episode_0046

046

Anger.

Currently, Lee Siwoon is seething with anger.

Always maintaining a calm and indifferent attitude, Lee Siwoon was now revealing a subtle anger in this moment.

It wasn’t the fiery kind of anger that blazed like a fire, but rather a chilling resentment that settled quietly like the cold of the northern regions.

Even though he knew that anger wasn’t directed towards him, goosebumps rose on his skin and his hairs stood on end.

Since entering Union Academy, it seemed like the first time Lee Siwoon was showing such direct anger towards someone else.

“…I guess he’s quite upset because it’s related to Soyeon.”

Upon careful consideration, it was quite understandable.

Because Choi Changwon wasn’t just a simple stalker, but a truly despicable one.

Moreover, since Lee Siwoon had already seen the items Choi Changwon had, he could somewhat understand why he was reacting this way.

After all, Lee Siwoon had felt quite upset when he discovered the stolen items by Choi Changwon.

“Hey, hey, Siwoon, why are you suddenly so serious?”

As Lee Siwoon’s sharp eyes glared like a sharp sword, Choi Changwon stiffened his expression and nervously stammered.

Seeing Choi Changwon’s trembling lips, it seemed like he was quite flustered as well.

“Choi Changwon.”

“Y-yes.”

“I’ve already told you. You only have one chance to confess.”

“Hey, Siwoon…!”

Lee Siwoon seemed to have decided that saying more was a waste of time, as he shook his head slightly and began to subtly mention something we had discovered together.

“A photo.”

“What?”

“I found a photo on your phone.”

“My phone? Wait, when? W-what, a photo? You can’t be…!”

“Yeah, that’s right. There were quite a few on your phone.”

Choi Changwon’s face turned pale, and Lee Siwoon furrowed his brows momentarily, his voice cold as he hinted.

“Soyeon’s secretly taken photos.”

“Ugh.”

Soyeon’s secretly taken photos.

It wasn’t anything strange.

Just ordinary photos taken sneakily from various angles. If it wasn’t for the fact that they were secretly taken.

“I never knew you would do such a thing…”

Lee Siwoon trailed off and glanced at me discreetly.

“…If it weren’t for what Lee Jinhyuk mentioned.”

“Oh, no, it was just luck.”

I shrugged my shoulders and pursed my lips slowly.

“I’ve seen Choi Changwon looking like he was filming something before.”

Of course, it was a lie.

As Choi Changwon had been secretly filming a girl in the academy, he must have been quite cautious in his actions.

“At that time, I wasn’t sure if he was filming or just looking at his phone, so I didn’t pay much attention.”

Although I couldn’t know when Choi Changwon had secretly filmed Soyeon, I was certain that he had done so.

Because not only did I know the contents of the game in advance, but I had also used the employees of the fortune-telling agency recommended by Yoo Seolhyun to investigate Choi Changwon’s household.

“Come to think of it, Soyeon mentioned feeling a strange gaze recently. And she also said that some items were missing.”

The employees of the fortune-telling agency recommended by Yoo Seolhyun were quite competent.

I had entrusted them with the task during lunchtime, and in just a few hours, they had thoroughly searched Choi Changwon’s household, collected various pieces of evidence, and sent them to me after filming.

Choi Chang-won’s parents came home late at night, leaving the house empty, so the employees of the pawnshop were able to search the house somewhat safely.

In Choi Chang-won’s room, there were photos of So-yeon, printed out like a stalker that could appear in a subculture.

Damn.

To think that photos of So-yeon were pasted all over the room like a villain from a women’s game… I wondered if there was some strange obsession going on.

“There have been some incidents at So-yeon’s house recently, so I thought about it carefully, and you do seem a bit suspicious.”

I looked straight at Choi Chang-won, who was sweating nervously.

“You’ve been stealing glances at So-yeon lately, haven’t you?”

“Me? No way. Must have been a mistake.”

“Come on. The way you look at So-yeon was strange. Your feelings were odd. And when you broke your phone the other day, So-yeon seemed to be nearby.”

“Oh, that’s…”

Actually, I’m not sure if Choi Chang-won was stealing glances at her.

“So I kept an eye on you.”

When our eyes met, Choi Chang-won looked away.

“A few days ago, I saw you entering your phone password over your shoulder in the classroom. It was a four-digit number. So-yeon’s birthday. Isn’t that a bit creepy?”

Using a girl’s birthday as a phone password is chilling.

Even in the game, I thought, ‘Is this guy a psycho?’ But experiencing it in real life was beyond belief.

“I felt uneasy, so I talked to Lee Si-eun about it. I explained everything that happened so far and that you seemed suspicious.”

With a little exaggeration and some seasoning, I easily convinced Lee Si-eun.

“So we decided to check it out together.”

When Choi Chang-won plugged his phone into the classroom’s public charger, I led him out of the classroom for a moment.

Meanwhile, Lee Si-eun unlocked Choi Chang-won’s phone and looked through the album.

Soon, Lee Si-eun realized.

That Choi Chang-won was a voyeur.

“It was shocking. It wasn’t anything major, but to secretly take photos of So-yeon like that…”

“Wait a minute. I didn’t take those photos! I lent my phone to some kids a while back, and one of them must have put them in there. And the password was just a coincidence…”

“That’s nonsense.”

After that, things escalated quickly.

Once Lee Si-eun realized that Choi Chang-won was a voyeur, she didn’t hesitate anymore.

“So how are you going to explain this, Choi Chang-won?”

With a cold expression, Lee Si-eun subtly threatened him.

“I wanted to confront you right away, but then I remembered that So-yeon recently lost a few things. So just in case, I checked your drawer and bag…”

“Oh.”

“And this came out.”

Lee Si-eun showed a sports water bottle that could be easily held in one hand.

To an ordinary person, it would just be one of the many water bottles available in stores. But Choi Chang-won’s face turned pale.

Because that was the water bottle Choi Chang-won had stolen.

From So-yeon.

Stealing a water bottle that a girl had used… Damn. That’s just disgusting.

“It’s the water bottle So-yeon lost during training.”

“Uh, well, that’s…”

Judging by the trembling of Choi Chang-won’s eyes, he seemed genuinely surprised.

“This water bottle. It was found in your drawer. How do you explain this?”

“My, my drawer? No, that can’t be.”

In that moment, Choi Changwon’s lips trembled in confusion.

It was no wonder, as the water bottle was originally hidden in a box in the living room, not Choi Changwon’s drawer.

I had secretly hidden the evidence I gathered from the Heungshin Company employees in Choi Changwon’s drawer, so that Lee Siwoon could find it.

“When I asked Soyeon, she confirmed that the water bottle was hers. Even if it’s the same product, there are traces of daily use that distinguish it.”

“Why, why is that water bottle in my drawer…?”

Lee Siwoon’s words about a cherished item hidden in the drawer unexpectedly being discovered must have been quite shocking, but in the current situation, there was no room for excuses.

He couldn’t possibly say, ‘Actually, I hid that in the house! It shouldn’t be in the drawer! Did you guys bring it from my house?!’ as it would reveal himself as the culprit.

“If you had not intentionally instigated Kang Yujung to harass Soyeon, it’s hard to understand.”

At that time, Lee Siwoon would not have been able to comprehend Choi Changwon’s motives for instigating Kang Yujung until he found the notes Choi Changwon had written.

“When we learned all these facts, Jinhyuk and I discussed what to do with you.”

Lee Siwoon glanced at me briefly before continuing.

“We debated whether to report to the police or inform the academy.”

“Ugh.”

“But we also thought that there might be more of the photos you took secretly or items Soyeon used in the house, and that you might leak Soyeon’s belongings in the future… So Jinhyuk and I decided to search your house.”

“What? Y-You’re going to search our house!”

Persuading Lee Siwoon regarding the unauthorized entry was easier than expected.

Of course, as the head of security, Lee Siwoon would have been quite reluctant to engage in illegal activities, but the situation was already at the point where the covertly taken photos and water bottle were secured.

In other words, Choi Changwon was a pervert who secretly stole items used by Soyeon and even secretly filmed her.

How many more items and photos related to Soyeon were still hidden in Choi Changwon’s house was unknown.

A stalker secretly holding items of a woman he liked?

How would Choi Changwon use (?) those items?

It must have been quite unbearable for Lee Siwoon.

Furthermore, when I subtly approached and asked, ‘Did you print out photos of Soyeon like the stalker in the news and stick them on the wall?’ or ‘Soyeon’s handkerchief went missing, could it be him?’ Lee Siwoon… was easily persuaded.

“Choi Changwon. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. There were pictures printed in the room, and Soyeon’s lost pen, eraser, handkerchief, hairpin, and so on were stuck there.”

“Uh, no, well, if this is what happened….”

“I didn’t touch them much because I was afraid you might notice if the pictures and items disappeared all at once.”

Ishiwoon slowly turned his gaze towards the window, in the direction of Choi Changwon’s house.

“Of course, by now, the people I sent should be collecting Soyeon’s belongings.”

He turned his gaze back to Choi Changwon.

“I only took this at that time.”

He showed Choi Changwon a thick notebook. It was nothing less than Choi Changwon’s diary. It contained raw emotions and thoughts of Choi Changwon.

“Did you write this?”

“….”

“Everything you think about Soyeon and the plans you have are all written in this notebook. Even the intention to use Kang Yoojung or other kids.”

“….”

“If I had left you alone, you would have continued to secretly harass Soyeon using other kids or spreading rumors. And while helping and comforting Soyeon on the surface, you would slowly build a relationship.”

“….”

“Harassing someone you like and helping them… It’s really unbelievable, Choi Changwon.”

“….”

Ignoring Ishiwoon’s words, Choi Changwon just sealed his lips.

He didn’t panic anymore, didn’t make excuses, and didn’t come up with any excuses.

It seemed that he had realized that it was impossible to convince us now that so much evidence had come out.

“So, Choi Changwon, do you have any more excuses?”

“Excuses…? Damn, what the hell excuses?”

Choi Changwon, who started to reveal his true colors with a sinister expression.

“So, this is why you called me today, you bastards.”

“Choi Changwon.”

“Damn it! What!”

He stood up from his seat, making a threatening noise and glaring at them.

“Who the hell are you! Lee Jinhyuk, you’re still hanging around Soyeon even though you broke up with her!”

This time, he glared at Ishiwoon.

“Ishiwoon! Why Soyeon! You have a lot of money, good abilities, and a nice house! There are plenty of girls chasing after you, so why Soyeon!”

“Changwon.”

“I did it! So what are you going to do about it, you bastards! You all brought these things illegally, aren’t you scared to submit them as evidence? If I just get rid of all these things…!”

Choi Changwon, who seemed to be trying to get rid of the evidence, could only stiffen his body between the windows.

“Changwon, Choi Changwon.”

It wasn’t my voice or Ishiwoon’s voice.

Choi Changwon’s expression crumpled like a piece of paper when he realized that fact.

For Choi Changwon, this voice must have been the voice of a person he both loved and feared so much.

A person who should never be here.

“S-Soyeon….”

Jin Soyeon, who had quietly entered the room and was waiting, now came out and looked at Choi Changwon with a slightly sad gaze.

“W-What? S-Soyeon, you were here too…?”

“Changwon, I want to hear it from your own mouth.”

Jin Soyeon said.

“About Kang Yoojung and these items.”

With a shadowed expression and a low voice, she asked.

“….Did you really do all of this?”

In an instant, Choi Changwon’s face contorted mercilessly.