As soon as he sent the message, the read receipt appeared. A call came through right after, but Ray Jun pressed the decline button.
[Me] I’m at the dorm. My roommate is sleeping so a call is difficult.
[Gemma] Understood.
[Gemma] Are you referring to your roommate, Xie Wei from the Cage Team?
[Me] Yeah, that Xie Wei.
[Me] Find out his personal details and how he came to be involved with the Baeksa Faction.
[Me] And blow up the Director Feng charity foundation matter now.
[Gemma] I’ve finished preparations since the board meeting, but has a variable emerged?
[Me] Because it’s irritating.
Contempt settled on Ray Jun’s expression as he typed the message.
He guessed that Xie Wei being hit by Ju Xiang was also related to Feng Tao. Since Sovereign had started protecting itself in earnest, the Baeksa Faction must have been desperate, and they probably told him to use Feng Tao who was at least fawning over Xie Wei. With that bamboo-like personality of his, Xie Wei wouldn’t have readily accepted such a request either.
He was already irritated every time that arrogant bastard loitered around Xie Wei, and there was no reason to tolerate him any longer.
[Gemma] Understood.
[Gemma] The draft is already prepared. If you give the word, it’s executable, so just designate the distribution time.
[Ray Jun] As soon as possible.
[Gemma] Yes, I’ll work on it within 2 hours.
[Gemma] But what problem does Mr. Xie Wei have?
He could fully feel the questions not contained in the single-line message. She was probably worried whether that roommate might become a stumbling block in this already sensitive situation.
[Ray Jun] I just want to know more about him.
Though that alone wouldn’t be a sufficient answer, Ray Jun had nothing more to say.
He put down his phone and leaned deeply into the sofa.
* * *
The next day, Kang Siwon opened his eyes in Ray Jun’s embrace. Ray Jun was still sound asleep, holding him close even then.
“He should sleep in his own bed, why is he making a fuss sprawled in someone else’s bed?”
He muttered while looking at the face that remained flawless even while sleeping. Ray Jun looked endlessly cozy without any sign of overdoing it through the night. That appearance was even more annoying, so Kang Siwon clicked his tongue and escaped from his embrace.
After finishing cleaning up from last night in self-loathing, Kang Siwon left the dorm as if fleeing. Today was an evening shift so there was no need to leave this early, but facing Ray Jun was utterly embarrassing. In the end, Kang Siwon took an unplanned walk in a small park near the dorm.
“Hah……”
He’d gotten through breakfast like this, but what should he do at night when he had nowhere to go? Just the thought of facing Ray Jun made him uncomfortable.
It was awkward enough that he’d mixed bodies again after firmly rejecting him saying he had no intention of dating him, but the conversation they had afterward was also a problem.
“……He wouldn’t report to the higher-ups, would he?”
Kang Siwon frowned while chewing over yesterday’s conversation.
Ray Jun, who was ghost-like in his perceptiveness, was suspicious of Ju Xiang, and that suspicion wasn’t baseless speculation. If Ray Jun reported to the higher-ups, not only would more evidence of Ju Xiang being a spy be revealed, but he himself would be exposed too.
Should he have sworn Ray Jun to secrecy instead? It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it yesterday either, but he hadn’t put it into action for fear that such behavior would be more suspicious. There was also the fact that he’d felt briefly sorry because of the harsh words he’d poured out. In the end, his own ambiguous attitude was the problem.
“Instead of having time to manage others, he should do his own job well, stupidly leaving a trail of evidence……”
Kang Siwon cursed Ju Xiang while grinding his teeth. If that bastard had just acted a bit more thoroughly from the start, this mess wouldn’t have happened. Though there was no meaning in assigning blame now, he couldn’t shake the thought that everything was Ju Xiang’s fault.
After wandering the park like that for a while, it was soon close to work time. Considering he had to change into his uniform in the bathroom instead of the locker room, it was time to move. Thinking that his commute would become considerably more bothersome for the time being, Kang Siwon sighed and took a step.
That evening, after working while tense the whole time, Kang Siwon returned to the dorm and holed up in bed as soon as he showered. It was to completely block any chance of running into Ray Jun.
Not long after, he felt the presence of Ray Jun entering the dorm. Instead of greeting him, Kang Siwon hid his body deeper under the blanket. Even while doing so, Ray Jun was getting closer and closer.
“Xie Wei, are you sleeping?”
He slightly opened the bedroom door and looked inside. He was anxious that he might lift the blanket like yesterday, but fortunately that didn’t happen. Ray Jun just stood quietly near the door, then quietly closed it and left. Though he only briefly felt his persistent gaze through the blanket, he broke out in a slight cold sweat.
Thud.
At the sound of the door closing, Kang Siwon let out the breath he’d been holding. He didn’t know why he kept drawing attention when he should just mind his own business.
Kang Siwon squirmed looking for a comfortable position. But perhaps it was his imagination—Ray Jun’s scent seemed to linger on the blanket. It was natural enough since he’d slept here yesterday.
He’d definitely do laundry tomorrow. He’d shake in plenty of fragrant detergent and completely erase Ray Jun’s traces. Making that resolution, Kang Siwon closed his eyes.
But his chest stirred needlessly because of the lingering scent that felt even stronger the more he was conscious of it. Kang Siwon sought sleep as if fleeing from all those thoughts.
* * *
“Mmm……”
He groggily opened his eyes. The sky visible outside the window was still dim. He didn’t know the exact time, but it seemed to be around dawn. Having fallen asleep early last night, he’d woken up earlier than usual.
Thirsty, he got up and headed to the kitchen with his eyes half-closed, shuffling along. But an unexpected scene was unfolding.
Ray Jun was sitting at the dining table leisurely drinking coffee with a newspaper spread out.
“Wh-what?”
He was so surprised that his sleepiness completely vanished. When Kang Siwon opened his eyes wide and asked, Ray Jun answered nonchalantly.
“I’m drinking coffee. Want some?”
“I’m good.”
Kang Siwon passed Ray Jun and went to the refrigerator. Even while taking out and drinking cold water, he looked at Ray Jun with suspicious eyes. In all the time they’d lived together, he’d never once seen him enjoying morning coffee, so what wind had suddenly blown?
“Why are you staring like that?”
Ray Jun asked with a chuckle. Kang Siwon replied while still not lowering his guard.
“What made you wake up at this hour?”
“Is that so strange? You woke up at this hour too.”
“And what’s with that newspaper?”
“This? I’m just reading it to check the news.”
“Who reads paper newspapers in this day and age…… Where did you even get it?”
“I bought it at a convenience store.”
By the way, the coffee was also from the convenience store, Ray Jun said as he lifted his cup ostentatiously.
“I’m thinking of buying it often from now on. There’s more interesting news than I thought. They even have crossword puzzles.”
“What’s so interesting about that……”
“But if you look, you’ll think it’s interesting too. Look.”
Ray Jun said while spreading out the newspaper on the table. Today’s headline was on the front page. Wondering what kind of article it was, Kang Siwon approached.
[Sovereign Charity Foundation, Suspicion of Embezzling Hundreds of Millions in Subsidies… Leaked Through Fake Clinic]
The Sovereign Charity Foundation, a social contribution organization under Sovereign Resort, has been caught showing signs of leaking hundreds of millions of patacas (MOP) worth of subsidies over several years. Additionally, controversy is growing as it has been revealed that an internal director within the foundation converted part of those subsidies for private use.
According to internal tips and related documents obtained by this paper’s reporters, the charity foundation regularly provided funding to a clinic under the name ‘Hwanghojeop Addiction Treatment Center.’ However, the institution was confirmed to be a nominal clinic with no actual medical practice.
Director Feng, an internal director belonging to the Sovereign board of directors, is being pointed to as the key figure in this suspicion. Director Feng has reportedly been placed under internal audit in connection with the inappropriate execution of charity foundation funds.
Sovereign Resort officially announced, ‘We recognize the gravity of the matter and are conducting an internal audit, and will take strict measures according to the investigation results.’
As soon as he read the article, even his remaining drowsiness flew away.
So right now, wasn’t this saying that a suspicion of embezzlement on the scale of hundreds of millions of patacas had erupted at Sovereign? Embezzlement of that degree could commonly occur at a large foundation like Sovereign, but this was the first time it had been revealed so officially. At least since the Sovereign tax evasion scandal he’d searched for once.
“How about it? Interesting, right?”
Ray Jun said while tapping the article. His attitude showed not even a speck of company loyalty. Of course, there was no reason for a mere employee to react sensitively to such a problem, but even considering that, Ray Jun seemed excessively indifferent.
“What on earth…… What is this……”
Kang Siwon muttered blankly. Though he too could pass it off like watching a fire across the river, since he was in a position of committing illegal acts inside Sovereign, he couldn’t just act completely nonchalant. Sensing the conversation would be long, he sat across from Ray Jun.
“This Director Feng—could he be Feng Tao’s father?”
