The Golden Phone
I personally handed over the hard-won photo of the navigation address book and the black box memory card.
Oh Sang-gu, the head of the private investigation firm who had been digging into Lee Do-yun's past down in Busan, was now up in Seoul working on his present.
"Thank you for helping us like this. But you don't look well. Are you all right?"
"I'm not all right... I drank myself half to death to get this..."
It had been a truly horrific drinking session.
The absolute worst drinking session of my life.
Not simply because I had drunk so much, but because the careless words Lee Do-yun tossed out while drunk had been genuinely revolting.
"Then I'll be waiting for good news."
"I'll do my best."
The moment I stepped out of the car, my phone rang.
Lee Do-yun.
I answered without even trying to hide the grimace twisting my face—though my voice was a different story.
"Hyung, are you up?"
"Yeah... I feel like I'm dying... When did you even go home..?"
"I left once we got to your parking garage and headed home."
"Aww... You could've woken me up a little... I slept in the car and my back feels like it's about to snap...!"
"Haha~ Sorry about that. Get some rest, then."
"Wait a second!"
"Yes?"
"Did you have hangover soup yet? My stomach's killing me... Let's grab some together..."
"....Sure."
I had already eaten hangover soup, and the mere sight of Lee Do-yun's face would probably make my stomach turn all over again, but I still took a taxi straight to his place.
There might still be something more I could squeeze out of him.
"Eunho~"
"Hyung."
Truly disgusting.
Having to call a piece of trash like that "hyung."
But for now I still had to.
Until Oh Sang-gu finally got his hands on that bastard's weak points.
"Ugh...!! Wow... I feel a little more human now..."
He claimed there was a hangover soup place he always went to, so we headed there.
The food was actually pretty good.
"Wow... It's been years since I drank like that.... Ugh.. Just thinking about last night makes my stomach churn again..."
"Same here."
"But I didn't make any mistakes yesterday, right?"
"What kind of mistakes?"
"No, just... Anyway, I didn't say anything weird, did I?"
"Anything weird...."
"Why..? What did I say..?"
I stared straight at Lee Do-yun's worried face and thought it over.
Which way would he go?
Push away, or pull closer?
I hesitated for a second, but the memory of how he had looked last night made the decision easy.
This man was the type who pulled people in.
No—the type who reeled them in.
"Just talked a bit about women."
"Women?? Who??"
"Well, we talked about Seoyun too."
"......"
His expression froze over coldly.
Maybe he was the pushing-away type after all?
Time to poke a little harder.
"As expected of a former idol, she's different."
"....Different how?"
"What else? Sexiness just pouring off her."
"......"
Still on guard.
No—he was thinking.
Trying to remember what he had said last night.
Then I would help him remember.
"Like you said, hyung—perfect for a casual fling without marriage. Satisfaction would be huge. But is she really that much of an ice wall??"
"......"
Lee Do-yun had been watching me with a faintly sharp gaze, but then his expression suddenly loosened and the corner of his mouth curled up.
"Pfft! She's a bit like that~ Except for company dinners she never shows up even if you call her. That time she only came because you were there."
"Why would she come just because I was there? I didn't even know Seoyun back then."
"It's called social life, man. And it wasn't a one-on-one meeting."
"Ah..."
"But I really misunderstood you that day."
"Misunderstood what?"
"Don't you remember? You completely blew me off!"
"Me??"
"Ha... Are you pretending not to know, or do you actually not know?"
When I tilted my head with an innocent expression, Lee Do-yun looked at me like he couldn't believe it.
"You kept telling me not to interrupt because you were in the middle of a conversation! Making people feel like crap."
"I did that??"
"Yeah, man. Do you have any idea how hurt I was? If we hadn't had that drink yesterday I would've misunderstood you for the rest of my life~ Our CEO is a completely different person going into the bathroom versus coming out, hahaha~"
"I'm always the same person. That's one of my strengths."
"Really? Then... all those stories I told while drunk yesterday are consistent with that too?"
"That's right."
Only now did his expression completely drop its guard.
That disgusting smile.
To people who didn't know Lee Do-yun's true face it might have looked warm and kind, but I had seen the real him last night.
He was an even more pathetic piece of garbage than I had imagined.
Especially when it came to women.
"Hyung, I've got a problem."
"Suddenly a problem?? What kind?"
"I've actually been seeing a girl for a few months."
"Who?"
"Someone you don't know. A regular person."
"Ah... Is she pretty??"
"Pretty. As pretty as Baek Seoyun."
"Wow... I'm jealous.... And?"
"I think she might be pregnant. What am I supposed to do??"
"Pregnant....."
After thinking for a moment, Lee Do-yun smirked like it was nothing and handed me the answer.
"There are a few methods. Listen and pick whichever's easiest for you."
"What are they??"
"Have her sleep with other guys too. Make it confusing who got her pregnant."
"......"
I almost punched him right there.
But I forced it down and kept listening.
"If that feels too dirty, make her get an abortion."
"Isn't abortion illegal??"
"If it's illegal, are you going to have the kid? Your whole life goes down the drain. And a few years ago the criminal penalty for abortion lost its force, so it's not even illegal anymore."
"Really?? A few years ago?"
"About three years? Four? I don't remember exactly either."
"Then did you make someone get an abortion too, hyung?"
"......"
Ah, he clamped his mouth shut right there.
Fine. Move on for now.
"What other methods?"
"Um... Other methods... those get a little messy. The simplest one is money."
"Money??"
"If they're not greedy, five hundred million. If they're the type who want marriage just for the property split, one billion. Occasionally you get crazy bitches who demand more, but you don't have to give them everything. Once they get the 'pregnant woman' label, marriage gets hard. All they have left to sell is their body—you think they want to lose that?"
"......"
I nodded and chewed on a piece of radish kimchi.
What the hell did he even think women were?
No—did this guy even possess the emotion called love?
"By the way, I've got a problem these days too.."
"What kind of problem?"
"Since you shared, I'll share too... I also caused an accident when I was young. Same as you."
He was talking about Han Jihyun.
Bringing that up out of nowhere? Why??
"And?"
"She was seriously fucking beautiful. Body was killer too. Anyway, she was as much of an ice wall as Baek Seoyun, but her family was a total mess so somehow she opened up to me."
"......"
"But unluckily I knocked her up on the first try~ So after telling her to get an abortion, I cut contact. Headed up to Seoul. Thanks to that I became an actor. Anyway! I thought I'd never see her again, but recently I ran into her in Seoul—what do you know? At that same restaurant where I first met you. Still pretty. Body exactly the same."
"And then?"
"And then what? I want to eat her again. Hey, looking at what she was wearing, her situation didn't look great? So I figured I'd try seducing her once by saying I'll make her an actress. You help me out a little from the side. If older women are your type I can even hand her over later. Or I can call out whatever actresses you want. How about it?"
I had to hold it in.
The fist clenched so hard the knuckles ached, the filthy words trying to claw their way out of my mouth.
I swallowed everything and kept the conversation going.
"....Do you have her contact info?"
"Nope."
"Then how are you going to seduce her?"
"I don't have the number, but I have a way to find it."
"How?"
"I saw her at our company. The day I came to sign the contract, in the lobby. Probably a company employee or a trainee's parent... Could you look into it for me a bit?"
I told the slyly smiling Lee Do-yun that I would, and we parted ways.
The second I left the hangover soup place and got into a taxi, I made a call.
"Yes, CEO."
"It's not confirmed, but it looks like he bought women's silence with money. Or used other men, or threatened to film and distribute videos. And there should be an abortion history somewhere between three and four years ago. He knew about the revised law."
"Hmm... Clues are stacking up one by one. Feels like we're almost at the destination."
"I'm counting on you."
"Yes. Just leave it to me."
I was about to lower the phone while leaning back against the seat—
until my eyes met the taxi driver's strange stare in the rearview mirror.
"......"
"Yes, Detective Oh. Please hurry. Before this guy commits another crime. Yes. Yes, understood."
"Are you a police officer?"
"Well..."
"Please catch those trash bastards who bring shame to all men!"
"Ah.. Yes.... I'll do my best..."
"Fighting, Detective! Hahaha~"
I barely scraped through the mortifying situation and asked him to drop me at the nearest subway station.
Showing up at Art Company right now would look far too suspicious.
It's been a while since I thought about the old days.
Getting dragged around by Manager Park and pouring drinks for him.
This bastard—should I force him into some actual work?
Why does he always insist on drinking like a maniac?!
"Eunho~ Over here."
"....Hyung!"
I managed my expression into something that looked glad and walked over to Lee Do-yun's table.
But an unexpected person was sitting there.
"Why are you so late?"
"Why are you here?"
"What??"
"Come on! Come on! Since you're here, first have a drink. Seoyun, stop holding a funeral. Then let's cheers—cheers~!"
"......"
"......"
Baek Seoyun lifted her glass with a faintly displeased look, while Lee Do-yun personally took my glass, filled it, and shot me a creepy wink.
Ah. He had called Baek Seoyun out under the pretext of watching something with me?
"Kyaa!! Nice~ The three of us together like this."
"Ugh...! Just say it already. What did you want to talk about?"
"......"
"Aww~ Why is our Seoyun in such a rush? You emptied it, so take another glass."
"No. I'm fine, sunbaenim."
"Don't be like that—take a glass~ We're family now. This much is fine, right?"
"......"
Without giving me a chance to speak, Lee Do-yun cut in and filled Baek Seoyun's glass while she still wore that uncomfortable expression.
Of course he quickly poured for mine and his own as well.
That was when a text arrived from Lee Do-yun sitting across from me.
I didn't feel like it, but I decided to play along.
If Lee Do-yun got drunk enough tonight to make a real mistake, I wouldn't even need to wait for Oh Sang-gu's call.
Baek Seoyun would definitely report him—no, sue him—and I would be the witness.
Then Lee Do-yun the sexual harasser would be finished.
A 45-billion-won penalty to Art Company, countless advertising breach fees, plus the penalties for the upcoming movie and drama.
He would sink into an irrecoverable gutter.
"Aigo, wait a second. I need to take a call. You two keep drinking~"
"Haa..."
The moment Lee Do-yun left the table, Baek Seoyun beside me let out a sigh and glared at me.
"I hate seats like this! Don't call me out for them anymore."
"I didn't call you."
"What are you talking about?! Sunbaenim..."
"So just drink moderately."
"....Fine."
Baek Seoyun seemed to have roughly figured it out too.
But the fact that she still hadn't left the table—was she trying to be considerate of my relationship with Lee Do-yun?
"You're kind."
"About what?"
"You noticed and you're still sitting here."
"That is... what are you doing right now??"
I dumped the expensive whiskey into the ice bucket and refilled it with a drink of a similar color.
"I'll handle the alcohol. Only take it from me. Crush some ice for us here, please."
"....Is something going on..? A reason you have to stay at this table like this."
"You're quick on the uptake too."
"What is it?"
"Secret. You don't need to know. You'll find out later anyway."
"......"
That was when it happened.
A loud ringtone blared from the seat across the table.
Lee Do-yun's phone.
"What..? Didn't he just take his phone with him??"
"I have two phones too. Of course the number I gave you is the private one. Not many people know it~"
"Should I be grateful?"
"Obviously!"
Even ordinary people sometimes keep a work phone and a private phone separate.
I had only ever used one—both as an office worker and now.
But then I heard something unexpected.
"There's something called the Golden Phone."
"Golden Phone??"
"Yeah. Last time when I mentioned I was filming with sunbae Lee Do-yun, the hair stylist told me. That sunbae Lee Do-yun has something called the Golden Phone."
"Why Golden Phone?"
"Because it's a deal as valuable as gold."
"Tell me everything."
Lee Do-yun's Golden Phone.
It was a rumor without any solid proof, but even that rumor was so secretive that only a tiny handful of people knew about it.
In the past Lee Do-yun had lost his phone at a regional filming location, and the entire crew had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night for an emergency assembly—it had been that big a deal.
Body searches, room searches, everyone combing through the dark set before dawn.
Of course they had forced everyone to sign nondisclosure agreements to bury the whole thing.
"That's all I heard. No one knows what's actually on it."
"The Golden Phone...."
It probably existed.
And inside that Golden Phone was the secret that could drop Lee Do-yun straight into hell.
But how was I supposed to get it?
If he made that much of a fuss over it, he would never let it leave his body.
"......"
"......"
"What? Why are you staring at me like that?!"
I looked Baek Seoyun straight in the eye.
And asked.
"Want to practice acting with me?"
"R-right now??"
"Yeah."
"......"
Maybe I could get that Golden Phone into my hands after all.
Of course, only if Baek Seoyun helped me.
As long as she didn't pull out her trademark wooden acting.