Just Twilight-Chapter 65

Ssamdu, who had been eavesdropping despite pretending not to, slowed the car slightly and glanced at her.

“Sis?”

“He said ‘they.’”

Junyoung’s eyes widened as the realization struck. It was like a drain had finally been unclogged, her mind suddenly clearing.

“He said, ‘How much those men must have suffered as fathers.’”

“…Excuse me?”

“We were talking about Jung Mansu. So why did he use the plural? Why ‘those men’? I took it naturally because I was already thinking about the connection to the other cases, but from his perspective, that wording makes no sense.”

And he was close to Jung Mansu. He was working with him that night.

…But his anger earlier had seemed real. If they were actually friends, what reason would he have to push him?

“What do you know about Choi Yeongbok?”

Junyoung turned to him suddenly, making Ssamdu’s eyes widen. He shifted uncomfortably. Folding her arms, Junyoung stared at him expectantly.

“I-I don’t know who that is.”

“It wasn’t just a coincidence that he got close to your boss, was it? If he was close to Jung Mansu, then maybe he was being watched from the start. You care too much about your boss’s safety not to know who he is. And if you didn’t know, that’d be negligence.”

Ssamdu stiffened under her piercing words. After a long silence, he finally sighed.

“The boss doesn’t share everything with me.”

“Ssamdu.”

Junyoung straightened her posture, her voice calm.

“This isn’t something that requires secrecy. Your boss finds this whole situation fishy, too. The option of clearing debts with a single payout is gone, but we don’t know what other variables might pop up. Beomjin wouldn’t be against it. I could just call him directly and ask, and he’d tell me, but I’d rather not bother him every time with something like this.”

Of course, that was a lie. If she did call Beomjin, he’d start his own investigation immediately. But that wasn’t the point—this conversation was with Ssamdu.

“I was trying to be considerate since he’s been busy with Hanggyeong’s affairs, but I guess I don’t have a choice.”

She reached into her bag as if pulling out her phone. Ssamdu, after darting his eyes around, let out a short sigh and finally spoke.

“I don’t know much.”

“But you know more than me. Spill.”

“He had a wife and daughter, but they divorced. He lives alone now. He earns a decent income but is the type to save rather than spend. He has no current debts, but he’s taken out short-term loans before. His daughter died in an accident when she was young.”

Junyoung’s lips parted slightly. She hadn’t expected that. Not that it made her any more sympathetic toward his rough attitude.

“Was the divorce because of the accident?”

“The timing suggests so. This year marks ten years since she passed.”

Junyoung nodded, then raised an eyebrow.

“That’s all?”

“Yes. That’s as much as I told my boss.”

“Can you find out more?”

At the red light, Ssamdu turned to look at her with wide eyes.

“Why are you so interested in Choi Yeongbok?”

“I think he’s connected to Jung Mansu’s accident. And just so you know, if you won’t look into it, I will. And if I get into trouble or end up in an ‘accident,’ make sure to pass the message to Beomjin.”

Smiling sweetly, she patted his arm. Ssamdu slumped in his seat and grabbed the wheel.

“I’ll do it.”

“How deep can you dig?”

“How deep do you want?”

“When he started working, what his relationship with his ex-wife is like, her financial situation, and whether he has any ties to the other accident sites. I’ll check if he was at work on the days of the other incidents. I just need to look at the attendance records.”

Ssamdu stared at her in awe before shaking his head.

“What?” she asked, tilting her head.

“I just realized… someone like me wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like you. I wouldn’t even have bones left.”

“Younger brothers shouldn’t try to win against their older ones,” she teased with a grin, leaning back into her seat.

“I think I’ll get some seolleongtang to go. We can eat it with Grandma’s kimchi. Maybe pick up some bossam for her, too.”

“Sounds good.”

His reply was unusually cheerful as he flipped on the turn signal. The car smoothly glided around the corner.

***

“…So I figured it might be best to help her. She’s not the type to just say things for the sake of it. And honestly, if Sis decides to ditch me, things are going to get messy.”

Wiping the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand, Beomjin let out a quiet chuckle. Ssamdu always made a big show of how much he’d struggled to resist, but the truth was, it was unnecessary. Beomjin fully understood why things had to turn out this way.

Choi Yeongbok.

He’d heard his name come up in conversations about Jung Mansu. The other workers seemed to believe their friendship was genuine.

During afternoon breaks, Jung Mansu often looked at a family photo tucked in his wallet. Apparently, it was an old one. It seemed his daughter had been around the same age as the one in the picture, and that’s how he’d gotten close to Yeongbok.

If Yeongbok had pushed Jung Mansu, then what was the motive? If they had fought before the fall, Jung would have mentioned it—but he hadn’t.

“…Alright. Do it your way.”

Beomjin responded to Ssamdu, who had been waiting for his answer. He narrowed his eyes slightly. He hadn’t considered the possibility of Yeongbok being the culprit before, but since Junyoung was suspicious, it was worth examining under that assumption.

Money? It’s always money.

He could still hear Junyoung’s voice saying those words. Yeongbok had been close to Jung and had sympathized with his situation. Maybe he saw himself in a man struggling with debt, trying to provide for his wife and daughter.

If it was all genuine. If, for that reason—

…He had wanted to help.

The cool air from the air conditioner swept over the back of his neck. He pictured Yeongbok’s face as he spoke about his wife, wearing that unreadable expression.

It hadn’t just been unreadable—it had been too full of emotions to decipher.

“Keep an eye on him, but don’t take any risks. I’ll head down when I get the time.”

Fixing his gaze on the ceiling, he spoke in a low voice. Ssamdu immediately responded, as if waiting for this cue.

“Actually, Boss, I meant to tell you—we’ve got a tail. It’s been two days.”

“3743?”

The first person that came to mind was Seungwoon. But Ssamdu answered right away.

“No, not that car. Should I deal with it?”

“Don’t approach them directly. Just create an opportunity to get a look at them. It’s likely someone from Hanggyeong. If it is, leave them be for now.”

“Understood.”

Ending the call, Beomjin let out a short sigh and looked out the window.

The night was thick with darkness, but the city lights scattered across it, bright and vivid. The view was nice. Maybe he should put the sofa here after all. With that thought, he started shifting the couch again—for the third time.

Beomjin had four residences in Seoul. They ranged from a one-room apartment, where he only slept, to a fairly large penthouse that the chairman had practically forced onto him. The real dilemma was deciding which one to bring Junyoung to.

For security reasons, the penthouse and apartment were the best options. But large spaces had the downside of feeling unnecessarily empty. Then again, since Junyoung would be commuting to work, those two made the most sense.

In the end, he settled on this apartment, figuring he could clutter up the spare room with junk to make it unusable. He didn’t live in this place much, so it felt somewhat cold and sterile, but he didn’t want to overdecorate and startle Junyoung either.

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Even if they shared the bedroom, she should still have a separate space.

Beomjin glanced around the mostly empty living room, picturing the things he had seen in Junyoung’s apartment.

He could see her sitting on the sofa, staring out at the night skyline. He could imagine her walking over from the kitchen, a glass of water in hand, wrapping her arms around his waist with a smile.

Maybe longing was something you could bury for a while, but never erase completely. He could still feel her warmth against his skin as vividly as if she were right there. Just remembering her breath, her scent, made his heart stir like an impatient child.

It was infuriating that he couldn’t just reach out and hold her.

…Maybe he should just go see her.

It was past ten. The highway wouldn’t be too congested. She’d be annoyed if he woke her up. But Junyoung needed to understand.

Just how deeply obsessed he was with her.