✓ LOVE TRIAL | HEESEUNG

42 - Romantic Homicide

Heeseung's POV

I stare at the video recordings playing on my laptop, blood boiling in my veins. My fists are so tight my knuckles are pale and strained. The thought of her fragile heart shattering into a million pieces makes me want to break Sunoo's face, and watching the recording feels like a knife twisting in my gut.

I asked Jake some time ago to find out why Y/N's job application wasn't found and here I am watching someone hand it to Sunoo in the parking garage with a bag I assume filled with stacks of cash. My mind is filled with unanswered questions about who the man is and why is Sunoo involved in this. I can't brush off how shady all of this is because the next thing I watch is another recording of Sunoo crumbling the papers before he threw them in a nearby trash can and got on top of Y/N's motorcycle, driving away as if he had just committed the perfect crime.

The sight of him callously destroying Y/N's application makes me rage. I remember her telling me about how she had been hopeful that her qualifications would speak for themselves. She put her heart and soul into that application, hoping for a chance to prove herself, just for this motherfucker to toss it away like it meant nothing.

Jake is looking for who the man is and I made it clear that we need to find him even if it means pulling him from the deepest corners of the shadows. I didn't think my Saturday would take this turn, but there's no turning back. Once I find out who he is, I'll make him regret ever crossing paths with Y/N. I haven't felt this way in a while now, but whoever has the audacity to toy with my woman will fucking pay.

"Heeseung?" Y/N's voice makes my stomach drop and the first thing I do is close the goddamn laptop before I stand up and approach her. But she frowns and looks at the laptop, making me wish I didn't close it that abruptly. She places her hand on my chest, right where my heart is pounding. "Why is your heart beating so fast?" The look on her face alone can tell me she's confused and hurt and it's enough to break my heart.

"Nothing," I hold her hand and intertwine her fingers with mine, leaning in for a kiss. But when our lips meet, she doesn't kiss me back. Her lack of response to the kiss sends a shiver down my spine, and I pull away, searching her eyes for something but disappointment is all I find. My heart sinks further. "I just remembered I have an important meeting today."

"But... we planned to go out for lunch today. You said you didn't have anything today." Shit. Shit, shit, shit. I'm the biggest asshole for forgetting the date she's been excited about all week and for lying to her.

I swallow hard, the look on her face crushing my soul. "I know, and I'm sorry. Something unexpected came up, and I really have to go." I kiss her forehead, hoping for her to feel my apology without me having to say a word. But as I pull away, the hurt in her eyes is unmistakable. "I'll make it up for you, pretty. I promise."

"Okay," She whispers, but the disappointment is still there and I fucking hate myself for causing it. "Just... let me know when you're free again." And I just watch as she walks away, her shoulders slumped, her steps lacking the usual spring in her stride.

I can't believe I let her down like this. She deserves so much better than a broken promise and a last-minute cancellation. But the thought of her finding out her best friend had been lying behind her back tears at my insides because I know how it will devastate her. I desperately want to reach out and hold her, protect her from all that pain but now I can't. I have to deal with an asshole named Sunoo and make him speak. I take my car and drive to Petit Coin since Jake is in the company looking through the CCTV recordings.

When I step inside the coffee shop, Sunoo is behind the counter, busy attending to customers. His lips are still bruised from the punch I landed on him and I feel little satisfaction when I approach him. I can see the surprise and fear in his eyes when he acknowledges my presence, and I lean closer, my voice low as I meet his gaze. "Get your ass there without causing a scene. We have some things to discuss, and you better be ready to come clean."

I walk away, feeling his gaze on me while I step into the backroom. Then a few seconds later, he's standing in front of me while I lean against the wall. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh no, you'll do the talking." I've been real nice with him until now, but if he doesn't speak, then I'll enjoy breaking every bone in his body. "Come on, spill everything about the man you met in Judy Hills and why you're involved with him. If you leave one single detail out I'll break your hand and shove it down your throat."

"I can report you for harassment." He narrows his eyes, his voice wavering slightly and it makes a biter smile tug at the corners of my lips.

"Go ahead and try. You won't get very far with your little report. But I can kill you, right now, right here, and make it look like an accident. So, unless you want your life to take a very sudden and unfortunate turn, I suggest you start talking."

Sunoo's face pales, and beads of sweat form on his forehead. He takes a step back, running his fingers through his hair. "He owns a construction company. He's been working with Judy Hills and... his name is Baek Jihun."

Blood rushes through my veins as I process the information. Baek Jihun. The name reverberates in my mind, making me hope that what I'm thinking about is wrong. I've never wanted to be wrong in my whole life, but right now, it feels like a desperate wish. "How do you know him?"

"Baek Jihun. Baek Y/N." He leans against the wall, looking away as the world stops around me. "Her father is alive-" Before he gets to finish his sentence, I grab his neck and press a knife against his skin. I'm not thinking straight. All I can think of is Y/N and how this will shatter her world. "This is everything I know! He offered me a way to make some quick cash by being her friend and I-"

I press the knife closer to his throat and he gasps for air, his hands instinctively reaching up to pry mine away from his neck. "You used Y/N for money?" I growl through gritted teeth, my insides seething with anger.

He struggles to speak, his voice strained and choked. "I... I'm sorry. It was just a deal. He offered me a lot of money, and I... I needed it."

The sound of the door creaking open behind us makes me instinctively turn my head to see who has entered, and my heart races when I lock eyes with Y/N, standing frozen in the doorway. The knife slips from my hand, clattering to the ground. "Y/N..." I stammer, desperately searching for words to explain, to make it right somehow. But she takes a step back, her hands instinctively wrapping around herself.

And I just stand there and watch as the light leaves her eyes.