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. 

Han Jonghyun, Shin Gyoyeon’s lover? 

It was a ridiculous rumor.

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.

“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.”

“Really?”

“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!”

“Yeah, it’s really suspicious.”

“Come on, Manager!”

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 horn blared outside, and bright high beams from a sports car cutting through the alley illuminated the inside of their van.

Cheon Sejoo squinted and turned his head. And at that moment, Han Jonghyun, who had been walking towards them, also turned his gaze towards the inside of the car. Han Jonghyun was passing by just two or three steps away from their van, and the few seconds before the lights went out were enough time to recognize each other. Cheon Sejoo was certain that their eyes had met.

Han Jonghyun had never just passed by Cheon Sejoo whenever they encountered each other. So, expecting the same this time, Cheon Sejoo turned his head towards the door, but….

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

Han Jonghyun continued walking down the street. Cheon Sejoo saw his neat figure in a coat passed by, separated by a single pane of glass. Cheon Sejoo frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes, and scrutinized Han Jonghyun.

His back, visible through the side mirror, looked unsteady. Cheon Sejoo watched suspiciously as Han Jonghyun repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, and suddenly remembered something.

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.

“…….”

His eyes narrowed. No matter how much of a busybody Han Jonghyun was, could their paths overlap this much? Cheon Sejoo took out his phone, feeling suspicious. 4:58 PM. He checked the time and left a message for Sejin.

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

Then he spoke to Haewoong,

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

“Yessirrrr. Go on in….”

Hearing the listless reply, Cheon Sejoo patted Haewoong’s head and got out of the van. Pulling his hat down low and wrapping his padded jacket around him, he quietly… followed the man walking far ahead.

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.

Cheon Sejoo and his disposal team existed for Shin Gyoyeon, and therefore, they only carried out the tasks he ordered.

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.

Han Jonghyun walked aimlessly. He crossed the street, stopped by a convenience store at the entrance of a residential area, bought cigarettes, came out, and chain-smoked under a streetlight. He clenched and unclenched his hands, constantly shook his legs, and even muttered to himself. He also kept looking around nervously, his behavior was anything but normal. At a glance, it almost looked like he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

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. 

Following him, Cheon Sejoo recalled Han Jonghyun as he had seen him at Ehwagak. He firmly believed that Shin Gyoyeon expected something from him. But Shin Gyoyeon never neglected anything valuable right in front of him. If Han Jonghyun truly had any use, he should have been utilized long ago.

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.

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. 

Cheon Sejoo ended up quietly cursing and rushing towards Han Jonghyun, who was walking ahead. He grabbed him by the collar, dragged him into a dark alley, and slammed him against the wall.

“Wh-What…!”

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.

His suspicion that the symptoms Han Jonghyun was showing were withdrawal symptoms solidified into certainty. Cheon Sejoo, his hat pulled down low, silently tilted his head and asked him,

“Where are you going?”

“You….”

“I asked where you are going.”

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.

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.

If he was addicted to the drugs circulating in Kang Junmyeon’s room salon, it was very bad news. Now that Kang Junmyeon was almost certainly confirmed as a traitor, frequenting his establishment was enough to arouse suspicion.

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.

Cheon Sejoo looked into his eyes and asked, 

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

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

Han Jonghyun seemed flustered. Still, it was fortunate that he was still capable of conversation. Cheon Sejoo observed his condition and asked again. 

“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.”

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. 

As the sharp, gleaming blade appeared, Han Jonghyun stammered, his face pale. 

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

“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.”

Coincidentally, it was the same day Shin Gyoyeon had mentioned Kwon Sejin as a weakness. Cheon Sejoo recalled that day, how he had suspected Han Jonghyun, then dismissed his suspicions and ignored him. Yes, now that he thought about it, there had been more than one or two occasions when Han Jonghyun had acted suspiciously.

Under Cheon Sejoo’s fierce gaze, Han Jonghyun raised his trembling hand and placed it on his chest. As if to calm him down, he forced a smile on his frightened face and explained.

“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?”

“What about Ehwagak in July?”

“W-What?”

“Answer me.”

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, 

“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….” 

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.

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.

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

“Wait a minute…. Why are you doing this?”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

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.

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.

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).

In the photo, there was Han Jonghyun, the child he had seen before, and the child’s mother. Cheon Sejoo confirmed that the photo was taken on the day he had met Seok Yoonhyung and returned the phone to him.

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.

“Are you using heroin?”

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.

“What the, what the hell….”

Han Jonghyun, sighing as if relieved, glanced at Cheon Sejoo. Cheon Sejoo cut him off before he could speak, as he usually did. There was no time. Secret meetings were best kept short.

“You and I have never met here.”

At his abrupt words, Han Jonghyun raised an eyebrow and asked,

“What?”

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.

“Go home. And don’t hang around here for a while.”

“Hey, what…”

“I warned you. Think carefully about what’s in this alley. You have that much sense, don’t you?”

At his cold tone, Han Jonghyun frowned and closed his mouth. Leaving him like that, Cheon Sejoo immediately left the alley. He heard a voice calling after him, trying to stop him, but he pretended not to hear and quickly walked away.

Don’t get close to Han Jonghyun. 

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