By Zephyria 
“Hello, I’m Kang Hee-shin.”
“Yes, hello.”
The man sat in the opposite seat with an awkward smile.
Even so, he kept glancing around warily, his eyes filled with anxiety.
“I didn’t expect you to contact me first.”
The man’s name was Seo Yi-jun, and he had been a high school classmate of Choi Yoon-oh. Hee-shin had heard that he spent a long time in the hospital due to severe beatings and sexual abuse by Choi Yoon-oh during high school, and after staying abroad for a long period, he had returned a few years ago.
“Was it Chief Oh Su-young? I received word from her. I’ve been waiting because she said you were coming. But the news said the case was closed….”
“Yes. It was closed as a suicide by Kim Hae-sung.”
The man bit his lip hard and began picking at his fingernails. Hee-shin wondered why he was acting that way, but upon seeing the multiple scars on his wrist, he understood. Was going abroad a form of escape? There wasn’t just one mark of self-harm, but many. Judging by the different colors of the scars, he must have suffered for a long time. He wore a wristwatch to hide the traces, but he couldn’t conceal them completely.
“The only reason I asked to see you, Prosecutor, is… because I thought I might be of help. To be honest, I tried to live my life forgetting about it. But after receiving the call, I realized I haven’t forgotten a single thing. Even now, I can’t sleep without medication. I imagine stabbing that bastard to death countless times in my dreams. Whenever news of that bastard comes out, I lose sleep.”
“I heard you reached a settlement at the time.”
“You know how it is. My father was working as a driver for that house. Assemblyman Choi was a man of immense power. My parents wanted me to just let it go quietly. They said it was shameful. As if it happened because I behaved wrongly. Hanging out with him isn’t a crime, is it? Who would have imagined someone would do such a thing to a male friend? So I buried it all and tried to live quietly… Even after returning from abroad last year, I lived like a dead mouse.”
“May I ask why you changed your mind?”
The man gave a sad smile.
“My parents passed away.”
The man’s face looked somewhat relieved. If my father died, would I have a look like that? No, perhaps I’d look even more refreshed than that. Sometimes, the existence of parents felt heavier than a boulder. There certainly existed parents who became shackles and leashes for a lifetime.
But unfortunately, Seo Yi-jun was a step too late. Hee-shin’s head was already exploding just from the Guyoung Construction matter. Moreover, wasn’t he essentially receiving help from Assemblyman Choi’s side right now? Who would be pleased if he started investigating a son for a closed case? For now, there was nothing to be gained by making an enemy of Assemblyman Choi.
Humans were truly cunning animals. Not long ago, he had thought of nothing but throwing Choi Yoon-oh in jail, and now he was walking on eggshells around the father….
“There is a way to proceed with a lawsuit through a lawyer. In the case of sexual assault of a minor, the statute of limitations begins from the point they become an adult. If you have the evidence you mentioned, the statute of limitations could be extended further.”
The man’s gaze dropped. Hee-shin knew what was in his heart. The man had likely come here with the hope that Hee-shin would take on the case.
“If you wish, I can introduce you to a decent lawyer—”
Perhaps finding the reaction lukewarm, the man shook his head from side to side.
“No. I’ll… I’ll take care of it myself. Thank you for coming out despite your busy schedule.”
A brief silence followed, and Seo Yi-jun stood up. After some deliberation, Hee-shin handed him a business card. Along with the words to contact him anytime if he ever needed other help. Despicably, he tried to alleviate his meager sense of guilt with a single business card.
After the man left, Hee-shin sat and looked outside. The man was hailing a taxi. Normally, one would assume it was because he didn’t have a car, but Hee-shin thought differently. He had looked through the man’s case records before. Multiple beatings and rapes in the backseat of a car. To him, a car might not be a common means of transportation, but a fragment of a horrific past.
Swallowing a bitter feeling, he left the cafe, but even after sitting in his car, he couldn’t bring himself to leave easily. There were already a million things making his head explode. Can you handle this? Chairman Yoon told you. Don’t get caught up in unnecessary trouble.
After letting out a sigh, he started the engine and left the alley to enter the main road. While driving and alternating between left and right turns, he instinctively felt that something was wrong. Glancing back through the rearview mirror, he saw a black sedan that had been following him for a while.
At first, he thought it was just his imagination. He intentionally circled the same area once more, and the car followed his route exactly. He drove the car toward a secluded area. The car following from a distance also slowed down to maintain the gap. He stopped the car near a construction site where work had ceased, opened the driver’s side door, and stepped out.
The car behind stood a fair distance away, seemingly clueless. He strode toward it and knocked on the driver’s side window. The window rolled down, and a clean-cut man in a suit looked at him.
“Is there a problem?”
“That’s what I want to ask. Why were you tailing me?”
The man’s brow furrowed.
“You must be mistaken. I haven’t been doing that.”
Is that so? I must have misunderstood. Pretending to take a step back, he suddenly closed the distance and reached into the car. He swiftly snatched the phone that was on the mount. As the flustered man tried to grab it, Hee-shin quickly leaped away from the car.
The moment the man tried to get out, Hee-shin kicked the car door. A scream of “Ack!” rang out, as if he had hit something. Along with curses, the man in the passenger seat got out this time. In the meantime, Hee-shin searched for the call list on the phone screen. The last call from two minutes ago was labeled “Chief Kim.”
He gave a warning gesture to the man approaching. “Come any closer and I’ll arrest you on the spot.”
Then, as he pressed the call button, an unfamiliar voice was heard from the other end.
—Are you still outside? Where is Kang Hee-shin?
As the man approached with a scowl, Hee-shin stepped back and smiled.
“Hello, Chief Kim. Kang Hee-shin is right here.”
The other end of the line suddenly went silent.
“If you’re curious about something, why not come yourself instead of having someone tail me? How tacky.”
—I don’t know what you’re talking about?
“Don’t give me that bullshit. You just asked how I was doing.”
He was curious. Who was the one who used a woman living in the same apartment to break into his house and bribed a designated driver? Who was the one who launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night? His suspicion that it was Chairman Shim of Guyoung Construction grew stronger. Look at this. What reason would there be to tail someone in broad daylight? The purpose of the tailing was likely the whereabouts of the financial director.
“Listen carefully. If you keep acting like this, I’ll have no choice but to cling to this desperately. Let’s not cross the line with each other.”
—Please give the phone back to our employee.
Hee-shin threw the phone to the man in front of him. A thunderous shout was heard from the receiver. The man who took the phone repeatedly apologized with a bewildered expression. He then quickly climbed back into the car. Since the call seemed to be dragging on, he didn’t seem to intend to leave immediately.
Hee-shin, who was about to turn back, walked toward the car and loosened his tie. Then, without hesitation, he kicked the driver’s side side-mirror. With a crack!, the mirror flew off, and the man in the driver’s seat rolled down the window and stared with an incredulous face.
“Don’t follow me. I’ve memorized your face.”
After the warning, he returned to his car. As he started to leave, the car behind turned and headed in the opposite direction. He completely undid the tie that had been awkwardly hanging and tossed it aside. However, he couldn’t bring himself to drive away just yet. Since when had they been following him? From where?
Eventually, he got out of the car and inspected every nook and cranny. To search for any GPS device that might be attached.
“You’re here? How long has it been?”
As he entered the room guided by the secretary, Choi Yoon-oh smiled with a welcoming face. On his desk stood a nameplate that read ‘President Choi Yoon-oh’. Im Gyeong sat on the leather sofa and touched the leather with his hand, while Choi Yoon-oh took a seat opposite him.
“Was the last time we saw each other five years ago?”
“Probably around then.”
“I heard from my father. He said you helped him a lot this time?”
Choi Yoon-oh pushed a box he had brought toward Im Gyeong.
Upon receiving and opening it, a wristwatch was inside.
“It was hard to get.”
It was a watch worth billions of won. The person who gave this was likely Choi Yoon-oh’s father. Since giving a gift directly in his capacity as an Assemblyman could lead to misunderstandings later, he probably had his son, the CEO of an entertainment company, do it.
“You called me here to give me this?”
It likely sounded as if he were asking if he was called just for this. Because that’s exactly what he meant. A flicker of displeasure crossed Choi Yoon-oh’s face. When had he known him? They seemed to have been quite close in elementary school. Close enough to go eat jajangmyeon together. But they grew apart after that, and even if they happened to run into each other, they only exchanged greetings.
From the news he heard occasionally, Choi Yoon-oh was a human who had become twisted to the core.
“If there’s anything you need, just say it.”
Choi Yoon-oh spoke arrogantly, and Im Gyeong laughed as soon as he heard it.
“Anything I need….”
Repeating those words, he handed the watch back. Choi Yoon-oh’s brow furrowed slightly.
“You don’t like it? I put a lot of thought into buying it.”
“Forget it. Do me a favor.”
“Say it. Anything.”
“Stop harassing Prosecutor Kang Hee-shin.”
Choi Yoon-oh’s expression stiffened. Then, he soon gave an awkward smile.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
This time, Im Gyeong didn’t laugh; he just stared intently.
“Yoon-oh.”
“Yeah?”
“Choi Yoon-oh.”
“…….”
“Did you forget what happens when you lie in front of me?”
Im Gyeong smiled and tapped his own cheek. The small scar above Choi Yoon-oh’s mouth twitched.
“What the hell, man. Did you seriously come here to threaten me?”
“No, a favor. So take it to heart. Don’t ruin things by doing something stupid.”
As he stood up to leave, a staff member entered with tea after knocking. Im Gyeong smiled kindly as he walked out. “Thank you. I’ll count the tea as drunk.” As soon as the door closed completely, the smile vanished from Choi Yoon-oh’s face. He cursed violently and swept the teacup off the table with his hand.
“That fucking piece of shit! Does he still think I’m a pushover!”
After the secretary, who had been reading the room, left, Choi Yoon-oh felt the scar on his cheek that Im Gyeong had pointed to. What was the reason back then…. Was it because I intentionally broke the leg of a kid who was close to Im Gyeong?
Occasionally, he remembered it in his life. That face.
The face that smiled while pinning him down and stabbing his cheek with a pencil.