"······What? What did you just say?"
Kang Woojin looked at the handsome male waiter and spoke in a detached tone. His voice was so low it was almost a whisper, yet the meaning behind it landed with perfect clarity.
"You're Horiuchi Amie's lover, aren't you? Your name is… yes, Horyo Eishi, right?"
The handsome waiter visibly faltered. Or rather, Eishi's confusion only deepened.
That was only natural. His name really was Horyo Eishi. And he really was Horiuchi Amie's lover. The name itself might not have mattered much, but the fact that he was Amie's lover was a secret. Only Eishi and Amie knew that.
So why did this damn company employee who had suddenly appeared know about it?
"······"
Too shocked to react, the handsome waiter, no, Eishi, froze where he stood. The camera captured that exact moment perfectly.
But then—
"Cut."
At Director Kyotaro's signal, filming stopped. Of course, it was not Kang Woojin's fault.
"Horyo Eishi, your emotional expression is too weak. Try giving it more force."
The direction was aimed at the supporting actor playing Eishi. The actor immediately bowed his head deeply several times toward both Director Kyotaro and Kang Woojin.
"I'm sorry!"
Director Kyotaro waved a hand as if it were nothing, while Kang Woojin showed no particular reaction. With an indifferent expression, he held out the beer glass to the actor.
"It's fine."
But the actor playing Eishi, who looked utterly tense, bowed once again and apologized to Woojin.
"I'm really sorry."
Was he really a rookie actor? On the outside, Kang Woojin still looked stern, but inside, he was looking at the supporting actor's face and recalling the past.
More specifically, his own first experience acting.
Now in his second year, Woojin did his best to offer the actor a few words of comfort.
'Wouldn't it be better if he used his body too? Right?'
The thought came from experience. It was not the wrong judgment to make. On this set, Kang Woojin was the actor who had handled the greatest number of scenes in the shortest amount of time.
And so—
Thud.
He set the beer glass down on the shelf in front of him and lowered his voice.
"If it's hard to express it with your line and your expression alone, try adding movement."
"······What?"
What?
Kang Woojin had nothing else to say. He had already run out of the words he had prepared, so he chose silence instead.
The rest was up to him.
Right then—
Clatter!
The beer glass Woojin had set down tipped over. He had only meant to pour more dry snacks into the bowl and ended up knocking it over by mistake.
Damn it.
Staying outwardly calm, Woojin grabbed a dry towel from the bar.
'I messed up again. I screwed up again.'
But for some reason, the moment the supporting actor saw the spilled beer, an exclamation mark practically flashed in his eyes.
"!!"
Then he suddenly grabbed Woojin's hand while he was wiping up the beer, and just as quickly released it again before shouting, rather loudly,
"Yes! I'll try it the way you said!"
It looked like a bit of an overreaction, but Woojin kept the same blank face and continued wiping up the beer.
Even though it had only been a simple remark, the man was overwhelmingly grateful for it.
Woojin answered calmly.
"Yes. Please do."
Director Kyotaro, who had been watching the monitor, naturally witnessed the whole thing. Thanks to the audio equipment, the exchange between the two came through clearly in his headset. With his head of white hair, he quietly smiled.
"Not just Yasutaro. He's teaching the supporting actor too."
The screenwriter beside him cut in, speaking in Japanese.
"Isn't that right? Just now, Woojin even showed him an example movement."
"Yes. He acted as if it were nothing, but he was giving him advice about how to carry the scene."
"······He looks cold on the outside, but Woojin is actually very kind."
"Even the movement he suggested was exactly what I wanted. Because he has such a vast amount of data, things like that come out instantly."
"And yet he acts like it's nothing. That's really amazing."
"He doesn't show off. He's being considerate of a fellow actor."
Wrong.
Kang Woojin was just thinking this:
'Ugh, it reeks like beer now. I can't believe I made this kind of mistake… Ah, Kang Woojin. Get it together.'
He had done it without thinking. But somehow, the people around him began gathering naturally. Not only Director Kyotaro and the key staff, but even the supporting actor standing right in front of him.
There were practically hearts in that man's eyes.
What filled them was not affection so much as reverence.
A few minutes later—
"Hi, action!"
The scene started again. The opening was the same.
But—
"You're Horiuchi Amie's lover, aren't you? Your name is… yes, Horyo Eishi, right?"
At the moment his identity was exposed, Horyo Eishi, played by the supporting actor, spilled a beer glass. It was not the beer glass in front of Woojin, but Eishi's own glass placed behind him while he had been skimming the foam. Startled, he had staggered backward and knocked the glass over with his hand.
Watching from the monitor, Director Kyotaro immediately smiled.
"That's it."
Fortunately, the scene continued without interruption this time. Horyo Eishi stood there frozen, while Kang Woojin wore a weary smile. The camera captured both of them in the same frame.
Woojin sat back down, took a sip of beer, and picked up a peanut from the dried snack tray. As he chewed, he spoke in a low voice.
"You look very surprised."
Then he gave a subtle signal with his fingers.
Come closer.
Horyo Eishi glanced toward the female waiter nearby, who was serving another customer. Woojin, or rather Kiyoshi, spoke again.
"Come here. If you don't, I'll raise my voice."
Clenching his teeth, Horyo Eishi slowly approached Kang Woojin. Woojin leaned in and whispered something into his ear. The camera moved in tight on Horyo Eishi's face.
Whatever he heard, his eyes flew wide open.
By contrast, Kang Woojin continued speaking with an indifferent air, a faint smile on his lips while his eyes remained empty.
"Meet me after this. There's something you need to do for me."
──────────
A little later.
The appearance of the karaoke bar where Kang Woojin had been was slightly different now. The camera angle, the lighting, and even the props had all changed. The extras who had been gathered there were gone, and the once-dark interior was brightly lit. The music was off. It looked exactly like it did before opening.
Kang Woojin was nowhere to be seen either. Naturally, it was because they were now filming a different scene.
The story had shifted from the past back to the present.
At a table near the entrance of the karaoke hall sat three people: Kosaku Mana in his lightweight navy padded jacket, in other words Detective Mochio; his subordinate detective; and—
"Hurry up and finish this. I've got things to do."
A woman in a long-sleeved top that exposed her midriff. She was Uramatsu Mifuyu, playing Horiuchi Amie. She reeked of strong perfume, had long brown hair, thick red lips, and heavy makeup.
The three of them were seated at the same table.
Thud.
With an irritated expression, Amie crossed her legs. The young detective pretended not to notice, though his eyes flicked toward her legs anyway. Sensing his gaze, Amie casually placed a cigarette in her mouth and picked up the glass ashtray from the table. Then she asked Mochio, who was looking at her with open distaste,
"You don't mind if I light this, do you?"
"Go ahead."
Having gotten permission, Mochio opened his notebook and took out a photograph tucked inside.
"Konakayama Kinjo. You know him, don't you?"
Staring at Kinjo's photo through the drifting cigarette smoke, Amie answered bluntly.
"I know him. You came here because you knew I did. The whole world found out after the news of his death broke."
"Yes, I'm only asking as a formality. Then, do you know this person?"
Mochio switched to a different photograph. This time, however, Amie's answer changed.
"I don't know him. I've never seen him before."
"He's Misaki Shutoku. The man who killed Konakayama Kinjo. Do you know him?"
"······"
The camera captured Amie head-on, a cigarette still in her mouth. Her eyes wavered for just a moment.
"I don't know anyone like that."
No, she did know.
Not Misaki Shutoku exactly, but she recognized the surname.
Misaki.
Yes, the same surname as Misaki Toka.
Mochio scratched his head and shut his notebook.
"I see. Hmm, you were in the same class as Kinjo, right? What kind of person was he back in school?"
"······We weren't that close. We hung around in the same circles, but we weren't close. He liked girls and he was an idiot."
"Was there any kind of incident that could have led to a grudge?"
"W-why are you asking me that?!"
Amie suddenly began to grow uneasy. Smiling slightly, Mochio tried to calm her down.
"I'm sorry. Like I said before, it's procedural."
"Damn it. I don't know anything like that. Why would a student hold a grudge?"
"That's true."
This time, the rookie detective pulled out another photo from his notebook.
"Do you know this place? It's a fishing village in Chiba Prefecture."
It was the scene of the crime.
"I don't know anything about some rural village like that."
"Alright."
At that point, Director Kyotaro gave the okay sign. After several retakes and some lighting adjustments, they moved on to the next scene according to the storyboard. This time, it was Kosaku Mana, playing Detective Mochio, who posed the question.
"Before he died, Konakayama Kinjo called you. You spoke with him too, right?"
"What? Why are you talking like you're accusing me?"
"Ah, my apologies. I apologize."
"······I answered the call while I was working."
"What was the conversation about?"
"I don't know."
"What?"
"I picked up, but there was too much noise, so I couldn't hear a thing!"
That was a lie.
Irritated, one final line of Kinjo's flashed briefly through her head.
'Ah, Amie. Misaki Toka is back.'
Mifuyu, or rather Amie, felt nauseous inside. The cigarette smoke seemed to clog her throat. It was disgusting. She had goosebumps. Anxiety made her breathing turn shallow.
Misaki Toka had come back alive?
That was absurd.
Then who was Misaki Shutoku? Toka's father? Or—
'Toka… Toka can't really be alive, can she? Did I really see Toka dead that day?'
Amie began altering her own memories. It was the kind of process people often went through when they were confused.
She had seen Toka collapsed on the ground, bleeding. She had seen her loaded into an ambulance. A few days later, she had heard that Toka was dead.
But had that really been a corpse?
If she had survived—
Amie's thoughts sank deeper and deeper into delusion. The very existence of Misaki Shutoku caused it. Toka's father had killed Kinjo.
Why?
Why the hell would he do that?
'No one could know, right?'
Only those who had done that to Toka knew everything.
Was it the father taking revenge?
That made no sense. There was no way he could have known. The fact that nothing had happened for years proved it.
And right now—
"Amie, it's certain that Misaki Shutoku was the culprit, but there's also a chance he had an accomplice."
Those words came from Mochio.
The young detective looked at him in surprise, while Amie's eyes went wide.
"An accomplice?"
This was all nothing more than Mochio's guess. Telling her this should not have meant anything.
But Mochio sensed something strange in her reaction.
'There's definitely something there—'
He was digging into it.
In any case, those words only made Amie's confusion worse. The timing of it was the problem.
"An accomplice…"
The news had reported that Kinjo was killed alone. At first, even the detectives had believed that too. But now there might have been an accomplice?
'No way! Is Misaki Toka really alive??'
If she were not, Toka's father would never have suddenly killed Kinjo. On top of that, Kinjo had been assaulted.
Amie vaguely understood why Kinjo would have been beaten like that.
What Kinjo had done to Toka.
That.
'I knew it. Toka is alive. She has to be.'
It was Horiuchi Amie who had orchestrated everything. It had been Amie who used Kinjo to hurt Toka. Very few people knew that. But Toka herself would absolutely know.
Hic!
The sudden feeling of nausea made Amie spring to her feet. Her eyes were wide, her lips trembling slightly, but she still tried desperately to bury the thoughts.
She forced herself to forget the past as hard as she could.
"Get out! I need to rest!"
But Mochio only scratched his head and stayed where he was.
"Uh… I still have a few more questions. If the call was unclear, then how often did Kinjo come here? It seems like he was here the day he died too."
"I said get out!!!"
Amie screamed.
Sensing something was wrong, the younger detective tugged at Mochio.
"Sunbae-nim. Let's go for now. We can come back later."
"Huh? No, I'm still curious about something."
Leaning close, the younger detective whispered into Mochio's ear.
"If you cause trouble again, you'll end up suspended for even longer. Please, just get some rest."
"······Really?"
At last Mochio bowed slightly to the furious Amie.
"I'm sorry, but we'll leave the rest of the questions for another time."
"Don't ever come back!! If you do, I'll file an official complaint with the police!"
"···I'll contact you again later."
The two detectives left the karaoke bar. Amie locked the door immediately behind them and covered her face with both hands. Eyes wide like she was possessed, she repeated the same words over and over.
"······She's alive. She's alive. That bitch Toka is alive."
Meanwhile, as the two detectives climbed the stairs from the basement to ground level, Mochio glanced back toward the karaoke bar below.
"Twice."
The younger detective let out a long sigh and asked,
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Horiuchi Amie's eyes noticeably shook twice. The first time was when she heard the name Misaki Shutoku. The second was when I mentioned an accomplice."
"Really? Anyway, sunbae-nim, please just get some rest. Let's keep working together for a long time."
Ignoring him, Mochio sank into deep thought.
"······Let's go back for now. We need to recheck Misaki Shutoku's family relations."
──────────
Later.
The atmosphere in the karaoke bar changed once again. There were still no customers, but the lighting was extremely dim. It even seemed to carry a moldy smell. Perhaps because of that, Horiuchi Amie, who was no longer in her right mind, was nowhere to be seen.
The camera followed the track rail, moving until one room came into view.
Amie was in the VIP room at the very end. She was not alone. She was leaning against the lap of her handsome lover, Horyo Eishi. Amie was completely drunk. Soaked in alcohol, she buried her face against her lover's lap and sobbed.
"Hic— sob!"
Eishi gently comforted her.
"It's alright, Amie. If something happened, tell me everything. I'll stay by your side."
He embraced her as warmly as he could.
That went on for about thirty minutes.
Still sniffling, Amie finally began to speak. Of course, she was out of her mind. Being drunk only made it worse.
"Sob······Toka. Toka is alive."
"Toka?"
"Yes, Misaki Toka is alive. She was supposed to be dead, but she's alive."
"What happened, Amie?"
"······I hated her from the moment she transferred in."
And just like that, Horiuchi Amie started spilling everything. Her lover Eishi listened calmly, but there was something strange in his eyes.
About an hour passed.
"······"
Amie fell asleep.
Still cradled in Eishi's lap, of course.
Then the handsome-faced Eishi slowly lifted his head and left the room.
Thud.
He glanced back at Amie. She was so deeply gone that it seemed she would not notice even if someone carried her away. Before long, Eishi left the karaoke bar and headed into the alley behind it.
He looked around as though he were searching for someone.
At that moment—
"You came."
A lifeless voice rang out. The camera caught the stranger gradually emerging from the darkness.
No—more precisely, it focused on Kang Woojin.
With no expression at all, he held out a hand toward Eishi.
"Give it to me."
With trembling hands, Eishi pulled something from his pocket and placed it into Woojin's hand.
Plop.
It was a recorder.