Kiss the Ground

▶[Ilya, the envelope has arrived. Can you come now?]Ilya touched the hot screen of his phone with his fingers while sitting in the back seat of the taxi. The message on the screen was sent by Yoon Chahyun a few minutes earlier. Glancing out at the evening streets of London, Ilya quickly tapped the small screen.Another envelope had arrived.The shocking news made Ilya willing to go out even in the middle of the night. It was common for popular sports stars to suffer from harmful rumors or personal gossip, but Yoon Chahyun’s situation was particularly severe. Ilya knew that he had been under extreme stress since the incident during the round of 16. The anxious face asking for help was vividly recalled.“…….”Ilya looked at his reflection in the window, gripped by anxiety. The thought of what he had done weighed on his mind. The words he carelessly said at a gathering with colleagues had snowballed into an incident blocking Chahyun’s path. Yoon Chahyun, who had considered Ilya close enough to share personal worries, seemed quite disappointed that he had done such a thing.Ilya hoped that Chahyun would open up to him again. He wanted to go back to the days when they would have meals together and share secret concerns. The fact that Chahyun was asking for help again was both surprising and possibly a last chance.Besides, the “envelope”…The car quickly sped into a deserted street. The address Yoon Chahyun attached at the end of his message was not his own home, nor was it a suitable place like the Winchester Club Center. As they drove through the quiet streets, Ilya anxiously scanned the scenery outside.“We’ve arrived.”The taxi stopped in front of a large detached house, almost mansion-like. Ilya got out of the taxi and hurriedly entered the garden. He quickly approached the front door and pressed the doorbell.Ding dong. A few seconds after the quiet chime, there was a sound from inside. As Ilya straightened up, the door opened slightly. Standing in the bright indoor light, casting a heavy backlight, was a tall man.So this is this person’s house. Thinking quietly, Ilya slowly opened his mouth to the figure looking down at him.“Misha…hello.”“Hello.”With a calm greeting, Misha glanced over Ilya’s appearance. His seemingly gentle eyes had a peculiar air of indifference, not contemptuous or wary, but as if he didn’t consider Ilya at all. It was the same look he gave Ilya the first time they met. Yoon Chahyun, who was right next to him, didn’t notice at all, but it was clear to Ilya.As he hesitated and hovered near the entrance, a familiar voice came from inside.“I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly, Ilya.”“Of course, it seemed urgent. When Chahyun asks for help, I come right away.”“Please come in.”With his permission, Misha stepped aside from blocking the entrance. His movement, allowing entry as if granting permission, was like that of a gatekeeper. His towering height only added to his intimidating aura. Ilya quickly nodded and squeezed through the narrow gap into the house.Yoon Chahyun greeted him, standing in the middle of the living room. Ilya quickly approached him. Seeing Chahyun’s hurried gaze, Ilya was the first to speak.“I’m sorry for the late hour. It was a sudden matter.”“No, I’m the one who said I’d help… I’m rather grateful you called.”“You look quite tired.”Chahyun tilted his head slightly, as if observing Ilya’s complexion.“No, Winchester made it to the finals. There’s no time to rest. It’s late, but congratulations.”Ilya tried to smile with a familiar expression, but Chahyun did not respond, still quietly looking at his face.A tense silence settled in the living room. Standing there, unable to control his shifting gaze, Ilya eventually brought up the reason he came and the item he needed to confirm.“Uh, Chahyun, you mentioned an envelope arrived…”“Oh, this.”Chahyun nonchalantly pulled out an envelope from his back pocket. Ilya quickly stepped forward, almost shouting.“Who was the sender? When did it arrive?”“Just a moment ago.”“What was inside… Was it a photo?”Ilya asked urgently, stepping closer.“Photo?”Chahyun replied calmly, tilting his head. Startled by the unexpected atmosphere, Ilya couldn’t blink and just looked at him.“You said the third envelope from the stalker arrived. That’s why you called me for help…”“I never said that.”“Huh? But…”“I only said ‘envelope.'”Ilya’s eyes widened. Hearing the word “envelope” from Chahyun naturally led to that assumption. He had rushed over to confirm the unknown content.“Oh, I must have jumped to conclusions… I’m sorry.”Ilya touched his slightly damp forehead with his hand. Chahyun narrowed his eyes, looking at his flustered face.“Why are you so agitated? That’s not like you, Ilya.”“…….”Ilya forced a heavy smile. He felt strangely cornered.The sound of someone turning the lock, standing at the front door, broke the serene silence that had settled over the entire living room.“Are you that surprised that the third envelope has arrived?”Misha Asplund, who had turned the house into a complete sealed room, muttered in a peculiar tone as he approached Ilya. His aristocratic appearance made his expressionless face seem eerily emotionless. His eyes, like those made of marble, stared piercingly at the speechless person.“N-no, I just thought the same thing had happened again…”It was Chahyun, standing beside him, who answered.“Why? Last time, you calmly advised us, didn’t you? To suspect everyone around and trust no one. You said you never know what kind of lunatic might be lurking nearby.”Ilya quickly turned his head to look at Chahyun. The athlete’s face, which had lost its smile and embarrassment, now seemed strikingly sharp.Although he knew that Chahyun was not as cold-hearted as his appearance suggested… the current atmosphere was distinctly different from his usual gentleness.“That advice really helped me back then.”Chahyun’s piercing gaze locked onto Ilya’s face. A cold, yet serious voice came out between his firm lips.“So, I wanted to ask for your opinion again this time.”Unconsciously, Ilya glanced toward the entrance door. But Misha Asplund was standing behind him, guarding it. His eyes were like those of a hunting dog, as if ready to bite at the slightest movement.“Mr. Ilya, please answer honestly.”But Chahyun seemed determined not to give Ilya even a moment to avert his gaze.“Do you remember the Chinese restaurant where we had dinner together? The one with the delicious creamy shrimp.”“…Yes.”He couldn’t say he’d forgotten. In the chilly air, Ilya licked his dry lips.“The table with a view of the window, the one you reserved and were waiting at. The one where we took that friendly picture together.”“……”“It turns out, the only place where someone could have taken a picture of us sitting there is the sandwich shop visible from the window. Did you know that?”Ilya gaped. It was clear that he was being questioned about something. He felt a creeping sense that things were going wrong. Watching the silent Ilya, Chahyun briefly exchanged glances with Misha standing behind him. Then he continued calmly.“I actually bought cookies from that shop. The restaurant’s table was clearly visible from the window. That’s how I found out.”“……”“Did you know that if you sat at that table, someone could take a picture of you?”Chahyun’s gaze sharpened. His voice was clear.“Are you really not involved in this at all?”Upon hearing that, Ilya raised both hands towards Chahyun. The outright questioning confirmed it. With just those few pieces of evidence, Yoon Chahyun was identifying him as involved in the stalking incident. Ilya took a breath and calmly shook his head.“…Mr. Chahyun, I apologize for that.”Chahyun’s eyebrows twitched.“Apologize?”“I never thought that someone could take a picture at that spot. I didn’t know it was such an easy place to be photographed. I also regret that such a thing happened in the spot I reserved, but…”But that was really a coincidence. As he murmured, lowering his hands, Yoon Chahyun, standing in front, closed his mouth. With his gaze on the floor, it was impossible to tell what expression he had. Only the quiet atmosphere added weight to the heavy air.However, it was Misha Asplund, standing behind, who threw a stone into the calm silence and created ripples.“You seem to care a lot about Yoon Chahyun.”Ilya flinched and looked back at the person standing by the door. Perhaps because he had once been through a rough situation, he couldn’t help but feel strangely intimidated. The 18th midfielder of Winchester often became unusually sensitive when it came to matters involving Yoon Chahyun. His shadow-like presence behind Chahyun was always visible to the journalist’s eyes.“You were worried about the terrorist incident during Interview Day too.”“Well, of course, I was worried.”“You comforted him then, didn’t you? ‘Yoon Chahyun is kind, so it was inevitable that he felt relaxed around a familiar fan,’ you said.”What stopped him was not the content itself but the fact that Misha remembered the conversation verbatim. The Interview Day during the semifinals was weeks ago, practically ancient history. How…? The bizarre memory, adding to the feeling that he wasn’t quite human, made Ilya take a short breath. He quickly composed himself and replied.“Because it’s true. Sports stars like Mr. Chahyun are usually not that kind. It’s rare for a player to provide such service to a single fan.”Misha replied, moving only his lips.“Is that so?”“…But that’s Mr. Chahyun’s strength. Even though it led to something bad, it wasn’t Mr. Chahyun’s fault.”Saying this, Ilya glanced at Chahyun. He was looking at Ilya with calm eyes. Seeing his clear, unclouded gaze, Ilya began to feel a strange sense of discord. What was this feeling? As he tried to decipher the expression on Chahyun’s face, Misha spoke quietly.“How do you know that?”“What do you mean… I felt that way. Mr. Chahyun, even though I was a stranger to him—”“No, not that.”His gaze, like glass, stared directly at Ilya. Feeling as if pierced by a spear, Ilya fell silent, allowing Misha to continue.“How do you know that Yoon Chahyun gave his autograph to that culprit?”Ilya froze as if doused with cold water. Misha took a step closer and continued.“Yuan only told me that story.”The reporter’s eyes widened. A sound like air escaping came from his pale lips.“…That…”“I thought it was strange from the beginning. How could you, who aren’t the culprit, know about it?”An icy silence descended. After Misha’s words, no one spoke. The reporter just stared at Misha with a stiff expression, like an old statue or someone shocked by electricity, frozen in place.In the quiet, Chahyun had been staring intently at Ilya’s profile. The calm demeanor he had maintained with smooth, oily excuses was gone, replaced by a bewildered look as if he had dropped his shield. Through the cracks in his outward composure, the secrets he had been hiding were beginning to seep out. Seeing this, Chahyun finally became certain of Ilya’s contradictions.And one more thing.Chahyun turned his gaze towards Misha across from him.‘That crazy guy…’When Chahyun heard Misha’s prediction about the whole situation just before calling the reporter, he thought Misha might truly be crazy. After all, when Misha talked about cookies at the restaurant, Chahyun thought he just wanted some cookies, and when Misha stared intently at Ilya’s back during Interview Day, he thought Misha was simply jealous. At that moment, Chahyun just found Misha cute.Who would have thought that such a person had been harboring these suspicions inside? Chahyun never imagined that Misha’s almost obsessive pride in remembering everything Chahyun said would be proven in this way. When Misha finished recounting all the details of the incident and Ilya’s mistakes, Chahyun had been left speechless, unable to close his gaping mouth for a while.And it seemed that the reporter in front of them also needed time to fully grasp the situation. The fact that his smart mind was this slow indicated that his “mistake” had left him quite flustered. However, it wasn’t long before the reporter’s lips, which had been frozen like a photo, suddenly opened as if wound up.“From earlier, what is this, some kind of detective game? It’s a bit surprising.”Chahyun answered quietly.“Does this feel like a game?”“I didn’t know you liked things like this. Is it because you’re an athlete?”Ilya’s face, speaking each word as if programmed, showed no trace of the previous flustered mood. It was as if the earlier confusion had been an illusion.However, hiding the signs of human agitation only proved that he was truly cornered.“You’re trying to say I’m the stalker who’s been following you, right?”After a brief pause, he finally got to the point. From a distance, Chahyun and Misha exchanged glances. Ilya looked down at the empty space below, his lips moving a bit faster.“I’m a journalist, you know. I often meet with detectives and police officers for work… Getting information from them isn’t difficult.”“So, you’re saying you heard it from somewhere else?”“Well, maybe. It’s not like you kept it a secret from the police. I can’t remember every detail.”It was nonsensical rubbish. Standing in the living room, Chahyun frowned.“I didn’t expect you to act so unreasonable. I thought I was helping you in my own way… Honestly, I’m a bit upset that this is how you repay me.”After saying that, Ilya shook his head in an exasperated manner and stepped back.“If that’s all you wanted, I’ll be going. It doesn’t seem like I can help with this matter.”With that, Ilya turned toward the hallway, seemingly intending to leave. However, blocking his path was the tall midfielder. A head shorter than him, Ilya had to stop in the shadow cast by the athlete standing before him.Thinking he could leave a locked room with two athletes inside—how bold. There was no intention of letting Ilya leave. He must not leave this house.Chahyun took a step forward. What had been stirring inside him since earlier was not hatred or anger but a colder, more questioning emotion. He spoke softly to Ilya, who stood before Misha.“Are you really not hiding anything?”“Chahyun… I truly don’t understand what you’re saying.”Ilya, turning his back, answered while shaking his dark hair. Was he planning to keep denying until the end? With rising anger, Chahyun shouted.“You have no intention of confessing?”At Chahyun’s voice, which echoed through the living room, Ilya quickly turned his head. Their eyes met, and Ilya’s face twisted into a sneer. Chahyun widened his eyes at the base reaction he had never seen before. The sharp question burst out almost simultaneously.“Do you have any evidence?”Adjusting his glasses with his fingers, Ilya’s dark eyes glinted menacingly. The gaze hidden in his unruly curls reflected Chahyun like a black mirror.“Pushing someone like this with flimsy suspicions and oppressing them. What would your fans say if they knew you had such a violent tendency?”“……”“There must be a buzz about the finals… It wouldn’t be good if another strange article came out now. You’ve had quite a few of those.”His twisted voice seemed to rip through the air.“What if I were to tell someone else about this?”As the relentless questioning tore open a crack, something dark was revealed. Listening to the vile threats, Chahyun clenched his fist.So, this is his true nature.In his cold mind, a memory from a few days ago overlapped: the time Ilya came to the club center. He had put on a regretful and apologetic face, saying it was his fault for leaking his conversation with Chahyun. That desperate apology had lingered in Chahyun’s mind until now. He had refrained from presenting the decisive “evidence” he had and demanded a confession first because of it.But it had been a misunderstanding. None of Ilya’s mistakes were actually mistakes.Chahyun lifted the envelope he had been holding all along. He had gripped it so tightly that it was crumpled. It was both the bait that brought Ilya here and the chain that could bind him. Chahyun glanced at the thick envelope and then handed it to Ilya.“Is this the evidence you’re talking about?”Ilya was momentarily speechless at the envelope thrust before him. His expression showed that he genuinely hadn’t expected Chahyun to have anything. And even more so, that it was the envelope Chahyun had been holding all along. His mouth slightly agape and eyes widening into ovals, he seemed to be trying to make sense of the situation.“What is this?”“Why don’t you open it and see for yourself?”At Chahyun’s curt words, Ilya reached out like a broken robot and took the previously torn envelope. He immediately opened it to check the contents.What emerged was a stack of papers, bound together like a small booklet. It looked like it had over twenty pages.“…….”In silence, Ilya inspected the contents. The light reflected off his glasses, making it impossible to see where his eyes were focused. Amid the tense air, Chahyun and Misha’s gazes met clearly. As Chahyun looked into Misha’s soft and calm gray eyes, he recalled the events of a few hours earlier, when he found the envelope.Discovering the item placed in front of the entrance had startled Chahyun. Considering all the recent situations and past experiences, it wouldn’t have been surprising to think it was evidence of a third crime. However, what Misha pulled out was not a pile of voyeuristic photos of Chahyun’s every move.Misha looked down at Ilya and spoke quietly.“As soon as I realized you had slipped up, I contacted the detective to get in touch with the culprit.”He lightly touched the scar beneath his eye with his finger.“Because I had the right to do so. I was the direct victim of that incident.”“…….”Ilya kept flipping through the white stack of papers without responding, seemingly ignoring Misha’s words. Undeterred, Misha continued speaking in a calm voice.“But that person thought someone was going to kill them and make them disappear. …Though they were already almost dead and lying in a hospital bed.”“Hah…”