40 – TDG 40

“…….”

“Furthermore, ​there ​is ​no ​evidence that Esper ​Kwon ​Cheon-beom ​or ​Esper ​Im Seong-joon sexually harassed ​Guide ​Seo Joo-won. However, ​the violence wielded ​by ​Esper ​Han ​Ji-hyuk ​is ​a stark, existing ​fact.”

So, ​they’re ​just going to ​gloss over the verbal ​abuse an ​Esper inflicted ​on a ​Guide because ​there’s ​no ​evidence, but they’ll ​make an ​issue out of violence ​between Espers. Moreover, since ​it seems I was ​the cause, ​they’ll ​just exclude me? Simple, convenient, and ​just perfect.

Nowhere in this ​is ​there ​any ​consideration ​for me, the ​one who ​suffered ​sexual insults.

Ji-hyuk’s fingers, ​resting ​on my lap, were moving ​in a ​staccato ​rhythm. The movement ​of ​his ​fingers, ​gradually ​accelerating, felt ​like ​the ticking ​seconds of a time bomb about to ​go off, making ​me feel anxious ​just watching him.

Those old ​fossils are ​still convinced they ​can ​adequately control Han ​Ji-hyuk. Even though ​the opportunity ​to ​do so ​passed ​a long ​time ​ago.

“This is ​absurd. ​I ​cannot be satisfied ​with ​a disposition ​of ​that ​level.”

“Neither ​can I.”

Following the lead of the first, Kwon Cheon-beom and Im Seong-joon stepped forward to express their dissatisfaction.

To think those clueless bastards are starting to act out just because they feel a momentum—they really need to know when to stop, the crazy psychos.

I intended to step in after hearing what the committee members had to say, but [unauthorized copy]this place always [unauthorized copy]manages to exceed Read on Read BL Novelsmy expectations. It’s my fault for even hoping. They never fail to disappoint.

“What if there is evidence?”

As I spoke while standing up, the attention of everyone in the room shifted to me at once.

Everyone looked surprised, but the faces of Kwon Cheon-beom and Im Seong-joon—who had been acting out only to be hit with a bucket of cold water—were truly a sight to behold.

The chairman frowned and asked.

“Guide Seo Joo-won. Are you saying you have evidence?”

I gave a firm nod.

“Then why did you say nothing yesterday?”

“Because I couldn’t find it until then. But I found it after going home last night.”

Everyone looked confused, as if they couldn’t understand what I meant. As I played innocent, the chairman, looking suspicious, motioned for me to come closer.

“Bring it here. What is it?”

I crossed the center of the room and walked toward the podium. When I pulled out a translucent, grayish device smaller than a fingernail from my pocket, everyone’s eyes followed my hand.

“It is a recorder containing the words Esper Kwon Cheon-beom said to Esper Han Ji-hyuk.”

“!”

Clatter.

The one who pushed back his chair and stood up was Han Ji-hyuk. Seeing his distorted expression, people began to whisper among themselves. It was understandable; looking at this, it would seem as if their reactions had been reversed. If left alone, he looked ready to pounce and crush the recorder right now. I turned to him and shook my head slightly.

It’s okay, Ji-hyuk-ssi. Hyung isn’t hurt by things like this. So please, just listen to me this once. I want to see Kwon Cheon-beom, who touched you, get screwed over, even if it means making this recording public.

Ji-hyuk’s lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but when I looked at him with an earnest gaze, he clenched his teeth. Then, as if reluctantly, he set his chair back up, perched on it, closed his eyes, and crossed his arms. With his mouth pressed into a straight line and his furrowed brows, his face was draped in dissatisfaction and resentment. He looked exactly like someone who was furious.

‘I’m sorry…’

The chairman handed the recorder to a staff member. Soon, Kwon Cheon-beom’s vivid voice filled the room.

• Hello. You’re Esper Han Ji-hyuk, right?

• Yes.

• I’m quite close with Seo Joo-won, your Guide.

• And?

• Well, it’s just that…

Kwon Cheon-beom’s voice, which had been infinitely polite, suddenly became drawling and sarcastic.

• I fucked Seo Joo-won before you did. Since it was his first time, he was so soft, fucking erotic, and tasted great.

“…….”

The people were struck speechless with horror at the content and the tone, which was so different that one would doubt it was the same person from the beginning. Some glared at him with looks of contempt.

In the stirring atmosphere, the chairman’s face, which hadn’t budged during the situational explanations, also stiffened slightly.

When it was simply called ‘sexual insult,’ the severity might not have hit home, but hearing the actual content is different, isn’t it? It was so insulting and vulgar that there was no room for interpretation; it was the only natural reaction for anyone with a shred of dignity or shame. How is this any different from throwing a glove in someone’s face?

Now, everyone must realize why Han Ji-hyuk never breathed a word about the conversation, even while enduring various suspicions.

Ji-hyuk didn’t ask if those words were true, nor did he press me. Rather than hurting me to satisfy his curiosity and pride, he asked what relationship we had without showing any sign of his feelings, and he immediately accepted the answer I gave. A wave of gratitude washed over me for his consideration and thoughtfulness—prioritizing and worrying about me even though he must have been boiling with rage from such a provocation. That was why I had decided to make it public without hesitation.

And as for the credibility of Kwon Cheon-beom’s bombshell statement, since it happened before the possession, I cannot know for sure if the original Seo Joo-won was sexually assaulted by him. However, when I checked the remaining hospital records, there were no records related to sexual assault. While simple assault might have been covered up, homosexual rape is a problem on a completely different level. There was a high probability it was just his bluffing.

To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, I quickly added.

“Of course, Esper Kwon Cheon-beom’s statement is a baseless, false insult and nothing more than malicious sexual harassment.”

The people who had held prejudices, mistakenly believing Han Ji-hyuk had wielded indiscriminate violence, realized the truth belatedly and looked awkward.

Senior Jae-young, where are you? [visit our site]Your lacking hubae bows in your direction. Even your [Read on Read BL Novels]prickly face is lovely! I will definitely repay you for this!

As I returned to my seat, I saw anger and deep dismay etched on Kwon Cheon-beom’s face. His expression said, ‘A recorder? Why the hell does such a thing exist?’ What else could it be? It’s just the karma you’ve built up exploding. If you’re the child of a media family, shouldn’t you live with the thought that you could be recorded anytime, anywhere?

Did his sense of reality fade because he always pushed through with his family’s backing? He must have thought there was nothing in the world to fear.

Now that things had turned out this way, Im Seong-joon, who had rushed over to join the attack, looked ridiculous. Flustered by the chairman’s ice-cold gaze, he hurriedly scrambled to make excuses.

“M-my case is real! I really… That’s right! There’s a witness! My Guide, Jeong Mi-young! Jeong Mi-young! Answer me!”

Look at him badgering his Guide again because he has nothing to say. That sinister bastard knows very well that the hallway CCTV doesn’t record audio. He’s pushing this absurdity while calculating that since Kim Yoo-hwan disciplined him at his own discretion, there’s no way he’d come all the way here to make excuses for him.

“Guide Jeong Mi-young. Is it true that you witnessed it?”

Intimidated by the shouting, Jeong Mi-young reflexively shrank back, then answered the chairman’s question in a voice that was barely a whisper.

“Yes, yes… I saw it.”

At her compliant response, Im Seong-joon’s face brightened instantly. However, one must always listen to a Korean person until the very end.

“I recorded it, just in case.”

Pfft. A burst of laughter erupted from somewhere in the quiet gallery. The ripple effect of that small laugh was immense. People began to burst out one after another, and soon the room became a sea of laughter.

I, too, had to grit my teeth to hold back the laughter escaping my lips. He’s an Read on Read BL Novelsexpert [Read on Read BL Novels]at bullshit, but to be ruined by a single [unauthorized copy]recording—how could I not laugh?

Still, it was unexpected. I naturally thought she would protect Im Seong-joon. Because if you get on an Esper’s bad side once, your career in this field is finished. Yet, she risked that to stab him in the back at the last moment? That means her assigned Esper was unimaginably atrocious. Thanks to that, I reaped the benefits, and an unexpected grand slam home run was hit.

Wait. Come to think of it, wasn’t Senior Seon Jae-young, who gave me the recorder, also a Guide paired with Im Seong-joon? Just how much of a nightmare was this crazy bastard that pair guides have to carry recorders as a necessity? He didn’t say anything, but if I searched, I might find a hundred more recorders.

Tsk tsk. Truly, it can only be called karma…

The chairman asked again.

“Is that true? Why did you record it?”

“I… it’s just a habit of mine to record…”

I really can’t stop laughing. The essential item for Guides in this world: guiding? No, no, it’s a recorder.

The chairman, seemingly finding it absurd himself, let out a short laugh, then looked at Im Seong-joon with sharp eyes, as if targeting him.

“Esper Im Seong-joon. Well? Shall we play the recording?”

Im Seong-joon’s complexion turned ashen. As he wilted like a dried barley stalk, unable to say a word, the fact that these two scoundrels had mocked the members of the Ethics Committee with lies was revealed.

The tilting scales were overturned in an instant. This is absurd. I don’t think I specifically intended for this to happen, which makes it even funnier. When two stones collide, they usually create sparks, but these two idiots collided and only brought about their own self-destruction.

The chairman, who had become a laughingstock, looked furious, his face turning red and purple. Read on Read BL NovelsHe visit our sitehad talked unauthorized copygrandly about truth and proof, but in essence, he was just another old bureaucrat for whom the pride perched atop his head was more important. He had acted all logical and rational, but in reality, he had been deceived and played with, so he must be absolutely livid.

On the other side, I saw Team Leader Park Hee-jin of Team 3 holding her forehead with a pale face. I felt bad for her too. She must have stepped forward believing in her team member, only to be stabbed in the back herself.

Forcing silence upon the chaotic room, the chairman declared sternly.

“I will rescind the disposition handed down to Esper Han Ji-hyuk. He is to be released immediately.”

Seeing that his voice was like a frost-covered blade, he must be truly enraged. Even the violence wielded was given mitigating circumstances and treated as if it never happened. I suppose the ‘crime of being offensive’ outweighed the violence. Well, it worked out for us.

Kwon Cheon-beom and Im Seong-joon were each sentenced to fines in the tens of millions of won and prison terms of 3 and 6 months, respectively, for perjury, deception, and false accusation.

Looking back, it was nothing short of a farce. Is this poetic justice? I didn’t even do anything, but that bastard worked hard to dig his own grave and then lay down in it. He tried to use schemes to devour Han Ji-hyuk, but it didn’t go as planned, so what now? A low-life bastard that would make even Satan weep. The world must have seemed very kind to him, since he always won fights while leaning on his grandfather’s and family’s backing, right?