By Zephyria Stripped of his power by Hanseo Group and left as a ‘loose kite,’ Lee Seo-kyung was indicted and put on trial not only for the ‘X-Boy Scandal’ but also for various other charges. Furthermore, the large bribes he had given to high-ranking government officials in several Southeast Asian countries for real estate speculation also caused problems.
After the first-instance ruling in Korea, Lee Seo-kyung was ordered to appear for investigations in other countries. This was highly unusual.
The purpose was to summon and investigate Lee Seo-kyung, the briber, as the high-ranking officials of the government implicated in the investigation denied receiving bribes. In relation to this, Lee Seo-kyung was scheduled to be investigated in two countries: Thailand and Malaysia.
Lee Seo-kyung, arriving in Bangkok in prison attire, handcuffed and bound with ropes, was taken to police facilities within the airport. That sight had been widely reported in Korea just a few hours earlier.
And the next news was of Lee Seo-kyung’s murder.
No matter how one looked at it, Lee Seo-kyung was cornered. With a grudge that he couldn’t die alone, Lee Seo-kyung would speak carelessly during the investigation processes in Thailand and Malaysia? There were any number of people who would be put in a difficult position. There could be any number of people who would find Lee Seo-kyung, having lost the background of Hanseo Group, inconvenient.
From beginning to end, Lee Hae-sung, having reviewed the articles once more, returned to the previous page. In the meantime, dozens of related articles had been newly updated.
Executive Director Lee Seo-kyung was shot while descending from the escort vehicle and moving towards the interior of the Bangkok prosecutor’s office building. The initial report stated he had been shot in the back of the head, the back of the neck, and the upper back, dying instantly, but this was later revised to five shots.
The murder was not intended merely to inflict pain, but to definitively end his life. If an unskilled shot had targeted a treatable area and he miraculously survived, it would have been a disaster. It was the work of a clean, professional hand, without mistakes.
“Hmm…”
Lee Hae-sung placed his tablet on the table and extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray.
Calm cream-colored curtains softly filtered the mid-August sunlight. The quiet interior, bathed in the gentle light of late afternoon, felt like a space cut off from the outside. Lee Hae-sung savored the quiet for a moment. As if enjoying beautiful music.
And then, he slowly rose from his seat and left the room. Lee Hae-sung’s bedroom was the room closest to the master room at the end of the hallway.
Walking to the door of the master room, Lee Hae-sung, as always, hesitated before opening it. As if someone were inside beyond the door. Just as anyone would pause and take a breath before knocking on the door of a person who concerned them.
One, two, three, four, five…
After counting down by folding his fingers one by one, he slowly opened the door.
This room had been Choi Hong-seo’s when this house was the accommodation for the ‘Layered’ members. The room was exactly as Choi Hong-seo had used it in his life.
A desk set up with simple equipment for composing music, a double-sized bed that wasn’t particularly spacious for two people to lie in, a low bookshelf packed with his favorite comic books.
A few movie posters were hung above the bookshelf. They were movies they had watched together. He used to gift the poster of a movie every time they watched one together, but there were only three films.
Choi Hong-seo had said that he hung them with intentionally narrow spacing, because they would have to hang many more in the future. But next to the three posters, hung close together, only a long expanse of white space remained.
It was the same in the dressing room by the bathroom; nothing had been touched. Not a single sock, not one toothbrush had been thrown away.
So they wouldn’t age, so dust wouldn’t settle.
As if that child had woken up here this morning and gone to work.
As if that child would return here after finishing his schedule when dawn broke.
Although he had given particularly meticulous instructions to maintain it that way, every time he opened the door, everything in this place felt like it was blurring. Everything felt like it was being pushed back, fading, and slowly sinking, buried.
His own heart remained the same, but the space felt like it was drifting away, just as Choi Hong-seo had, and that aging was painful.
He still couldn’t even bring himself to sit or lie on the bed.
Lee Hae-sung, stopping at the entrance of the room and leaning his shoulder against the doorframe, slowly took in the space, which felt like a place where past time had pooled, looking at every corner.
Executive Director Lee Seo-kyung was murdered.
Would your lingering resentment be eased even a little by this?
If only you had held on… just a little longer…
Before he knew it, Lee Hae-sung was biting his lower lip, his head bowed low. His chest churned. He felt like a small fishing boat adrift on a stormy night sea. What appeared to be steadfastness was merely the result of long training to prevent his emotions from being read.
Lee Hae-sung slowly walked into the room, unnecessarily adjusted the perfectly neat pillow several times, and then quietly left the room. As if someone, someone very precious, were sleeping there.
As Lee Hae-sung closed the door, he felt a presence approaching from behind him. It was Manager Kang.
“Vice President, Jeong Ji-in and Executive Director Yi-han have just arrived downstairs.”
It was the day Yi-han, who had gone on vacation to France and Italy with his lover Jeong Ji-in, returned. Lee Hae-sung had a business trip to North America scheduled starting tomorrow, so he had urgently asked them to make time today. Besides Manager Kang, they were the only ones who truly knew the relationship between Choi Hong-seo and Lee Hae-sung.
Lee Hae-sung, hiding his expression by tightening his lips, nodded.
“Is that so? I’ll go greet them myself. Manager Kang, please go rest in your room.”
“I will greet them before I go.”
“No. Today is a private meeting with the two of them, so don’t worry about it. Think of it as you making space for us.”
“Understood. Then.”
Manager Kang, giving a slight bow, stepped aside to let Lee Hae-sung pass. As Lee Hae-sung walked past Manager Kang towards the entrance, he suddenly slowed his steps.
“Manager Kang.”
“Yes, Vice President.”
“About the movie. Director Kang Woo-hyun’s film.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s push to resume production.”
“……”
No particular resolve could be felt in Lee Hae-sung’s voice. It was calm, as if he were naturally letting go of words that had been held in his heart for a long time. His face, as he turned back to Manager Kang, was the same.
Rather, Manager Kang showed a rare look of surprise.
With Choi Hong-seo dead, he had assumed Lee Hae-sung would no longer want to be involved with the movie in any way, let alone invest. In fact, the movie had been stalled for months since the death of Choi Hong-seo, who had been cast in the lead role.
“I told Hong-seo that I decided to invest not to impress you. If I stop the investment now, it would be a lie. I don’t want that.”
“Understood.”
Manager Kang did not argue.
Lee Hae-sung’s lips, which had been stiffened by suppressed emotions, softened for a moment, revealing a smile. But it was only for an instant. The smile soon took on a complex light and faded.
Turning his back again, he walked towards the entrance to greet his guests.
Jeong Ji-in and Yi-han, who had returned after enjoying about two weeks of vacation in France and Italy, were nicely tanned.
“You both look very healthy. You’ve become even more handsome.”
“Hyung became so much more handsome that it caused me a lot of trouble.”
Yi-han feigned distress and joked in response to Lee Hae-sung’s welcome. They seemed to have many interesting stories from their trip.
Lee Hae-sung led the two to the dining room. A dinner table was set with light dishes and easy-to-drink champagne for guests who had just completed a long flight.
“I’m sorry for asking to see you today when you must be tired from jet lag.”
“It’s right near our place. Yi-han is on vacation until tomorrow, and I’m unemployed until my next project is decided, so please don’t feel burdened.”
Jeong Ji-in replied with his characteristic gentle smile.
Following the revelation of the ‘X-Boy Scandal,’ Choi Hong-seo’s death, and the indictment and trial of Lee Seo-kyung, Jeong Ji-in had completely changed his career path from a drama actor to a theater actor, his original dream.
Although his methods were different from Choi Hong-seo’s, Jeong Ji-in was also one of Executive Director Lee Seo-kyung’s victims, and he cared deeply for Choi Hong-seo. Lee Hae-sung felt grateful to him and a unique sense of camaraderie. He felt he had received great help from Jeong Ji-in and Yi-han.
“I’ve enjoyed having you live so close by for a while, but I’m already worried I’ll feel lonely once you two go to Europe.”
“It’ll be at least another year, though.”
Yi-han said with a laugh, as if a year was a sufficiently long time.
Jeong Ji-in and Yi-han planned to move their residence to Paris, France, once Yi-han’s current project at his company was completed. While it was good news for the couple, Lee Hae-sung was already feeling regretful.
After they left, the frequency of Choi Hong-seo being brought up would decrease, and he worried that perhaps his memory of that child might fade little by little… that thought was unbearably painful.
“By the way, did you hear the news…?”
Unlike Yi-han, who was cheerful as usual, Jeong Ji-in, with an expression as if he had something to say, cautiously broached the subject, observing Lee Hae-sung’s demeanor.
“Yes? Ah… yes, I heard.”
Lee Hae-sung placed down his champagne glass and nodded.
The murder of Executive Director Lee Seo-kyung.
It was an event of great significance to all three people gathered here. It would have been awkward not to mention it. However, Lee Hae-sung did not want to give it undue importance as if it were a monumental event. He asked them in a casual, indifferent voice,
“Did you two hear about it after you got off the plane?”
“Yes.”
“They first announced he was shot three times, but a revised report came out saying it was five shots just a little while ago.”
Lee Hae-sung’s voice, as he said this, was as calm as if he were mentioning news about the weather or sports. Yi-han also spoke about the incident with an expression and voice that showed no shock or agitation.
“It’s the work of a top-tier professional. The perpetrator won’t be found. It probably cost at least hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“Perhaps even over a million dollars.”
Bringing the champagne glass to his lips, Lee Hae-sung casually corrected Yi-han’s estimated commission cost.
The simply prepared meal was nearing its end. Yi-han stretched and offered Jeong Ji-in a cigarette.
“I’ve been holding back since the plane, so I want to smoke one, want to go together?”
Hearing the word “cigarette,” Jeong Ji-in also looked like he felt the urge to smoke.
“Hyung, is it okay if we go smoke?”
“Of course. Take your time.”
After the two left the dining room affectionately, Lee Hae-sung called for someone to open a bottle of red wine, not champagne. It was one of the precious wines he had planned to drink for celebrations or important days.
He thinly sliced the warm roast beef using a fork and knife. The meat, served whole for them to slice themselves, dripped with juice and sauce every time Lee Hae-sung cut it.
He put a slice of the cut meat into his mouth, chewed the lean meat, and raised his glass to swallow the dark red wine.
Across from Lee Hae-sung, where Jeong Ji-in and Yi-han had been sitting, the glittering Seoul night view across the Han River sparkled. Lee Hae-sung’s silhouette, chewing meat and drinking wine, blurred and overlapped over that scenery.
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