Chapter 3
Even after Sa-hyuk left, the newsroom of Sanghyeon Daily kept buzzing about him.
“Wasn’t he seriously handsome? Better than most celebrities.”
“Right? I never thought I’d become a fan of an executive director in my life. Can I tag along next time you cover Noble Group?”
At the excited reactions of the college intern reporters, Gong Subyo said dryly to Woo Jihyun,
“Isn’t this shallow lookism exactly what’s ruining our society, sunbae? One day I’m going to do an in-depth exposé on appearance-based discrimination.”
“Perfect. Start with a survey comparing Kim Sa-hyuk and Gong Subyo.”
“Sunbae!”
Woo Jihyun smirked at Gong Subyo’s wounded shout.
“Alright, you’ll be seeing that handsome face often from now on, so interns, go home happy. As for Bae Seobin and Gong Subyo… unfortunately, we’ll have to send you to the Economy & Industry desk. Since you already know the source, the coverage shouldn’t be too hard.”
Seobin, who had been sitting blankly ever since she was suddenly assigned to cover Noble Group, snapped back to her senses.
It was Gong Subyo who made her anxiety worse.
“Exactly. If they’re sponsoring the forum, we’ll be stuck together for the next three months. And if you get the wrong source, it’s torture!”
Three months. Stuck together?
“I—I’ll step out for a moment!”
Seobin shot up from her seat and rushed out of the newsroom.
Kim Sa-hyuk was one of the suspects connected to her sister’s death.
How could she sit across from him, talk to him, and write promotional articles about his company? For three whole months?
Unless she was digging into Noble Group’s corruption to use him.
Otherwise, it was impossible.
Without thinking, she took the emergency stairs down to Basement Level 2 and headed straight for the parking garage.
A black sedan about to leave caught her eye. She instinctively knew Sa-hyuk was inside and started running.
But the engine was already on, and the car was gliding out of the garage.
“Wait!”
She ran at full speed after it, but the car disappeared from sight.
Seobin stopped in the middle of the garage, hands on her knees, gasping.
“Ha…”
She let out a hollow breath and turned around.
“Why kick away a good opportunity?”
A figure emerged from the opposite side of the parking area, where the reporting vehicles were lined up.
Gu Bonghwan.
His worn-out T-shirt hung loose at the collar, and under his old cotton pants, his toes stuck out through his sandals.
“Sunbae… why are you… here…”
While Seobin stammered in confusion, Gu Bonghwan walked calmly across the garage.
“Weren’t you trying to catch a big case? Then why are you running away?”
His voice was indifferent.
“I’m in Social Affairs…”
“You want to dig into Sarim’s corruption from Social Affairs.”
“M-Me?”
Seobin lowered her trembling gaze, searching for an excuse.
“You contacted Assemblyman Yoo Seokgi’s office aide. Met a junior staff member in Sarim Foundation’s general affairs team. Checked real estate registry records for Sarim Foundation. All pointless so far.”
As he listed the things she had secretly done during her probation, using her position as a reporter, Seobin’s face stiffened.
“Don’t look so shocked. I don’t care what you do anyway. If you’re going to do it, do it properly.”
He turned as if to leave toward the elevator.
“Sunbae, wait.”
He was right. Everything she had done so far had led nowhere.
So she had no choice but to grab onto any straw she could.
“What should I do?”
“What’s your goal?”
If she said she wanted to uncover the truth behind her sister’s death, what would he say?
But she couldn’t be honest.
“I want to expose the corruption of Assemblyman Yoo Seokgi’s family and the Sarim Foundation. I want to uncover the full truth behind every incident related to Sarim.”
Gu Bonghwan frowned, as if hearing something dull and predictable.
“Why?”
“To expose the deep-rooted collusion between politics and business in Korean society—”
Her voice faltered. It sounded convincing, but it wasn’t her real reason. And she knew empty words wouldn’t persuade the man in front of her.
“I want to become a famous reporter.”
He let out a short laugh. It sounded mocking, yet not entirely so.
He pushed up his rimless glasses with his middle finger and studied her.
“That’s fresh.”
Encouraged, Seobin pressed on.
“What should I do? Please help me, sunbae.”
If she could find even a clue to clear her sister’s name, she was ready to work with anyone and endure anything.
“Get close to Kim Sa-hyuk. Closely.”
The answer was the one she dreaded most.
“What? I don’t understand. If we’re digging into Noble Group, that’s different, but…”
“That’s exactly it. Get close. Assemblyman Yoo Seokgi’s son and Kim Sa-hyuk were classmates. Both were swimmers. Top one percent elite. They share connections in politics and business.”
“I… see.”
How did he know that?
She knew he had covered Sarim Foundation for years, but she hadn’t expected him to know the relationships among their children too.
How much did he know? Did he have information that could help her?
Her thoughts raced.
“You have to go inside their world yourself. See and hear things firsthand. You never know what might turn up. Maybe nothing. Maybe something big enough to shake the country. That part depends on your luck.”
Seobin bit her lip.
“But…”
“If you want to catch a tiger, you have to enter the tiger’s den.”
Leaving her standing there, Gu Bonghwan walked away.
Seobin stood frozen for a long time.
****
“This way, please.”
The neatly dressed hotel manager led Seobin to the top floor of Hotel Meridian, where Sa-hyuk was staying.
Since returning from the United States, Sa-hyuk had not gone back to his family home. Instead, he was living in a hotel owned by his maternal uncle.
Chairman Kim Hu-yong disliked this, but for now he was simply satisfied that his son, who had lived as if cut off from the family, had returned to Korea.
Adjusting the strap of her plain black shoulder bag, Seobin followed the manager with steady steps.
The hallway on the 21st floor, where the Royal Suite was located, resembled an art gallery. Paintings worth thousands to hundreds of millions lined the walls.
When they reached a double door, the manager used a key card. An automatic door slid open, revealing a heavy wooden door behind it.
“You may wait in the sitting room inside.”
“Thank you.”
Seobin bowed lightly. The manager returned the gesture and left.
Standing before the massive door carved with geometric patterns, she felt a heavy pressure weighing down on her.
She took a deliberate deep breath and turned the handle.
Click.
The door opened.
Step by step, she entered Sa-hyuk’s space.
“…”
After walking down a long hallway, she reached the sitting room and almost gasped.
The sunset over Seoul stretched out before her.
The long shadow of the summer sun slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows like a painting.
The Han River flowed slowly, while the busy city lay below in silent contrast.
Drawn in, Seobin stepped closer to the window, where the orange light rippled across the white marble floor.
It reminded her of the swimming pool that had swallowed her sister that summer—and nearly swallowed her too.
Bae Seobin. Get a grip.
Please… please.
I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I’ll fix this no matter what. Just don’t go like this. Seobin, please…
The muffled voice she had heard while sinking underwater echoed in her ears.
She still didn’t know if it had been real or imagined.
“Do you like it?”
Startled by the voice behind her, Seobin snapped back to reality.
She turned.
Sa-hyuk stood leaning casually against a bookshelf that covered one wall. He wore a black bathrobe.
His hair was damp, as if he had just showered, and his lazy smile made his lips look even redder.
He poured whiskey into a glass and dropped onto the sofa.
Then he gestured toward her with his chin.
Every movement of his seemed to flow in slow motion.
“Sit.”
His casual tone made Seobin’s expression stiffen further.
She sat diagonally across from him, took out her reporter’s notebook, pen, and phone, and placed her phone on the table after turning on the recording app.
“I’ll be recording this interview.”
“That won’t work.”
Leaning back against the black leather sofa, Sa-hyuk looked at her sideways.
“I informed Chief Hwang in advance.”
With a lazy smile, Sa-hyuk picked up her phone.
And right in front of her, he turned it off.
Seobin’s eyes turned icy.
“What are you doing?”
“You said you wanted an interview.”
He raised an eyebrow, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and closing the distance between them.
Through the open bathrobe, the firm lines of his muscles were visible.
“Let’s do the interview.”
