He didn’t want to admit it. Sa Gong-hyun’s profession and what kind of person he was had never mattered. The problem came from the fact that he was a man. He absolutely didn’t want to admit that he was feeling an attachment to a man.
If asked whether he had romantic feelings for him, he couldn’t give a definite answer yet. If asked how he might feel in the future, he would answer that perhaps he could develop such feelings.
But not now. Even while knowing he couldn’t admit it to himself, he was still in denial.
Such confusing emotions, even to the person experiencing them, made it a premature judgment to confidently call it love. What Jae-young admitted was that he could no longer regard Sa Gong-hyun as just another person.
It was the first time he had observed someone sleeping for so long. It was also the first time he had been buried in endless worry while looking at that face.
It was then that he realized all the uncomfortable feelings he had been experiencing stemmed from his emotions toward Sa Gong-hyun.
Seung-kwon’s resolute voice kept wandering through his mind. Until the moment Sa Gong-hyun opened his eyes, Jae-young pondered how to get Seung-kwon’s USB.
Seung-kwon would never back down. So he had to steal it. He had to interfere with that plan and then leave Sa Gong-hyun’s side.
His decision to part with him wasn’t because of guilt. It was entirely for Jae-young’s sake.
He was afraid. Afraid of the feelings he had for Sa Gong-hyun. That fear suddenly turned into aversion.
He preferred to remain confused. He wanted to remain ignorant and live on forever forgetting. And he naturally believed he could do so.
As he reminded himself that there weren’t many days left with Sa Gong-hyun, his lungs felt heavy. Even though he had no appetite, he swallowed each grain of rice more diligently than usual. In the end, what he ate settled poorly, and he drank a liquid digestive, but it was okay.
After Sa Gong-hyun left for work, Jae-young collected his fingerprints from the glass. Then he called Seung-kwon. The fact that Seung-kwon hadn’t come despite the listening device in the bracelet activating meant he had roughly guessed the situation.
The connection was cut just before the voicemail guidance came on. There was silence on the other end.
“The bracelet is broken. Nothing happened.”
—…It seemed that way.
“Did you hear everything? I’m seriously going crazy. Why did you have to mess with it right when we were doing that? Ju-yeon noona must have heard too, right?”
—She wouldn’t have heard. I only asked her to connect the GPS.
“…That’s fortunate in this misfortune. Please forget what you heard. I’m barely holding myself back from biting my tongue and dying right now.”
He deliberately responded nonchalantly. Jae-young focused on the sounds coming from the receiver. The surroundings were chaotic. He was outside.
“Hyung, did you find out anything about Han Ju-seong?”
—Yeah, it seems like he’s eyeing a Sebin Construction subsidiary. I’m looking for him, but it seems like he’s hiding somewhere.
“What are you talking about? What reason would Han Ju-seong have to hide?”
Jae-young’s expression sharply creased. He gripped the back of his neck and exhaled slowly.
Why had Han Ju-seong suddenly disappeared? It wasn’t like him to vanish like this. There’s no way he could have already proceeded with the plan in such a short time.
The results of the con and the groundwork were closely related. It was common sense that entering a con without the groundwork being perfectly laid was nonsensical. Unless he was being more active than anyone else.
—I don’t know anything yet either.
“Alright. I’ll try calling him. He should answer my call since I told him to contact me.”
—Do that.
“And I collected fingerprints. I’ll send them by quick delivery, so contact me when the samples are ready.”
—Sure.
Jae-young quietly looked down at the phone he had just removed from his ear. The call had ended belatedly. The conversation was so dry it felt like a drought might occur.
Suddenly, irritation welled up. Jae-young let out an annoyed groan and used his other phone to call Ju-seong. He put the call on speaker while changing his clothes. He roughly pushed aside with his foot the bracelet that had been carelessly discarded on the bedroom floor.
Han Ju-seong didn’t answer. Even after trying one more time, all he heard was a woman’s voice devoid of any warmth.
He irritably hung up as the call was about to be connected to voicemail. His thoughts continued endlessly.
Jae-young clasped his hands behind his neck. He pressed firmly on the back of his neck with his palm as he continued thinking. Was it possible that Sa Gong-hyun had done something to Han Ju-seong?
It was possible. If so, the next thing to consider was ‘how much Han Ju-seong might have revealed.’ Just as Jae-young was nervously biting his fingernails, his phone, which had been showing nothing but a black screen, vibrated.
The name that appeared in the middle of the screen was “Woo-sik hyung.” Just as I thought. What was this guy thinking, disappearing like that? Jae-young hurriedly answered the phone.
“Hyung.”
The voice that should have been heard immediately was briefly cut off. Ju-seong’s surroundings were unnaturally quiet. Soon after, a sound like Han Ju-seong clearing his throat was heard.
—…Hey, why did you call?
“You told me to call. Hyung, where are you now?”
—I’m in Chungnam province.
“Why Chungnam all of a sudden?”
—Because the company is in Chungnam, idiot. …Did you do what I told you to?
His furrowed brow, which had narrowed to focus his hearing, lifted slightly. Moments of silence followed intermittently between sentences. Is he busy?
“I did it. But I also know we’re not cousins. So when contacting Sa Gong-hyun…”
—Haah, Jae-young.
“What?”
—…
The weight of Han Ju-seong’s exhaled breath was clearly conveyed. Even though he responded to being called, there were no further words from Ju-seong.
“Hello?”
—…Yeah. For now…
“…”
—For now, since I’m a bit busy, contact me later. In three days. Call me at this time three days from now.
Three days later at this time? His gaze, which had sharply cut through empty space, slowly rolled to the left. Suddenly, a cold sensation crawled up his neck vertebrae.
“Hyung.”
—What?
“Is everything okay? If something’s wrong, just say my full name.”
—…Ha, shit, really. What? Why would something be wrong? Shut up and just call me in three days. I’m hanging up.
He didn’t respond to a sign that wouldn’t show any indication. Clearly, it didn’t seem different from usual. He had no time to figure out why he kept getting this unsettling feeling. The call ended while Jae-young was rubbing his forehead with his hand.
Jae-young split the saliva collected in his mouth with his tongue. The uneasy feeling didn’t go away, but he forcibly quenched his discomfort with a determination to contact him again in three days.
He immediately called Seung-kwon to report Ju-seong’s location.
***
Jae-young stood in front of a building so large it made his jaw drop. It was a building as big as those of major corporations. Looking around, he secured a position where he could sit and wait.
Sitting in a chair not too far from the entrance, he stared at the revolving door. While his focus was fixed on the revolving door, various thoughts raced through his mind.
Before coming to Sebin, he had secretly snuck into Seung-kwon’s officetel. He had searched the entire place thoroughly, like hunting for mice, to find the USB. However, Jae-young didn’t end up getting even one thing.
He was sure he had found it when he entered the bedroom that day. Could he possibly be carrying it around? Jae-young flicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and tilted his head to the side. He wondered if Ju-yeon was also aware of Seung-kwon’s plan.
The USB that Seung-kwon had handed to Ju-yeon in the photo taken by Park Yu-shin had a different design from the one Jae-young had seen. He considered asking directly, but because he had previously shown suspicion, he couldn’t carelessly make the call. If he were to break Ju-yeon’s trust as well, things would become even more complicated.
As Jae-young was blankly watching the entrance, he suddenly frowned. He saw reporters coming out through the revolving door. They were the reporters he had seen in front of the courthouse that day.
Jae-young picked up his phone inconspicuously and got up from his seat. He moved while covering his face, pretending to make a phone call. He circled the garden in front of the company and moved to the side of the building.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
