Chapter – 26
With trembling hands, I pressed the shortcut key to unhide the files.
Soon, countless files appeared on the monitor.
“…What is all this?”
There were numerous emails and image files.
I wanted to check them immediately, but they were password-protected.
Was his name Min-gi Choi? How was I supposed to guess the password he had hidden? Damn it.
Just in case, I tried “0000” and then “1234,” but it didn’t work. I couldn’t really blame my lack of creativity; the situation was just hopeless.
I needed to know at least something about the person who created these files in order to deduce the password properly.
“Oh, come to think of it, Mr. Min-gi’s birthday is coming up. December 10th.”
Suddenly, Kim Geon’s random mention of a birthday came to mind.
Two conflicting thoughts overlapped in my mind—maybe it was that, or maybe it was impossible.
With careful hesitation, I entered the four-digit number.
—1210
…Surprisingly, the password was unlocked. Why did Kim Geon even tell me this?
Putting aside my confusion, I urgently opened one of the email files to check.
———
From: External Mail
To: Choi Min-gi (Compliance Support Team)
Title: Regarding EB Cleanup
The chairman has confirmed the EB representative’s illegal reporting and hidden funds. Please proceed with a “preemptive” risk review.
Additionally, there will be a “field cleanup” within this week.
———
If EB meant EcoBlue, then the chairman must have been Park Jin-ho.
I opened several other emails, but most of them were unclear in context.
———
From: External Mail
To: Choi Min-gi (Compliance Support Team)
Title: EB Cleanup (Additional)
Review the capital recovery procedure.
Modify audit records if necessary.
———
Tick—tock—
Somewhere, the ticking of a clock’s second hand sharply pierced my eardrums.
Then I caught sight of another email file that stood out.
———
From: External Mail
To: Choi Min-gi (Compliance Support Team)
Title: Untitled
Preliminary risk management and justification logic required.
P.S. Ensure that there are no traces of “direct involvement.” Necessary personnel will be drawn from the existing manpower pool.
The chairman’s order to “finish quietly” is not a metaphor.
Delete after reading.
———
I involuntarily inhaled a shallow breath. But for a long time, I couldn’t exhale it.
They were murdered. The president of EcoBlue was murdered. And it was by Chairman Park Jin-ho’s order.
Based on the context of the emails, it seemed that he was killed because he was caught diverting money through embezzlement.
I tried to control my trembling hands as much as possible.
Maybe… maybe this data could be the one decisive blow that would bring down Sungjin.
I would no longer need to waste time and energy here.
Should I contact EcoBlue’s bereaved family immediately? Countless unorganized thoughts rushed in like an ebbing tide.
“Min-ha, what brings you here so early in the morning? You asked to meet, and I was so excited I couldn’t sleep.”
I skipped the casual greetings and threw the USB toward Kim Geon’s face.
Hoping it would at least leave a scratch if it couldn’t be my fist.
Unfortunately, the USB passed by his face and fell to the ground, along with my small wish.
“Why did you tell me the password?”
“What is this?”
“The USB of that Min-gi or whatever—the predecessor you mentioned. You knew exactly what information was inside this, didn’t you? Why? Why did you tell me?”
Kim Geon looked genuinely curious as he rolled the USB in his hand.
“What exactly are you?”
“Min-ha, calm down. I never told you the password.”
“You—!”
“Shh.”
His finger looked unusually long and sharp.
“Let’s just leave it at that. You know what I mean, right?”
“You really want Sungjin to collapse?”
“I already said it. What you want and what I want might be the same.”
“Reason? Explain it. To me.”
“Then why do you want to destroy Sungjin?”
“Because you’re trash.”
Something intangible seemed to flicker in Kim Geon’s eyes.
“Trash needs to be cleaned up, right? It’s funny to ask such an obvious question.”
“I feel the same way.”
“What?”
“Yes, trash needs to be cleaned. I agree. I want to clean it up quickly too. So shamelessly, I’m trying to borrow someone’s hand as I pass by.”
I still didn’t understand. A small crack appeared in Kim Geon’s expression as he looked at me.
“Trash can realize it’s trash. Do you know why? Because it smells to me. Flies gather around it. Then there comes a moment when living as trash becomes tiring.”
“You expect me to believe that completely?”
“Try living as trash for a long time. One day, you’ll reach a moment when you despise yourself like I do.”
“…The EcoBlue president. Did you really kill him?”
Kim Geon answered by slightly shrugging his shoulders.
“You bastards… are you even human?”
“So what are you going to do? Now that you have one piece of evidence, are you going to use it to attack Sungjin?”
“No.”
At my answer, the faint crack in Kim Geon’s expression began to return to a smile.
“One piece isn’t enough. You know that, right? This is just one of the many pieces of data I’ll gather in the future.”
“Min-ha, your eyes look really good right now.”
“…If you really want to clean up that trashy life of yours, cooperate with me. Help me find what I need.”
Kim Geon nodded and held out one hand. I didn’t take it.
“I have one more question.”
“What is it?”
“Does Do I-hyun… also know about the EcoBlue case? Did he personally get involved?”
“Well, who knows? Maybe yes, maybe no?”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“Ihyun knows everything. So he’ll probably know. But if there’s something he doesn’t know… if Chairman Park Jin-ho hides something from the I-hyun he cherishes, then maybe he might not know?”
I knew it rationally—that Do I-hyun was also someone living in this trashy world.
But somewhere deep in my heart, pointless thoughts began to grow.
Maybe he doesn’t know everything either.
The warmth I once felt when my consciousness was fading. Someone with such warmth might not know everything, perhaps.
I had no idea who ignited that small fire.
A faint, breath-like sound escaped from beside me.
“Min-ha, don’t tell me… you’re worried about Ihyun?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Really? But when you talk about Ihyun, your expression looks like—”
He stopped talking, as if deciding not to finish.
“Don’t make that kind of face. It disgusts me.”
“What is all this?”
“Investment contract compliance review reports, and EcoBlue’s management report omission data.”
“You finished this in one day?”
“Yes. Because the predecessor’s USB already had everything organized.”
“…Right. Good work.”
“I will supplement additional data soon. This is absolutely not a disadvantageous fight for us.”
A meaningless silence began to fill the space.
It felt to me like that silence had done its fair share of work as if it carried a proper weight of one person’s share.
“Did you check all those materials? Some of it seemed pretty disorganized.”
I didn’t want to think about the intention behind Kim-cha’s question, so I answered honestly.
“Yes. It was a bit messy, but I checked everything.”
“If—”
“Yes?”
“No, never mind. Good job.”
Leaving Kim-cha’s unfinished words behind, I returned to my seat. Several messages had arrived on my phone.
Familiar telecom advertisements, and one unexpected message—from Do I-hyun.
—Is everything alright?
Come to think of it, I hadn’t even checked if I could feel his presence at home yesterday.
—Yes. Why do you ask?
Another unexpected reply came immediately.
—Then that’s fine.
Honestly, I thought he would be upset as a person.
But I couldn’t be sure whether he was simply being cool about it or thinking something else I couldn’t guess.
Either way, his message asking about my well-being felt unfamiliar, yet also like something ordinary—like a normal relationship, a normal contact.
It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time. A normal day, a normal relationship, a normal greeting.
“…Is that your boyfriend?”
I was so surprised by the small voice behind me that I almost dropped my phone.
“Oh my, sorry. You were smiling while looking at your phone, so I thought it was your boyfriend… I was jealous.”
It was Oh Dae-ri who had paid attention to me since the first day.
“No, boyfriend? What are you talking about!”
“You don’t have a boyfriend?”
I avoided giving a detailed answer with a smile, but Oh Dae-ri didn’t seem ready to leave.
I felt like I had to continue this conversation reluctantly.
“Do you have someone you’re seeing, Dae-ri?”
“No. But I do like someone!”
“Really? That’s good.”
“It’s a secret, but actually, you also know him.”
“I do?”
“Yes. Actually, I—”
Oh Dae-ri moved closer and whispered beside me. Her already small voice became even smaller as it brushed past my ear.
“I’m doing well with Director Do I-hyun here.”
