PSY CH 16

His face, already pale by nature, was now completely drained of color. Uneven breaths slipped through his slightly parted lips. Caught in a situation that felt like a sudden disaster, Jooyoung was deeply bewildered.

“…Maybe you’re mistaken?” 

Isn’t it rare to remember exactly how much cash is in your wallet? Jooyoung thought maybe Dohyun had misremembered the amount. 

“If you used some cash and forgot…” 

But instead of replying, Dohyun pulled out a receipt from the wallet and tossed it over. It was a bank statement.

“I withdrew the money and lost the wallet right after—how could I be mistaken?”

Jooyoung stared blankly at the amount and time written on the statement. He didn’t seem to be lying. But Jooyoung truly hadn’t touched anything inside…

“…”

Jooyoung’s throat bobbed once. The hesitation didn’t last long. Clack— He opened the cash drawer wide.

“You said twenty thousand won was missing, right?” 

With a blank expression, Jooyoung neatly pulled out bills from the drawer. He counted out exactly 200,000 won and placed them in the basket

“I didn’t touch it. I don’t know why the money’s missing, but…”

“…”

“Since I did make you uncomfortable, I’ll just give it to you.”

Dohyun looked at the money in the basket, then lifted his hand from the window frame. He stepped back and slowly ran a hand down his jaw. 

“Then that’s solved, right?” 

Jooyoung pushed the basket toward him, signaling for him to take it.

“Take it.”

But Dohyun seemed to think differently.

“What exactly is ‘solved’?”

“…What?”

“You said you don’t know about the wallet, and now you say you didn’t steal the money.”

“…”

“Everything you’re saying is a lie, so what exactly is resolved?”

His emotionless face was chilling. He seemed displeased with Jooyoung’s attempts to wrap things up on his own terms. Something about this felt ominous 

“Well, to figure out who’s telling the truth… it’ll come out if we investigate, right?”

And the moment that thought crossed Jooyoung’s mind, the premonition proved to be right on target.

“Should I just report it?”

Dohyun’s hand moved in slow motion as he pulled out his phone. Tilting his head, he glanced down at the screen. Jooyoung’s heart dropped like he had leapt off a cliff.

Jooyoung bolted out of his seat without a second’s hesitation and grabbed Dohyun’s phone-holding hand.

“Don’t do it!”

“…”

“Don’t report it. Please don’t report it.”

Jooyoung shook his head frantically.

“What do I have to do?”

“…”

“Should I just say I stole it? Fine, I’ll say that.”

His eyes darted around restlessly, and the grip on Dohyun’s arm was almost too strong. 

“You can’t report this.”

Dohyun stared intently at Jooyoung, who was clinging to him. Through the crumpled hem of his clothes, he could feel the desperation, as if Jooyoung was holding onto a lifeline. For an average person, it was rare to get involved with the police in daily life. So hearing someone threatened to call the cops might be startling, sure.

But Jooyoung’s reaction was too extreme. It wasn’t just shock—he was terrified. It seems like he was unreasonably, overwhelmingly afraid of the current situation.

And Dohyun realized it instantly.

Jooyoung was hiding something.

At that moment, a thrill shot through his fingertips.

A deflated laugh escaped him—huh. It was as if his lungs had been filled with air; the laughter kept slipping out, making it hard to keep a straight face.

Jooyoung, completely unaware that Dohyun was laughing, couldn’t tear his eyes or hands away from the phone. Every nerve in his body was focused on it. That in itself was 

“…”

At first, Dohyun had just wanted to see Jooyoung get angry and wanted to see his true colors come out. He wanted him to stop acting kind, gentle, and selfless. But now, Jooyoung was showing something beyond that.

Dohyun found himself curious. What was Jooyoung hiding? And just how ugly and twisted was it?

He pulled his arm back and stepped away. Jooyoung immediately followed. At that, Dohyun warned him. 

“Come any closer and I really will report you.”

Jooyoung’s eyes contorted like he was about to cry. It wouldn’t be surprising if he started stomping his feet in panic. He looked so terrified he didn’t even realize how strange his own behavior must have seemed. 

“I’ll do whatever you say. Just don’t report it.”

“But you did steal the money. So you should be punished, shouldn’t you?”

“I didn’t steal it!”

Jooyoung suddenly shouted, then quickly tried to rein in his expression, as if scared he’d angered Dohyun.

“…I really didn’t.”

“So let’s find out then. Who’s lying?”

“Ah, please…”

Jooyoung raised and lowered his clasped hands, completely at a loss for what to do. His pleading voice had grown damp with emotion, a faint tremble creeping in.

Watching the oddly frantic display, Dohyun muttered to himself.

“Did he commit a crime in Seoul and run down here or something…?”

But at that moment, Jooyoung’s expression turned serious. As he anxiously waited for the other person to speak, he said in a sharp voice.

“Do you have proof?”

“…”

“Proof that I stole it.”

Dohyun’s eyebrows lifted slowly in the shape of a mountain. Without waiting, Jooyoung pressed on. 

“You don’t, do you.”

“And if I do?”

“You don’t.”

He shot back with certainty in his voice.

“…”

Dohyun recalled the footage recorded on the CCTV. It had clearly shown Jooyoung picking up the wallet. But there wasn’t a single frame showing him opening it or taking anything out. 

Of course not. The wallet was exactly the same as when it had gone missing. Cards, cash—everything was in place. Actually, Dohyun hadn’t even been carrying cash to begin with. So Jooyoung hadn’t stolen anything at all.

“You don’t have proof, do you?”

Dohyun let out another dry laugh.

“The police can find the proof for me.”

“…”

“That’s why people report things.”

He dangled his phone lazily by the corner with a little shake.

The moment the word “report” was uttered, Jooyoung crumbled again, as if he’d never snapped back just moments before. Police. Report. Those two words seemed to act like a leash around Jooyoung’s neck. Nothing else could explain how wildly his emotions swung at their mere mention.

He bit down hard on his lower lip with small teeth. By the time the bloodless lips regained some color, Jooyoung finally spoke.

“…What do you want me to do.”

His voice was low, subdued. His eyes were tinged red, like he’d just been crying.

“I’ll do whatever you say.”

“…”

“Just please… don’t report me.”

Jooyoung didn’t believe Dohyun was acting that way over just 200,000 won. It wasn’t as if lacking that amount would cause any immediate trouble—there had to be another reason he was resorting to threats and bringing up the police.

And Jooyoung… was ready to do anything if Dohyun would just back off from reporting him. That was why he kept asking, again and again, Tell me what you want. Just don’t call the police.

“…”

But Dohyun said nothing. He simply stared at Jooyoung in silence, his gaze laced with an unfamiliar kind of interest. 

Only after a long pause did his tightly sealed lips finally part. And the words that slipped through were more than enough to corner Jooyoung. 

***

Jooyoung’s aunt was horrified to see how pale his face looked after just a week apart. 

“What the—! Young-ah, are you sick or something?” 

Her rough, calloused hand reached up to check his forehead. The coolness of his skin gave her a moment of relief, but his unhealthy complexion brought the worry right back. 

“You skipped meals again, didn’t you? Just ‘cause it’s a hassle.”

“It’s not that.”

“Don’t lie! Look at you—you’re skin and bones!”

She had called him over to hand him some side dishes, but judging by how fragile he looked, she worried he might collapse just trying to carry them home. That was how poor Jooyoung’s complexion was. Wondering if living in the lodging house didn’t suit him, she told him that if it was too uncomfortable, he should just come back home. She’d taught Mingyu a lesson herself. 

“I’m always like this in the summer. I lost my appetite and all.”

“You sure you can even carry all this? There’s stuff for Dohyun too—it’s not exactly light.” 

The side dishes were packed generously into a cooler bag and a shopping bag. It was a lot, but not so much that Jooyoung, a grown man, couldn’t carry it. Still, he said he’d take a taxi to ease her worry. 

“Even so…”

“Really, I’m fine.”

Jooyoung’s aunt still wasn’t at ease, so she followed him out of the house, carrying the shopping bag with him. He felt guilty for making her worry, especially after she’d spent the whole day cooking without even resting after work. 

“I’ve put the cucumber cold soup in one container, so just add some water when you get there.”

“Okay, I’ll go now. You should go inside.”

Jooyoung got into the taxi, leaving his aunt’s concerns behind. He watched her walk back into the building before leaning his head tiredly against the window. His pale face reflected in the dimming glass.

For the past few days, all he’d eaten was coffee and ice cream. The lack of appetite wasn’t an excuse. He hadn’t even felt the desire to eat anything, so he kept skipping meals.

The reason for all of this was…

“Do you have a criminal record?”

It was because of the words Dohyun had thrown out while staring at him.