#115.

Lee Han’s eyes twitched slightly. The name Park Jun-ho flashed through his mind, leaving an unpleasant feeling. The relationship with Im Ha-yoon, those secret glances and touches… it was an ominous sign. Lee Han’s fingers unconsciously tapped on the desk. The sound echoed in the silent office, strangely matching his anxious heartbeat.

‘Chairman Park’s reaction is also strange…’ His brow furrowed deeply. Chairman Park’s indifferent attitude towards getting involved with the police was unexpected. Lee Han bit his lip. He tasted a faint metallic taste on the tip of his tongue. No matter how big the company, getting entangled with the police was a dangerous thing. It was a reaction too far removed from the logic of the world he knew.

Chairman Park’s cold voice flashed before Lee Han’s eyes. The sly smile on that seasoned face, and the calculated malice hidden behind it. A cold shiver ran down Lee Han’s spine.

Complex thoughts swirled in his head. Like a giant monster rising from the depths of a dark sea, an ominous premonition washed over his consciousness. Lee Han’s breathing gradually quickened. Cold sweat beaded on his palms.

‘This isn’t a simple problem.’ Lee Han took a deep breath. The faint scent of coffee in the air brushed his nose. The familiar scent pulled him back to reality.

Lee Han’s gaze turned to the window. The apartment complex sparkling in the sunlight came into view. He instinctively sensed the reality of the darkness hidden behind that peaceful scenery. It was clear that there was a larger stake, a deeper conspiracy lurking.

The appearance of Park Jun-ho as soon as Im Ha-yoon appeared in the complex was strongly imprinted on Lee Han’s mind. The way he approached Im Ha-yoon, the subtle tension between them… everything seemed so familiar. Like actors moving along a well-written script.

A corner of Lee Han’s heart ached heavily. His fingers unconsciously fiddled with his shirt button. Cold sweat trickled down his neck.

His eyes shone sharply. His pupils dilated, and a dangerous determination settled within them. He realized that he had now become a piece of this dangerous game. There was no place to retreat. Only the path forward remained. The muscles in his jaw twitched convulsively.

‘I should say I’m pissed…’ He chuckled, but there was a bitter taste in his laughter. The sneer on his lips quickly disappeared, and instead, a cold chill covered his face.

Lee Han’s gaze turned to the window. His pupils trembled slightly as he stared at the apartment complex in the distance. The glass windows sparkling in the sunlight, the countless secrets hidden behind them, filled his vision.

A new plan began to form in his head. Complex thoughts swirled, converging into one clear goal. Im Ha-yoon, an outsider to this complex. He had to find out more about her.

Lee Han’s fingers slowly tapped on the desk. The rhythm seemed to synchronize with his heartbeat. His eyes grew sharper, and a cold breath escaped from between his lips.

—

Im Ha-yoon’s fingers moved busily over the keyboard. The look in her eyes reflected on the monitor screen was sharp. Under the fluorescent lights of the office, her face looked pale, and tension lingered on her tightly closed lips.

“Hoo…” With a long sigh, Im Ha-yoon saved the final report. Her gaze turned to the stack of documents piled on one side of her desk. They were apartment-related case files. Her fingers lightly brushed the edge of the documents. A slight shiver ran down her spine at the cold touch of the paper.

Im Ha-yoon quietly got up and began putting the documents in her bag. At that moment, a familiar scent of perfume brushed her nose. Her movements paused for a moment.

“How about… the two of us having dinner separately tonight?” Park Jun-ho’s low voice was heard whispering in her ear.

Im Ha-yoon’s fingers clenched and unclenched the documents. Her heart began to beat irregularly. When she raised her head, she met Park Jun-ho’s eyes. The secret desire in his eyes washed over her.

“Park Seonbae-nim…” Im Ha-yoon’s voice trembled. Her reason screamed for her to refuse, but her body was already reacting to his body temperature.

Park Jun-ho’s hand gently touched Im Ha-yoon’s shoulder. At that moment, the image of the apartment complex flashed before Im Ha-yoon’s eyes. The cases to be investigated, the truths to be revealed…

Im Ha-yoon took a deep breath. Her eyes wavered. Her heart conflicted between a sense of duty and desire.

“What should we do?” Park Jun-ho’s voice tickled her ear again.

Im Ha-yoon closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. Her lips trembled slightly. “…Okay, Seonbae-nim. Where should we go?”

A faint smile spread across Park Jun-ho’s lips. “I know a good place.”

Im Ha-yoon slowly nodded. Her hand tightly gripped the documents in her bag. Tonight, she had to fight another war. But that war seemed to be starting in a different place than expected.

The two left the office side by side. Im Ha-yoon’s steps still faltered, but this time for a different reason. Complex emotions crossed her eyes. Desire, guilt, and perhaps even a faint sense of anticipation.

—

The cold air of dawn tickled Im Ha-yoon’s bare skin. Her eyelids slowly opened. The space next to her in bed was already cold. Only Park Jun-ho’s scent remained faintly, proving his existence.

Im Ha-yoon slowly raised herself up. Her head throbbed. Memories of last night flashed like fragments. Dinner, a light beer, and… She let out a deep sigh.

“It ended up like this again.”

Her voice was filled with self-reproach and regret. Im Ha-yoon covered her face with a heavy hand. At first, he was just a handsome and eloquent Seonbae-nim. By the time she found out he was married, it was already too late.

“He said she was a doctor… that person.”

A corner of her heart ached when she thought of Park Jun-ho’s wife. A capable woman from a good family. A person from a world so different from her own.

Im Ha-yoon’s fingers gripped the sheet tightly. How many times had she tried to break off the relationship? But all her resolutions were shattered by his sweet words.

“I’m such an idiot…”

She gritted her teeth. Something hot welled up in her eyes. But there was no time to cry. Im Ha-yoon struggled to get up.

“I need to shower… and go to work.”

Her steps headed to the bathroom. While the cold water wet her face, Im Ha-yoon resolved to become stronger again. But her eyes were still full of anxiety and confusion. Her reflection in the mirror was smiling emptily. Im Ha-yoon turned away from the sight and turned on the shower.

—

Im Ha-yoon’s fingers meticulously scanned the documents. Documents related to the apartment incident were piled up like a mountain on her desk. Her sharp eyes greedily followed the letters on the paper.

Highlighting important parts with a highlighter, Im Ha-yoon bit her lip. The Post-it notes attached to various parts of the documents fluttered in the subtle airflow. The pieces of the case slowly began to fit together in her head.

Im Ha-yoon let out a deep sigh and leaned back in her chair. She rubbed her eyes with her hands and took a short break. Then, with a thought that suddenly crossed her mind, she leaned forward again.

She quickly pulled out a specific document from the pile of documents. Her eyes widened. She followed the line with her finger and muttered.

“There were no major incidents for 1-2 years… and then suddenly, as soon as the caretaker position became available, there was a call to the counseling center…”

Im Ha-yoon’s brow furrowed deeply. It was too strange to be a coincidence. She put a pen in her mouth and pondered. Her intuition whispered to her. This is definitely not a simple coincidence.

Her brow furrowed. It was too bizarre to be a coincidence. Im Ha-yoon bit her lip. Her intuition whispered to her. This is definitely a case.

‘Lee Han… I need to investigate him more.’

But the wall of reality was high. There was no way to investigate him through legal means. Im Ha-yoon sighed.

With a determined expression, she got up from her seat. She was thinking of going to the apartment and meeting Lee Han again. At that moment, the team leader’s sharp voice was heard.

“Im Ha-yoon! Where are you going?”

Im Ha-yoon was startled. The team leader’s face was full of annoyance.

“Stop leaving your seat and take care of the pending cases. That’s your job.”

Im Ha-yoon bit her lip. But she soon answered calmly. “I’ve already taken care of all the pending work, Team Leader-nim. I’ll be back soon.”

Her voice was firm. Before the team leader could say anything, Im Ha-yoon quickly left the office.

—

Lee Han’s fingers moved quickly over the keyboard. The look in his eyes reflected on the monitor screen was sharp. He tried to find information about Im Ha-yoon, but his expression gradually hardened.

“Tsk,” Lee Han clicked his tongue. Information about Im Ha-yoon, who was not an apartment resident, was as vague and elusive as groping through the fog. There was almost no trace of her in the databases he could access.

“As expected, outsiders aren’t easy,” Lee Han let out a deep sigh. He couldn’t peek into Im Ha-yoon’s private life with the CCTV inside the apartment or the entry and exit records. Her daily life was beyond these concrete walls, out of his reach.

Lee Han glared at the monitor. All he had found out about Im Ha-yoon was that she was a police officer and that she had visited the apartment a few times. Beyond that, the information was blank, like a blank sheet of paper.

Lee Han’s gaze turned to the folder icon on one side of the monitor screen. A folder labeled ‘Park Jun-ho’ caught his eye. The mouse cursor hovered over the folder for a moment before double-clicking. A cynical smile spread across his lips.

A new window opened, filling the screen with Park Jun-ho’s apartment entry and exit records. Lee Han scrolled down, carefully examining the data organized by date. A recurring pattern caught his eye.

CCTV video files opened with the sound of a mouse click. Park Jun-ho’s appearance was captured in the screen every weekend. But the woman with him was different every time. In some videos, a woman with long straight hair, and in other videos, a woman with bobbed hair. The faces were blurry, but the image of them in Park Jun-ho’s arms was clear.

Lee Han’s eyes shone coldly. He flipped through the videos one by one, as if he were watching a scene from a movie. Women changing every week, and Park Jun-ho’s unchangingly sly smile.

“A weekend couple… must be nice.” Lee Han’s voice was filled with ridicule. His finger pointed to Park Jun-ho’s face in the monitor. “So, you’ve been enjoying yourself like this.”

Lee Han’s fingers quickly tapped on the keyboard. Past CCTV videos flashed quickly on the monitor. His eyes shone sharply. Park Jun-ho’s appearance was captured in several scenes. Secret meetings with Aryong Group officials, suspicious document transfers in the parking lot…

Lee Han bit his lip. The moment he saw these videos, he realized that he had now crossed a point of no return. The moment he learned the secrets of the Aryong Group, he too had become a piece of this huge conspiracy.

“Looks like he’s become Aryong Group’s dog.” Lee Han’s voice was filled with a bitter laugh. “Handling the practical work… taking orders from above… no different from me.”

Puzzle pieces began to fit together in his head. The relationship between Im Ha-yoon and Park Jun-ho, and the apartment incident. Everything seemed to be connected.

“The reason he seduced Im Ha-yoon… is probably because of the case.” Lee Han muttered. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes. Now that he knew this secret, he was in the same boat as Park Jun-ho.

Lee Han let out a deep sigh. His fingers lightly tapped the monitor screen. “Now we’re in the same boat. Park Jun-ho, me, and the Aryong Group…”

Lee Han’s eyes shone dangerously. A new plan was already forming in his head. A game board centered on Park Jun-ho and Im Ha-yoon unfolded before his eyes.

“In the same boat?” Lee Han muttered mockingly. “Yeah, we’re in the same boat. But who will be the captain is another matter.”

His fingers slowly scanned over Park Jun-ho’s video. That unlucky smile, arrogant attitude, and hidden meanness. All of this made Lee Han’s insides twist.

“How should I fuck with you…” A cold smile spread across Lee Han’s lips.

His gaze shifted to Im Ha-yoon’s photo. His eyes flashed for a moment. “Yeah… I can use Im Ha-yoon.”

Lee Han’s eyes moved back and forth between the photos of Park Jun-ho and Im Ha-yoon on the monitor screen. A subtle smile spread across his lips. He rubbed his chin with his fingers and fell into deep thought.

Lee Han leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes slightly. A complex chessboard seemed to unfold in his head. Park Jun-ho and Im Ha-yoon, two pieces, were dancing on that board.

Lee Han, who slowly opened his eyes, turned his gaze back to the screen. His fingers lightly tapped on the keyboard. The rhythmic sound was like keeping time with the plan.

“Balance…” he muttered. “Everything is balance.”

Lee Han got up from his seat. He walked to the window and looked outside. The apartment complex came into view at a glance. Everything seemed to be seen as small pieces in his eyes.

A subtle confidence was evident in his expression as he turned around. The sound of footsteps approaching, step by step, was as precise as the sound of a clock ticking.

Lee Han, who was standing in front of the computer again, picked up the mouse. A new file opened with the sound of a click. His eyes shone coldly.