CI 3.4

Honestly, he wasn’t inclined to go. The midterm exams for the final semester of law school were just around the corner, but Son Yeo-il wasn’t sufficiently prepared. He had been busy nursing his mother who had been hospitalized for months now, and even when he finally had time to study, it was difficult to concentrate because Koo Dae-hyun would always complain about feeling neglected.

Just as he was finally focusing on exam preparation during Koo Dae-hyun’s absence, the man who had lunch with Son Yeo-il and then went to meet up with friends was now summoning Son Yeo-il again after just a few hours.

The last train is almost gone. Should I take a taxi?

Son Yeo-il’s expression darkened further as he searched for the route to the hotel. While the taxi fare might be nothing to some people, it was a big problem for Son Yeo-il, who was poor.

Although he could cover tuition with scholarships, his balance would plummet whenever something like this came up, despite his frugal efforts. His expenses had increased significantly since joining Koo Dae-hyun’s study group, and even more so after they started dating.

Whenever they gathered to study, play, or eat, they always chose places that were too expensive for Son Yeo-il. It was difficult to keep missing the gatherings or appointments that they so casually suggested, and his pride and sense of shame wouldn’t allow him to always accept free meals.

But…if I don’t go, who knows what he’ll say.

Koo Dae-hyun often told Son Yeo-il that he was cold and selfish. Though he was clearly the one who had persistently courted Son Yeo-il for months, he would sometimes ask if Son Yeo-il knew how much risk he was taking by dating him, as someone who was set to inherit a large law firm.

It was certain that Son Yeo-il wasn’t being a good boyfriend at that time, so he believed Koo Dae-hyun’s reproaches were all justified, thinking that he had been on edge because of his mother’s situation and that he had often declined whenever Koo Dae-hyun wanted to spend more time together.

Until then, Son Yeo-il had misunderstood Koo Dae-hyun as fundamentally considerate in nature. When other study group members subtly made dismissive remarks about Son Yeo-il’s background, Koo Dae-hyun was the only one who stepped forward to come to his defense.

This wasn’t just for a day or two, but for over a year after joining the study group, and he maintained the same attitude even after Son Yeo-il rejected his first confession. So no matter how cautious Son Yeo-il was, he had no other choice but to accept when the second confession came.

He thought the occasional cold aspects were just differences felt because they had grown up in such different environments. The reason these aspects felt more pronounced after they started dating, he thought, was because he wasn’t treating Koo Dae-hyun well enough.

[I’m here, where are you?]

After making the big decision to call a taxi and arrive at the lounge bar, for some reason, Koo Dae-hyun was nowhere to be seen. In response to Son Yeo-il’s question, he sent an even more perplexing reply.

[Yeo-il, I’m too drunk to go home so I got a room upstairs and I’m going to rest. Come here.]

At the words “got a room,” Son Yeo-il’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Physical contact was what Koo Dae-hyun complained about most to Son Yeo-il. Though they had been dating for several months, Son Yeo-il still didn’t feel comfortable being touched by him. Having no experience, everything felt awkward, and with his mother still in the hospital, he wasn’t in the mood either.

Koo Dae-hyun often said, “To have been this patient with someone who isn’t even a minor, I’m truly a saint.” The amount of pressure he put on him made Son Yeo-il increasingly tense, and consequently, even casual contact became uncomfortable.

He considered just going home, but if he did, Koo Dae-hyun would truly be angry. Since it was still his birthday, Son Yeo-il thought it would be better to just go along with his wishes.

Surely, nothing will happen. He said he’s very drunk.

With naive trust, Son Yeo-il went up to the hotel suite, only to immediately regret his decision. As soon as Son Yeo-il entered the room, Koo Dae-hyun pretended to stagger, leaned against him, and tried to get Son Yeo-il to lay on the bed.

His hands clung, groped, tried to push him down, and kept lifting his clothes, completely disheveling Son Yeo-il’s appearance. Sensing trouble, when Son Yeo-il became serious and told him to stop, Koo Dae-hyun glared daggers at him with eyes dripping with irritation and anger.

“Do you know how hard this is for me? I sent everyone else away to be with you. Do you have any thoughts of considering me? If you’re going to be like this, why did you agree to date me?”

At his seemingly genuinely aggrieved words, Son Yeo-il was at a loss for words. He didn’t want to do this while the other man was drunk like this, but constantly hearing such words made him feel like he was the bad person in this relationship, weakening his resolve. Seeing Son Yeo-il’s wavering gaze, Koo Dae-hyun changed his approach and softened his voice.

“I’m sorry for yelling, but who wouldn’t be angry in this situation? I’m letting it go at this point because it’s me. Only because it’s me. Okay?”

“…”

“Sigh…Still, there’s no need to be like this on my birthday of all days, right? Yeo-il. I received a really nice champagne as a gift earlier. Let’s at least drink that and take our time talking slowly.”

It was strange that he wanted to drink more when he had just claimed to be too drunk. Son Yeo-il tried to stop him, but before he could, Koo Dae-hyun had already gone to the reception area where gift boxes and shopping bags were piled.

Come to think of it, his words and actions didn’t seem like those of a drunk person, which felt strange, and then Son Yeo-il discovered something even stranger on the table in the bedroom. Koou Dae-hyun’s phone, placed horizontally, had its screen continuously lit.

Checking the screen out of suspicion, Son Yeo-il found that Koo Dae-hyun’s phone was recording video with its rear camera pointed toward the bed. Just as Son Yeo-il doubted his eyes, a message popup appeared at the top of the phone screen.

[Seeing how quiet Koo Dae-hyun is, it looks like he succeeded lolololol]

With an unpleasant and clear premonition, Son Yeo-il checked the message. His face turned as pale as a sheet of paper. It was a message from a group chat that included all the study group members except Son Yeo-il.

He wasn’t just shocked that there was a group chat that excluded him. Honestly, Son Yeo-il had expected such a chat to exist. But he couldn’t have imagined this kind of conversation taking place.

In that chat, a bet was ongoing about whether “Koo Dae-hyun would fuck Son Yeo-il today.” Apparently, they had been taunting Koo Dae-hyun for putting in so much effort yet not being able to “get one homo’s asshole,” and Koo Dae-hyun had been bragging that it wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he chose not to.

As if they had set this day to watch, they carelessly threw around filthy words like by now they must be fucking hard, or Koo Dae-hyun had promised to show evidence. There were even those curious about the taste, or snickering that they would pick up what Koo Dae-hyun used and discarded.

Even as his mind became completely blank, Son Yeo-il captured the group chat messages and sent them to his own phone. Meanwhile, Koo Dae-hyun entered the bedroom, panicked, and approached.

“What are you looking at? Why are you looking at someone else’s phone…?!”

He raised his voice and snatched his phone from Son Yeo-il’s hand. Son Yeo-il, his strength drained, asked back in a frail yet sharp voice, “Are you in a position to be angry with me right now?”

Koo Dae-hyun hesitated, seemingly trying to think. If he could have groveled or persuaded Son Yeo-il to resolve the situation, he would have done so.

But Son Yeo-il’s heart had already crossed a river of no return, and Koo Dae-hyun, sharp in cunning if nothing else, realized this. Seemingly thinking it was all ruined anyway, he raised his voice again with veins popping in his neck.

“Well, you shouldn’t have played so hard to get in the first place! Who do you think you are to act so high and mighty? How desperate must I have been to do this!”

He kept repeating that this was all Son Yeo-il’s fault and that he was the wronged party who had been misled. Having spent a long time being swayed by and crushed under such attitudes, Son Yeo-il couldn’t even find words to counter.

Son Yeo-il left Koo Dae-hyun alone in the room, still screaming at him through the closed door, and returned home. For days, his phone nearly exploded with contacts from him and his friends, but Son Yeo-il just ignored them.

No thoughts came to him amidst the disillusionment and betrayal. It was midterm season, and he focused on studying, thinking it was fortunate that he had something else to concentrate on.

This may sound cowardly, but even then, Son Yeo-il couldn’t give up on the Koo & Chang confirmation. He thought his mother’s only chance was the new medication. Anyway, there was only one semester left of law school, and since they were the perpetrators and Son Yeo-il was the victim, he thought it would be quietly buried if he didn’t try to escalate things.

The Son Yeo-il of that time didn’t realize how frightening people’s tongues could be. He couldn’t have imagined that in just the two weeks of taking midterms, the story would be twisted among people to “Son Yeo-il barged into a hotel and tried to pounce on Koo Dae-hyun but was rejected,” and that he would be called a “male gold digger desperate for a Koo & Chang confirmation.”

And now that snake of a man was standing in front of Yeo-il. Though anger should normally rise first, Son Yeo-il was as scared as he was angry.

Even back then, after capturing that group chat, his failure to refute the false rumors was due to fear. He doubted anyone would believe him or take his side even if he presented evidence. More honestly, he feared his Koo & Chang confirmation would be canceled if the issue grew out of proportion.

Even after his mother passed away and he gave up the confirmation himself, that fear persisted. He believed that as long as he intended to establish himself anywhere in the legal field, he shouldn’t antagonize the son of Koo & Chang’s representative.

But now he realized that more oppressive than any career fears was the memory of the hurt itself. Before the wound fully healed, he still was haunted by that sense of helplessness and betrayal he felt that day and that it would revive like a ghost at any given moment and choke him.

“Attorney Koo Dae-hyun. Didn’t I clearly tell you last time not to act like you know me?”

Son Yeo-il asked as firmly and coldly as he could, but Koo Dae-hyun just kept right on smiling.

“You’re still upset, Yeo-il. Was seeing me with another woman all that shocking?”

“What…? What are you talking about?”

Before he could even ask “What kind of nonsense is that?” Koo Dae-hyun spewed even worse nonsense.

“You know my father doesn’t listen to reason, right? I’ve mentioned it often. The pressure has intensified since I joined the firm. I have my position to consider, and I need to get married.”

“There’s no reason to tell me any of this. Do as you please, but don’t act like you know me again.”

As Son Yeo-il turned to leave, thinking any conversation with this man was utterly pointless, Koo Dae-hyun grabbed hold of his wrist again.

“Still playing hard to get. Fine. I was hasty back then. I admit I made a mistake, but does that matter? It’s all in the past. Let’s think about our future. Getting married doesn’t mean giving up on everything. You haven’t given up on life either.”

“What are you doing? Let go.”

“I’ll be direct, Yeo-il. Honestly, there’s no one quite like you, and you surely don’t plan to stay buried in this rural town forever? It would be nothing for me to get you back into Koo & Chang with just a word. So, let’s…”

Just as Son Yeo-il was raising his other hand, thinking he should slap that mouth shut, heavy footsteps resonated with short intervals, and a large shadow approached.

It turned out to be none other than Won Hee-yeon. He must have been debating until the last minute whether to enter Son Yeo-il’s courtroom, because unlike usual, he wore a white shirt under a sleek jacket. From his neat and handsome profile, a murderous intent sharp as an awl emanated.

“Let go.”

With that brief command, he twisted Koo Dae-hyun’s wrist. The way the bones on the back of his hand stood taut was chilling. Even Son Yeo-il felt his breath caught from the tension.

Something similar had happened before. During a rural volunteer service hosted by the Bar Association, Won Hee-yeon had also appeared suddenly to stop a man from harassing Son Yeo-il. But while then he had merely seemed angrier than usual, now Won Hee-yeon felt like an entirely different person.

“What?”

“I said let go. Can’t you hear me?”

His precisely articulated standard Korean had no awkward energy whatsoever. Though he wasn’t using vulgar language or wearing a colorful gangster shirt, Won Hee-yeon appeared more intimidating than ever.

Even though Son Yeo-il knew what kind of work Won Hee-yeon had done in the past and had never particularly feared him, at this moment he could truly feel that Won Hee-yeon had once made a profession out of intimidating others. This seemed to be the tone he used whenever he was doing his “job.”

“W-Who are you? Do you know me? Do you know him?”

Despite his obvious fear, Koo Dae-hyun raised his voice hesitantly. When he pointed accusingly at Son Yeo-il, a bluish vein bulged on Won Hee-yeon’s forehead. He must have squeezed Koo Dae-hyun’s wrist painfully, as Koo Dae-hyun suddenly stomped his feet and screamed.

“Ah! Aaah! Let go. Ah, I get it, let go and we can talk!”

When Koo Dae-hyun released Son Yeo-il’s wrist, Won Hee-yeon also released his grip. Though he had only held it briefly, a bright red handprint was visible on Koo Dae-hyun’s wrist. Already prone to exaggeration, Koo Dae-hyun examined his wrist with a dramatic fuss.

“Aaugh, is it broken? Huh? Y-You’ve messed with the wrong person. If something is truly wrong with my wrist, I really won’t let this matter slide. Do you know who I am…?”

Muttering, trying to threaten with words that weren’t threatening at all, Koo Dae-hyun suddenly looked up as if feeling a burning gaze. When his eyes met Won Hee-yeon’s withering glare, he turned pale, but his mouth still ran weakly.

“W-What? You. Why are you looking at me like that…?”

“To remember. Your face.”

At Won Hee-yeon’s cold response, Koo Dae-hyun muttered almost inaudibly, “What are you going to do after remembering it?” while still scrutinizing Won Hee-yeon’s face. Not daring to directly argue with Won Hee-yeon, he slightly turned his head to the side and began spouting nonsense at Son Yeo-il.

“Son Yeo-il, I wondered why you kept playing hard to get, but it’s because of this bastard? You’ve really gone all the way? It’s not like you can live off a man’s face. Where did you fish up a thug gigolo like this…Heuk.”

Won Hee-yeon let out a short “Ha,” and then stepped forward toward Koo Dae-hyun, blocking Son Yeo-il’s path. Koo Dae-hyun backed away, his expression terrified just from that.

“W-Why are you like this? Huh? You, I really will, uh, uugh!”

As Won Hee-yeon took another step forward, Koo Dae-hyun retreated again, repeatedly backing away with each advance. Eventually, as he backpedaled, Koo Dae-hyun either tripped on something or his legs trembled, and he fell directly to the ground.