TWB 51

“Isn’t this a bit too much? Calling someone at this hour, sniff, have you been drinking?”

“Yeah. Can you smell it?”

“It’s practically vibrating in here.”

Baepsae, sitting in the driver’s seat, grumbled incessantly. A few hours ago, Kang Hee-shin had called and asked him to hack a phone. Baepsae had complained, asking if this was some kind of errand center, if he thought everything would be done just by asking, and if he thought making a cloned phone was as simple as just plugging it in—but in the end, he had come and was doing exactly that.

While the work was being done, Kang Hee-shin stared at his own phone beside him.

The screen was so dark that he could barely distinguish the figures of people.

“Who is it?”

“The guy currently sleeping in my bed.”

“But why are you monitoring him? He’s not a pet.”

“He’s a mad dog, so I never know when he might bite.”

After saying something incomprehensible, Kang Hee-shin looked outside. Since it was dawn, there were hardly any people moving around the complex. After a round of that activity and finishing his shower, he made coffee for Im Gyeong. Of course, it wasn’t just coffee. He had also mixed in the sleeping pills he had acquired previously.

As he put them in, he momentarily blamed himself, wondering if a prosecutor really had to go this far, then he resented the man in front of him for making him do this, and then he comforted himself, saying he shouldn’t resent him since he had brought this disaster upon himself.

After taking the sleeping pills, Im Gyeong lay down in bed thirty minutes later, saying he was tired. Having slept with the man a few times, Hee-shin knew. He knew that once he fell asleep, he didn’t wake up easily. Unlike himself, who was a light sleeper, Im Gyeong wouldn’t notice even if someone carried him away.

Just in case, he had called Baepsae and connected a spare device in the bedroom to monitor Im Gyeong via phone. Fortunately, there had been no unusual signs so far.

“How much longer?”

“Almost done. By the way, who does this phone belong to? What are you planning to use the hack for?”

“I don’t know. Should I drain the account? He seems incredibly rich.”

Since Baepsae flinched, Hee-shin gestured for him to hurry up, saying it was a joke.

“I feel like I won’t live to my natural age because of you, Mr. Prosecutor.”

“Do you want to go to Vietnam too?”

“Oh, right. Did that woman arrive safely?”

“Yeah, she’s adapting very well.”

He had sent Kim Min-jeong to an acquaintance who had settled in Vietnam and opened a hair salon; they said she was polite and quick on the uptake. He had chosen that place on a whim after seeing the hairdressing tools and booklets in her room, and he felt relieved that it had worked out.

On the other hand, he envied people who could just leave everything behind if they set their minds to it. There were many times he had wanted to do the same. He often felt like disappearing somewhere and spending the rest of his years in peace, but he knew himself well. He knew he was too greedy for that.

“Is it done?”

Baepsae handed over Im Gyeong’s phone and the cloned phone he had hacked. He explained that from now on, Hee-shin could know who Im Gyeong exchanged messages with and who he met. After taking the phone, he checked the surroundings once and stepped out of the car.

“Sorry, at this hour. Get home safely.”

“Let me know if any problems arise. I’m bolting immediately.”

“Got it. I’ll take the fall.”

“Why are you saying such scary things? Go, hurry.”

Baepsae turned the car around and left the complex, and Hee-shin hurried back inside. He retrieved the filming phone from the bedroom, wiped Im Gyeong’s phone clean, and placed it back in the coat pocket. Then, he went out and lay down on the living room sofa.

He roughly covered himself with a nearby blanket and closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. The house was deathly silent. Belatedly, his heart began to beat rapidly. He was afraid of the truths he would discover, and as the faces he would have to confront flickered through his mind, he simply couldn’t sleep.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the ceiling. Hearing voices, he sat up to find Im Gyeong on the phone with someone, speaking in Japanese. He stared silently at the phone in the man’s hand. He probably hadn’t noticed.

As the alcohol wore off and his mind became completely clear, all sorts of thoughts rushed in at once. Fuck, did I do something unnecessary… Should I have moved after thinking more calmly… But what if the other side made a move first? Do I have a plan for that? Still, how could I… with that bastard…

Suddenly, the sensation of a cock digging into his thigh flashed back, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Are you awake?”

Coming back to his senses, he found Im Gyeong, who had finished his call, right in front of him.

“I was going to prepare breakfast, but there’s absolutely nothing to eat in the house.”

“I don’t usually eat breakfast.”

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Which tune am I supposed to dance to? Yesterday you spoke informally, and today you’re using formal speech again.”

Because he brought up last night’s events, Hee-shin’s temper flared. He pushed the blanket aside and stood up. His head felt like it was splitting due to the hangover. As he went to the table to casually take some headache medicine, Im Gyeong grabbed his hand.

“I’ll go buy some porridge. Don’t take medicine on an empty stomach.”

“Forget it. My stomach is already ruined anyway.”

When he replied bluntly, Im Gyeong’s eyes narrowed. He let out a low sigh, leaned against the table with his arms crossed, and stared at him silently. The moment he realized the table the man was leaning on was the place where they had done that last night, the back of his neck flushed again.

“Are you mad at me? I thought we agreed on this yesterday.”

“…….”

“It’s not like I forced you, Mr. Kang Hee-shin. To put it bluntly, you seduced me first.”

Heat rushed to his face instantly. Who seduced whom? But since it wasn’t entirely untrue, he couldn’t refute it. Fuck… If only it weren’t [visit our [visit our site]site]for the phone. That son of a bitch. While he trembled with his mouth shut tight, the man approached and tilted his head slightly to meet his eyes.

“Tell me. Why did you suddenly do that?”

“I was drunk. I was drunk.”

“Are you the type to throw your body around recklessly when you’re drunk?”

“Are you introducing yourself?”

“Be honest. Why did you do it out of nowhere? And why did you let me sleep here so readily? Did you do something strange while I was asleep?”

He flinched inwardly but struggled to maintain his composure.

“You’re accusing an innocent person. What ‘something’? Do you think I took hidden camera footage of you?”

“Do you want to?”

“What?”

“Did you want to film me and then blackmail me?”

“Wh-what…?”

“What a shame. I don’t really care about that. Do you want me to film you now if you want?”

As Im Gyeong grabbed the hem of his shirt and tried to pull it up, Hee-shin quickly grabbed his hand. Just try taking it off. I’ll kill you, seriously. The distance closed, and their faces grew near. When Im Gyeong reached out to touch his cheek, he brushed the hand away. Don’t touch me.

While they were locked in a psychological battle, someone rang the doorbell. There was no one who should be visiting this early. When Kang Hee-shin checked the intercom just in case, his face twisted violently.

Ah, of all times, now…

“It’s the real estate agent, CEO. You were home? I came too early, didn’t I? Hahaha—”

With earphones plugged in, Kang Hee-shin’s expression grew darker. A call had come through to Im Gyeong’s hacked phone, and when he answered, he heard Japanese immediately. After that, every call was in Japanese. He even spoke with Tatsuki in Japanese. If he had known, he should have learned Japanese.

Flustered by the completely unexpected situation, he looked down at the cloned phone.

Did this bastard notice something?

Ha, I even threw my body at him to get this…

Let’s just wait for now. If I wait, whatever it is will come out.

Meanwhile, a message arrived from the real estate agent.

The reason the agent had visited in the morning was that the people wanting to contract the house had requested to see it one last time. He said he came despite the intrusion. Hee-shin couldn’t show any discomfort because Im Gyeong was there. As they finished viewing the house and were leaving, the real estate CEO looked at Im Gyeong and spent a long time admiring him, asking if he was a friend and saying he looked like a celebrity because he was so handsome.

Hee-shin had told him to just take the man if he liked him that much, but the agent probably took it as a joke. After Im Gyeong left, Hee-shin had been constantly monitoring the cloned phone since arriving at the Prosecutor’s Office. However, the calls that actually came through were all useless.

In truth, since he couldn’t understand them, he didn’t even know if they were useless or not. But there is such a thing as an atmosphere. The people on the phone and Im Gyeong both sounded infinitely light. Did I do something pointless while drunk? While he was having a brief moment of reflection, the phone rang again.

Im Gyeong is damn busy.

Hee-shin’s face stiffened as he checked the caller. It was definitely a number he knew, but it wasn’t saved. He put the earphones in and watched the entrance, tense, fearing that any other sound might leak in.

Kang Hee-shin’s face contorted. The person calling was none other than Yoon Se-na. An unsaved number. Im Gyeong asking why she called this number. Realizing it belatedly, he felt devastated. Im Gyeong had a separate phone for work. No wonder only people speaking Japanese had been calling.

As he listened in silence, Yoon Se-na snapped.

Yoon Se-na remained silent, and Im Gyeong pressed relentlessly.

Hee-shin stared silently at the fountain pen on his desk. It was a gift he had received from Yoon Se-na on his birthday last year, and his initials were engraved on it. She had said they should use this pen to sign their marriage vows later.

Instead of answering, Yoon Se-na abruptly hung up, and Kang Hee-shin squeezed his eyes shut.

The uneasy premonition had been correct.

He wanted to believe that Yoon Se-na wouldn’t know, that this was all a game Im Gyeong had orchestrated.

Hollowness, betrayal, and helplessness rushed over him all at once. His strength vanished, and he slumped lifelessly onto the desk. Damn it… He didn’t even have a clue who to trust anymore. Still, he had to pull himself together. They say that even if you’re bitten by a tiger, you can survive if you keep your wits about you. If you just keep your wits…

Fuck, but isn’t it more painful once you actually wake up?