GBH 91

Guilty conscience makes cowards of people. Though Myung-hyun couldn’t possibly know about the kiss, Song Yi-heon’s heart raced, making him feel hot under his shirt. Flustered by the sudden heat, Song Yi-heon feigned nonchalance by pretending to massage the back of his neck.

“We’re friends… classmates.”

Choi Myung-hyun as if hearing something amusing, revealed the watch’s origin.

“One doesn’t give a watch left by a deceased grandfather to just a classmate.”

Even without mentioning the brand or price, the watch’s value increased. Song Yi-heon clenched his molars, cursing Se-kyung. Damn Choi Se-kyung, why give away his grandfather’s keepsake… Postponing his urge to grab and shake Se-kyung, Song Yi-heon hastily explained.

“This… he lent it to me. Just for a moment. I had a big problem before coming here, so to cheer me up… Se-kyung is a really kind friend, in class and everywhere.”

Choi Myung-hyun didn’t lower his suspicious gaze, but having always taught Se-kyung to be unselfish and generous, he couldn’t deny Song Yi-heon’s excuse.

Barely getting past this hurdle, Song Yi-heon rubbed his damp palms on his thighs.

If he hadn’t kissed Choi Se-kyung, he could have faced this meeting calmly, but his guilt made him uneasy. At least, since it was Se-kyung who was pursuing him alone, he could still face Myung-hyun.

“Ahem, ahem. Se-kyung is a mature and exemplary friend.”

“……”

“He, uh, helps me with my studies too.”

Though his mind screamed to shut up, his nervous mouth moved on its own. Meeting Myung-hyun personally was quite different from when he was Kim Deuk-pal.

As Kim Deuk-pal, he knew Myung-hyun as a prosecutor famous for catching gangsters. He couldn’t be lobbied and strictly adhered to principles. In their world, it was common to pin crimes on underlings to save higher-ups, but that didn’t work with Myung-hyun.

He would pursue cases relentlessly, finding the real culprits as if he had been at the crime scene himself.

Despite being a man himself, Song Yi-heon admired this and would secretly leak information even during his gangster days. However, now Myung-hyun seemed to prioritize something over catching gangsters.

If Song Yi-heon had overlooked anything, it was that while he knew Myung-hyun cherished his son, the depth of that love was far greater than Song Yi-heon had imagined. To Myung-hyun, his son was more important than his job. So much so that Song Yi-heon’s information only served as evidence of Song Yi-heon’s deep connection to organized crime.

Choi Myung-hyun leaned back on the sofa. Half-hidden in darkness, he exuded a strong musk scent mixed with his body odor. Myung-hyun interlaced his fingers on the armrest, perhaps to prevent himself from unconsciously striking Song Yi-heon, who was young enough to be his son.

“Se-kyung has changed this year. I was worried when he spent the vacation listlessly instead of going to Canada as usual. At the beginning of the first semester, he would sneak out at night and return covered in injuries. His left cheek was especially swollen from repeated blows. That’s typically what gangsters do to establish hierarchy.”

Song Yi-heon gripped his thigh with the right hand he had used to hit Se-kyung. The small tea table didn’t hide this action. Myung-hyun’s interlaced fingers tightened.

“A kid who used to avoid crowded places, complaining of headaches from noise, started attending night study sessions and frequenting study rooms and friends’ houses. And recently, he’s been sneaking out every night, meddling with gangsters. I think all of this is related to you, Song Yi-heon. Am I wrong?”

Se-kyung became sharp when it came to Song Yi-heon. The more he associated with Song Yi-heon, the more he came into contact with organized crime. While cautiously observing, unable to act rashly due to Se-kyung’s sharp reactions, Song Yi-heon had walked in voluntarily and revealed his deep connection to organized crime.

There was no room for denial. Realizing he had walked into the tiger’s den of his own accord, Song Yi-heon admitted it.

“…No. You’re right.”

“It’s not my place to interfere with Se-kyung’s friendships, but if it involves criminal organizations, that’s different.”

What parent would stand by while their child associates with gangsters? Choi Myung-hyun was no different. The moonlight glinted coldly off Myung-hyun’s glasses.

“I’d like you to stop meeting Se-kyung from now on. Try not to associate with him at school, and don’t meet outside of school. If you do this, I won’t touch Chilseong Faction as you wish. If you refuse my offer, I’ll have no choice but to round up the Chilseong Faction members. They’re a violent organization after all, and if we investigate, we’re bound to find some dirt.”

“……”

“I hope you appreciate that I’m being quite restrained in speaking to you politely like this.”

If it had been before summer vacation, Song Yi-heon would have accepted Myung-hyun’s offer. Song Yi-heon had always been flustered by Se-kyung’s love confessions. It wasn’t pleasant to have a much younger boy, and a male at that, pursuing him. Using Myung-hyun as an excuse to distance himself would allow him to shake off Se-kyung without being the bad guy.

But when it came to weighing his subordinates against Se-kyung, he couldn’t lean towards either side. He should rightfully lean towards his subordinates who were like children to him, but he couldn’t give up Se-kyung.

Now, Se-kyung was precious to him. Se-kyung, the only one who knew who he really was, couldn’t help but be special. It was a bond formed with Se-kyung. Unless Choi Se-kyung himself broke it off, Song Yi-heon wasn’t weak enough to be swayed by external pressure.

As this thought occurred to him, Song Yi-heon stopped his anxious, scattered hand movements. He straightened his posture and didn’t avoid Myung-hyun’s gaze. The moonlight touching Song Yi-heon, like Myung-hyun, turned cold.

“I understand your concern, but I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of in front of you, Prosecutor. The same goes for Se-kyung. There’s no reason I can’t meet Se-kyung. You don’t have the right to stop us.”

Unable to wield a knife against Myung-hyun, Song Yi-heon’s eyes held a blade instead.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve never raised a child, but…”

Choi Myung-hyun frowned, not understanding why Song Yi-heon was stating the obvious.

“At the morgue, you stopped me from touching the body. It was probably for my sake, due to hygiene or safety concerns. Still, you let me confirm the death without touching the body. The hospital staff who arrived late were just busy dragging me out of the morgue without explanation. I can’t understand why someone like you would try to monitor and control Se-kyung for a long time without reason.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Please tell me why you’re trying to control Se-kyung. If I find it convincing, I’ll stop seeing him.”

The suddenly changed Song Yi-heon didn’t seem likely to be convinced by any reason. Though he didn’t like Song Yi-heon, Myung-hyun had to praise his spirit at least, and he spoke.

“It’s because I see myself in Se-kyung.”

“Is it natural for a child to resemble their parent?”

At this point, Myung-hyun doubted whether Song Yi-heon was really a high school student. He had already given up on the idea of him being ordinary, but his audacity was extraordinary, whether it was a characteristic of today’s youth or not. Was this why Se-kyung hung around Song Yi-heon? Myung-hyun forgot that he had interlaced his fingers to prevent himself from striking Song Yi-heon, and scrutinized him closely.

“There are often cases where one’s own will isn’t involved in committing a crime. Accidental mistakes, acts committed in anger… Our criminal law punishes such cases too. Sometimes as negligent crimes, sometimes applying the concept of dolus eventualis to punish as intentional crimes. Do you know what dolus eventualis is?”

Although he knew from overhearing at police stations during his life as Kim Deuk-pal, Song Yi-heon deliberately shook his head to understand what Myung-hyun was thinking. Myung-hyun explained calmly.

“Let’s say there’s a person on a rooftop. He looks down and thinks that if he drops a flowerpot, it might kill someone passing by. But he throws it anyway. Unfortunately, a passerby is hit by the flowerpot and dies. In this case, it constitutes murder. Even though there was no intention to kill the passerby. Committing an act while recognizing that it could be a crime is called dolus eventualis.”

“……”

“The outcome is determined by whether one recognizes it could be a crime or not. This is why people hire lawyers. You have to be careful with your words. A single statement acknowledging dolus eventualis can change the charge and the sentence.”

“So it would change from accidental homicide to murder.”

Though he didn’t know the theory, he had learned through practice in his Kim Deuk-pal days, and he felt the enormous difference that acknowledging dolus eventualis made. Myung-hyun nodded.

“If one recognizes that it could be a crime, dolus eventualis alone can establish guilt.”

Then he added bitterly,

“Se-kyung and I are always aware. Quite specifically, too.”

The world Myung-hyun perceived was full of dolus eventualis. He could easily plot crimes. He recognized how people could die. It was his innate way of thinking. What others did in the heat of the moment was premeditated for Myung-hyun.

Because crimes occurred unexpectedly in unforeseen places, Myung-hyun had to obsessively prevent himself from committing dolus eventualis.

And when he realized that this kind of life had been passed down to his precious son, he had to beg his wife for forgiveness.