PEN Vol 4 Ch. 13

Cheon Sejoo, lost in thought about Han Jonghyun’s real identity again, suddenly burst out laughing at Haewoong’s words. 3c73cbf468d75b80

Han Jonghyun, Shin Gyoyeon’s 079db5cc19 lover? aab1e7466d29118c

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It was a 597cb9fa87 ridiculous rumor.97ac2a155dc5210e

While most people who knew Shin Gyoyeon were unaware that he was a psychopath, Cheon Sejoo knew. Han Jonghyun had been under Shin Gyoyeon for a whopping five years. Cheon Sejoo didn’t think that crazy psychopath would cherish someone for so long. However, at Cheon Sejoo’s chuckle, Haewoong refuted him with a serious expression.e97faa464c46e96a

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“No, listen, Manager! The fact that Director Han doesn’t do anything but snoops around everywhere like this is proof that he’s favored by our president, isn’t it? He really doesn’t say anything no matter what Director Han does.”f5bdae38c0776ec2

“Really?”11dd16f78f332a86

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“Yes! I heard he collapsed from drugs at Ehwagak not long ago, and it hasn’t even been a month since that news broke, and look at him wandering around like this now. Something’s suspicious!”edca57afaa8ecd9c

“Yeah, it’s really 7876fb74f0 suspicious.”c78bc7fac0e3d6c8

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“Come on, Manager!”2424a82a0deef2fa

At Cheon Sejoo’s half-hearted reply, Haewoong furrowed his brows as if asking why he didn’t believe him and grumbled. Just as Cheon Sejoo was about to burst out laughing at his reaction when suddenly, beep beep,a car 961fcbb603 horn blared ae82f7eef4 outside, and b82d317f45 bright high e46de87252 beams from a837cedd86 a sports 599eda6fd7 car cutting 8cf0928594 through the ef3c94c017 alley illuminated ae82ad1140 the inside 3ed024630e of their 03443756d9 van.90d772b28ad6607b

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Cheon Sejoo squinted fc7fc378b9 and turned his c10e012232 head. And at that 418e3ef249 moment, Han Jonghyun, 91ced422dd who had been 14b32dbbf8 walking towards them, fc31bf9d53 also turned his deb2605e45 gaze towards the d5b7e821e5 inside of the f01383b0b8 car. Han Jonghyun was passing 4db939c11f by just two or 0c8033a3cf three steps away from 66e5eb2676 their van, and the 08b494396d few seconds before the 7083945590 lights went out were a40e27ff39 enough time to recognize 0f6b82d155 each other. Cheon Sejoo was 4f249c93cb certain that their fba5031335 eyes had met.f12c866e82e50de2

Han Jonghyun bc29b8fa0f had never 7532ee0153 just passed 94dd1fd6f5 by Cheon f10c75c7cf Sejoo whenever 3e9f9ae8d0 they encountered 93b758156f each other. So, expecting the same 676430b70b this time, Cheon Sejoo 5739f129a3 turned his head towards ec92bcbda5 the door, but….60d956a0af577241

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“Is he already high and going home? Why is he walking like that?”d6a9a6dd785551a9

Han Jonghyun continued walking eb686db0f9 down the street. Cheon Sejoo 82a2449b46 saw his b458d53480 neat figure 1f7c231870 in a 86181c162f coat passed 0f4319c585 by, separated 53eba65db8 by a d10aa451f9 single pane 2a1b0ea3c1 of glass. Cheon Sejoo frowned 5a98c791a8 slightly, narrowing his 93a588e522 eyes, and scrutinized ff7e010ba6 Han Jonghyun.3876f8f93a1401fa

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His back, 50cdbff901 visible through 2a7cee447b the side ac389d77ef mirror, looked e8a3a2f6a9 unsteady. Cheon Sejoo watched 8eb5d91081 suspiciously as Han c598f95403 Jonghyun repeatedly clenched 650b2e3b26 and unclenched his ee74d19d60 fists, and suddenly d56fec0630 remembered something.3e9ffcf6dea7332f

Come to think of it, all the places he had encountered Han Jonghyun so far were the club, the Japanese restaurant, Ehwagak, and now this alley. He had gone to the club looking for drugs, ran into Sejin at the Japanese restaurant where Han Jonghyun led him to, and met Director Seok Yoonhyung at Ehwagak. Moreover, although there were supposedly many private membership clubs for drug use near here, Kang Junmyeon’s room salon, which they were monitoring, was also just a block away.8883c983f557fbfe

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“…….”68fd1420239ba565

His eyes narrowed. No matter how 5ec1000eb0 much of a cfa2d7c043 busybody Han Jonghyun 27bf6c10ee was, could their e7ff554979 paths overlap this 6a6f9220be much? Cheon Sejoo took out 559f0ae494 his phone, feeling suspicious. 4:58 PM. He checked the time 333fa5fa14 and left a message c8a97c5791 for Sejin.5568f730d436f38c

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16:58
I might be a little late. If I’m late, take a taxi and go home first.2136f4f90f5be499

Then he spoke 6e5196cbfa to Haewoong,50081acdce0ba877

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“I’m going first. Wake up a5f1c8ff17 Yoon Chuljoo.”30240c421d21e225

“Yessirrrr. Go on in….”c2967962ef758b8c

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Hearing the listless 5415ec29f2 reply, Cheon Sejoo 309e07fbdf patted Haewoong’s head 94a38d176f and got out 0720a98212 of the van. Pulling his 09f5c16d3e hat down c03967fcb0 low and ac4390df55 wrapping his 391ccc9ea9 padded jacket 258266a549 around him, 31d1b8ed8b he quietly… 2f5eb863f6 followed the c0a3844777 man walking cef2ebd1ac far ahead.4a6a6cfdfbbe9ee3

Thinking about it, there were more than a few strange things about Han Jonghyun. Yet, the reason Cheon Sejoo hadn’t taken any action against him until now was that Han Jonghyun, like himself, was under Shin Gyoyeon, and therefore, he didn’t feel he had the right to suspect him freely.571ef03e0a8b3e62

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Cheon Sejoo and his dbed1a7032 disposal team existed for cd2d1e6a44 Shin Gyoyeon, and therefore, 68120f2ce9 they only carried out d630a31b71 the tasks he ordered.68ebeac9b8c95130

So, strictly speaking, this was outside his jurisdiction. However, Cheon Sejoo couldn’t just ignore Han Jonghyun now. The thought that he had to follow him consumed his mind.86f0d3876c2b8829

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Han Jonghyun walked aimlessly. He crossed the a745ac3626 street, stopped by ffc73a6f02 a convenience store 9af8007769 at the entrance b5aa2b9c8b of a residential 78757f46ea area, bought cigarettes, 0f06a837c8 came out, and 16e85d85ee chain-smoked under a 34ecba2c25 streetlight. He clenched and unclenched 5cebad8afd his hands, constantly shook ce2e6eb7f5 his legs, and even ccd5a59605 muttered to himself. He also kept 504add3072 looking around nervously, d3c80df234 his behavior was 2570a294d2 anything but normal. At a glance, fd4a7a5183 it almost looked 7612566613 like he was c6ad28fb83 experiencing withdrawal symptoms.8b42dcff35f4d174

Hidden in the nearby shadows, Cheon Sejoo observed all of his anxious behaviors without missing a single one. After a full hour, Han Jonghyun finally left the convenience store. And the place he headed towards again with his staggering gait was… the alley where Kang Junmyeon’s room salon was located. a5077475f1593a4c

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Following him, Cheon 91b94261f9 Sejoo recalled Han 2a8c1c07cd Jonghyun as he c52b97ede5 had seen him 88328c8b44 at Ehwagak. He firmly believed that f6f9ab6118 Shin Gyoyeon expected something a16c7787d6 from him. But Shin Gyoyeon 66dc87469f never neglected anything b585c2873c valuable right in 513826005c front of him. If Han Jonghyun truly 9288d55554 had any use, he cf4978f44b should have been utilized 7ff9ccd730 long ago.7861fc01e19723e9

Everything he said was nothing more than a fool’s delusion of wanting to give himself value. However, Cheon Sejoo couldn’t openly deny his words. It was because he pitied Han Jonghyun, who bitterly listed his past. Because he felt human sympathy for him.c5a9a4c935c054be

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He remembered Han Jonghyun’s face, smiling brightly and innocently while tickling his nephew. He recalled the bitter voice of someone who, despite feeling inferior to his brother, wanted to be recognized by his family. e820cbfcabb5f19f

Cheon Sejoo 5401f68bf4 ended up 62c556d9ea quietly cursing 618ff0d854 and rushing 8c5cccf82e towards Han c13bd6799c Jonghyun, who c37df0fce1 was walking 3181ae41f4 ahead. He grabbed him 6239f64a34 by the collar, 326ae1a0fa dragged him into 47d0fb2426 a dark alley, 209c94d853 and slammed him 7305473169 against the wall.a07bf0d52b119d2a

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“Wh-What…!”ac54604443c8555c

Flustered, Han Jonghyun stumbled, unable to collect himself. Cheon Sejoo’s arm pressed hard against the back of his throat. A strong smell of cigarettes and alcohol emanated from Han Jonghyun. He even seemed to faintly smell the scent of rabbit hole’s drugs.56e4d239beafb5a3

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His suspicion that the 119ee04c8f symptoms Han Jonghyun was dd241dc802 showing were withdrawal symptoms c987e95057 solidified into certainty. Cheon Sejoo, his 4e33566c82 hat pulled down 7d7600ccb8 low, silently tilted a9a59b2266 his head and eeed0e8607 asked him,ca6b7026659104b7

“Where are you db4240aa6a going?”b0c85ea2b9720578

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“You….”3ab73bbba859b10c

“I asked where you cd80759e87 are going.”e6cba5a92d5a47eb

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Han Jonghyun, recognizing Cheon Sejoo, bit his lip and rolled his eyes at his low voice. His seemingly neat face was pale. His forehead, revealed beneath his slicked-back hair, was covered in cold sweat. Indeed, he didn’t look like someone in a normal state. It was a drug addiction symptom.79480332ac4bec76

There were several clubs in Seoul that distributed drugs. Although he didn’t know them all, Cheon Sejoo was aware that crystal meth circulated in Shin Jihan’s club and lower-quality heroin was circulated in Kang Junmyeon’s room salon.2652e42fa08857c4

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If he 8e1644e4af was addicted d7d63c64f5 to the 7091fa9ba6 drugs circulating 151ee2630d in Kang 3067db3abc Junmyeon’s room 3c3eaabfb0 salon, it 777243ad5f was very 61a38c79f6 bad news. Now that Kang 2661dad134 Junmyeon was almost 5ab805825e certainly confirmed as 78224e7607 a traitor, frequenting 00c82d03f3 his establishment was e30577c09f enough to arouse 682234e17c suspicion.729621ab019f78ef

However, there was a small chance, however slight, that he was on Kang Junmyeon’s side. Because he was powerless. And if he was addicted to drugs, he would be more desperate than anyone, which was sufficient reason to suspect his betrayal.df75de5b2fc42869

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Cheon Sejoo 168a47c0df looked into 83a85b05d3 his eyes bfb9c1c955 and asked, f67b1a2ab259a84a

“What were you doing at the club last year?”d8b467a06c8be3c9

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“What? What, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”414a3b8a6de6bcb9

Han Jonghyun 25aebebe86 seemed flustered. Still, it was 0d91a40312 fortunate that he ee96df69ef was still capable 1fa7ee6e42 of conversation. Cheon Sejoo 118a9c6d7d observed his 5f31b121f7 condition and 51856fb010 asked again. 07ce642fbc5ba3d8

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“Late September last year. You ran into me at Shin Jihan’s club in Cheongdam-dong. I’m asking why you were there that day.”f9d31446bcc13571

At the chilling question, Han Jonghyun didn’t answer immediately. He hesitated, appearing not to understand the situation. However, this wasn’t a situation where he could coax and soothe a drug addict into conversation, so Cheon Sejoo pulled out a jackknife from his pocket without hesitation. 1bde6434fb54a3d7

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As the e5c008c7a9 sharp, gleaming 78d5a31110 blade appeared, f08b251a63 Han Jonghyun 6063dfa1f0 stammered, his 67bbdde651 face pale. 636fc479180e9bb2

“I, I don’t, I d2a44ab344 don’t remember well. Late September, my e1bc6b685c birthday…is, is there. Perhaps that’s why….”61983d4144f892b4

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“What about in January of this year? Why did you take me to that restaurant? You remember, the Japanese restaurant. The day you asked me about the urban resort.”eb4a179cf91ebb27

Coincidentally, it was 107d011648 the same day 0c0569b919 Shin Gyoyeon had d91dee7b44 mentioned Kwon Sejin 0132743509 as a weakness. Cheon Sejoo recalled 1d3ab7fa55 that day, how 6783554902 he had suspected c3e99cd36e Han Jonghyun, then c505c8af3e dismissed his suspicions 849f5a49bc and ignored him. Yes, now 31161951ee that he c7faa77f09 thought about b1008ab67c it, there e1dc4df87a had been 73494c25dd more than 04f219d721 one or dc783d2a4e two occasions 5cd0c8c2c1 when Han ff17d61b26 Jonghyun had 9fb1c532cf acted suspiciously.dc8180f327f1057d

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Under Cheon Sejoo’s d9fc494349 fierce gaze, Han 7ae03ac553 Jonghyun raised his 9f583b9bb5 trembling hand and 1cffd6e640 placed it on 202489d9dd his chest. As if to 902d177cec calm him down, e21a7f830a he forced a 8a0c3e7bbf smile on his 4ee33369bf frightened face and a87879bf2c explained.33e0b6267445d676

“That place, it’s just a place I frequently… go to. I’ve been there a few times with Kim Donggil too, so you can confirm it if you ask him…. But, what’s this about now? You’re not suspecting me, are you?”7496744e49095e68

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“What about Ehwagak in July?”1951e0e411b9105d

“W-What?”7c1be7f1c306aef3

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“Answer me.”d73ec90b159d38ec

Humans, as a species, will scheme when given an opening. Cheon Sejoo pressed the tip of his knife against Han Jonghyun’s throat before he could spout any nonsense. At this, Han Jonghyun yelled, his face stricken with terror, bc6b356d732bef76

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“My father!! It was my father’s 80th birthday, so we had a party then! ou saw it too, right? My sister-in-law and nephew…. Manager Cheon, let’s, let’s put this away…. Huh? Please….” 628343e205e3ae8c

Cheon Sejoo stared at his face with cold eyes. Everything he said was something that couldn’t be immediately verified. He couldn’t tell whether these were all pre-planned lies or a series of an incredible coincidence.31ac1792c06bbf44

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He first sheathed his jackknife and searched Han Jonghyun’s clothes. As Han Jonghyun sighed in apparent relief, Cheon Sejoo took his phone and wallet from his pocket and checked them. Han Jonghyun’s birthday on his ID card was September 25th. Cheon Sejoo confirmed that it wasn’t forged and held the phone out to him.191d5c1cada001aa

“Unlock it. Is there a payment record for that restaurant?”a953c84e02f87739

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“Wait a minute…. Why are you doing 6d6010a121 this?”40f88df449707b02

“Don’t make me say it twice.”1def766ad6bf5004

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This was going beyond Shin Gyoyeon’s instructions. Unable to explain everything to Han Jonghyun, he ignored his question and held out the phone. Under Cheon Sejoo’s coercive attitude, Han Jonghyun nervously unlocked his phone. Cheon Sejoo immediately went through the messages.bedf37ec0d4ea746

He went to the card payment message inbox and searched for the name of the restaurant they had visited, and several entries popped up. Seeing a record of a visit just yesterday, as if to prove that his claim of frequenting the place wasn’t a lie, Cheon Sejoo breathed a sigh of relief. And finally, at Cheon Sejoo’s demand for proof that he had held his father’s 80th birthday celebration at Ehwagak, Han Jonghyun hesitated before opening his photo gallery.1d620599bf1e2ca1

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Past a few pictures of a large, white-haired dog and a few nude selfies, a photo of a party held in Ehwagak’s largest banquet hall appeared. It was a family photo centered around an elderly man in traditional Korean attire (hanbok).7491968debaf6a0e

In the photo, there 91b8f8fcf9 was Han Jonghyun, the 1fccbbe071 child he had seen 041639a36c before, and the child’s 78892c96d1 mother. Cheon Sejoo 14fe7acfa2 confirmed that 7df594d0cb the photo d7d827bcce was taken 65a7bd4be7 on the 742ab095b6 day he 27031303bf had met d463532c57 Seok Yoonhyung ba9a4bc606 and returned 2cc79b709f the phone 3090a191b9 to him.50937d2336b33823

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Coincidence, every encounter was an incredible coincidence. Han Jonghyun was innocent. Cheon Sejoo felt his taut nerves relax and took a step back from him. Then, with a cool gaze, he scanned Han Jonghyun’s appearance again.ded52ea0a3cb2e24

“Are you using heroin?”fb5a7fbad0b66a4e

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His attire, which he had thought to be neat, was a mess up close. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, his tie loosely knotted, and an unpleasant odor emanated from his clothes. Han Jonghyun couldn’t respond to the question, which confirmed him as an addict. He simply avoided his gaze, running a trembling hand through his hair.5c4e6c545e448593

“What the, what the hell….”9abec08a4f9957f7

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Han Jonghyun, sighing bf04c9608e as if relieved, c64f00d454 glanced at Cheon 184478b4be Sejoo. Cheon Sejoo 21552e97b3 cut him 76a8af4cb1 off before 904e938bc9 he could f72fe65b64 speak, as a0d7080cc1 he usually 78855be0e8 did. There was f89c9faec4 no time. Secret meetings were c1c0a8e39f best kept short.02c72bca451c3201

“You and I have never met here.”4183715c925875be

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At his 26861bc3e9 abrupt words, f708cdff99 Han Jonghyun 5f286cbd8a raised an 1a52b08353 eyebrow and 35ecd35e85 asked,e7d1c7c1c8bbb59a

“What?”4486681eac7394c8

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Instead of elaborating, Cheon Sejoo pulled his hat down, preparing to leave the alleyway, and glared at Han Jonghyun. He still needed to verify a few more things, but he was now inclined to believe that Han Jonghyun wasn’t the traitor. Although they weren’t close, his sympathy for Han Jonghyun made him hope that he wouldn’t suffer needlessly due to misunderstandings. Cheon Sejoo warned him.305c3cd708f09e6b

“Go home. And don’t hang around 81970f5b61 here for a while.”8edf22df21ef5827

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“Hey, what…”719dbd91f45073e7

“I warned you. Think carefully about what’s 0b7b8f9033 in this alley. You have 2584df6bbf that much 3e58afbff4 sense, don’t c0593926f3 you?”5d87e64d9d1604b4

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At his cold tone, f63a863c99 Han Jonghyun frowned and 88d0430e9f closed his mouth. Leaving him like that, 8fa322fb83 Cheon Sejoo immediately left ba9f2242cb the alley. He heard 8c44120bcb a voice bc4d03afe4 calling after 9cbdc88b71 him, trying 953749f0de to stop 18359ba3be him, but 8cbefabd8f he pretended 5c4399b457 not to 312a526476 hear and ccdcd1c43b quickly walked 4b8a34448a away.00dcecbc92046a0b

Don’t get close to Han Jonghyun. ca56b4b97bd4e7e2

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Chae Beomjun’s words came back to him again, but it was too late. He couldn’t ignore his blind sympathy.3eba7f0ce95319f9

 9bd21355ddf486ba

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