By Zephyria 
“Darling, are you really going to be okay?”
Sena asked worriedly as she watched Hee-shin prepare for discharge. Behind her, her secretary stood, observing their conversation. As he unbuttoned his clothes to change, Sena stepped closer. The subtle scent of her perfume tickled the tip of his nose. His quick-witted secretary had already vanished from the hospital room.
Yoon Se-na closed her eyes, rubbing her cheek against Hee-shin’s chest.
“I’m just glad nothing serious happened. Do you know how scared I was?”
Hee-shin stroked her hair in silence. Sorry for worrying you. He gave her a quick kiss on the crown of her head; she looked up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his. Their soft, pliant lips merged as their bodies pressed closer together. As his breathing grew heavy and he gently pulled away, her brow furrowed.
“Whyyy—”
“We’re in your hospital.”
“So what? Sometimes you’re just so old-fashioned.”
Then again, I like that about him too, she added inwardly. Having grown up witnessing the philandering of her father and other brothers, she often said it was her habit to hope that at least her partner would be faithful.
“Since you’re the patient, I’ll hold back for today.”
As she spoke, she rubbed the remaining lipstick off Hee-shin’s lips with her thumb.
“Look how thin your handsome face has gotten.”
“You really love my face.”
“Where else would you find a look like this?”
As if unsatisfied with the kiss, their lips met once more with a quick peck. Then she hugged him tightly, saying she didn’t want to let go and that she didn’t understand why he had to go straight back to work. She even made the carefree suggestion that once they married, he should quit his job and they could just travel together.
But Hee-shin knew. He knew she wouldn’t give up her work so easily.
“Let’s travel as much as we want later.”
“After I’ve become a grandmother?”
“You’ll be beautiful even when you’re a grandmother.”
“What’s the point of being beautiful when I’m old?”
He lightly hugged the grumbling woman, patted her, and began buttoning his shirt one by one. Sena draped the tie around his neck and tied a neat knot. Watching her face as she dusted off his shoulders with a satisfied smile, his mind grew complicated.
The news was out, and the police were currently chasing the guy. Three days had passed, but there had been no significant news. Hee-shin hoped the man would not appear. He wished he would just disappear forever. He still had no way of knowing what the kidnappers’ objective was. The more he thought about it, the more unsettled and confused he became.
In the midst of this, Yoon Se-na’s phone rang. Looking at the phone with a calm expression, she pressed the reject button.
“Spam calls have been coming in so annoyingly lately.”
It had definitely been a mobile phone number. He thought that for a moment, but he didn’t let it show. A moment later, she stared blankly at her nails with a slightly gloomy expression, saying she didn’t like her new manicure. When she asked if the color was okay, he simply nodded.
At that, Yoon Se-na pouted.
“Liar. The color is exactly the same as Your Highness’s. I knew you weren’t interested in me.”
“Were you testing me?”
“A test. I believe interest is equivalent to affection.”
Hee-shin quietly took Sena’s hand in his. “Let’s go. Shall we have a delicious lunch on the way?” Though she scolded him for slipping away like a sly snake, she linked her arm with his. Her secretary was waiting outside the room.
The man who was the secretary followed the two of them, keeping a distance as they walked side by side. The doctors they encountered along the way greeted them politely. Throughout his hospitalization, they had struggled to cater to them to an almost burdensome degree. It was all something he could enjoy thanks to Yoon Se-na.
They descended to the parking lot, and after helping Sena into the car first, he headed toward the driver’s seat when a call came in from an unfamiliar number.
With a feeling of apprehension, he pressed the call button and brought the phone straight to his ear.
“Hello?”
The other party didn’t answer, and Hee-shin nervously bit his lower lip. Kim Jun-gu? Or someone related to the kidnapping who was there that day? Whoever it was, it was not a welcome caller. Just as he was about to hang up, an unexpected voice came through the receiver.
—Is now a good time to talk?
“Who is this?”
—This is Im Gyeong. We met last week, remember?
Hee-shin frowned instinctively. How could he forget? According to Yoon Se-na, he had returned to Japan. However, the call was not coming from overseas. He first looked into the car. Tap, tap. He knocked on the window and gestured for Sena to wait a moment.
Moving away from the car, he let out a low sigh.
“Why are you calling me?”
—I think you’re the one with the ‘business’ here. I saw the news. How is your body? Are you okay?
He was stunned by the man’s unexpected attitude. What is this bastard planning?
“Just get to the point. I don’t think we’re close enough to be exchanging pleasantries.”
—Fine, then. Let’s meet in person.
He was bewildered by the abrupt request to meet.
“Out of nowhere, what on earth…”
—You told me to get to the point.
“Usually, in these cases, isn’t it polite to ask if the other person is available?”
—Even if you don’t have time, you’ll have to make some. If you want to find the missing Kim Jun-gu.
The moment the name Kim Jun-gu left his mouth, Hee-shin felt as if his breath had been snatched away. The fingertips holding the phone trembled slightly. His gaze instinctively drifted back to the car. Inside, Sena was checking her phone, completely unaware of anything.
“What are you talking about?”
—Playing innocent really is your specialty.
He clenched his teeth hard. Unable to contain her curiosity, Yoon Se-na had stepped out of the car and was looking his way. He ended the call by saying he would decide on a location and contact her again. To Yoon Se-na, who asked who it was, he lied and said it was a detective in charge of the investigation. All the way home while driving, his head was filled with nothing but confusion.
“Prosecutor, are you okay?”
Hee-shin nodded nonchalantly. Having returned to work after three days of sick leave, everyone he met asked how he was doing. The news about the attack on the prosecutor had been noisy for a short while, but interest had soon shifted back to the presidential election coming up this year. As he took off his coat, Chief Oh approached him.
“What does the police say?”
“There’s no particular news.”
“This is bad. They need to catch him quickly. Why don’t you stay at a hotel or somewhere instead of going home for the time being?”
Hee-shin chuckled. The Deputy Chief Prosecutor had called him in the morning and said something similar. Since the culprit’s whereabouts were unknown and there was no telling when such a danger might strike again, he suggested staying in the prosecution office’s overnight room or a hotel. Yoon Se-na also wanted him to stay at her officetel for a while.
“Oh, Choi Yoon-oh’s legal representative stopped by yesterday afternoon.”
Chief Oh pointed toward the desk. On the desk lay an envelope stamped with the entertainment company’s legal team logo. On the day the famous model Kim Ju-won died, many prominent figures were present. The one who was with him until the end was Choi Yoon-oh. Kim Ju-won had been a model under his agency.
Choi Yoon-oh testified that he had stepped away for a moment and found Mr. Kim dead upon his return. However, he left a clue suggesting that the marks of violence on Mr. Kim’s neck might not have been a simple death caused by drugs. Of course, Choi Yoon-oh consistently maintained that it had nothing to do with him.
That was why Hee-shin had gone to a host bar to meet Kim Hae-sung, who had been close to the deceased Kim Ju-won. Though, of course, he had unfortunately become entangled with Im Gyeong there.
As Kang Hee-shin opened the envelope and examined the documents, his gaze slowly darkened.
As he let out a low sigh, a phone call came into the office. Chief Oh, who was on the phone, looked at Hee-shin. She had a somewhat puzzled expression. After putting the landline on hold, she called out to Hee-shin.
“Prosecutor. There’s a guest in the lobby looking for you.”
For a moment, he thought of his mother back in his hometown, and his heart sank.
He stood up awkwardly without realizing it.
“A guest? Who?”
“Do you happen to know someone named Im Gyeong?”
Hee-shin’s brow furrowed sharply. Im Gyeong, who said he would contact him after setting a meeting place, had visited the prosecution office in person. When he told her to send him up, Chief Oh conveyed the message. After finishing the call, the administrative officer Baek Young-mi, who was beside him, asked with a curious expression.
“Who is Im Gyeong?”
Instead of answering, Hee-shin asked Chief Oh and Baek Young-mi to leave the room. Shortly after they disappeared, someone knocked on the door. He thought for a moment that it was a relief the man at least knew how to knock. As the door opened, the man he never wanted to face again poked his head in.