Treacherous

16 - drown to drunk

We were instantly getting out of the grand ballroom whilst reporters spinning their attention to question Seokhoon's father. The room was left buzzing as a bunch of people started to form a circle and trapped Chairman Joo inside it. As the awaiting journalists outside the hall immediately went in when we opened the back door, we decided to never turn back.

The moment we were in the basement parking area, I seated myself in the front seat of a shiny black car. Apparently, before the party began, Seokhoon bribed his father's chauffeur to let us borrow the car for the night. We had no need to hijack someone else's vehicle for one hour forward.

"Do you remember the road?"

"I had put it in the system. Just drive."

Confirming one last time everything's good, he swiftly handled the wheel and drove us far from the hotel. From the side mirror, the huge building slowly faded and I exhaled a breath I didn't know I held in. Resting my head to the seat with a bump, I closed my eyes for the rest of the way. There was an elephant in the room both of us were aware of, but we simply kept the serene atmosphere for a while.

Soon after, we arrived at a quiet neigborhood. Seokhoon parked the car in front of the only inn situated near Seola's summer house. Unbuckling my seatbelt in a hurry, I hopped out of the car and stood by the fence. Behind me, he went after on trail and opened the fence for us.

"Do you think they're still open?" he murmured. Glancing around, he examined the yard which was full of dry leaves and dirt.

I looked up to the pitch-dark small inn that was designed like a Hanok, our nation's traditional house, then reverted to a wooden board near one of the plants. After checking the time that read nine o'clock night, I answered, "They should be. The board here says they close the guest book at 11."

Seokhoon's forehead wrinkled, he fell deep in mind. He eventually said, "Just wait here. I'll ask the house next door."

Walking away from the inn, he quickly strode to the house next door's porch. I watched him ring the bell two times as I wrapped my coat tighter to block the cold night. After his attempt for the third, a warm light seeped out from the opened-door and a man in his thirties went out. They chatted for a while, with Seokhoon gesturing to the inn, before he bowed to the man and approached the shivering me.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"They're already gone."

"You can't be serious."

He sighed, "The man told me that four days ago, there was a man in glasses and suit who came to the inn for two days straight to offer them help. From what he knew, the inn was already in big debt and someone from the moneylender demanded them to pay at the end of this week. So, they assumed the old couple accepted the help and moved out of the inn the night before."

So what Director Cheon said that night is true. "A man in glasses and suit? Did they refer to Secretary Do?"

"Possibly. They said that man has Seoul accent," he noted. "What are we going to do now?"

To his question, I solemnly smiled. Nothing, this is a waste of time. "We're going home now," I muttered.

And just like that, we were back on the path to the hotel. This time, the silence was more disturbing than ever with the current situation. It was too much for my spiraling thoughts. Continuously, I was thinking of Seola's still body on her hospital bed. I was thinking of all the plans we sorted and ended up being nothing. An end.

Because of that, I slipped out of the car as soon as Seokhoon came to the convenience store to buy a packet of cigarettes.

"Put this on the bill too, Sir," I placed two cans of beer on the counter, then left the store. I didn't dare to see the reaction on Seokhoon's face. Not when I was already feeling low.