21. Kindness
The Han Chae-kyung scandal.
Naturally, the city council office I worked in was feeling the fallout too.
"You're the team leader of the legislative affairs team, right? Where's Councilor Han Chae-kyung right now?" (0 / 0 / —)
"I have no idea."
"Don't give me that—just cooperate! Everyone knows your team handles councilors' schedules. Where is she?"
"I really don't know anything."
Our team leader was being grilled by a reporter in his late thirties.
"Miss, Officer Joo Sung-hyun, what are we going to do?" (32 / 231 / 7 hours ago)
"What's wrong?"
"They say there's going to be a rally in front of our building later. Something like 'Condemn the City Council for Neglecting a Prostitute Councilor.' They're expecting at least a hundred people, and the PR team says they can't handle it alone. We need to cover for them."
"……."
"Why does this shit always fall on us?"
The woman sitting next to me—a former virgin whose sex partner count had gone up by one seven hours ago—was complaining about the sudden workload spike.
"Honestly… how did a sponsor girl even think about running for office? It's amazing."
"Tell me about it."
"Oh, right—Officer Joo Sung-hyun? I noticed earlier that you seem pretty skilled at prostitution. Isn't that weird? I looked it up online, and apparently you meet four times a month and she showers you with allowance money and gifts. That's such poor value for money, isn't it?"
The office worker from the budget team seemed genuinely puzzled about why anyone would bother with a sponsor arrangement.
It was natural for him to be confused. The establishments near Central Station and Annam Station that he frequented offered a two-shot option with a shower BJ for just 250,000 won…
He couldn't wrap his head around the idea of sponsoring a woman with similar looks, paying for her hotel and meals out of your own pocket.
Everyone was in crisis mode, and here he was arguing about cost-effectiveness. It was a bit odd, but whatever.
"Tell me about it."
I brushed it off. What was I supposed to say to my colleagues whose workload had increased because of me?
If I hadn't dug up Han Chae-kyung's history as a prostitute…
The office would still be peaceful. On the other hand, if Han Chae-kyung had managed to win the mayoral race in next year's local elections, or become a three-term councilor and seize the speakership in the first half of the term before the scandal broke, things would have been several times worse than they were now.
"But seriously, isn't it terrifying? What if she'd become mayor?" (32 / 231 / 7 hours ago)
"She'd have been preserved as a 'sponsor mayor' instead of a 'sponsor councilor.'"
"At least it's good that it blew up now."
My colleagues seemed to share the same sentiment.
Of course, I hadn't sent Han Chae-kyung away to prevent chaos.
It certainly wasn't out of any sense of duty to keep Annam City's administration from falling into the hands of a prostitute.
I'd simply sent away a councilor who had treated me like shit.
I had considered the option of keeping Han Chae-kyung alive and slowly draining her resources, but honestly, my mind had been made up from the start. If she hadn't kept bringing up my father's job, I might have gone easier on her.
'It's not over yet.'
Han Chae-kyung was still alive. For now, at least.
She didn't have many options left.
Struggling to survive somehow? Unlikely.
Han Chae-kyung was already a nationally famous prostitute.
In terms of actual charges, she probably wouldn't be prosecuted. The prostitution was from long ago, and the fact that she had asked me to investigate her husband hadn't even been made public yet.
But regardless of legal consequences, she was a publicly confirmed prostitute. It was also true that she had entered politics through her sponsor connections.
Socially, she was already dead.
Still, Han Chae-kyung could cause a ruckus if she really wanted to.
It came down to the composition of the sponsors she had dealt with.
There were ordinary high-income self-employed people, dentists, pharmacists, accountants, and the like… but there were also big shots at the same level as her husband.
'Those guys must be shaking right now.'
How embarrassing would it be to find out that a prostitute you used to buy was suddenly a star? There were probably more than a couple of people trembling at the thought of Han Chae-kyung's list being leaked.
Right at that moment, a message came from Han Chae-kyung.
"I just got a call. The speaker and deputy speaker have cleared all their afternoon schedules."
"Team leader, is this about Councilor Han Chae-kyung…?"
"Quiet."
The news also came that Han Chae-kyung had requested a meeting with the city council's speaker's office—likely to discuss her fate. She wanted to meet with me briefly before that, and I had no reason to refuse.
The future of the sponsor councilor was about to be decided.
That evening. City Hall Annex.
The city council building was still noisy with protests and rallies, but this place was quiet.
"……." (73 / 887 / 1 year 7 months ago)
Han Chae-kyung stood in front of the reservation-only conference room.
She looked three or four years older than the last time I'd seen her…
Part of it was probably deliberate—dressing plainly to avoid attention—but more of it seemed like genuine deterioration. Extreme stress can age a person rapidly.
Her outfit was shabby compared to her usual style.
A knit hoodie, sneakers, glasses. If it hadn't been for the familiar number above her head, it would have taken me a moment to recognize her.
"Councilor. How have you been?"
"…Thanks to you."
"I understand you're meeting with Speaker Yang Man-heum shortly."
"Is that so?"
"It's about your position, I assume."
Han Chae-kyung looked at me with an empty expression before nodding.
She was probably asking the speaker for support to resign quickly. In elected office, you can't just resign on your own without colleagues' cooperation.
"But Officer Joo Sung-hyun… you look so good?"
Seeing Han Chae-kyung's fallen state didn't actually make me feel bad.
Barely any makeup, her gaze scattered into the air…
Even now, photos from her prime—mostly full designer outfits from her college days—were still circulating on social media, and people were cursing the prostitute councilor who had been selling her body for ten years, starting from her freshman year.
And yet the person herself stood there in a wretched state, staring blankly.
After a long silence, the words she spoke were:
"Thank you." (73 / 887 / 1 year 7 months ago)
"Councilor?"
It was an unexpected greeting. She didn't seem to mean it sincerely.
"Thanks to you, I'll be able to secure at least 3 billion won. Really, thank you."
She seemed to be trying to sting me. At least 3 billion won—of course she was talking about property division.
It wasn't baseless. Given Kim Ho-chang's assets and the length of their marriage, even a prostitute would walk away with at least 3 billion.
Branded as a prostitute and getting 3 billion? If that's what happened, Han Chae-kyung wasn't in the worst position.
But from my perspective, I didn't think she'd actually get it.
"3 billion is nothing. With a good lawyer, you could get 4 billion, even 5 billion."
"…?"
"It'll take some time. Just the property appraisal alone is six months, and if it goes to appeal, over two years. But you'll get the money regardless. No matter how extreme your husband decides to be, there's no way he can refuse a property division lawsuit."
Right. She could split the assets. But.
"How will your husband take that?"
A warning that the old man might beat you to death with his bare hands.
Han Chae-kyung looked at me with a dazed expression, as if wondering "Would he really go that far?"
Even though a well-known Annam City lawyer—a female attorney presumed to have "introduced" Han Chae-kyung to Kim Ho-chang—was already lying in a vegetative state.
Of course, Korea wasn't a country where people's lives were threatened over property division.
But this case was different.
"Councilor, take a look at this."
I showed her a photo to bring her back to reality.
One I had obtained from Kwak Min-sun earlier…
It was a photo of Han Chae-kyung from her junior year of college, receiving a blowjob from a sponsor. Aside from the man's hand being inside her skirt, the level wasn't particularly extreme. Given that Han Chae-kyung was already exposed as a prostitute, most people would probably brush it off.
The problem was the man's identity.
"This man is Attorney Moon Sang-hyun."
"How did you get that photo…"
"A former prosecutor and the previous National Intelligence Service director's legal special advisor. He still holds a respectable position. He's an outside director at a major corporation and the lead attorney at a mid-sized law firm."
In other words, someone who absolutely couldn't afford for it to come out that he had sponsored Han Chae-kyung.
There were probably several big shots among the sponsors she had been with.
In any case, they were men with the financial means to enjoy prostitutes while paying them large sums.
Kim Ho-chang had already obtained part of that list, it seemed. If he was driven mad with revenge, he could incite the sponsors to do something quite vicious.
"Even so… I can't believe it." (73 / 887 / 1 year 7 months ago)
"I'm sorry, Councilor Han Chae-kyung, but you've already experienced quite a few 'I can't believe it' moments recently. All in a short period of time."
It would be wise to beg her husband for mercy and end things quickly while she still could.
That way, she'd at least avoid being kicked out with nothing. Given what she had enjoyed over the years, even a few hundred million won would feel like nothing, but still.
'Better than being beaten to death.'
Even I thought it was realistic advice. Part of it was because I didn't want to see her walk away with a fortune.
"I suppose… that's possible."
Han Chae-kyung listened to my words more attentively than expected. Of course, she knew better than I did what kind of man her husband was—and what state he was in.
If she was going to come out like this, I had no reason to push her further.
Her political career was over, and she had become a prostitute known by name to the entire nation.
She'd probably find it hard to live in Korea, but she could manage to scrape by somewhere like Canada or New Zealand. There was no need to push her any further.
Just as I thought the brief confrontation was nearly over—
Han Chae-kyung's hazy eyes narrowed, and the corners of her drooping mouth twitched slightly.
She didn't seem to be suddenly thinking about her husband again… that venom was clearly being directed at me.
It seemed she had finally figured it out.
"Joo Sung-hyun. It was you from the beginning." (73 / 887 / 1 year 7 months ago)
"……."
"Min-sun wasn't that crazy bitch. From the start, it was all… you, right?"
That I was the mastermind who had orchestrated her step-by-step downfall. That everyone else was just a pawn.
Her realization was late—far too late.
But just in case she had any misguided thoughts later on.
"Councilor, there are surprisingly many prostitutes still working in your age group. Budget-friendly offices, second-round specialized massage parlors, or in-home massage services."
"You bastard, what the hell… ah?"
"It's no different overseas. There are karaoke hostesses working after-hours for Korean expats in Bangkok. There are prostitutes at legal brothels in New Zealand who serve both locals and tourists. The demand might be low due to age, but they exist."
I warned her that her situation could get worse depending on her choices.
"Councilor Han Chae-kyung, I sincerely hope this is our last meeting."
If she got involved with me again, it would mean a real return to active duty.
I bowed my head one last time to the dazed-looking Han Chae-kyung.