wanted to hide it. That unfortunate past.”
He couldn’t reveal Ju-seong’s true identity. Since Ju-seong might expose the truth to save himself, he needed to consider a way for both of them to survive for now.
“I approached you deliberately, Hyun-ssi. Because you looked wealthy.”
He could feel Sa Gong-hyun looking at him. Sa Gong-hyun probably wouldn’t kill him. Because it was obvious he would overlook it even if he knew. In fact, Sa Gong-hyun had already overlooked it.
More important than when he found out was the fact that he had noticed Jae-young was suspicious. If he just stayed alert, a way to survive would become visible.
“When you casually gave me two checks after sleeping with me once… I felt I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.”
Jae-young raised his gaze. The moment their eyes met, he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. His hand involuntarily tightened around the glass. His throat seemed suddenly blocked, so he swallowed heavily.
“…Are you disappointed?”
“Why are you saying that?”
“Because I felt I needed to tell you. I lied to you, Hyun-ssi. What happens to us now?”
Yes, even if the sky fell, there was always at least one safe place. Jae-young desperately hoped it would be where he was standing.
“Are we breaking up?”
He frowned. Undoubtedly, he was the only one who could find even that wrinkled expression beautiful.
“I lied to you.”
“Do Jae-young.”
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Hyun-ssi.”
“…”
“Can’t we stay together?”
His lips trembled. He needed to appear sincere. As if he was scared at this moment.
In reality, Jae-young was afraid. Of what? He asked himself, but couldn’t find the answer.
It felt instinctive, like he was avoiding something. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to know. His eyes stung. They must have become bloodshot.
“I know it’s shameless, but sometimes when I’m with you, I forget reality. You once said my feelings should be genuine, remember?”
He wanted to avoid Sa Gong-hyun’s sharp eyes. This wasn’t the kind of gaze that would normally be directed at a lover pleading for truth and repentance.
He wanted to turn his gaze away and continue acting as he pleased. But it wasn’t time yet. He couldn’t escape yet…
“…It really became that way.”
Ah, I don’t want to do this.
He thought subconsciously. I don’t want to do this. There was no reason why. Even though he was approaching the final stage. Even though all he had to do was collect his fingerprints from the glass and wait for D-day.
Though he insisted he couldn’t escape, he eventually lowered his eyes. His hastily drawn breath was unsteady. Jae-young forcibly pushed out his voice.
“…Even if this is the last time, I felt I had nothing to say, but I thought I’d really regret it if I didn’t speak up. I’m still scared. Because I think you might say today is the last day.”
It was strange. Strangely, the more he delivered the lines for his final leap, the more the damage belonged solely to Jae-young.
Most of what he said was true. The lies were only a small part. What he couldn’t understand was why his heart felt so complicated despite this.
No sound came from across the table. Jae-young painfully raised his head. Sa Gong-hyun was just staring at him with his lips tightly sealed. He was as quiet as if he wasn’t even breathing.
Just go. Tell me you never want to see me again and don’t come back. That would have been easier. As he continued thinking while looking at Sa Gong-hyun, he realized the name of the emotion he had been trying to avoid.
Am I actually feeling guilty?
It was absurd. Why? Why toward Sa Gong-hyun of all people? Just why?
Sa Gong-hyun was the worst of all the targets Jae-young had conned. He was the most vicious, and… the one he had been physically closest to.
Had he grown attached because they’d been physically intimate so often? It was truly an ironic realization. It didn’t suit him, nor was it welcome. He felt like he was standing completely naked before him.
“…Ha.”
Sa Gong-hyun, who had been as still as a statue without even blinking, let out a brief sigh. His face was shadowed as he slightly lowered his head.
Soon, that exquisitely beautiful face rose again. His lips were stretched into a smile but there was something ambiguous about it. To classify it more clearly, it was closer to a twisted smile.
Sa Gong-hyun emptied the remaining alcohol in the glass in one gulp. Then the empty glass was placed on the table. He lightly held the upper part of the glass and tilted it this way and that using his thumb.
He looked dark and languid.
“Are you sure?”
His gaze, which had been persistently entangled with the glass, moved upward. Jae-young silently gripped his glass tightly. His fingertips had been white for some time.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
