By Zephyria 
I woke up with a start, groaning in my sleep. Gasping for air, I realized I was in my own bedroom, and a sigh of relief escaped me first.
6:00 AM. I went out and rummaged through the refrigerator, but I couldn’t find any bottled water. Instead, I took out a glass and filled it with tap water. After gulping it down and wiping my mouth, I leaned against the sink and looked out the living room window. The world had turned a bluish hue, as if the sun were preparing to rise.
I watched it in silence before walking over to the sofa and flopping down. Last night, I visited the hospital where the designated driver’s mother had been admitted. I was told that the man who supposedly visited every day hadn’t appeared since the day before yesterday. Instead, a nurse tipped me off that the overdue hospital and nursing fees had been settled.
After that, I visited a woman living on the fourth floor of the same apartment complex. Even after calling her and knocking on the door, she didn’t come out. A neighbor from next door opened their door and asked what was happening, so I brushed it off, saying it was nothing.
Through an acquaintance in the forensics team, I collected fingerprints from the emergency exit railings, the front door handle, and even the furniture inside the house, but there were no significant findings. Perhaps that was expected. To be determined to take down a prosecutor meant they weren’t an ordinary person. Would such a person have prepared sloppily? The messages sent from a restricted number were also untraceable.
…Who could it be? Who on earth is trying to set me up?
Quite a few people flashed through my mind. First, the primary suspect: Chairman Shim of Guyoung Construction. He must have noticed that we have the missing financial director; how furious would he be? Then there are the damn members of the National Assembly, Chief Prosecutor Cho, and who else…
The funny thing is that Yoon Se-na and Im Gyeong are also on the list. Se-na had already hired someone to tail me, and Im Gyeong is a bastard whose true intentions are impossible to read. Even if he shows me favor now, there’s no telling when he might turn his back on me.
“This is driving me crazy…”
I stood by the window and quietly watched the world change. Sleep had long since vanished, and my mind was racing, busily chasing an invisible someone. This is exactly what the culprit wanted. For me to be unable to sleep, to tremble in anxiety, and to be unable to move forward.
In that sense, the possibility that Chairman Shim’s side was targeting me was indeed the highest. However, I couldn’t just barge in and demand to know if he did it. I needed evidence, so the priority was to find the two missing people.
I sat on the sofa, clutching my hair in frustration, until morning finally broke.
While staring blankly ahead with a haggard face, someone’s voice came to mind.
Someone who was among the suspects, but the possibility was slim. There was only one reason why the probability was low. If I were an eyesore, other people would bury me socially, but that bastard is the type to actually bury me in the dirt.
Less than a minute after sending the message, a reply came.
My finger hesitated.
Then, I hardened my resolve and bit my lip.
Sandwiches at 7:00 AM. It was an unexpected side of him. Looking at his appearance, he was a man who didn’t suit the morning at all. Rather, he suited the glamorous night.
No further reply came. Only then did I notice the mess inside the house. I tidied up roughly, washed up, and was drying my hair with a towel when the doorbell rang. A man with a clean-cut face appeared on the intercom screen. When I opened the front door, Im Gyeong smiled and waved a sandwich. “Let’s eat together.”
Then, his gaze lingered on my hair for a moment.
“Did you wash?”
“Yes.”
“Wet hair suits you.”
This man has a real knack for saying things in a strange way. What does it mean that wet hair suits me?
As I went to the sofa, Im Gyeong followed and placed the sandwiches on the table.
“You haven’t had breakfast, right? I stopped by here because I heard it’s famous.”
I looked down at the sandwiches. The packaging was luxurious. Instead of eating it, I just held it in my hand. I was the one who called him, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. As I picked at the tips of my nails, Im Gyeong brought up the main point.
“It’s surprising that you’re asking me for a favor first.”
“You said it yourself last time. That I should tell you whenever I need help. Were those just empty words?”
Im Gyeong laughed.
“Fine. Tell me. What is it that has you looking so serious since early morning?”
After a long hesitation, I finally spoke.
“I think someone is trying to set me up.”
“Hmm?” He wore an expression of complete confusion.
Or, perhaps he was acting perfectly.
“After the founding party, I called a driver and went home. I wasn’t feeling well. I bought some cold medicine at a pharmacy on the way. I fell asleep as if I’d fainted once I got home. And when I woke up in the morning…”
I rolled my tongue in my mouth for a moment. I wanted to believe it was just my imagination at the time.
“My bed smelled like women’s cosmetics.”
One of Im Gyeong’s eyebrows shot up.
“Isn’t that from Yoon Se-na?”
“No way. That day at the party, we were only holding arms—”
I stopped mid-sentence. I belatedly remembered kissing and hugging in the underground parking lot after taking the elevator.
“…Did you see us in the parking lot?”
“I saw. You two were practically eating each other. If you’d kept going, you probably would’ve fucked.”
This bastard, where did he learn the word ‘fucked’…
“……”
“The conclusion is reached, then.”
“It wasn’t the cosmetics Se-na uses. I can tell the difference. And I think a photo was taken.”
Since he didn’t seem to believe me, I reluctantly took out my phone and showed him the photo. Im Gyeong’s expression didn’t change after seeing it. After a long pause, he handed the phone back.
“Anyone you suspect?”
“Yes.”
“One person?”
“No. Several…”
“Just what kind of life have you lived?”
Is that something you should say to me? You’re the one who gets attacked by masked thugs with knives in the middle of the night. As the memory resurfaced, it became hard to hide my expression. Can I really trust this guy? But in the current situation, I needed Im Gyeong’s help.
“I have a guess as to who the woman in the photo is, but she’s unreachable… The driver who drove me is the same.”
Listening to this, Im Gyeong snapped his fingers.
“Now I get it. You called me to find those people, right?”
“Yes.”
“Because I’m competent enough to find the people who kidnapped Kim Jun-gu?”
Leave out the ‘competent’ part. Shameless bastard. To put it bluntly, does he find them himself? He probably just works his subordinates like dogs to find them. But I didn’t say that.
“Yes…”
He picked up the phone and hummed, lost in thought for a moment.
“This is surprising.”
“What is?”
“The fact that I’m not among the people you suspect.”
“…”
“Or did you call me even while suspecting me? Because you’re that desperate?”
“…”
“If this breaks in the press, Kang Hee-shin, you’ll be in trouble, right?”
“Probably.”
It was obvious. No matter how much the photo was fabricated, people would believe what they saw rather than the truth. Im Gyeong, who had been listening quietly, stood up and walked to the window. His face, bathed in light, felt almost divine.
I take back what I said earlier. Perhaps Im Gyeong suits the morning better than the night. No, he’s just the kind of person who exudes presence regardless of the time—
“I refuse.”
That one sentence snapped me back to reality. What? I looked up at him with a shocked face. Im Gyeong smiled thinly with both hands in his pockets. Hee-shin stood up following him.
“Why? You said you’d help me.”
Im Gyeong walked around the table until he was right in front of me.
“It’s against the principle of fairness to keep just giving.”
Keep just giving? It wasn’t wrong. Even if our first meeting was terrible, it was true that he had helped me since then. He found Kim Jun-gu, told me who was behind it, took over the Chairman Shim case, and invited me to the founding party. While not exactly a savior, it was natural to feel gratitude.
“I never asked you to give.”
Despite that, my words came out sharp. Hearing this, Im Gyeong took a bold step closer. I thought the distance was excessively close. My pride wouldn’t let me avoid it, so I held my ground. The scent coming from his body made my head spin.
His gaze slid over Kang Hee-shin’s face with a sticky intensity.
Knowing that his gaze had traveled down the bridge of my nose and was now lingering on my lips, a chill ran down my spine.
“Unfortunately, not this time.”
“…Then what?”
“Give me what I want. Then I’ll grant Kang Hee-shin’s request.”
His voice was sweet, but his eyes were the opposite. The face I had thought looked like an angel just a moment ago had vanished. Though he didn’t say it, I could feel what he was thinking. The feeling that had bothered me every time I met him finally revealed its true form.
“I’m asking. Will you give it to me?”
I shoved away his shoulder as he whispered in my ear. Im Gyeong winced, pretending to be hurt. The hot breath that had touched my ear felt as if it were piercing my skin.
Fuck… As I muttered a curse, Im Gyeong smiled like a picture.
“Contact me when you’ve decided. Or go find someone else.”