"So, what are you? A drug dealer?"
"No, I'm not." Jungkyu answered while tilting his head, giving Hyunji access to make it easier to treat the wound on his cheek.
Hyunji frowned, stopping what she was doing. "Mafia?"
Jungkyu shook his head. "Sometimes I do deal with the mafia, but I'm not part of them."
"Then, what is your job to be spied on like that?"
"Why do you want to know?"
Hyunjin shrugged. "Just curious. If you don't want to answer, that's fine."
Jungkyu was silent for a while, busy weighing his desicion.
If it's just the name of his job, maybe there's nothing wrong with telling her. So far, he felt Hyunji was quite able to keep secrets well. And after all, considering the condition of them living under the same roof, he was sure she would find out sooner or later. "Ever heard of the biggest hotel casino in Korea?"
"Hm? That casino hotel in Jeju you mean? I think I've heard of it."
"That is mine."
"Are you serious?" Hyunjin glared. Her brain responded quickly to what Jungkyu said. A second later, her eyes flashed in all directions. "But ... I think you're too modest for a millionaire."
"On purpose. So no one would recognize me."
Hyunjin raised an eyebrow. Her hand moved again to clean Jungkyu's wound using the alcohol cotton in her hand. "You're so mysterious. Is that why so many people are curious and try to stalked you?"
"Hmm." Jungkook closed his eyes. Hold the stinging sensation that spreads on his skin surface.
Hyunjin nodded in understanding. "Then, do you know who sent the guy earlier?"
Jungkyu's eyelids slowly opened.
Instead of answering Hyunji's question, he asked back, "Why did you kill that guy? Even though I let him go on purpose."
Faintly, one corner of Hyunji's lips lifted. "I should be the one asking. Why did you let him go? I don't know why you did it, but that was so stupid. Don't let him go just because you feel sorry for him. If you really plan to keep your identity as a secret, then do it till the end. You won't know what he can do with all the information he's had over the past month."
"This is different." Jungkyu's eyebrows dipped sharply, creating a frown on his forehead. "I ... I don't know ... something is wrong with that guy. He's an amateur, not like the stalker I've been dealing with. His motives aren't clear either. Plus, his condition is very strange. It's as if he was forcefully silenced by someone in an unusual way."
"What do you mean?"
Hyunji asked while busy unpacking the contents of the first aid kit. After getting the band-aid she was looking for, she approached Jungkyu. She was about to apply it to the wound on Jungkyu's cheek, but was stopped by the vibration of her phone on the nightstand. Her eyebrows rose when she saw the name 'South Pole Ice' on the screen.
"Hel-"
"Can you explain what kind of grudge you had on your victim that you ended his life so viciously?"
Even though it was said without any preface or small talk, Hyunji could immediately understand the direction of the conversation. "What do you mean 'viciously'? I just shot him in the head." Not long after, as if realizing something, she squinted at Jungkyu. "If what you're talking about is his face ... well, I admit it. Actually, I kicked the door of the shack and it hit his face. I didn't have time to check it, but there's a possibility that his nose was broken. Is that the matter? Was his condition that pathetic? I didn't mean to."
Even though she didn't want to lie, Hyunji had to do it. Let her be the only suspect here. It's better than having to get into new problems if she spit out about Jungkyu's involvement in this case. Jungkyu's involvement will only make the situation worse.
"No. His nose indeed broken, but that's not what I meant."
"Then?" Hyunjin frowned.
"His mouth is stitched up."
"WHAT?!" Suddenly Hyunji turned her gaze to Jungkyu with a look demanding an explanation.
Jungkyu, who could still hear a faint voice from the other end of the phone, then looked back at Hyunji flatly. "That's what I wanted to talk about, too."
Hyunji went silent. Her gaze was fixed on Jungkyu, while her phone was still attached to her ear. It feels like something needs to be straightened out here. "I don't know about that at all. But clearly, it wasn't my doing. You just take care of the corpse. We'll talk later, Oppa."
Sliding the red button without the approval of someone on the other side, Hyunji then dumped her phone on the bed. She crossed her arms, leaned against the wall with a serious expression. "Explain to me."
Jungkyu didn't answer right away. He just stared back at Hyunji, while his brain was busy thinking where he could start his story. He was confused, really. The incident just now still left a big question mark in his mind, so how could he tell it to other people?
"You didn't do it, right?"
"Of course I didn't. Why would I do it anyway?"
Jungkyu ruffled his hair in frustration. He was annoyed because he hated being involved in such an unclear situation. There were many questions lodged in his head, he just didn't know where he could get the answers. Moreover, the only source of information they had, was probably turned to ashes by now.
Hyunji was just as confused as him. They were completely deadlocked, running out of traces and clues. She bit her nails to vent her anxiety.
What would she say if her brother—someone she calls 'oppa'—called back later? Should she tell the truth that she doesn't know anything because this matter really has nothing to do with her? Someone else was involved, should she say that too? But if she told the truth, it would be like digging her own grave. Her brother wouldn't let her tell half-assed stories, which meant she had to tell everything from the beginning. Maybe she should even tell the story from her first meeting with Jungkyu, and that's definitely not a great idea.
Suddenly, she regretted it. She shouldn't have asked for help to clean up the corpse.
"You shouldn't have killed him," Jungkyu grumbled faintly, but Hyunji could still hear him.
Hyunji glared, unable to accept that she had just been blamed. "Why are you blaming me here?!"
"Of course it's your fault! Who else's fault is it?"
"Hey, I didn't even know his mouth was stitched up like that! If I had known, I might have thought a hundred times before shooting him."
Jungkyu snorted. "I honestly don't understand. You couldn't have killed him for worrying about me, could you?"
Hyunji turned her face away. "Of course not. I'm not that kind of person."
"Then?"
"He briefly glanced at me when you pushed him against the wall. If he was an ordinary person, I would have let him go. But he's a spy, of course I can't just sit back." Hyunji took a deep breath. She returned her attention to Jungkyu with an unusual look. There are various kinds of emotions implied in her eyes, making it difficult for Jungkyu to describe them. "Just like you, I also need to protect my identity."
Hyunji's unexpected answer was enough to make Jungkyu pause for a moment, before he asked further, "Who are you actually?"
Hyunji answered with a low voice, "No one ... just a sinner who hopes to die soon."
***
Oppa: a word used by a female to a male, who is older than her by the boundary of 10 years.