By Zephyria 
A soccer game was in full swing on a screen that filled the entire wall. Im Gyeong, who had stolen the ball from the opponent and was sprinting, took a shot toward the goal. The ball narrowly missed, bouncing off the post, and his face contorted in frustration. Just then, Tatsuki approached.
“Young Master?”
A quick glance revealed a cell phone in his hand. There was only one person who could interrupt his hobby. No, actually, one more had been added recently. He smiled for a moment, recalling those neat features, before handing the joystick to Tatsuki and answering the phone.
“Yes, Mother.”
As he stepped outside, the sunlight felt particularly pleasant today. As he walked across the grass, he saw Tatsuki, who had taken over the joystick, focusing on the game with surprising intensity. Despite being ten years older than him, he seemed almost like a child.
-When on earth do you plan on coming back?
His mother, who had grown up in Osaka, had a fiery and impulsive personality. He could feel her patience wearing thin through her sigh. If she found out he had been injured, she might book a flight to Korea immediately. Im Seong-hee was a strong woman, but she lived in a state of endless worry and anxiety regarding her only son.
-Make sure you’re back by the end of the month.
Im Gyeong calculated the dates in his head. Would the work be wrapped up by then? While he was pondering his answer, Tatsuki caught his eye. Instead of playing the game, he was holding a phone with a grave expression. Even though the game was about to end, he showed no sign of moving. Im Gyeong tapped on the window and gestured to him. If he stayed like that, he would lose.
-Are you listening, Gyeong?
Tatsuki looked over. It seemed something important had come up. After giving his mother a vague excuse, Im Gyeong hurried to hang up and went back inside.
“I ran a background check on the attackers; they’re all illegal immigrants, so identification is difficult.”
“I assume the car was a ghost car too?”
“Yes. I’ve collected their phones and sent them to a specialist firm.”
“Anyone you suspect?”
“Wouldn’t Chairman Shim be the most likely? He has connections in that area.”
“Then why does another face keep flickering in my mind?”
The person Im Gyeong was referring to was Choi Yoon-oh.
He had grown bold enough to send people to Kang Hee-shin’s house to take blackmail photos.
“Put a tail on Choi Yoon-oh as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Keep this a secret from Father for the time being.”
“Understood.”
“The car? Did you send it to Kang Hee-shin?”
“I sent it, but…”
“But?”
“Mr. Kang Hee-shin refused to accept it.”
Im Gyeong clicked his tongue and pulled out his phone. The call went through, but only a repeated message stating that the recipient could not be reached played back.
He had sent a car to Kang Hee-shin this morning. Since a new car would take time to arrive, he had picked the best one he currently owned. He had also sent a driver along with it. He called him a driver, but he was essentially a bodyguard.
As the number of missed calls grew, Im Gyeong felt a surge of irritation. Come to think of it, since returning to Seoul, Hee-shin hadn’t reached out once. He could have asked how the injuries were or if he was feeling okay. Look at him now, ignoring call after call.
“He never knows how to accept something gracefully. He just has to ruin my mood to feel satisfied.”
“Young Master.”
“Yeah.”
“He is someone who will be dealt with soon.”
Im Gyeong replied indifferently.
“I know. But for now, he has to stay alive to finish the job.”
“There are plenty of other prosecutors who could replace him.”
“I don’t trust anyone else. Despite how it looks, Kang Hee-shin and I have built quite a bit of trust.”
Tatsuki wanted to ask if they were building something other than trust. In the eyes of Tatsuki, who had watched Im Gyeong since he was young, there were more than a few strange things. Look at him today. Who sends a multi-billion won imported car just because someone’s car was damaged? And to a prosecutor, with a driver included. If he were someone who grew up pampered and lacked a sense of money, that would be one thing, but Im Gyeong was not a man who spent money carelessly. However, he was the type whose money followed his heart.
“Was the color not to his liking?”
Tatsuki started to retort but stopped himself.
“Should I have just sent a plain white one?”
“Can you not imagine that the color isn’t the problem?”
Unable to hold back, Tatsuki spoke up, and Im Gyeong’s eyes narrowed. Yet, surprisingly, he seemed to agree and nodded. True, it was too excessive. Then, he actually started searching on his phone. When Tatsuki saw him typing ‘cars suitable for a prosecutor,’ he felt a sense of despair.
“I have a lot of work to do, so I’ll be going.”
Tatsuki sighed as he turned away. Even so, he tried to let go of his worry. After all, Im Gyeong grew bored easily and let go just as quickly. He never held onto lingering attachments; he seemed infinitely flighty, yet he never easily let others into his inner circle.
The curiosity would fade. Since he had lived his whole life being treated with deference, someone treating him rudely must have been novel. Isn’t that how all the cliché setups in Korean dramas go? But how did those end up in the dramas…? Ah, that’s an ominous thought, let’s not go there.
Why do rich bastards love hotels so much? I think I spent the entire elevator ride up thinking that. After checking the time, I slowly came to a stop in front of Room 1401. After scanning the surroundings, I pressed the doorbell, and I heard movement inside. Then the door opened, and Choi Yoon-oh poked his face out.
“Come in.”
He was dressed neatly in a shirt and suit trousers. He didn’t act like a certain someone who would throw on a single robe and toss etiquette out the window. Then, recalling the events of the morning, anger surged within me again.
It was a high-end vehicle worth billions of won. The kind you rarely even see on the street. Thanks to that, I became an overnight star at the Prosecutor’s Office. Most people thought Yoon Se-na, my girlfriend, had sent it. They asked if the rumors were true, saying that as the daughter of a wealthy family, her scale was indeed different.
I sent the car back immediately, and after who knows how the report reached him, I received several missed calls from Im Gyeong. Out of spite, I didn’t answer and didn’t call back.
“Have a seat. I’m on a call for work, so please wait five minutes.”
Choi Yoon-oh went into the bedroom to make the call, and in the meantime, Kang Hee-shin searched for jeonse rental properties. He looked whenever he had time, but finding a suitable listing was difficult. On the other hand, he wondered if he really needed to find a house right now. Maybe he should save the money for when he gets married.
In truth, he didn’t even know what was needed for a wedding. He had no parents to consult, and everyone around him was well-off, so trying to keep up with their standards would likely break him. After some time had passed, Choi Yoon-oh came out bringing some juice. It was a sealed bottled drink, but feeling uneasy, he didn’t touch it.
“What happened to your face? Are you hurt?”
“That’s none of your business. Just tell me why you contacted me. I have to go back.”
“You’re busy. I suppose you’re hectic since you’re handling a big case. Plus, you have to catch the people who secretly took photos, right?”
His expression hardened as he glared at Choi Yoon-oh. Choi flicked his hand as if telling him to calm down, then readily admitted it.
“Yes. I did it. I’m confessing first, so you’ll be lenient, right?”
It was absurd. Because of that, I had lost so much sleep and been so anxious. How could he be this brazen? He pressed his fingertips hard to suppress his anger.
“Why on earth did you do such a thing?”
“Why? Even a dog needs a leash to be controlled. How else do you handle a dog that’s off its leash? From the look of it, you’re not exactly the pet-dog type, Prosecutor.”
The moment he heard that, Hee-shin gave a chilling smile.
“You did something incredibly stupid. I’m the type to bite the bastard who puts the leash on me first.”
“That’s why I’m coming clean. Please let it slide just this once. I’m reflecting on my actions.”
Ha, fuck. If it were up to him, killing him on the spot wouldn’t even be enough. He tilted his head back and grit his teeth. In the meantime, Choi Yoon-oh pushed something across the table.
“These are the original photos. Thinking back, I was too harsh. I sincerely apologize.”
“Are you joking? Is this a problem that can be settled with a mere apology?”
“That’s why I said I’m reflecting. Rest assured, they won’t be leaked externally. I’ll write a memorandum if you want. I can even call a lawyer to write it right now.”
“Stop playing word games. Where are those people? Kim Min-jeong and Kim Jin-seok.”
“The woman went underground, and I heard Kim Jin-seok left some of the money he received the day before yesterday? He said he’d pay back the money used for hospital bills by any means necessary. Do you know what’s funny? That man didn’t do anything to you, Prosecutor. Originally, he was supposed to put a medicated patch on your neck. But he stopped. Said he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Fuck, this is why I should have hired a professional.”
So that’s why nothing showed up in the drug test. He had fallen into such a deep sleep just from overwork and cold medicine. But that didn’t mean their crimes disappeared.
“Are you going to kill them?”
“I told you, no. I can’t kill people. Im Gyeong is good at that.”
At the sudden mention, Kang Hee-shin’s eyebrow shot up.
“You know Im Gyeong?”
“He didn’t tell you? We’re elementary school classmates. We were quite close. That’s why when we met last time, he confessed everything he did to you, Prosecutor.”
Kang Hee-shin’s face turned terrifying. What?
“You didn’t know? I have a recording from that day; want to hear it?”
“…….”
“I thought you two were close. Well, that’s just how he is. I can never tell what he’s thinking.”
Choi Yoon-oh laughed, and Kang Hee-shin glared at him in silence. He was faced with an unexpected truth. Im Gyeong knew? Im Gyeong knew that Choi Yoon-oh was the one who took the photos illegally? Then why did he hide it? Why didn’t he say anything on the way to his family home?
As the questions continued to spiral, Choi Yoon-oh said something cryptic.
“If I may give you one piece of advice: don’t trust Im Gyeong too much. He’s a master at using people.”
Hee-shin sneered at Choi Yoon-oh.
“What a shame. Im Gyeong might be bad, but you’re even lower, so I don’t trust you at all.”