Kill Your X Chapter 78

He didn’t answer right away, just tapped the empty drink bottle with his finger. Soon, he flung off his cap, tossed it onto the table, and ruffled his hair wildly.

“Hah. I ran like hell a minute ago because I knew you’d ask for something like this.”

“Please, sir.”

I was about to actually kneel when he quickly stopped me, asking if I wanted to advertise his profession as a gangster to the whole neighborhood.

“Let me ask you one thing. Why are you trying so hard? What, is this some kind of love of the century you’ll never have again? It’s not like it’s your first time in a relationship, so why are you so hung up on him? I could understand if it were before, but right now, Seo Seunghan’s circumstances are far from good.”

“I didn’t fall for him because of his circumstances.”

“Bullshit. His face and body must’ve accounted for more than half of it.”

“That’s not true. Seunghan is handsome, I’ll give you that, but he’s not my type of handsome. I’ve always preferred a softer look. I’ve never even dated anyone taller than me.”

“Oh my. Our little mutt would be wailing if he heard that. Then what, are you two connected from a past life or something? Were you reincarnated? Is this your second life?”

CEO Kang said he was being careful with his words because there were too many uncertainties, but now that I thought about it, the same was true for me. It was clear he knew something, but for some reason, I had been reluctant to tell him about Seo Seunghan’s true nature from the beginning. It was as if my instincts were rejecting it.

“Do you need such a grand reason to want to clear an innocent person’s name?”

“You’re in deep trouble yourself, so I don’t understand why you’re more concerned about him. Just compare the murder charges. As of now, Seunghan is accused of killing one rookie actor, that Kim whatever-his-name-is, but you’re about to become a serial killer who murdered seven people. It seems you managed to hire a competent lawyer, and even though you’re lucky to be out for now, it’s only a matter of time before you’re back under detention.”

“We won’t know that until the very end.”

“Think carefully. Doesn’t it seem suspicious that Song Jeonggun is so quiet right now, probably plotting something else? After being backstabbed repeatedly, are you really feeling at ease?”

It wasn’t that I wasn’t worried about what bombshell my father might drop at the confirmation hearing two days from now. My head knew it, but clearing Seo Seunghan’s name felt like a more pressing issue for me.

“So, are you really saying you can’t help me, sir?”

“Tsk, don’t make me out to be such a bad guy. Isn’t it human nature to value your own life the most? Although you and Seo Seunghan are something else.”

Saying he had another appointment, CEO Kang stood up to leave first. My request for his contact information was flatly rejected. He said, who did I think I was, trying to get a gangster’s number so casually.

“Young master. I even bought you ice cream, so why the long face? You’re making a man’s heart go soft.”

“If you’re not going to help, then please leave.”

“Hah, what a temper.”

I didn’t mean to be rude. It was just that I was on the verge of tears from my own helplessness, so I skipped the farewell and just hung my head low. Everything I touched crumbled like a sandcastle, and the sense of frustration was indescribable. At this point, I felt like my very existence was a disaster.

“…You’ll probably just feel bad when you hear it, but I’ll give you one piece of information anyway.”

Just as I was giving up, CEO Kang spoke up.

“The directors of the Kumto gang are preparing something else again, with Ma Yubin at the forefront. It seemed like things weren’t going well, but it looks like they finally succeeded in recruiting a current affairs program PD. They’re going to create a special documentary about what happened at the villa on the night the rookie actor died and air it in a very biased way. They’re planning an emergency guerrilla broadcast on an OTT platform, but I don’t know the exact schedule.”

“That’s….”

“That’s one thing, but it seems like the situation is going to get bigger as they’ll also link it to the aspiring actors who died at Ma Yubin’s hands over the years. Murder is the most effective way to increase a sentence, and maybe he thought he’d get caught someday anyway, so he’s planning to cleanly pin it all on Seunghan and start a new life? That Ma Yubin guy has been at the bottom for a long time, so he’s a really nasty piece of work. I’m telling you, he’s worse than most gangsters.”

It meant they were planning to push a person who was already cornered from all sides even further into a deadly situation. I was momentarily speechless at the immense malice Ma Yubin held. I couldn’t understand what Seo Seunghan had done to deserve that.

“It’s just that, the situation is likely to get worse. They’re planning to reveal the perverted acts they committed at the party in graphic detail. The ratings will be great. Only the CEO of the OTT company will be happy.”

“But, sir.”

“Yeah?”

“On the night the rookie actor died, wouldn’t this all be over if we can just prove that Seo Seunghan wasn’t at the villa then? That’s the incident that started all of this, isn’t it?”

CEO Kang looked down at me as if I was talking nonsense.

“You’re right, but have you already forgotten? The reason that kid Seunghan is eating jail food right now is because he can’t prove that. Before there’s evidence that he did it, there’s no evidence that he didn’t. All the CCTV footage in the area has already been bought off, so there’s no data left.”

“……”

You’re not in your right mind. CEO Kang shook his head and put his own cap on my head instead.

“Ugh.”

“Endure it even if it smells like sweat. It’s a good thing we’re near the detention center. From now on, cover your face when you walk around outside. It’s no exaggeration to say that you and your father are the most famous people in our country right now. And….”

Checking his constantly vibrating phone, CEO Kang said indifferently.

“It wasn’t me who went to visit Seunghan.”

“What?”

“I’ve never met him. I don’t know who went to see him either.”

“Then the matter of firing the lawyer.”

“How would I know? Maybe he thought of another clever plan, or maybe he thought it was already a lost cause for him, so he made that choice to save you at least.”

My mind went blank. CEO Kang answered his phone in a polite tone and quickly disappeared somewhere.

The person who contacted Seo Seunghan wasn’t CEO Kang. Then who was it? Not a single new candidate came to mind.

That, and the information CEO Kang gave me, only made me sigh. He didn’t say it definitively, but CEO Kang seemed to have a rough idea that my father was up to something new. I didn’t expect my father to act righteously at this point, but I was once again reminded of the fact that, just as the lawyer said, my situation was not one I could be entirely hopeful about.

The confirmation hearing was just around the corner. What if my father pulled another bizarre trick then? What if I was put back under detention and could never get out?

If so, then now was the only chance I had to help Seo Seunghan. Sadly, I had to prepare for the worst, and the worst of the worst.

One thing, I might not know anything else, but I did know a way to clear him of the murder charge… but putting it into action would require several times, tens of times, the courage of everything I had done so far.

I had been asked countless times why I was going to such lengths. To be honest, I didn’t know either. Would a normal person act like me just because someone saved their life? Would they try to save someone by throwing away everything they had?

Putting aside the endless thoughts, I started walking. It wouldn’t be too late to realize the true nature of my reckless emotions later.

Like the calm before a storm, the weather was nice today. I prayed earnestly to the heavens that some other variable would arise and things would work out well before I caused my last trouble. Even though I didn’t believe in any god.

✽✽✽

The cap I borrowed from CEO Kang turned out to be a great help. Without being noticed by anyone, I was able to safely grab my things and reach my destination. When I rang the doorbell, the person inside popped out in a second.

“Song Gyujin! What on earth is going on? Are you okay? Huh?”

Instead of answering, I gave a faint smile, and he pulled me into a sudden hug.

“Thanks for the welcome. I was so scared you’d cut me off that I came without contacting you first.”

Thwack! Yeojun slapped me hard on the back. The familiar, sharp touch made me a little happy.

“You let me into your house so willingly. It seems you still don’t see me as a murderer. I’m so touched I think I’m going to cry.”

At my completely lifeless voice, Yeojun’s expression turned grim. His gaze lingered for a long time on my noticeably thinner body compared to the last time he saw me, and the faint bruises left on my face.

“Of course not. I’ve known you for almost ten years. Serial murder? It’s obvious Song Gyujin doesn’t have the guts to even cut open a doll’s stomach, so what kind of bullshit is that? I have no idea what’s going on, but you must have been framed.”

“Yeojun. Thank you so much for believing in me, and I know you’re busy with work, but let me ask you for one last favor.”

“What favor?”

Since I didn’t have much time, I got straight to the point. When I took out the black box I had brought, Yeojun’s eyes widened.

“You said you used to work as a video editing designer at a studio, right? Can you also mosaic specific people and body parts?”

“Let me see it first. What is it anyway?”

Yeojun connected the data I gave him to his work PC. When I found the video that needed editing and played it, he freaked out and moved away from the monitor.

“Hey, crazy! What is this….”

Filling the large monitor screen was a video of me and Seo Seunghan fooling around passionately in the car on the night in question.