TWELVE 31

“So, it means Mr. Kim Junghwan hit Mr. Woo Seungkyung, and Mr. Woo Seungkyung only took the hits, right?”

I nodded.

“Yes….”

“Um, and then Mr. Gi Seoin suddenly started hitting Mr. Kim Junghwan?”

“That is….”

My throat felt tight. My eyes grew hot. I bit my lip and held back my tears. Even though I hadn’t shed a tear yet, the detective handed me a tissue. I took it and lowered my head as far as it would go.

Before long, the detective threw the same question at me. This time, I shook my head.

“I… don’t remember well.”

“You really don’t remember?”

“Yes, it was so… hectic, and, everything, I just don’t know.”

The detective let out a long sigh. Sigh.

“Mr. Woo Seungkyung, you are in the position of a victim, so you just need to testify to the facts as they are. Don’t worry.”

The detective seemed to misunderstand, thinking I wasn’t testifying honestly out of fear.

“Could I… rest for a bit?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

I could feel it was a reluctant permission. The detective grabbed his cigarettes and walked out. Only then did I feel at ease enough to shift my gaze.

Gi Seoin was also in the middle of giving a statement, facing another detective. I felt frustrated and anxious because I couldn’t hear their voices from here. Gi Seoin’s expression was no different from usual, and… the detective laughed.

Laughter.

Gi Seoin was in the position of a suspect in an assault case. However, looking at the way he was talking to the detective, the atmosphere was as if he had come to the police station to enjoy a cup of coffee.

“Mr. Woo Seungkyung.”

The detective in charge of me returned. I had no choice but to painstakingly pull my gaze away from where it had been drawn toward Gi Seoin.

“Can you continue?”

“I’m a bit tired.”

“For now, since you’re injured, you can go to the hospital first and then come back to finish your statement. As for filing the complaint….”

“I’ll do it next time then.”

The moment I saw Gi Seoin, I instinctively felt there was nothing more for me to say. I’m confused and exhausted.

The detective held onto me and explained the complaint procedure. Not a single word entered my ears, but I nodded reflexively. Even while doing that, I kept glancing at Gi Seoin.

“…then, you may head out now.”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

I gave a half-hearted bow toward the detective and stood up. It was hard to take my eyes off Gi Seoin.

What will happen now? Gi Seoin beat Kim Junghwan until he was a bloody mess, and there were countless witnesses. Even though he’s undergoing the investigation with a composed air for now, it wouldn’t be strange if he were put in a holding cell soon.

Gi Seoin, not as a lawyer, or a victim, but as a suspect….

I squeezed my eyes shut. My feet wouldn’t move.

“Excuse me.”

“…Ah.”

I was blocking the way, lost in thought. As I pulled back, a man passed by me. My eyes sought out Gi Seoin once again, and the man who just brushed past me stopped exactly in that spot.

Gi Seoin stood up and shook hands with the man, and then even the detective stood up to exchange greetings. The man handed the detective a small piece of paper. It must be a business card. I instinctively sensed part of what was written there. Lawyer.

The man took a seat next to Gi Seoin. It was then. Gi Seoin turned his head toward me. Our gazes met.

His eyes were filled with countless things he wanted to say.

I turned my back and ran out just like that.

[Cho Jiwon Benwood President: Mr. Seungkyung, contact me when you can..]

On the phone I checked belatedly, missed calls and messages were piled up like a mountain. Most of the contacts were from the President and the staff. Since that disaster happened during business hours, it made sense that everyone was flipped upside down. I changed direction from heading home and went toward Benwood.

I was flustered for a moment because the Benwood door was locked even though it was still business hours. Seeing the phone ring, it was the President.

“President….”

—Mr. Seungkyung, are you okay?

“Yes, I’m fine. For now….”

—Where are you now…. Huh? I hear an echo of your voice outside.

Suddenly the call was cut off, and the locked door opened as the President appeared. I wondered why he was wearing a mask, then remembered the fact that he had caught the flu. I couldn’t lift my head, having made a sick person come all the way to the shop.

Inside the bar, the other staff members were there too. They said that while I was at the police station, the remaining people had been questioned here.

I bore a lot of responsibility for all this commotion.

“I’m sorry. For the shop’s losses, from my salary….”

“It’s my fault.”

The President cut me off in a somewhat hurried tone.

“I should have blacklisted that bastard Kim Junghwan long ago, but I went easy on him because he’s a relative, and that’s how it ended up like this.”

“Heh, Kim Junghwan was the President’s relative?”

Seo Yeona asked, making her already large eyes even wider. Not just me or her, but everyone seemed surprised.

“We don’t look alike, right? Even our last names are different….”

The President let out a long sigh. Sigh.

“He suffered from alcoholism after becoming a doctor. I couldn’t stop him from drinking, and I was anxious about letting him wander around anywhere, so when his maternal aunt asked me to let him drink at our shop instead, taking him in was my mistake.”

“It’s not your fault, President, it’s that that bastard is a crazy person. If it’s a relative’s shop, he should be more careful.”

“That’s right. Today’s work isn’t the President’s fault, and it isn’t Mr. Seungkyung’s fault, it’s that bastard Kim Junghwan’s fault!”

“Exactly!”

The staff members did their best to comfort the dejected President and me. They must have been quite shocked and tired themselves, but my gratitude toward the people here only grew.

“Oh no, the bruise on Mr. Seungkyung’s face….”

“Is it that bad?”

I didn’t know what I looked like because I hadn’t looked in a mirror once until now. I had been hit in the face by Kim Junghwan.

“Is it severe?”

“It looks like it’ll take some time to fade.”

“Ah….”

What should I do? I wouldn’t be able to work while carrying a bruise on my face.

“Mr. Seungkyung, do you want to try using this?”

While I was frozen in embarrassment, Lee Dami rummaged through her bag and pulled out a long object.

“What is this?”

“It’s concealer; I think it can cover the bruise. Come here.”

I didn’t know what concealer was, but I nodded for now.

“Even if it hurts, try to bear it.”

Lee Dami rubbed a small brush attached to the concealer cap over my cheekbone and repeated tapping it with her fingertips.

“Done. How is it?”

She then turned my face so people could see.

“Oh, it’s invisible.”

“It’s perfect, isn’t it?”

“Right? I think the bar being dark also plays a part. Mr. Seungkyung, you check too.”

I looked into a small hand mirror. The bruise that should have been vivid based on the pain had vanished perfectly. Lee Dami’s wit saved me. I took the concealer Lee Dami held out and thanked her over and over.

“Today must have been so hard. Mr. Seungkyung, rest well and see you next week.”

“Don’t worry about today’s work!”

“Contact us if anything comes up where you need help.”

I felt like I shouldn’t cause any more worry, so I tried to smile as brightly as possible.

From the moment I stepped out onto the street, even moving one step was a struggle. I was exhausted and in pain. I hailed a taxi without even thinking.

I was curious about Gi Seoin, but the phone was quiet. Maybe he’s locked in a holding cell by now. Since he beat someone enough to knock them out and there are overflowing witnesses, it would be impossible to prove his innocence no matter how great a lawyer came.

I felt like I was going to cry, so I dropped my head as if to bury it in my thighs.

“Guest, is this the right way?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“They’re turning this neighborhood over for redevelopment, so isn’t there nothing left?”

Everyone knows it that way. They don’t think there would still be people living in a neighborhood where even the streetlights don’t turn on.

“Yes, well….”

I didn’t particularly want to reveal that I am one of the people in the three households remaining in this neighborhood. But since I didn’t explain, the taxi driver’s doubt seemed to deepen.

“You’re stopping by because you have business, right? But the neighborhood is awfully dark….”

Doubt turned into suspicion, and I read fear in the taxi driver’s voice. Only now did I feel the need to clarify.

“There are still houses where people live in this neighborhood, and my house is one of them. The road is bad, isn’t it? I’m sorry.”

“Oh my, is that so. Don’t be sorry. If it’s a road I can go on, I should drive you all the way.”

The driver, having cleared up the misunderstanding, laughed awkwardly.

Soon, we arrived near the house. It was difficult to turn the car around right in front of the house, so it was better to get out here.

“Driver, please stop here.”

“Yes, understood.”

“The card is here….”

As I was about to pay, my gaze suddenly went beyond the road illuminated by the taxi’s headlights.

“Thank you.”

As soon as I got my card back, I hopped out and checked ahead.

As expected, I hadn’t seen wrong.

Gi Seoin’s sedan was parked there. If so, in front of the house….

“….”

Before long, when I faced him, I couldn’t move any closer. But Gi Seoin was different. He quickly approached until he was right in front of my nose and stopped.

Gi Seoin was still wearing the clothes stained with Kim Junghwan’s blood. Considering his pathologically neat personality, it was something that made no sense. His hair was also completely disheveled. Whether he hadn’t looked in a mirror once, dark red stains were dried up near his jaw….

Like that, everything making up Gi Seoin in this moment stimulated my guilt.