By Zephyria 
“Thank you.” Hee-shin took the coffee Jo Cheol-woong, the Head of Department and prosecutor, had poured and placed it on the table. Jo was sitting in his seat, slowly pouring some leftover bottled water into a potted plant on the table. The pot, which had been only the size of a palm when Hee-shin first saw it, had grown considerably. Much like his desires.
As he spoke, Jo trimmed away some yellowed leaves.
“Others grow expensive orchids or whatever, but I like this one. It grows well even if you don’t pay attention to it. If it dies while growing, you can just buy another one. Right?”
Hee-shin answered the question with only a smile.
“What about the Choi Yoon-oh case? Can you wrap it up within this month?”
“Choi Yoon-oh’s associates are scheduled to be summoned soon.”
Head of Department Jo leaned back against the sofa and sipped his coffee.
“Don’t overdo it. There’s no evidence anyway.”
Hee-shin didn’t answer. A successful model and a host had died within a month of each other. Both were members of a party led by Choi Yoon-oh, and circumstances suggesting that drugs were being traded covertly had been captured.
“Digging deeper will only give you a headache for nothing.”
“Still, I want to bring it to a proper conclusion.”
“Why? Do you feel a sense of kinship with them?”
The moment he heard those words, Hee-shin’s expression stiffened.
“They’re just kids trying to change their lives by catching a rich woman.”
“…….”
“It’s a joke, you brat. Relax your face.”
As Hee-shin faintly bit his lip, Jo put down his teacup and chuckled. It felt as if he were mocking him for trying to maintain some shred of pride. It also felt like he was criticizing him for being overly ambitious despite being a mere rank-and-file prosecutor with no backing or connections.
“Oh, keep next Wednesday open.”
“May I ask what it’s for?”
“Let’s have dinner.”
Only then did Hee-shin understand why Head of Department Jo had called him.
“Is the other person Choi Yoon-oh?”
“Why? Is there any reason the three of us can’t eat together?”
“Sir.”
“I’m listening. Speak.”
“Choi Yoon-oh is an important witness in the case and someone who could potentially be converted into a suspect. Meeting him now seems inappropriate.”
‘Inappropriate.’ That word clearly rubbed him the wrong way. Click, clack, click, clack. He repeatedly opened and closed the Zippo lighter in his hand. This time, Hee-shin didn’t back down and stared straight at him. A bit of defiance was mixed in, stemming from the fact that Jo had just equated him with a host.
“You’re talking strange. What exactly is ‘appropriate’? You, who has no pedigree, acting arrogant because you snagged a rich man’s daughter? Is that appropriate?”
Ah, now he gets it. This is why he called him here—just to provoke him.
“Are you smiling? Did you just smile?”
“Sir. Are you jealous of me?”
The moment he said it, Head of Department Jo’s face transformed into that of a demon.
“What?”
“I was just curious why you’ve been obsessing over my love life for a while now.”
‘This little bastard!’ Jo picked up the cup next to him and threw the contents right at him. Suddenly drenched in water, Hee-shin let out a low sigh. He pulled out some nearby tissues to wipe his face and shake out his hair, while Head of Department Jo stood up abruptly, fuming. As if that weren’t enough, he grabbed a stack of documents in front of him and hurled them.
“You arrogant brat! What did you say? Ha, fuck. I’m hearing the most pathetic shit. I guess because I’ve been too nice to you, you’ve lost sight of your place!”
Son of a bitch. As if he’d ever been nice. Contrary to his feelings, Hee-shin stood up without a moment’s hesitation and knelt on the floor. “I’m sorry. I misspoke.” As he prostrated himself, the rough breathing gradually subsided.
“A brat who doesn’t know his place. Where do you get off acting up, huh? Do you know why I’ve put up with you until now!”
If others heard this, they’d think he’d been incredibly kind.
In the midst of this, a call came from the Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and Jo left while cursing until the very end.
“You son of a bitch. Don’t move a muscle until I get back!”
The door opened and closed, and Head of Department Jo disappeared. It felt as if a storm had just swept through. Letting out a sigh, Hee-shin shook the remaining water from his hair and picked up the scattered documents one by one.
“Ha, fuck. I want to go home.”
While gathering the documents to put them on the desk, the laptop screen Jo had left on caught his eye. There was a necklace on it, and the price was nearly a hundred million won. He thought he’d heard that Jo had become sensitive because his in-laws went bankrupt; perhaps he had a second mistress hidden away.
Meanwhile, the phone in his inner pocket vibrated.
The moment that slick face came to mind, his expression immediately crumpled.
Ha, this bastard or that bastard…
Sighing, he just fiddled with the lighter in his pocket.
It seemed quitting smoking was going to be difficult.
8:00 PM.
Hee-shin checked the time and let out a low sigh. Should he just turn the car around and leave now? After repeated conflict, he eventually gave up and stepped outside to stand by the entrance. Every second felt like it was passing slowly.
After about 40 minutes, a sports car glided into the parking lot. The red sports car found an empty spot instantly, and a moment later, Im Gyeong stepped out. He had a leather jacket draped carelessly over his shoulders and waved one hand.
“Did you wait long?”
“I just got here. What is it you wanted to say?”
“So impatient. Let’s go inside first.”
When Im Gyeong grabbed his arm, Hee-shin shook it off.
“Let’s keep it brief. I’m not here to go shopping.”
“I called you so we could go shopping.”
Hee-shin’s face twisted violently. What?
“I wanted to buy some clothes and eat, but I don’t have any friends to meet. Actually, I do have friends, but it’s the time when they’d all be asleep.”
It was absurd. Had he pushed back his work just for this? As he turned to leave, Im Gyeong grabbed his arm again.
“Don’t be like that, come with me. I’ll give you a present later. You’ll like it.”
When he shook him off again, Im Gyeong whispered in his ear.
“I found out who kidnapped Kim Jun-gu.”
When Hee-shin looked at him in surprise, Im Gyeong smiled brightly. Was it true? Looking at that smirking face, he couldn’t bring himself to trust him. But leaving now would leave him feeling unsettled. With no other choice, he followed him inside. Im Gyeong stopped by a luxury boutique and began picking out shirts. He brushed off the employees trying to help and held up a flashy shirt against his body.
“How’s this? This one?”
Are you going hunting?
“Or this one?”
Even my grandmother wouldn’t wear something like that.
“They all look good on me, right?”
Since he wasn’t the one wearing them, Hee-shin nodded half-heartedly. Honestly, the clothes were terrible, but perhaps because the model was good, anything he held up looked great. That fact annoyed him slightly, but he didn’t show it.
No matter how strangely the guy acted, he was still Yoon Se-na’s blood.
Hee-shin knew that complaining continuously wouldn’t benefit him.
He had heard that Chairman Yoon had doted on Im Gyeong when he was young. Even though he had other children, his attachment to Im Gyeong was exceptionally strong, and his possessiveness was unusual. He had reportedly been bedridden for a while after losing the custody battle. Yoon Se-na had grumbled that this affection continued to this day. So, there was no harm in getting along with Im Gyeong. Of course, he was a bastard that Hee-shin didn’t like one bit.
“Since my skin is pale, everything looks good on me, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does.”
“This too?”
“Yes, it suits you.”
“That one?”
“Everything suits you.”
“This one?”
“Perfect. It’s just right.”
“It’s a dress.”
“…….”
“Liar. You were looking somewhere else.”
Feeling awkward, Hee-shin avoided his gaze. Why ask when he was going to buy it anyway? Im Gyeong left his address and asked for all the selected items to be sent to him, and the shopping continued after that. From watch stores to ties and accessories.
“Should I buy one for you too, Mr. Kang Hee-shin?”
“I’m fine.”
“I think this would look good on you.”
“I appreciate it, but I’ll pass.”
“Don’t you like shopping?”
Hee-shin let out a low sigh.
“Do I look like I enjoy this?”
“Then we’re done with shopping. Let’s go eat.”
Right. Rather than playing servant to this human, eating would be better. Following him obediently, they went up to the penthouse at the very top of the department store. The place frequently mentioned on TV. Watching him pull out a card key without hesitation, Hee-shin couldn’t help but frown.
“…You live here?”
“Well. I live here, and I live there.”
“Then couldn’t you have done the shopping by yourself?”
“I told you. I was bored. I needed someone to play with.”
“…….”
The door opened to a hallway, and then another entrance appeared.
It’s damn complicated. Even if someone came to kill me, it would be hard to find me.
The sight revealed as the final door opened was cleaner than expected. He thought there would be drugs and syringes rolling around. Just as he was feeling relieved that the guy was more normal than expected, a crashing sound echoed from far away. Im Gyeong, who was ordering room service, looked toward the sound indifferently. Another loud thud sounded, and Hee-shin looked over from where he sat.
“Isn’t someone there?”
Regardless, Im Gyeong continued ordering food. A moment later, there was another thud—the sound of something hitting the door—and the door burst open as someone collapsed onto the floor. Seeing the man rolling on the floor, Hee-shin had no choice but to spring up from his seat.
The man, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear, was covered in blood, and his hands and feet were bound with tape as he struggled. Startled, Hee-shin looked at Im Gyeong, who clicked his tongue with a dry gaze.
“What… what is that?”
Im Gyeong strode over with long steps, grabbed the prone man by the hair, and jerked his head up.
“I told you I’d give you a present.”
Looking at the man’s ruined face, Hee-shin gasped.
In contrast, Im Gyeong smiled brightly enough to show his teeth.
“This is a decent present, right?”