Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 46

November. As winter began to set in, a cold north wind, chilling enough to freeze one’s cheeks, started to blow. It was a season when the wind grew quite fierce.

Cheon Sejoo, wearing a baseball cap pulled low and a black padded jacket, sat in an old, unheated van, sipping coffee. White steam billowed softly from the slightly opened lid of his disposable cup. As he inhaled the fragrant, bitter scent, Haewoong, who was eating snacks beside him, yawned and stretched.

“Ugh… I’m really sick of this.”

Cheon Sejoo chuckled at the soliloquy, turning to look at him. Haewoong, who hadn’t slept properly, had a face as swollen as bread. Cheon Sejoo, smiling at him, gestured with his chin towards the back of the vehicle.

“I’ll keep watch; you get some sleep.”

“No way… If I look well-rested, Seonhyuk hyung will scold me, asking if I slept alone.”

“Then I’ll hit you before we get out. That way, he won’t know you slept.”

Cheon Sejoo replied leisurely to Haewoong’s grumbling. Hearing that, Haewoong laughed to himself, “Hahahaha.” But then he noticed Cheon Sejoo wasn’t laughing, and at some point, he blinked and turned to him.

“You’re kidding, right…?”

“Maybe.”

“……”

A slight smile played on his smooth lips. Haewoong stared blankly at him, then scooted his bottom to the opposite side of Cheon Sejoo and slapped his own cheeks with both hands.

“Got to snap out of it…”

It seemed he had succeeded in waking himself up. Cheon Sejoo chuckled softly at his muttering and turned back around.

In the back of the van, several monitors were set up. They were currently monitoring a room salon operated by Kang Junmyeon, the president of DG Construction, the main entity of DG Group. The owner of the casino in Hong Kong, which Kang Junmyeon frequently visited, was known to be Jason Lee, a rival of Liu Yuan, who was affiliated with the Triads and had close ties to DG. If Kang Junmyeon had secretly allied with Jason Lee, the repercussions would extend to DG, and Shin Gyoyeon could not simply stand by. Enormous investment funds were at stake in the massive casino resort construction project in Hong Kong that DG was pursuing with Liu Yuan.

It had been quite some time since Shin Gyoyeon had ordered them to keep an eye on President Kang. Hiding in shadowy places and tailing Kang Junmyeon for months, Cheon Sejoo and his team members were all feeling incredibly bored.

“When did Cheoljoo say to wake him up?”

In the back seat of the van, amidst the tangled wires of monitors, Yoon Cheoljoo lay wrapped like a cocoon in a sleeping bag. Cheon Sejoo, Moon Seonhyuk, Gu Haewoong, and Seo Jinyoung at least worked in shifts, but Yoon Cheoljoo, a hacker, hadn’t left the van for a month, except for a brief trip to a nearby bathhouse for a shower. Cheon Sejoo wrinkled his nose, feeling a faint, stale odor emanating from him, and drew the curtain separating the driver’s seat from the back.

Anyway, the installed cameras had a facial recognition program, so if someone appeared, it would be automatically checked, making constant surveillance unnecessary. An alarm would sound if an unknown person or a Triad member registered in the database appeared, so it wouldn’t be too late to check then.

“I think he asked to be woken up at five. About thirty minutes left? What? No, ha. Is it really 2 o’clock, team leader? No way… It feels like twelve hours have passed, but it’s only been two hours since the shift changed? This is truly awful.”

Haewoong, who had been looking at his watch, suddenly sighed and clutched his head. Cheon Sejoo didn’t respond, as his boredom with waiting was nothing new. However, at the mention of 2 o’clock, he pulled out his silent phone to check it. A message had arrived from Sejin thirty minutes ago.

Stray Dog I don’t know this one. [Photo] 13:23

The math problem Sejin had was from first-year high school. The college entrance exam was only two weeks away, but it seemed he wouldn’t even reach a 5th grade in math. Even with good luck and guessing, he might barely get a 6th grade. Cheon Sejoo sighed, shaking his head, and took out a notebook and pen from the glove compartment in the passenger seat. He copied the problem Sejin sent into it and wrote the solution beneath it in one go.

“Oh, linear equations.”

“You know how to solve this?”

Haewoong, who was looking at the notebook beside him, pretended to know it. At Cheon Sejoo’s question, Haewoong shouted with a bewildered expression, as if asking how he could even ask such a thing.

“Team leader, you might not think so, but I went to the Police University! I can solve this problem. Police University isn’t that easy a place!”

“I know. Just asking.”

Despite having dropped out, Haewoong had immense pride in being a Police University alumnus. Thinking his alma mater had been disrespected, he grumbled for a while, then watched Cheon Sejoo take a photo of the solution and attach it to a message, and asked.

“That kid is doing first-year high school math now? Didn’t he just do middle school math a few months ago?”

“Yeah. Impressive, isn’t he?”

Cheon Sejoo replied with a faint smile at Haewoong’s words. He was right. Sejin, who used to solve middle school math problems, was now progressing quite reasonably. He sent the solution photo to Sejin, then leaned back in his seat and explained.

“It’s just that he lacks basic skills, but his comprehension… He’s not completely stupid.”

Hearing that, Haewoong put a fist to his mouth and laughed. When Cheon Sejoo looked at him, asking what he was doing, he chuckled, suppressing a burst of laughter, then grinned and gestured at Cheon Sejoo. Haewoong playfully tapped his shoulder and said in a cunning voice.

“Team leader, you sound just like an overprotective dad.”

“…Dad, my foot.”

“Sometimes, it looks like you’re raising a child.”

At that, Cheon Sejoo frowned and chuckled. It was true that it felt like raising a child, but “dad”—he looked like he was hearing the most ridiculous nonsense.

After a brief exchange, a tedious silence settled in the car again. Having spent long hours together every other day, they simply had nothing more to say. Haewoong seemed eager to sell him on the game he was playing, but Cheon Sejoo, who had no interest in entertainment, didn’t entertain the conversation. Eventually, an hour later, after discussing movies and life in the organization for about five minutes, they opted for silence once more.

And so, meaningless time flowed by. When it was past 4 o’clock, Cheon Sejoo took out his phone again and sent a message to Sejin.

16:12 On your way to the hospital? Stray Dog Yeah. Are you coming to pick me up later? You can just go home if you’re tired. 16:22 16:25 I’ll go around 6. Results day today, right? Stray Dog Yeah, doctor’s rounds at 5. 16:26 16:31 They said the prognosis for the chemo was good, so don’t worry too much. Stray Dog Okay. See you later.. 16:32

Unfortunately, Kim Hyunkyung couldn’t have surgery in October. Although the tumor had shrunk, blood tests showed a slight increase in cancer antigen levels. However, CT and PET scans showed no major issues, and the doctor suggested it might be due to gastritis inflammation, advising to continue with gastritis treatment and chemotherapy once more before re-evaluating the results. Today was the day for another scan, one month after that decision.

Cheon Sejoo sent Sejin a message saying he’d call later and put his phone away. It was almost 5 o’clock. Once Yoon Cheoljoo woke up and Seo Jinyoung took over from Haewoong, they would have a moment to breathe. He planned to make a quick call to Sejin then. Cheon Sejoo instructed Haewoong, who had snacks strewn about, to clean up the trash, then pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

Their car was parked one block away from Kang Junmyeon’s room salon. It wasn’t a place Kang Junmyeon’s subordinates frequented, but it didn’t hurt to be careful, so Cheon Sejoo didn’t get out of the car, only lowering the window slightly.

As he smoked, he saw a figure walking down the alley in the distance. Tall and slender, the man was impeccably dressed in a suit and coat. Cheon Sejoo slowly drew on his cigarette, narrowing his eyes as he watched him. The approaching features looked vaguely familiar. And as he realized the man appearing in the alley was Han Jonghyun, Cheon Sejoo frowned instantly and extinguished his cigarette.

“Haewoong.”

“Yes?”

“There was a Rabbit Hole or a room club near here, right?”

“Lots of clubs. This neighborhood is crawling with drug addicts.”

“Really?”

At his leisurely reply, Haewoong looked around as if asking what was going on. Then, spotting Han Jonghyun approaching the car, he let out an annoyed voice.

“Ha, that fucking director, there’s no place he doesn’t poke his nose into.”

Haewoong, who had once been slapped by the ruthless Han Jonghyun, disliked him intensely. It was because he remembered being severely scolded by Moon Seonhyuk that day after throwing a fit about wanting to hit Han Jonghyun. Staring at Han Jonghyun with a sullen face, Haewoong soon asked in a pathetic tone.

“What kind of person is he?”

“I wonder.”

Since the day he met Han Jonghyun at Hwagak, the words Chae Beomjun had spoken when they ran into each other on the way home had often made Cheon Sejoo think about him. However, despite Chae Beomjun’s warning not to get close to Han Jonghyun, Cheon Sejoo had no particular connection with him, so thoughts about Han Jonghyun’s identity always ended with a “who cares?” monologue. They had always only exchanged words when they happened to meet by chance; the two didn’t even know each other’s phone numbers.

But seeing his face again like this, his existence began to intrigue him once more. It was because whenever he saw Han Jonghyun, there was always something annoying, like fuzz in his mind.

“I heard a rumor he’s our CEO’s lover.”

He was thinking about Han Jonghyun’s identity again when he suddenly burst out laughing at Haewoong’s remark. Han Jonghyun, Shin Gyoyeon’s lover? It was an absurd rumor.

Most people who knew Shin Gyoyeon didn’t know he was a psychopath, but Cheon Sejoo did. Han Jonghyun had been under Shin Gyoyeon for a full five years. Cheon Sejoo didn’t believe that crazy psychopath would cherish anyone for so long. However, at Cheon Sejoo’s derisive laugh, Haewoong seriously refuted him.

“No. Listen, team leader! The very fact that Director Han pokes his nose everywhere without doing anything implies he’s favored by our CEO, doesn’t it? He literally doesn’t say anything no matter what he does!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I heard he collapsed from drugs at Hwagak a while ago, and it hasn’t even been a month since that news, but look at him walking around like that. Something’s suspicious!”

“Yeah, it really is suspicious.”

“Ugh, team leader!”

At Cheon Sejoo’s unenthusiastic reply, Haewoong whined, his eyebrows drawn into a figure-eight, as if asking why he didn’t believe him. It was just then, as he burst into laughter at the absurdity. Honk! A car horn sounded from outside, and bright high beams from a sports car cutting across the alley illuminated the inside of the van.

Cheon Sejoo squinted and turned his head. And at that moment, Han Jonghyun, who had been walking towards them, also turned his gaze into the vehicle. Han Jonghyun was passing just two or three steps away from their car, and the few seconds before the lights went out were enough time to recognize each other. Cheon Sejoo was certain their eyes had met.

Until now, whenever they’d met, Han Jonghyun had never just passed Cheon Sejoo by. So, expecting the same this time, Cheon Sejoo turned his head towards the door…

“Is he already drugged up and heading home? Why is his stride like that?”

Han Jonghyun continued walking straight ahead. His neat profile in the coat was visible as he passed by, separated only by a layer of glass. Cheon Sejoo frowned slightly. He narrowed his eyes, observing Han Jonghyun.

His back, seen through the side mirror, was unstable. Cheon Sejoo watched Han Jonghyun suspiciously, constantly opening and closing his fists, like someone anxious, and then it suddenly occurred to him.

Come to think of it, the places Cheon Sejoo had encountered Han Jonghyun were a club, a Japanese restaurant, Hwagak, and this alley. He had gone to the club looking for drugs, encountered Sejin at the Japanese restaurant Han Jonghyun led him to, and met Director Seok Yoon-hyung at Hwagak. Moreover, although there were many private member clubs for drugs in this vicinity, just one block away was Kang Junmyeon’s room salon, their target of surveillance.

“……”

His eyes narrowed. Even if he was someone who poked his nose into everything, could their paths really overlap this much? Cheon Sejoo felt a question arise and took out his phone. 4:58 PM. He checked the time and left a message for Sejin.

16:58 I might be a little late. If I’m late, just take a taxi and go home first.

Then he said to Haewoong,

“I’m leaving first. Wake up Yoon Cheoljoo.”

“Okayyy. Go ahead…”

Hearing the weak reply, Cheon Sejoo stroked Haewoong’s head and got out of the car. Pulling his cap low and buttoning his padded jacket, he quietly followed the man walking in the distance.

Thinking about it, Han Jonghyun had more than one strange point. Yet, Cheon Sejoo hadn’t taken any action against him until now because Han Jonghyun was under Shin Gyoyeon, just like himself, so Cheon Sejoo didn’t even have the right to doubt him at will. Cheon Sejoo and his handling team existed for Shin Gyoyeon, and therefore, they only dealt with matters he instructed.

Strictly speaking, this was outside his jurisdiction. However, Cheon Sejoo couldn’t just pass by Han Jonghyun now. The thought that he had to follow him dominated his mind.

Han Jonghyun walked aimlessly. He crossed the street, stopped at a convenience store at the entrance of a residential area, bought cigarettes there, and then chain-smoked under a streetlamp. He kept opening and closing his hands, shaking his legs without rest, and muttering to himself. All the while, he constantly looked around, appearing abnormal by any measure. It almost seemed like he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Hidden in the nearby darkness, Cheon Sejoo watched his anxiety symptoms without missing a single one. Han Jonghyun left the convenience store after a full hour. And the place he stumbled towards again was… the alley where Kang Junmyeon’s room salon was located. Cheon Sejoo followed him, recalling the Han Jonghyun he had seen at Hwagak.

He firmly believed that Shin Gyoyeon expected something from him. But Shin Gyoyeon never neglected anything valuable right before his eyes. If Han Jonghyun truly had value to be exploited, he would have been used long ago.

Everything he said was merely a foolish illusion of someone who wanted to assign value to himself. However, Cheon Sejoo couldn’t openly deny his words. He pitied Han Jonghyun, who bitterly recounted his past. It was because he felt a human sadness for him.

Han Jonghyun’s face, laughing brightly and without a crease as he tickled his nephew, came to mind. His bitter voice, wanting to be acknowledged by his brother even if he felt inferior, also came to mind. Cheon Sejoo finally swore quietly and lunged at Han Jonghyun, who was ahead. He grabbed him by the collar, dragged him into the dark alley, and shoved him against the wall.

“W-what, what…!”

A flustered Han Jonghyun stumbled, unable to regain his composure. Cheon Sejoo’s arm pressed firmly against his nape. A strong smell of tobacco and alcohol wafted from Han Jonghyun. There was even a faint scent of drugs from the Rabbit Hole. His suspicion that the symptoms he was showing were withdrawal symptoms was confirmed. Cheon Sejoo, his cap pulled low, calmly tilted his head and asked him.

“Where are you going?”

“You…”

“I asked where you’re going.”

Recognizing Cheon Sejoo, Han Jonghyun bit his lip at his low voice and rolled his eyes. His seemingly clean face was pale. His forehead, exposed beneath his swept-back hair, was covered in cold sweat. He certainly didn’t look like a normal person. It was a sign of drug addiction.

There were several clubs in Seoul distributing drugs. Cheon Sejoo didn’t know all of them, but he knew that crystal meth was distributed in Shin Jihan’s club, and lower-quality heroin in Kang Junmyeon’s room salon. If he was addicted to the drugs distributed in Kang Junmyeon’s room salon, it was very bad news. With Kang Junmyeon almost certainly confirmed as a traitor, frequenting his establishment was enough to cause misunderstanding.

However, there was still a very small chance that he had sided with Kang Junmyeon. Because he had no ability. And if he was addicted to drugs, he would be more desperate than anyone, so there was ample reason to suspect his betrayal.

Cheon Sejoo looked into his eyes and asked.

“What were you doing at the club last year?”

“What? What, what are you suddenly talking about?”

Han Jonghyun seemed flustered. Fortunately, he wasn’t in a state where conversation was impossible. Cheon Sejoo observed his condition and asked again.

“Late September last year. You encountered me at CEO Shin Jihan’s club in Cheongdam-dong, right? I’m asking why you were there that day.”

At the chilling question, Han Jonghyun didn’t answer immediately. He looked hesitant, not understanding the situation. But it wasn’t a situation to coax and soothe a drug addict, so Cheon Sejoo, without hesitation, pulled a switchblade from his pocket. As the sharp, gleaming blade appeared, Han Jonghyun turned pale and stammered.

“I-I… I don’t remember well. In late September, my birthday… was then. So maybe…”

“This January. Why did you take me to that restaurant? You remember the Japanese restaurant, right? The day you asked me about the city resort.”

Coincidentally, it was the day Shin Gyoyeon mentioned Kwon Sejin as a weakness. Cheon Sejoo recalled how he had suspected Han Jonghyun that day, only to dismiss him and drop his suspicions. Yes, once he thought about it, it wasn’t just once or twice that Han Jonghyun had seemed suspicious.

At Cheon Sejoo’s murderous gaze, Han Jonghyun raised his trembling hand to his chest. He forced a scared smile, trying to calm Cheon Sejoo, and then explained.

“That place, it’s just where I often… go. I went there a few times with Kim Donggil too, so you can confirm it if you ask him…. B-But what’s this now? You’re not suspecting me, are you?”

“Ihwagak in July.”

“Huh? Huh?”

“Answer me.”

Humans are creatures that scheme when they find an opening. Cheon Sejoo pressed the tip of his knife to Han Jonghyun’s throat before he could utter any nonsense. At his fierce demeanor, Han Jonghyun screamed with a terrified face and answered.

“Father! It was my father’s 80th birthday, we had a feast then! You saw it too. My sister-in-law and my niece…. Chief Cheon, please, please put this away…. Huh? Please….”

Cheon Sejoo stared at his face with cold eyes. Everything he said was something that couldn’t be immediately confirmed. He couldn’t tell if it was all a planned lie or an incredible coincidence.

He put away his switchblade for now and searched Han Jonghyun’s clothes. He took out his phone and wallet from Han Jonghyun’s pocket, who sighed as if relieved, and checked them. Han Jonghyun’s ID showed his birthday as September 25th. Cheon Sejoo confirmed it wasn’t forged and held the phone out to him.

“Unlock it. Do you have a payment history for that restaurant?”

“Wait… why are you doing this, anyway?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

This was something beyond Shin Gyoyeon’s intent. Unable to explain anything to Han Jonghyun, he ignored his question and held out the phone. At Cheon Sejoo’s oppressive attitude, Han Jonghyun nervously unlocked it. Cheon Sejoo immediately rummaged through his messages.

He went into the card payment message history and searched for the restaurant name he had visited, and several results popped up. It seemed his words about frequenting the place weren’t a lie, as there was even a record of a visit yesterday, making Cheon Sejoo sigh in relief. And finally, when asked to prove that he had his father’s 80th birthday feast at Ihwagak, Han Jonghyun hesitated, then opened his photo album.

After scrolling past a few photos of a large white-furred dog and some nude selfies, a picture of a feast in Ihwagak’s largest banquet hall appeared. It was a family photo centered around an old man in hanbok. Han Jonghyun, the child he had seen at the time, and the child’s mother were all in the picture. Cheon Sejoo confirmed that the photo was taken on the day he met Seok Yunhyeong and returned the phone to him.

Coincidence, every meeting was an astonishing coincidence. Han Jonghyun was innocent. Cheon Sejoo felt his sharply strung nerves relax considerably and stepped back from him. Then he scanned Han Jonghyun’s disheveled appearance before him with a cool gaze.

“Are you on heroin?”

His seemingly neat appearance was a mess up close. The top button of his shirt was undone, his tie was loosely tied, and his clothes smelled bad. Han Jonghyun couldn’t answer the question that confirmed him as an addict. He merely averted his gaze and ran a trembling hand through his hair.

“What, what is this….”

Han Jonghyun, who had sighed as if relieved, glanced at Cheon Sejoo. As he was about to speak to him as usual, Cheon Sejoo cut him off first. There was no time. The shorter the secret meeting, the better.

“You and I, we never met here.”

At his abrupt words, Han Jonghyun raised an eyebrow and retorted.

“What?”

Instead of elaborating, Cheon Sejoo pulled down his hat and looked at Han Jonghyun, preparing to leave the alley. He needed to confirm a bit more, but for now, his thoughts leaned towards him not being a traitor. Though they weren’t close, he sympathized with Han Jonghyun and didn’t want him to suffer unfairly at his hands due to a misunderstanding. Cheon Sejoo quickly warned him.

“Go home. Don’t loiter around here for a while.”

“Hey. What are you talking about?”

“I’ve warned you. Think carefully about what’s in this alley. You’re smart enough, aren’t you?”

At his cold tone, Han Jonghyun grimaced and shut his mouth. Leaving him, Cheon Sejoo immediately exited the alley. He heard a voice trying to stop him from behind, but pretending not to hear, he quickly walked away.

Again, Chae Beomjun’s words, “Don’t get close to Han Jonghyun,” came to mind, but it was already too late. He couldn’t ignore the blind sympathy he felt for him.

Cheon Sejoo, who had left the alley unseen by anyone, immediately went to the roadside and took out his phone. He was far behind schedule for his hospital visit, so he wondered if Sejin had contacted him.

Just as he held his phone, a call came in from Sejin. Cheon Sejoo checked the time, 7 PM, and gasped as he saw dozens of unread messages on his status bar. He immediately pressed the call button and held the speaker to his ear.

“Sejin-ah.”

……

There was no answer. Cheon Sejoo held the phone close to his ear, where only soft breathing could be heard, and quickened his pace. He had parked his car about a 10-minute walk away, so he walked towards it, calling Sejin’s name again.

“Kwon Sejin.”

Why, why aren’t you coming…

A tearful complaint made his heart sink. Cheon Sejoo started running without hesitation as soon as he heard that voice. While heading towards his destination, he listened to Sejin’s voice and asked.

“What’s wrong? Where are you? At the hospital?”

……

The cold wind brushed against his face. Cheon Sejoo ran without stopping, his hat pulled low. Sejin-ah, Kwon Sejin, don’t cry. Don’t cry, just wait a moment. I’m sorry, something came up. He spoke to Sejin in a gentle voice as if comforting him, and finally got into his car.

His breath was caught in his throat, and his throat, which had swallowed the winter air, hurt as if it were tearing, but Cheon Sejoo threw the switchblade he had hidden in his pocket onto the passenger seat and immediately started the engine. The call remained connected during this time, but Sejin was silent. However, through the intermittent shaky breaths, Cheon Sejoo instinctively knew he was crying.

He pictured Sejin’s silently crying face. His eyes were red-rimmed, his lips were bitten shut, and tears streamed down his face with a sorrowful expression. His chest throbbed with pain. It felt like his insides were burning. Something must have happened to Kim Hyunkyung. The situation he had dreaded had finally arrived. Cheon Sejoo tried to sound cheerful as he comforted him.

“I’ll be there soon. I’m in the car now. Don’t cry, just wait. Okay?”

Yes…

“I’m hanging up. I’ll be there very soon.”

Hearing Sejin’s “Okay,” Cheon Sejoo hung up.