“So, what are you going to do now? With that information.”
“Nothing.”
“Then what was the point of digging it up?”
Ray Jun only smiled deeply, giving no answer at all. His face showed not the slightest hint of fear. Well, if he had such little nerve, he wouldn’t have accessed the settlement server in the first place.
Anyway, he was good-natured at his core but had a screw loose in strange places. Hoping that Ray Jun wouldn’t get into trouble, Kang Siwon spoke earnestly.
“Ray Jun, if you’re not dying to get yourself into danger, be careful. Don’t you know this is a matter that could go all the way to a lawsuit if the company catches you?”
“Don’t worry too much, Xie Wei. I just naturally came across this while investigating, and it’s not like I was searching for it with my eyes on fire. And… you know too. With these crappy photos that aren’t even screenshots of the original ledger, you can’t do anything. Even if I report it to the media, Sovereign will block it, right?”
“…That’s true.”
“Of course, the story would be different if there were more concrete information. Like the documents that junket broker has.”
“The broker… that broker you found in Hong Kong? That person has documents?”
He knew to some extent about that broker himself, but Kang Siwon reacted as if he didn’t know much. Then Ray Jun added an explanation.
“Right. Since he also does currency exchange on behalf of customers, he must have everything from the VIP list to the exchange ledger. That’s why I kept trying to make contact, but no matter how much I poked, he absolutely wouldn’t spill anything.”
“Well, that guy has no choice but to be careful.”
Kang Siwon recalled the conversation he’d overheard in Hong Kong. That day, the broker had looked quite desperate.
‘I’ll cut to the chase. Join our side. You’ve got a list compiled, don’t you.’
‘What? Ha, that list is like my lifeline. If I hand it over to you bastards, what happens to me after that? Just die?’
‘I’m not saying hand over the whole thing. Just give us what we need and the Baeksa Faction will guarantee your safety.’
Come to think of it, Ju Xiang had also seemed to be trying to win over the broker, but had he succeeded? That broker didn’t look like he was in a good situation either, so he might have had no choice but to join hands with the Baeksa Faction. But looking at how on edge Ju Xiang had been lately, there was a strong possibility that things hadn’t gone well.
“Are you… planning to keep looking for that broker?”
Kang Siwon asked probingly. Ray Jun answered readily without being particularly guarded.
“Well. I don’t want to admit it, but even if I find him, making a deal is beyond my capabilities. Unless I had connections to Singapore.”
“Why Singapore all of a sudden?”
“I heard something… That broker has been preparing to move to Singapore for a few years. It’s not just immigration, it seems like he’s dreaming of completely laundering his identity.”
“Is that possible?”
“I heard he’s already set up a paper company. If you can launder money, why couldn’t you change your identity? He’s preparing for permanent residency while faking income proof, and he’s already got a fake address and occupation set up. Hell, I heard he even doctored his son’s international school admission documents.”
“Wow…”
“He must be planning to live a new life with that fabricated identity.”
Kang Siwon clicked his tongue. He thought there really were all kinds of methods in the world. He’d thought it was only something that happened in movies or dramas, but to think there were actually people who overturned their lives in such ways—he didn’t know whether to call it absurd or admirable.
On one hand, he was envious. Living somewhere else with a new identity, leaving behind one’s mistakes or responsibilities. What would it feel like to start life over like that?
If only he could, someday he too…
That thought crossed his mind. Of course, Kang Siwon knew well enough that it was a ridiculous delusion.
* * *
Because he’d heard such complicated stories, he ended up falling asleep only at dawn, and his eyes were painfully tired. At least he was managing because it was an evening shift, but if it had been a day shift, he would have dozed off in the middle of work long ago.
As Kang Siwon suppressed a yawn while guarding the exchange counter, a welcome call came.
“Xie Wei, it’s your turn. Go eat.”
A colleague who had just finished eating and returned gestured that he’d take over. Kang Siwon nodded and answered.
“Yes. I’ll go eat dinner.”
After briefly handing over duties, he headed to the staff-only passage. To get to the staff cafeteria in the basement, he passed through a narrow, winding corridor and arrived at the elevator.
The moment he pressed the button and got on the elevator, someone followed him in. At the same time, something like a hand slowly brushed past his waist and near his buttocks in succession.
“…!”
Reflexively turning around, he threw a punch. Thud, his fist properly landed in the opponent’s stomach. Only then could he confirm the opponent’s face.
“…Sir?”
A dizzying sense of disaster washed over him. The person Kang Siwon had landed a blow on was none other than Feng Tao, the son of an internal director. He’d thought it strange that he hadn’t seen him for a while, but who could have imagined he’d run into him in a place like this.
The man sprawled on the elevator floor groaned and struggled to get up. Though it would be proper to help him up, Kang Siwon was so disgusted by the thought of touching his body that he just pretended to be troubled. In the end, Feng Tao grabbed the elevator handrail and got up on his own.
“I apologize. I didn’t know you were a customer, sir.”
“Then who did you think I was?”
He couldn’t bring himself to answer, ‘I thought you were a pervert.’ It wasn’t wrong, though.
“It was my mistake. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll escort you to the company’s first aid room.”
“Ha, forget it. Do you take me for some weakling?”
Seeing how he’d collapsed from a single punch, he did seem to be a weakling, but Kang Siwon didn’t bother to say so. More than that, he wondered why Feng Tao was here. This was a passage that required a special card key for access.
Was obtaining a staff-only card key an easy matter for the son of an internal director? He thought it was truly petty for someone with such great power to covet even such trivial things.
“Do you know why I came here?”
He’d been curious about that anyway. Kang Siwon replied in a small voice, “I don’t know.”
“I’m throwing a party this Sunday. I was going to specially invite you too, and this is what you do?”
“Sir, I…”
“If you’re thinking of making excuses about being busy, stop. You’re off that day, aren’t you?”
“…”
Was it a coworker, a senior, or the manager who leaked his schedule? Whoever it was, if he caught them, he wouldn’t let them off easy, Kang Siwon ground his teeth inwardly.
“Of course we’ll play games too. Xiao Wei, you’re good at poker, right? Let’s show those idiots a thing or two.”
“I apologize, sir, but my job is cage staff.”
“Are cage staff not allowed to play poker on their days off? Are you going to spout that fucking bullshit about regulations again?”
“It’s difficult for me to visit your home privately…”
“Xiao Wei.”
Feng Tao cut him off and took a step closer. In the sealed elevator, as they got close enough for their collars to brush, he felt disgusted. Kang Siwon openly hardened his expression.
“Why don’t you stop being difficult while I’m being nice about it.”
“…”
“If it’s hard to visit privately, I can make it so you visit officially. Do you think what you just did—that assault—wasn’t caught on CCTV?”
Kang Siwon gritted his teeth. Feng Tao following behind him with impure intentions would have been caught too, but no one would consider that important.
“It’s not a loss for you either. When would a regular employee like you ever get to go to such an occasion? I’m specially giving you an opportunity, so you should know to be grateful.”
Grateful my ass, he hated it enough to be sick of it.
He racked his brain for a way to escape, but there seemed to be no way out. Even if he asked for help, Sovereign wouldn’t protect just one employee, and the Baeksa Faction would likely push him to attend that party. They might even welcome it. With the pretext that he might be able to pick up some good information, or at least scraps of it.
“…Understood.”
In the end, Kang Siwon had no choice but to accept. Even so, when Feng Tao didn’t back off, he added a comment.
“This Sunday, I’ll keep the time free.”
“Good. Preferably, you should keep the whole night free too. Since you’ll be playing with me all night long.”
“…”
Lately he’d often thought he couldn’t be more miserable than this, but it seemed there was still more ground left to fall to.
This Sunday, Kang Siwon shuddered at the ominous premonition that the record would be broken.
* * *
On a Sunday afternoon when others were enjoying sweet relaxation.
Kang Siwon let out sighs full of worry one after another as he prepared for an unwanted outing.
A few days ago, on the day he’d run into Feng Tao in the elevator, the man had used threats to extract his number and then personally sent Kang Siwon a mobile invitation. The condescending remark that without it, entry would be impossible was a bonus.
Checking the address on the invitation, it was some penthouse. Given the circumstances, there was a high possibility it was Feng Tao’s residence.
“What the hell is this pervert bastard trying to do by calling me to his house…”
Kang Siwon ground his teeth while selecting clothes.
After what Ray Jun had taught him in bed, he’d come to clearly understand that men could have sex with each other too. Whatever Ray Jun’s intention had been, that experience had provided him with material to imagine negative scenarios more concretely.
If Feng Tao tried to pull anything, then his own safety be damned, it wouldn’t end with just one punch—he firmly resolved this.
What was even more ridiculous in all this was that as soon as he reported the news of Feng Tao’s invitation, both Manager Park and Ju Xiang were pleased. Especially Ju Xiang, who for the first time encouraged Kang Siwon and even patted him on the back, saying, ‘Take this opportunity to build connections with Feng Tao.’ To put it bluntly, while he was taking risks that could even get him stalked, someone else was viewing it as an opportunity—it was impossible not to be pissed off.
