Chapter 08
Haa… haa…
Seo Bin gasped for breath. Her vision blurred, and her legs trembled, but a strong arm supported her from behind.
She had never wanted to rely on Sa Hyeok of all people. She could have accepted help from anyone else—but not him.
Yet she had no choice.
Right now, the only person she could lean on was Sa Hyeok.
“Let’s go.”
As Seo Bin nodded and turned to follow him, Jang Jae Geun staggered to his feet with a groan and stumbled toward them.
His gaze moved between Sa Hyeok and Seo Bin before twisting into a crooked grin. The sharp scent of alcohol still clung heavily to him.
“Ah, fuck. What the hell? You came here with Kim Sa Hyeok? Wow, this is fucking hilarious. So what, are you two together?”
“If you’ve figured that out, then learn to pick your targets before you mess with people.”
Sa Hyeok’s warning came in an icy voice.
If he had his way, he’d beat the man half to death—leave him too broken to open that filthy mouth again.
But he couldn’t.
There were still too many things he had to do.
He only hoped tonight would end as nothing more than a drunken scuffle.
Unfortunately, Jang Jae Geun had no idea where the line was.
“Didn’t you get investigated too, Kim Sa Hyeok? When Bae Seo Hyun died?”
The moment her sister’s name was mentioned, Seo Bin’s shoulders trembled violently.
Holding her even more firmly, Sa Hyeok answered calmly,
“I did. I was cleared of all charges. Just like you.”
“Yeah, cleared. Heh… Back then I was so damn pissed getting accused of murder.”
Jae Geun clutched his stomach and burst into eerie laughter that echoed through the hallway.
As the hollow laughter grew increasingly unsettling, Mina grabbed him and tried to calm him down, asking what was wrong.
The only response she got was a stream of curses.
Throwing Mina aside, Jae Geun fixed his bloodshot eyes on Seo Bin.
“But this isn’t right, is it? I mean, let’s be honest. Noble stepped in and buried the whole case. My dad even saw the great Chairman of Noble Group personally come to the school and practically bow to the chairman of the board.”
Every word was like a knife stabbing directly into Seo Bin’s weakest wound.
It hurt even more than when he had wrapped his hand around her throat.
She wanted nothing more than to leave.
But before she could say a word, Sa Hyeok stepped forward instead.
“Enough.”
“But seriously… Kim Sa Hyeok and… wow… Bae Seo Bin, you’ve got lower standards than I thought.”
Sa Hyeok whispered, “Wait a second,” into Seo Bin’s ear before letting go of the hand supporting her and walking toward Jae Geun.
“…Or were you always easy? If that’s the case, then maybe I could’ve—ugh!”
Thud!
With a heavy impact, Jae Geun was sent flying to the end of the hallway once again.
Startled, Mina ran over to him as he collapsed onto the floor.
“Oppa!! Seriously! I told you to stop!”
Despite Mina’s desperate protests, Jae Geun staggered back onto his feet.
Blood trickled from the corner of his lip.
He wiped it away without thinking.
The instant he saw the bright red blood staining his fingers, his eyes rolled with fury.
“You son of a bitch! Kim Sa Hyeok! I’ve hated you since way back…! You arrogant murderer! Urgh!”
Jae Geun charged recklessly, throwing a punch.
Sa Hyeok caught him effortlessly, slammed him against the opposite wall, and pressed his forearm against Jae Geun’s throat.
“Know when to stop. I don’t know how much longer I can keep holding back.”
“Ghk… l-let… go…”
The muscles Jae Geun had built through years of exercise were completely useless against Sa Hyeok’s overwhelming strength.
He was already dead drunk.
And Sa Hyeok was taller, broader, and physically superior in every way.
With emotionless eyes, Sa Hyeok slowly tightened the pressure on his throat.
Beside them, Mina—her eyeliner smeared into dark panda eyes—fussed helplessly in panic.
Thanks to the commotion, more and more people gathered around.
Seo Bin was still trembling, struggling to breathe.
“I’m warning you one last time, Jae Geun. If you touch her again…”
Sa Hyeok’s cold voice carried no emotion.
“…I might actually kill you.”
“Ghk… s-stop…”
Veins bulged across Jae Geun’s neck as he let out a ragged choking sound.
The fight between Noble Group’s heir, Kim Sa Hyeok, and Jang Jae Geun, one of Yoo In Ha’s closest associates, quickly drew an even larger crowd.
That was when Seo Bin stepped toward Sa Hyeok.
“S-stop…”
She gently grabbed the hem of his shirt and whispered.
Her fingertips shook uncontrollably.
She could feel every spectator’s eyes turning toward her.
But this had to end here.
She had finally taken her first step toward uncovering the truth behind her sister’s death.
She couldn’t afford to ruin everything now.
Clutching Sa Hyeok’s shirt more tightly, she pleaded,
“Please… stop!”
At her words, Sa Hyeok withdrew the arm pressing against Jae Geun’s throat.
“That’s enough. Everyone’s watching…”
If this continues, both of us will end up in trouble.
And I’ll lose the opportunity I fought so hard to get.
Unable to reveal her true thoughts, Seo Bin lowered her eyes and let her words trail off.
Sa Hyeok looked down at her for a long moment.
Then he let out a quiet sigh and stepped back.
Only then did Seo Bin finally release his shirt and put some distance between them.
Freed from Sa Hyeok’s grip, Jang Jae Geun collapsed onto the floor, coughing violently.
“Oppa! Are you okay? Damn it! I’m calling the police on you!”
Just as Mina screamed at the top of her lungs—
“Well, well. If it isn’t Sa Hyeok.”
A new voice cut through the commotion.
Parting the crowd that had only been whispering and watching from a distance, Yoo In Ha appeared.
Unlike the guests who were dressed as though this charity night gala were a nightclub, Yoo In Ha wore a clean, impeccable suit befitting the host of the event.
“Hey, In Ha! Do you know what this bastard Kim Sa Hyeok just did to me?!”
Like a child tattling to a teacher after losing a fight, Jae Geun hurried over to Yoo In Ha.
Ignoring him almost entirely, Yoo In Ha’s gaze slowly shifted past Sa Hyeok.
His head tilted slightly.
“…Hmm? That’s an unexpected combination.”
Having spotted Seo Bin standing beside Sa Hyeok, Yoo In Ha smiled with unmistakable intrigue.
Meanwhile, Jae Geun continued whining beside him.
“No, In Ha, listen to me. This bastard Kim Sa Hyeok—”
“Jae Geun.”
Raising a hand to silence him, Yoo In Ha leaned close to Jae Geun’s ear.
Still smiling pleasantly, he whispered quietly,
“If you got your ass kicked, have enough shame to disappear, you idiot. Before I call security and have you dragged out.”
Though his smile remained warm, the murderous intent in Yoo In Ha’s eyes was enough to make Jae Geun freeze.
“…O-Okay…”
His face twisted with fresh anger, but the pain from the kick Sa Hyeok had landed on his stomach earlier was even worse.
He obediently backed away.
“Hey, Sun Oh. Help Jae Geun out. He looks like he’s dying.”
“Okay.”
When Yoo In Ha called him over, Kim Sun Oh quietly emerged from among the crowd that had been watching.
Kim Sun Oh.
The fourth suspect in Bae Seo Hyun’s death.
As Kim Sun Oh walked forward with calm, measured steps, Seo Bin’s eyes were drawn to him as though pulled by a magnet.
For a brief moment, their gazes met.
Seo Bin’s heart sank.
The four suspects whose involvement in her sister’s death had been buried as an accident.
Kim Sa Hyeok.
Yoo In Ha.
Jang Jae Geun.
Kim Sun Oh.
Never had she imagined she would see all four of them gathered in one place.
A hollow laugh escaped through Seo Bin’s lips.
Ah.
So this was how they had always been.
Just like eight years ago.
Inside their own world.
Protecting one another.
Covering for each other’s mistakes.
Using those secrets to strengthen the bonds between themselves.
All this time…
They had been connected.
And she…
She had found nothing.
Over the years she had gone everywhere.
Police stations.
Prosecutors’ offices.
Newspaper companies.
She had begged for the investigation to be reopened.
She pleaded for someone to uncover the truth about her sister’s death.
She insisted there were suspicious inconsistencies in the investigation.
That the suspects had manipulated the investigation using their power and influence.
But all Seo Bin ever received was indifference.
Contempt.
If that had been all, perhaps she could have endured it.
Perhaps her heart would not have been shattered this completely.
Every attempt to pursue her sister’s death had ended in mockery.
There was the low-ranking police officer who demanded money in exchange for reopening the case.
And the former reporter who claimed to possess crucial evidence, only to lure her to a motel.
The world had always been cruel only to the powerless.
Seo Bin bit down hard on her lower lip before slowly releasing it.
Her eyes settled into a chilling calm.
Her injustice had become resentment.
Her resentment had become helplessness.
And after all those years…
Only one emotion remained in her heart.
Revenge.
I lost my sister.
Shouldn’t they lose something precious in their own lives as well?
In that sense, she had only come here to investigate the relationship between Kim Sa Hyeok and Yoo In Ha.
Yet she had ended up meeting all four suspects in one place.
Perhaps…
This was the opportunity heaven had finally given her.
A cold smile slowly spread across Seo Bin’s face.
