Kill Your X Chapter 28

“I didn’t know when I was younger. After working in society, I realized there are so many weirdos and crazies out there. Even at my company…”

As I became quieter, Taehoon tactfully changed the subject. I vaguely laughed and agreed with what he said, but none of it registered.

Since we both drank quickly, we got drunk fast, and we decided to call it a night.

“Which way are you going? It’s easier to catch a cab on that street over there.”

“Oh, thanks. See you next time.”

We exchanged numbers one last time, and Taehoon disappeared in the opposite direction. After making sure he was out of sight, I quickly looked around. I was worried Si Yeonho might be nearby without saying anything.

I wandered aimlessly through the darkened streets. I didn’t know where I was or what time it was. Only when the smell of alcohol faded from my breath did tears well up.

Stupid. Song Gyujin, you’re such an idiot.

As if real love would ever come to me. Eternal connection, as if such a thing would ever exist in my life. I was lost in a futile dream and almost ruined my life.

The saddest thing was that I had genuinely given my heart to Si Yeonho. Just because he listened to me so well. I felt pity for him, who seemed strangely devoid of a self. I hoped to become a special existence to him, just as he was to me. It was all pointless.

Late at night, I finally called a designated driver. By the time I got into the back seat, the tears on my cheeks had already dried. Si Yeonho didn’t bother me or call me, even though I hadn’t replied to his messages.

The next day, when I was about to leave for work, I found honey water and hangover cure on my doorknob. I threw them whole into the trash can in front of my building and called a cab. It was the worst day.

✽✽✽

Breaking up was a given, but I wanted to find out his motive for approaching me. So I could at least get a small measure of revenge.

Since investigating people was his routine, he might know that I recently met a high school classmate. And that I had a vague idea about his false identity. But Si Yeonho’s attitude remained unchanged.

He always took care of me nonchalantly and readily complied with my impulsive and unreasonable demands. After meeting Taehoon, I allowed oral sex, but stopped short of intercourse. Fortunately, Si Yeonho didn’t ask for more.

“You seem lost in thought these days, Sunbae.”

This was after I called him over late at night and had him service me. I roughly pulled out a few tissues and handed them to him.

“Do I?”

“Yes. You don’t seem very focused.”

“That’s because your moaning skills are terrible.”

It was shameless of me to say this after coming twice, but Si Yeonho didn’t point out my contradiction. He just cleaned himself up as usual.

At this point, a genuine question arose. What was his deal? Over the months we’d been seeing each other, Si Yeonho hadn’t asked for or gained anything from me. Not money, if anything, he was the one giving to me. Meaning I had nothing to lose in our current relationship.

“Yeonho, can I come over to your place?”

“My place?”

Si Yeonho, now neatly dressed, asked back. He didn’t seem very keen on the idea.

“You always come to my place. I want to visit yours. I want to roll around in your space.”

“Come over, then.”

While I was at it, I got his address. The thought that I would soon get closer to the truth suddenly frightened me.

He could lie to me personally, but he couldn’t lie about official records like his company or home address. Without Si Yeonho knowing, I planned to figure things out, starting with what I could confirm.

“I’m curious about what your place is like. What if I go to this address and it’s just an empty lot?”

Even when I made a pointed joke, he replied blandly. Time would tell how much longer he could keep this up.

“There’s nothing much to see.”

“I’ll come over soon.”

I didn’t know why my heart felt heavy the closer I got to the truth. Still, what was wrong was wrong. Before the sight of him walking around my house became more familiar, our relationship had to end.

✽✽✽

The investigation didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped.

First, I looked up the owner information of Club Jerome. I remembered him mentioning in passing that while he was the real owner, the documents had a different name.

Sure enough, the official owner listed on the documents was a different executive from the entertainment agency. Curious about their relationship, I asked the manager of Jerome, who replied:

‘I don’t know the personal details, but that kind of contract arrangement is quite common here. When a company acquires something, they sometimes put it under a different name due to various interests.’

After hearing the explanation, I felt deflated. Needing more concrete evidence, I took half a day off and went to the KNT Entertainment headquarters. According to a call I made an hour earlier, Si Yeonho was out on business again.

Being a large entertainment agency, security was tight. I rang the bell at the front and waited, and after a while, an employee came out.

“How can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Managing Director Si Yeonho.”

I took out the business card Si Yeonho had given me. I never thought I’d use it like this. I was anxious, fearing the worst-case scenario I had simulated all night might come true. I was afraid the agency employee would say, “There’s no one here by that name.”

“One moment, please.”

The employee went inside for a moment to check something and came back out. Even though I pretended to be nonchalant, I was stressed to the point of stomach pain.

“The director isn’t in the office right now. Do you have an appointment?”

“Huh?”

My voice cracked in surprise. The employee explained in a friendlier tone than before. Since I had the business card, they must have figured I wasn’t some random solicitor.

“The directors are often out of the office. If you don’t have an appointment, it’s difficult to see them directly.”

Even though I knew it would seem strange, I asked,

“So you’re saying there really is someone named Si Yeonho working here as a director?”

“Of course.”

As the employee looked at me suspiciously again, I laughed awkwardly and explained. I said I happened to get his business card, but he looked so young that I thought it was a scam.

“Director Si is quite young for his position.”

“Oh, I see. I’m not familiar with the entertainment industry, so I had unnecessary doubts.”

“If it’s absolutely necessary for you to see him, should I make a note of your visit? The director has been away for quite some time, so I don’t know when he’ll be back…”

As the employee expressed their difficulty, I stopped them.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll contact him directly using the number on the business card. I just happened to be passing by and dropped in, I was being rude.”

I bowed and said I would see them again before turning around. Even after hiding in a deserted alley, I was still bewildered.

I belatedly checked the information I had overlooked when searching for the real owner of Jerome. If he was a director of a company, his name would definitely be listed somewhere, whether in a stock report or elsewhere.

“It’s really there.”

The three characters ‘Si Yeonho’ were prominently displayed among the eight or so directors. How was this possible? If this was the case, it made more sense that Taehoon was mistaken.

The more I learned, the more tangled the information in my head became, but there was still one more thing I had to check. The address Si Yeonho had given me as his home.

According to the registry, the owner of the house was someone named “Seo Seunghan.” Now that I had confirmed that someone named Si Yeonho existed within KNT Entertainment, my first thought was that even if the name was different, it was probably contracted under some corporate name.

I wished it was all a misunderstanding. Hope sprouted and bloomed again amidst my resolve.

Si Yeonho’s house was in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Seoul. Considering the wealth he had flaunted, it didn’t make sense for him to live in a place like this. To put it bluntly, it was a rather poor neighborhood.

“Did you give me the right address?”

Since cars couldn’t enter the alley, I parked nearby and searched for his house. I passed houses scattered along the slope and reached the top of the hill.

“This is the right place according to the map.”

I walked past a house with other visitors and stood in front of the place Si Yeonho had told me was his home. It was none other than an area where shaman houses were clustered. The eerie atmosphere made me hesitate to go inside.

“Hello?”

Unlike other houses, this one didn’t seem to be currently open for business. When I cautiously knocked, instead of someone coming out, the door creaked open. I was startled, thinking it had opened automatically, but it turned out the door hadn’t been locked properly in the first place.

“Mr. Seo Seunghan, are you there?”

I raised my voice again, but it was easily swallowed by the sound of a shamanistic ritual that suddenly grew louder from the neighboring house. The sound of warding off evil spirits made my heart tremble strangely.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t enter someone else’s house without permission, I stepped inside as if possessed.