/
The moment my name left the man who entered the reception room’s lips, my face probably paled from the amount of blood that trickled away. At first, I couldn’t say anything for a few minutes because of the shock; the moment I locked eyes with the man, I felt so overwhelmed I just couldn’t open my mouth.
Even though he had a slender physique and an ordinary appearance–nothing extraordinary, my body began to tremble helplessly like a mouse before a tiger’s eyes. If Seo Dawon hadn’t grabbed onto my shoulder from behind, I might have collapsed to my feet.
Moon Issak scrutinized me, his gaze pushing me down; soon, he adopted an expressionless look, erasing his bloodthirst…As if his force of spirit was some kind of joke. “You’re Choi Lee-kyung-ssi, right?”
“Yes… Yes.”
“Please, sit down.” Then, Moon Issak gently laid the documents, which he had brought under his arm and pinned to his side, atop the desk. I didn’t dare defy him and placed my butt straight on the seat.
Afterwards, Moon Issak handed me the documents without a word nor a glance. However, I still sat upright, as if nails had been hammered into my hips, and was wary of the other’s actions.
“Why is Moon Issak the one to personally interrogate him?”
“Wow, this bastard’s living a long life, huh?”
“Necromancer. Try to keep a straight face.”
“Lee-kyung-ie’s completely frozen?”
[Clack Clack Clack…?]
Behind me, the servants were also surprised by Moon Issak’s sudden appearance. However, they were only flustered for a brief moment. Perhaps they decided to wait and observe; the servants’ behaviors didn’t change much. They must have decided to delay any actions until after determining Moon Issak’s attitude.
A few minutes–which seemed like a thousand years–later, Moon Issak flung me a question while still looking at the documents. Of course, he didn’t forget to turn on the recorder next to him before beginning. “From X day to XX day, you were on Jeju Island for 1 night and two days, correct?” He asked in a professional tone.
Considering how full of anxiety I was, his first question was quite easy.
“Yes…” I cautiously answered.
Moon Issak scarily continued onto the next question as soon as I answered, “But, even though Choi Lee-kyung-ssi isn’t a member of the Red Dragon guild, Koo Hui-seo issued him a special pass that also included flight tickets?”
“Ah…Yes.”
“May I ask why?”
This question had been one expected and highlighted by the lawyer. After a moment of silence, I, careful not to stutter, responded with the memorized answer. “Hui-seo-nim had asked me to aid in the investigation into his missing younger brother’s, Koo Kyungman’s, property. That’s why I went to the villa.”
“An investigation into his assets?”
“He had asked me to go to a villa owned by Koo Kyungman-ssi and find documents held within a private safe there. After all, right now, Koo Hui-seo-ssi can’t move around rashly.”
“Do you mean to say that he asked that of Choi Lee-kyung-ssi and not another guild member?”
“He said he didn’t have many people he trusted because he had just become the guild master.”
“He must trust you very much. As far as I know, the two of you had just gotten acquainted.”
“……”
His words had teeth to them, but I was advised that I had no need to answer questions involving Koo Hui-seo and my friendship. Additionally, the servants behind me tapped my shoulder, meaning ‘You’ve said enough, you don’t need to speak any more.’ So, I took a refreshing breath and was careful not to let my emotions show on my face.
Fortunately, Moon Issak didn’t delve deeper; once again, he began to read the document, flipping through the pages.
However, not long after, he put the pages aside as if he had read through all of them; he looked back towards me and smiled slightly. Of course, I wasn’t comfortable enough to smile back.
Moon Issak stared at me, as if scrutinizing me. As if he were talking to himself, though he was loud enough for everyone to hear, he muttered, “Well, if he was an overwhelmingly sexy person, I would have said maybe Koo Hui-seo just had those kinds of tastes.”
“……”
His tone was rude, but I didn’t dare protest in this atmosphere. I just let that comment pass by while biting my lower lip.
However, I heard unusual sounds from the servants behind me; I flinched and trembled slightly. It sounded like someone was grinding their teeth… Of course, Moon Issak, who couldn’t hear that sound, simply rapped the table carelessly with his fingers.
Then, Moon Issak pressed the recorder button again. He stopped the recording. I was uneasy at that action, so I kept my eyes fixed on his sturdy-looking fingers.
Then, in the quieted reception room, he asked in a softer voice, “Actually, there was something else I wanted to ask Choi Lee-kyung-ssi. That’s why I came out personally.”
“……”
""
“Do you know a User named Jung Garam?”
His question raised goosebumps on the back of my neck.
It seems that Moon Issak had delved more into this situation than we expected. Of course, I knew that Garam-ie left his signature at Park Hoseok’s murder scene, but asking me if I knew Jung Garam was on another level.
Moon Issak must have gotten a lead and believed that I was a connecting factor!
I had no idea how to deal with this. I couldn’t say anything and tried to calm down my shaking body. There was no way Moon Issak couldn’t have noticed my agitation.
He eventually burst into laughter. “How cute, Choi Lee-kyung-ssi.”
“……”
“You don’t look like the type to be deeply entangled in these sorts of things… How did you get here?”
It felt as if he were sympathizing with me, but he didn’t even try to hide the smirk permeating through his expression. Even though I thought I had already misstepped, I managed to continue with my denial. “…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I have a hypothesis; would you like to listen to it?”
“……”
Moon Issak didn’t seem to care about my response. As if he had been set, with or without my answer, he continued in a clear voice. “You know that the Red Lotus had been exterminated one day, long ago, right?”
“……”
“It was very unnatural, though. Well, it wasn’t any of my business, but the whole thing smelled fishy.”
“……”
“And at that time, there were many businesses related to the Red Lotus; the impact when they had all collapsed with the guild was shocking. Many companies went bankrupt. Since the situation and the entanglement of different interests were so complex, somehow many people became obsessed over finding the truth. Choi Lee-kyung-ssi is probably connected to one of them.”
“…….”
However, the more Moon Issak spoke the more my anxiety gradually decreased, little by little.
He seemed convinced of his logical flow, but he had no understanding of the Necromancer class nor its skills.
He didn’t seem to think that the Red Lotus were resurrected but, rather, that I was involved in working for someone interested in the Red Lotus’s extermination. I was shocked when Jung Garam’s name left his lips–I thought I’d been caught red-handed…
‘He has gaps…’
Perhaps, Moon Issak’s arrogance can be used.
“On the contrary, as time passed, more people benefited from Red Lotus’s collapse. Some of those people would definitely have been involved in the guild’s extermination.”
“……”
“One of them must be Park Hoseok. Even I think that vaulted 1 man became a big shot after the Red Lotus incident.”
“……”
“Furthermore, Park Hoseok was originally a part of Red Dragon, yes?” With that said, Moon Issak stopped and threw me a look. It was as if he was daring me to try and refute what he said.
If I couldn’t speak properly here, Moon Issak would investigate me at an even higher intensity than before. My mouth felt bone dry and my heart began to pound, but I squeezed out courage from the depths of my stomach and looked straight at him. Moon Issak continued to look at me, unbothered.
I swallowed my dry saliva once and closed my eyes–I thought I’d be caught out in this lie if I were to look into his eyes. Once his gaze was blocked, suppressed the shaking as much as possible, and opened my mouth, “Park Hoseok is…As far as I know, he was Koo Kyungman’s right hand man.”
“You think I wouldn’t know that?”
“That’s why, he went to HaHae under Koo Kyungman’s order.”
“……” Perhaps my words were intriguing, Moon Issak did not respond, urging me with his silence.
I clenched my fists and continued, “However, when Koo Kyungman disappeared, the person who protected Park Hoseok-ssi disappeared. So… From what I know, Park Hoseok tried to untrust his being over to the newly crowned guild master, Koo Hui-seo.”
“He was discovered as a double agent?”
“Yes. We’ve been in discussions, but… Do you know who Park Hoseok met on the day he was murdered?”
“……”
“He had a meal with HaHae’s executives. That’s all I know.”
Footnotes
Once again, 양반, a derogatory way to refer to ‘well off’ men…literally meaning ‘nobleman’ was used here.