The elevator number was stuck at 3.
“I told you to wait.”
Just as Seo Jaeha stood beside him, the elevator suddenly started going up.
“What are you doing without pressing the button?”
Seeing that, Seo Jaeha belatedly pressed the up button. But once the elevator started operating, it just kept going up.
“Weren’t you the one telling me to wait?”
“You’re a complete contrary. Even a kindergartner wouldn’t be as childish as you.”
“Do one thing at a time. And I didn’t know it operated without a key card.”
While saying that, Kyungwoo glanced sideways at Seo Jaeha.
“It’s my first time at a commoner’s apartment, you see.”
Reacting to every childish provocation one by one was equally childish. But Seo Jaeha seemed oblivious to this.
Seo Jaeha firmly grabbed Jung Kyungwoo’s injured forearm. It had healed well so there was no pain. He just had difficulty moving the fingers of his injured hand properly.
“Why? Are you going to wreck my arm this time?”
“I’m going to wreck that mouth of yours first.”
Seo Jaeha sneered and annoyingly lowered his head as he smirked.
*Ding.*
Just then, having come down at some point, the elevator door smoothly opened.
“Oh!”
A middle-aged woman who was about to get off jumped back in surprise. A young male student behind her also widened his eyes wondering what this was. It made sense since they’d witnessed two men facing each other up close in a strange pose right before their eyes.
“Let go.”
Kyungwoo shook off the other’s hand and stepped back to the side. Seo Jaeha also seemed embarrassed and stepped back half a step in the opposite direction.
When the two moved aside, the two residents got off while craning their necks. Following that, as soon as Kyungwoo reluctantly entered the elevator, Seo Jaeha immediately followed and repeatedly pressed the close button.
*Swoosh.*
As the door closed again, the student who appeared to be a son approached the middle-aged woman who appeared to be his mother and said:
“Mom, I think those guys are gay. Wow.”
“Shh. You don’t say things like that openly.”
A conversation that wouldn’t have been heard outside was heard all too clearly in the quiet parking lot.
*Ding.*
As the elevator went up, Kyungwoo ground his teeth hard.
“Please be more careful from now on, Prosecutor Seo-nim. Thanks to you, I don’t want to be misunderstood for nothing.”
He was so heated that formal speech came out automatically.
“If you’d just shut your mouth, that wouldn’t have happened. And it’s my apartment. Even if there’s a misunderstanding, I’m the one who’ll receive it, so what’s it to you?”
“No, we’re not just meeting once or twice from now on, so what do you mean what’s it to me? How irresponsible.”
“Don’t talk about responsibility. It gives me chills. And how often are you planning to come in and out of my house? You’re not really having strange thoughts, are you?”
Instead, Seo Jaeha fidgeted while being conscious of Kyungwoo. The absurd one was this side.
“Is that something to say from a guy who stripped an unconscious person and took secret photos? And…”
Thinking about it, the result of the blackmail was strange. He couldn’t understand why receiving the photos back resulted in meeting once every two weeks instead of money or a request for favors.
“Meeting once every two weeks was strange from the start. It seems like you’re trying to entangle me using this as an excuse… I have absolutely no interest in that orientation, and even if I happened to have such preferences, Seo Jaeha, I would never get entangled with a son of a bitch like you, so if you’re drinking some ridiculous kimchi broth, wake up from your dream quickly.”
As he shot back rapidly, Seo Jaeha opened his mouth wide then quickly closed it. Seeing the space between his eyebrows crumple fiercely, it seemed he was about to bark some nonsense.
“Who’s the one to talk? I took off your clothes looking for injection marks from drugs. No, you’re the one who clung to me crying. Even though you’re not a woman.”
“What? Where are you spouting such ridiculous bullshit?”
This time Kyungwoo flared up. There was no man who would stay quiet after hearing the absurd lie that he clung to him crying.
“Is that all? When you fainted at the restaurant before, I carried you in both arms and put you in the car. It’s not like you’re some princess.”
“Hey! Seo Jaeha!”
The moment he yelled, unable to endure the insult, the elevator stopped with a *ding*.
Instantly both froze.
*Swoosh.*
There was no one outside the opened door. The frozen air melted in an instant. As soon as he let out a sigh of relief, Seo Jaeha went out first and quickly unlocked the door.
*Beep beep. Click.*
He who opened the door looked back at Kyungwoo.
“Don’t make noise in the neighborhood and come in to talk.”
“Why should I?”
“Then chatter out there. I’m going in.”
Seo Jaeha went inside without delay. Before the front door closed, Kyungwoo quickly ran and grabbed the door handle.
“Son of a bitch.”
“Close the door properly.”
Jaeha, who slipped off his shoes, disappeared into the house. Kyungwoo, who hesitated at the entrance for a moment, followed him for now.
Passing through the hallway, the view came in through the wide-open glass window. Although there was a Han River tributary nearby, only part of it was visible, blocked by the front building.
The sofa set that showed little signs of use was much smaller than what Kyungwoo used, but it occupied half of the living room.
Looking around, he noticed a common interior plant pot, a TV of a frustrating size that commoners would use, cheap screen curtains, and such. There were almost no miscellaneous items.
It was surprisingly not shabby.
“Do you live alone?”
“So?”
Perhaps still in a bad mood, Seo Jaeha spoke sarcastically. Childish bastard.
He entered the kitchen connected to the living room, opened the refrigerator, and took out a water bottle. Kyungwoo checked if there was anyone who might suddenly barge in.
“What about your girlfriend? Or should I ask about your boyfriend?”
“Give it a rest. It’s not funny.”
“You do look exactly like someone who’s been single since birth.”
“I want to prevent a murder from happening in my house, so please watch your mouth, Jung Kyungwoo-ssi.”
At those words, Kyungwoo looked at Jaeha. Seo Jaeha, who still had the water bottle he’d drunk from a bit at his lips, was frowning as much as possible.
“The way you constantly threaten at every turn. Do you know it’s a disease that comes from low self-esteem?”
“Ha. Anyone would think you’re not the criminal here.”
“Constantly bringing up something we agreed to let pass is uncool too.”
“There’s still plenty of time left on the statute of limitations.”
“How petty.”
“What?”
It seemed like another round was about to start, so Kyungwoo raised one hand to stop him.
“Where’s the bathroom?”
“Over there.”
Pretending to go in the direction he pointed, when Seo Jaeha’s figure disappeared due to a partition wall, Kyungwoo opened a different door instead of the one presumed to be the bathroom.
In the small room, there was a desktop on a simple desk, and rectangular electronic devices were packed tightly in a glass cabinet set up beside it.
Bingo.
There was a high possibility that a copy was inside that computer. Just as he was about to reach out, Seo Jaeha appeared from behind.
“There’s nothing on that computer except games. The game cabinet is also locked. Otherwise, my nephews come and mess everything up.”
“I found the wrong room.”
“I’ll believe you.”
While saying that, Seo Jaeha opened the opposite door for him, pretending to be considerate.
The bathroom decorated with white tiles had a subtle floral scent. As Kyungwoo, who entered the bathroom, tried to close the door, Seo Jaeha blocked it.
“What?”
“There’s a possibility you’ll attach bugs or cameras inside. Unless it’s number two, keep it open.”
“Am I a pervert like you?”
“Skip the pervert talk. How can I trust a guy who kidnaps a current prosecutor using his shoulders?”
“Forget it.”
Kyungwoo pushed Seo Jaeha, who was standing boldly at the entrance, and came out.
“You’re not going to pee?”
“How could I with you watching like a pervert?”
He frowned and got angry. Seo Jaeha shrugged.
Kyungwoo went to the sofa and sat down heavily.
“Aren’t you going to treat your guest? Bring out something.”
“I just ran out of dog food. I’m so sorry about that.”
Looking at Seo Jaeha standing crookedly with one leg bent a few meters away, Kyungwoo asked in a serious tone.
“Listen here. Seo Jaeha-ssi? If you can’t trust people that much, why did you bring me to your house?”
“Then why did you follow me?”
Kyungwoo closed his mouth. Meanwhile, Seo Jaeha took off his jacket and put it on the nearby island table. Wearing only a white shirt, he looked even bigger.
“The copy isn’t in the house. I wouldn’t put something like that in a place with only general security devices. Especially in a place with a record of turning off CCTV.”
“Then your office?”
“You’re stating the obvious.”
Jaeha grinned. It made sense. Not just anyone could enter and leave the prosecutor’s office at the prosecutors’ office, and the people who did enter and leave were those who worked after identity checks. The number of people who could search Seo Jaeha’s office and not be suspected was extremely small. The district prosecutors’ office staff who worked with him.
Carelessly contacting them was dangerous. Especially if it was to find materials containing personal weaknesses rather than case-related records.
He didn’t intend to put pressure through the upper lines of the district prosecutors’ office either. It might just emphasize the existence of the materials for nothing.
“I wasted my time for nothing.”
Kyungwoo, who stood up half-relieved, adjusted his appearance while staring at Seo Jaeha.
“Let’s settle today’s score.”
“Why the rush? Since you’re already here, let’s eat together.”
“Why should I?”
“If you eat and go, I’ll erase two.”
Kyungwoo rubbed his forehead with his hand.
“Seo Jaeha-ssi. Does this seem like a joke to you? Or a game? There’s a limit to dealing with childish behavior. Unlike you, my hourly rate is ridiculously high. It’s not a price to waste carelessly on a worthless human.”
“We’ll drink while eating. Won’t that be your chance to factory reset this phone?”
While saying that, Seo Jaeha at some point turned on the phone screen and played the video he’d seen before, where Kyungwoo was captured in an unsightly state.
Kyungwoo, who had been clenching his fist painfully and grinding his teeth hard, eventually let out a long sigh and took off his jacket just like Jaeha had done, throwing it on the sofa.
“Pepperoni pizza.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Stingy bastard.”
At those words, Seo Jaeha, who had been manipulating his phone, grinned. His mischievous eyes sparkled.
