World Chapter 5.3

I asked, as if protesting to them who only wanted to completely hide Sungjoon and bury him deep underground, why it was dangerous that Heo Seok and Ji Sungjoon were in love, and what kind of threat it posed to his political career.

“Why can’t it be that way? If it’s difficult to reveal they were lovers, you can just say they were friends. Because they’re friends, you can help them, right?”

Hanse, like Hyungjo, spoke to me as if chiding me for being ignorant of the ways of the world.

“Are you really an idiot? That was when Heo Seok built his political foundation. He became the chairman of the Three People’s Struggle Committee, led the struggling student movement, and became known nationwide. He passed the administrative exam, held various key positions, and even served as governor, calming regional sentiments. Imagine if a rumor got out that such a person had ‘that kind of relationship’ with a man. After the presidential election, he might be able to hide his sexual orientation and track down the missing person under the guise of ‘friendship’. But not now. He’s not the kind of person to stir things up and give his political opponents an excuse.”

“……”

“Do you know who Assemblyman Heo’s wife is? She’s the second daughter of the Daehan Group chairman’s family. Even if it’s just a rumor, Ji Sungjoon was clearly a person who existed on this earth. If his existence were to become known to the world, Assemblyman Heo and the Daehan Group would suffer immense damage to their image. It could even become a crucial scandal that determines the outcome of the presidential election. With everyone being cautious and taking extra precautions before the presidential election, do you think he would let that happen? Someone who doesn’t even do interviews for fear of making a mistake?”

“Then Sungjoon hyung……, who will find Taewan hyung?”

“……”

I asked sadly. A corner of my heart felt bitter at the fact that their existence was becoming a stumbling block and a fatal weakness for Heo Seok, who had the presidency within his grasp.

The Seok hyung I knew was not such a person. He was not someone who would disown a friend, or a lover, for the sake of a goal. Even though I had seen him send people to search the dormitory and the library, having judged me a threat to him, I didn’t want to believe it.

So much had changed over the years that had passed. Both the consciousness of the world, and the people who constantly questioned and resisted that consciousness…….

The Heo Seok I knew was no longer anywhere on this earth.

“Then what should we do now?”

“Let’s look into it calmly. There must be a clue.”

“……”

“Are you crying again?”

“……No.”

“Why does a man have so many tears?”

I hadn’t shed a single tear, but Hanse unnecessarily chided me, whose face was crumpled sadly, and caressed my cheek. It was an urging for me to lift my head a bit. As his hand pulled, I lifted my chin and looked at Hanse.

“……”

“Sorry.”

He, who had been quietly meeting my gaze, got flustered and quickly removed his hand from my face. I also became newly conscious of the situation, facing Hanse. An awkward silence filled the air.

“……”

Hanse looked at me as if he had something to say, then just walked out. For a moment, I stood there blankly, leaning against that small space.

The person Kim Hanse was, for me, included within the person Hyungjo. Because I knew Hyungjo, because I remembered Hyungjo, Kim Hanse was inside him, so I couldn’t properly see Kim Hanse without excluding Hyungjo. That was because of the bloodline, because Hanse was Hyungjo’s son.

Hanse felt awkward. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but our relationship was extremely awkward.

I loved his father, no, I do love him, and he is dead. And Hanse was his son.

Perhaps Hanse was more uncomfortable with me than I was with him.

After all, I’m just a guy who doesn’t think much.

I scratched my head, feeling unnecessarily sorry for Hanse.

The road on the way home was packed with cars. I hated this unbearable awkwardness of sitting in fierce silence without even turning on the radio.

I subtly gazed at Hanse’s profile, who hadn’t said a word since getting behind the wheel. Hanse also briefly glanced at me, then turned his gaze back to the road ahead.

“That I was with Hyungjo like that……”

“……”

“If it makes hyung uncomfortable……”

“Uncomfortable? It’s not uncomfortable, it’s unpleasant.”

“……”

Hanse cut me off coldly. For him, it must have been not just unpleasant, but hateful. What would it feel like to hear from the person himself that some man was in love with his father, and that his father loved him more than his mother? It would have been difficult even to gather his thoughts amidst the sense of betrayal. To Hanse, I was such a presence.

I handed him Hyungjo’s notebook, which I had tucked into my back pocket. Hanse looked back at me with a ‘what is it?’ expression.

“I’ll give it back.”

“……”

“I’m sorry for being a nuisance all this time.”

“……What the hell are you talking about?”

“I think this is wrong, that’s why.”

“Put it away. My father would want you to have it.”

“It must be difficult for hyung, I didn’t think that far.”

“I said put it away!”

His tone was deeply angry. I flinched. The knuckles of his hands, gripping the steering wheel as if he might punch me down any second, stood out white.

“Put it away, and stop talking nonsense.”

“I’m also sorry for stubbornly asking for help with Assemblyman Heo’s matter.”

“What do you mean?”

“From now on……”

“From now on you’ll handle it yourself, so I should just butt out?”

“……”

“This is also related to my father. It’s not for you to tell me what to do or not do. Don’t interfere and just stay put.”

“Still……”

“Still? What is a guy who starts crying the second he’s chased, a guy who whimpers that he’s scared over something like this, going to do?”

“Th-that’s.”

Because he was right, I shut my mouth. Hanse looked at me with a reproachful glare.

The car, which had been stopped for a long while, finally started moving forward as the traffic cleared. However, it didn’t go far before stopping again. The city wasn’t just full of people; it was full of cars, too.

“Don’t think useless thoughts.”

“They’re not useless thoughts.”

“I’m warning you clearly, if you pull something without my knowledge, I’m really going to break your legs.”

A surge of anger welled up at Hanse’s words, which were filled with a genuine warning.

“Who do you think you are to break my legs?”

“Because I’m your guardian.”

“Guardian? My mother and father are both alive and well, how are you my guardian?”

“Were you planning on telling your parents about this? Never mind them not believing you, they might treat you like a mental patient. Who do you think can help you right now? I’m saying I’ll help within my means. I’m this deeply involved now, I can’t just stand by and watch anymore. And you don’t seem like a very trustworthy character either.”

“I’ll manage somehow. I’m saying this for your sake.”

“For my sake?”

“You could be in danger, and also……, I might feel uncomfortable……”

“A guy who can make that kind of judgment hugs me as soon as he sees me, calling out my father’s name? Simply because I look like him? Do you even remember it?”

“……”

“If you had a brain in the first place, you wouldn’t have been possessed by a lingering spirit for months.”

“Don’t talk so carelessly.”

“There’s nothing uncomfortable and nothing dangerous. If that’s what you’re worried about, drop it.”

“……”

I couldn’t say anything more in response to his words, which hammered the point home. With his nagging tone, the awkward silence that had settled between us vanished.

“You’re a little harsh with your words, hyung.”

“Try working in a place like this. Your way of speaking changes when all you deal with are liars.”

Hanse replied with a sigh.

I put Hyungjo’s notebook into my bag.

Once rush hour passed, the congested road finally cleared up a bit.

Seeing the house, which I had cleaned spotlessly since I had nothing to do during the day, Hanse whistled. He teased me, saying it was amazing I had at least one useful quality. As we were bickering, a bell sound rang from somewhere.

“Isn’t that your phone?”

“Ah, it is mine.”

I answered the phone with a sheepish smile.

“Hello?”

Only after answering did I realize I had rashly picked up a call from an unknown number.

―Jung Hyunwoo?

“Yes, that’s me?”

―This is Heo Seok.

“……”

I flinched. It was a completely unexpected call.

I gestured urgently for Hanse. Hanse, seeming to have grasped the general situation, came close and pressed his ear to the phone. The two of us had our cheeks pressed together with the phone between us.

―Hello, are you listening?

“Yes, I… I’m listening.”

―I’d like to meet.

“I have nothing more to say to you.”

Angry at Heo Seok’s actions, I responded firmly. Hanse hit my back with a thud as if to say ‘that’s not it’ and frowned. As I hurriedly tried to change my words, Heo Seok spoke again, saying he wanted to meet.

―Come to my office tomorrow. I have some time free around two o’clock, how does that sound?

Hanse nodded for me to agree.

“I understand. Then I will see you at your office tomorrow at two.”

I managed to reply and then hung up the phone.

“What do we do now?”

Hanse furrowed his brow and paced around the house. Pressing his wrinkled forehead with his hand, he thought for a long time before speaking.

“Meet him for now. He took my father’s book, so Assemblyman Heo remembers my father too. He must have thought you were connected to my father. You’ve already told him you have no connection to Ji Sungjoon and Lee Taewan, so tell him you heard the whole story from my father. If they lived together, my father would have known the detailed circumstances as well.”

“That’s right. Hyungjo knew, too. He said he’d known for a long time.”

“We don’t know what he’ll use to threaten you. He might use your parents to threaten you into keeping your mouth shut. I’ll give you a small recording device, so take it in with you. It seems he doesn’t know I’m with you yet, so we need to be prepared on our side, too.”

“This is just like a spy movie.”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

“But it’s true. It’s like a spy movie. Even sneaking in a recorder.”

“Haa, I shouldn’t even bother. Do you really not understand how serious this situation is?”

I had tried to make a joke, but Hanse scolded me with a serious face. The person who knew the gravity of the situation better than anyone was me.

“No matter what Assemblyman Heo says, you mustn’t be swayed. Just vaguely allude to it being related to my father. He might think you’re after money in exchange for your silence. Never show any sign of that. The person who knows the most about Lee Taewan and Ji Sungjoon’s case is Heo Seok, so he’s also the person who can be the most help. We have to get him on our side.”

“He got so angry when I said I knew about his relationship with Sungjoon hyung……, how do we get him on our side?”

“Your intention isn’t to interfere with Assemblyman Heo’s presidential campaign, is it? The truth will eventually get through. You have to clearly show him that you have no intention of using the scandal.”

“I don’t really get what you mean.”

“Haa……, how can I send you in alone when I’m this anxious.”

Frustrated, Hanse muttered as he ran his hands messily through his hair.

∞ ∞ ∞

Hanse dropped me off in front of a nearby subway station. It was close to two in the afternoon, the time of my appointment, when I arrived at Heo Seok’s office by subway.

Nothing had happened yet, but it would do no good for Heo Seok to find out that I was moving together with Hanse, a prosecutor.

In front of the building, I pressed the button on the small recorder he had attached under my clothes and entered the lobby.

I got on the elevator and pressed the button for the eighth floor, where his office was located. I thought I wasn’t nervous, and I had even confidently told Hanse that I wasn’t, but my throat was so dry that I was conscious of even swallowing my saliva.

It wasn’t as simple a matter as I had thought, nor one that would be easily resolved, and Heo Seok, according to Hanse, was a threatening figure to me.

An entire floor of a large office building was Heo Seok’s office. The hallway was so quiet I could hear my own footsteps.

A receptionist was sitting at the reception desk. A picture of Heo Seok with a smile on his face hung on the entire wall. A cold, expressionless face suited him better. His smiling face looked utterly awkward.

The receptionist who spotted me asked with a business-like smile.

“How may I help you?”

“Hello. Um, I’m here to see Assemblyman Heo.”

The receptionist looked at me, frowning slightly.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes, I made one yesterday. The Assemblyman told me to come here by two. My name is Jung Hyunwoo.”

The receptionist picked up the receiver to confirm. Just then, someone walked out from the inner office.

It was Heo Seok’s bodyguard who had chased me at the university.

The bodyguard had a very sharp-featured impression. Seeing him, I bowed my head in greeting without realizing it.

“Hello.”

“You’re here.”

He acknowledged me. Wary of him, I quietly studied his face.

He looked like someone. I couldn’t recall who, but his face was somehow familiar.

Who was it……? Where have I seen him?

“This way, please.”

The bodyguard politely gestured towards the inner office with an open hand. I stared blankly at his indifferent, sharp face.

Who was it? This is strange?

I felt like I was on the verge of remembering, but I couldn’t.

I walked as he gestured.

Inside Heo Seok’s office, it was also very quiet. Heo Seok’s private office was at the very back.

He knocked lightly and then opened the door for me. He followed with a gesture for me to go in.