―Hello, this is Gemma Romano.
As the call connected, a cheerful voice was heard. Kang Siwon answered calmly.
“Hello, this is Kang Siwon.”
―Ah, Siwon. What’s going on?
“Excuse me, but I don’t have time, so I’ll ask directly. Are you with Ray Jun right now by any chance?”
―No.
He couldn’t trust it. However, there was also no way to confirm. Kang Siwon set aside his suspicions for now and continued speaking.
“From now on, I’d like you to keep what I’m about to say secret from Ray Jun.”
―I’m sorry, Siwon. I’d like to accommodate you as much as possible, but that’s difficult.
“Gemma-ssi, aren’t you the secretary to the CEO of M&W, not to Ray Jun? I have something I absolutely must tell the CEO of M&W.”
―Unfortunately, it’s difficult to schedule something today.
“Even if it’s related to Li Hou?”
―……May I ask what this is regarding?
“I’ll tell that to the CEO directly when I meet them.”
Gemma couldn’t answer readily. It must be a difficult request. Though he’d unintentionally put Gemma in a difficult position, he had no choice given how urgent his own circumstances were.
―I’ll relay it to the CEO first. Please wait a moment.
“Yes. I really appreciate it.”
Would they accept, or would they refuse without hearing more? Growing anxious, Kang Siwon just gripped the receiver tightly and waited.
Soon Gemma’s voice returned.
―The CEO says they’ll make time if even 15 minutes or so is acceptable. But will you be able to come here?
It must be a question implying whether he could move without Ray Jun’s permission. Kang Siwon responded firmly.
“If Gemma-ssi helps, it won’t be difficult. I can’t leave the room as I please, but it’s possible for Gemma-ssi to come in, isn’t it?”
―If the young master finds out you went out without giving any notice, he’ll be upset.
“It’s fine. In the end, it’ll be helpful to that guy too.”
―……Understood. Then could you wait one hour? I’ll come get you as soon as work is finished.
“Yes, please. Ah, and please definitely keep it secret from Ray Jun. You don’t need to hide it forever, just be careful until I meet Ray Jun’s mother.”
―I understand what you’re saying. Then I’ll see you in one hour.
With that, the call ended.
“Ha…….”
As he put down the receiver, Kang Siwon let out the breath he’d been holding. Perhaps because he’d been tense without realizing it, even though he’d only finished one phone call, he felt a bit exhausted. However, the real beginning was from now on, so he couldn’t rest.
Kang Siwon returned to the bedroom and started packing.
* * *
After gathering his passport first, which was most important, he neatly packed his belongings into his suitcase. Since they were all summer clothes and there weren’t many items to begin with, it was finished quickly. The problem was what to do with the clothes Ray Jun had bought him the day before yesterday.
He wanted to just throw them away, but because frugality was ingrained in his body, it was difficult to discard new clothes. But it also felt pathetic to take them when leaving. Just as he was hesitating while looking down at the clothes, he heard a presence from the entrance. An hour had already passed.
Kang Siwon stood up without thinking about it anymore. Come to think of it, his and Ray Jun’s builds weren’t that different, so even if he left them, Ray Jun would probably wear them.
He pulled his suitcase out to the living room. Seeing Kang Siwon’s appearance, Gemma’s eyes widened as she asked.
“Siwon. What’s all that luggage?”
Kang Siwon answered calmly.
“It’s my luggage.”
“You’re returning to Macau tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Ray Jun is. But I’m not planning to go with Ray Jun.”
“Siwon…….”
Looking quite troubled, Gemma frowned. It seemed she was conflicted about whether she should strongly dissuade him even now. However, Kang Siwon didn’t bat an eye.
“Let’s go. The CEO made precious time, so we shouldn’t be late, should we?”
“Siwon, instead of doing this, next time it would be better to meet together with the young master…….”
“Gemma-ssi will change your mind too. After you hear what I have to say to the CEO.”
In truth, even Kang Siwon couldn’t be completely certain. But sometimes you had to boldly bluff to seize an opportunity.
“……Then let’s depart.”
Realizing persuasion was impossible, Gemma opened the front door. Kang Siwon silently followed her.
Taking the elevator down to the parking lot, Gemma’s car was parked in a position close to the exit. Kang Siwon loaded his suitcase into the trunk, then got in the passenger seat.
Soon the car exited the parking lot. While leaving the underground darkness and emerging onto a road flooded with sunlight, a strange silence flowed inside the car. Kang Siwon gazed at the foreign road without a speck of dust and organized his thoughts.
“Siwon.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what you intend to say to the CEO, but it would be good to act prudently. The CEO is not an easy person.”
“Of course.”
The car quickly arrived at its destination. It seemed she was staying at a hotel as well.
Kang Siwon followed Gemma into the elevator. Like the elevator going up to the penthouse of Sovereign Resort, this elevator was also VIP-only. Kang Siwon felt momentarily apologetic, as if he was invading a personal space. However, to have a conversation that mustn’t leak outside, a private space like a hotel room was optimal.
Arriving in front of the room, Gemma tagged the card key to open the door. Kang Siwon moved his steps carefully.
“…….”
The interior was quite different from a typical hotel room. Because a large desk was placed in the center, it felt like an office.
A middle-aged woman sat in front of that desk. Because her back was to the large window where sunlight poured through, she looked as if she was wrapped in light.
A cold yet extraordinary impression. She was the very epitome of the typical image of a ‘lawyer.’ Unexpectedly, she didn’t resemble Ray Jun that much, but still, traces of him were revealed a little in the contours like her nose bridge and jawline.
After finishing his brief observation, Kang Siwon bowed his head politely and greeted her.
“Hello. I’m Kang Siwon, who once shared a room with your son at the Sovereign staff dormitory. Thank you for making time despite being busy.”
“I heard the story from Ray. So, what business do you have with me?”
It was a voice that felt strangely imposing. Rather than her appearance, that atmosphere seemed more similar to Ray Jun.
“I apologize for suddenly saying this. In April, I witnessed a scene of Ray Jun making contact with Zhang Weiren in the High Limit Zone at Sovereign Resort.”
The CEO showed no reaction. No answer, not even a twitch of her eyebrow. Still, Kang Siwon continued speaking.
“And the very next day, Zhang Weiren died. Ray Jun, who attended to him as a dealer, was investigated by the police. At the time, he was simply a witness, but if the investigation is reopened, I think there’s a high possibility his status will change to a suspect.”
“‘Reopening the investigation.'”
“The COO of Sovereign Resort, Li Hou, said he plans to request the police to reinvestigate. He also asked me to testify.”
Only then did the CEO’s gaze change subtly. Kang Siwon took out his phone from his pocket and held it out. It was what he’d received from Li Hou’s subordinate.
“This is a message sent by Li Hou.”
Gemma, who had been standing back listening, received the phone and passed it to the CEO. She skimmed through the message history.
There was no sender’s name or important information. But she would be able to realize at least that a person hostile to Ray Jun had approached Kang Siwon.
Perhaps judging that Kang Siwon’s claim wasn’t a lie—and because she knew Li Hou was the kind of person who would do such things and more—the CEO opened her mouth.
“COO Li is wasting his effort. Even if they reinvestigate, Ray will be concluded as innocent.”
“I understand Ray Jun has sufficient reason to take revenge on Zhang Weiren. As long as there’s a clear motive for the crime, it won’t be that simple.”
“Are you trying to lecture me about law in front of me right now?”
The CEO said with a low laugh. At this, Kang Siwon bowed his head slightly.
“I apologize. I simply…… since I witnessed something, I had no choice but to say it’s unfavorable for Ray Jun.”
“What did you witness?”
She was asking in an indifferent tone, but that couldn’t really be the case. Kang Siwon met head-on the gaze of the CEO who was staring as if to see through him and answered.
“I saw Ray Jun put something in Zhang Weiren’s drink.”
Of course it was a lie. He’d never seen such a scene. He’d merely speculated. If Ray Jun had harmed Zhang Weiren, what method would he have used?
Zhang Weiren’s cause of death was cardiac arrest. How could one induce cardiac arrest? The most likely method was probably drugs.
Moreover, dealers weren’t prevented from accessing customers’ drinks. When absorbed in the game, one’s throat naturally gets parched, so customers would quench their thirst with the complimentary drinks provided. A dealer with ghost-like hand movements handling cards would surely be able to secretly slip drugs into a drink.
“…….”
The CEO remained expressionless. She wasn’t easily hooked even by the false bait thrown to test her. However, there wasn’t even a sharp rebuke asking who he was making such slander in front of. At this, Kang Siwon realized his speculation wasn’t merely baseless conjecture.
Then couldn’t he be harmed by the same method?
Though he hadn’t come this far without any resolve, as soon as he became certain, he felt newly chilled. Just as he was swallowing dry saliva, the CEO tapped the table with her index finger.
