Into The Thrill

Haewon stopped in the stairwell and pressed his forehead against the wall with a thud before speaking. It had already been several days since he had last seen him, but he missed him, wanted to touch him, and feel his scent and warmth.
―Haewon.

"Yeah…"
―I can't work because of you. Please, just meet me.
The rough and honest voice, like the tone of a guarnieri, made Haewon feel as if he might fall for it.

"I don’t want to. Why should I meet you? Quit being a prosecutor. Come play and eat with me."
―Call me before you sleep. Let’s talk then.
"…Okay."

Haewon couldn't resist the appeal of his voice, so he gave in and accepted his proposal. They promised to talk later in the evening and ended the call.
There were other things Haewon knew about him. During their time together, even when he would occasionally say he liked him while making soft sounds, Hyun Woojin still had never said any awkward words like "I like you." Haewon didn’t know whether he was simply unable to say those words or if he just didn’t feel that way.
He was so hard to figure out, and yet, he was so easy to understand. Hyun Woojin was a curious, fascinating, and endlessly intriguing person to Haewon.

Haewon absentmindedly pressed his forehead against the wall again, startled by the sudden noise. He hurriedly pressed his hand to his chest to calm his racing heart.
"Ah, that startled me."
Seok Hwa and the conductor were standing in the stairwell, looking at him. Haewon gave a slight bow to the conductor and another to Seok Hwa.

"Who was that? Who were you talking to?"
Seok Hwa, dressed in a glaringly white suit, asked with wide eyes.
"Who else would I be talking to?"

"Is it your girlfriend? A woman?"
"What are you doing here, aunt?"
When Haewon called Seok Hwa "aunt," the conductor flinched. Seok Hwa casually hooked her arm through Haewon’s and led him down the stairs toward where they were heading.

"I came to discuss the orchestra's trip to China."
"Why are you going? What’s your involvement?"
"I’m planning to charter a private jet for them."
She shrugged, almost as if to say, "This is what I do." Haewon wasn’t surprised at all.

"But can’t I just not go to China?"
Haewon asked as he stopped midway down the stairs, looking at Seok Hwa and the conductor behind her.
"Why?"

Seok Hwa asked, pulling on his arm to continue down. Haewon trudged along with her.
"It wouldn’t make much of a difference if one person’s missing, right? Can’t I just not go? Do I have to go?"
"Why, it’ll be good for you to get a change of scenery. We’ll be flying in a private jet, after all."

"I really don’t want to go."
"Is it because of your boyfriend? Are you worried you won’t get to see him?"
Seok Hwa asked with a smug grin, as if she already knew the answer. Haewon nodded because it was true. Seok Hwa, acting like she was adoringly amused, pinched his cheek. When he recoiled, she cleared her throat and threw a glance at the conductor.

"He’s in the prime of his life. Who is he? What does he do?"
"He’s a prosecutor."
"A prosecutor?"

She stopped walking. Haewon realized it. The man his deceased fiancée had been seeing was also a prosecutor, and, in fact, the very prosecutor Haewon was now seeing. Both were prosecutors, and awkwardly enough, they were the same person. A silence passed by, full of deep contemplation. Then Seok Hwa asked cheerfully again.
"Did Woojin introduce you?"
"No, a friend… a friend introduced me."

It was practically like Taeshin had introduced him to Hyun Woojin. Taeshin had brought Hyun Woojin to Haewon. Haewon had started liking the man that Taeshin had been in love with. Haewon had tried his best to avoid it, but if Taeshin had seen it, he would understand Haewon’s feelings. There had been no other choice.
"Too bad. I’ve got a daughter, and you’re not that far apart in age."
"A daughter?"

Haewon recalled Seok Hwa’s sorrowful expression when she had cried over her late daughter. He felt guilty for thinking about it, but she spoke as if reading his thoughts.
"Hayeong has a sibling. Our second."
"Ah, I see."

Haewon decided to stay silent, not wanting to bring up painful memories. But Seok Hwa suddenly clapped her hands as if a good idea had just struck her.
"Come over for dinner tonight. To my house."
"I don’t want to."

"Don’t be like that. Woojin said he’d come too. Wouldn’t it be great to have dinner together?"
"…Hyun Woojin, the prosecutor?"
He had said he was on night duty. He had to cover for a senior, so he couldn’t come for dinner tonight. He’d promised to see Haewon tomorrow, but had insisted they talk before going to bed, begging him to call.

"Yes, Prosecutor Woojin. He said you were his school senior, right? You two sometimes have dinner together, and he’s available tonight, so we scheduled it for today."
If it were just dinner, Haewon thought, he would have said it honestly. It was strange that he’d lied, as it wasn’t like Haewon was going to devour him or keep him from going. It left Haewon feeling like he wanted to punish him for lying.
"Am I supposed to be a part of this? Are you trying to embarrass me like last time, in front of everyone?"

"You, I’m cool with that. I already forgot about it. And didn’t you embarrass me too?"
She playfully gestured as though to hit him, but then she smiled.
"I’ll send a car, so you can take that. Your practice finishes on time, right?"

The conductor replied politely that it would.
"Once you come, you can play the violin too. My husband loves the violin. If we eat dinner and drink wine while listening to you play, it’ll be truly magical."
Her face lit up with a genuine, happy expression, like that was her idea of true happiness.

"Well, if I feel like it, I’ll do it."
"Alright, I won’t force you. Do as you wish. Then, shall we meet for dinner tonight?"
Haewon nodded. Seok Hwa waved her hand and left with her assistant, who had been there earlier. As Haewon turned to leave, he made eye contact with the conductor, who was suspiciously following him.

"Haewon, how do you know Director Seo?"
"I wouldn’t say we really know each other. But do I really have to go to China?"
"No, Haewon, do you know Director Seo? She’s the wife of the chairman of HanKyeong Group, right? Did you see the honey dripping from the chairman’s wife’s eyes?"

The conductor didn’t wait for an answer and continued, excitedly talking to himself.
"…I have a boyfriend. And am I crazy? With a woman like her?"
"So what’s your relationship?"

"Ugh, really. We’re just acquaintances."
Haewon brushed him off, not wanting to imagine the disgusting things he was thinking, and turned away.
The car driven by Seok Hwa’s assistant soon arrived, and they headed to her house. The mansion, located in the heart of Seoul with a view of the Han River, had three large security guards at the entrance who monitored all visitors.

Haewon stood still, the heavy smell of wealth clouding his vision as he tried to figure out why Hyun Woojin had lied to him, but it didn't seem to enter his mind.
Was it because he thought Haewon might ask too many questions?
He searched his memory, wondering if he had ever been a nuisance to him. Whenever Hyun Woojin said he had plans, Haewon just accepted it without asking who, where, why, or when. He had never doubted or questioned him.

"Let's get out."
Before Haewon could reflect further, the assistant opened the door and waited. Haewon got out of the car, slinging his violin case over his shoulder. He declined the offer to help and followed the assistant inside. Passing through the garden, they entered, where a neatly dressed woman greeted him.
"Welcome. I heard from the madam. This way, please."

She wasn’t a maid but seemed more like a manager who oversaw household matters. She offered to take Haewon’s violin, but he declined again.
Haewon passed through the hallway and headed for the living room. It seemed that just walking around this house would be a workout.
The interior, likely to Seok Hwa's taste, was overwhelmingly floral. Flower decorations and floral patterns everywhere made the place feel dizzying, with fresh flowers in every empty space. The living room felt more like a florist or a greenhouse than a home.

"There's a lot of flowers."
Haewon murmured as he followed the assistant. She smiled and casually replied, "Yes, there are."
Well, someone has to buy flowers to keep the flower industry going, Haewon thought absently as he finally arrived at the living room. Seok Hwa and CEO Kim Jeong-geun were sitting, drinking tea.

CEO Kim Jeong-geun had glasses perched on the tip of his nose, reading a newspaper, while Seok Hwa was listening to classical music playing in the living room, her eyes closed as she swayed her head from side to side. It was Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto. If it hadn't been for their first daughter, they would have been a perfectly happy and beautiful family. Hyun Woojin would have become part of that family, too.
Haewon had come here hoping to get back at Hyun Woojin for lying to him, but now, a feeling of regret slowly crept in.
Wanting to get back at Hyun Woojin was a simple excuse. He missed him, was curious about him. He wanted to see his fiancée’s family and the traces of her.

"Madam, Moon Haewon is here."
"Eh? Oh, he's here? Sit down here."
Seok Hwa’s eyes sparkled as she opened them and motioned for Haewon to sit beside her. CEO Kim Jeong-geun lifted his head and looked at him.

"Welcome."
"Hello."
"I heard you made up with my wife? Good job. The person who would be the most uncomfortable if we turned into enemies would be our Mrs. Seo. Just keep that in mind."

"Well, you always say that."
CEO Kim Jeong-geun tried to swat his own arm with the newspaper, showing his true nature, but Seok Hwa, noticing Haewon staring, smiled artificially.
"When Prosecutor Hyun and our Soyoung get here, we’ll start dinner. Get ready."

Seok Hwa told the assistant.
Haewon was eagerly anticipating the expression Hyun Woojin would have when he passed through this flower garden and saw Haewon. More than wondering why he lied, Haewon was curious to see how Hyun Woojin would react when he saw him. He was nervous, wondering how he would act.
Hyun Woojin had no idea he was in Haewon’s palm, acting recklessly. He never imagined that, with one wrong word, he would have brought Seok Hwa and Haewon closer, or even built a bond beyond just becoming acquaintances.

It was a mistake for Hyun Woojin to bring Haewon to meet Henry Chang during the concert. This time, Haewon would use this opportunity to fix Hyun Woojin’s bad habit and make sure he never lied again.
"I’m here."
"So Soyoung’s here? Soyoung, come here. I have someone to introduce."

It seemed like the second daughter, who had become the only child of HanKyeong Group after her older sister’s passing, had arrived. Haewon stood up from the sofa but froze.
"…"
"Haewon? Hey, Haewon?"

Seok Hwa’s sharp hand slapped Haewon’s arm. Only then did Haewon snap back to reality and shake his head. He looked at the woman standing in front of him.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was the woman who had been sitting next to Hyun Woojin the day Haewon first met him at the hotel. Her smooth calves gleamed with a polished sheen, and her nails were meticulously done with red pedicure. She wore a short skirt and had a well-groomed look, with strap sandals that wrapped around her slender ankles. The red pedicure on her toes was very sensual.
Haewon had caught her gaze several times before, and she had sent him looks of interest while flirting with Hyun Woojin, who had his arm around her. She had said something to him, though Haewon didn’t remember exactly what, but they had exchanged glances numerous times while taking the elevator up to the fortieth floor of the hotel. It was unmistakably the same woman who had been with Hyun Woojin that day.

What on earth was going on?
Why was this woman here?
She seemed not to recognize Haewon. Though she wore a more innocent outfit and styled her hair differently, the woman standing in front of him was undoubtedly the same one who had been with Hyun Woojin.

Haewon barely regained his composure and spoke.
"Ah, hello. I’m Moon Haewon."
"Hello. «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» I’m Kim Soyoung. Who are you?"

Kim Soyoung greeted Haewon and turned to Seok Hwa.
"Our orchestra’s violinist. He’s a junior to Prosecutor Hyun."
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I’ll go change."

She seemed to have no recollection of the past. It had been over a year since then. Haewon wasn’t particularly good at remembering people, but he could clearly recall strong memories, and this one, with Hyun Woojin and her, was still vivid in his mind. Kim Soyoung seemed to have no memory of Haewon, giving him a brief greeting before turning away.
He didn’t remember everything, but he could clearly picture her strap sandals, her shiny calves, and the red pedicure on her toes. He even recalled how she called Hyun Woojin "Woojin-ssi."
Haewon wanted to believe he was just mistaken, that it was just a coincidence, but it was her. His heart raced uncontrollably. He couldn’t figure out whether his heart was racing from shock or from trying to understand the situation. His heartbeat sped up as if trying to calm his confused mind by pumping more blood. Haewon wasn’t thinking straight.

Hyun Woojin, are you insane? Are you crazy?
Finally, after recognizing the situation, Haewon’s mind turned cold.
This crazy bastard…

He bit his lip hard, feeling the taste of blood. Haewon swallowed the blood and saliva repeatedly.
The Hyun Woojin Haewon thought he knew was not the Hyun Woojin that Moon Haewon knew. Haewon had been wrong about him.
"Our daughter is beautiful, right? She’s in grad school, preparing for her doctoral thesis."

"Yes, she’s beautiful. She looks like you, aunt."
Haewon’s lips twitched slightly, holding back a smile. He waited impatiently for Hyun Woojin to appear, hoping he would hurry through the flower path and show up right in front of him.