CH 44

Reporters were camped in front of the luxury villa where Cha Jungwoo lived. The villa’s security was tight, so we had to contact the inside, but the problem was that Cha Jungwoo completely blocked the phone, so we couldn’t even get to contact him. However, the manager did not panic. As proof of his sociability and good connections, he made a few phone calls, and got in touch with Cha Jungwoo’s road manager. 

“You know me, right? At work… Yes. Yeah, but now I’m in front of the house to see Cha Jungwoo. Oh, are you at Cha Jungwoo’s house now?”

The manager looked at me and smiled as if it had been resolved and walked to the front door. As I followed him, I heard a voice confirming to the other person on the phone.

“Yeah, that’s right. Director Yoon sent me here.”

After all, shameless lies were also his specialty. After a while, a security guard came out and opened the iron door at the entrance to the villa. As I entered, the manager gave me a light warning. 

“Even if I get hit by Cha Jungwoo, you don’t need to come forward.”

***

The road manager, who seemed to be familiar with the manager, was a young man in his late twenties. The moment I saw him, I thought that the manager’s concern might become a reality. His lips were swollen and his face with a bluish bruise on his cheek seemed to be troubling, and instead of saying hello, he got to the point.

“Did the company make a decision? I was told to keep him here until the company contacted.”

He probably couldn’t go out even if his face turned like that when he was instructed not to let Cha Jungwoo go outside.

“Why did Manager Choi come?”

As he walked through the hallway, he asked quietly. Instead of answering, the manager stood at the entrance to the living room and looked around in surprise. The very spacious living room that one house could fit into, was devastated as if there had been a war. The sofa was turned over and scattered, and the black table was tilted to one side with a broken leg. In addition, all kinds of broken pieces, a fallen cabinet, a large TV with a broken screen, etc.

“Where’s Cha Jungwoo?” 

The manager’s voice echoed through the spacious living room. The road manager looked up with his eyes and led the manager towards the kitchen.

“He’s only been listening to music loudly since morning.”

“Is there anyone else?”

Luckily, in the kitchen, the road manager offered him a chair to sit on, but he stopped and stiffened. 

“Ah, that’s…”

“Where is Cha Jungwoo’s main manager?”

The road manager bit his lips as if it was difficult for him to speak. Squeak. The manager pulled a chair and sat down, asking casually.

“Does Cha Jungwoo know? Does he know that it was his manager who recorded the file and leaked it?” 

“Uh! H- how did you know that?!”

The road manager widened his eyes in amazement. At his reaction, the manager glanced up at me. His eyes showed a slight relief that the conjecture was right but then he shrugged his shoulders and turned to the road manager.

“Well, the company already guessed it.”

“Oh my God… so you mean it’s real? Ha…” 

The road manager took a deep breath and sat down across from the manager.

“I don’t know how Jungwoo knew, but after the incident, the manager and the stylist all called over and there was a mess. I just wanted to vent my anger, but in particular, the manager hyung was very aggressive. I thought it was a little weird, but…”

He shook his head wildly.

“The manager got hit with a golf club by Jungwoo and went to the hospital. He didn’t say much when he got hit, but he didn’t get angry when he went to the hospital. No, he just said one thing before he left. Didn’t he betray him? What the hell is all this about…” 

“Shouldn’t Cha Jungwoo go to the police station?”

When the manager changed the subject, he sighed again.

“Oh, he should. Even if not, someone from the company came to him in the morning and persuaded him to respond to the police subpoena investigation, but he won’t go.”

He looked up and shrugged his shoulders. 

“He is holding on like that, saying that if there is anything to investigate, the police should come. And curses everyone who comes, saying they’re trying to screw him.”

“I still want to meet him .”

“He won’t even open the door. Rather, why did the company send Manager Choi?”

The manager looked up and stood up. 

“Yes, that’s because they told me to be Cha Jungwoo’s manager from now on.”

“Yes?” Leaving behind the surprised road manager, the manager left the kitchen. He followed him and thought it was strange. He looked kind of excited. Just as it excites him that he can finally do a managerial job despite the troublesome incident.

Bcbmx, xcbmx, xcbmx.

“Jtj Aecukbb. Po sbe vbc’a kjca ab mbwf bea, pera ilrafc.” 

Pa rffwfv atja Jtj Aecukbb vlvc’a fnfc tfjg atfrf kbgvr yfmjerf atfgf kjr j ibev atewqlcu rbecv lcrlvf. Pc jvvlalbc, atlr lr j wbgf wfrrs qijmf atjc vbkcrajlgr, j megnfv ubio miey jcv j rwjii xclof kfgf islcu jgbecv. Pa kjr mifjg fnlvfcmf bo tbk tf agfjafv atf qfbqif ktb mjwf ab ajix, yea atf wjcjufg mbcalcefv tlr kbgvr gfujgvifrr.

“You must appear in front of the police by today. Of course, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. If you hold out like you want, the police will come to arrest you with sirens sounding. Then it’s really worth seeing, right? It’s going to be broadcasted nationally where you would get more attention than a serial killer and get into police cars handcuffed. The ratings will probably be several times higher than the drama in which Cha Jungwoo appeared. Oh well, it’ll be 50% if it does well. Aye~ Would it be higher than the World Cup?”

The manager looked back at the distant road manager and smiled.

“After all, even when you go to the military, the audience ratings will be huge, right? If you add that up, it will be 100%…” 

Bang!!!

“Hey, who the fuck are you?!”

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a face I had only seen on a street billboard. Of course, in the commercial, there was no mess with his hair and also a bottle of wine in one hand.

“Bastard, what are you talking about? Do you want to die? Do you want me to rip your neck here?” 

As he raised his hand, one head taller than the manager, I automatically stepped forward. However, the manager put his hand back and stopped me first. And rather, he moved closer to him.

“If the murder charge by cutting my throat is added, reaching 1,000% viewership rating will not be a problem.”

“Son of a bitch, you think I can’t do it?”

A dull sound echoed through the interior. 

Puck!

The manager, who was hit in the face by Cha Jungwoo’s fist, staggered and stepped back. However, the attack continued again. This time, the bottle in his hand came down to the manager. Fortunately, it didn’t come down completely.

“Shit, what are you?”

Cha Jungwoo bared his teeth to me, who grabbed his arm. I looked back at the manager, who still couldn’t stand up properly while blocking him. 

“Can’t I really not give a hand?”

My questions were answered from front to back.

“Fuck, what are you talking about?”

“Ah! Taemin-ah, no, you can’t hit him.” 

The manager approached me, worried I might actually use my hands, but Cha Jungwoo came first. A hand that I couldn’t grab approached me as if it was going to grab my collar. However, I was able to stop the drunken guy’s attack even with my eyes closed.

Tak, thump!

I clapped his hand and shoved the arm of the guy. He lost his balance, and consequently collapsed, crashing into a half-open door with a loud noise.

“Hey, fuck…” 

He swore while balancing, trying not to roll over. I backed away from him, twisted his body, and took a few steps. The bewildered manager tried to say something, but as he saw me pick something up from the floor, he took a deep breath.

“Ugh! That, why?”

I grabbed a knife the right size for my hand and walked up to Cha Jungwoo, who was half upright. The guy who was about to stand up by grabbing the door frame saw me and stopped moving. It’s been a while since I played with a knife in my hand, but it wasn’t difficult to redo the old habit. I grabbed the edge of the blade and looked down at him, throwing it in the air and catching it again.

“If you want to fight, come at me.” 

I threw the blade in his hand along with the words.

Whish!

A knife with a short wind stuck into the wooden door. Seeing Cha Jungwoo frozen in place and frowning at me, he stepped back from the manager. I turned to the manager, gesturing him that he could speak now, but the manager couldn’t open his mouth right away as he looked at me with amazement. The first to break the silence was Cha Jungwoo, who came to his senses.

“Fucking bastard, did you open the door to these punks?” 

“No, that’s because… the company sent them…”

The road manager stepped back, terrified of being hit again.

“Company? Shit… Whether it’s from that damn company or not…”

“Oh, actually, it wasn’t sent from the company.” 

The manager, who turned around, added calmly to Cha Jungwoo, who was staring at him.

“I just came here because I wanted to be Cha Jungwoo’s manager. I’m targeting the person who broke the news about your issue.”

He paused. Cha Jungwoo clenched his teeth and spit it out.

“Do you know who messed with me?” 

“There is no evidence, but there is certainty.”

The manager nodded his head when Cha Jungwoo threw his gaze.

“Okay. It’s for sure. As you were sure your manager was the culprit.”

Suddenly, life arose in Cha Jungwoo’s eyes. 

“What are you talking about?”

“I also got backstabbed all of a sudden. Of course, I was framed for something I didn’t even do.”

And the manager smiled.

“Want to hear more? I have come up with a way to solve this situation.” 

“Solve?”

“Yes, solve. If you do as I say, you can continue acting even after you leave the military, and you can earn money like you do now by being hired again in advertisements. Rather than this being the end of your life as an actor, it can actually help your image.”

“How?”

He took a step closer to the manager with the eyes that meant he would kill him if he spoke nonsense. The manager glanced at me from behind and opened his mouth slowly. He repeated what he said before when I asked if there was a way. As he said, the company and Cha Jungwoo would never allow it. 

“It’s simple. Just ask for forgiveness. People get angry at their mistakes, but if they sincerely apologize and reflect on them, they will be more reassured.”

“What? If things just end with an apology…”

“It’s not just an apology. You need to sincerely apologize. Go to the police station right away, admit your guilt, hold a press conference right away, get down on your knees and apologize. And say that from the time I contacted the broker, it has been about a year. Give away all the money you have earned in the past year to society.”

“Fuck, are you calling it a solution now? Do you know how many billions I make in a year?!” 

“Isn’t it the money you earned through sin?”

“… What?”

“You have to give a few hundred billion. Anyway, if you restore your image, you can earn that money again later. And until you go to the military, do volunteer work without notifying reporters. It would be perfect to find a difficult facility that lacks people’s interest, not in common places such as orphanages and nursing homes. After that, eat and sleep there and lose more than 5kg no matter what. Only then people will be able to see that you have lived a hard life in the military. Of course, in reality, you also shouldn’t lead a comfortable life.”

“Son of a bitch, get out. Get out now!” 

“One more.”

The manager who intervened added to the agitated Cha Jungwoo.

“Correct your character. Otherwise, you will be betrayed by people beside you again.”

*** 

“Is he going to contact you within three days as the manager said?”

In the end, he was kicked out by Cha Jungwoo, who was struggling. However, for some reason, the manager had a relaxed expression, so I couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t think he would ever give out money.”

But the manager burst out laughing at my guess. 

“Isn’t it funny? To be honest, although it’s billions of won, it’s not enough to put pressure on Cha Jungwoo. He has a lot of money.”

He looked back at the villa and sighed a little.

“But I would hate to leave right away. If you can’t see the future and hold on to the present, even if it’s not like this, you’re going to be ruined someday.”

He walked forward again and looked back at me. 

“Do you think he will do what I say? Well, I’m not sure, but I think he’ll get in touch. To have risen to such a high position means to have a certain degree of thought. And there is a possibility that he will call you out of fear.”

Fear? The question didn’t come out because he took his cell phone out of his pocket and made a call. And he immediately knew who the other party was by the bright voice he heard. How the hell did he become close with someone like that?

“Haha, yes, it’s me, it’s me, Deukpal! How is Detective Park? Aye, when should we have a drink? … Mhm, yes. Of course I have to treat you! More importantly, there was a case related to Cha Jungwoo, right? … Yeah, that’s right. He’s an actor in the company I work at, so I wanted to ask for a favour. … No, not a solicitation, but quite the opposite. Cha Jungwoo won’t be going today. Send the police to Cha Jungwoo’s house tomorrow morning. If you request for the second subpoena directly, won’t the police be praised for solving the problem as quickly? Well, since the military issue is so sensitive, the higher-ups will welcome it as well. So please. A police officer dressed in a uniform so that all reporters can know. Handcuff him around his wrist!”

*** 

The next day,Cha Jungwoo’s villa was covered on the TV screen. The scene where the police go directly to Cha Jungwoo, who refuses to be summoned by the police, and deliver the documents for the re-summon. But they couldn’t get in from the front door so they had to go through the back. Public opinion, which had already been bad, got worse, and many people went to Cha Jungwoo’s house to curse.

Half of the three days promised by Director Yoon had passed quickly, but the manager was no different than usual. Rather, he was busy calling and making appointments since morning to find work for Hansoo and me. In the afternoon, he said he was going to win a small flyer advertisement, and went out excitedly, and Hansoo held on to me and vented the frustration he had been holding back.

“Ugh, manager, why are you like that? Now is not the time to find work for us. What do we do? Cha Jung-woo has to contact him and ask him to be his manager by tomorrow!!”

I tore off the guy who was holding and shaking me and looked at my laptop. I had already skimmed through the materials Hansoo found, and now I was listening to Cha Jungwoo’s audio file over and over again. To be honest, Cha Jungwoo’s voice could not be heard very clearly. But it’s a unique voice. 

I felt like I listened to a 15-minute file all day. I finally found something after listening to it dozens of times to find evidence of what the madman said in the background sound mixed with various noises. Someone’s voice was faintly audible after the middle. He was speaking alone as if he was talking on the phone, but his voice was so small that it was like a whisper, so it was difficult to understand the contents even if the volume was turned up to the maximum. Only a few words were heard.

These were short words like ‘Now’, ‘Jungwoo’, ‘Broker’, and ‘This is the last meeting’, but it was clear that it was about Cha Jungwoo. There, after the word ‘yoon’ two or three times, the word ‘did you buy it’ also appeared. What are you buying? Is the other person’s name Yoon? My ears were tingling, so I thought that this was enough, so I pulled out my earphones, and saw torn pieces of paper lying on the table. His eyes were engrossed in reading a certain script, but he was tearing the paper with his hands out of anxiety.

“Why aren’t you going to school?”

“Yes?” 

Hansoo raised his head in surprise.

“Ah, did the manager contact you?”

“No, why aren’t you going to school?”

“Ah~ I took a leave of absence this semester.” 

What? But he was there when I went to school before. And he went there often. Hansoo smiled wildly.

“I play around at school. When I go, for some reason, everyone buys me drinks and food. Even though I say I’d pay. Especially the older sisters, they even buy me sweets when we meet.”

Occasionally, he tilted his head, saying that his juniors also bought it for him. I didn’t bother saying that people would buy him sweets even if he became a grandfather. Well, he won’t starve to death.

“Oh, but have you seen this movie?” 

Oh, right. And Hansoo presented the script he had been reading. I had to shake my head because the only movie I had seen for the past 5 years was something my friends told me to do or something I had seen in acting class. But the moment I saw the title, I forgot to reply. It was a familiar title. The moment I took it from Hansoo, I remembered what it was. A drama to be filmed next year that Myungshin is aiming for the lead role. The one that came out as a movie first.

“Can I borrow this?”

“Yes. I’ve already seen it, so you can take it now. No matter how many times I see this, it’s really great.”

Hansoo raised his thumb and added. 

“I had a feeling that the movie wasn’t enough, but if it comes out as a drama… huh? Wait a moment. hello?”

While the phone rang and he was talking, I skimmed through the scenario. You’ll have to read it carefully to understand the content, but… I looked up when Hansoo’s voice got louder while I was paying attention to the scenario.

“Yes, I know Mr. Choi Deukpal. …yes?! You drank there and fell asleep there?”

With that said, I looked at my watch. It was evening, but it was not yet time to drink and nap. 

“Yes, I will go right now. I’m sorry.”

Hansoo hung up the phone and stood up from his seat with a serious expression.

“Manager didn’t show it in front of us, but I think he was really worried. He got drunk at his regular bar…”

“Stay. I will go.” 

“No. The two of us have to go to carry the manager…”

I pushed the chair and cut off his words firmly.

“I can do it alone, so you just stay here.”

I stared blankly at Hansoo, who muttered ‘but’, and emphasized. 

“You don’t come.”

Leaving his widened eyes, I headed to a regular bar where the manager apparently was. The manager drank at this hour and fell asleep? Haha, where did you get such a cute excuse? If you’re drunk and asleep, of course, it is common sense to call your acquaintance on the person’s phone. It seems that Hansoo, who was bewildered, couldn’t think of something this simple.

There’s only one person who would do this. An ex-colleague who knows Hansoo’s phone number and knows the manager’s regular bar. If I want to meet him, I have no choice but to leave.

After 30 minutes by bus, I arrived at the destination. When I got off the bus, the sun was almost setting and the lights started to lit up one by one. As I passed the noisy main road and entered the alley where the bar was, the noise that had been clinging to the surroundings a while ago faded. Instead, after a short walk, I heard a voice from the parking lot of a building. 

“Lee Yoohan.”

I stopped and stared at Myungshin, who took a few steps from the dark parking lot. Worried that people would recognise him, the guy raised his sharp eyes under the baseball cap he was wearing tight.

“Didn’t you say that I needed to be prepared for a fight to talk to you properly?”

As if he didn’t want to come out of there anymore, he signaled me to come in. 

“Come in. I’ll do whatever I want first.”

After looking at the guy half-dressed in the shadow of a light fixture for a while, he entered the parking lot. But before he could get any closer, he saw a long shadow coming out from behind and stopped. I didn’t think Myungshin would attack directly. But it didn’t matter that there might be someone behind him, but more so that person’s identity.

“What, is this guy the one?”

The man who moved to Myungshin’s side looked at me and blurted out as if he was stunned. 

“I know that guy. Hey, do you remember me?”

I sure did. The man who seemed bigger than I remembered took a step and a long shadow covered me.

“Damn, he must have escaped like a rat from Alice a month ago.”

He was the giant who was Chairman Kim’s underling.