Chapter 452:
In my past life, I didn’t have much to pretend to be weak. It was natural since he was a villain with a lot of weight, but the only time he was there was when he received related missions. Pretending to be a passerby or being caught on purpose to understand the movements of other forces…
Even those were just pretending to be ordinary people, so it was difficult to define them as ‘pretending to be weak’.
And today Jaeheon Lee found his aptitude.
“Are you very uncomfortable?”
“…no.”
“Then that’s a relief. “I wanted to have a lot of conversations with Jaeheon Lee today.”
“I don’t really want to share.”
“You didn’t come all the way here anyway?”
As he continued to express his refusal, his voice lowered his voice as if his stomach was upset. ‘Lee Jae-heon’, who is sensitive to other people’s feelings, frightenedly trembled and clasped his hands together. His gaze was kept far away from Sung Dae-young, but Sung Dae-young’s voice loosened as he pretended not to be watching the scene.
“Please join us since you have already visited us. “It’s rare for me to have someone who isn’t a customer visit my studio, so I’m really excited right now.”
“…is that so.”
Yeah, I look excited, man.
‘I’ve thought about it since last time, but I guess I have a talent for pretending to be weak.’
Jaeheon Lee laughed inwardly.
Even when he was in the secret world, he pretended to be weak several times to escape Ha Seong-yoon’s nagging and the main character’s dark gaze. At the time, I was so desperate for immediate peace that I didn’t know much about it, but Jaeheon Lee was definitely a good match for pretending to be weak.
That was a fact that could be seen just by looking at Seong Dae-young’s reaction.
“How are you today? Driver or taxi? Or…”
“I took my car out.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Look at that face. ‘Lee Jae-heon’ literally looked thrilled by the weakness he was trying to hide. Even though he had a normal smile on his face, he couldn’t hide his sense of superiority even from Lee Jae-heon, who was not inferior in looks.
“The studio is located quite inside, so the way there must have been complicated and inconvenient.”
“There was nothing complicated.”
“thank god. “I hope you will visit us often in the future.”
You’re saying something like ‘in the future’.
‘I won’t see you again from today, you bastard.’
For today, I burned Seong Dae-young’s sorrow several times. It started steadily before industry events and has come to this point through the collaboration of Lee Jae-heon and Song In-myeong. Seong Dae-young, who caught ‘Lee Jae-heon’ by chance, was very excited no matter how cautious he was.
And these guys always have accidents when they are in a good mood. Even if you just give an appropriate reason or excuse.
“…That…”
“Don’t you drink coffee? “It won’t taste bad.”
“…Yes, it smells good.”
“It’s not poisonous, but if you’re feeling uneasy, it’s okay not to drink it.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Seong Dae-young was trying quite hard to lighten Lee Jae-heon’s mood.
‘I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but do you want to imitate Song In-myeong?’
Although he hated Song In-myeong, he also felt inferior. Thanks to that, it was much easier for Lee Jae-heon to get here. Sung Dae-young seemed like he wanted to build a relationship where he could at least have a conversation like Song In-myeong and Lee Jae-heon.
So, his prudence may still be there….
“….”
‘Lee Jae-heon’ took a sip of coffee and massaged his neck and shoulders.
“…?”
Seong Dae-young narrowed his eyes as he looked at the part held in Lee Jae-heon’s hand.
“…It’s good coffee, thank you.”
“Oh yeah. you’re welcome.”
Even as he answered, Daeyoung Seong’s eyes were looking at the place where Jaeheon Lee’s hand had touched. It was similar to the act of lightly massaging one’s shoulders to relieve tension, but Seong Dae-young would have noticed that it was a different type of gesture. Because it was a hand gesture with nuance that was difficult to interpret.
Lee Jae-heon thought, still maintaining his dry, anxious expression.
‘Get caught quickly…’
Because of you, I kept quiet even when the shadow monster ripped off my back.
I had just cleaned up the wound right before I came, so I would soon smell blood.
* * *
“So, how recently have you known about the existence of the industry?”
“…Yeah, I guess. “I learned about it because of student Song In-myeong.”
“Usually you find out about someone through close connections through family or acquaintances, but it’s amazing. “Have you said anything to Lee Dang’s family?”
“As you know, I was treated like a non-existent family member, so there was no special interference.”
“Aha, that’s right…”
Daeyoung Seong was inwardly delighted at the pace of conversation that gradually became more natural.
‘It looks like the guard is still there, but there seems to be a will to have a conversation. I guess I was able to come to the studio because I had that in mind.’
Lee Jae-heon was still wary of Seong Dae-young. It was a natural reaction since the reason he was able to bring him to the studio in the first place was because he threatened Lee Jae-heon. Nevertheless, being able to have a calm, natural conversation was interpreted as indicating that the other person also had a certain level of will to improve.
Seong Dae-young looked at the half-empty cup.
‘I even drank coffee that I thought I would never touch.’
I wondered if I would have gotten on something if I had known this would happen, but I quickly put it away. Threatening Lee Jae-heon, whom I met by chance at the park, was too hasty. Any actions that crossed the line further should be refrained from doing so.
“How did you get to know student Song In-myeong?”
When Lee Jae-heon’s face hardened at the extremely sensitive question, Seong Dae-young laughed.
“I didn’t ask because I had any other intention. “Song In-myeong usually has a wide network of contacts, but Jae-heon Lee doesn’t seem to have any connections in that area, so I asked him about it.”
“…I just happened to meet you on the street.”
“That student doesn’t introduce you to the industry just because you met him.”
“….”
“Oh, I’m sorry if you were offended. “That was a very personal question, wasn’t it?”
At Daeyoung Seong’s words, Jaeheon Lee just looked away with an uncomfortable expression on his face. From that face, Seong Dae-young could be sure. It really seemed like this crazy bastard Song In-myeong was threatening the person in this party.
‘Did you say you ran into one while you were retrieving ingredients on the street?’
If so, it means that Lee Jae-heon is a person with a sacrificial spirit who enters an industry he is unwilling to enter for the sake of others. That’s great. Song In-myeong would be manipulating Lee Jae-heon as he pleases on the condition that he not kill or harass the hostages.
What does the hostage think of Lee Jae-heon right now? A lifesaver? It is said that he was so good that Song In-myeong was tempted, so he may be suffering from guilt. Lee Jae-heon is not a person who welcomes such feelings of guilt, so he must have comforted her several times.
‘…Then I guess I could be building a pretty good relationship with Lee Jae-heon.’
Just as I was thinking that, Jaeheon Lee asked.
“Are you staying here alone?”
“Um, right? “There are very few people who share their studio with other artists.”
“…Is there anyone who is not a writer?”
“ah.”
I felt like I knew what Jaeheon Lee was asking.
“Are you asking about the meeting I mentioned last time at the park?”
“….”
“You are really sincere. If you were asking about the materials I personally supply, unfortunately, I don’t have any at the moment. “It takes quite a while for writers like me to find materials.”
Lee Jae-heon looked a little relieved at those words. His face was still dry and stiff, but he was reacting like that simply because there were no victims to be killed by Seong Dae-young right away.
‘I guess I visited as quickly as possible because I was worried that someone would die.’
On the day he was threatened in the park, Lee Jae-heon announced to Seong Dae-young that he wanted to visit the studio. Seong Dae-young guessed that it was probably because he was worried about an unknown person dying in the studio while Lee Jae-heon was not visiting. I also planned to use this as an excuse to keep calling Jaeheon Lee.
‘Once I receive a request, I have to complete the work, but even after it’s completed, if I act as if the material isn’t dead, I think I’ll be able to maintain contact a little longer. There is no way for Lee Jae-heon, who has been completely pushed out of this party’s power, to find out that fact…’
Even if he knew, if he said, ‘You died because you didn’t visit often,’ a type of person like Lee Jae-heon would quickly fall apart. After that, wouldn’t he visit Daeyoung Sung’s studio often, even if obsessively? Unless he wants someone to die while he’s away.
However, I had no intention of continuing to threaten without compensation. Seong Dae-young took out the file he had prepared in advance and handed it to Lee Jae-heon.
“Would you like to take a look?”
“…? What is this.”
“This is a document regarding the source of materials for the product you purchased last time.”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon’s face was slightly embarrassed after receiving the file.
“…So, the person who killed…”
“Killed him.” “There is a difference between sublimating unremarkable materials into works of art and murder.”
“…okay.”
Jaeheon Lee bit his lip and opened the document.
“….”
It wasn’t a very thick document. Things like your name, your hometown, the job you worked at, or your background. In addition, in some ways, it was more like an information material that listed in detail why Seong Dae-young had chosen it as the material for his work.
Lee Jae-heon stared at the small number of letters for a long time.
“…Why are you doing this to me?”
“yes?”
Lee Jae-heon spoke as if he was gritting his teeth or as if he had no strength to cry and was spitting out his words.
“Why are you doing this? What is the reason for coming up to me, revealing your identity, handing me your business card, and now even telling me the name of the body I took away? “For what reason are you doing this?…”
His voice even trembled slightly at the end.
Lee Jae-heon was still not making eye contact with Seong Dae-young and was just looking at the documents. I looked closely to see if she was crying, but her face was still dry. With only a slight distortion, Lee Jae-heon expressed his dissatisfaction and anxiety.
“Even if I do this, I can’t do anything. There’s nothing you can do. What do you want? What do you want to see? “Even if you tell me this poor person’s name, I have no right to apologize to the rest of this woman’s family, and I have no way of delivering her body.”
“….”
“If I kneel down, it’s an example of receiving a request. Can you save that person? Can you just leave it alone? I won’t do that. “Killing and disintegrating people is your job, so no matter what I do, I’m not going to stop because I’m a useless person.”
Jaeheon Lee’s voice was quiet and calm. But finally, I felt the resignation and despair within it more vividly. Daeyoung Sung appreciated Lee Jae-heon’s dry scream as if he were appreciating a great opera.
Jaeheon Lee’s fingers holding the document were trembling.
“In the end, what on earth do you expect from me who can’t do anything properly? You all are looking for something from me so…”
“….”
‘You’.
“…Did student Song In-myeong mistreat Lee Jae-heon?”
“…You speak as if it is not you.”
“Well, isn’t this our third meeting today? At least I’m not the one who put Mr. Lee Jae-heon in such a corner. “Song In-myeong’s bad personality didn’t just happen for a day or two.”
Being tied up with the immature Song In-myeong and being criticized felt worse than I thought.
“I’m not sure if it’s related, but Song In-myeong found a doll? On the day of the event. “Her name was Jang Seo Ah…?”
“….”
“I know that Song In-myeong has no taste for playing with dolls. Nevertheless, purchasing a doll probably meant that there was an intention other than play. Jaeheon Lee even stopped by the department store with the doll that Song Inmyeong had bought.”
“…It’s not a doll. It’s not a doll, it’s just a child. “You are now engaging in human trafficking.”
“Student In-myeong Song seems to be handling Jae-heon Lee really well. hostage? Are hostages the best option? The reason I got involved with Song In-myeong to save a stranger I met on the street, and the reason he came to see me because he was worried that someone else might die today. In that case, there must have been Song In-myeong’s intention in purchasing that doll named Jang Seo-ah, right?”
“Please…”
“In exchange for Lee Jae-heon protecting that child, what did you give Song In-myeong in return?”
Seong Dae-young’s gaze landed on Lee Jae-heon’s shoulder.
“You touched my shoulder earlier.”
“….”
“I don’t think I meant to relieve tension… Why do I smell blood?”
Envy.
jealousy. Timing. Confidence.
And uplifting.
“I guess Song In-myeong hurt Lee Jae-heon.”
One writer made people of this party shed blood.
“Did no one help Jaeheon Lee?”
“….”
“No one?”
No one punished Song In-myeong.
So what about me?
(Continued in the next part)
