12:00
The message, briefly abbreviated to just numbers, contained many implied meanings. As soon as Seungun checked the text, he pressed the [Delete] button and erased it from the list. Everything that came from President Gu was eliminated without a trace like this.
Inside a main road, a narrow alley. A few buildings sandwiched between tall buildings were so old and worn that no one would notice even if someone went inside, making them inconspicuous. Opening the glass door on the first floor in the shaded spot, a musty mold smell greeted visitors.
On the glass wall of the gray building without a single sign hung a large banner that read [For Rent] with a real estate phone number, so no light entered the building even during the day. Of course, both ‘For Rent’ and the real estate phone number were false information.
Seungun headed to the third floor with familiar steps. Silver spider webs hung thickly in every corner and secluded spot of the windows he passed. Beyond the glass walls where many shops would have existed on each floor in the past, worn-out cement floors, cracked windows, and dusty walls remained desolately.
In the quiet building, only Seungun’s footsteps echoed bleakly. However, even in a building so broken that demolition was the only answer, there was an owner.
“There’s a customer inside.”
Eokkae, standing in front of President Gu’s office, gave him a hint. Indeed, murmuring voices could be heard from inside. Unlike President Gu’s words that leaked out loudly to the outside, the other person’s voice was so quiet it couldn’t be heard well. Seungun listened a little more closely.
“If you get impatient, even what could work won’t work, so why are you whining like that, man? You sure you got something hanging down there? Ah, I get it, I’m working as much as you paid. It’s not like we only handle your work exclusively, we’ve got our hands in everything here and there, so what do you want me to do? Does a person have multiple bodies? Then pay more money. When more progress fees come in, we’ll move that much.”
Seungun shook his head. They must be demanding outrageous progress fees different from the initial contract. Heated voices went back and forth several times. Following that, the sound of a heavy sofa being pushed was heard.
“Turn around.”
Eokkae in front of the door ordered Seungun. Seungun turned toward the dim window. He didn’t have the slightest desire to face the person working with President Gu anyway. He went around the corner of the hallway and hid his body.
Soon President Gu’s office door opened wide. That person huffed and puffed out air from their nose, then stomped down the stairs with angry steps. The bastard who entrusted work to President Gu would also be human trash who had gone as far as they could go.
“Come in.”
Eokkae called out to Seungun hiding behind the corner. Seungun entered through the open door. The office was darker than the hallway. The banner outside completely covered the window. In an office where no sunlight came in, even time couldn’t be gauged.
President Gu, sitting in the seat of honor, raised his hand. There was a nameplate on the desk behind him that said “President” because he’d seen it somewhere, but it was ridiculous every time he saw it. Whether he could even read the Chinese characters. Until he asked, there was no way to know.
“How did it go.”
“I planted it.”
“Just in words?”
Seungun sighed. Then he opened his phone and opened the eavesdropping application. He pressed the play bar, but no sound could be heard. Seungun turned the volume to maximum. President Gu leaned his upper body toward the desk to listen carefully.
“Why is there no sound?”
“I watched, but he doesn’t carry it around much.”
“You sure?”
“Then why would there be no sound? Are you blind? I turned the volume up to maximum.”
“This kid, really!”
Seungun tightly closed both eyes, anticipating the palm that would fly at him. However, President Gu, who only pretended to hit, giggled and smoked a cigarette.
“It’s funny that you whine when you get hit once, but you’re so fucking prideful, kid.”
Seungun said through gritted teeth.
“He doesn’t use his personal phone much. He mainly uses another phone. I also only contact that person with that number. Company people too.”
“Say exactly what you just said to that person too.”
Through the dispersing cigarette smoke, President Gu pointed at the door with his chin.
“Who?”
Seungun turned his head with a frown. There was an unexpected person there. In comfortable sneakers, hair tied tightly, horn-rimmed glasses she hadn’t worn last time covered a familiar face. It was Min Jihyeon. She entered the office with her hands shoved in her jeans.
Seungun stared at Min Jihyeon with frozen eyes.
“We’ve met before, right?”
“……”
Min Jihyeon sat down across from him and smiled faintly. Last time, Myeongwoo had earnestly warned him.
Don’t even associate with Min Jihyeon.
She’s a top trash journalist even among trash journalists. Those people are no different from stalkers. Once they catch one thing on you, they bite and hang on to the end. There are no leeches like those leeches. Even among insiders, Min Jihyeon is known as a really disgusting person.
Companies without money can’t even stop them and just have to watch their kids fall to ruin….
“You’ve met before? Have you two already met?”
President Gu asked in a tone full of curiosity. Min Jihyeon nodded. Behind her face smiling like sunshine was a woman who did things like President Gu.
Every time he worked under President Gu, he felt nauseous. Seungun hoped that Gi Siyoung had please left the phone connected to the wiretap at home. He hoped that not even one bit of noise would enter their ears.
“The world is so small. You remember me, Seungun-ssi?”
Min Jihyeon acted friendly.
“I remember.”
Seungun answered reluctantly. Now he understood why Myeongwoo had been uncomfortable with the woman’s bright greeting.
“I’m happy to see you again. By the way, doesn’t this place even give tea to customers? When it’s this hot.”
“Eokkae. Give this customer some iced coffee.”
President Gu ordered Eokkae outside. Soon Eokkae appeared holding a paper cup that didn’t suit his large hands. It was iced coffee, but because it was put in a paper cup, the cup was already soggy. Min Jihyeon grimaced as she received it, then asked again.
“Just mine? There are two people with mouths here.”
“You want some too?”
At President Gu’s question, Seungun shook his head.
“He doesn’t eat. He’s a kid who comes and goes like it’s his own house. He’d be sick of eating it normally anyway.”
“Ah….”
Min Jihyeon gave an enigmatic smile and took a sip of coffee. Seungun bit the inside of his lips hard. Seungun had already categorized Min Jihyeon, who worked with President Gu, as ‘that kind of person.’ Min Jihyeon would also define him as ‘that kind of person.’ Knowing that, his mood sank indescribably.
“By the way, what’s the story you wanted me to relay?”
Min Jihyeon asked point-blank.
“Ah, that?”
President Gu drew out the end of his words. Then he delivered the message instead of Seungun, whose mouth was firmly shut. On the table, Seungun’s phone was still turned on. Timewise, Gi Siyoung must have left his phone behind and gone to exercise. That was fortunate.
“So that’s why the phone kept being on.”
“……”
After hearing the explanation, Min Jihyeon nodded.
“Looking at how there’s been no sound until now, he left it behind.”
Seungun pressed the stop button and put his phone back in his pocket.
“Well. As expected, nothing is easy.”
“I’ll contact you if there’s anything. I’m leaving.”
As Seungun prepared to get up from his seat, Min Jihyeon said something out of the blue.
“Seungun-ssi, you know what? If you do well on this job, our company might scout you.”
Before those words could even finish, President Gu snorted.
“What for, with someone whose face is already sold out?”
“To take him around as a cub reporter. You said you haven’t done any work you can’t do. President Gu said before that Seungun-ssi does everything he’s told without being picky.”
“That kid, what.”
President Gu snorted again. Whether he didn’t like the story, he even sniffed dismissively.
“I don’t want that kind of work anyway.”
“That kind of work? Puhaha!”
Suddenly Min Jihyeon laughed as if she’d split open. President Gu barked that his eardrums almost fell off and covered his right ear with his palm.
“What kind of work is ‘that kind of work’?”
“……”
Min Jihyeon’s voice changed slightly.
“Why. Are you offended? How did my words offend Seungun-ssi? We all make a living by stabbing people in the back of the head anyway, so what’s different just because there’s someone giving orders and someone doing the work separately? I need money, so I have no choice but to do as I’m told. I have to at least make a living first, right?”
“……”
“Me too. It’s not like some people are born precious and others are born shitty.”
Min Jihyeon poured the contents of the paper cup into her mouth. Then she crumpled the soggy paper cup and set it down.
“Take some photos too.”
“What photos?”
“Sleeping photos sell especially well.”
“Why?”
President Gu asked.
“Why else?”
“There are a lot of perverted bastards. What would they do looking at photos of someone sleeping?”
“There are people like me who sell those kinds of photos too. Ah, be careful so the identity of who took them doesn’t get exposed.”
“Don’t you have any already taken?”
President Gu cut in.
