Kang Siwon moved along the walking path. It was a garden as beautiful as it was massive in scale, but he had no leisure to admire it. He had to somehow create an opportunity to contact the person who sent the text, but Gemma wouldn’t leave his side, making it difficult to seize a chance.
Kang Siwon, who had been pondering so deeply that the garden’s fresh greenery didn’t even register in his eyes, came up with one solution. He didn’t know if it would work or not, but at least it was better than not even trying.
“Gemma, I’m thirsty—would it be alright if I had a drink? There’s a fruit juice truck over there.”
“Of course. Let’s go. I was just feeling thirsty too, so I should have a cup.”
The two headed to the fruit juice truck. Gemma ordered mango juice, while Kang Siwon received watermelon juice. Up to here wasn’t difficult, and it was according to plan. But from now on was important.
“……Ah!”
While walking, Kang Siwon deliberately twisted his foot and spilled his juice. The red liquid poured from around his navel down to the center of his pants. A damp sensation seeped through the thin summer clothes.
“Are you okay? You didn’t hurt your ankle, did you?”
Gemma quickly pulled out tissues from her bag and handed them over. However, that alone couldn’t handle the stain that had set into the clothes. It looked even worse because it happened to be a white t-shirt and jeans.
This is why I like black clothes, Ray Jun. Kang Siwon muttered inwardly and opened his mouth.
“I’m not hurt. I’m sorry for startling you.”
“It’s fine. But you must feel uncomfortable.”
“A bit uncomfortable, yes. I’ll just go to the restroom for a moment.”
“Please do.”
Perhaps judging it a reasonable situation, Gemma nodded without any suspicion. At this, Kang Siwon looked down at his wet pants with a troubled expression.
“Um…… I’m sorry, but may I ask you a favor?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Could you possibly buy me a pair of pants…… The t-shirt is one thing, but the pants look really strange. I think it would be troublesome to walk around like this……”
Gemma let out a sigh looking at the pants wet precisely in the center. Kang Siwon added, making an expression as if he didn’t know what to do from embarrassment.
“It’s a bother, but I’ll ask just this once.”
“Hmm, how about we just return to the hotel instead?”
“To go to the hotel we’d have to take a car, and sitting on the seat with these wet pants is also a bit… I saw as we were coming that the souvenir shop sells training pants, so I think it would be better to change into something like that.”
Thanks to the acting skills honed while doing spy work, he could tell a lie like this without batting an eye. His expression was probably convincing too.
“Alright. Then shall we go to the souvenir shop?”
“Um…… I’m really sorry, but could I possibly go to the restroom first? I have sensitive skin……”
This time it wasn’t acting but genuine apology as he trailed off. Saying he needed to go to the restroom so she should buy pants alone—it was nothing but throwing his weight around. Fortunately, Gemma didn’t seem offended.
“It can’t be helped. Then I’ll go buy pants, so go to the restroom, Siwon. I’ll wait at the entrance.”
“Thank you so much.”
Gemma moved toward the souvenir shop. Kang Siwon watched her retreating figure, and as soon as he judged Gemma had gone far enough, immediately pulled out his phone.
* * *
[noname] Enter the stall on the far right. When I knock three times, come out.
Kang Siwon looked down at the phone screen anxiously. It was a reply that arrived immediately, not even a few seconds after he sent a text saying he would enter a public restroom. Seeing that they didn’t even ask despite him not sharing the restroom’s detailed location, they were definitely tailing him.
“Ha……”
Would he be able to finish the conversation before Gemma came back with pants? The tight time constraint weighed on his mind more than anything.
However, there was no need to wait long. Not even five minutes after entering the stall on the far right and locking the door, several heavy footsteps echoed. At the intuition that these were the people who sent the message, Kang Siwon’s legs went weak.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking sounded exactly three times. Kang Siwon’s eyes widened as he slowly opened the bathroom door.
The tourists who had been scattered throughout the restroom had disappeared somewhere, and large-bodied men filled the bathroom. Their attire was ordinary, but Kang Siwon, who had inadvertently seen many gangsters while being entangled with the Baeksa Faction, instantly recognized they were involved in the underworld.
If it came to it, he might have to fight one against many. The moment he was raising his tension, one of them suddenly approached.
“……!”
He reflexively took a step back. Extending both hands toward such a Kang Siwon, the man said with an expressionless face,
“We’ll conduct a brief inspection.”
“What inspection?”
Without answering, the man touched Kang Siwon’s forearm. Just like when security personnel conduct body searches at airport security checkpoints, he swept over Kang Siwon’s chest, waist, pants pockets, and so on. He seemed to be looking for a recorder or transmitter. Meanwhile, Kang Siwon had to forcibly suppress the physiological revulsion of being touched by a stranger.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
The man who finished the body search now held out a phone. Looking down at the screen, a call with someone was already connected. Kang Siwon hesitantly took the phone.
“You sent a message saying you’d help me, but specifically how will you help?”
Since there was no time, he got straight to the point. The other party also answered without hesitation.
—I don’t know whether you’re by his side playing at love with Ray Jun, or stuck to him because of money. However, if it’s the former, I’ll compensate you enough that you won’t miss breaking up with Ray Jun. And if it’s the latter, I’ll add much more than what Ray Jun gives you.
It was a voice laden with intimidation. Just by listening, Kang Siwon felt as if the other party was looking down on him.
But strangely, that voice was somehow familiar. Kang Siwon asked, caught in an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
“Who are you to say such things?”
—You don’t need to know that.
If he had any intention of revealing his identity, he wouldn’t have sent someone else but come directly in the first place. So not revealing his identity itself wasn’t surprising. What was truly surprising was that he had remembered that voice.
The man who barged in when he was having a meal with Ray Jun at Yeonhwagak, sneering with an arrogant attitude.
It was Li Hou, Ray Jun’s half-brother and COO of Sovereign Resort.
“You’re saying you’ll give me money.”
Kang Siwon decided to first hide his agitation and continue the discussion.
—That’s right.
“Do you know how much Ray Jun gave me?”
—How much?
“About 28 million pataca.”
—Your body price was more expensive than you look. You were quite a high-class male prostitute.
“……”
—Well, fine. If you properly do what you’re told, I’ll invest that much.
Kang Siwon was a bit surprised at that even cheerful attitude. He knew Li Hou had a lot of money, but even so, to willingly give 28 million pataca to him whom he barely knew? This was a proposal difficult to accept unless it was a request to murder Ray Jun.
“In return, what work will you have me do?”
—I heard you were once Ray Jun’s roommate.
“That’s correct.”
—Do you happen to remember when Ray Jun was investigated by the police?
“Are you talking about the Zhang Weiren incident?”
—Right, that. You remember it properly.
Although it passed without any problems, how could he forget that incident? The chill he felt when he encountered the sudden death of a customer he was acquainted with was still vivid.
—Didn’t Ray Jun seem suspicious at that time?
“Not particularly……”
He did feel it was strange that Ray Jun seemed to regard death as nothing. Thinking about it now, it seemed like his temperament of not empathizing well with others’ emotions had shown through. However, it wasn’t enough to conclude he was suspicious.
—Think carefully. There must have been something. Like he was extremely anxious, or hid something in the room. Or maybe he suddenly became sensitive around that day.
“There really was no such thing.”
—No. Ray Jun was strange that day.
Li Hou asserted decisively. Only then did Kang Siwon get a sense of what he was trying to make him do.
“Don’t tell me……”
—I’m convinced that Ray Jun murdered Director Zhang.
For a moment, his heart sank.
In any scenario Kang Siwon had imagined before making contact with the phone’s owner, there was no such development. He had expected at most things like leaking information or wiretapping, but this was a serious matter incomparable to such things.
—The case was concluded half-heartedly at the time, so I plan to request the police to reinvestigate. For this, I need witness testimony.
“So…… you’re trying to have me commit perjury.”
—Perjury? No. I’m telling you to give proper testimony.
“……”
—If it’s difficult, I’ll help you. I’ll tell you what to say and make you practice perfectly.
