AR Ch 9 part 2

PR by neji

The hotel’s lobby was made up of sparkling ivory marble. The receptionists at the front desk grew wary as soon as they walked in. Even after seeing their police ID’s, their expressions did not change. When the businesslike manager came out and Chief Hong shouted at her, their attitudes finally seemed to change.

“That name is not on our guest registry.”

“Are you sure?”

The youngest detective stuck closer to the desk as he asked. Then Jiwon spoke up.

“What about Kim Sanghoon?”

“It’s not here.”

“This is ridiculous. Let us take a look at your CCTV recordings.”

“Do you have a warrant?”

As they argued back and forth, a thought popped into Jiwon’s head.

“…By any chance, is there a Park Jiwon?”

The manager with her hair put up into an immaculate bun quickly typed in the name, and a furrow formed on her immaculate brow. She quietly cleared her throat and gave Jiwon a key card.

“It’s the corner suite on the top floor.”

As if Seokju had already expected her to come here, he had used her name to book the room. The moment she confirmed this to be true, rage began to bubble up inside her stomach.

“Please clear the other guests out so that they will not get hurt in case…”

Jiwon snatched the key card from the manager’s hand and headed towards the elevators. Chief Hong followed after her as he gave the youngest detective an order.

“Don’t come up and wait in the lobby. Keep watch to see if Shin Seokju comes out or not, and let me know if you see anything.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Detective Park will go up with me.”

Jiwon remained silent and followed after Chief Hong. No one said a word inside the gleaming golden elevator. Chief Hong was the one who broke the awkward silence.

“Back then… when you were speaking with that punk… why did you say that to him?”

“What do you mean?”

“You yelled at him to ‘tell him yourself’. What did Shin Seokju say?”

“He was laughing at you, Chief. He asked if all police stick their subordinates in dangerous situations and then leave them to die a dog’s death.”

Chief Hong smiled bitterly.

“Cocky bastard.”

Jiwon gulped when she saw the bulge of a gun on Chief Hong’s belt.

“It seems that he doesn’t know how meticulous I can be when it comes to cleaning up after myself. I’ll chase the man who gave my subordinates a dog’s death to the fiery pits of hell.”

Just what was Seokju thinking? Although they couldn’t be sure unless he told them with his own mouth, the problem was that it didn’t look like he’d obediently open his mouth even if they asked. Either way, they were sure that he was currently with Chief Hong’s subordinate. But if Seokju stabbed Chief Hong in the back again, then…?

Chief Hong was already feeling incredibly hostile towards Seokju. He might really lose his reason today. Shin Seokju always had a knack for pushing people’s buttons. Jiwon hadn’t finished her thoughts when the elevator came to a stop.

Jiwon walked quietly next to Chief Hong. The thick carpet of the corridor silenced their footsteps. At the very end of the corridor, there was a large window that showed the vast nightscape outside. They checked the room number that the receptionist had told them downstairs and nodded in agreement when the door suddenly opened. Chief Hong pulled out his gun, and Jiwon’s eyes widened.

“Come inside. Hurry.”

The person who opened the door wasn’t Seokju.

“Detective Kim.”

The gangster who had been next to Choi ChulYoung and the informant that Chief Hong had planted. Unlike the photo of his entire body wrapped up in tape, he seemed completely fine now. Chief Hong and Jiwon froze for a second before following the man’s guidance and entering inside.

“What happened? Where is Shin Seokju?”

Detective Kim flashed them a hopeless look.

“He’s taking a shower. He said he needed to get ready to entertain his guests.”

“What?”

“His personality is a bit…”

When Chief Hong looked at him in disbelief, Detective Kim muttered in a bitter voice.

“Is it so wrong to meet people with a tidy appearance?”

Behind the wall, Seokju appeared wearing a bathrobe and slippers. His hair was still wet, and beads of water were dripping onto his robe. Despite his words, Seokju didn’t seem put together at all. Chief Hong drew in a deep breath.

“Let’s get to the main point. I’d like to hear your explanation of what happened.”

“I’m not sure what you want me to explain.”

“Choi ChulYoung’s car accident… Was it your doing?”

When Chief Hong asked the straightforward question, Seokju’s expression didn’t change at all. He merely blinked.

“Of course not.”

“It was probably Chairman Wang’s doing, sir. Choi ChulYoung knew this and went on the run when it happened.”

Detective Kim hurriedly opened his mouth to answer the question.

“Let’s leave for now. I’ll give you the complete story when we get back. If we stay here too long and Chairman Wang finds out we’re here, it’ll get dangerous.”

Seokju pulled out a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard as he nodded.

“It looks like the subordinate is a lot smarter than his boss. Will you all do me the pleasure of getting lost now?”

Jiwon could see all the various thoughts flashing through Chief Hong’s face as he chewed his lips. Now that they received confirmation of Detective Kim’s wellbeing, nothing good would come from staying here any longer. For now, their utmost priority was getting back to somewhere safe so that they could figure out what to do next.

“Let’s go, Detective Park.”

“I can’t go. No, I won’t go.”

When he heard Jiwon’s answer, Chief Hong froze and scowled at her. Jiwon ignored his gaze and continued to stare at Seokju.

“This room was booked under my name. When will I ever sleep at a place like this?”

“Detective Park…!”

“Choi ChulYoung is dead, and Detective Kim over here looks like he’s been enjoying the room service. He looks like he gained some weight compared to the photo.”

Jiwon drew in a ragged breath as she spit those words out.

“Although the process was a bit shitty, wasn’t this the result you were aiming for, Chief? So what if the police were taken for a ride? A good result is a good result.”

“It looks like you’re very angry.”

Seokju tilted the glass of whiskey as he murmured. Jiwon suppressed the bubbling rage that threatened to spill over.

“I’m working outside of the office today. I’ll be interrogating the witness here.”

Having assessed her condition, Seokju smiled.

“Then go out and fill the bucket with ice. So that you can cool your head.”

Jiwon truly wanted to douse him in ice water right now.

* * *

When everyone left, there was a stillness in the air. Jiwon sat on the sofa across from him. Seokju swept up the hair that had fallen over his forehead. It was still damp.

“How much is it to stay a night in a room like this?”

When Jiwon broke the silence, Seokju poured some more liquor into his empty glass as he replied.

“It depends on the situation.”

“So how much was it this time?”

“I’m not sure. The price of my life?”

The sound of the ice cracking inside his glass echoed in the room.

“It’ll be a relief if the Chairman has lost interest in Detective Kim. If he hasn’t, things will get a bit complicated.”

“……”

“They think I dragged him into the basement and killed him. In a very cruel manner.”

As Jiwon watched him sip his liquor in a nonchalant manner, she drew in a deep breath.

“You really didn’t take care of Choi ChulYoung?”

“Is that your way of being considerate? Using a euphemism to say ‘kill’?”

“It doesn’t matter if you killed him by ripping his limbs from his body, so just be honest.”

She was serious. Jiwon did her best to erase the photo of her father’s last moments and gulped.

“There were many opportunities for me to kill him that way.”

Seokju began to speak in a low voice.

“But I didn’t want to.”

“…Of course not. You’re different from your father.”

Jiwon hid the intense surge of relief. Seokju stared at her and let out a small chuckle.

“You think that’s the reason? Because I am different from my father?”

“It’s not?”

“Yeah. You got it all wrong, Jiwon.”

Jiwon took the glass of liquor that he put down and drank it in one gulp. Seokju filled it up again and licked the part of the cup where her lips had touched.

“Choi ChulYoung had an intense inferiority complex about the things he could not learn or obtain. His cruelty was psychotic. In other words, when it came to using people to get what he wanted, he was a master.”

Seokju looked straight at her. His eyes seemed dazed.

“If he’s backed into a corner, that guy is the type of person who will end his own suffering by biting his tongue. But that’s not revenge. It’s a mockery.”

Jiwon realized just how frustrated Seokju had been. Seeing someone twist themselves to such a degree to get what they wanted couldn’t help but earn her respect.

“So I imagined all the different scenarios that would drive him crazy and make him miserable. And everything pointed to one answer. Getting backstabbed by someone he believed was beneath him. Thinking that he had everything only for it all to be taken away in one fell swoop. Getting his neck slit in one clean motion.”

“…How did you come to know that?”

“It was easy because I found similar qualities in myself.”

“How can you compare yourself to him?”

Jiwon retorted in a heated voice as he gazed at her.

“You’re completely different from that kind of man. So how can you compare him to you?”

“You’re allowed to have your own opinions of me. But the world isn’t a fairytale, Jiwon.”

Seokju’s voice held no emotion and was very clear. No matter how many times she heard his unpleasant words, she couldn’t get used to it. Jiwon closed her eyes. She had come to realize something about Seokju after observing him. He was like a man who created fog wherever he went. Therefore, she could never know what he was hiding inside. All she could see was a shadow in the mist that would make her run away. If she was fooled in this manner again, she would be at a point of no return. 

“At the very least, Choi ChulYoung would never get revenge on someone else’s behalf.”

“……”

“And he wouldn’t put his life on the line to go see a mere woman.”

Seokju chuckled. Jiwon knew how marvelous his true laughter sounded. Therefore, she knew that he was laughing to hide what was inside. It was a lie. So she continued to provoke him.

“If you were going to betray me, you should have betrayed me until the end. What is all this half-assed nonsense? Why didn’t you kill Kim Sanghoon and let him go instead? And why did you turn on your cellphone?”

“I’m not sure. I’m almost certain Chairman Wang is watching my every move.”

Seokju spoke as if he were talking about someone else’s matters. Jiwon wanted to grab him by the nape of his neck. She really wanted to give him a good, solid punch.

“Just what are you thinking?”

Seokju stood up and walked over to the cupboard. He opened a safe and then threw something down in front of her.

“That should be enough for you to leave the country and live a comfortable life. Take your mother and leave as soon as possible.”

This was it. Jiwon finally realized why he had called her here. She looked up and glared at him.

“Are you coming with us?”

“No.”

His answer was simple and concise.

“Why not?”

“There are still things I need to do.”

“What are they?”

Instead of answering her, Seokju pulled out another file and handed it to her. Jiwon bit her lips as she flipped through the pages. It was very similar to the reports she had seen recently. It was a file that had to do with her father’s death.

“It’s an illegal organ trafficking cartel that Detective Park HeungSoo was investigating before his death. The one who killed him was Choi ChulYoung, but the one that Detective Park wanted to catch was Chairman Wang. Of course, his list of clients is quite long, so it would have been unmanageable for a single detective. But Detective Park HeungSoo wanted to catch him no matter what.”

Seokju paused.

“The most expensive merchandise Chairman Wang sold was children’s organs. That was the reason why my father kidnapped you.”

“……”

“You weren’t kidnapped because it looked like you came from money. They wanted your heart. They pulled out your hair to test your DNA to see if you had the autism gene. Because the clients who had money wanted to make sure of the mental health of the donor.”

Jiwon’s eyes trembled. The history she had buried in her head began to unfold into memories. They continued to pierce her, but she bit her lips. She was no longer a helpless little girl.

“Your father is actually my savior as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you ran away, their merchandise disappeared. In order to keep his promise, my father would have slit my stomach. If Detective Park hadn’t barged in, that’s what would have happened.”

A shiver ran down Jiwon’s spine as she listened to Seokju tell his story. However, Seokju didn’t even flinch. Jiwon kept her eyes wide open as she looked at him.

“…You’re that man’s biological son.”

“According to your reasoning, this world does not contain parents who kill their children. However, that’s not the case. You should know this better than anyone.”

Having seen the worst kinds of criminals in her line of work, Jiwon could not refute him. Seokju steadily continued his story. The truths she hadn’t known flowed out of his lips.

“After he was released from prison, my father began to look for work again. That’s when he became a contract killer. And the person who gave him money was one of Chairman Wang’s underlings. And if I managed to find this out, there’s no way Detective Park hadn’t known it either. He would have grown faint from the memories of that incident whenever he saw you. That’s why he worked day and night to catch them. Because he felt guilty for almost losing his daughter.”

Jiwon clenched her fists, and the documents in her grasp trembled.

“Why didn’t you submit this to the police?”

“It wouldn’t have mattered. The bad people are more powerful than the police anyway.”

Seokju looked at her. His black eyes were filled with emotion for the first time.

“The only way to kill these evil bastards is to become someone more wicked than them.”

“So that’s why you’re killing yourself to kill Chairman Wang?”

“Of course not.”

Seokju gave her a crooked smile.

“I’m going to expose every single person who is connected to Chairman Wang. One by one.”

“And while you’re doing that, I’m supposed to leave the country in hiding and silently watch you from afar?”

“No. The best thing for you to do is forget about me and live your life. Meet other men. Meet two or three men at the same time if you’d like.”

Lies. He was lying.

Jiwon burst out of her seat.

“What are you going to do once you accomplish everything you wanted?”

“I’ll take care of my own life, so you take care of yours.”

His cold words were laced with ice.

“Son of a bitch…”

Something hot surged up inside her and came out in the form of tears. She didn’t want to cry pathetically in front of him, but she couldn’t help it.

“How can I not worry about you?”

“I refuse to accept your interference.”

“I should be saying that to you. Don’t interfere. Once a person dies, that’s the end. So why are you getting revenge for my dad?”

When Seokju remained silent, Jiwon’s voice rose to a shrill tone.

“Why are you worried about me and my mom’s safety?”

He continued to remain silent.

“What else do you have in your life other than me and my family?”

“……”

“So how can I not worry about you, you idiot?”

Jiwon drew in a heated breath as she stared at him. She hated Seokju. She felt like she hated him to death. Seokju quietly gazed at her before standing up and meeting her face to face. As he opened his mouth, his face twisted into a scowl.

“You… All of your emotions are on your face.”

“Very funny. You don’t know what I’m thinking right now.”

She wiped her tears with her palm. Seokju grabbed her wrist.

“No. I see it all. You’re worried about me, and you pity me to death. It’s all written on your face.”

“…So what?”

“I can’t forgive the other bastards who use that. It’s not difficult to make them strangle themselves to death in an act of suicide. All you have to do is mess with the things they cherish. People usually treasure their family or their wealth. For some, it’s their honor or their pride. Shattering them comes easily to me. As long as I can keep you in the dark about those things.”

Seokju murmured in a low voice. Jiwon realized that he was telling the truth.

“So you used me to destroy those who used me?”

“Don’t talk like that.”

Seokju glared at her as he took a deep breath. If everything had gone according to plan at Mukpo Harbor, Seokju would have been captured. Chief Hong did not plan on following through with her request from the start. However, if Seokju had been honest with her and told her everything after it all went down, the past few days would not have been so hellish for her.

She didn’t care that the police force looked down on her and treated her like an idiot. However, the fear that she might have been betrayed by Seokju drove her crazy. Seokju gazed at her and spoke up in a strained voice.

“Do you even know how much trouble you’re bringing into my life?”

How could he be saying that to her right now?

Seokju’s eyes twisted as he gazed at her.

“Do you know how crazy you make me?”

“Alright, I’m sorry.”

Jiwon gazed at him silently before she finally replied in a dejected voice. Seokju raised a brow. He hadn’t expected this response from her. Jiwon drew in a deep breath and straightened up before she spoke to him.

“You were moving forward with your carefully laid plans, but I suddenly appeared. I can imagine how frustrated that made you feel.”

“Don’t be sarcastic.”

“I’m not. I’m serious.”

Jiwon easily shook off Seokju’s grasp on her wrist. Then she picked up the documents on the table.

“I can’t live outside of Korea, so I’m going to reject your offer of living abroad. And I’ll be taking this.”

“Either way, the police won’t be able to do anything about it, so don’t do anything unnecessary. If you start acting smart, it’ll just put you in danger.”

Jiwon realized after this conversation that Seokju would not be able to change. So now it was her turn to change. Jiwon hardened her heart and glared at him. So what if he was in the top 1% in Korea? He had fooled too many people during his life, so he didn’t know and could not acknowledge what he truly wanted.

“Don’t interfere and just do your work properly. We’ll just go our separate paths from here.”

“…What?”

His cold voice grew husky. Jiwon took a deep breath before looking directly at him. She mustered up all her strength and spoke in a clear voice.

“I’m telling you to stop worrying about whether I live outside the country or on a deserted island. Get out of my life, you fucking bastard. You disgust me.”