After seeing the original, I didn’t waste any time in calling up Lim Seunghoon.
Choi Jeokhyeon urged me to rest for a bit, but I had no choice but to refuse.
“I’m scared.”
“Save me, hyung…….”
‘…That voice again.’
The only way for me to be at ease was to solve Jo Inchan’s problem as soon as possible.
Even now, I could still hear Jo Inchan’s voice in the video calling my name, echoing in my ears. So, what was the point of resting? Until I resolved his issue, rest would only be poison to me.
Thankfully, the problem wasn’t as noticeable as it was last time, so Choi Jeokhyeon didn’t forcibly stop me.
Creak.
Just as I was closing my eyes to the persistent sound of Jo Inchan’s voice, the door opened and the person I was waiting for entered the room.
“It’s been a while.”
“…Han Seungbeom-ssi.”
A familiar voice answered my calm greeting. The last time I saw him, hearing Lim Seunghoon’s voice was quite disturbing, so it was strange that I felt nothing at all now. It seemed that I could look at him without feeling agitated anymore.
I leaned back in my chair and gestured toward the new phone in his hand as I spoke.
“I see you’ve successfully replaced your phone. In that case, there’s no need for me to return it.”
“So it was Seungbeom-ssi who took my phone. Please return it.” Lim Seunghoon frowned and replied with a voice filled with irritation.
‘It seems he’s decided to stop pretending to be timid.’
He probably wasn’t sure until now whether I had gotten the phone or if he, completely drunk, had lost it himself. He must have prayed desperately for the latter, but reality wasn’t that forgiving.
“Have a seat.”
Having read his mind, I ordered him to take a seat without answering his question. He hesitated, then spoke again as he remained standing.
“Why did you want to see me? You should tell me that first.”
‘As expected, he’s being cautious.’
It was no surprise to me that Lim Seunghoon wouldn’t be willing to have another
friendly
conversation with me. It made sense, given that the image he had of me was as a collaborator of the Seo Yutae he betrayed, and a dangerous person who knew his weaknesses.
But Lim Seunghoon had overlooked something.
“Sit down.”
Isn’t the ability to refuse something that exists only between equals?
I was going to make it clear to Lim Seunghoon today.
The person you should follow from now on is me, not Kang Hyukwoo. So, make sure you understand the situation correctly.
“You still don’t know what kind of information I got from that phone, or what I’m going to do with it.”
“…….”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t act like this in front of someone who knows my weaknesses.”
Lim Seunghoon, clearly thrown by the threatening warning spoken without any polite formalities, finally shuffled over to the chair across from me and sat down awkwardly. He then lowered his head deeply to hide his unsteady gaze.
‘…I can hear the sound of you rolling your brain all the way over here.’
It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that Lim Seunghoon was desperately trying to find a way out of this situation. But all of his efforts were in vain as far as I was concerned.
Because from the moment he stepped into this room, the power dynamic had essentially shifted in my favor.
Lim Seunghoon had already run away from me before.
When the effects of the alcohol wore off and his mind started to clear, I could imagine how maddening it must have been for him. He must have been plagued by questions—how much information had Han Seungbeom really gotten from Seo Yutae? How much did Seo Yutae know, and from what source? What kind of relationship did he have with the members of Prism? Even those minor questions, like whose hands his phone had ended up in and why no one had pursued him to the end when he ran away, must have gnawed at him.
If that wasn’t the case, and if it really didn’t matter what I did, then Lim Seunghoon had no business showing his face before me again. The moment he answered my call and came here, he practically admitted that he was trapped by the weapons I held against him.
“I really don’t understand why you’re doing this to me. I was simply caught up in what Director Kang Hyukwoo was doing, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand?”
Perhaps afraid of what I might say, he launched into a stream of excuses without even being asked. I responded by blatantly scanning his attire and then opening my mouth to speak.
“You can’t just pocket everything you can get and then pretend you were just an innocent bystander. Your income is nowhere near enough to support the level of luxury purchases you’ve been making.”
I had noticed this the last time, but hadn’t had a chance to point it out. The revelation that he had betrayed us for financial reward from Kang Hyukwoo was simply too much to take in.
But now, even if I tried not to see it, I could see it.
The reason Lim Seunghoon had to chase after money so blindly.
‘It’s plain to see.’
It was so alike that it gave me chills.
Back when I first met Choi Jeokhyeon, those were the clothes he often wore.
‘What is it, is he admiring a rich family’s young master?’
He was definitely imitating Choi Jeokhyeon’s appearance right now.
Choi Jeokhyeon was completely out of the public eye during that time, and Lim Seunghoon certainly never had the chance to meet him in person, so how he figure his style out was a mystery to me.
Choi Jeokhyeon had very specific brand preferences for everything; his personal style was so defined that it was practically impossible for someone to be wearing the exact same outfit and accessories by coincidence. To make matters worse, those things didn’t even look good on Lim Seunghoon, and the items were way beyond what his salary could afford. If he was persistently insisting on wearing them, there had to be a reason for that obsession.
“You must be having a tough time. You’re dying to show it off, but you have to wear shabby clothes in front of Prism sunbaenims and can only imitate that person behind their backs.”
At the word “
imitate
“, Lim Seunghoon’s face turned bright red with embarrassment, reacting as if his deepest secret had been exposed. I, without reacting at all, began to mercilessly corner him.
“Certainly, that level of spending would have been far beyond your means. He’s in a completely different league than you. So, is that why you ended up sticking with Kang Hyukwoo, not knowing what kind of price you’d have to pay?”
“…….”
“I wonder what Prism-sunbaenims would say if they saw you now. You’ve trampled on the lives of not just one member, but several. I doubt they’ll let you get away with a slap on the wrist.”
When I spoke as if I was sure he had received financial compensation from Kang Hyukwoo for cooperating with him, he trembled and yelled out in anger.
“What evidence do you have to make such claims?! It’s complete nonsense!”
But I found his trembling fingertips much more convincing than his desperate denials. I looked up at his outburst, then burst into laughter as I stared directly into his shaking eyes. After finally catching my breath, I stood up from my seat.
“…Evidence?”
I dropped the recorder, video player, and documents onto the table with a thud. Then, I leaned in close to his face, which wore a puzzled expression, and whispered.
“There’s plenty of evidence, so what are you talking about?”
“…What?”
“Feel free to choose. I’m curious to see which evidence will cause you the most pain.”
While Lim Seunghoon was still reeling from shock, I started to talk, running my fingertips over the items scattered on the table one by one.
“Ever since you started taking care of Jo Inchan-sunbaenim, your spending has increased. Kang Hyukwoo must’ve definitely ordered you to clean up your messages, but you were too paranoid about being backstabbed to listen. You’ve also been told many times not to run your mouth when you’re drunk, but old habits die hard.”
It was a collection of evidence, including the document detailing Lim Seunghoon’s expenses, the message history exchanged with Kang Hyukwoo, and a recorder containing the voice of him repeatedly begging for forgiveness while saying “
it wasn’t me who killed him
“.
“Do you know the kind of hell the public can put someone through?”
“…….”
“They’ll turn even the most ridiculous evidence into something spectacular, and then spin it into a sensational narrative to make a profit. Because that’s what sells, and it’s entertaining. So, if they get anything close to this, your life is as good as finished.”
The implication was clear: Lim Seunghoon’s life would be completely ruined if even one of these pieces of evidence came to light. Lim Seunghoon, aware of this, could only stare blankly at them with a pale face.
I grabbed him by the hair and forced him to face the front of a photograph.
Then, with a gentle movement of my fingertips, I said softly, “I’m fine with everything, but my favorite is … this. I wonder if you remember it.”
The spot where my finger stopped was a photo showing a scene from the original video I had just obtained yesterday.
“How did you get this!” He screamed in horror as soon as he laid eyes on it.
He must have recognized it immediately. Whether he had visited the place himself or watched the edited video, the location he was so familiar with was clearly captured in the photo.
“You were one of the people who restrained Jo Inchan-sunbaenim that day, forcing him to do that, making sure he couldn’t resist.”
“…….”
In the photo, Lim Seunghoon’s face was also faintly captured.
Jo Inchan fought back so hard that, of all the people in the original video, only Lim Seunghoon’s mask came off.
After seeing his own face, so clearly recognizable that there was no denying it, Lim Seunghoon trembled pitifully and then asked in a small voice.
“…What do you want?”
To the question I’d been longing to hear, I paused before answering, taking a breath. Then, I released his head, which I had been pressing down on the table, and spoke softly.
“Kang Hyukwoo’s downfall. That’s what I want.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Kang Hyukwoo is connected to the gangsters. How am I supposed to help with that?”
“If you don’t help me with that, I’ll release the original video to the world and ruin your life completely. Just so you know in advance, doing anything to me won’t make things better, so don’t get any foolish ideas. I’ve already made arrangements that if I die, the original video and your personal information will be immediately uploaded to the internet.”
“Weren’t you on good terms with Prism? If the original video is made public, Jo Inchan will be finished too!”
In a last-ditch effort, Lim Seunghoon finally mentioned Jo Inchan’s name. I wanted nothing more than to rip his mouth apart, but since I couldn’t reveal my true feelings, I exhaled lightly and replied with a flat tone.
“I don’t care.”
“…What did you say?”
“I don’t care if the members of Prism’s lives are ruined or not. As long as I get rid of Kang Hyukwoo, that’s all that matters.”
The moment those words left my mouth, a sharp pain pierced my chest.
But before I could even register that, Lim Seunghoon’s voice was heard again.
“…You, weren’t you a collaborator of Seo Yutae?”
“I said I was a collaborator of Seo Yutae. But I never said I was a collaborator of Prism.”
“Protecting Prism is what Seo Yutae wants! This is basically the same as betraying Seo Yutae!”
He was so desperate to find a way out that he even resorted to bringing up my name. I paused for a moment, then smiled nonchalantly and replied.
“You’re telling
me
that?”
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