Chapter 8
Ha… ha…
Seobin gasped for air.
Her vision was blurry and her legs trembled, but a firm arm supported her back.
She never wanted to lean on Sa-hyuk of all people.
But she had no choice.
Right now, he was the only one holding her up.
“Let’s go.”
As Sa-hyuk guided her, she nodded weakly and turned.
Behind them, Jang Jaegun groaned and staggered to his feet.
He looked back and forth between the two of them, then twisted his lips into a crooked smile. The sharp smell of alcohol still clung to him.
“Fuck… what is this? You came with Kim Sa-hyuk? Wow, this is hilarious. What, are you two together?”
“If you knew that, you should’ve thought twice before picking a fight.”
Sa-hyuk’s face was as cold as ice.
If he had acted on impulse, he would’ve beaten Jaegun until he couldn’t even open his filthy mouth again.
But he couldn’t.
There was still too much left to do.
He just hoped tonight would end as nothing more than a drunken scuffle.
Unfortunately, Jaegun didn’t know where to stop.
“Didn’t you get investigated too, Kim Sa-hyuk? When did Bae Seohyun die?”
At her sister’s name, Seobin’s shoulders trembled.
Sa-hyuk tightened his hold on her and answered calmly.
“I did. Cleared of charges. Just like you.”
“Yeah, cleared. Heh. Being accused of murder back then was fucking unfair.”
Jaegun’s laughter echoed down the hallway, growing stranger the longer it went on.
Mina tried to calm him down, but he only cursed her away.
Then Jaegun glared at Seobin again.
“But this is bullshit. Let’s be real. Noble stepped in and buried that case, didn’t they? That great chairman of Noble Group even came to the school and bowed to the foundation chairman. My dad saw it.”
His words cut deeper than his hands had.
It hurt more than when he choked her.
She wanted to leave.
But before she could speak, Sa-hyuk stepped forward.
“Enough.”
“But wow… Bae Seobin, you’ve got guts. Or were you always easy? If that’s the case, maybe I should’ve—”
Thud.
Jaegun flew backward again.
Mina screamed and rushed to him.
“Oppa! I told you to stop!”
Despite her cries, Jaegun pushed himself up once more.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
When he wiped it and saw the red on his hand, his eyes rolled with rage.
“You fucking bastard! I never liked you, Kim Sa-hyuk! You arrogant murderer!”
He lunged blindly, throwing a punch.
Sa-hyuk shoved him against the opposite wall and pressed his forearm against Jaegun’s throat.
“Know your limits. I don’t know how much longer I can hold back.”
“Cough… let… go…”
Jaegun’s muscular body was useless under Sa-hyuk’s strength.
He was drunk.
And Sa-hyuk was taller, broader, and stronger.
With an emotionless gaze, Sa-hyuk tightened the pressure.
Mina, her eyeliner smeared into dark circles, panicked and screamed.
People began gathering.
Seobin still struggled to breathe.
“This is your last warning, Jaegun. Touch her again and I might actually kill you.”
Jaegun wheezed, veins bulging in his neck.
More and more people crowded the hallway.
That was when Seobin stepped forward.
“S-Stop…”
She grabbed the edge of Sa-hyuk’s shirt and whispered.
Her fingers trembled.
She felt the eyes of the crowd on them.
But this had to stop.
She had only just taken her first step toward uncovering her sister’s death.
She couldn’t ruin it now.
She gripped his shirt tighter.
“Stop it!”
At her words, Sa-hyuk released Jaegun.
“That’s enough. People are watching…”
If this goes further, we’ll both be in trouble.
And I’ll lose the chance I barely got.
She couldn’t say that out loud.
Sa-hyuk looked down at her for a moment, then sighed and stepped back.
Jaegun collapsed, coughing.
“Oppa! Are you okay? I’m calling the police!”
Mina shrieked.
And then—
“Well, well. “Isn’t that Sa-hyuk
Through the crowd, Yoo Inha appeared.
Unlike the flashy guests dressed like this was a club, Yoo Inha wore a clean, elegant suit befitting the host.
“Inha! This bastard just assaulted me!”
Jaegun clung to him like a child running to a teacher.
Yoo Inha barely listened.
His gaze slid past Sa-hyuk and landed on Seobin.
“…Hmm. That’s an unexpected combination.”
A strange smile formed on his lips.
“Inha, listen to me! Kim Sa-hyuk—”
“Jaegun.”
Yoo Inha raised a hand and leaned close to Jaegun’s ear.
Still smiling gently, he whispered,
“If you got your ass kicked, have some shame and get lost, you idiot. Before I call security to drag you out.”
His tone was calm.
But the coldness in his eyes made Jaegun falter.
“…O-Okay.”
Anger flashed across Jaegun’s face again, but the pain in his stomach reminded him who had hit him.
“Sunoh, help Jaegun out.”
“Sure.”
From the crowd stepped Kim Sunoh.
The fourth suspect in Seohyun’s death.
As Sunoh approached, Seobin’s gaze locked onto him.
Their eyes met for a brief second.
Her heart dropped.
Kim Sa-hyuk.
Yoo Inha.
Jang Jaegun.
Kim Sunoh.
The four suspects.
All in one place.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
So this is how it is.
They had always been connected.
Just like eight years ago.
In their world.
Covering for each other.
Protecting each other’s mistakes.
Strengthening their bonds through secrets.
And I’ve found nothing all this time.
She had gone to police stations.
Prosecutors’ offices.
Newsrooms.
Begging for reinvestigation.
Pointing out suspicious details.
Saying the suspects used their power to manipulate the case.
What she received was indifference.
And mockery.
If that were all, maybe she wouldn’t have broken this badly.
Her efforts had always ended in ridicule.
A low-level cop is asking for money to help reopen the case.
A former reporter lured her to a motel, claiming he had evidence.
The world was always cruel to the weak.
She bit her lower lip, then released it.
Her eyes were calm now.
After years of injustice turning into resentment and resentment into helplessness, only one feeling remained.
Revenge.
I lost my sister.
Shouldn’t they lose something precious too?
In that sense, coming here to probe the tension between Kim Sa-hyuk and Yoo Inha and instead meeting all four suspects—
Maybe this was an opportunity given by fate.
A cold smile slowly spread across her face.
