By Zephyria Lee-eum looked up at the high wall in front of him and let out a soft sigh. As soon as he rang the doorbell, the door opened without anyone asking who it was. He went up the stone steps, and an elderly man was standing in front of the entrance, showing respect.
“Welcome. The President is waiting for you.”
Following the man inside, the interior of the house was much larger than it looked from the outside. Moreover, there were quite a few works of art, not only paintings but also many strange things. A spear that some primitive tribe might have used, and a mask that was not in the shape of a person. And a sculpture that emitted an eerie aura of unknown origin.
Among them, the most eye-catching was a sculpture modeled after a penis. The size was grotesquely large, and the explicit depiction of blood vessels made him feel disgusted. He was staring at it with a look of disgust when the man led him to the reception room.
“He’ll be out soon, so please sit down and wait. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“No, thank you. Don’t bother.”
“Please call me anytime. Just press the call bell next to you.”
The man pushed up his glasses and disappeared outside. Left alone, Lee-eum looked around the reception room and found a large painting hanging on the wall. It was a landscape painting in ink wash, and it was quite familiar. Is it genuine? He was staring at it intently when he heard a sound from the other side, and the door opened and Choi Won-joon came out. He was wearing a dark gray gown and drying his hair with a towel.
To call someone over and come out looking like that.
“You’re early?”
Lee-eum glared at him, his mouth shut. Choi Won-joon’s lawyer came in person and submitted a complaint about the assault charges, and the Team leader was in an uproar. He asked if he really hit Choi Won-joon, and why he hit him, but he couldn’t answer.
The rumor spread in an instant, and even other team members came to wonder about their relationship. The complaint included photos and a medical certificate as evidence, but a slight bruise on the face resulted in a 12-week diagnosis. As soon as he resolved this, Lee-eum was going to find the doctor in charge and demand an explanation.
“Why did you sue me?”
Lee-eum threw the complaint on the table, and Choi Won-joon brought alcohol and glasses from one side of the reception room. As he sat down, his gown opened, and his firm, split thighs came into view. Feeling uncomfortable, he turned his gaze elsewhere, and Choi Won-joon poured alcohol into a glass. He poured the amber liquid and handed it to Lee-eum.
“Shall I have them make some snacks?”
“Listen, Mr. Choi Won-joon. Do you think I came here to drink with you?”
Won-joon ignored him and emptied the glass of whiskey in one gulp. His Adam’s apple moved coolly each time the alcohol went down. Thanks to just having showered, his hair was covering his forehead, overlapping with his Young-shik days. Won-joon put down the glass with a thud, licked his lips, and poured another glass.
Lee-eum stared with an absurd expression and stood up from his seat.
“If you’re just going to keep drinking, I’ll leave.”
“Understand. I need alcohol to sleep. But it’s only about 2-3 hours.”
“Dying from alcohol poisoning will be faster than dying from insomnia.”
“That’s right.”
Won-joon leaned forward, clasped his hands, rested his chin, and stared intently at Lee-eum.
“Help me. With the heart you had when you took in Young-shik. Huh?”
“Are you talking about that again?”
“Lee-eum, you don’t know how painful it is to not sleep. It drives people crazy. I’ve been taking medicine for a long time, but it doesn’t work. But strangely, when I sleep at Kim Yi-eum’s house, I fall asleep easily.”
“You’re mistaken. You lost your memory and went back to your childhood, so your nerves have loosened as well.”
“I thought so too. So I stayed one more day. As Choi Won-joon, not Young-shik.”
Lee-eum’s face slowly contorted.
“What did you say? You regained your mind, and you were acting?”
“Didn’t you know? Well, I was very convincing, wasn’t I?”
Lee-eum clenched his fists tightly. Calm down. If he hits him again here, it will be truly irreversible. Frankly, the last time he hit him, it was considered self-defense because he had invaded his living space. But if he said he followed him home and hit him, there would be no room for excuses.
“So, help me.”
“What if I refuse?”
“What can I do? I’ll have to do as I please.”
“…….”
“I’m more wicked than you think. I’ll drain people dry until I get what I want.”
“So. You’re going to drain me dry?”
“Yes.”
“How are you going to drain me dry?”
“There are many ways. The most fatal one is probably about your constitution. It seems like your family thinks you’re a Beta. How audacious. How did you hide it? Did you forge documents?”
“What makes you so sure that I’m not a Beta? Do you have any evidence?”
“The suppressants in the drawer.”
“……!”
“They’re yours. For Omegas.”
Lee-eum unintentionally reached out and grabbed the glass in front of him tightly. Then Choi Won-joon’s gaze followed.
“You know that hitting someone with a tool is a special assault, right? It’s irreversible.”
Is he talking about the law to a detective now? It’s annoying, frustrating, and disgusting, and he really wants to punch him, but he barely holds back because he knows that the more emotional he gets, the more he’ll be swayed by him. Lee-eum relaxed his hand and placed it neatly on his lap.
“Let me ask you one thing. Is it really a coincidence that you appeared in front of me? Did you really have amnesia? Or did you choose me knowing everything from the beginning?”
Choi Won-joon laughs in disbelief.
“So, you’re saying that I knew you were coming there that day? That I fell down on purpose at the right time? Because I wanted something from you?”
Lee-eum pressed his lips tightly. In fact, considering the circumstances, it doesn’t make sense. As expected, Choi Won-joon drove a wedge into it.
“It seems like there’s something important in your house for me to do such a foolish thing?”
Lee-eum didn’t answer. Among the materials that his Hyung had collected while investigating the Sehwa Group’s corruption, there were some that remained after being used in court. He put them in Lee-eum’s safe because there were other family members at home, but it bothered him the whole time.
“Listen, Detective Kim.”
Choi Won-joon spun the glass, took a sip, and smiled with an amused expression.
“If I wanted to, I could turn your chief? No, the commissioner? No, even someone higher up than that upside down and shake them out. But why would I bother infiltrating the house of a mere detective? Don’t you think it’s strange even if you think about it? How pathetic. I heard you’re a pretty capable detective?”
When he didn’t refute, Won-joon leaned back lazily in his chair, lowered his eyes halfway, and looked at Lee-eum. Shadows fell under his eyes from his thick eyelashes.
“Think of it positively. We’re using each other. You provide me with comfortable sleep, and I provide you with what you need.”
“What are you going to give me, Mr. Choi Won-joon? Money?”
When he sneered, Won-joon got up from his seat, went to the bedroom, and brought something out. It was a document envelope. He put the envelope on the table and slid it towards Lee-eum.
“Open it.”
When he resisted without touching it, this time he urged him with his eyes. Hurry up.
Lee-eum took out the contents and checked them. They were a few photos.
“Familiar, right?”
Lee-eum couldn’t take his eyes off the man in the photo. Familiar? He gritted his teeth just looking at him. He was the suspect in a case he had taken two years ago, a piece of trash who ran an entertainment agency and only raped young children.
But at the time, he was acquitted. A month later, one of the victims took her own life, and the last will she left behind contained a request to clear her name.
“You wanted to catch him.”
Lee-eum put the photos on the table.
“How did you know?”
“You investigated me too, so let’s call it even.”
“…….”
“Let me ask you one thing. Do you still want to catch him?”
“…….”
“I’m asking you. Do you want to catch him?”
Of course. If he hadn’t used his wealthy father’s backing to slip through the cracks in the law, the victim might have lived. He wanted to catch him and punish him. When he didn’t deny it, Won-joon took something out of his gown pocket and waved it in front of his eyes. It was a small USB. He put it between them and tapped it.
“There’s a video here to catch him.”
“…….”
“If you don’t believe me, take a look. Check it out and let’s make a deal.”
“Don’t play tricks.”
“Tricks? It’s a pure heart.”
“I don’t know what this is, but it’s impossible. The reason I couldn’t catch him back then was because of his father.”
Lee-eum frowned. So this is evidence related to Kim Yong-taek, the father of Kim Ji-cheol, the assemblyman. What on earth is it? While he was hesitating without asking more, Won-joon reached out and moved the USB all the way in front of Lee-eum.
“First, look at it and decide. If you don’t like it, let’s pretend it never happened.”
“…….”
“If that’s not enough, I’ll use any means to bring that father and son down. Isn’t that a good condition?”
Choi Won-joon smiled brightly, and Lee-eum felt a chill down his spine for a moment. If he fell into hell and met the devil, this is what it would feel like. Choi Won-joon’s offer was the devil’s fruit itself. He knew he shouldn’t eat it, but his hand kept reaching out.
Lee-eum couldn’t bring himself to grab or reject the USB in front of him.