TWB 62

In my entire life, I have never been able to understand the human being known as my father. Setting aside hatred or resentment, I couldn’t understand him even as a person. Why did he do that to us? At one point, I tried my best to understand, but once I realized it was an impossible task, I gave up. Then, a man appeared before me who surpassed even him. The bastard who used me as a pawn on a chessboard and drove me into the abyss.

“I’ll pay you more than you can imagine.”

Listening to him, I was so appalled that I snorted. You really think money solves everything, don’t you? No matter how materialistic I am, I’m not that low.

“Well, how about 1 billion won? No. You have plenty of money, so give me 10 billion.”

“Fine. Give me your account number.”

I flinched and looked back in an instant. I thought he was joking, but his expression was serious.

“…….”

“Give it to me. Will 10 billion satisfy you?”

Fuck, I almost actually gave it to him. He’s a son of a bitch who deceived me, a piece of shit who wouldn’t be gone even if I beat him to death, but the moment he offered 10 billion, he looked like a different person. I almost smiled? Money really is terrifying. Fearing that my vulgar inner thoughts would be exposed, I avoided his gaze and looked straight ahead. Then, Im Gyeong asked again.

“Are you thinking about it?”

“…No. I was thinking about whether to pull out a gun and shoot you, or shoot myself in the head.”

“Do you know how to shoot?”

“Why? Want me to try right now?”

“Do you hate me that much?”

I was so speechless that I lost my words. What is wrong with this guy? Does he have zero self-awareness? Seeing as he doesn’t even know what he did wrong, maybe he has antisocial personality disorder. People like this never regret their choices. I wonder if he’d even feel sadness if someone precious died right before his eyes.

In the end, I just felt sorry for the frog that got hit by the stone the bastard threw. If things continue like this, I’ll be branded as a corrupt prosecutor, and my future will be bleak. Even if I’m lucky enough to get a suspended sentence, it will follow me like a tag for the rest of my life. It would be the same even if I were sentenced to prison. There would be people in there who hold a grudge against me, and I could end up dead without anyone knowing.

Even after getting out of prison, the situation wouldn’t be much better. Who would even hire me? Opening a law firm would be difficult, and even if I were lucky enough to open one, there was no guarantee I could make a living. Life would become even more miserable, and then I might regret it. I might think it would have been more refreshing if I had just shot Im Gyeong back then.

“Enough, just pull over. I don’t want to waste time with childish wordplay. And I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, but save the informal speech for after we’re married. You have no manners.”

“Old fogey.”

“What?”

“Total old fogey.”

“Ha, fine. I am a total old fogey. So please, just pull the car over. I don’t want to talk to you anymore, and just looking at your face makes my blood boil.”

“Just answer your phone.”

Hee-shin was speechless. The phone in his right hand had been vibrating on silent for a while now. It was at an angle where it shouldn’t have been visible from the driver’s seat; how did he notice? Sensitive bastard… Does he have eyes in the back of his head?

Since I’d been caught anyway, I answered the phone openly.

Chief Oh’s voice came through the receiver.

“Yes, it’s me.”

-Are you at home, Prosecutor?

“No, I’m out. Please keep it brief.”

-Are you eating well?

“Of course. I’m eating well. I’m sorry for everything.”

-Don’t say such disappointing things. Your health comes first, so make sure you eat. Oh, and it’s not anything major, but I looked into what you mentioned last time. You told me to dig around the people around Financial Director Kwak Seong-tae.

I shifted my eyes slightly to look at Im Gyeong in the driver’s seat. Then, lowering the volume as much as possible, I focused on Chief Oh’s words.

-I heard he’s been separated from his wife for several years. They say they lived almost like strangers even when they went to Canada.

As I listened in silence, Chief Oh said something unexpected.

-According to an aide, there was a man who frequently visited Kwak Seong-tae’s house. They only saw him once, but, how should I put it… they said they looked very close.

“Do you know who it is?”

-I’m not sure about that yet, but I’ll look into it.

“Yes, please do.”

After hanging up, a suffocating atmosphere filled the car. Im Gyeong didn’t ask who had [stolen content]called, and I kept my mouth shut. Since I [visit our site]saw a bus stop, I asked him to stop there, visit our siteand this time he complied obediently. Just before I got out, Im Gyeong grabbed Hee-shin’s arm. As I stared at him, he smiled silently and said,

“See you again, Mr. Old Fogey. I’ll be in touch.”

“That will be 12,000 won.”

When I handed over my card, the convenience store CEO swiped it with a cold expression. The man who, until recently, said he supported me, now looked at me as if I were an insect. As I walked out after the card was swiped, I heard a low sound, like someone spitting and muttering, “What a piece of trash.”

I walked away with a bitter smile. Having spent several days barely sleeping in cheap motels and inns, my whole body felt stiff. I wanted to go home, wash up properly, and get some deep sleep.

When Building 104 appeared in the distance, I stopped walking. Fortunately, no reporters were in sight. I let out a sigh of relief and went up to the 8th floor. However, as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I was speechless. Someone had written words on the door with a marker.

Corrupt prosecutor, politician’s dog, drop dead, accomplice, fraudster, hypocrite, trash, son of a bitch, eunuch…? Ha, I can tolerate ‘corrupt prosecutor,’ but I absolutely cannot tolerate ‘eunuch.’ Did you see it? Did you actually see it?

I checked the emergency stairs to see if anyone was hiding, then sighed and returned. Bastards. This isn’t even my house; what’s wrong with them, scribbling on it? I went inside, found something to wipe it with, and came back out, but no matter how hard I scrubbed, it wouldn’t come off. My arm hurt, and since I hadn’t eaten, I lacked energy. As I sat down to rest, the door next door opened slightly, and an elderly woman peeked her head out.

An elderly couple lived next door; the grandfather had difficulty moving, and the grandmother was someone I only exchanged greetings with occasionally. About a month after I moved in, I had fixed their boiler when it broke, and since then, she would often leave fruit in front of my door, saying her children had sent it.

“…Hello.”

As I stood up and greeted her awkwardly, the grandmother clicked her [visit our site]tongue. [Read on Read BL Novels]My heart, which hadn’t been shaken by the insulting visit our sitewords, suddenly sank. Soon, the old woman’s gaze landed on the scouring pad Hee-shin was holding.

“Does that even work? Wait a moment.”

The old woman went inside and brought out a tube of medicated liquid patch (Mulpas). Handing the patch over with her wrinkled hand, she gestured for me to try it. I did as she said and wiped it with a rag, and it disappeared completely. I found myself smiling, not knowing why such a small thing would make me happy.

“It wipes off well. Thank you.”

Then, I belatedly bowed my head.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m sure I’ve caused a lot of noise for you.”

As I smiled sheepishly, the old woman frowned.

“It’s all nonsense. Corrupt? My foot. If you’d taken that much money, would you be living here? You would’ve moved out long ago. I heard you took out a lot of loans, too. Go tell those reporters. Why do you just take it without saying anything?”

At those words, a surge of emotion welled up inside me. As I forced a smile, the old woman told me to return the patch after using it and went back inside. I don’t know how many times I thanked her after she left. Then, I erased the remaining graffiti and went inside.

Still, it’s good to be home….

I opened all the windows for ventilation before washing up. A pleasantly cool breeze blew in. It was cold at night until recently, but now the scent of spring is in the stolen contentair. I leaned against unauthorized copythe window frame and breathed deeply into my lungs. Then, I locked eyes with someone across from me.

In an instant, a flash.

Startled, I hurriedly drew the curtains and turned away. My heart beat rapidly. What was that just now? I peeked slightly and saw that they were still holding a camera pointed toward me. I didn’t know if it was a reporter or a civilian. It could have just been someone observing the night sky.

In the end, I closed all the windows and drew the curtains. Feeling anxious, I checked every corner of the house, washed up in the bathroom, and sprawled out on the sofa. When I turned on the TV, the news showed Assemblyman Choi being harassed by reporters. As he was being escorted away by bodyguards, an egg flew from somewhere and hit him squarely.

With his face a mess, he glared toward where the egg had come from and spat out severe curses.

Right on cue, flashes went off all at once—pop, pop, pop. In a word, it was a gruesome comedy.

Even without that, I had already received dozens of calls from Assemblyman Choi’s side. At first, it was persuasion, and then it was threats. I had nothing to say to the question of whether I had conspired with Im Gyeong from the start. I was a victim too; if we had conspired, why would I have been discarded like this?

After shouting that he wouldn’t let me get away with it, he hung up.

With this, the number of people aiming for my life had only increased.

“Life is fucking hard….”

Grumbling to myself, I turned over toward the backrest. Having fasted all day, it felt like my stomach was sticking to my back. It would have been better if I’d [unauthorized copy]visit our sitegone to Yoon Se-na’s house and gotten a meal. Who knew I’d just get slapped in the face with expensive wine? Then, I remembered what Im Gyeong had said in the car.

-Will 10 billion satisfy you?

What does that son of a bitch take me for….

But it is an astronomical amount of money. When else would I ever touch that much money in my life? Honestly, even if I rot in prison for a few years, isn’t 10 billion a total win? I felt a sense of self-loathing and closed my eyes tight, realizing I was thinking like a con artist.

Hey, Kang Hee-shin. You crazy bastard. Get a grip. Are you obsessed with money? Do you have no pride?

I bolted upright.

No, but if you asked whether someone would trade their pride for 10 billion, wouldn’t most people trade it?

This time, hit by a wave of reality, I sprawled back down.

Fucking bastard….

If he’d only said 1 billion, I would’ve ignored him. Why the hell did he have to say 10 billion?