By Zephyria Love and cohabitation, things he never thought would happen in his life, occurred simultaneously, but the change didn’t significantly alter Ryu Jeong’s daily life.
First of all, the time he spent with Lee Do-hyeon didn’t increase much. They returned home after finishing their respective work, but their life rhythms were completely opposite, so they barely saw each other at home.
Just as Ryu Jeong finished his convenience store part-time job and returned, Lee Do-hyeon was about to leave for work. Lee Do-hyeon hugged his young lover, who trudged home with a face full of fatigue, as if he couldn’t be happier, and wouldn’t let go.
Of course, since they didn’t have much time, the best they could do was rub their lips together while hugging tightly. Having to go to work leaving behind such a lovely lover who was panting for breath, not letting go of the tightly held sleeves, and not knowing what to do with his excited lower body with hazy eyes. Just when he was getting used to not being able to see him as he pleased even after work, the weekend finally arrived.
Even though the sun rose on the weekend morning, Ryu Jeong, exhausted from the previous night’s part-time job, was buried in the blanket and didn’t move. Lee Do-hyeon lay on his side next to Ryu Jeong, taking in his soundly sleeping face.
“……”
There were a few things added to Lee Do-hyeon’s daily life, the first being heading to Wolhyeon-dong, where Ryu Jeong was, after work. Ryu Jeong didn’t seem to like him climbing the tall stairs and hills in his dress shoes, but Lee Do-hyeon brazenly made his presence known with a smiling face. He said he didn’t have to come on the phone, feeling sorry and not knowing what to do, but when he actually saw his face, his cheeks turned red, which was very cute.
And another thing was that he became interested in cooking. Of course, it was realistically impossible to improve his skills overnight, so he was simply exploring nearby restaurants with interest. They each had their own daily lives, so lunch was unavoidable, but he didn’t mind the trouble of packing food himself because he wanted to make sure he ate well in front of him for breakfast and dinner.
Just feeding him well for a few days didn’t cause dramatic changes like his skin becoming smooth or gaining weight, but his face, which had been pale, seemed to have a hint of vitality. Lee Do-hyeon quietly got up, steadily looking at Do Hwon instead of touching him, as if he was afraid of waking him up.
He carefully closed the door and came out to drink water when his phone vibrated. Lee Do-hyeon, who had his lips on the cup, checked the caller’s name and moved away from the bedroom before answering the phone.
“I’m sorry to call you on the weekend. I thought I should report it.”
The caller was Chief Yoon. He used to be unhappy about being made to work on weekends, but his voice apologizing for disturbing his time was calm. Lee Do-hyeon slowly walked down the long hallway leading to the entrance and switched the hand holding the phone.
“Speak.”
“I traced CEO Kim’s accounts. I checked the last five years of deposit and withdrawal history, and there were no discrepancies with the ledgers in the office. But I couldn’t find Ryu Jeong’s name at all.”
“Not at all?”
“Yes. So I extended the period to 10 years and checked, and it turned out that he had already paid off the full amount exactly seven years ago. There was a record that the amount including interest applying the normal interest rate was deposited. After that, Ryu Jeong’s name doesn’t appear in the bank statements or ledgers.”
“What does that…”
As Chief Yoon’s words continued, deep lines were etched between Lee Do-hyeon’s eyebrows. Ryu Jeong, who couldn’t even sleep properly, skipped meals, and lived a life far from that of an ordinary 20-year-old, was lying in his bed, but the debt had already disappeared. Lee Do-hyeon, whose ultimate goal was to get his hands on Ryu Jeong’s promissory note, sighed in frustration at the inconsistent explanation.
Chief Yoon, who took a moment to catch his breath, continued.
“There is a record that the full amount was withdrawn in cash without a single won of error after it was repaid seven years ago. It was withdrawn several times through other branches. When added up, it matches the amount deposited in Ryu Jeong’s name. Since it’s an illegal business operated with personal money in the first place, I couldn’t find out the distribution route of the already repaid cash. I’m sorry.”
Lee Do-hyeon didn’t respond to Chief Yoon’s apology and walked back and forth in the hallway. He unfolded an invisible notebook and began to write down the information he had in his grasp one by one.
It was certain that Kim Mi-hee was behind it. Although he couldn’t get his hands on the CCTV around the main house in Pyeongchang-dong, Kim Mi-hee was the only one he could name based on circumstantial evidence alone. He would have to dig deeper to find out if Lee Gyu-hyeon was directly involved, but at least anyone with a basic brain could guess that Kim Mi-hee was using money for backroom deals.
The paper company case had already been mentioned before, and it seemed that she was focusing on securing cash assets… Unfortunately, Ryu Jeong seemed to have been singled out as a goose that lays golden eggs.
“……”
Lee Do-hyeon put everything else aside and carefully deduced the distribution route of the fully withdrawn amount.
Monthly repayments, but non-existent deposit history. Going back further, a debt that was already repaid a long time ago.
Exorbitant interest rates exceeding the legal maximum interest rate and hidden ledgers. Similarly, an unknown cash distribution route.
It was unnecessary to infer that they only traded in cash to avoid the law. The problem was, whose pockets did the cash collected in that way fill?
“……”
A sharp thought suddenly flashed through Lee Do-hyeon’s mind as he considered the cause and effect.
“One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Kim Mi-hee said she’s been looking for emerging artists these days, right?”
Chief Yoon asked in a bewildered voice at the sudden change of topic. There was a rustling sound from beyond the receiver, as if he was looking for something.
“Ah… yes. That’s right. She also participated in an exhibition held in Suwon a while ago. She will be showcasing works by several emerging artists at the Younggang Art Museum soon.”
“I think I should dig into that.”
“…Are you talking about the art museum?”
“There’s a reason why they say it’s a cash laundering machine.”
Hmm. Lee Do-hyeon, who groaned lowly, twisted his stiff neck back and forth. His cold eyes, unconcerned by the gruesome sound of bones cracking, turned to the tightly closed bedroom door for a moment.
It wouldn’t hurt to try. A faint smile appeared on his face as he thought of Ryu Jeong’s face, who was sleeping so soundly that he wouldn’t even know if he was carried away, but it was fleeting.
Was he responsible for Ryu Jeong’s unlucky life? If it was caused by checking him, even if it was 0.01%, he had some responsibility. Then he had to take responsibility. He wanted to get rid of the obstacle called Lee Gyu-hyeon anyway, but Ryu Jeong gave him a reason.
“And CEO Kim contacted me.”
Chief Yoon, who had roughly finished the conversation about the background investigation into Kim Mi-hee, changed the subject, saying that it had just occurred to him. Lee Do-hyeon, who was imagining Ryu Jeong waking up, opening the closed door, and hugging him, asked in a coldly subdued voice.
“What contact?”
“Well, the people who collect the ledgers sometimes meet for a company dinner. But this time, they contacted me to meet. The place is Gangnam K. Friday night in a week.”
Whether it should be called a company dinner or a conspiracy. Lee Do-hyeon, who bet on the latter, asked back with a very suspicious tone.
“K? What kind of place is that? It’s not a normal place, is it?”
“Ah… yes. That’s right. It’s an entertainment establishment, but it’s only operated with expensive memberships. I think it’s probably, uh, prostitution… Should I check it out?”
How diverse. Lee Do-hyeon barely suppressed the urge to ask for a cigarette, which was habitually clamoring, and rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.
“Have the guys attached to Kim Jin-guk go and set it up. And get two memberships.”
“Two… are you perhaps going too?”
“Chief Yoon has to protect me.”
Chief Yoon chuckled, saying that he wasn’t very funny with his jokes. Lee Do-hyeon, who didn’t particularly intend to refute, chuckled along and then listened to a little more report about other businesses that Ryu Jeong wasn’t involved in before hanging up the phone.
He hesitated to throw the now useless phone on the sofa. After pondering for a moment, Lee Do-hyeon frowned as seriously as before and tapped the screen.
‘Would it be better to eat out?’
Lee Do-hyeon, who was happy at the thought of spending quality time with Ryu Jeong after he woke up, couldn’t hide the smile that was spreading across his lips.