By Zephyria 
“I’m disappointed in my Oppa. You shouldn’t break your promises.”
Yoon Se-na muttered to herself while looking at a photo of Kang Hee-shin with a cigarette in his mouth. Beside her, Se-na’s mother, Kim Su-jin, was sipping wine while getting her nails done. When the employee tending to her nails made a mistake, the mother immediately set her glass down.
“Ah!”
“Ma’am! I’m so sorry! I made a mistake—”
“It’s alright. These things happen. I think we’re finished, so you may leave.”
After the employee apologized several times and left, Kim Su-jin let out a low sigh.
“Idiots. They can’t even do a simple manicure properly. No professional pride whatsoever.”
“What’s gotten into you? I thought you’d get angry openly.”
“Are you crazy? These days, people post every little thing on SNS and make a scene. Do you think I’d endure it because I’m afraid of people like that? It’s just too disgusting to deal with.”
“Mom, you know about SNS?”
“Are you ignoring me just because I’m old? I’m the legendary Kim Su-jin. Kim. Su. Jin.”
Sena shook her head with a laugh. Then, she shifted her gaze back to her phone.
Watching this, Kim Su-jin clicked her tongue.
“How long are you going to keep doing that? That’s a disease in itself.”
“Leave me be. This is the only way I can feel at ease.”
“Does Prosecutor Kang know? That you do this?”
Instead of answering, Yoon Se-na hummed a tune. As she swiped through the photos, recent images of Kang Hee-shin appeared. Photos taken while he was heading to work, out on field assignments, and returning home. Yesterday morning, a woman had visited the lobby. Judging by her appearance, Sena guessed she might be Kang Hee-shin’s mother.
Why did she come? She heard they were struggling financially; perhaps she came to beg for money.
Then, seeing a photo of him with Im Gyeong, she unconsciously frowned.
“I really can’t figure him out.”
“Who? Prosecutor Kang?”
“No, Im Gyeong.”
She knew the two had met separately, but she didn’t ask why.
“Why hasn’t that kid left the country? Isn’t he plotting something? Haven’t you heard anything from your brothers?”
Yoon Se-na snorted. Even if she called them brothers, they were half-siblings. They were desperate to grab whatever they could for themselves; sibling affection was nowhere to be found. However, regardless of how they felt inside, they tried their best to get along on the surface. Chairman Yoon always emphasized sibling harmony, and there was nothing to be gained by falling out of his favor.
Swiping further, she found a photo of Kang Hee-shin and Kim Jun-gu against a backdrop of heavy snowfall. Kim Jun-gu was a convict released last month who held a grudge against Kang Hee-shin. Knowing this in advance, she had placed him under surveillance just in case. She couldn’t let something filthy cling to what she cherished.
But an accident happened that night. While she was looking away, the man had met Kang Hee-shin, and it almost turned into a stabbing. Fortunately, Kang Hee-shin wasn’t as much of a coward as she thought. She would have been disappointed if he had been terrified like an idiot, reported it, or locked himself in his room. Instead, he brazenly broke the news to the press and framed Kim Jun-gu as the perpetrator.
“That’s my man.”
Listening to this, Mrs. Kim shook her head. She was more interested in a department store catalog than her daughter’s love life. This time, newly arrived bags and shoes caught her eye. It didn’t really matter to her what thoughts were in her daughter’s head or what she was doing behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, Yoon Se-na’s phone rang. Upon checking the caller, the corners of her lips curled up. He really was hopeless at being a gentleman. As she answered with an “Oppa—”, Kang Hee-shin’s voice came through. He hesitated, which was unlike him.
“What kind of favor are you asking that makes you so cautious?”
Listening in silence, one of Yoon Se-na’s eyebrows arched crookedly.
“Who? Choi Yoon-oh?”
Yoon Se-na shifted her eyes slightly. Two men sat on either side of her. On the right was Kang Hee-shin. On the left was Choi Yoon-oh. In truth, she could have refused Kang Hee-shin’s request, but she was curious to see how much he could handle. So, she had first contacted Choi Yoon-oh, whom she hadn’t spoken to in a long time.
Gauging the atmosphere, she picked up her handbag and quietly stood up.
“Call me when the conversation is over. I need to go have a cocktail.”
Once Yoon Se-na left, Kang Hee-shin took out a business card and placed it on the table.
“I am Kang Hee-shin from the 3rd Criminal Division of the Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”
Choi Yoon-oh picked up the card, checked the name, and flicked it into the ashtray.
“I know. You’re the one who’s been fucking harassing me lately. You’re more cunning than you look, aren’t you? I didn’t expect you to lure me out like this.”
Choi Yoon-oh was quite displeased that he had been summoned using Yoon Se-na. In fact, the two had attended the same middle and high school, and they had gone to the same university and studied abroad at the same place. At one point, there were suspicions that Chairman Yoon’s side had funded the election campaign of Choi Yoon-oh’s father, Assemblyman Choi. Now, the relationship between the two had soured, and they were practically enemies.
Kang Hee-shin brushed his business card out of the ashtray and put it back in its case.
“These are all paid for by taxes.”
As he spoke brazenly, Choi Yoon-oh poured himself a drink and swallowed it.
“Isn’t this place a bit too indecent for an investigation?”
“You love places like this.”
“Let’s assume that’s true. Why did you want to meet me?”
“You know Kim Hae-sung, right?”
“I do. He died not long ago.”
“When was the last time you met him?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember well…”
“What did you do when you met?”
“Probably just drank. I don’t specifically remember. Honestly, those guys were outside my circle of interest.”
“Were you aware that Kim Hae-sung was distributing drugs through a broker?”
“He did? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“You all gathered at an officetel in Yeoksam-dong in mid-December last year, didn’t you?”
“I don’t recall. I had so many gatherings in December.”
“A photo remained on the phone of one of the companions present at the time. It’s blurry, but Choi Yoon-oh’s face is captured. Two days later, Kim Ju-won, who belonged to your company, died. From drug overdose. You remember this, right?”
Choi Yoon-oh’s face darkened for a moment before quickly returning to normal. He smiled nonchalantly, saying he didn’t remember. His way of dodging questions seemed to be something he learned from his father, the Assemblyman. He asked back if that meeting was related to Kim Hae-sung’s death.
“You were blackmailed by Kim Hae-sung regarding Kim Ju-won, weren’t you?”
“Not at all. Why would I have anything to be blackmailed over?”
“You must have wanted to kill him. Thinking, ‘How dare someone like you threaten me?’ You must have felt that way.”
“Our Prosecutor likes writing novels, I see. A prosecutor should only deliver facts. Why are you making things up?”
Hee-shin, with a calm expression, took a photo from his pocket and placed it on the table. It was a photo of someone lying down with bandages wrapped around their face. The state of the man, whose eye was also covered, was wretched.
He tapped the photo.
“I think you’ll remember this.”
Choi Yoon-oh, who had been glaring at the photo, shifted his gaze directly toward Hee-shin.
“Seo Yi-jun was in the same class as you in the second year of high school, right?”
“…….”
“He suffered injuries requiring 18 weeks of treatment for assault, and later dropped out of school for rehabilitation. It seems Assemblyman Choi put in a lot of effort back then. Seeing as it’s been buried until now.”
“It was mutual assault.”
“Usually, this isn’t called mutual assault.”
“Ha, so what. What do you want? Are you going to dig up something from over ten years ago and leak it to the press? Something that’s already been settled with a legal agreement?”
“Of course the victim had no choice but to agree. He was the son of Assemblyman Choi’s driver.”
“…….”
“At the time, the victim’s initial statement was that Choi Yoon-oh had raped him, and the assault occurred while he was defending himself. Later, he changed his statement, saying it was a misunderstanding. Is that correct?”
“I don’t know. It’s been so long that I don’t remember.”
“That’s a problem. A young man shouldn’t be losing his memory already. You should visit a hospital when you have time.”
Hee-shin picked up the photo from the table and put it back in his pocket. Choi Yoon-oh put ice in a whiskey glass and filled it to the brim. The amber alcohol filled the glass and was pushed toward him.
“Have a drink.”
Ignoring him, Hee-shin continued his questioning.
“Lacerations were found in the anus of the deceased Kim Ju-won. There were traces of someone trying to forcibly insert something while he was alive. What do you think about that?”
Choi Yoon-oh took a sip of the alcohol and shrugged his shoulders. His face asked why he was being asked this.
“Maybe he was masturbating. Or maybe he took male clients. Do you think they only sell their bodies to women?”
“Or maybe Choi Yoon-oh’s cock went in there?”
At the explicit word, Choi Yoon-oh’s brow furrowed.
Then, he lifted his head and looked at him with arrogant eyes.
“Prosecutor, you’re quite bold. I thought you were a stiff, but I guess not. But what to do? Let’s say I am a bastard who’s crazy for a man’s asshole, just as you say. So what? Is that a crime?”
“…….”
“Honestly, since you seem to know everything, I’ll tell you—I’m very picky about faces.”
“…….”
“Strictly speaking, my style isn’t someone like Kim Ju-won or Kim Hae-sung,”
Choi Yoon-oh lightly licked his lower lip and pointed his finger directly at Kang Hee-shin.
“It’s more your type, Prosecutor.”
“Yes. Thank you for the compliment.”
“Let me know if you’re interested. I’ll let you experience a whole new world.”
Hee-shin gave a short laugh, tucked the photo back into his pocket, and stood up.
“Leaving already?”
“The final summons for appearance will be sent shortly. I hope to see you this time.”
“So you came here to threaten me?”
“Right now, it’s a request.”
“What a shame. You could have stayed and played longer.”
Hee-shin didn’t answer further and walked out of the room. Sena was at the bar drinking a cocktail and talking to the bartender. Waving her hand lightly, she grabbed her bag and linked her arm with Hee-shin’s.
“How was it? Did the conversation end well?”
“Thanks. Because of you.”
“Then will you play with me now?”
As he went to check the time, she first waved a card in her hand.
“Refusal is not an option.”
Realizing it was a hotel room key, a hollow laugh escaped him.
We’ve been together for quite a while. He couldn’t bring himself to reject her as she leaned into his embrace, complaining.