Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Eyes That Show Only What You Want to See (1)
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2010 spring, the night before the weekend deepened.
The alleys of the Gangnam Station nightlife district bustled with drunken revelers everywhere.
A strikingly beautiful woman with dazzling looks and a young man in a sleek suit pulled a large suitcase into a neatly dressed motel.
It looked like it had just opened recently.
Young-ho and Yu-bin, sitting at the counter, couldn't help but smile at the woman's eye-catchingly stunning appearance.
"Have a comfortable stay."
At the man's words indicating they were staying overnight, Yu-bin handed over the key.
Young-ho stared intently at the couple heading to the elevator.
To Young-ho, the suitcase the man was pulling seemed too light for its size.
He felt a twinge of suspicion, but it wasn't important to him.
Young-ho quietly asked Yu-bin.
"Room 204, right?"
"Of course. We've got prime goods today—why would we let that slip? Worth keeping the room open."
"Ah, you clever one. This one's gonna be killer. That body's insane. Looks like they just got back from a trip or something—the bag looks light. Guy must be pretty strong."
"Why worry about their bag? Come on, let's watch. Isn't this why we man the counter every Friday? Time to tune in."
This motel, open for a couple of months, was run by Yu-bin's father.
Every Friday night, after partying around Gangnam Station, Yu-bin would without fail man the counter with his college buddy Young-ho and spend the night there.
From after their military discharge until their final semester, the two friends who had chased only booze and women, failing to adapt to studies or society, had found a new thrill at this motel.
For the two friends, manning the counter was a bigger, more exhilarating pleasure than anything else.
Because the cameras installed in Room 204 boosted Yu-bin and Young-ho's status among their friends.
"Alright, action's starting. Recording now. And... action!"
Yu-bin brought up the feed from the cameras pre-installed in Room 204 on the monitor.
"Whoa! This girl's body is unreal! I gotta follow her out when they leave and check out her place. That guy looks younger than us but he's got skills."
At Young-ho's words, Yu-bin asked.
"Yeah, she's on another level from the girls we've hooked up with. A goddess. A goddess. But why the house?"
"Gonna use the footage to show off and maybe get some action myself. Cheers!"
"Cut it out. You'll just screw up the fun by showing off. We gave them the best room cheap, so they'll come back. Gotta make them regulars."
In the monitor the two friends were glued to, the naked couple was already exploring each other's bodies.
A moment later, the woman, shaking her dazzling nude form, headed to the bathroom first.
The man, watching her back, followed her into the bathroom.
"Yeah, gotta start with a shower. Since they're staying overnight, we can get plenty of good footage."
As Young-ho grinned and spoke to Yu-bin, Yu-bin switched the monitor to the bathroom cameras.
"I installed two in the bathroom just for you, bro. Room 204 has five cameras total."
As the bathroom scene came up on the monitor, the excited Young-ho slapped Yu-bin's back and went wild.
"It's a studio! A studio! Man, your sense is top-tier! Next time, add a separate mic. We can record audio, edit it, and save it. I'll handle the editing. Hey, but why'd he bring the bag into the shower?"
Having been focused on the woman's body, Young-ho had missed the man bringing the bag into the bathroom and turned to Yu-bin.
"What the f—!"
The monitor showed the man pulling a hand axe from the bag and smashing the back of the showering woman's head.
The woman's head burst open, and she crumpled to the floor.
Even as she fell, the man's axe swings didn't stop.
Mixed with the shower water, blood stained the bathroom floor red.
"Call the cops! Phone, phone!"
Unable to even look properly at the monitor, Yu-bin yelled and hurriedly pulled out his cell phone.
"No! Don't call! Don't call!"
Young-ho urgently stopped Yu-bin.
"Why?"
Yu-bin looked at Young-ho with puzzled eyes.
By now, even the woman's pitiful twitching on the monitor had stopped.
But the man's axe blows grew even more brutal, hacking at her slender body.
The footage was so vivid it felt like you could hear bones cracking and flesh tearing.
"What do we tell the cops if we call? That we're running hidden cams?"
"We can just say we got suspicious and called."
"What if they investigate and find the cameras you installed? My uncle's the chairman of Haedong Group. My aunt's husband runs Haedong Daily. That guy saw me at the counter! We'd be the bigger story than him. People focus more on spy cams."
Young-ho, attending a local university and living a debauched life, was already out of favor with his family.
His uncle, the Haedong Group chairman, didn't even consider him family and planned to put his own son in the Haedong Daily presidency, not Young-ho.
Despite Young-ho's words, Yu-bin kept fiddling with his phone as if to call.
"Young-ho, I get your situation, but it's murder. We have to report it."
At Yu-bin's attitude, Young-ho panicked and desperately persuaded him.
"Yu-bin, your dad went bankrupt, scraped together everything to build this motel. If word gets out about a murder here plus spy cams, it's over. He'll go under. You said he has loans—what about those?"
Yu-bin's eyes wavered.
"You'll get ruined at school and with your friends too. Prison's on the table. Let's not report it. We just stay put."
Emphasizing it was his dad's motel, Young-ho made Yu-bin drop the idea of calling, lips trembling as he asked.
"What if they catch that guy?"
"When he leaves, we remove all the cameras. Report then."
At Young-ho's suggestion to clear the cameras first, Yu-bin hardened his resolve.
To make sure, Young-ho emphasized again.
"Whatever that guy does, what do we care? Doesn't matter if he gets caught. F—! Even if he kills again. For now, we look away."
The two friends didn't dare glance at the monitor even during their talk.
On the screen, the man who had chopped up the woman's body with the axe was stuffing pieces into plastic bags and packing them into the suitcase.
"Yu-bin, turn off the monitor."
Unable to even peek at the horrific scene, Young-ho finally spoke up.
With trembling hands, Yu-bin pressed the power button.
Two hours later, the man left the room.
Drrrrr.
The now heavier suitcase dragged with a chilling sound.
Yu-bin and Young-ho didn't dare meet the man's eyes, just bowed their heads.
As soon as he was out of sight, they rushed up to Room 204.
Room 204 was astonishingly clean and tidy.
Even the bathroom where the murder and dismemberment happened was spotless.
"He cleaned so well, there's not even a bloody smell."
Despite Young-ho's words, Yu-bin was too busy removing the cameras to respond.
Helping Yu-bin, Young-ho quickly removed the rest, bagged them in shopping bags, and headed down to the counter.
"Yu-bin, that guy's a pro. Not his first time. Definitely not. If he finds out we saw..."
As Young-ho spoke to Yu-bin while descending in the elevator.
Yu-bin, staring straight ahead, said with trembling lips.
"He's still here. Out there..."
Following Yu-bin's gaze, Young-ho froze and dropped the shopping bag in his hand.
The man standing in the parking lot, looking at Young-ho and Yu-bin, smiled faintly when a camera poked out of the bag, then dragged his large suitcase away.
* * *
"Reporter Park, what's with the invitation?"
Byung-su spoke to Dong-jin, who was holding the invitation lost in thought.
"Oh, Team Leader. It's for Haedong Daily President Park's birthday."
"Whoa! As expected from our ace ex-politics reporter Park—invited to Haedong Daily's president's birthday. They don't invite just anyone. Annoying style, but badass!"
Na-rae rushed over, snatched the invitation from Dong-jin's hand, examined it, and made a fuss.
"I've never gotten an invite from a big shot like that in my life. Jealous. Guess I'm one of the 'just anyones.' When is it?"
When Byung-su asked, the excitedly hyped Na-rae answered for him.
"April 20th. That's today. Park sunbae, you're going, right?"
To Na-rae asking brightly, Dong-jin hesitated before replying.
"Haedong Daily hates me as much as Dongguk Daily does. Anyway, since I got invited, I should go."
"Even if they're like enemies, you attend weddings and funerals out of courtesy. Go for it. What time?"
Byung-su placed a hand on Dong-jin's shoulder and asked.
"Seven o'clock, at Haedong Hotel in Gwanghwamun."
"But Park sunbae, why do you hate Haedong Daily and Dongguk Daily?"
Na-rae asked Dong-jin, who was grimacing.
"It's not hate. It's disdain."
"Disdain's even worse. Got some grudge?"
To Na-rae's follow-up, Dong-jin gave an awkward smile.
"Because they're media that know the truth but refuse to show it to people. They just use the press for their own power. Full of distortions."
Byung-su shook his head at Dong-jin's firm assessment.
"Hm, what they do is just show people what they want to see."
"What do you mean?"
Na-rae asked, wondering what sophistry that was.
"Conservative papers cater to conservative supporters. Liberal ones to liberals. They're like eyes that show subscribers only what they want to see."
"That doesn't excuse it."
As Dong-jin stated firmly, Byung-su chuckled wryly.
"Heh heh, our Religion & Science team writes articles for subscribers who want supernatural stories too. We don't report everything we know exactly as is. We're not much different."
Dong-jin had no rebuttal to that.
"Ah! Of course, they're a bit worse. They manipulate public opinion for their vested interests."
"But why invite you, sunbae?"
Na-rae cut off Byung-su's pointless chatter with a question.
Dong-jin thought her eyes were sparkling more than usual today.
"Beats me. I don't kn—hmm, it's from Director Park Young-ho, President Park's son. Why? I don't even know him..."
As Dong-jin checked the sender on the envelope, Byung-su replied indifferently.
"Sons usually send birthday invites for their fathers. Don't read into it. But why no invite for me, the Religion & Science team leader? Cheeky bastards."